tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8739083452804868732024-02-19T05:13:38.751-05:00Rebecca's Book BlogRebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.comBlogger667125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-1056421593418069542014-04-29T22:37:00.002-04:002014-04-29T22:41:09.996-04:00Book review: Unspeakable by Caroline Pignat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Unspeakable by Caroline Pignat (published by Razorbill Canada, May 6, 2014)</b><br />
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<b>Unspeakable</b> is a historical novel based on the sinking of the ocean liner <i>Empress of Ireland</i> in 1914, and is published just in time for the hundreth anniversary of the disaster. Over a thousand people died, but unlike similar shipwrecks such as the <i>Titanic</i> (the most famous of all) or the <i>Lusitania</i>, this disaster seems to be relatively unknown.<br />
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The book goes back and forth in time, telling the story of the fictional main character Ellie's life before, during, and after the disaster. Ellie is an eighteen-year-old young woman from England, and it was her first voyage working as a stewardess on the ship. She had a shipboard romance with Jim, who was working as a stoker and who she assumes was lost in the disaster. Prior to the voyage, Ellie suffered a great personal loss, and what happened is slowly revealed as Ellie is interviewed about her experience by a reporter and thinks back on the voyage and the circumstances that led to her leaving home and getting a job as a stewardess.<br />
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<b>Unspeakable</b> is a very well written book about a lesser known historical tragedy, but more than that, it is also the story of Ellie's personal journey. Recommended for readers who enjoy young adult historical fiction.<br />
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<br />Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-6815229387464963532014-04-11T23:21:00.000-04:002014-04-11T23:21:48.839-04:00Where I've beenSo, anyone following my blog may have noticed I was MIA for a while (though I have still been on active on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, etc...). I meant to post something earlier but never did. I haven't abandoned the blog. I haven't posted for a while because of this little cutie:
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I am now the mom of a baby girl born in February. I didn't feel very well during my pregnancy so I wasn't feeling up to reading or reviewing very much. Now that she is here and I am feeling so much better (other than sleep deprivation!) I really want to get back to reading and of course, reviewing, again. So, hopefully I'll have some new reviews up soon and thanks to everyone who didn't unfollow me during the nine months this blog was dead.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-48581114578310220792013-07-14T20:56:00.001-04:002013-07-14T20:58:26.232-04:00Dragonwitch blog tour: intreview with Anne Elisabeth Stengl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am excited to have Anne Elisabeth Stengl here today for an interview for her newest fantasy novel, <i>Dragonwitch</i>. There is also an awesome contest you can enter. First, here is a bit about the book:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgm_8Iz5qVPKzLH6TymzPkTnlqxmcr0BoD8ihbeMJLERf7XWNpqHTu5nwTYyV0POYC1NZaB0Z3S_IlScVjuqDzflujM2ldyVks6EtnY1L6Af_fBZvgLLv6JdwXxzGjtD3T93fLxYFxMI/s1600/DRAGONWITCH+complete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgm_8Iz5qVPKzLH6TymzPkTnlqxmcr0BoD8ihbeMJLERf7XWNpqHTu5nwTYyV0POYC1NZaB0Z3S_IlScVjuqDzflujM2ldyVks6EtnY1L6Af_fBZvgLLv6JdwXxzGjtD3T93fLxYFxMI/s320/DRAGONWITCH+complete.jpg" width="206" /></a><i>Who Will Dare to Face the Dragonwitch? </i><br />
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Submissive to her father's will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet
the future King of the North Country and a prospective husband she
neither knows nor loves.<br />
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But within the walls of his castle, all is not right. Vicious night
terrors plague Lord Alistair. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The
reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta's tutor and friend, possesses a secret
so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the entire nation.<br />
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And far away in a hidden kingdom, a flame burns atop the Citadel of the
Living Fire. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits
of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches
for the sword that slew her twice...and for the hero who can wield it.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Why did you decide to become a fantasy writer? </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Fantasy is my favorite genre
to read, so it was a natural fit for me to write as well. I was twelve years
old when I wrote my first fantasy novel, a funny little adventure story about a
wish-granting cat and all the various baddies who wanted to capture and use him
for their own nefarious purposes. With fantasy, I discovered there were so many
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">options</i> for adventures; I wasn’t
limited to what was realistic or feasible in our world because, hey! It wasn’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our world.</i></span></div>
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All your published novels so far have been fantasy - could you ever see
yourself writing a book in another genre?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not so much. I’ve toyed
around with both historicals and contemporaries, but neither has suited my
style particularly well. I’ll get the barest inklings of an idea, but the
moment I try to put them to paper, they vanish. That’s not to say that I’ll <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never</i> write in a genre other than
fantasy . . . but fantasy suits me rather well.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
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Your novels are similar to fairy tales - what is your own favorite fairy tale?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Yes, I like to think of my
novels as new fairy tales, containing many of the themes and styles of the old
tales we all grew up reading. My own favorite fairy tale might be George
MacDonald’s “The History of Photogen and Nycteris.” It is a wonderful little
story, full of beautiful imagery, powerful themes, and George MacDonald’s own
brand of humor. Highly recommended!<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
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What are some of your own favorite writers - either fantasy, or other genres?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, George MacDonald is
one, particularly for his short fairy tales. C.S. Lewis is another. Sir Terry
Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones might be my two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">absolute</i> favorites, but that might just be for the moment! For
something other than fantasy, I recently discovered a love of Georgette Heyer’s
mystery novels, which are fantastically well-written, hysterical, and
intriguing all at once. I always dismissed her in my mind as “just a romance
novelist.” I was so wrong! She is much, much more than that, and I am glad to
have discovered her.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />
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When you aren't writing, how do you enjoy spending your time?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I enjoy drawing and
painting, playing the piano, walking my dog, reading aloud to my sweet husband
(especially while he cooks . . . he’s by far the better cook of the two of
us!). I also work with wild kittens, rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding them
new homes. That can be quite a time-consuming hobby, but so rewarding!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Thank you for having me on
your blog today, Rebecca. It was lovely to stop by! </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">:)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Anne Elisabeth Stengl is the author of the
award-winning Tales of Goldstone Wood series, adventure fantasies told in the
classic Fairy Tale style. She makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where
she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering
dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and
studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace
College and English literature at Campbell University.</span><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: center;">
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Sneak Peek</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<a href="http://craftybooksheeps.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Crafty
Booksheeps - Interview</span></a><br />
<a href="http://youngadultbooks.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Young
Adult Books - Sneak Peek</span></a><br />
<a href="http://limwendiaries.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Darling
Diaries - Interview</span></a><br />
<a href="http://bloomingwithbooks.webs.com/"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Blooming
with Books - Interview/Sneak Peek</span></a><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13.5pt;">July 16 - Day 3</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://williamshsj.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">The Writer's Window - Character Interview</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://crimilia.tateauthor.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Crimilia - Interview</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.rachelherriman.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rachel Herriman - Guest Post</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://rinasreading.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Rina's Reading –
Top Tens List</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">JoJo's Corner -
Guest Post</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.literarylane.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Living On Literary
Lane - Interview</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://ontoherbookshelf.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Onto
Her Bookshelf - Interview</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="http://inkmademaiden.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">An Ink-Made
Maiden - Interview</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">July 16 Evening</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Blog Tour Finale and
Prize Awarded back at the </span><a href="http://anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Tales of Goldstone
Wood!</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<a id="rc-0cd52412" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0cd52412/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-89650938661446411462013-05-10T02:00:00.003-04:002013-05-10T02:17:04.663-04:00Sirens by Janet Fox blog tour: guest post & giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWISsnV97r1YVu8XDYmI_SyjUO2TJAToNfBiUH-FvWe_2yQxmUA7NHDHSJNXIu7w2CRGjpSxfHk9it9KG-ny3qqa6zPQD5doUafRTnfUwYzICUynZIlmw6uWcza9_1hoabLo2TCE0ajc/s1600/Sirens+Banner+Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWISsnV97r1YVu8XDYmI_SyjUO2TJAToNfBiUH-FvWe_2yQxmUA7NHDHSJNXIu7w2CRGjpSxfHk9it9KG-ny3qqa6zPQD5doUafRTnfUwYzICUynZIlmw6uWcza9_1hoabLo2TCE0ajc/s320/Sirens+Banner+Button.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love Janet Fox's books, so I am so excited to be hosting a guest post
from her today for the SIRENS IN THE TIME OF GATSBY blog tour, hosted by
<a href="http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/p/upcoming-and-current-tours.html" target="_blank">Mod Podge Blog Tours</a>.
