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Crocotta's Hackles
The Kingdom of Elysia is in peril. The invading Raider army has marshalled a battalion of brutal soldiers whose unnatural strength and ruthless violence have no equal. Unfortunately, with the death of his grandfather, Prince Varren must return to the capital to secure his throne, be crowned king, and prevent power-hungry council members from overstepping their authority.
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For the first time, seventeen-year-old Lluava is forced to leave the prince, her military partner, in order to undertake a secret mission in the desperate hope that salvation lies outside Elysia’s borders. Venturing into the Outlands, a barren wasteland of frozen tundra, she seeks others like herself—not just Theriomorphs that have the ability to transform into an animal form but also Incarn, those chosen few, whose animal form is identical to one of the gods.
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Yet Lluava’s thoughts are filled with doubt. Will aid be found outside Elysia? Will it be enough? Why is her destiny entangled with a man she loathes? What does it mean to be Incarn? With each passing day, as the terrain becomes more frigid and desolate, her faith in this plan wavers while the fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance.
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Crocotta's Hackles
The Incarn Saga Book Three
ISBN-13: 978-0998377940
ASIN: B07L1DLXBD​
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According to legend, when the world was young, Crocotta, Queen of the Gods, discovered her mate’s faithlessness. She vowed to prevent future threats to all matrimonial pacts henceforward, but for her it was too late. The child born from the illicit coupling was a warrior goddess—one whom Crocotta would seek to destroy throughout eternity.
Now that the Raiders’ elite army is threatening the kingdom of Elysia’s northern borders, seventeen-year-old Lluava must leave the familiarity and safety of her native land to venture into the wilderness. Her mission is to discover others like her who will come to Elysia’s aid; her hope is to unravel the secrets behind what it means to be Incarn. But what she finds could destroy everything.
Crocotta's Hackles Awards
Awards:
2019 Dan Poynter's Global Ebook Award Gold Winner for New Adult Fiction
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January 2020 Literary Titan Five Star Book Award
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2020 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist for New Adult Fiction
Reviews:
Let me know what you think! Post reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and you may find your commentary here!
Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers’ Favorite (02/19)
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A twisty young adult fantasy, Crocotta's Hackles by Katharine E. Wibell is an interesting third entry in The Incarn Saga, featuring a splintering kingdom and a young heroine on an impossible mission. It’s a narrative that blends legend with the action of the present to define the path of a lovely protagonist and a conflict that has developed from time immemorial. According to legend, the queen of the gods, Crocotta, moved to anger by the infidelity of her lover, decided to prevent similar cases of infidelity in the future. However, the act of infidelity resulted in the birth of a warrior goddess who eventually became her nemesis. When the kingdom of Elysia is threatened by the Raiders, Lluava embarks on a mission to locate other Incarns and get help. What happens next will grip readers.
This is a narrative with a complex and engrossing plot. Katharine E. Wibell’s richly developed characters and her profuse imagination will hit readers strongly. The prose is elegant, the entire narrative filled with beautiful images of the setting. The author writes scenes that are emotionally rich and focused. What hit me most is the manner in which she melds legendary times with contemporary characters. Lluava is a teenager unlike any other and I enjoyed the fact that her development as a person and as a character isn’t at its peak when the story starts. She has to discover her strength, find out more about who she really is, and progressively learn to accept her destiny. Crocotta's Hackles is sophisticated, narrated in an absorbing voice and in language that is, in itself, delightful.
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (02/19)
“Crocotta’s Hackles,” is the third book in the Incarn Saga by Katharine Wibell. This adventure begins with Lluava, a talented female warrior, who is about to turn eighteen years old. Lluava resides in the kingdom of Elysia. Elysia, ruled by humans, is inhabited by both humans and Theriomorphs, and the species struggle to get along.
Theriomorphs are able to change into other forms of life. Lluava is a Theriomorph and she can transform into a white tiger. She is also in love with her human king. Raiders and Berserkers are traveling through the land destroying everything in their path, and when Elysia is at risk of being attacked again, Lluava and a huntsman named Apex take off to find help. Like Lluava, Apex is a Theriomorph - he can change into a wolverine. Both Lluava and Apex are a part of a small group of 12 Theriomorphs, who the Gods have gifted with extra special powers. They set off together with the hopes of finding more people like them and recruiting aid in the battle against the Raiders. The two discover so much about who they really are while they are on their journey. They also must decide who can be trusted and unfortunately, their choices don’t always work in their favor.
While this is the third book in the Incarn Saga series, it was the first one for me to read and I recommend starting at the beginning and reading them in order. I found myself getting a little confused at first because the reoccurring characters were new to me. But, once I caught up, the story took off for me and I could not put this amazing fantasy saga down!
The author did a fantastic job of bringing this foreign land to life. The descriptions are given in vivid detail, making it easy to “see” these places. The author also did a wonderful job of breathing life into these characters. The Theriomorphs spend much of their lives in their animal forms, so some of their personal attributes are derived from their animal. The Theriomorphs and humans both have good reason for not being able to fully trust each other. The tension between the two groups adds a nice touch to the drama.
I highly recommend this captivating series by Katharine Wibell and I definitely plan on going back and reading all of them!
Literary Titan review of Crocotta's Hackles (12/19)
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5 Stars
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Lluava has horrifying nightmares that keep her from resting. In those very real and vivid dreams, she feels she will surely meet with her own death. Life for Lluava is every bit as harrowing and challenging as the dreams that plague her. At the tender age of eighteen, Lluava is chasing Therimorphs and fighting the elements of winter. Her heightened senses are the only thing keeping her going. She feels, she thinks, and she sees much more deeply than any other human. To complicate matters, her dual form isn’t exactly in her favor. Lluava seems to have everything and everyone against her.
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Crocotta’s Hackles, by Katharine Wibell, is the third book in the Incarn series. With a complex plot spanning the series, Wibell offers readers yet another peek into Lluava’s life. Hers is a dual world; she lives two very different lives and struggles to maintain a solid balance between the two. When she and Apex find themselves in the middle of Leucrocotta, and isolated Theriomorph civilization, they are both overwhelmed with the possibilities that there may be others like it.
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This fantasy adventure by Wibell breaks into areas seemingly unexplored by other novels in the same genre. The dual forms experienced by the main characters make for a truly interesting reading experience. Wibell’s characters are thoroughly developed and even secondary characters are given engaging scenes and dialogue that makes them easy to visualize. Truth be told, I am as taken with Wibell’s secondary characters as I am her cast of primary players. There is just something about the way she introduces each character to the plot that makes them easy to visualize.
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One of the most enthralling aspects of Wibell’s novel is the point of view provided readers as they watch Lluava function in her dual form. It is a unique perspective and gives readers the opportunity to see her operate as an animal as she voices her thoughts as a human. Not many authors are able to pull this type of character development off without losing readers’ interest, but Wibell has written well-rounded characters and kept amazing consistency from one book to the next in this saga.
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The gods, as described in Crocotta’s Hackles, are quite the entities. I am not always intrigued by books that have a mythical feel, but Crocotta’s Hackles portrays gods as less than holy and much more meddlesome and vengeful. This, in and of itself, makes Crocotta’s Hackles an engaging read. The havoc they wreak on Lluava’s life is no small part of the book’s plot and makes the main character’s predicament all the more challenging.
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Fans of the fantasy genre will find Wibell’s work a welcome change to the vast majority of books currently available. A far as the saga itself goes, Crocotta’s Hackles is the most intensely focused of the three books. Readers who choose to explore Lluava’s dual worlds will not be disappointed.