About the Book
Be warned Djinn come in every color and every shade of shadow . . .
"...breakneck in pace and breathtaking in prose," Rose Amber Reviews calls The Fires of Qaf "A stunning new fantasy series."
For ten years, street musician Ayelet has been hiding throughout the Ottoman Empire from the faceless mystical slave master who tormented her childhood. But lost souls long for homes, and when she returns to medieval Turkey she finds herself lingering.
One last performance, one last song. Then she will leave.
But evil never waits, and when Ayelet catches an evil djinn watching her from the back of a crowd, she knows she stayed far too long.
Jahmil Amir, the displaced djinn heir to the throne of the magical land of Shihala, has his own problems. Betrothed to a wretched djinn queen and in search of his mysteriously vanished army of flying snakes, he has no time for music or love. Instead, his heart is consumed with revenge.
When lava giants and bone-crunching ghouls force them together, fate has a different plan for the star-crossed lovers. But while love tempts them both with a promise as beautiful as it is forbidden, the Faceless Man will not be forgotten.
Can Ayelet and Jahmil find a home in each other's arms, or will lovers turn into enemies out of fear and revenge?
About the Author :
Laya's debut novel "The Lumbermill" won the 2021 Maxy Award for Best Thriller and was a finalist for 2021 IAN Award for Best Debut Novel. She is a member of ITW and AWP and has been featured on national news outlets, including Fox, NBC and The Daily Herald. With a degree in history from the University of Utah, Laya's creative work has always been rooted in the mysteries of the past. She loves connecting with and experiencing other cultures, both past and present, and for her the writing journey always begins with extensive research. Laya loves to travel and has lived in both Tijuana, Mexico and Istanbul, Turkey, though her home will always be Utah's Rocky Mountains. She writes in the genres of fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, and speculative fiction. Other than reading, writing, and learning about the past, she enjoys stand-up comedy, terrible movies, ugly dogs, red wine, stinky cheese, travel, and simply spending time with her friends and family. For more info on Laya's independent work, please visit LayaVSmith.com Kyro is a nurturer of plants and plots. She loves helping writers get their story into the world and speaks at conferences across the U.S.. She also runs the Vanilla Grass Writing Resource blog (vanillagrass.com) which focuses on helping writers improve their craft. While not writing and working in the publishing industry, she enjoys spending time with her creative children and yodeling. JK, though she's always wanted to learn how. You can check out her musings on Twitter and Instagram at @Kyro_Dean. Or check out her Amazon Central page: https: //www.amazon.com/Kyro-Dean/e/B09RWHDMGQ or her personal website: kyrodean.com. You can also find her releases on the Eight Moons Publishing site.
Review :
"The only reason this reviewer did not read The Covenant of Shihala in under 24 hours, was because your dear reviewer has a day job and obligations that sadly tear her away from her Kindle. As it is, she still squeaked under the 48-hour mark, students and deadlines be damned.
Chapter by chapter, the narrative alternates between Ayelet, a penniless travelling musician with few ties and a mysterious backstory, and Jahmil, a djinn prince without a kingdom, who would sell his soul to save his people. As their lives entwine, break apart, and knot back together again, Ayelet and Jahmil must learn to work together, and trust each other, through a series of trials that will not only uncover her past, but create his future.
The first of a series of books that dance between the land of Ard, the world of humans in a vaguely medieval Ottoman Empire, and that of Qaf, or the home of djinn and their Nine Kingdoms, with this novel Dean and Smith have created a lush series of landscapes for their characters to play in. Obviously inspired by the mythology of the modern-day Middle East, but with a swagger and finesse that belongs solely to its authors, The Covenant of Shihala is at once breakneck in pace and breathtaking in prose and an exquisite opener to what promises to be a stunning new fantasy series."
--Jennifer deBie, Rosie Amber Review Team
Ayelet and Jahmil are star crossed lovers you will be rooting for from their first encounter. Magic and mystery blend together to make The Covenant of Shihala a must read. -Ayelet and Jahmil are star crossed lovers you will be rooting for from their first encounter. Magic and mystery blend together to make The Covenant of Shihala a must read. -Sabine Berlin, author of And the Sky Full of Stars and Editor
The Covenant of Shihala will hold your interest and keep you guessing from the first opening scene to the very last page. Kyro Dean and Laya V Smith's imagery bring the world of Qaf to life, and as a reader I felt like I was right there with the characters in the story. I can't wait for book two! --Tifani Clark, author of The Soul Saver Series
"The Covenant of Shihala is a deep dive into a whole new world." - Amazon Review
". . . they've got me clinging to this stuff." - Goodreads Review
"A must read!" - Amazon Review