In addition to Janet's guest post about women's fashion in the 1920s (a
great topic!), there is also an awesome contest, and be sure to watch
the book trailer! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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Revolution of the 1920s</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flappers were defined
in part by how they looked. When in SIRENS Jo meets her cousin Melody, she see
the perfect flapper; and when Jo borrows her cousin’s clothes she worries she’s
turning into a flapper. But, golly, it was a great look! And it sure beat
wearing those horrific corsets.</i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXf-PSv4ZBPPDgA1hH7DZVWyluvDXe4axf5esl1PHuSPmUUqd9mLNAbyZjQ6jIG49VFNf7LONaQFRe06NuR5hyVymA8Xh9Nag4RpKBSpZgaPvMneTgCh6K_EdKVeut_IXgMK2sIn4FScg/s1600/brimless+cloche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXf-PSv4ZBPPDgA1hH7DZVWyluvDXe4axf5esl1PHuSPmUUqd9mLNAbyZjQ6jIG49VFNf7LONaQFRe06NuR5hyVymA8Xh9Nag4RpKBSpZgaPvMneTgCh6K_EdKVeut_IXgMK2sIn4FScg/s320/brimless+cloche.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
In an earlier blog post I talked about some of the reasons
fashion changed so radically in the years from 1900 to 1925. The war, the
suffrage movement, the feminist movement, women in the work force, even cinema,
the automobile and advertising – these elements came together to encourage more
practical, less restrictive women’s clothing (corsets – gone!)<br />
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But what happened in the early 1920s pushed the clothing
evolution into revolution. And the greatest proponent and inventor of the new
fashion was Coco Chanel.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85-1QqToQQeckMkmrjaMYSdAQqj-IpG8rSacKnMwyrmPDsjQM81GnUJTA2cWHFsUb_EyPdZNOBAYD7844rn-lQOr9QqdcQbhJ9GxddBxD9DPCDhBhvpcHzfhF9VkxoAO-CJ_tPSnFH5E/s1600/chanel-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh85-1QqToQQeckMkmrjaMYSdAQqj-IpG8rSacKnMwyrmPDsjQM81GnUJTA2cWHFsUb_EyPdZNOBAYD7844rn-lQOr9QqdcQbhJ9GxddBxD9DPCDhBhvpcHzfhF9VkxoAO-CJ_tPSnFH5E/s320/chanel-4.jpg" width="232" /></a>Chanel was thin, athletic – she was a great horsewoman – and
attractive, and she personally favored less restrictive clothing, adopting
men’s clothing and the comfortable styles worn by sailors (like boatneck
sweaters and espadrilles.) It was her personal taste that women found
attractive, as Chanel used knits and flannels rather than silks and taffetas,
and she dispensed with frills and ruffles in favor of simple lines that allowed
freedom of movement. To make up for the lack of fabric adornment, Chanel
introduced beadwork and patterned cloth. It was Chanel’s slim, straight
silhouette that became the fashion almost overnight.</div>
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Young women in America particularly took to Chanel’s chic
new look. Dresses were tubular, with no waist </div>
or a dropped waist, and those
huge, overdone hats were reduced to the close-fitting cloche. Long hair went
out of style – too fussy, too much work – to be replaced by the short, loosely
styled bob. Hemlines in about 1919 were mid-calf, but by 1925 had climbed well above
the knee. While frills were gone, they were replaced by the “Oriental” look
that featured beading on the dresses, and jewelry of beads, bangles, and long strands
of pearls.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggeQayOq7j1lJaGrPQ8TDPjtBRtmxoNPGU4SWNuZRkD_2oLux74A7JpF8s9LmdxePPQ-tbydtzQ3LQPopjWoVWWm5aUD8gXoZHbU6lihnejc0rYxnAzcAPtNQy-RF4QHBjT38Addsl6xk/s1600/Cover_of_pictorial-review1925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggeQayOq7j1lJaGrPQ8TDPjtBRtmxoNPGU4SWNuZRkD_2oLux74A7JpF8s9LmdxePPQ-tbydtzQ3LQPopjWoVWWm5aUD8gXoZHbU6lihnejc0rYxnAzcAPtNQy-RF4QHBjT38Addsl6xk/s320/Cover_of_pictorial-review1925.jpg" width="248" /></a>Because these slender dress styles sporting bare arms and
lots of leg look best on young figures, those who dressed in Chanel style were
mostly young and thin. And the young women of the 1920s were already pushing
against their elders’ formal restraints across society. When women entered the
work force during The Great War, they didn’t want to return to passive domestic
duties. They needed comfortable clothes, and they needed them ready to wear.</div>
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That was the other part of this revolution in fashion: the
shift away from elaborate hand-sewn costumes made from delicate fabrics that
required lots of care to practical fabrics sewn into</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq64iYoyN2OFosNp5lZl7u4Tl7d1JzlLNddIUjyhn_VdoqiWjZ6fkA4qOF6BL0O87CEsyYagOpf7B-z9JCtZ1iuz_-XRwfad4ZXHWP3yL1HRtnZDOJMsHEaCne8dBZ8DoVdQTEWI-p8qM/s1600/Sybil%2527s+Pants.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq64iYoyN2OFosNp5lZl7u4Tl7d1JzlLNddIUjyhn_VdoqiWjZ6fkA4qOF6BL0O87CEsyYagOpf7B-z9JCtZ1iuz_-XRwfad4ZXHWP3yL1HRtnZDOJMsHEaCne8dBZ8DoVdQTEWI-p8qM/s320/Sybil%2527s+Pants.jpeg" width="253" /></a>practical garments that
could be purchased – by an ordinary working girl – off the rack. Technology
combined with practicality: a factory could produce many more dresses using far
less fabric with the new styles. And a girl could walk into a shop with her
week’s wages and walk out with the latest flapper style, and have money left
over for entertainment.<br />
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Which was a huge part of the 1920s culture. Dancing,
drinking, and dating – every self-respecting flapper wanted to be out all night
taking in the “scene” and being “seen.” More about that in an upcoming post.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Check out this YouTube video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72oC9_PTiQo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72oC9_PTiQo</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>About S<span style="font-size: large;">irens<span style="font-size: large;">:</span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k-0L-fazNrUjxUR73niU__47fNhO-m2idIk7cJ2oheq64G_-VVmDKVtyMyUAzYc5d7To1PhRwI0W7L2HSHuhbDNQbmblhfy9QfB3sYNSzWXmmr_drUj2ArVzlPESVofh6U0XtFetmh0/s1600/Sirens-front-cover-2_low-res-682x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k-0L-fazNrUjxUR73niU__47fNhO-m2idIk7cJ2oheq64G_-VVmDKVtyMyUAzYc5d7To1PhRwI0W7L2HSHuhbDNQbmblhfy9QfB3sYNSzWXmmr_drUj2ArVzlPESVofh6U0XtFetmh0/s320/Sirens-front-cover-2_low-res-682x1024.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText9400690481711672574">When Jo Winter’s parents
send her off to live with her rich cousin on the glittering island of
Manhattan, it’s to find a husband and forget about her brother Teddy’s
death. But all that glitters is not gold.. <br /><br />Caught up in the
swirl of her cousin’s bobbed-hair set—and the men that court them— Jo
soon realizes that the talk of marriage never stops, and behind the
seemingly boundless gains are illicit business endeavors, gangsters, and
their molls. Jo would much rather spend time the handsome but quiet
Charles, a waiter at the Algonquin Hotel, than drape herself over a
bootlegger. But when she befriends a moll to one of the most powerful
men in town, Jo begins to uncover secrets—secrets that threaten an
empire and could secure Jo’s freedom from her family. <br /><br />Can her newfound power buy her love? Or will it to ruin Jo, and everyone around her?</span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Abo<span style="font-size: large;">ut Janet Fox:</span></span></b></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87ZJGGMSKzmL6oiGlp0RxhGOtmAoVSQDwHm7EAQPMwWVS_XFskHU3poGUKDqVVG2UreujXhblzvEjyLbcQcIgnhC8CTtyq2zmqY5_XIiN6E1V6rfbenLNSI4KMPlAuXY5Ptf1Z52Qzeo/s1600/Janet-Fox-headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87ZJGGMSKzmL6oiGlp0RxhGOtmAoVSQDwHm7EAQPMwWVS_XFskHU3poGUKDqVVG2UreujXhblzvEjyLbcQcIgnhC8CTtyq2zmqY5_XIiN6E1V6rfbenLNSI4KMPlAuXY5Ptf1Z52Qzeo/s320/Janet-Fox-headshot.jpg" width="228" /></a>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Janet Fox is the author of award-winning books for children and young
adults. FAITHFUL (Speak/Penguin Young Readers 2010), set in Yellowstone
National Park in 1904, is a YALSA Best Fiction for YA nominee and an
Amelia Bloomer List pick, 2011. FORGIVEN (Speak 2011), set in 1906 San
Francisco during the great earthquake, is a Junior Library Guild
selection 2011, and a 2012 WILLA Literary Awards Finalist. Her most
recent novel, SIRENS (Speak 2012) is set in 1925 New York. Janet has
numerous MG and YA projects underway. She is a former high school
English teacher and received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young
Adults in 2010 (Vermont College of Fine Arts). Janet lives in Bozeman,
Montana.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can learn more about Janet and her books at her <a href="http://janetsfox.com/" target="_blank">website.</a></span></span> </span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Book Trailer for S<span style="font-size: large;">IRENS:</span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fFTWlKa_cS8" width="420"></iframe></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">C<span style="font-size: large;">ontest:</span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></b>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f2a37267/" id="rc-f2a37267" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-84464772356702848172013-04-06T04:36:00.002-04:002013-04-06T04:38:56.819-04:00Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers Blog Tour - Excerpt & Giveaway <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTRXSqvX7qzMPQJ6IyOYML1r-vlN_63uTWKdvyoSIKjGWaOvn71Y4kNZoZVyA2aRJitECndhfcmzQRrYFHNxdRlw4lJAm-k5VQcPe-pv464N69SFNri7S_eY_o15SS6QZcAIGZFJKX4I/s1600/Dark+Triumph+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTRXSqvX7qzMPQJ6IyOYML1r-vlN_63uTWKdvyoSIKjGWaOvn71Y4kNZoZVyA2aRJitECndhfcmzQRrYFHNxdRlw4lJAm-k5VQcPe-pv464N69SFNri7S_eY_o15SS6QZcAIGZFJKX4I/s320/Dark+Triumph+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I absolutely LOVED <i>Grave Mercy</i> by Robin LaFevers, so I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for the second book in the series, <i>Dark Triumph</i>. In addition to an exciting excerpt, I have two great contests - one is just for my tour stop, while the other is shared across all the tour stops.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with
grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her
refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and
seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.</div>
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But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the
convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and
brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And
while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He
must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally
imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than
vengeance to live for?</div>
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This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal,
treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth
century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9943270-dark-triumph?ac=1">Goodreads</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Triumph-Fair-Assassin-Trilogy/dp/0547628382">Amazon</a> <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-triumph-robin-lafevers/1112129967?ean=9780547628387">Barnes & Noble</a> <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Dark-Triumph-Robin-Lafevers/9780547628387">The Book Depository</a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">About Robin:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Robin LaFevers was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales,
Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th century poetry. It </div>
is not surprising she grew up
to be a hopeless romantic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbjOO34Q9-WYG6CQRRpehji50c_3yCM6i3T59feJCnaq5Midy5kDg4frZdCk9gJopiW0WLStROtoVTpA4cf3zOJeU7g54lP2mzEBDK_NUnuFDIRN7EAr1-SWYego02kLG6tFuyc0JDpQ/s1600/Robin-Pushing-Tree-281x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbjOO34Q9-WYG6CQRRpehji50c_3yCM6i3T59feJCnaq5Midy5kDg4frZdCk9gJopiW0WLStROtoVTpA4cf3zOJeU7g54lP2mzEBDK_NUnuFDIRN7EAr1-SWYego02kLG6tFuyc0JDpQ/s1600/Robin-Pushing-Tree-281x300.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Though she has never trained as an assassin or joined a
convent, she did attend Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her
a deep fascination with sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has
been on a search for answers to life’s mysteries ever since.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky
enough to find her one true love, and is living happily ever after with him in
the foothills of southern California.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval
Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia
books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. You can learn more about
those books at <a href="http://www.rllafevers.com/">www.rllafevers.com</a>. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.robinlafevers.com/">Website</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RLLaFevers">Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HisFairAssassinSeries">Facebook</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/180392.R_L_LaFevers">Goodreads</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Exce<span style="font-size: large;">rpt from Dark Triumph:</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The gardens are
deserted, since no one else is fool enough to venture out to this raw, barren
spot. I take a slow breath and revel in the solitude. I am forever attended by
someone — my ladies in waiting, my brothers, the various hangers-on of my
father’s court — and I crave solitude. That and freedom. I glance overhead and
try to recapture that soaring feeling I had when my falcon launched from my
wrist, but I cannot.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Instead, an irritable caw brings me back to
earth as Monsieur Crow lands on a branch before me, then cocks his head, as if
wondering why I have taken so long.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> “You’re a fine one to talk,” I scold him, but
he knows I do not mean it and hops close. As I move toward the branch, I see
that the note is wrapped tightly around his ankle and covered with black wax so
that someone would have to be very close in order to see he bore a message.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> I slip my knife from its sheath, and the bird
gives a caw of objection. “I have no other way to get it off, you silly
creature.” A quick snip and a slice, then wax crumbles and I am able to unwind
the note from his leg. As I shove it into the knife sheath at my wrist, the
crow looks to me for a reward. “I have nothing for you today — I am sorry. Now
go. Quickly! Before you get us both killed.” I flap my hands at him and he hops
but one bush away. “Hsst!” I say, and with a caw of reproach, he launches into
the sky and disappears over the castle wall.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> “Talking to the crows, my lady?”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Bertrand de Lur’s
deep voice nearly causes me to jump. Instead, I use the startled movement to
swing gracefully around and face him.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> “That will earn you a reputation of
witchcraft,” he says.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> I tilt my head and smile mockingly at him. “Do
they not say that already?”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">He inclines his head,
conceding the point. “Even so, it is not safe for you to be out here alone, my
lady.” While his voice is rich and cultivated, there is something about the way
he says my lady that makes the words feel like a slur. Or perhaps it just seems
that way because his lust is so thick it reaches out and enfolds me like a
mantle. How long has he felt this way?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> “Where are your attendants?” he asks, his
voice hard.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Even though I do not care for Jamette, I
cannot surrender her to the threat I see lurking in his eyes. “I ordered them
from my side. I have a headache and wanted fresh air.”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> He glances around at the secluded section of
garden, his eyes missing nothing. “I would think my lady’s beauty would attract
a nightingale or a linnet, not a bedraggled crow.” He steps closer then, and
for the first time I grow wary. Does he think me such damaged goods that he can
take liberties without fear of reprisal from my father?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> “It is not safe to be alone out here, not with
all the men-at-arms we have posted. Any one of them might come upon you and be
moved to take advantage of your unattended solitude.” He takes another step
toward me.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> Because I want to back away from him, I force
myself to move forward until there is but a
handbreadth between us. I gaze steadily into eyes. “Do you really think
any of the men would be so foolish as to risk my father’s wrath in such a way?
Surely they would not wish to see their guts strung up from the castle walls?”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"> There is a long moment of silence, then
finally he nods. “Your point is well taken. Come, I am to escort you to your
lord father.”</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-language: EN-US;">
</span></div>
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Contest #1 - A paperback of Grave Mercy and a hardcover of Dark Triumph. This contest is exclusive to my tour stop. US/Canada only.<br />
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e11b8f8/" id="rc-e11b8f8" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script><br />
<br />
Contest #2 - a prize back from the author. US only.<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389b59/" id="rc-e2389b59" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></div>
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<br />Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-55611538721252687432013-04-04T00:02:00.000-04:002013-04-04T00:07:39.699-04:00The Flame in the Mist Blog Tour: Interview with Kit Grindstaff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am very excited to be hosting a tour stop for The Flame in the Mist blog tour with <a href="http://themodpodgebookshelf.blogspot.com/">Mod Podge Bookshelf blog tours</a>, since I love high fantasy! For my tour stop, I have an interview with the author, Kit Grindstaff. Be sure to read on after the interview, because there are two awesome contests!<br />
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<span id="freeText3930243576508467380"><b>Set in an imagined past, this dark fantasy-adventure is for fans of Philip Pullman's <i>The Golden Compass</i>. Features Jemma, a fiery-headed heroine held captive in Agromond Castle, yet destined to save mist-shrouded Anglavia.</b><br />Fiery-headed
Jemma Agromond is not who she thinks she is, and when the secrets and
lies behind her life at mist-shrouded Agromond Castle begin to unravel,
she finds herself in a chilling race for her life. Ghosts and misfits, a
stone and crystals, a mysterious book, an ancient prophecy—all these
reveal the truth about Jemma's past and a destiny far greater and more
dangerous than she could have imagined in her wildest fantasies. With
her telepathic golden rats, Noodle and Pie, and her trusted friend,
Digby, Jemma navigates increasingly dark forces, as helpers both seen
and unseen, gather. But in the end, it is her own powers that she must
bring to light, for only she has the key to defeating the evil ones and
fulfilling the prophecy that will bring back the sun and restore peace
in Anglavia.</span><br />
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<b>Why did you decide to write high fantasy? </b></div>
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I
never actually made a conscious decision to write fantasy, or anything
remotely epic. I was scrawling down a few quick synopses to shake out
some ideas, and the third one reached out from the page and pulled me
into it, a story that was demanding to be told. The essence of it was,
“Girl trapped in castle…abducted…dreams of <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;">escape”--the bare bones of THE FLAME IN THE MIST. </span>As
I began to flesh it out with the Mist, the creepy Agromond family…well,
it became clear that it was clearly not quite of our world! </div>
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Having a central symbolic element around which there’s a high-stakes
destiny for the main character is another thing that to me, marks high
fantasy. In THE LORD OF THE RINGS it’s the Ring; in HARRY POTTER it’s
horcruxes; in HIS DARK MATERIALS it’s Dust. In THE FLAME IN THE MIST
it’s the Mist, a symbol of suppression (not just Jemma's, but the whole
country's), and Light, representing Jemma's true self, her Power.
However I didn’t sit down and think “How can I add this kind of
symbolism?” so again, these elements weren't a conscious decision; they
just evolved naturally once the larger background of how and why Jemma
got to Agromond castle began to emerge. </div>
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<b>What are some of your own favorite high fantasy books/authors?</b></div>
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The
first two that spring to mind are HARRY POTTER, and Philip Pullman’s
HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy. I love that both are rooted in familiarity,
with parallel worlds that exists alongside, or within, the real one. The
Muggle world is literally our own, and Book 1 of Pullman’s trilogy—THE
GOLDEN COMPASS (NORTHERN LIGHTS in the UK)—opens in a steampunkish
version of Oxford which is still recognizably Oxford. </div>
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C. S. Lewis also comes to mind, not just for the children’s books most
of us at least know of, but also for his adult sci-fi SPACE TRILOGY. I
read them at college, and the last in particular stayed with me, with
its brooding sense of big, dark doom.</div>
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Fast forward to current series-in-progress, and I have to add Leigh
Bardugo’s fabulous GRISHA TRILOGY. I loved SHADOW AND BONE (and Alina
and Jemma have Light in common!) and can’t wait for SIEGE AND STORM. </div>
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<b>What is the most challenging part of writing high fantasy?</b></div>
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Any
fantasy world has to have its rules, which have to be consistent: If a
character suddenly steps out of line with them, the reader will be
jarred out of the story. So one tricky part is establishing that world's
logic and making it feel as natural as if it were part of our known
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Another mark of high fantasy being an epic quality, which demands high
stakes, the tension has to be kept up throughout. Even in passages of
relative calm, you can’t afford to let the main issue disappear from the
page for too long. It has to constantly be there, lurking around a
corner or under a rug, ready to pounce on your hero or heroine. That can
also be tremendously challenging. </div>
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<b>If you could have any fantasy power, what would you choose?</b></div>
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Being able to fly! I dream about that quite a lot, and it feels fabulous.</div>
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<b>Can you tell us anything about what you are writing next - is The Flame in the Mist the start of a series?</b></div>
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Well, there might be a sequel, which might be about three quarters
written, and might have to involve a spoiler alert if I say much about
it! I’ve also had two other ideas brewing for a while. One, already
started, is a dystopian fantasy told from three points of view. It has
similar paranormal elements to THE FLAME IN THE MIST, though in a very
different setting. The other, told from two points of view, flips
between a dystopian current world and Tudor England. At the moment that
one is pulling at me more. </div>
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<b>When you aren't writing, how do you enjoy spending your time?</b></div>
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I
love reading. Walking. Cycling. Hanging out with friends. Cozying up
with my husband to watch a movie. Any of those things might win,
depending on my mood and how energetic I feel—or not. Widening the lens,
spending time with my gorgeous niece and nephew in England, when I can
get over there, is high on the list. So is traveling and exploring new
places, which I’d love to do more. It's a great way to stir up new
ideas!</div>
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You can find out more about KIt Grindstaff and The Flame in the Mist at her <a href="http://kitgrindstaff.com/">website</a>.</div>
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There are two contests you can enter. The first is a Rafflecopter giveaway, just fill out the form to win:<br />
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<a id="rc-f2a37263" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/f2a37263/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
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There is also going to be a Twitter chat on April 19th, where you can win some awesome swag: </div>
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Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-25516345528950061282013-03-02T21:15:00.000-05:002013-03-02T21:16:03.060-05:00Book review; Throat of the Night by Karyn Henley<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPZTlz8v8ElINvtJC7zNmAk0a1S504v_yVSn8obgtcQkMbrWgXEOWwuW4gMIo0QVNIhj-E6EnG9-7plY_wM0R_4j62DZNSGdE5YYbgzdG4xb5vD5TDm7BSsJCIEnkIy2zPD4Q3JtvAKs/s1600/17227579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPZTlz8v8ElINvtJC7zNmAk0a1S504v_yVSn8obgtcQkMbrWgXEOWwuW4gMIo0QVNIhj-E6EnG9-7plY_wM0R_4j62DZNSGdE5YYbgzdG4xb5vD5TDm7BSsJCIEnkIy2zPD4Q3JtvAKs/s1600/17227579.jpg" /></a><b>Throat of the Night by Karyn Henley (Published by Andon Press, March 12, 2013)</b><br />
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<i>Throat of the Night</i> is the third book in the Angelaeon Circle series, and picks up shortly after the ending to the second book. Melaia has two of the three harps needed to restore the stairway to heaven. After the destruction of the stairway, the angels were all trapped in the human world. Melaia has only one chance to restore the stairway, and time is running out. Melaia sends Trevin, the young man she loves, into enemy territory to search for the harp, while their enemy, an evil immortal being, continues to try and obtain and destroy all three harps so the stairway cannot be completed. Trevin finally has a plan for how he will be able to marry Melaia, a princess of much higher rank than himself, but first he must find the harp, which won't be easy when someone wants him dead.<br />
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Melaia had stayed back at court, separated from Trevin, but soon finds herself in danger, too. Melaia and Trevin struggle to keep their hope and their love alive. Can they save the world and their love for each other, and finally be together? Or will they be forced to make terrible sacrifices?<br />
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I loved the first two books in this series, so I have been eagerly anticipating reading the conclusion, and I am happy to say it does not disappoint. This book is a very satisfying conclusion to the series, but would probably be confusing to readers who have not read the first two books - there are a lot of characters, with a complicated back story and mythology and so on, so this is a series I definitely recommend reading in order. If you love young adult fantasy, particularly high fantasy, and are looking to read something different than the usual young adult paranormal romance, then I definitely recommend trying this series.
Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-85141362659012957292013-03-01T09:35:00.002-05:002013-03-01T09:37:28.121-05:00Interview with Karyn Henley, author of Throat of the Night<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkF3nqC_r8qdiODe-hWs874l4x68sCjNxF4xpDXdtK8MMJ85DCOAn6SxBfooJerSf1PpwnmrbgdGP8QlGVpn2_b93eOOYqS_2rXZSvam6_fv_QkddwOfPZwgyri-Mstq-tTCbAEjGr6U/s1600/ton-advance-cover_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkF3nqC_r8qdiODe-hWs874l4x68sCjNxF4xpDXdtK8MMJ85DCOAn6SxBfooJerSf1PpwnmrbgdGP8QlGVpn2_b93eOOYqS_2rXZSvam6_fv_QkddwOfPZwgyri-Mstq-tTCbAEjGr6U/s320/ton-advance-cover_sm.jpg" /></a>I love Karyn Henley's Angelaeon Circle series, so I am very excited to be kicking off the blog tour for book three, <i>Throat of the Night</i>! Here is an interview with Karyn, and check back tomorrow for my review!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXX6nSojHtKi89Q37c3k54TeDu64e6xm1JyyRh2oLgQhVwsSBtziBSbAywInvtdCnYBpfaTX9LeHyy7t3GXzLjSDNunf3rIlJ8RKJbS3Oq6aoliAFr7oJ6SbigKHWV7ehagKBJG2blFU/s1600/karyn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXX6nSojHtKi89Q37c3k54TeDu64e6xm1JyyRh2oLgQhVwsSBtziBSbAywInvtdCnYBpfaTX9LeHyy7t3GXzLjSDNunf3rIlJ8RKJbS3Oq6aoliAFr7oJ6SbigKHWV7ehagKBJG2blFU/s320/karyn2.jpg" /></a><b>The angel mythology in Breath of Angel is very interesting and creative, was it inspired by anything from any real cultures?</b><br />
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Actually it was. Most angel stories come from a variety of religious traditions, including Zoroastrianism and Islam, and since the word “angel” simply means “messenger,” even supernatural beings from East Asian religions could be called angels. But my primary inspiration came from Jewish and Christian traditions, specifically the hierarchy created by St. Aquinas. In the Middle Ages he reintroduced an ancient sixth century chart that divided angels into ranks according to their duties. That chart was my inspiration, but I renamed some of the ranks and tweaked their responsibilities to fit the needs of my story.
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<b>Do you have a favorite character from the series, and if you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would you choose?</b><br />
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I like so many of the characters, it's hard to have a favorite. But if I could spend a day with one, I think I would choose Livia, one of the winged angels. She experienced life in the heavens before the destruction of the stairway to heaven, and I'd love to hear her memories of what life was like there. She is also wise and, like an ideal mentor, she would ask pointed questions that would help me understand myself and my journey. And she wouldn't judge me. I wouldn't feel embarrassed to confide in her.
