Review: The Queen's Choice by Cayla Kluver

Title: The Queen's Choice (Heirs of Chrior #1)
Author: Cayla Kluver
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Acquired Via: NetGalley
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the Road to reach home again.

When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is equalled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself.

Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever could have imagined.

My Review

I loved the concept of the world in The Queen's Choice. The human world and the faerie world are divided by a “bloody road” that apparently only the fae may cross. The division between the world and the prejudices against the humans and faes was also very interesting. Some of the characteristics of the fae seemed very arbitrary (like how faeries only have magic if they have wings), but this is a fantasy novel, so I was willing to overlook it. I do wish that we would have had more of the fae world described, especially considering that the human world is hyper-described.

Top Ten Tuesday: All Time Favorite Books in the Fantasy Genre

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten All Time Favorite Books in the Fantasy Genre



1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J. K. Rowling
The book/series that began my love affair with young adult fantasy.





2. Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore
Katsa and Po are two of my favorite fantasy characters. This is the book I recommend to anyone that has the tiniest of interest in fantasy.

Blog Tour (Interview & Giveaway): Wakeworld by Kerry Schafer

Wakeworld Tour Schedule



Title: Wakeworld (The Between #2)
Author: Kerry Schafer
Publisher: Ace (Penguin)
Tour Organizer: Coffee and Characters Blog Tours
Release Date: January 28, 2014
Vivian Maylor is trying to hold it together. But her attempts to build a life with the man she loves seem doomed by the dragon inside her yearning to break free. Vivian is a dreamshifter, the last line of defense between reality and the dreamworld, and the only one of her kind.

Weston Jennings also believes he is the only one of his kind. He fears his powers as a dreamshifter, and resists learning to control them. After suffering a tragic loss, Weston heads deep into the woods of the Pacific Northwest to embrace a safe life of solitude. But when a terrible mistake leads to an innocent’s death, his guilt drives him to his former home, where he encounters what he never thought he would find: another shifter.

Now Vivian and Weston must work together to defeat a new threat to the dreamworld.

Interview

1. Please tell us a little bit about Wakeworld in your own words but with a Twitter twist – 140 characters or less.

Locked into Wakeworld by a power hungry dragon, Vivian joins forces with a rogue dreamshifter to rescue her lover and save the dream worlds

2. Where did you get the idea for the Between series?

Cover Reveal (Giveaway): Killing Ruby Rose by Jessie Humphries

Title: Killing Ruby Rose
Author: Jessie Humphries
Publisher: Skyscape
Cover Reveal Organizer: Blog Tours by Elana
Release Date: May 1, 2014
In sunny southern California, Ruby Rose is known for her killer looks and her killer SAT scores. But ever since her dad, an LAPD SWAT sergeant, died six months ago, she’s also got a few killer secrets.

To cope with her father’s death, Ruby has been trying to stay focused on school (the top spot in her class is on the line) and spending time with friends (her Jimmy Choos and Mahnolo Blahniks are nothing if not loyal), but after months of therapy and more than a few months of pathetic parenting by her mom, District Attorney Jane Rose, Ruby decides to pick up where her dad left off and starts going after the bad guys herself.

But when Ruby ends up killing a murderer in defense of another, she discovers that she’s gone from being the huntress to the hunted. There’s a sick mastermind at play, and he has Ruby in his sights. Ruby must discover who’s using her to implement twisted justice before she ends up changing Valentino red for prison orange.

With a gun named Smith, a talent for martial arts, and a boyfriend with eyes to die for, Ruby is ready to face the worst. And if a girl’s forced to kill, won’t the guilt sit more easily in a pair of Prada peep-toe pumps?

Buy Links
Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Paperback) | Book Depository


About the Author

Blog Tour (Guest Post): The Well's End by Seth Fishman

Title: The Well's End
Author: Seth Fishman
Publisher: Putnum Juvenile (Penguin)
Release Date: February 25, 2014
Half a world away, the Chinese military has a target list of ten US cities in case of war. Most are obvious (DC, NY, LA) and some a little less so (Atlanta for instance has the CDC) . . . but one is an absolute mystery: Fenton, Colorado. Unfortunately for her, sixteen-year-old Mia Kish is about to find out what makes Fenton so special when emergency sirens start blaring and ritzy Westbrook Academy is put on lockdown. No students in or out until otherwise notified. For the rich boarders whose homes are safely states away, their concerns are missed vacations and trips home, but for the handful of townies, like Mia and her friends Jo and Rob, there’s no escaping the danger.

The situation becomes dire when students and faculty are stricken with a strange illness that ages them years in a matter of hours, the end result death, seemingly from old age. No one knows what to do, but Mia and her friends are not just going to sit there while their parents might be in mortal danger. They escape the school grounds in search of a cure and answers; answers they hope to find in the sealed off mountain bunker where her father supposedly runs Fenton Tech. But along the way, they discover that the military presence is not what it seems, and that the long buried secret of Fenton is a fabled object of myth and legend that may actually exist deep within the earth below.

Guest Post

Research
Seth Fishman

Book Blast (Excerpt & Giveaway): The Frost of Springtime by Rachel L. Demeter

The Frost of Springtime Blast Schedule
The recent release of The Frost of Springtime, by debut author Rachel L. Demeter, transports readers to the war torn streets of nineteenth century Paris. Driven by paradoxical characters, steamy encounters, and a compelling storyline, it’s a bittersweet tale of revolution, redemption, and the healing power of love. Described as “poignant,” emotionally devastating,” and “beautiful,” The Frost of Springtime is sure to please historical and romance readers alike. Available now in both eBook and paperback. Currently Amazon Prime members can read the Kindle edition for free!



Title: The Frost of Springtime
Author: Rachel Demeter
Publisher: Black Lyon Publishing
Book Blast Organizer: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Release Date: February 14, 2014
To rescue her was to rescue his own soul.

On a cold Parisian night, Vicomte Aleksender de Lefèvre forges an everlasting bond with a broken girl during her darkest hour, rescuing her from a life of abuse and misery. Tormented by his own demons, he finds his first bit of solace in sheltering little Sofia Rose.

But when Aleksender is drawn away by the Franco-Prussian war, the seasons pass. And in that long year, Sofia matures into a stunning young woman—a dancer with an understanding of devotion and redemption far surpassing her age.

Alongside his closest friend, Aleksender returns home to find that “home” is gone, replaced by revolution, bloodshed, betrayal—and a love always out of reach. Scarred inside and out, he’s thrust into a world of sensuality and violence—a world in which all his hours have now grown dark, and where only Sofia might bring an end to the winter in his heart.

Inspired by the 1871 Paris Commune, The Frost of Springtime is a poignant tale of revolution, redemption, and the healing power of love.

Excerpt

Rue de la Paix was packed to its limits. The square was a perfect viewing spot for such destruction. The Vendôme Column was front and center, Napoleon’s lifeless stone features etched with blissful oblivion. Ladies hung out of their balconies and chattered amongst themselves. Days earlier, they’d coated the windows with paper and paste to help numb the shattering blow to come.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): Dominion by C.J. Sansom

Dominion Tour Schedule



Title: The Frost of Springtime
Author: C.J. Sansom
Publisher: Mulholland Books (Hachette)
Acquired Via: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Release Date: January 28, 2014
To rescue her was to rescue his own soul.

On a cold Parisian night, Vicomte Aleksender de Lefèvre forges an everlasting bond with a broken girl during her darkest hour, rescuing her from a life of abuse and misery. Tormented by his own demons, he finds his first bit of solace in sheltering little Sofia Rose.

But when Aleksender is drawn away by the Franco-Prussian war, the seasons pass. And in that long year, Sofia matures into a stunning young woman—a dancer with an understanding of devotion and redemption far surpassing her age.

Alongside his closest friend, Aleksender returns home to find that “home” is gone, replaced by revolution, bloodshed, betrayal—and a love always out of reach. Scarred inside and out, he’s thrust into a world of sensuality and violence—a world in which all his hours have now grown dark, and where only Sofia might bring an end to the winter in his heart.

Inspired by the 1871 Paris Commune, The Frost of Springtime is a poignant tale of revolution, redemption, and the healing power of love.

Book Trailer


My Review

Dominion by C.J. Sansom is one monster of book (over 600 pages), yet its promise of an alternate history following World War II drew me in regardless. (I used to love large books before I had a child and blog.) Stephen King also says to "check it out", so how could I not read it? Despite Dominion seeming to be a book that has "Kayla" written all over it, I didn't love it.

Waiting on Wednesday (44): Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



Title: Mortal Heart (His Fair Assasin #3)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has.


I loved Grave Mercy, and Dark Triumph may have been even better. This is one of my most anticipated releases this year. As soon as it was available for pre-order on Amazon, I did. If you like fantasy and historical fiction, you definitely need to pick up this series.

What are you waiting on this week?