Tag: fantasy

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Blog Tour: The Ghost of Ivy Barn – Mark Stay

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August, 1940.

As the Battle of Britain rages overhead, a warlock leader from the Council of High Witches comes to Woodville with a ritual to repel the imminent Nazi invasion. The only catch is it involves full-frontal nudity on the White Cliffs of Dover. The Witches of Woodville are having none of it, but when more witches arrive they realise they might have a spy in their midst, and it’s up to Faye Bright to uncover the traitor. But she’s got enough on her plate already with the ghost of a Polish Hurricane pilot who may hold the key to the truth.

Mark Stay co-wrote the screenplay for Robot Overlords which became a movie with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, and premiered at the 58th London Film Festival. He is co­presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast and has worked in bookselling and publishing for over twenty-five years. He lives in Kent, England, with his family and a trio of retired chickens. He blogs and humblebrags over at markstaywrites.com.

My thoughts: I do enjoy this series and Faye gets more and more interesting with each book. I still have many questions about Miss Charlotte and Mrs Teach but perhaps the mystery makes it better?

This time they’re fending off an aerial invasion with magic – or are they? Bellamy is very enthusiastic but the Woodville witches don’t seem too keen and Faye’s distracted by her life and the ghostly Polish pilot in the barn. Otto Kopp – who continues to be deeply annoying, is still hanging about, and causing trouble. There’s a spy in their midst and no one’s quite sure who it is.

Bits are very funny and the ending is very moving and sweet, there’s a lot of toing and froing to Dover for the ritual, including a very funny scene with a tweed clad dogwalker, and at some point Bertie and Faye might get around to some proper canoodling (without a witchy emergency or half the village as audience).

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my

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On Bookstagram Today: The Reluctant Vampire Queen – Jo Simmons

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Head over to Instagram today to see my thoughts on new book The Reluctant Vampire Queen – info on the book and author below.

Meet Mo Merrydrew – independent young woman, Mini Battenberg fan, president of the debating society – and reluctant vampire queen …

Fifteen-year-old Mo Merrydrew isn’t exactly expecting to be asked to be Vampire Queen of Great Britain when she’s cycling home from school one wet Tuesday evening. Apparently, she is ‘the Chosen One’. Aside from being uncomfortable with the idea of unelected power (not very democratic), there’s the blood drinking to consider (Mo is a vegetarian), and frankly it’s just not really the sort of role Mo’s looking for (she wants to aim for a real job in politics). But – if you’re Vampire Queen, you probably don’t have to do PE any more, and when the dreamy Luca, a vampire familiar, turns up, it all suddenly starts to look a bit more appealing …

Jo Simmons is an author of funny fiction. I Swapped My Brother on the Internet was shortlisted for the Lollies Book Awards 2020 and was translated into several languages. Jo began her working life as a sub editor on magazines in London and later became a freelance journalist. She started writing for children when her two boys were young and hungry for daft and silly stories to make bedtime more fun. She lives in Brighton with her family and a small, scruffy dog who leaves hair absolutely everywhere. THE RELUCTANT VAMPIRE QUEEN is her first novel for teenagers. Twitter

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Cover Reveal: The Syren’s Mutiny – Jessica S. Taylor

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Check out this cover!!! Syren’s Mutiny by Jessica S. Taylor, will be released this fall and I can’t wait!

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The Syren’s Mutiny

Expected Publication Date: November 9th, 2022

“It’s frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard.”

Brigid knew the superstition, but when her father tried to marry her off, she had no choice but to stowaway on a ship bound for Bhodheas. When she’s discovered and discarded, her fate seems sealed…until she’s saved by the ocean and its queen.

Transformed into a syren and given new life, Brigid now has the power to seek revenge on those who wronged her.

Caelum has spent his entire life trying to help those who couldn’t help themselves. After years suffering the cruelty of his pirate father, saving others from a similar fate was ingrained in him. But when he’s unable to save a young girl from being thrown overboard for hiding away, he’s devastated.

Until one day, when he’s thrown into the water by unforeseen forces, he comes face to face with the past, and maybe, with his future.

But there’s a darkness lurking on the seas they both call home. And Caelum and Brigid have no idea just how intertwined their stories really are.

Content Warning:

This book contains dark and adult themes. Possible trigger warnings include: violence, drowning, death, dismemberment, torture, brief/non-explicit references to child kidnapping and deaths, mentions of past domestic violence, mild sexual content, and mentions of arranged marriages. 

Pre-Order Here!

​About the Author

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Jessica was born and raised in Kentucky, but has been moving with the waves and is currently residing in southern Maine with her husband and cat, Nebula. Jessica’s love of reading and writing began at a young age with the help of her grandmother and her local library, and she hasn’t looked back since. Similarly, her love for pirates, mermaids, and all things fantasy have only grown more intense with time.

Author Jessica Taylor | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Pinterest 

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Cover Reveal: House of Badawi – C.J. Khemi

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I am thrilled to share this gorgeous cover for an upcoming release called House of Badawi by C.J. Khemi! This beauty will be gracing shelves this October!

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House of Badawi

Expected Publication Date: October 14, 2022

Genre: NA Fantasy

Publisher: Bowne Street Press

Rumors about women are rarely true, but should whispers about powerful men be adhered to?

Valxina Kulrani wants nothing more than to join the Keepers, an all women legion that protects the House of Badawi’s spring of immortality. The Keepers prevent rival kingdoms from using the spring to create immortal armies—an undertaking forbidden by the King, for only he and his chosen are allowed to use the spring’s waters.

When Valxina finally achieves her dreams, she expects safety and protection after a life of poverty. But Valxina soon discovers that her new existence isn’t what she thought. Keepers are vanishing in the dead of night—including Valxina’s superior, Sera.

Worried that her status won’t keep her safe and that she and the other new Keepers could be the next to disappear, Valxina devises a plan: seduce the Lord of Badawi, Zessfar, into telling her what he knows about the disappearances. As she grows closer to Zessfar and they put together the pieces of Sera’s disappearance, Valxina realizes she might be falling for him.

But things in the House of Badawi are never as they seem. Whispers spread like wildfire behind the marble walls—about the true cost of the spring’s waters, and the lengths that the House of Badawi is willing to go to keep those secrets quiet. Valxina must learn to separate truth from deception in a court where the truth could get her killed.

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About the Author

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C.J. Khemi is the debut author of House of Badawi. She’s Indo-Trinidadian-American, a native New Yorker, and is currently living out her cottage-core dreams in a home outside of NYC.

Khemi holds a M.A. in International Affairs and a B.A. in Psychology. She is a content writer by day, covering current affairs and politics in the United States.

When C.J. is not working or writing, she is out walking at her local nature preserve, trying to perfect her mom’s curry chicken recipe (which she has yet to get just right), and binging her latest obsession with her cat, Moon.

C.J. Khemi | Instagram | TikTok 

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Book Blitz: The Commoner’s Destiny – Fred Yu

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I am so excited to let you all know that the next exciting instalment in The Red Crest series is now available! Read on for more info about The Commoner’s Destiny and grab a copy today!

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The Commoner’s Destiny (The Red Crest Series #2)

Genre: Epic Fantasy/ Historical Fantasy/ Asian Fantasy

Publication Date: May 5th, 2022

His past is dark. His intentions are cloudy. When lies pull him out of hiding, can he fight off imminent destruction?

Ancient China. For Chen Han, honor sits above all. So when his name is unjustly slandered and his former brothers-in-arms rise against him, he doesn’t hesitate to counter the falsehoods. But his heart burns for vengeance after he learns his beloved father figure has been murdered by a hidden villain…

Joining forces with a beautiful archer, Han treks to a dangerous island only to spring a deadly trap. And as he discovers a plot that could drive the entire Middle Kingdom into civil war, he must become the very traitor he swore to destroy in order to save his people from slaughter.

Will he submit to disgrace to stop countless deaths?

The Commoner’s Destiny is the astonishing second book in The Red Crest Asian historical fantasy series. If you like emotionally wrought heroes, heart-pounding twists, and epic battles, then you’ll love Fred Yu’s sword-slashing story.

Available on Amazon

The Orchid Farmer's Sacrifice - eBook (2)

The Orchid Farmer’s Sacrifice (The Red Crest Series #1)

Publication Date: October 5th, 2021

Genre: Asian Fantasy/ Epic Fantasy

He was born of prophecy. If he can’t embrace his destiny in time, his country is doomed.

Ancient China. Spoiled and overconfident, eighteen-year-old Mu Feng relishes life as the son of an honored general. But when his sister is abducted and his friends slaughtered, he flees home. He soon discovers the mystical birthmark on his body has attracted an enormous price on his head.

Pursued across the Middle Kingdom, Feng finds allies in two fierce warriors and a beautiful assassin. When he learns his ultimate enemy plans an incursion with advanced weaponry, he must call on his friends and his own budding military genius to defend his country. His plan is desperate, and the enemy outnumbers him twenty-five to one…

Can Feng fulfill a duty he didn’t know he had and unite the empire against a terrifying force?

Amazon

About the Author

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As a lifelong student of martial arts, and growing up watching martial arts flicks in the 80s and 90s, Yu decided early on that he would write in this genre. Inspired by George RR Martin’s work, he decided he would write a series in English in this centuries-old Asian genre. Yu has written three previous novels, The Legend of Snow Wolf, Haute Tea Cuisine and Yin Yang Blades. Yu has a BFA Film and Television from NYU Tisch School of Arts. He was born in Guangzhou, China, but presently lives in New York City.

Fred Yu

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Blog Tour: Son of Shadow – John Lenahan

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A world of faeries, leprechauns and dragons – and magic fuelled by the blood of trees. A mystery portal to the Real World.

And a pair of curious young adventurers who know they shouldn’t step through it…

Meet Fergal the Second, nicknamed ‘two’. Or ‘Doe’, in his own language. He can do magic. But, for the moment, he’s forgotten where he’s from. Or what’s happened to his blind friend Ruby.

He’s actually from Tir na Nog, the enchanted world of Shadowmagic, where a new generation of the royal House of Duir are cheeking their parents, preparing for adulthood and itching to see the Real World for themselves – whatever the peril.

JOHN LENAHAN, whose Shadowmagic trilogy sold more than 100,000 copies, takes us back to his enchanted parallel world where Irish folk myth combines with lively 21st-century banter.

The first in the new trilogy, Son of Shadow, takes up the story in the next generation. It opens in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where teenage princeling Doe – son of the hero of the original trilogy – is arrested for making a gold coin disappear at a magicians’ convention. He has lost his memory while following his abducted friend Ruby into the Real World.

Born in Philadelphia but long settled in the UK, Lenahan is an acclaimed magician and TV performer. He fronted his own BBC2 magic series Stuff the White Rabbit, played the voice of the toaster in Red Dwarf and has appeared on a wide range of entertainment shows including TFI Friday, Comedy Café and Celebrity Squares.

He is a member of the exclusive Magic Circle.

My thoughts: incorporating characters and beings from Irish mythology, this is a fun, YA, adventure story about family, friendship and magic. Doe can’t remember who he is or where he’s from but he knows he’s supposed to do something. Incarcerated in the mental hospital, he meets Sarah, who can see the future. Together they travel across America in search of answers.

Moving back and forth in time and between worlds, the story is gradually revealed. Doe is in fact a faerie prince from Tir na Nog, and on a mission to rescue his kidnapped friend Ruby. He just didn’t tell his parents all the details. Luckily they’re more worried about saving Ruby and the new Big Bad – a human sorceress and her ally, who they all thought was dead, than grounding Doe.

This was a fun romp across America, with Sarah trying to explain the Real World to Doe, who has never even eaten pizza before, let alone dealt with money, trans-continental buses or well, anything. He meets some helpful, and some very unhelpful, people along the way, searching for legendary Irish hero Cu Chulainn, who he hopes can help him rescue Ruby.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: From Brick & Darkness – J.L. Sullivan

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FromBrickandDarkness copy

Welcome to my stop on the tour for From Brick & Darkness, a gritty YA novel steeped in djinn mythology. Read on for an exclusive excerpt and a chance to win a signed copy!

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From Brick & Darkness

Publication Date: May 16, 2022

Genre: YA/ Modern Fantasy/ Retelling

Publisher: Wild Rose Press

The most powerful wishes aren’t said with words.

Bax always fantasized something remarkable would happen in his life. So when a decrepit man with glowing purple eyes offers him a ring intended for his estranged father, Bax accepts.

The ring speaks to Bax in a dream, tempting him with a vision of a powerful djinn. Desperate to make his fantasies a reality, Bax unleashes a creature called Ifrit, but soon learns this djinn isn’t what the ring led him to believe. Feeding off the depths of his subconscious, the sinister demon fulfills what he thinks Bax wants by manipulating, threatening, and murdering. With everyone he loves in danger and a trail of crimes pointing back at him, Bax must scramble to solve the puzzle that will banish Ifrit forever.

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Excerpt

Neck bones popped as his head rotated toward me, his face eclipsing the rays of the streetlight. His irises were dull purple, glazed over with a foggy film, and deep-set wrinkles radiated from the corners of his eyes like arrows drawing attention to them.

A shudder caused the keys to slip from my hand and clank on the ground. My face burned with shame that the poor man’s appearance had startled me. My rudeness would have disappointed Mom.

“I’m sorry, but really—” I snagged my keys.

His hand slithered out of the brick-colored sleeve as his arm rose, trembling as he strained to hold the weight of his own limb. Gloved in loose, veiny skin, his skeleton hand had yellowed fingernails so overgrown they grew in on themselves like curly birthday ribbons. As his fingers unfurled, he revealed a ring nestled in his palm.

It was large. Too large. The ring resembled the toy jewelry Jason’s sister played with or something from a Halloween costume. Grimy gold with a single dull purplish jewel that matched his eyes.

His hand trembled under the heaviness of the ring. “Take it.”

Shifting my backpack to my other shoulder, I took it. “What is this?”

The corners of his thin lips curled into a grin as a gust of warm, dry wind cut through the chilly October night and swirled around me

Available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble

About the Author

John-Sullivan-headshot-BW-Cropped-Web

J.L. Sullivan writes young adult stories inspired by gritty urban environments and the tales that percolate within abandoned buildings and desolate alleys. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, two daughters, and a dog named Princess Penelope Picklesworth.

J.L. Sullivan | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Click the link below to enter for a chance to win a signed copy!

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My thoughts: this was a fun magical story about why it’s not so wise to get involved with djinn. One little monkey like jann who runs errands is one thing, but a murderous ifrit is another!

Luckily Bax has good friends who want to help him out when he needs to return the ifrit to its own dimension.

Wishes can be dangerous, especially if someone is interpreting them from your subconscious while you sleep.

A clever, entertaining read with some twists and turns.

Book Tour Schedule

June 6th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

Timeless Romance Blog (Spotlight) https://aubreywynne.com/

Cheryl’s Book Nook (Review) https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

@beastreader – https://www.instagram.com/beastreader/

Bunny’s Reviews (Review) https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/

The Faerie Review (Spotlight) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

June 7th

@bookscoffeehappiness (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/bookscoffeehappiness/

@jacleomik33 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jacleomik33/

@genoviareadingco (Review) https://www.instagram.com/genoviareadingco/

Not a Bunny Blog (Review) https://notanybunny.wordpress.com/blog

@marie.sinadjan – https://www.instagram.com/marie.sinadjan/

Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com

June 8th

@amber.bunch_author (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/

B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com

Riss Reviews (Review) https://rissreviewsx.wixsite.com/website

@rissreviews_xx – https://www.instagram.com/rissreviews_xx/

@takealookatmybookshelf (Review) https://www.instagram.com/takealookatmybookshelf/

June 9th

Freelance Writer, Janny (Spotlight) https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Spotlight) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

@tabithabouldin (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin/

Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.com/

@mels_booksandhooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/mels_booksandhooks/

Rambling Mads (Review) http://ramblingmads.com

June 10th

I Love Books & Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

@books_inthecity (Review) https://www.instagram.com/books_inthecity/

@gryffindorbookishnerd (Review) https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/

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Blog Tour: Throw Me To The Wolves – Lindy Ryan & Christopher Brooks

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Southern gothic meets urban fantasy meets supernatural horror, Throw Me to the Wolves is a series debut as much about surviving the monsters within as it is conquering those without.

Ten years ago a witch murdered Britta Orchid’s family and turned her into a werewolf. Now the witch has been killed, and rookie cop Aaron Labaye has dragged Britta back to southwestern Louisiana to help him solve the murder.

The bloodthirsty ghost of her brother, a jealous member from her pack, and a former friend with a serious prejudice against wolves all stand to stop Britta as she fights to finally get the truth about that night ten years ago.

As an unseen hand sets events in motion, Britta helps Labaye dig into the murders old and new. But, as she looks harder than ever into her own dark past, Britta will confront more than just her own demons as she fights for peace for herself and for her family. She can’t hide anymore when the past comes back to haunt her, but must instead find her place in a world she’s avoided—and discover what it truly means to be a wolf.

Some evil wants to live forever.

Lindy Ryan is a bestselling and multi-award-winning author-editor-director with numerous titles in development for film/television adaptation. An award-winning professor, Lindy has published two textbooks on visual data analytics as well as numerous papers and chapters. She also writes seasonal romance as Lindy Miller and is the author of the forthcoming books-to-film Renovate My Heart and The Magic Ingredient. Lindy currently serves as a board member for the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and was named a 2020 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. She is an active member and staff volunteer for the Horror Writers Association.

Christopher Brooks juggles writing and editing with a healthy dose of manual labor around the Pacific Northwest, where he lives with his wife and children. This is his first novel.

My thoughts: this was interesting, I found the method of turning someone into a werewolf unusual, it’s usually a straightforward whoopsie daisy biting thing, but this seemed to have a slightly more complicated edge to it, and they can shift at will – no full moon needed.

I liked Britta, she was an unusual protagonist, tortured and guilt ridden by the murders of her family but angry and ready to kick ass and take names if she had to. Although she really needs to learn how to spot trouble better – neither Alec or Aaron were good people and she just couldn’t see it.

Obviously New Orleans and rural Louisiana are drenched in witchcraft and Southern Gothic vibes, so it would be interesting to see how that works in Britta’s new home in Maine, where it’s a bit more Stephen King, monsters in the night, kind of thing. Do her problems follow her north or can she leave that in the swamps and find a clearer path in the forests?

And what is she going to do about the two useless and manipulative men in her life? Alec is heading home to cause problems there and Aaron clearly needs watching. Britta has just as many complications at the end of the book as she had at the beginning. Just slightly different ones.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Readalong Round-Up: When Women Were Dragons – Kelly Barnhill

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I took part in another Tandem Collective readalong last week – this time for Kelly Barnhill’s first YA novel, When Women Were Dragons.

A rollicking feminist tale set in 1950s America where thousands of women have spontaneously transformed into dragons, exploding notions of a woman’s place in the world and expanding minds about accepting others for who they really are. • The first adult novel by the Newbery award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon

Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of.

Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and
watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.

In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve.

My thoughts: first up, I love the cover, all those lush greens and purples, the hint of scales and then that eye in the bottom left corner, hinting at hidden things and the mystery within.

Obviously being published right now when reproductive rights in the US are at risk makes a book about women – wives and mothers all, as the book says, spontaneously turning into giant fire breathing mythic beasts, breaking free of society’s confines, feels very prescient. As the law seeks to repress women yet again, an age old conflict, the idea of one of the oldest creatures in our collective folklore being within women is very intriguing. I wouldn’t mind being a dragon sometimes.

This is an incredibly moving book, I cried a few times, and very honest. Alex is a wonderful protagonist, my heart really ached for her as she loses her aunt, her mum, her home and struggles to get by, taking so much care of her sister Beatrice.

I was angry with her stupid dad and wanted a dragon to eat him – what a terrible man, so weak and cruel. Who in their right mind treats any child the way he does. He’s pathetic.

I loved librarian Mrs Gyzinska, she was amazing, what an incredible woman, total hero. Her support of Alex and Bea is so important to Alex’s survival.

Overall I thought this was a powerful, timely book about women, their strength and courage, about change and hope. I really enjoyed it once I got into the story, the use of extracts from various documents got a bit grating at times – I cared more about the characters.

I’ve posted the challenges from the readalong below – if you read the book, maybe you’d like to share your thoughts inspired by these starters.

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Blog Tour: Of Legends and Roses – Ashley W. Slaughter

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Welcome to the book tour for Of Legends and Roses by Ashley W. Slaughter. Read on for details and the chance to win a fabulous giveaway! Oh and stay tuned for the release of the second installment in the series Of Deceit and Snow which comes out this November!

Of Legends and Roses (The Crowned Chronicles #1)

Publication Date: August 31, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

A realm touched and forgotten by magic.

A young queen orphaned by disease.

A prince after her heart.

Queen Rosemary Avelia knows little about ruling a kingdom, and even less so about the ancient legends of her land. Since no one has been born Talented in centuries, she simply scoffs at the idea of magic. However, when the charming Prince Gryffin Danicio arrives just as her kingdom is under a deadly threat, he shows her that not all kingdoms of the Magian Peninsula have so quickly dismissed the legends of the Talented. Perhaps the Talented should not so easily be forgotten.

Of Legends and Roses is the first book in The Crowned Chronicles, a series following passionate and determined Queen Rosemary as she faces reign, love, the threat of war, and the mystifying world of the Talented.

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Teaser

I heard Zeke’s voice again. Point your blade downward.

With every emotion swirling through my head, I almost laughed; even in his absence, Zeke was trying to tell me what to do.

But I listened to him as I pushed up from the cobblestoned street and let the tip of my sword hang downward toward the ground. Don’t relax. I tried to feign fatigue, which really wasn’t too much of a challenge, but I kept my arms taut. Ready.

A wicked smile spread across my opponent’s face, and he strode forward, his weapon glinting in the sun, ready to strike.

Then, just before I was within his sword’s reach, I shot the tip of my blade upward, and I thrust my sword forward with every fiber of strength contained within me.

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Allibris | Indigo | Better World Books | Indiebound | ThriftBooks | Waterstones

About the Author

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Ashley W. Slaughter was born and raised in south Louisiana, among sugarcane fields lining the banks of the Mississippi River. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2018 and worked as a wildlife biologist before pursuing her career as an author. Writing has always been a passion of hers, as shown through her near-to-bursting manila folder of short stories she’d written throughout grade school, and the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed her to rediscover this passion. She enjoys hiking, kayaking, spending time with her husband and pets, and, of course, reading.

Ashley Slaughter

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Giveaway

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Who wants to win this amazing book box containing a “Happy Reading” reusable tote, a Magian Peninsula “MP” plastic tumbler, and an Of Legends and Roses button pin, along with a signed paperback?

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My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, Rose is a great protagonist, always trying to live up to her parents, but even when she falls short, she doesn’t give up. She wants to be the best Queen she can, even if that means giving up some of the things she wants.

She’s also a good big sister, caring about her younger sisters, aware they don’t remember their parents the way she does.

I liked her relationships with her servants, advisers and friends – she’s aware of the boundaries between them because of who she is but is still able to talk to them as people, not in a high handed “Queenly” way.

The plot is interesting without being overdone and story moves at a good pace, keeping me engaged and keen to read more – something not every writer can do. Fingers crossed book 2 is as good.

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Book Tour Schedule

May 16th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

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@belle.bookcorner (Review) https://www.instagram.com/belle.bookcorner/

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@gryffindorbookishnerd (Review) https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/

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May 17th

@read.with.ash (Review) https://www.instagram.com/read.with.ash/

@biblio.jojo (Review) https://www.instagram.com/biblio.jojo/

Latisha’s Low-Key Life (Review) https://latishaslowkeylife.com/

@takealookatmybookshelf (Review) https://www.instagram.com/takealookatmybookshelf/

Bunny’s Reviews (Review) https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/

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May 18th

@readwithria (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/readwithria/

@books_inthecity (Review) https://www.instagram.com/books_inthecity/

@jennlynnadams (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jennlynnadams/

@bookishly_kenia (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookishly_kenia/

@allpagesandcoffee (Review) https://www.instagram.com/allpagesandcoffee/

@bookloverleah (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookloverleah/

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Review) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

@bhaneereads_ (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bhaneereads_/

May 19th

@dany.alvy (Review) https://www.instagram.com/dany.alvy/

@amber.bunch_author (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/

@atrailofpages (Review) https://www.instagram.com/atrailofpages/

@ofmoviesandbooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ofmoviesandbooks/

@jadeisreading (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jadeisreading/

@genoviareadingco (Review) https://www.instagram.com/genoviareadingco/

@what.kerry.reads (Review) https://www.instagram.com/what.kerry.reads/

Not a Bunny Blog (Review) https://notanybunny.wordpress.com/blog

@bookbriefs (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookbriefs/

Book Briefs – https://bookbriefs.net/

@NerdyFoxReads (Review) https://www.instagram.com/nerdyfoxreads/

Breakeven Books (Spotlight) https://breakevenbooks.com

Sophril Reads (Spotlight) http://sophrilreads.wordpress.com

May 20th

@happily_undignified (Review) https://www.instagram.com/happily_undignified/

@jacleomik33 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jacleomik33/

@balancing_books_and_beauties (Review) https://www.instagram.com/balancing_books_and_beauties/

Balancing Books and Beauty – https://balancingbooksandbeauties.wordpress.com/

Misty’s Book Space (Review) http://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com

Rambling Mads (Review) http://ramblingmads.com

@tabithabouldin (Review) https://www.instagram.com/tabithabouldin/

@junk.journal.librarian (Review) https://www.instagram.com/junk.journal.librarian/

Book Tour Organized By:

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*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.