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<b>When you aren't writing, what are some of your favorite things to do?</b><br />
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I’ve learned that I’m always writing, even when I’m not at my keyboard. But I do have other favorite activities. First would be reading (no surprise there). I bake bread too. There’s nothing like homemade bread fresh from the oven and slathered with butter. I also have a flower garden but not a green thumb. I plant whatever I like and hope it grows, which means I’m often disappointed, but I get wonderful surprises, too – like purple-red rhododendrons on a bush four feet tall! And I’m a bird-watcher. Chickadees nest in a birdhouse on my back deck, wrens in the nearest tree. Cardinals often visit, along with mourning doves, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and a gorgeous falcon . . . maybe that’s why birds play a major role in my novels.<br />
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<b>What are some of your own favorite books and authors?</b><br />
<br />
Ursula LeGuin is one of my favorites, especially her Earthsea books. I love the way she creates her fantasy world. Her stories have amazing depth, their themes extending far beyond the horizon of the story. I also love Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and its sequels. And anything by Maggie Stiefvater, Tamora Pierce, Anne McCaffrey, Lloyd Alexander, Brandon Sanderson, Kristin Cashore . . . I could go on and on.<br />
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<b>Can you tell us anything about what you will be writing next?</b><br />
<br />
I'm actually working on revisions of a contemporary YA for my agent. That may sound strange, since I just listed fantasy books and writers I love. But I read contemporary as well and enjoy authors Jodi Picoult and Elizabeth Berg, to name two. Writing fantasy is easier for me, but to grow as a writer, I believe I need the challenge of writing a contemporary. I don't think I'll ever totally leave fantasy, though. I'm working on a middle-grade humorous fantasy and have outlined my next YA fantasy as well. With writing, not even the sky is the limit!<br />
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To learn more about Karyn Henley and the Angelaeon Circle series, you can watch <a href="http://maybeso.wordpress.com/book-trailers/">the book trailers</a> (including the new trailer for Throat of the Night), or visit <a href="http://maybeso.wordpress.com/">her blog</a> or <a href="http://www.karynhenleyfiction.com/Karyn_Henley_Fiction/welcome.html">her website</a>. Be sure to check back tomorrow for another tour stop with a review!Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-58682030460473890882013-02-06T22:13:00.004-05:002013-02-06T22:13:33.224-05:00Waiting on Wednesday: Rebel Spring by Morgan RhodesI've been terrible at blogging lately and really need to get back to it (work, I hate you!). It doesn't help that I still hate the new Blogger interface. I am hoping to do some reviews later in the week, but for now here is an easy Waiting on Wednesday post. <br />
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<b>Rebel Spring: A Falling Kingdoms Novel by Morgan Rhodes</b><br />
<br />
<b> </b><span id="freeText11161129312676833007">Auranos has been
conquered and the three kingdoms — Auranos, Limeros, and Paelsia — are
now unwillingly united as one country called Mytica. But alluring,
dangerous magic still beckons, and with it the chance to rule not just
Mytica, but the world...<br /><br />CLEO is now a prisoner in her own palace, forced to be an ambassador for Mytica as the evil King Gaius lies to her people <br /><br />MAGNUS stands to eventually inherit the new kingdom but is still obsessed with his feelings for his adopted sister Lucia <br /><br />LUCIA is haunted by the outcome of the breathtaking display of magic that allowed her father to capture the kingdoms <br /><br />JONAS
watches at the palace gates, a troop of rebels behind him, waiting for
him to tell them how he plans to overtake King Gaius <br /><br />When Gaius
announces that a road is to be built into the Forbidden Mountains,
formally linking all of Mytica together, he sets off a chain of events
that will forever change the face of this land. Because Gaius is not
just burrowing into a pile of rock. He’s tunneling directly into the
Watchers’ Sanctuary. And his actions will have cosmic consequences.</span><br />
<span id="freeText11161129312676833007"><br /></span>
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<span id="freeText11161129312676833007">I really enjoyed reading <i>Falling Kingdoms</i> last year, but since since I got it early at BEA, it already feels like I have been waiting forever for the sequel. I hope this one is at BEA so I don't have to wait until December!!</span>Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-81521691899522893602013-01-29T20:34:00.001-05:002013-01-29T20:34:19.683-05:00Where I've beenSo, if you follow this blog, you may have noticed I haven't been posting that much lately. Honestly, work has just been killing me. I work for myself now and am terrible at pacing myself. However, before BEA comes around again, I really want to get back into reading and blogging. So, hopefully I will be posting again regularly soon! On the bright side, at least my TBR pile has stabilized a bit since I only have requested one review book recently.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-73423878828328169872013-01-10T03:26:00.006-05:002013-01-10T03:28:53.091-05:00Interview with Jessica Day George, author of Princess of the Silver Woods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love Jessica Day George's fantasy novels and fairy tale retellings so I am excited to have this interview with her today. Her newest novel, <b>Princess of the Silver Woods</b>, is the third and last book in a series based on various fairy tales<b>:</b><br />
<br /><span id="freeText3634700592778726246">When Petunia, the
youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit
an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes
the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must
pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to
exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens
who have entered their territory. But the bandit-wolves prove more
rakishly handsome than truly dangerous, and it's not until Petunia
reaches her destination that she realizes the kindly grandmother she has
been summoned to visit is really an enemy bent on restoring an age-old
curse. <strong>
<strong> </strong></strong></span><br />
<span id="freeText3634700592778726246"></span><span id="freeText3634700592778726246">The stories of Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood get a twist as
Petunia and her many sisters take on bandits, grannies, and the new King
Under Stone to end their family curse once and for all.</span><br />
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<b>Do you have a favorite out of King Gregor's twelve daughters? Or is it too hard to choose?</b><br />
<br />
I love Poppy! In PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL, I gave Poppy all the snarky lines that I would have said myself in such a situation. A few of them got cut, just to save on time, so that’s how Poppy ended up with her own book!
<b> </b><br />
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<b>Do you plan to write more fairy tale retellings besides this series? What is your own favorite fairy tale of all time?</b><br />
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I never say never. If an idea comes to me for a reworking of another fairy tale, I will jump on it! I’ve already done my very favorite fairy tale: East o’ the Sun, West o’ the Moon, which became my book SUN AND MOON, ICE AND SNOW.
<b> </b><br />
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<b>What are some of your own favorite books and authors?</b><br />
<br />
I am the hugest Diana Wynne Jones fan, I also love everything by Guy Gavriel Kay. Robin McKinley’s books made me decide to be an author, and I love JANE EYRE and I CAPTURE THE CASTLE with all my heart!
<b> </b><br />
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<b>When you are not writing, how do you enjoy spending your time?</b><br />
<br />
Ooh, I read, read, read! I also love to knit, and watch movies! (Often at the same time!)
Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-50188617156987570622012-11-18T01:38:00.000-05:002012-11-18T01:38:32.908-05:00Book review: Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGaUSAiq8K1zKasV0rIHiax4nu9OuZljb7ENsXmvTr6vBzlPafs4nXywVFdgW-h3i-79L1ImxtXOi3WsWnEALYdbbF3Ntn44kZUjhYNLSnBva9TNzsLli1rf3D_bNBGGMo3_kuJ2262E/s1600/12954620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGaUSAiq8K1zKasV0rIHiax4nu9OuZljb7ENsXmvTr6vBzlPafs4nXywVFdgW-h3i-79L1ImxtXOi3WsWnEALYdbbF3Ntn44kZUjhYNLSnBva9TNzsLli1rf3D_bNBGGMo3_kuJ2262E/s320/12954620.jpg" width="160" /></a><b>Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes (Published by Razorbill, December 11, 2012)</b><br />
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<i>Falling Kingdoms</i> is set in a land that was once united, but has now been divided into three countries - the northern kingdom of Limeros, the southern kingdom of Auranos, and Paelsia, an impoverished country in the middle. There was once magic in this land, but it has been lost, and much of the land is dying, particularly in Paelsia, where the citizens live in poverty and never have enough to eat. Unlike most books which have one or two main characters, <i>Falling Kingdoms</i> has a large cast of characters, with four main point of view characters - Cleo, a princess from Auranos; Jonas, a young rebel from Paelsia; and siblings Magnus and Lucia, who are the children of the king of Limeros.<br />
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At the start of the story, Cleo is visiting Paelsia when a shocking event takes place. A fight breaks out, and a young man living there is killed by a member of her traveling party, stirring up tensions simmering just beneath the surface. Despite this threat of war, when Cleo returns home and sees how sick her older sister Emilia is, she is determined to return to Paelsia to pursue a rumor of a magical remedy that could save her sister, even though her father has forbidden her to leave the palace and magic of any kind has long since been lost. Meanwhile, Jonas, whose older brother was killed in the incident, decides his country has been oppressed long enough and it is time to rise up against Auranos, whose citizens live in luxury while their neighbors in Paelsia starve. In Limeros, the cruel King Gaius sees these tensions as an excuse to do what he has always wanted - go to war in hopes of conquering Auranos and taking it for himself. His teenage children, Magnus and Lucia, are caught up in these events, as Magnus struggles with his desire to please his cruel father, while Lucia discovers a shocking secret about her past.<br />
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When I first learned about <i>Falling Kingdoms</i>, I was dying to read it because it has been described as "<i>Game of Thrones</i> for teens" and because I love young adult high fantasy but very little is published. While this book is not as epic in scope as the <i>Game of Thrones</i> TV series, which I absolutely love (I have not yet read the books as I am intimidated by the length), the general description is accurate enough. It's set in a fantasy world where magic has been lost but is returning, there are multiple rulers fighting over kingdoms, and there is a large cast of characters, the majority of whom are neither entirely good nor entirely evil. There's even a character named Theon, who is fortunately nothing like the one from <i>Game of Thrones</i>, but I kept thinking of him since it's such an unusual name. I really loved the story, characters, and setting of <i>Falling Kingdoms</i>. The main characters really aren't really good guys or bad guys. They are human, they make mistakes, which unfortunately cause great suffering, some of them even do really bad things at times, yet aren't purely evil, just deeply flawed. This book was VERY close to a perfect read for me, but a couple of things made it fall just short of perfection. Some of the phrasing of dialogue and the thoughts of the characters seemed too modern for a book set in a world with a society similar to that of the Middle Ages. I also thought the romantic subplot was underdeveloped, which made it hard for me to believe in the strength of the characters' feelings for each other. And the ending! The ending is too cruel. How will I wait a year to find out what happens next? It will be quite difficult, but hopefully it will be worth the wait! Overall, <i>Falling Kingdoms</i> is a great read for readers who love high fantasy. There is quite a bit of graphic violence as well as many references to sexual situations (although these occur off-screen), so I'd mostly recommend it to mature teens, as well as adults.<br />
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Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-61643032222016483462012-10-09T00:30:00.002-04:002012-10-09T00:31:52.748-04:00Book review: Venom by Fiona Paul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Venom by Fiona Paul (Published by Philomel, October 30, 2012)</b><br />
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Cassandra Caravello has lived with her elderly aunt in a crumbling old house on an island near Venice since her parents died. As a member of Venetian society, she gets to wear beautiful dresses and attend fancy balls and parties. But instead of feeling fortunate, she feels trapped. She is never free to make her own choices, and must marry the man who has been selected for her. Her fiancé, Luca, is away from Venice studying law, but they knew each other as children and she never really liked him. She longs to find adventure and make her own choices. Unfortunately, adventure finds her when she visits the tomb of her friend who had recently died, and finds instead of the body of a murdered courtesan.<br />
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Cass is determined to find out what happened to the murdered girl, as well as where her friend's body has gone. She meets Luca, who is almost literally a starving artist. he is young and handsome, and Cass finds herself drawn to him as they investigate the mystery. Cass knows that by associating with Falco, she risks everything, but she cannot stay away from him.<br />
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I really loved the premise of this book - a romantic mystery set in Venice during the Renaissance. Unfortunately, I did not love this book as much as I hoped I would. I really liked the descriptions of the setting, and I was somewhat surprised by the resolution of the mystery. But I didn't love the characters of Cass and Falco. I truly do not understand what Cass saw in Falco, besides his supposed good looks. To me, he came across as a jerk and a bully who was constantly pressuring Cass to do what he wanted. I did really like Luca, Cass's fiancé. Despite Cass constantly ignoring him, he was kind, caring, and protective towards her - and it doesn't hurt that he was educated and liked books! I may keep reading this series to find out what happens, but I will be quite disappointed if Cass and Falco end up together at the end of the final book, unless he changes a lot. Unfortunately, the "boring" love interest rarely seems to get chosen in young adult books.<br />
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Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-79913598969183031442012-10-02T17:16:00.000-04:002012-10-03T00:14:19.317-04:00Mailbox Monday - 10/1/12I haven't done one of these posts for a while (I've been lazy) but I needed to try to post something using the new Blogger interface (which I hate with the fire of a thousand burning suns.....) so here's a Mailbox Monday post with everything I've gotten the last few weeks. It's actually Tuesday but the new Blogger interface (DID I MENTION I HATE IT?!) is giving me a lot of trouble with scheduled posts.<br />
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<b>Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers</b><br />
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Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.
But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?
This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats. (SQUEE! I am very excited about this one!)<br />
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<b>The Unfailing Light by Robin Bridges</b><br />
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<span id="freeText12083693898639881990">Lush and opulent,
romantic and sinister, "The Unfailing Light, " Volume II in The Katerina
Trilogy, reimagines the lives of Russia's aristocracy in a fabulously
intoxicating and page-turning fantasy. <br />Having had no choice but to
use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces,
Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that
she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her
lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that
Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive.
So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school.
She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to
protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling
the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's
horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost
more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.</span><br />
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<b>Dear Canada: A Sea of Sorrows by Norah McClintock</b><br />
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In the midst of the Irish famine, Johanna flees one disaster — only to land in another.
After a massive potato famine strikes Ireland, thirteen-year-old Johanna Leary flees to Canada with her family.
But typhus and other illnesses plague the "coffin ships," so named for the staggering number of immigrants who died enroute. One by one Johanna loses the members of her family — first her baby brother on the journey over, then her mother in the Grosse Isle fever sheds where sick passengers are quarantined when they reach the port of Québec, and her father soon after. Johanna has only her brother Michael left when she sets foot on Canadian soil.
When her brother is mistakenly told that she too has died, he sets off to find their uncle "somewhere in Canada," leaving Johanna to face a new life in a strange land... totally alone.
A Sea of Sorrows captures a dreadful time in history for those desperate, impoverished Irish families who hoped to make Canada their home. Johanna's incredible journey of survival is told with insight and sensitivity by master storyteller Norah McClintock.<br />
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<b>I Am Canada: A Call to Battle by Gillian Chan</b><br />
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The War of 1812 comes to life through the eyes of a young Canadian boy.
It's 1812. War has begun, and thirteen-year-old Alexander (Sandy) MacKay is jealous when his older brother Angus goes off with their father to fight the Americans attacking the Niagara region. Too young to know the darker side of battle, he resents being left to shoulder the work on his family's farm.
Itching to get in on the action, he sneaks away from home and heads to Lundy's Lane to join up with the local militia. But battle is imminent, and now there's not much his father can do except try to shield him from the worst of the fighting.
Sandy's idealized notions of what battle will be like are shattered when the man standing before him is killed by a musket ball and Sandy's own brother is severely wounded. At the battle of Lundy's Lane, the united Canadian/British forces turn the tide against the American troops, but Sandy comes to know how chilling war can be.
Just in time for the bicentennial of the War of 1812, A Call to Battle is a sobering look at the realities of war. Author Gillian Chan skillfully depicts the transformation of an impetuous young boy, full of boyish enthusiasm, into a more realistic young man who emerges on the other side of war.<br />
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<b>Caroline's Secret Message by Kathleen Ernst</b><br />
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Caroline and Mama make a dangerous trip across Lake Ontario to the British fort where Papa is a prisoner. When Mama isn’t allowed to see Papa, it’s up to Caroline to pass a secret message to him—right under the nose of a British guard. Caroline hopes desperately that Papa will be able to use the information to escape. But can she get the message to him? And even if she does, will Papa understand it? When Caroline and Mama return home, all they can do is wait and hope. On Caroline’s birthday, an unexpected gift lifts her heart.<br />
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<b>A Surprise for Caroline by Kathleen Ernst</b><br />
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Caroline Abbott imagined it would be great fun to have two girls staying at her house for the winter. But her friend Rhonda Hathaway and cousin Lydia are both twelve, and sometimes they seem to be better friends with each other than with Caroline. Worse, they’d rather stay inside styling hair than go skating and sledding. Nothing Caroline tries seems to change things, not even the special Christmas gift she gives to Rhonda. Finally, hurt feelings lead Caroline to make a rash decision—one that puts all three girls on very thin ice.<br />
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<b>Caroline Takes a Chance by Kathleen Ernst</b><br />
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Caroline, like everyone else in Sackets Harbor, is waiting anxiously for the first supply boats of the year to arrive. Without supplies, the shipyards can’t build boats to fight the British. When Caroline and her friends Rhonda and Seth go out fishing in Papa’s skiff, they’re excited to catch sight of a supply boat—until they realize that it’s being chased by a British warship. Desperate to save the supply boat, Caroline comes up with a daring idea. Will her plan work? Or is it a dangerous and foolish risk? Caroline has no time to think—she can only plunge ahead.<br />
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<b>Caroline's Battle by Kathleen Ernst</b><br />
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Caroline’s Papa has barely returned before frightening news arrives—British warships are headed for Sackets Harbor, ready to attack. Every able-bodied man, including Papa, must go and fight. Mama and Caroline are left alone to guard Abbott’s Shipyard from the enemy. Caroline tells herself she would do anything to keep Papa’s shipyard safe. But when the battle seems to be lost, Mama gives her a terrible order. They must burn the shipyard to the ground to keep it from the enemy. It’s the one thing Caroline isn’t sure she can do.<br />
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<b>Changes for Caroline by Kathleen Ernst</b><br />
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Caroline receives a letter asking her to come and help on Uncle Aaron’s new farm. Although she hates to leave her family, Caroline is pleased to see her cousin Lydia—and to meet Lydia’s pretty cow and sweet baby calf. Determined to help out in any way she can, Caroline keeps watch when a thief starts sneaking around the farm. Then she makes an unexpected discovery—and learns that some things are not as simple as they seem. When Caroline returns home at last for an Independence Day celebration, she is treated to a wonderful surprise.<br />
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<b>Smuggler's Kiss by Marie-Louise Jensen</b><br />
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Smugglers are cut-throat rascals. At least that's what Isabelle's always been told. But when she's rescued from drowning at sea by the crew of a notorious smuggling ship, her principles are thrown into confusion. Outwitting the king's men fills her with excitement, especially when she's with one mysterious smuggler in particular...<br />
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<b>The Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley</b><br />
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Louisa Brody’s life on the Colorado prairie is not at all what she expected. Her dear Pa, accused of thievery, is locked thirty miles away in jail. She’s living with the awful Smirches, her closest neighbors and the very family that accused her Pa of the horrendous crime. And now she’s discovered one very cantankerous—and magical—secret beneath the hazel grove. With her life flipped upside-down, it’s up to Louisa, her sassy friend Jessamine, and that cranky secret to save Pa from a guilty verdict.
Ten bold illustrations from Erwin Madrid accompany seasoned storyteller Melissa Wiley’s vibrant and enchanting tale of life on the prairie—with one magical twist.<br />
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<b>Our Australian Girl: Peacetime for Alice by Davina Bell</b><br />
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Alice's mother is sick, and everyone fears that she might have the dreaded Spanish Influenza. Alice begins to dance again to distract herself but soon becomes frustrated at how difficult she finds it. Meanwhile, the family plant a tree for Papa Sir on the Honour Avenue at King's Park and hold a celebration to remember his life, where Alice's brother, Teddy, makes a surprise announcement. But an even bigger shock awaits Alice when someone returns from the past & someone with the power to change her future and make her dreams come true.<br />
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<b>Our Australian Girl: Nellie's Greatest Wish by Penny Matthews</b><br />
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It's 1850 . . . and Nellie is returning to Adelaide after searching for the Thompson family at the Burra. She's keen to get back to her best friend, Mary, who is ill in hospital. But she is in for a terrible shock . . . Even Nellie begins to feel that all is lost and that she might never achieve her dreams. Will her spirit be crushed, or can she turn her fate around?
Follow Nellie on her adventure in the final of four stories about an Irish girl with a big heart, in search of the freedom to be herself.<br />
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<b>The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd</b><br />
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London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.
Juliet is accompanied by the doctor’s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.<br />
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<b>Prophecy by Ellen Oh</b><br />
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The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms… is a girl with yellow eyes.
Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope…
Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.
Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.
Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-26222350397105936742012-08-13T19:18:00.001-04:002012-08-13T19:19:18.856-04:00Mailbox Monday - 8/13/12Mailbox Monday is being hosted by <a href="http://www.5minutesforbooks.com/">5 Minutes for Books</a> for the month of August.<br />
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This post has the last two weeks of books, since I forgot to post last week.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnKi0so8TdIhyphenhyphenbRgMQj6W3xTJOUJKifb_mWLrgOGMlney0YqFgEbLVHHKu9uXwZco3oirfk8dzbsFkDB2ndFKUncpESClbDqHb8QHlw8q_2VIzd69xMHZyrmXeaNriZcZ2gtyoaP67rA/s1600/9781407130170-crop-325x325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="216" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnKi0so8TdIhyphenhyphenbRgMQj6W3xTJOUJKifb_mWLrgOGMlney0YqFgEbLVHHKu9uXwZco3oirfk8dzbsFkDB2ndFKUncpESClbDqHb8QHlw8q_2VIzd69xMHZyrmXeaNriZcZ2gtyoaP67rA/s320/9781407130170-crop-325x325.jpg" /></a></div><b>My Story: Lady Jane Grey by Sue Reid</b><br />
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This is the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for nine days in July 1553. Jane grew up watching her cousins in training as heirs to the throne, little imagining that by a twist of fate she would one day be crowned. But this is Tudor England where nobody plays fair, and even a queen isn't safe from those who wish her harm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yI80J4EhfdOVzK3in0EkRJCJUZ32fGXX8TzxW5C4WV2YPkGwlkJMRp2o8bcUFr7RG49-4LD9o7itvgLpQoDn36voYiTUKtQwaUAthysvJuOtb7mytibMvnsa72oTlC1lBlLsz-XEAVo/s1600/132115-px125-916831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yI80J4EhfdOVzK3in0EkRJCJUZ32fGXX8TzxW5C4WV2YPkGwlkJMRp2o8bcUFr7RG49-4LD9o7itvgLpQoDn36voYiTUKtQwaUAthysvJuOtb7mytibMvnsa72oTlC1lBlLsz-XEAVo/s320/132115-px125-916831.jpg" /></a></div><b>My Story: Nowhere to Run by Carol Drinkwater</b><br />
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Becky Mortkowicz's family are Jewish refugees from Poland, while Claudette leads a happy carefree life in Paris. Two girls from very different backgrounds, but the horrors of the Nazi occupation will bring them dramatically together. Becky's family have been forced to flee Warsaw for France and are offered a home by Claudette's father. The friendship between the two girls blossoms, but Becky's safe haven is short lived as the Nazis edge ever nearer the French border. Her family are soon on the move again. But even in the so-called Free Zone there are murmurings that an invasion may be imminent. Will Becky survive the war to see Claudette again?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXzfpvtOPzvlkde7UziOj65NI5AVEuqaPrDCTqPyLWqrnmXlQoNiT5GYbL-R_b-cvT1jzIeSwBLVnIacdPTKq8sY3OSGYwb_rS_cutTbZmbFbHnpW6aXLkerPRAnB6SfJQ5TQOrgEd5k/s1600/13609181imm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="184" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXzfpvtOPzvlkde7UziOj65NI5AVEuqaPrDCTqPyLWqrnmXlQoNiT5GYbL-R_b-cvT1jzIeSwBLVnIacdPTKq8sY3OSGYwb_rS_cutTbZmbFbHnpW6aXLkerPRAnB6SfJQ5TQOrgEd5k/s320/13609181imm.jpg" /></a></div><b>Meet Caroline by Kathleen Ernst</b><br />
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Caroline Abbott is doing what she loves most—sailing on Lake Ontario with Papa—when her world turns upside down. A British officer boards their sloop, announces that Britain and America are at war, and takes her father prisoner. As Papa is led away, Caroline promises him that she will stay strong and steady until he returns. She tries hard to keep her promise by helping Mama run the family’s shipyard. Then the British attack her village and it looks as if the American side is in trouble. Can Caroline stay steady enough to help win the day?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCd1QuPI_ivjSMqYJevCSINE_Uah4L8nJm4anJXpMOfppUkjg_vqIRDCFf6FTfHyIJqzEuIpfbDEfx3yBTYBtcH34yEa6_JOThB1O6ZYXfYfb9i_ByeQwBMKIoBQW7T_-LrAeuUP6kDdo/s1600/13356206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="216" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCd1QuPI_ivjSMqYJevCSINE_Uah4L8nJm4anJXpMOfppUkjg_vqIRDCFf6FTfHyIJqzEuIpfbDEfx3yBTYBtcH34yEa6_JOThB1O6ZYXfYfb9i_ByeQwBMKIoBQW7T_-LrAeuUP6kDdo/s320/13356206.jpg" /></a></div><b>The Book of Tormod: A Templar's Destiny by Kat Black</b><br />
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The final book in Kat Black's historical fantasy trilogy!Tormod MacLeod's brother, Torquil, has been captured and locked in a dungeon hidden in the depths of the French royal castle. Tormod and Aine journey to France, hoping to save him, but the search is proving more difficult than they ever imagined--and getting out alive seems impossible. Meanwhile, they must stop the wicked plot that King Philippe le Bel has put in motion to destroy the Knights Templar from within. Their journey takes them all the way to the French court, where they meet the enchanting Princess Isabella. She has her eye on Tormod, and Aine notices. Their chances of accomplishing all they've set out to do while keeping the power of the Holy Vessel from being exposed to the world are slim, and in the end, Tormod has a devastating decision to make.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhizKZGrSWlptDe9up3UfcNabZNqIpA1nfAZxtT2hrZEwesCGBvGMwu-TUlN-EFYasx-W8jRl68Z_XtrPKm5uxn5LIaJJ4y_3iQRiIu4oKN72JR9ICL__cIbsX9qIvqIU2RhA67W6THw/s1600/13330643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="178" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjhizKZGrSWlptDe9up3UfcNabZNqIpA1nfAZxtT2hrZEwesCGBvGMwu-TUlN-EFYasx-W8jRl68Z_XtrPKm5uxn5LIaJJ4y_3iQRiIu4oKN72JR9ICL__cIbsX9qIvqIU2RhA67W6THw/s320/13330643.jpg" /></a></div><b>Horse Diaries: Tennessee Rose by Jane Kendall</b><br />
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Alabama, 1856. Tennessee Rose is a dark bay Tennessee Walking Horse with a rose-shaped marking on her forehead. She loves dashing around the plantation in the running walk that her breed is famous for, then coming back to her comfortable stall and her friend Levi, the slave boy who is her groom. But as the Civil War approaches, Rosie begins to question plantation life. Is slavery fair? Could Levi be free? Like Black Beauty, this moving novel is told in first person from the horse's point of view and includes an appendix full of photos and facts about Tennessee Walking Horses and the Civil War.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-45826249164037558992012-08-08T23:08:00.000-04:002012-08-08T23:08:39.298-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Smuggler's Kiss by Marie-Louise Jensen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwu7H2QiPBwZzPTbCRMbJDvrklyoQpY60HRekt7qrMVZZpbO_AHqb78212nZl2esmbyn8uuMEshz7gx1DOoCwLAThazqt3Pe5RBAzkTyBCCqm5PYDxQLejMNtF0gEMo4b3US6uZ1sJ-zw/s1600/9780192792808_450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="246" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwu7H2QiPBwZzPTbCRMbJDvrklyoQpY60HRekt7qrMVZZpbO_AHqb78212nZl2esmbyn8uuMEshz7gx1DOoCwLAThazqt3Pe5RBAzkTyBCCqm5PYDxQLejMNtF0gEMo4b3US6uZ1sJ-zw/s320/9780192792808_450.jpg" /></a></div><b>Smuggler's Kiss by Marie-Louise Jensen (Published by Oxford University Press, March 1, 2013)</b><br />
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<i>"You're smugglers?" "That ain't what we call ourselves." His voice rumbled deep in his chest. "We're Gentlemen o' the Night. </i><br />
In the autumn of 1720, Isabelle does something which changes her life for ever. But though Isabelle has fled, she is still trapped. If the secret of her previous life is revealed then the smugglers who have found her will not let her stay on board The Invisible - and she has nowhere else to go. To survive, Isabelle must help her captors - even though she detests what they do. But soon her principles are thrown into confusion, as she discovers that outwitting the King's Men fills her with excitement. Soon she finds herself becoming fiercely loyal to the crew - and to one mysterious smuggler in particular ...<br />
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I love Marie-Louise Jensen's young adult historical novels - they always have great stories and interesting (and usually unique!) historical settings. So I can't wait to read her next book.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-37358455827273312402012-08-01T20:53:00.001-04:002012-08-01T20:54:08.758-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Dear America: A City Tossed and Broken by Judy Blundell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIn4yDMVoZwBQ05IShIYEvCcT1tpmtxbxvOkFiCEbYO0kLbljMnbFjijH-dfsuTtzXfT-KlZYdF1zLrNI6vUVhFIH9pwcONyrX6wtgIqfDrNqsO-WLbuwp1d30fQIMmvpXwWPnokYda8/s1600/13627712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="226" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIn4yDMVoZwBQ05IShIYEvCcT1tpmtxbxvOkFiCEbYO0kLbljMnbFjijH-dfsuTtzXfT-KlZYdF1zLrNI6vUVhFIH9pwcONyrX6wtgIqfDrNqsO-WLbuwp1d30fQIMmvpXwWPnokYda8/s320/13627712.jpg" /></a></div><b>Dear America: A City Tossed and Broken by Judy Blundell (Published by Scholastic, March 1, 2013)</b><br />
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From National Book Award-winning author Judy Blundell, a thrilling account of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.<br />
When Minnie Bonner's father disappears after losing the Bonners' Philadelphia tavern, the wealthy gentleman Edward Sump, led by his avaricious wife, offers Minnie a chance to work as a lady's maid to support her family. The Sumps have grand plans, grander than the city of Philadelphia can offer, and decide to move to San Francisco--the greatest city in the west. But when a powerful earthquake strikes, Minnie finds herself the sole survivor among them. After the dust settles, Minnie discovers a bag belonging to the Sumps filled with cash and papers that could drastically change her fortune. With no one else to claim it, Minnie has turned into an heiress overnight.<br />
Wealth comes at a price, however, and she is soon wrapped up in a deception that leads her down a dangerous path. As the aftermath of the earthquake ravages the city, Minnie continues to maintain her new identity. That is, until a mysterious but familiar stranger appears.<br />
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I have enjoyed the Dear America series for many years, and I always thought the San Francisco Earthquake would be a good setting for a book in the series, so I am happy there will finally be a book with this setting, and I can't wait to read it.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-32168413672615444552012-07-25T00:30:00.001-04:002012-08-01T20:54:17.972-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Foster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVlVeNq-sryrZ413jmIJ76D1KCJU6hNMPA1VslEu6Av_lWVz7pS4mhyphenhyphenWiEx5eGL8R9_oCth_XDK7zM2WE954ehl4KVAusfOvuZ9KetVkYHT5sgbxCk_gju-g6PYBDAQ72DRPyXKY3fL4/s1600/12084278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="242" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTVlVeNq-sryrZ413jmIJ76D1KCJU6hNMPA1VslEu6Av_lWVz7pS4mhyphenhyphenWiEx5eGL8R9_oCth_XDK7zM2WE954ehl4KVAusfOvuZ9KetVkYHT5sgbxCk_gju-g6PYBDAQ72DRPyXKY3fL4/s320/12084278.jpg" /></a></div><b>City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Foster (Published by HarperCollins, February 5, 2013)</b><br />
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The girl with no past, and no future, may be the only one who can save their lives.<br />
Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.<br />
Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.<br />
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This book sounds like it has a very unique premise. I can't wait to read it!Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-12618182777106512662012-07-23T22:35:00.006-04:002012-07-24T23:29:28.462-04:00Mailbox Monday - 7/23/12Mailbox Monday is being hosted by <a href="http://www.mrsqbookaddict.net/">Mrs. Q Book Addict</a> for the month of July.<br />
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This post has the last two weeks of books, since I forgot to post last week.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DXwGqwtVs-GD0Uh-TWITUXMe2OFLTfhRNWxJiliIuQZSldO4TvM3jfbxH7i5SlIfUBcJa37weLxhXn6q0RBpiVqWp-0qMGPlNqI7HuwQy38F278wKLFM4WfnM87i-k59uH-p0u8mMyg/s1600/13449242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DXwGqwtVs-GD0Uh-TWITUXMe2OFLTfhRNWxJiliIuQZSldO4TvM3jfbxH7i5SlIfUBcJa37weLxhXn6q0RBpiVqWp-0qMGPlNqI7HuwQy38F278wKLFM4WfnM87i-k59uH-p0u8mMyg/s320/13449242.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>Debutantes by Cora Harrison</b><br />
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It’s 1923 and London is a whirl of jazz, dancing and parties. Violet, Daisy, Poppy and Rose Derrington are desperate to be part of it, but stuck in an enormous crumbling house in the country, with no money and no fashionable dresses, the excitement seems a lifetime away.<br />
Luckily the girls each have a plan for escaping their humdrum country life: Rose wants to be a novelist, Poppy a jazz musician and Daisy a famous film director. Violet, however, has only one ambition: to become the perfect Debutante, so that she can go to London and catch the eye of Prince George, the most eligible bachelor in the country.<br />
But a house as big and old as Beech Grove Manor hides many secrets, and Daisy is about to uncover one so huge it could ruin all their plans—ruin everything—forever.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKt0XcmQ41WtT6u2gZg_j_wfM1BvIt3nCxV8TO3VJuaw12oklvJ1Yk4ED8q2uEEi4-olC8rw5AXwspN5ZUTQGBB39m2xZfnIa6BpjtdOmHwTWuzhpwvm4eIqYQwpxiZOgbTCVEhEX66Y/s1600/Spy_for_the_Queen_of_Scots1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKt0XcmQ41WtT6u2gZg_j_wfM1BvIt3nCxV8TO3VJuaw12oklvJ1Yk4ED8q2uEEi4-olC8rw5AXwspN5ZUTQGBB39m2xZfnIa6BpjtdOmHwTWuzhpwvm4eIqYQwpxiZOgbTCVEhEX66Y/s320/Spy_for_the_Queen_of_Scots1.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>Spy for the Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin</b><br />
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As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Ginette - known as Jenny - is the young queen's closest childhood friend. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless French court, surrounded by enemies and traitors - not least the jealous, manipulative Catherine de Medici, and Mary's own scheming half-brother, James - Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress. But when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, closely followed by several unexplained deaths at court, she puts her own life in danger and turns spy for Mary.<br />
Jenny quickly realises not a soul at court can be trusted, and when she and Mary return to their Scottish homeland for Mary to claim her throne, they face even greater peril. Desperate to protect her friend from those who would slit her throat to steal her crown, while battling her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander, Jenny becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of secrets, betrayals and lies.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi_jKILdn20XuSbV8gkVIJ358lCQdQG24tAN7W7CM-kpo4ho5nFNo3aXQprUmR6s_ps3WaI5auoXqg3d7fzHwiHLh1X1kbQu72yMSE3PCBYBZrRNZ9VHej-xa5MMBcACAWUDwZn2UODw/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivi_jKILdn20XuSbV8gkVIJ358lCQdQG24tAN7W7CM-kpo4ho5nFNo3aXQprUmR6s_ps3WaI5auoXqg3d7fzHwiHLh1X1kbQu72yMSE3PCBYBZrRNZ9VHej-xa5MMBcACAWUDwZn2UODw/s320/cover.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer</b><br />
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The last words of a dying woman would change the life of young Thomas. Raised behind monastery walls, he knows nothing of his mysterious past or imminent destiny. But now, in the heart of medieval England, a darkness threatens to strangle truth. An ancient order tightens their ghostly grip on power, creating fear and exiling those who would oppose them. Thomas is determined fulfill his calling and bring light into the mysterious world of the Druids and leaves the monastery on an important quest.<br />
Thomas quickly finds himself in unfamiliar territory, as he must put his faith in unusual companions—a cryptic knight, a child thief, and the beautiful, silent woman whom may not be all she seems. From the solitary life of an orphan, Thomas now finds himself tangled in the roots of both camaraderie and suspicion.<br />
Can he trust those who would join his battle…or will his fears force him to go on alone?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSCLPxTlbrBFoMGhxSk7VoLQ2zPPWoiEqxrvQgl3d-aDpsnXEdi9fKyjistaJXPaCBHegLQbInCxptBw7w2kpbp70b8hwRa813-3Lcj4ijB66GKwWZBNg0wa9WsAjYlCvIXqd0P7cu_M/s1600/ned-kelly-s-secret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSCLPxTlbrBFoMGhxSk7VoLQ2zPPWoiEqxrvQgl3d-aDpsnXEdi9fKyjistaJXPaCBHegLQbInCxptBw7w2kpbp70b8hwRa813-3Lcj4ijB66GKwWZBNg0wa9WsAjYlCvIXqd0P7cu_M/s320/ned-kelly-s-secret.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>Ned Kelly's Secret by Sophie Masson</b><br />
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Hugo and his father are travelling through Australia, on the trail of tales of the gold rush. But after they're ambushed on the road by the notorious outlaw Harry Power, they decide to chase something wilder and far more exciting - the stories of the bushrangers. In Benalla, Hugo befriends a boy from the bush, a boy who's brave, bold and will do anything for his clan. A boy with a dark and dangerous secret - 15-year-old Ned Kelly!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4dFHLYxtUFYuf0OKjiUR5gyl6_BAl4AHf1uZbkZnqz_INco8vBhgFEbYmY8MkX-xs3LjfcmSwh9ZXdTCvnMq_Rf6RW90o6ghb8jOvJhpbU9ZriH1CV4aTmNKkOIN-Ta7qKxAJGCnIq0/s1600/15739828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4dFHLYxtUFYuf0OKjiUR5gyl6_BAl4AHf1uZbkZnqz_INco8vBhgFEbYmY8MkX-xs3LjfcmSwh9ZXdTCvnMq_Rf6RW90o6ghb8jOvJhpbU9ZriH1CV4aTmNKkOIN-Ta7qKxAJGCnIq0/s320/15739828.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>Ransomwood by Sherryl Jordan</b><br />
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Spurned by her lover, and with her uncle threatening to marry her off to his odious widowed brother, Gwenifer is almost relieved to be sent away to escort the magistrate’s old, blind mother to Ransomwood, where the tears of the statue of the Holy Mother are said to have healing qualities. Together with Harry, the village halfwit, who is escaping a sentence of hanging for being in charge of an ox that trampled a child almost to death, they embark on a perilous journey … each of them looking for a different kind of healing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKkpj9lVv7nsmC9_giIaS3LkqisQ5ts18yEoPz3eXfKvb2fpOySz9Xxpv4ZLgrjIC2FDwKU0N0PhvyB3ZV7R76wjJOkDFsbcxC_EPkntMfP164j6DQhF8ayPBG0vwsYcj7dscmeLVXYw/s1600/13549798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKkpj9lVv7nsmC9_giIaS3LkqisQ5ts18yEoPz3eXfKvb2fpOySz9Xxpv4ZLgrjIC2FDwKU0N0PhvyB3ZV7R76wjJOkDFsbcxC_EPkntMfP164j6DQhF8ayPBG0vwsYcj7dscmeLVXYw/s320/13549798.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>The Forgotten Pearl by Belinda Murrell</b><br />
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In 1941, Poppy lives in Darwin, a peaceful paradise far from the war. But when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, then Australia, everything Poppy holds dear is threatened - her family, her neighbours, her friends and her beloved pets. Her brother Edward is taken prisoner-of-war. Her home town becomes a war zone, as the Japanese raid over and over again.<br />
Terrified for their lives, Poppy and her mother flee to Sydney, only to find that the danger follows them there. Poppy must face her war with courage and determination. Will her world ever be the same again?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq6v3GICTirz4tDagfvUNXgymWaXVkaFiOHfLRau1bmfjQR_QnT8z0MW50wHzI3F3uTS9r8fSmzZtzACy-XzqS5HeDGfIsExlgfORzxsfGneb5sxKhyphenhyphen-QxmHrEs29LrzHmP1dbaiDAqw/s1600/12871195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUq6v3GICTirz4tDagfvUNXgymWaXVkaFiOHfLRau1bmfjQR_QnT8z0MW50wHzI3F3uTS9r8fSmzZtzACy-XzqS5HeDGfIsExlgfORzxsfGneb5sxKhyphenhyphen-QxmHrEs29LrzHmP1dbaiDAqw/s320/12871195.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>Our Australian Girl: Nellie's Quest by Penny Matthews</b><br />
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It's 1850 and Nellie's best friend, Mary, is gravely ill. To provide Mary with the care she needs, Nellie must break a promise and go on a quest to find the Thompson family. But will they be able to help? And who will Nellie turn to when her own life is in danger?<br />
Follow Nellie on her adventure in the third of four exciting stories about an Irish girl with a big heart, in search of the freedom to be herself<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0cNTjVUNOdtbsQatDYwDPNmC_7kC-z26_RwIk5cmztFTyEyZ0MfhS5vyrCfvPTi90fVD2bgE_c_GPdxK1mXA9qeUSCTsghNMagzY-2SbfA8M2ZGIStVK1A3ft-3bWBy6ZLpkjp4K-1s/s1600/13478437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0cNTjVUNOdtbsQatDYwDPNmC_7kC-z26_RwIk5cmztFTyEyZ0MfhS5vyrCfvPTi90fVD2bgE_c_GPdxK1mXA9qeUSCTsghNMagzY-2SbfA8M2ZGIStVK1A3ft-3bWBy6ZLpkjp4K-1s/s320/13478437.jpg" width="140px" /></a></div><b>Our Australian Girl: Alice of Peppermint Grove by Davina Bell</b><br />
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The war is over, summer has arrived and Alice is filled with hope that life with her family will finally return to normal. However, as peace is negotiated overseas, nothing at home goes as expected. Mama loses her job at the bank, the country is gripped with the deadly Spanish Influenza, and the role of the Fairy Snow Queen in the local dance recital causes problems between Alice and her best friend, Jilly. Even the return from Europe of Teddy, Alice's big brother, can't fix everything … or can it?<br />
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Frost is cursed - possessed by a wolf demon that brings death everywhere she goes. Desperate to find a cure, she flees her home, only to be captured by the Ruan Hill Guard. Trapped until she can prove she is not an enemy, Frost grows increasingly close to the Guard’s charismatic leader Luca and his second in command, the tortured Arian. Torn between two very different men, Frost fears that she may not be able to protect either of them ... from herself.<br />
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Book two of the Song of Ice and Fire series. I am not including the publisher's summary because it has a LOT of spoilers for the people who haven't read the first book or seen season one of the TV show.<br />
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It all began with nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorians, who scattered on Earth and went into hiding, who look like ordinary teenagers, but who have extraordinary skills. The Mogadorians killed Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. They tried to kill Number Four...and failed.<br />
Number Four (aka John Smith) has now teamed up with Number Nine, while Six has gone off to find the others. With the Mogadorians hot on their trail and time running out, they must find a way to come together before it’s too late. Their power is in numbers.<br />
The first two books in the Lorien Legacies series, I Am Number Four and The Power of Six, were both #1 New York Times bestsellers, and I Am Number Four became a major motion picture. Fans are hooked as the battle to determine Earth’s fate draws near.<br />
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The story of Cinderella as you've never heard it before ...<br />
A girl whose fortunes have plummeted from wealthy aristocrat to servant-girl. A magic hazel twig. A prince. A desperate escape from danger.<br />
This is not the story of a girl whose fairy godmother arranges her future for her. This is the story of Selena, who will take charge of her own destiny, and learn that her magic is not to be feared but celebrated.<br />
Pure fairytale - with all the romance, magic and adventure that goes along with it.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-15019990765798303922012-07-18T16:27:00.001-04:002012-07-19T22:20:54.123-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFcP6kzrZ0F2nkBW-BgTgfFaVOKWvnr8Jf6D1osz4ZrcazFrOLilttcIKV3r7ptRLraHcmm9v6tfTQp7km9HwV80eL_C6CJuEYTkxL2Lbc_14IaQXUnCE0dAKzNT2ZKwI7r-7s2zox-M/s1600/9780310724391blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="247" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFcP6kzrZ0F2nkBW-BgTgfFaVOKWvnr8Jf6D1osz4ZrcazFrOLilttcIKV3r7ptRLraHcmm9v6tfTQp7km9HwV80eL_C6CJuEYTkxL2Lbc_14IaQXUnCE0dAKzNT2ZKwI7r-7s2zox-M/s320/9780310724391blog.jpg" /></a></div><b>The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson (Published by Zondervan, December 25, 2012)</b><br />
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A daring rescue. A difficult choice.<br />
Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother's jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie's one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?<br />
Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl's inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother's future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.<br />
When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.<br />
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I really enjoyed Melanie Dickerson's other two fairy tale retellings, so I can't wait to read her third. I really like that one of the main characters is the son of the couple from the author's first book, <i>The Healer's Apprentice</i>.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-59565196804946014902012-07-16T21:59:00.003-04:002012-07-16T22:03:09.813-04:00Song of Ice and Fire Read-a-long week two<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mYYdn3__jn-t7PTwp3Vw1yGzu0HhOq0fnJ43kJcb9GPksQ8s76CHmXEecxBhFVq49Sk5tUvfdKoaql-hM1i_yuvW9PMmcobZz5fC2cYmMSSYpp1MnVVrDgOtsPnxqw15_ftJQxlGqtA/s1600/jonsnowthrone-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mYYdn3__jn-t7PTwp3Vw1yGzu0HhOq0fnJ43kJcb9GPksQ8s76CHmXEecxBhFVq49Sk5tUvfdKoaql-hM1i_yuvW9PMmcobZz5fC2cYmMSSYpp1MnVVrDgOtsPnxqw15_ftJQxlGqtA/s320/jonsnowthrone-copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Hi to everyone participating in <a href="http://bookalicious.org/2012/07/song-of-ice-and-fire-read-along-week-one/">Bookalicious's Song of Ice and Fire read-a-long</a>. By now, you should be around 50% done with book one, <i>A Game of Thrones</i>. For this week, the discussion topic is the female characters in the book. Even though the series is set in a medieval society where men have all the rights and power, there are many strong female characters in the series who do not just sit there and accept this, but who find ways to fight for some control over their own lives.<br />
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What are some of the ways that the female characters in <i>A Game of Thrones</i> gain power, despite living in a society where they are often considered powerless? Which of these characters do you admire? You can either make your own post on your blog (if you have one), or if you don't, you can share your thoughts in a reply to this post.<br />
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Personally, my favorite female character in the series is <b>Arya Stark</b>.<br />
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At the start of the book series, Arya is only nine years old, but she has to grow up fast. As the daughter of a noble family, Arya is expected to learn to be a proper lady so she can marry well when she is old enough. But Arya is not interested in being a lady. She would much prefer to learn how to fight, instead of learning how to sew. She has her own sword, Needle, and she's not afraid to learn how to use it. <br />
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Another female character who starts out powerless but who becomes much stronger is <b>Daenerys Targaryen</b>.<br />
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Daenerys starts out in a very powerless position. Her family, the Targaryens, ruled Westeros for hundreds of years until they lost the throne in a rebellion. She grew up in exile with the only other surviving member of her family, her older brother, and she is forced, when she is only thirteen years old, to marry a stranger from a very different culture to aid her brother's quest to return to Westeros and retake the throne. But rather than being a doormat, she learns how to gain some power in her relationship with her husband, and becomes a much stronger person (and better potential ruler) than her brother is.<br />
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<a href="http://bookalicious.org/2012/05/a-read-a-long-of-ice-and-fire"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1018" height="200" src="http://bookalicious.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/GOT-copy.jpg" title="GOT copy" width="200" /></a><br />
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</script>Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-78842849303847700372012-07-11T21:57:00.000-04:002012-07-11T21:57:30.364-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Shades of Earth by Beth Revis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUHechfKVW1flEzqjTh4dNMGr4hmRAiu86IeA1gmQ4s3lU2RDn4Dng3wwcfIeoRMT7Qjz4r1ENmJfjNxTki9-p94-1v-fHS0Sh8inqYmm6u1iK74NMJ6BLiYmT8nsFYiaJ5A3n_NIBp8/s1600/10345937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="242" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUHechfKVW1flEzqjTh4dNMGr4hmRAiu86IeA1gmQ4s3lU2RDn4Dng3wwcfIeoRMT7Qjz4r1ENmJfjNxTki9-p94-1v-fHS0Sh8inqYmm6u1iK74NMJ6BLiYmT8nsFYiaJ5A3n_NIBp8/s320/10345937.jpg" /></a></div><b>Shades of Earth by Beth Revis (Published by Razorbill, January 15, 2013)</b><br />
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The final book in the trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis!<br />
Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience. But this new Earth isn't the paradise that Amy had been hoping for. Amy and Elder must race to uncover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. But as each new discovery brings more danger, Amy and Elder will have to look inward to the very fabric of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been meaningless.<br />
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I can't wait to read this book to find out how the series ends. But I am annoyed the publisher changed the cover, because now my series won't match. :(Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-18776089194371417842012-07-09T19:19:00.001-04:002012-07-09T20:23:07.671-04:00Mailbox Monday - 7/9/12Mailbox Monday is being hosted by <a href="http://www.mrsqbookaddict.net/">Mrs. Q Book Addict</a> for the month of July.<br />
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I haven't posted a Mailbox Monday for a couple of weeks (I kept forgetting!), so this is several weeks of books.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUe622l6t_roNi5y4pnNABQGlEvfVtlVijoZK8XRyK4dDIrogJJC6WJkc_MYGlbS5dRheaBQm35QXdjR1uaNgCKnkYIt9iqdm81m8U3pusrbJtGXXxkYYs1NyCyPMl4bwgXR_VvJGpvsE/s1600/10193062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="210" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUe622l6t_roNi5y4pnNABQGlEvfVtlVijoZK8XRyK4dDIrogJJC6WJkc_MYGlbS5dRheaBQm35QXdjR1uaNgCKnkYIt9iqdm81m8U3pusrbJtGXXxkYYs1NyCyPMl4bwgXR_VvJGpvsE/s320/10193062.jpg" /></a></div><b>Outpost by Ann Aguirre</b><br />
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Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.<br />
To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.<br />
Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.<br />
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Summer break . . . and the livin' ain't easy<br />
Just because the students at New York College have flown the coop doesn't mean assistant residence hall director Heather Wells can relax. Fischer Hall is busier than ever, filled with squealing thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls attending the first ever Tania Trace Teen Rock Camp, hosted by pop sensation Tania Trace herself--who just happens to be newly married to Heather's ex-boyfriend, heartthrob Jordan Cartwright. But the real headache begins when the producer of a reality TV show starring Tania winds up dead . . . and it's clear that the star was the intended victim.<br />
Grant Cartwright, head of Cartwright Records, wants to keep his daughter-in-law (and his highest-earning performer) alive. So he hires his oldest son, black sheep of the family and private investigator Cooper Cartwright--who just happens to be Heather's "new" fiancE. Heather should leave the detecting to Cooper. But with a dorm full of hysterical mini-divas-in-training, she can't help but get involved. And after Tania shares a really shocking secret with her, "this" reality suddenly becomes more dangerously real than anyone ever anticipated.<br />
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Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.<br />
But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.<br />
Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?<br />
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A DYING LAND<br />
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.<br />
AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST<br />
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.<br />
A HIDDEN GIFT<br />
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.<br />
But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGAgXoopWg87_AuA1lvi2fjMFDqICDLiiW-xRYfjbdG_eMYLkbAh5BEMhpRBtE9ErL9qhrNQxLsck-39U44b6Wg7RvW7RrURJsWpb3ee8i61Yz9knU4u_BgcA8VPT6pA4EeSTVD8MYRo/s1600/8523840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGAgXoopWg87_AuA1lvi2fjMFDqICDLiiW-xRYfjbdG_eMYLkbAh5BEMhpRBtE9ErL9qhrNQxLsck-39U44b6Wg7RvW7RrURJsWpb3ee8i61Yz9knU4u_BgcA8VPT6pA4EeSTVD8MYRo/s320/8523840.jpg" /></a></div>Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin<br />
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Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin's stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.<br />
A Game of Thrones<br />
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.<br />
Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-69463215325713980242012-07-08T21:27:00.004-04:002012-07-08T22:03:31.189-04:00Song of Ice and Fire Read-a-long week one<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mYYdn3__jn-t7PTwp3Vw1yGzu0HhOq0fnJ43kJcb9GPksQ8s76CHmXEecxBhFVq49Sk5tUvfdKoaql-hM1i_yuvW9PMmcobZz5fC2cYmMSSYpp1MnVVrDgOtsPnxqw15_ftJQxlGqtA/s1600/jonsnowthrone-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mYYdn3__jn-t7PTwp3Vw1yGzu0HhOq0fnJ43kJcb9GPksQ8s76CHmXEecxBhFVq49Sk5tUvfdKoaql-hM1i_yuvW9PMmcobZz5fC2cYmMSSYpp1MnVVrDgOtsPnxqw15_ftJQxlGqtA/s320/jonsnowthrone-copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I love the HBO series Game of Thrones, but haven't gotten to read the books yet. So I decided to join <a href="http://bookalicious.org/2012/07/song-of-ice-and-fire-read-along-week-one/">Bookalicious's Song of Ice and Fire read-a-long</a>. The goal for July is to finish reading book one, <b>A Game of Thrones</b>. For week one, the task is to choose your house. While I am not sure they will end up winning in the end, I have chosen the Starks because they are noble and honorable, while still being (mostly) awesome.<br />
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The Stark family sigil is a direwolf, and their motto is Winter is Coming. Which makes sense, since their family home is in Winterfell, where it's very cold, even in the summer. Imagine what it must be like when it's actually winter there! <br />
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<b>Ned Stark</b> is the Lord of Winterfell, head of the Stark house and father of the Stark children. He is very brave and honorable - unfortunately, sometimes too honorable.<br />
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<b>Catelyn Stark</b> is Ned's wife and the mother of Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. She was too cruel sometimes to Jon Snow, Ned's bastard son, but she loved her children and wanted the best for them.<br />
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<b>Jon Snow</b> is Ned's bastard son. At the start of the book series, he is fourteen years old. Not much is known about his mother. Ned brought him to Winterfell to be raised alongside his legitimate children. He resents being a bastard and not fitting in entirely, and eventually joins the Night's Watch, which guards The Wall, a giant wall along the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms.<br />
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<b>Robb Stark</b> is the eldest of the trueborn Stark children. He is also fourteen years old at the beginning of the series. He has been raised to be his father's heir. Like his father, he is honorable and loyal to his family.<br />
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<b>Sansa Stark</b> is the older of the Stark daughters, and is eleven years old at the start of the series. She is very ladylike, and hopes to marry well. She annoys me a bit at the start of the series, but based on what I know from the TV show, I think I'll like her more later on in the series.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_B2dsL1m1dXFRLBiRLkyMYtGA62UBJy6PJ0zvk0JcW7XeoDNebk5VqYe19BMBO-Tafy3epzpLqnE1dXu2NSCsUe96_dd4617A6hr0UQk1wnhAqNg8jKIMTvAR9WsHgyuII-cPtjxG-s/s1600/Arya-Stark-950x565.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_B2dsL1m1dXFRLBiRLkyMYtGA62UBJy6PJ0zvk0JcW7XeoDNebk5VqYe19BMBO-Tafy3epzpLqnE1dXu2NSCsUe96_dd4617A6hr0UQk1wnhAqNg8jKIMTvAR9WsHgyuII-cPtjxG-s/s320/Arya-Stark-950x565.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<b>Arya Stark</b> is the younger Stark daughter. She is nine years old when the series starts. Unlike her sister Sansa, Arya doesn't want to be a lady. She has no interest in sewing or pretty clothes and would prefer to learn how to fight with a sword. She was close to her half-brother Jon, who gave her a sword she named Needle as a parting gift before he left for The Wall. Arya is awesome and one of my favorite characters from the series.<br />
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<b>Bran Stark</b> is seven years old at the start of the series. He likes to climb and explore which unfortunately gets him into a lot of trouble and he ends up crippled. After that, he forms a very strong connection with his pet direwolf, Summer.<br />
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<b>Rickon Stark</b> is the youngest Stark child, and is three years old at the start of the series. He is too young to have done much, but he's adorable. He names his pet direwolf Shaggydog - how cute is that?!<br />
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So which house would you align yourself with in the world of Westeros, and who is your favorite character? And if you are interested, be sure to sign up for the read-a-long!<br />
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<a href="http://bookalicious.org/2012/05/a-read-a-long-of-ice-and-fire"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1018" height="200" src="http://bookalicious.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/GOT-copy.jpg" title="GOT copy" width="200" /></a>Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-873908345280486873.post-56773816601852312052012-07-07T03:24:00.000-04:002012-07-07T03:24:50.103-04:00Book review: All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ2H3MIjJwQRLb0-W-4Z0DPbfMngjKA70A_j10ZpDfBKRL8E0y6RBN0wQKaVmU21I78gEptfy9VVxwt0ZAT0nIWoci441kLKG4fMRxHR9PfCQpeUSCkyC10XLWVvQ-00v2gpR_Zs-Wkw/s1600/allfalldown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="255" width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ2H3MIjJwQRLb0-W-4Z0DPbfMngjKA70A_j10ZpDfBKRL8E0y6RBN0wQKaVmU21I78gEptfy9VVxwt0ZAT0nIWoci441kLKG4fMRxHR9PfCQpeUSCkyC10XLWVvQ-00v2gpR_Zs-Wkw/s320/allfalldown.jpg" /></a></div><b>All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls (Published by Scholastic UK, March 1, 2012)</b><br />
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Fourteen-year-old Isabel lives in a small village in England that has recently suffered from bad weather and food shortages. When the villagers hear news of a strange new disease, they are concerned by how fast it is spreading through the country. This plague strikes everyone equally, whether they are young or old, weak or strong. Nearly half the population of England dies. Many people believe the end of the world has come. Those that survive are left struggling to rebuild their homes and lives. If you read a lot of dystopian novels set in a bleak possible future, this plot probably sounds somewhat familiar. But <i>All Fall Down</i> is set in 1349, when a devastating pandemic of bubonic plague killed between one-third and one-half of Europe's population, changing that society forever.<br />
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When the story opens, Isabel is content with her life. She loves her father, stepmother, and five siblings. It is already planned that when she is older, she will marry Robin, a boy she grew up with in the village, who is one of her best friends. Like most Medieval peasants, she's never travelled away from her village. Her family is not truly free, as they must work for the local lord, Sir Edmund. But Isabel knows no other life, and doesn't want anything to change. This made her character seem very realistic, since that's likely how a real girl back then would have thought. She doesn't want to rise above her station in life. She's just an ordinary person with an ordinary life that is completely turned upside down by tragedy.<br />
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As the story progresses, Isabel can do nothing but watch as many of her family and friends are killed by the plague. She and some of those she cares about survive, entirely by chance, but are left to figure out how to go on living in a very changed world. The ending was realistic, but honestly (and this is just a personal preference) I wish it had been slightly happier. It was hopeful and not entirely grim, but it didn't end the way I really hoped it would, and I can't say more than that without it being a huge spoiler. But that doesn't reflect on the quality of the writing at all, and I think that this is a story that will appeal to readers who don't normally read historical fiction, since it reads a lot like a dystopian novel. But instead of speculating about possible future disasters and how humanity might react and find a way to survive, the author tells the story of a real disaster which decimated the population of countless countries and caused enormous and permanent social changes.Rebecca Hermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12045279026055038231noreply@blogger.com1