Spotlight Tour: "Furyborn" by Claire Legrand

 Praise for Furyborn

“A page-turner. Readers will find the complex and flawed characters immensely relatable. The two narratives are deftly interwoven, and plot twists will keep teens on the edge of their seats.”                                      

 —School Library Journal, popular pick

“A dark yet rousing adventure story that combines passion and danger at every turn.”

—Booklist

“High stakes, epic scope, intense action, and sweeping mythologies.”

—Kirkus

“Strikingly vivid prose… the nearly five hundred pages race by in stunning fashion. This is a must-have for fans of Marchetta’s Lumatere Chronicles (Finnikin of the Rock, or Cashore’s Graceling.”

—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, STARRED Review

“Beautiful, brutal, heart-stopping, and epic, Furyborn is a world to lose yourself in—just bring weapons. It’s dangerous there.”

—Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone saga

“Legrand has created magic on every page. Flawed, smart, and fierce heroines kept me dazzled and breathless. Furybornis explosive and stunning.”

—Mary E. Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of The Remnant Chronicles and The Jenna Fox Chronicles

 Book Info:

Title: Furyborn

Author: Claire Legrand

ISBN: 9781492656623, Hardcover

Release Date: May 22^nd, 2018

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Summary:

The stunningly original, must-read fantasy of 2018 follows two fiercely independent young women, centuries apart, who hold the power to save their world...or doom it.

When assassins ambush her best friend, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing herself as one of a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light, and a queen of blood. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven elemental magic trials. If she fails, she will be executed…unless the trials kill her first.

One thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a fairy tale to Eliana Ferracora. A bounty hunter for the Undying Empire, Eliana believes herself untouchable—until her mother vanishes. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain and discovers that the evil at the empire’s heart is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world—and of each other.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Furyborn-Empirium-Trilogy-Claire-Legrand/dp/1492656623/?tag=sbnews-20

Barnes&Noble: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8520536/type/dlg/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/furyborn-claire-legrand/1127017275?ean=9781492656623

BooksAMillion: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Furyborn/Claire-Legrand/9781492656623?id=6538300475571

!ndigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/furyborn/9781492656623-item.html?ikwid=furyborn&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0

Indiebound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781492656623

About the Author:

Claire Legrand is the author of several novels for children and young adults, most notably The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, Some Kind of Happiness, and Winterspell. Claire lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Visit claire-legrand.com.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.claire-legrand.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clairelegrand

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairelegrand/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clairelegrandwriter

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sale Blitz! "Roar" by Cora Carmack!!!

   

From New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack comes her debut young adult fantasy, ROAR, now available in eBook for $2.99 today only! ROAR takes readers on an adventure filled with charismatic characters in an enthralling world sure to keep them turning the pages. Grab your copy today!

 

About ROAR (Stormheart #1):

New York Times bestselling author Cora Carmack's young adult debut: Roar.

In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.

Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora's been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.

To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.

Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage. She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.

Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.

   

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Add to your Goodreads

   

   

About Cora Carmack: Cora Carmack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Since she was a teenager, her favorite genre to read has been fantasy, and now she’s thrilled to bring her usual compelling characters and swoon-worthy romance into worlds of magic and intrigue with her debut YA fantasy, Roar. Her previous adult romance titles include the Losing It, Rusk University, and Muse series. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages around the world. Cora splits her time between Austin, TX and New York City, and on any given day you might find her typing away at her computer, flying to various cities around the world, or just watching Netflix with her kitty Katniss. But she can always be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and her website www.coracarmack.com.      

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Review: "Sea of Shadows" by Kelley Armstrong

In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

What a thrill this was!  "Sea of Shadows" totally exceeded my expectations.  I'm not sure why, but I was anticipating something more middle-grade, but this definitely wasn't.  Lots of gore and non-stop action in a world that Armstrong creates meticulously.  I could clearly picture each character and every action taken as I raced through this book.

With an alternating point of view, we get to know Ashyn and Moria equally well, and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favourite of the two.  Ashyn is more shy than Moria, and she really doesn't have much in the way of self confidence, which is too bad because she's just as brave as her twin and extremely caring and loyal.  Moria is more outgoing.  She's also impulsive and brash, but this just makes her more endearing.

There was a bit of romance, but it was absolutely not the focus.  If Armstrong's intention was to make me fall for the "love interests", well, she did a fantastic job.  Once again, I'd have a hard time choosing between the two, but I think Ronan wins by a nose.  I just loved his wit!  Gavril was a lot more serious and stalwart.

The girls end up getting separated by circumstance and enduring different dangers as they travel across their kingdom to seek help.  We learn a lot about their myths, and it turns out that some of these myths are based firmly in reality, contributing to the danger and action.  

All in all, I would highly recommend "Sea of Shadows" to anyone looking for their next YA fantasy!

My rating:

Review: "Don't Even Think About It" by Sarah Mlynowski

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper. Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same. So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

I kind of want to call this book cute, but that would make it sound pretty juvenile, which it wasn't.  Although the premise was rather fantastical - kids from one homeroom developing ESP as a result of a tainted flu vaccine - the characters themselves seemed authentic and realistic.  I know I am far from my teen years, but I could still relate.

Each character is unique, and we get to know some of them more than others, but given that there are 22 of them, this is probably a good thing.  We've got the power couple, the brainiac, the shy girl, and the guy whose thoughts are overly preoccupied with sex.  There's a jock, the twins, and a couple others thrown in for good measure.  But since the story is told from a collective POV, it is difficult to connect deeply to any of the characters, and this is one area I felt could have been improved.  Still, overall a good read, fun and light.

My rating: 

  

Review: "Defy" by Sara B. Larson

A lush and gorgeously written debut, packed with action, intrigue, and a thrilling love triangle. Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory. The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an ARC of this book.

My apologies in advance if this review seems a little disjointed, but I feel the need to write down the notes I took while reading "Defy".

At 25% I wrote: "So, I kind of like this book, but I have some questions.  I'm 25% in, and I don't know what the "war" is about!  Why are there these breeding houses?  And where are all the adults?  Were they all killed like Alexa and Marcel's parents?  And why is this book set in the JUNGLE?!  I assumed it was in a land like Merry Olde England, because that's the kind of land where you wear vests and boots and live in castles.  If you say "jungle", I think India with silk saari's and turbans and the Taj Mahal.  Servants cooling their masters by fanning them with palm fronds and feeding them grapes.  Actually, after this little mini-rant, maybe I don't like this book!"

Later on, I wrote this note about the breeding houses:  "Were they just thrown in for shock value?  I think the idea was that men - the king's guards?  All the men in the kingdom?  Author doesn't really specify - would rape and impregnate all the young women in order to provide a new generation of soldiers.  Like, how long is this war supposed to last?  Fifteen or twenty years?  The king would be dead by then!  The whole idea just doesn't make any sense!"

And at the end: "Just finished, and this book was just okay.  Boring and predictable.  The love triangle was just lame.  I'm not sure what all the hype was about, especially if you compare this to other YA fantasies out there.  My advice - skip this and read "Falling Kingdoms" or "Finnikin of the Rock" instead."  

My rating: