Blog Tour & Giveaway: A Feast of Phantoms (Lingua Magika #1) by Kat Ross

A Feast of Phantoms
Kat Ross
(Lingua Magika, #1)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: February 18th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk

Lingua Magika is Kat’s latest series, a fast-paced Western steampunk fantasy with a dash of romance and adventure! A Feast of Phantoms is Book #1, with at least two more to follow.

THE JOB

It was supposed to be simple.

Help Marshal Sebastian Hardin escort his prisoner one stop on the railway to Charter Oak.

Just one stop.

But when that prisoner is a savant who talks to ghosts, even the simplest plans have a way of falling apart.

THE LAW

Sheriff’s Deputy Ruth Cortez always does the right thing. Lucky Boy is a company town, dependent on the rich and powerful Carnarvon family. Besides which, the charismatic Sebastian Hardin isn’t an easy man to say no to. When his transport derails in the middle of the prairie, Ruth begins a relentless manhunt that leads straight into the dark heart of the Carnarvon empire.

THE FUGITIVE

Lee Merriweather favors sharp suits and fast trains – especially when he’s stealing them. At the ripe old age of 18, he’s managed to become the most wanted criminal in three territories. Lee can’t resist playing cat and mouse with a small-town deputy, but what starts as a game becomes deadly serious.

THE FIXER

Sebastian Hardin is the Carnarvons’ right hand, loyal to the death and willing to keep any secret to protect the family. They want Lee alive, but with the young savant’s disturbing abilities it won’t be an easy proposition. Whoever catches Lee gets the keys to the kingdom and the Carnarvons aren’t the only ones hunting him down. Sebastian has enough problems without falling for Deputy Cortez – but you can’t always choose who you love.

THE PHANTOMS

They terrorized the settlers until Calindra Carnarvon learned to speak their language. Her empire relies on controlling their telekinetic powers, but Lee Merriweather could destroy it all. And not even Lee suspects the shocking truth of the phantoms’ real nature.

Goodreads / Amazon

My Review:

4.5 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Ghosts, Scary, Steampunk, Supernatural--

The story is narrated by Ruth, the most morally grounded character that I think I have ever met. There is no gray with this woman, only black and white and you will always find her on the true and moral side. I really enjoyed getting to know her and see how she reacts in every situation, how she chooses her actions with her calm demeanor and no frills attitude. I loved watching her relationship dynamics with the other characters, be it Doc who we never get to see and tries to educate Ruth, the stoic marshal who is not sure what to make of her or Lee, the charming yet devious mastermind. I will say though that I am curious to see if anything or anyone might be capable of shaking this girl up.

There are just so many cool details that the author used to create the story, seemingly subtle but well placed and important. Linguists are people who can speak to the spectral entities, using all kinds of sounds and speech patterns depending on the entities classification. And the phantoms are what help to power most things, be it a train or a city in general, given orders (suggestions?) by a linguist specializing in that certain tongue. It was honestly such a cool mix of Wild West gunslinger, meets steampunk world building meets the horror element of ghost and overall supernatural.

Also, the title is explained in the book and it really was super witty.

Ok, I just proved that I am a fan girl for this author and find her story crafting ability goes above and beyond what I expect- every time. Each book of hers that I have encountered gets better and better. I am 100% committed to continuing this journey with Ruth to catch the elusive bad guy (? I will go more with mischievous than actual bad) and will be back for the next book. I do hope though that there might be some kind or romance blossom in the next story (there was none here) because I am always a sucker for love and I enjoy both the two potential (in my opinion) love interests. 

Overall A Feast of Phantoms was completely original and engaging, the perfect read for fans of westerns, mixed with action with danger, supernatural (can more books be cool fusions of all kinds of things like this was?), and a tough cookie of a main character.

Author Bio:

Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She’s the author of the Fourth Element and Fourth Talisman fantasy series, the Gaslamp Gothic paranormal mysteries, and the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day. She loves myths, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Check out Kat’s Pinterest page for the people, places and things that inspire her books.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway