Steadfast by Claudia Gray Blog Tour and Giveaway: Steadfast Soundtrack

STEADFAST

Author: Claudia Gray

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Pages: 352

Publisher: HarperTeen

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

The second book in the dazzling Spellcaster series from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray is perfect for fans of the Beautiful Creatures and Hex Hall series.

Nadia, Mateo, and Verlaine saved Captive's Sound from the dark sorceress Elizabeth . . . or so they thought. But despite their best efforts, a crack opened and a new, greater evil seeped through. With Mateo as her Steadfast, Nadia's magic is magnified but her training is still incomplete. And a darker magic has begun to call Nadia. . . .

With her Steadfast, Mateo, and her best friend, Verlaine, Nadia must fight the black magic that tempts her and stop the One Beneath before he comes to claim what is his.

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STEADFAST Soundtrack

I love putting together soundtracks for my movies. Usually, when I write a series, I carry over a few songs throughout the soundtracks for each book – the big themes, you’d say. (Also, some instrumental music from movie scores always plays a part; it really helps set a mood. That said, the movie scores I’ve written the SPELLCASTER series to were for Danny Elfman’s score for “Alice in Wonderland” and … Daft Punk’s score for “Tron: Legacy.” No, I can’t explain that last one.)

Even with continuing music through all the series soundtracks, I always find some unique songs for each book. Here’s what I listened to while writing STEADFAST:

“White Diamonds,” by Friendly Fires

This is one that makes me think of Verlaine and spoiler spoiler I can’t tell you! during their last scene together in STEADFAST, which takes place during the first snow of wintertime in Captive’s Sound.

Stuck in a world that would pull them apart, and it cost in time

If only they knew that ahead loomed a cloud that was black as night

She'd do anything for him

She'd do anything for him

Oh they were strong, they could take on the world and put up a fight

And even the clouds couldn't stand in the way when they held on tight

He'd do anything for her

He'd do anything for her

“Velvet,” by The Big Pink

Mateo, the main male character in the story, is cursed with visions of the future. While they allow him to foresee some of the dangers they face – and are the reason he found Nadia in the first place – they also exact a painful price.  He and Nadia have some conflict in this book, which makes these lyrics ring very true for him.

She's the only one, lost the best I had


I found her in a dream, looking for me


This heart's on fire, I'll bring myself


Up to fall, and down again

“Red Right Hand,” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Of course this is a classic! But when your villain has actually been seduced by the Lord of Hell, only a song as great as this will do.

He'll wrap you in his arms,

tell you that you've been a good boy

He'll rekindle all the dreams

it took you a lifetime to destroy

He'll reach deep into the hole,

heal your shrinking soul

Hey buddy, you know you're

never ever coming back

He's a god, he's a man,

he's a ghost, he's a guru

They're whispering his name

through this disappearing land

But hidden in his coat

is a red right hand

“Fire From Heaven,” by Sleepthief and Roberta Carter Harrison

A friend of mine, after hearing this song, said it sounded more like Katniss Everdeen than Nadia Caldani … and since then I can’t unhear it. Still, I think this song works for any heroine who’s realized the deck is stacked against her, and plans to strike back.

Somebody's stolen fire from heaven

Maybe the skies have been broken

Somebody's taken fire from heaven

How could we be so forsaken?

“Through Glass,” by Stone Sour

The lyrics of this song refer to romantic disillusionment, I think. For me, though, they come from the demon Asa, who spends a lot of STEADFAST watching our heroes, and learning all their weaknesses, one by one. 

'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass

Don't know how much time has passed

All I know is that it feels like forever

But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home

Sitting all alone inside your head

“Many Shades of Black,” the Raconteurs

Yet again I repurpose a breakup song. As you might remember from SPELLCASTER, Mateo believed he’d had a long friendship with Elizabeth Pike – which turned out to be an illusion she’d planted inside his head. Mateo’s figured out the truth now, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgiven Elizabeth.

Yeah, see if I care


And see if I stand firm or if I fall


'Cause in the back of my mind


And on the tip of my tongue


Is the answer to it all

And everybody sees


And everyone agrees


That you and I are wrong


And it's been that way too long

“Break My Soul,” by Hybrid

Verlaine is probably the single most outcast person in Captive’s Sound. All her life, she’s tried to tell herself that it’s the people around her that have the problem – that someday she’ll find friendship and love. Then, in SPELLCASTER, Verlaine learned that dark magic was responsible for setting her apart from people, maybe forever. This song captures both the loneliness she feels and her determination to keep going.

I'm not drowning in your sea

Believing in you will not be the death of me

Not waiting for the curtain drop

Or waiting for the hurt to stop

Not drowning in a teardrop for your love

“Help I’m Alive,” by Metric

Sure, there’s romance in STEADFAST – but the characters deal with a lot of deeply scary stuff. This song captures the constant tension of living in Captive’s Sound when you actually know what’s going on.

I tremble, they're gonna eat me alive

If I stumble they're gonna eat me alive

Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?

Beating like a hammer

“Harbor,” by Vienna Teng

Despite everything they go through, Nadia and Mateo’s love remains powerful. So they deserve a beautiful love song.

Fear is the brightest of signs

The shape of boundary you leave behind

So sing all your questions to sleep

The answers are out there in the drowning deep

Sail your sea, meet your storm

All I want is to be your harbor

The light in me will guide you home

All I want is to be your harbor

You’ve got a journey to make

There’s your horizon to chase

So go far beyond where we stand

No matter the distance, I’m holding your hand

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Tour Schedule

Week One:

2/24/2014- Fiktshun- Guest Post   

 2/25/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post          

2/26/2014- Fantasy Book Addict- Interview

2/27/2014- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads- Character interview with Verlaine

2/28/2014- Jenna Does Books- Author interview

Week Two:

3/3/2014- Mundie Moms- Review and an excerpt

3/4/2014- Parajunkee- Interview

3/5/2014- Bookalicious- Guest Post         

3/6/2014- Tales of a Ravenous Reader- Guest Post

3/7/2014- YA Sisterhood- Guest Post     

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Giveaway

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Death Sworn Blog Tour Review: Review and Giveaway

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Available Now

Published by Harper Teen

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Unique setting, yummy alpha male, but slow paced at times

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

It seems that High Fantasy is the new big thing in ya literature lately, so, like many other readers, I have jumped on the bandwagon.  I will admit, I’m not usually a huge fan of high fantasy, but there are some worlds that really catch my eye.  Leah’s world (at least the part of it we see) is unique and suspenseful, and while it lacked in the romance (cries), it was still a fun and quick read.

I liked that the story dives right in from the first sentence, no dull and drawn out world building.  Now many of you might complain about this, but so many high fantasies just seem to drone on and on and on about the world and the setting.  Leah doesn’t waste her time with this and jumps right in to the good stuff.  Now, at the same time, I do wish we could have seen a little more of the world.  The entire book takes place inside a mountain.  It’s dank, dark, and deliciously scary—but at the same time, I wanted to see a little bit more.

Ileni is our main character, and while she didn’t bug me, she didn’t really wow me either.  I liked her confidence and her determination to not let the all the assassin students get the best of her.  She stands her ground and even though her magic is fading, she manages to hold her own.   Then we have Soren, supposedly the best of the assassins.  He comes off as ill-tempered, but there is just something sexy about his alpha tendencies.  If only there was more romance!!!  This is my major complaint with ALL high fantasies—romance takes a back seat.  Romance is my absolute favorite part of ya, so I seem to have a difficult time with the lack thereof.

Most of the book is written in 3^rd person limited, where we just see Ileni’s pov.  However, we get brief glimpses into the “Master.”  Let’s just say, those brief glimpses will make you want to rear back and knee him straight in his magic place.  He’s just so cruel, and he makes it a point that everyone in the cave sees him as the ultimate power.  As far as villains go, he’s pretty good.

Overall, this is an interesting read, although lacking in a few key places.  Still, if you are a high fantasy fan, you should definitely check it out.

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Tour Schedule and Buy Links:

Week One:

2/24/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Original Content

2/25/2014- Mundie Moms-Original Content

2/26/2014- Bookish- Original content

2/27/2014- Fiktshun- Original Content

2/28/2014- Magical Urban Fantasy Reads-Review or Original Content

Week Two:

3/3/2014- Supernatural Snark- Original content

3/4/2014- Page Turners - Original Content

3/5/2014- Tales of a Ravenous Reader- Original content

3/6/2014- YA Sisterhood- Review

3/7/2014- A Backwards Story- Original content      

DEATH SWORN

Author: Leah Cypess

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Pages: 352

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Goodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble

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Shadowplay Blog Tour: Guest Post, A Brief History of Ellada and its Colonies

Today we have the pleasure of hosting the Shadowplay Blog Tour! 


A Brief History of Ellada and its Colonies

By Professor Caed Cedar, Royal Snakewood University

(Author’s note: Professor Caed Cedar was a renowned historian of Ellada and its Colonies. Extracts of his many works appear occasionally in the quotes at the beginning of each chapter of the books)

Ellada was not always the great empire of the Archipelago. It used to be weak, lacking little in natural resources. Then, they discovered vast caches of Vestige in caves and caverns peppered through the land. Vestige, or these remnants of technology or magic from the long-vanished Alder, were thought to be mythical. Ellada used this Vestige to rise and lead the other countries of the Archipelago, who, though they had more natural resources, had far less Vestige.

It was never a bloody battle, yet the power clearly fell in Ellada’s favour. The colonies imported to Ellada at a highly reduced cost, but otherwise, they were more or less left in peace because Ellada did not believe in needlessly challenging the status quo. The colonies would try to break free occasionally, but always Ellada found a way to soothe them, convince them that it was better to be united under the Commonwealth. Immigration was discouraged – on both sides. There were few military bases. Rather, Ellada dangled the power above the other colonies’ heads. We were the glory of the Archipelago, and life for Elladans flourished.

Yet Vestige is not infinitely powerful. Over the decades, the centuries, their power has begun to run out. And though Ellada still has a sizeable amount of Vestige, it dwindles every year. When a glass globe extinguishes, it cannot be rekindled. When a gun runs out of power, it is no more than a hunk of metal. Slowly, but surely, our empire is weakening – the colonies have drawn back from Ellada and claimed independence, and we could not stop them seceding. It would be a bloody battle. Perhaps we are no longer meant to be an empire. But we are not weak; we simply must change, must adapt, or we shall crumble.

The circus lies behind Micah Grey in dust and ashes.

He and the white clown, Drystan, take refuge with the once-great magician, Jasper Maske. When Maske agrees to teach them his trade, his embittered rival challenges them to a duel which could decide all of their fates. People also hunt both Micah and the person he was before the circus—the runaway daughter of a noble family. And Micah discovers there is magic and power in the world, far beyond the card tricks and illusions he's perfecting...

A tale of phantom wings, a clockwork hand, and the delicate unfurling of new love, Shadowplay continues Micah Grey’s extraordinary journey

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_play

http://pages.citenet.net/users/ctmw2400/investigations.html

Website: http://www.lauralam.co.uk

Pantomime page (including ordering links): http://staticsplit.wordpress.com/pantomime/

Shadowplay page (including ordering links): http://staticsplit.wordpress.com/micah-grey-2-shadowplay/

Twitter: @LR_Lam

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauralamauthor

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/micahgrey/

Tumblr: http://lauraroselam.tumblr.com/

Blog Tour Guest Post: Blythewood by Carol Goodman

 

At seventeen, Ava Hall is already orphaned and working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory when her life is turned upside down by the horrific fire that kills her best friend and leaves her questioning her sanity.  After a summer locked away in a mental institution, Ava is sent to Blythewood, the boarding school where Ava's mother spent the happiest years of her life.  But Blythewood is no ordinary finishing school for young ladies:  it's a training ground for magical warriors who form the mortal world's only line of defense against the evil world of Faerie.  

As Ava develops her own powers, she seeks to solve the many mysteries in her life:  Who was the handsome young man who helped save her from the fire-- and why does she remember him having wings?  Why did her mother commit suicide?  Who is the sinister stranger who's been following her from the city, and what's his connection with the deaths and disappearances that are plaguing Blythewood?  When evil broadens its scope beyond the Blythewood campus to impact world events, Ava must decide whom to align herself with, and figure out how to stop the dark forces, even if that means going against everything she’s been taught.

Set in New York's Hudson Valley in the early 1900s, the gothic Blythewood Trilogy vividly portrays a world-- both real and imagined--on the brink of change, and one girl's quest for the truth about her world, her school, and herself. 

 

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Carol on Blythewood:

 

One of my favorite things about writing BLYTHEWOOD was writing an all-girls school.  I went to Vassar which is one of the Seven Sisters, which are the Colleges that were the female counterparts to a lot of the elite colleges from the days when schools like Harvard or Yale would not allow women.  So, the idea of an all-female institution has been floating around my head for a while.  There are a few all-girls high schools and colleges still around (Smith and Mount Holyoke both only accept women and Miss Porter’s is probably the most famous all-girls high school still around) but I feel like they in many ways are emblematic of an era that ended in the early 20^th century.  What’s so special about Blythewood being a girls school is that women are in charge of everything and can’t be sidelined like they very much were in the world at that time.  Blythewood is a school run by women for training girls into guardians of the magical world.   Having Blythewood by a girls school also allows me to develop the girls’ dynamics with each other better.  My three main girls, Ava, Helen, and Daisy, all have romantic entanglements but those relationships are not the same as the friendship they have with each other, and those friendships are really the focus of BLYTHEWOOD.

 

 

About Carol Goodman:

Bestselling author Carol Goodman’s books have been nominated for the IMPAC award twice, the Simon & Schuster/Mary Higgins Clark award, and the Nero Wolfe Award. Her second novel, The Seduction of Water, won the Hammett Prize in 2003. Visit her at carolgoodman.com. 

Blog Tour: Breakable by Aimee L. Salter- Five Favorite Quotes

Today the YA Sisterhood is excited to host a stop on the blog tour for Aimee L. Salter's Breakable. This was one of those books that gripped hold of my heart, and stayed with me until long after I'd put it down. As a former high school teacher, I thought this book was so authentic and realistic. The voice was excellent, the plot in turns was unpredictable and heart-breaking. 

I recommend it for fans of John Green, Jandy Nelson, and Lauren Oliver. All in all, I can only say that this is one of my favorite books I've EVER read. The best compliment I can give it to say is that this book is going on my Harry Potter shelf. 

Here's the book blurb: 

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

When seventeen-year-old Stacy looks in the mirror she can see and talk to her future self. “Older Me” has been Stacy's secret support through the ongoing battle with their neurotic mother, relentless bullying at school, and dealing with her hopeless love for her best friend, Mark.
Then Stacy discovers Older Me is a liar.
Still reeling from that betrayal, Stacy is targeted again by her most persistent tormentor. Only this time, he's used her own artwork to humiliate her - and threaten her last chance with Mark.
She’s reached breaking point.
Literally.
"Original. Authentic. Heart-breaking. BREAKABLE has officially become one of my favorites!" -New York Times Bestselling Author of Losing It, Cora Carmack

What a cool cover, too! It fits so perfectly with the book, which is predominantly about art and self-image. 

The author was kind enough to stop by today, and give us a sneak peek at the book with look at her favorite quotes! This book was one of those where I could have easily highlight a favorite line on every page, so I was super excited to get to see Aimee's favorite.

Here they are!

Five Favorite BREAKABLE Quotes

As a novelist, every book is a story from the heart. There’s a connection with every word you write. But when Brittany asked me to offer up my favorite quotes from Breakable, I couldn’t pass up the chance.

See, even though I love the whole story, there are definitely moments – moments that make me laugh, or make me feel – where I have to stop and savor when I’m reading back through the manuscript.

I hope you’ll read the book and enjoy these moments as much as I do!

FAVORITE QUOTE #5: Stacy’s mother is, unfortunately, one of the people in Stacy’s life who contribute to her eroding sense of self-worth. I love this moment, because in it, Stacy shows her dry-side as an internal self-defense:

I met Older Me’s gaze, trying not to be obvious about my questions, while Mom prattled on about how to walk into a room like you owned it. Strange, I’d always thought she was born walking around as if her farts were gold-plated. I hadn’t realized she’d cultivated the talent.

FAVORITE QUOTE #4: Stacy is an artist, struggling for inspiration for a major competition. There’s a moment when she considers painting the people who make life hardest for her. I always enjoyed that passage because it felt like she took her pain and turned it into something productive:

I flipped back to the image of Finn and imagined turning the idea into a painting – using a spatula for hard lines to depict the sharpness of his features, heavy thick paint for his rhinoceros skin, fat brush strokes for his eyebrows, like caterpillars over his eyes, his long mouth a venomous slash of red and purple.

For Karyn I’d use glossy pastels – waxy crayons that shone on the paper. They’d do justice to her hair. I could layer red and white and beige and cream to make her cheeks blush. Then, when everything was done, use a tool to scrape her eyes out of the heavy wax so they cut through the viewer like they did through me. Her dimples would be hard to get right. I’d need to cut them into the acrylic, like her eyes. Holes in a poisonous blanket.

As her face came to life in my mind, I sniggered and pulled out the crayons to give it a shot. My hand moved quickly, inspired. A snapshot of possibilities sprang up on the paper in minutes – a shiny, waxy, plastic face that hid the darkness beneath.

I’d run a candle flame along the edge of her paper so it burned unevenly. The sooty remains would leave a dark stain on anyone who touched it.

My imagination ran away with me…

FAVORITE QUOTE #3: In this scene, Stacy’s adult self (called “Older Me”) offers her some insight. I don’t usually go in for “moral of the story” stuff, but this was a lesson I learned that it seemed like Stacy needed to learn too. And Older Me was just the person to teach it to her…

Older Me kept talking. “You think the way these people treat you is the end of the world. But I can tell you, it isn’t what happens to you in your life that destroys you. It’s what you do about it.”

“Are you trying to say it’s my fault everyone–?”

“No. I’m saying that you’ve had crap thrown at you. You can either clean yourself up and keep going and prove everyone wrong -- show them you didn’t deserve to get it in the first place. Or you can roll around in it and think you deserve it, and start acting like you do.”

Oh. “Is that what you did?”

She nodded. “Crappy things happened to me and I gave up. And believe me, when you give up, the crap just piles on thicker until pretty soon you don’t even realize it’s crap anymore.” She inched closer to me, her eyes piercing mine. “Stacy, if I had the chance to go back and live it again – to be in your shoes – I’d do it in a heartbeat. Because you’re going to walk away from this and figure out it wasn’t your fault.

“One day you’ll look back and realize that everyone you grew up with didn’t get it right. They didn’t actually know you. They didn’t really hear you. They were just so messed up, they threw all their own crap on you.

“But the thing is, if you can understand that it’s their problem, you’ll brush it all off and walk away clean. While they’ll still be looking for someone to dump on. You’ll win. It’ll be worth it.”

I couldn’t look away from her. “I don’t know…” Her words seemed so right. But I didn’t want to believe them because it meant I had to fight. And I was so tired of fighting.

FAVORITE QUOTE #2: There’s one line that always make me giggle. Something Stacy thinks to herself during her session with the Psychiatrist:

Doc raises his hands. “We’ll move on in a moment. But let me ask you one more question: If you walked out of here today and someone you admired – say, someone like Mark – were to ask you to get involved in a secret relationship now. Would you do it?”

Totally. But I say, “No.”  I’d have hair implants and call myself a cat if it meant Mark would stroke me one more time.

FAVORITE QUOTE #1: My very favorite quote in the book, though it covers an incredibly painful moment in the story, is Stacy’s analysis of her physical ordeal. I can’t tell you how she got to this point, or what happens afterwards, without ruining the story. But for me (and for Stacy) this moment always stands alone, crystallized:

There’s a special kind of pain reserved for dancing with shattered glass. It comes in stages:

The initial assault is fear; you see the glass coming and you know it’s going to hurt.

Then there’s the moment everything explodes and the glass tears at your skin, catching, peeling, shaving you away and you think, I might die.

Then the pieces fall and break into new pieces. You’re heading to the floor too, but they beat you there and all the tattered parts of you land on all the splintered parts of it. They are needles in open wounds. Knives on raw flesh.

And then the fire arrives – hot, burning flames that lick the wounds. And every time you move, the tiny pieces that stuck with you cut a little deeper and the flames roar higher.

In short, it sucks.

If only it ended there.

So there you have it! Thanks for taking a peek inside Breakable. If you decide to read the whole book, I’d love to hear from you at www.aimeelsalter.com or on Twitter (@AimeeLSalter) with your favorite quote!

This is one book that you guys don't want to miss! Everyone that I've pushed this book on has come back calling it one of their favorites. So pick up your copy (Available now from Amazon and Barnes and Noble), and prepare for THE FEELS.

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner

Shadowlark by Meagan Spooner

eARC received from Carolrhoda Lab via Netgalley

Available Now

Reviewed by:  Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Fantastic, Fun, and Full of Adventure

Ever since she escaped the city within the Wall, Lark Ainsley's wanted one thing: to find her brother Basil. She's always believed he would be the one to put an end to the constant fear and flight. And now, hidden underground in the chaotically magical city of Lethe, Lark feels closer to him than ever.

But Lethe is a city cowering in fear of its founder, the mysterious Prometheus, and of his private police force. To get the truth about what happened to Basil, Lark has no choice but to face Prometheus.

Facing her fears has become second nature to Lark. Facing the truth is another matter.

Lark never asked to be anyone's savior. She certainly never wanted to be anyone's weapon. She might not have a choice.

I really do love this series. Even though I have read so many paranormal dystopian novels, this one feels completely different from anything that I have read before.  There is just something completely magical about it that sucks me straight into the world. 

This one starts just a little bit after Skylark leaves off, and Lark is out searching for Basil.  Megan didn’t leave any time to waste, as the action begins straight off for Lark and Tansy.  Even though it’s the creepiest part, I am fascinated by the “shadow people.”  I’m still a bit lost about how the lack of magic turns them into empty cannibals, but it still fascinates me, especially when they seem so normal at times.  Anyone could be a “shadow person,” and that intrigue really drives the tension in the story.

I did have a bit of a hard time remembering everything that happened at the end of the last book, so I do wish that Megan had put in a few more reminders to clear my memory.  I couldn’t remember exactly why Lark left without anyone’s help, and I had somehow forgotten that she wasn’t a renewable.  She’s a drainer, of sort, and the institute is responsible for her ability to drain the magic out of other living beings.  It took me a few chapters in before I realized this again, so I think a few reminders would have helped me get into the book faster.

One of the things I was worried about before starting was whether or not Oren was going to come back.  I figured he would, but I didn’t want to have to wait more than half the book for him to show up like you do in so many other novels.  Megan didn’t disappoint as Oren makes an appearance in the first few chapters!!! YAY!!!!  And he’s just as wild and mysterious as ever—gotta love him for that.  Oren doesn’t speak much, but there is still something about him that just steals my heart.  I think it’s his leap first, look later attitude when it comes to protecting Lark.  That instinct is just so heartwarming for me!

Be ready for some great new discoveries in this book in the city of Lethe.  I was completely drawn in to this underground city, and I was fascinated with the society that had been built.  Sinister and secretive, the city gives more questions than answers. 

Overall, this is a great second novel.  It is slow at times, but I actually enjoyed the pace.  It was rhythmic, and just seemed to work well with the plot.  Now, I just have to sit around and wait for Book 3—come quick, please!!!

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And, of course...you need the password, right?

YA Sisterhood Blog Tour Password:  Renewable

 

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Giveaway Time!!!!! 

 US/Canada residents can win a signed copy of Skylark AND Shadowlark.

International residents can win (unsigned) copies of Skylark AND Shadowlark sent via Book Depository.

The winner will also win either a query critique (if an aspiring author) OR a pre-order copy of These Broken Stars (her new series co-written with Amie Kaufman). 

 

 

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Blog Tour Review and Guest Post: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

I'm so excited to be hosting the Blog Tour today for April Genevieve Tucholke's gothic romance, BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA!!!  I got a copy of this from PenguinTeen and read it right away, and I have been spreading the word ever since!!  Check out this gorgeous cover, and be sure to read the quick guest post about April's main character below.  Then you'll find my glowing review!!!

 

 

From April:

 

My main character Violet is a lonely, ex-wealthy, small town girl who misses her dead grandmother, Freddie. Violet prays to Freddie instead of God. She lives in a crumbling mansion by the sea and wears Freddie’s old, vintage clothes and tries not to spend too much time wondering where her heedless artist parents got themselves off to.

 

Violet is what I would call a Bookworm Heroine. She’s doesn’t have magical fighting skills or know how to use a sword. She’s not a secret assassin and she doesn’t have a temper or a cabinet of lethal poisons. She’s not badass. She reads books and thinks a lot and dreams a lot and still manages to save the day, so to speak, in the end.

 

Violet might be based on me. A bit. But then, so is River. And Jack. And Neely. I think I’ve been shades of all these characters, at different points in my life. They all contain a part of me.

 

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

ARC received from Penguin Teen

Release Date:  8-15-2013

Reviewed by Middle Sis Jenn

The Sisters Say:  Enchanting, Grotesque, and Utterly Beautiful

You stop fearing the Devil when you're holding his hand...

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White's sleepy, seaside town...until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet's crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet's grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery...who makes you want to kiss back. Violet's already so knee-deep in love, she can't see straight. And that's just how River likes it.

A gothic thriller romance with shades of Stephen King and F. Scott Fitzgerald, set against a creepy summertime backdrop--a must-read for fans of Beautiful Creatures, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and Anna Dressed in Blood.

Have you ever been completely swept away by the magic of a book?  I mean, the kind of swept away that leaves you breathless and aching and dying for more?  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was that book for me.  Reading it was like hearing a noise in the dead of the night and getting up to check it out.  It’s the fear that lingers after looking into the deepest recesses of the dark and finding nothing, but just knowing, something is there.  Lurking.  Biding its time.  April Genevieve Tucholke’s world is both monstrous and beautiful, with whispers in the dark and monsters in the shadows and stolen kisses in the night.  I’ve never read anything like it. Her world has unequivocally and irrevocably placed a shadow on mine, and I can only dream about finding myself, once more, caught between her Devil and the raging sea.

From page 1, I felt completely and utterly immersed in April’s world, and for the hours it took me to read it, I wanted to be nowhere else.  Even after I was done, I wanted to plunge head first back into the tumultuous world of secrets and devils.  I could smell the sea salt lingering in the humid air, feel the cool breeze wafting in from the cliffs, and feel the thumping in my heart that accompanies unbridled fear.  I loved the picturesque town that April built—it was enchanting and dangerous—like the imaginations of Bram Stoker and Emily Bronte and William Faulkner merged together to create a quietly deceptive town with its own brand of madness.  I could picture every part of it, from the decaying mansion on the edge of the sea, down to the crunch of the rocks on the paths into town.  Wild and treacherous and full of darkness, the town of Echo is truly a masterpiece of all things that go bump in the night.

I absolutely adored Violet, our main character.  She was off-kilter and perceptive, and I loved how she could sit outside in the sun and read Hawthorne and quote poems and see right into someone’s soul.  I felt her turmoil and her desires, and I loved watching her struggle with her own sense of right and wrong.  I loved watching her come to her own conclusions about River, and more than that, I loved how she pushed aside truths for her gut instincts.  I felt each emotion as it poured out of her.  I loved her strange sense of fashion (wearing her dead grandmother’s younger clothes), and how she didn’t care about what anyone else thought.  She was strong and confident, but allowed herself to be scared when she really needed to be scared.  I loved everything about her—she is definitely a heroine that I will long remember.

And then there’s River West.  His name just rolls of the tongue with spice, but you know he’s one of those spices that will leave your mouth burning for hours.  He’s hot and cold, up and down, and the secret that he holds is definitely a doozy.  But with a name like River and a smile that could light up the night sky, who cares about deadly and terrifying secrets?  I loved River because he is one of those perfect gothic men that walk a fine line between good and evil, but when it comes straight down to it, you just don’t know which side he favors.  He reminded me of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights because he could be the cruelest of cruel with a smile on his face, the Devil in sheep’s clothing.  Yet, there is something about him that makes you want to wrap your arms around him and never let him go.  He’s the bad guy that you can’t help but fall in love with, he’s the troubled guy that can’t be fixed, he’s the guy your mother warned you about.  He’s the Devil that holds your hands and kisses your cheeks and makes you want everything and nothing and then everything again.  He’s Trouble, and don’t you just love it?

I also loved April’s minor characters—Jack, Sunshine, and Neely.  They each had a personality all their own, and they brought life to the story.  They all fit perfectly into this gothic tale of love and horror, and none of them will escape unscathed.  Watching their horrors and triumphs and losses was heart-breaking and amazing.

It’s been a while since a book was able to worm its way into my heart of hearts and put up for a permanent residence, but this book has done it.  It’s the perfect mix of horror and romance, and I just couldn’t get enough of River and Violet.  April’s writing was gorgeous in every aspect, and she brought the small town of Echo to both life and death.  T.S. Eliot wrote, “Between the idea and the reality Between the motion and the act Falls the shadow.”  I can’t help but think this describes April’s world perfectly—a place that exists between now and then, between love and hate, between life and death.  A place that exists in the shadows, in the dark and with the Devil.

Favorite Quotes:

“There’s truths and then there’s truths, Violet.  And some damn truths shouldn’t be spoken out loud, or the Devil will hear, and then he’ll come for you. Amen.” PG 4

"People said time was relative, and I guess that explained why my life before River felt line a handful of seconds--brief flashes of small events that added up to very little. But my life after River was a three-volume saga. Epic. With quests and villains and murderers and unsatisfactory resolutions and people being torn apart." Pg 364

"River leaned over me, wrapped his fingers around my neck, and pulled my ear to his lips. "I'll make you dinner when I get back, and afterward, I'll be answering questions,' he whispered." Pg 132

 

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