Blog Tour (Interview): The Splintered Kingdom by James Aitcheson

Title: The Splintered Kingdom (Conquest #2)
Author: James Aitcheson
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: August 5, 2014
The brilliant second novel in James Aitcheson’s trilogy of the Norman Conquest of England.

Summer, 1070. Renowned for his valor in the battle for York, Tancred a Dinant is now a lord in his own right, with knights of his own to command and a manor to call home in the turbulent Welsh borderlands. But his hard-fought gains are soon threatened, as a coalition of enemies both old and new prepares to march against King William.

With English, Welsh and Viking forces gathering, and war looming, the Normans are forced to make common cause with some unlikely allies in defence of their newly conquered realm. For Tancred, meanwhile, there are also enemies closer to home: Norman barons envious of his fame, who regard him as a threat to their own power and who are only too eager to see him brought low.

Amidst the turmoil, Tancred is chosen to spearhead a perilous expedition into the heart of Wales. Success will bring him glory beyond his dreams. Failure will mean the ruin of the reputation that he has worked so hard to forge. As shield-walls clash and the kingdom burns, not only is his destiny at stake, but also that of England itself.

A gripping tale of battle, honor, and vengeance, The Splintered Kingdom is an epic saga of the struggle for England—and through it, the western world.

Praise

“An exciting and suspenseful post-Norman conquest saga filled with ambition, greed and betrayals...history buffs and adventure fans will definitely want to read all the exciting tales in this saga.” - Fresh Fiction

“A vigorously written, well researched tale of post-conquest England told through Norman eyes, with a rich, detailed setting, plenty of exciting battles, and a protagonist/narrator who is a real pleasure to read.” - Historical Novels Review

Interview

Kayla: Hi James, thank you so much for stopping by Bibliophilia, Please! Please tell us a little bit about The Splintered Kingdom in your own words but with a Twitter twist - 140 characters or less.

James Aitcheson: England, 1070. Shield-walls clash, a kingdom burns and a Norman knight seeks vengeance in the violent aftermath of the Battle of Hastings.

Kayla: Do we have to read Sworn Sword before reading The Splintered Kingdom?

Waiting on Wednesday (66): The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

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: The Glass Arrow (Untitled Trilogy #1)
Author: Kristen Simmons
Publisher: Tor Teen (Macmillan)
Release Date: February 10, 2015
The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.


I've read a few of these The Handmaid's Tale retellings and some have been pretty good. I'm interested in seeing this new take on it. I haven't read Simmons' Article 5, although it is on my TBR, but I just adore the cover to The Glass Arrow and just might need to read it first.

What are you waiting on this week?

Review: The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

Title: The House of the Four Winds (One Dozen Daughters #1)
Authors: Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Acquired Via: NetGalley
The rulers of tiny, impoverished Swansgaard have twelve daughters and one son. While the prince’s future is assured, his twelve sisters must find their own fortunes.

Disguising herself as Clarence, a sailor, Princess Clarice intends to work her way to the New World. When the crew rebels, Clarice/Clarence, an expert with rapier and dagger, sides with the handsome navigator, Dominick, and kills the cruel captain.

Dominick leads the now-outlawed crew in search of treasure in the secret pirate haven known as The House of Four Winds. They encounter the sorceress Shamal, who claims Dominick for her own — but Clarice has fallen hard for Dominick and won’t give him up without a fight.

Full of swashbuckling adventure, buoyant magic, and irrepressible charm, The House of the Four Winds is a lighthearted fantasy romp by a pair of bestselling writers.

My Review

Swashbuckling adventure, indeed, and quite heavy on the swashbuckling. Although it was a light and fun adventure story that left a smile on my face at the end. Even though there were quite a few negatives, I still enjoyed The House of the Four Winds and am looking forward to see the rest of the sisters' stories.

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Would Recommend to Readers Who Have Never Read Historical Romance

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

Ten Authors I Would Recommend to Readers Who Have Never Read Historical Fiction



1. Courtney Milan
Milan does not write the traditional historical romance. The heroines do not need saving from some rich lord, because they are smart and capable. Also, there are political issues such as female suffrage in the 1800s. My favorite series of hers so far is Brothers Sinister which starts with the prequel novella The Governess Affair.



2. Sarah MacLean
I have never read a Sarah MacLean novel I have not loved. You can start with either The Rules of Scoundrels series or Love By Numbers. Both contain clever and engaging dialogue with likable heroines and yummy heroes.

Early Review: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Title: Snow Like Ashes (Snow Like Ashes #1)
Author: Sara Raasch
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now the Winterians' only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter's magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter's defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians' general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend and future king, Mather—she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore their magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she's scaling towers and fighting enemy soldiers just as she's always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn't go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics—and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

My Review

I didn't pay too much attention to the synopsis of Sara Raasch's debut, Snow Like Ashes, when I was given the opportunity to review it. If you tell me something is epic fantasy, I'll pretty much take it sight-unseen. Lately, though, a lot of newly released epic fantasy novels are burdened with the promise of "blah blah...A Game of Thrones...blah blah", and this is one of them. For once, the villainous promisemakers got it right because it IS just like A Song of Ice and Fire... in that they're both epic fantasy with a land covered in snow. Congratulations.

Review: On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers

Title: On a Clear Day
Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (Random House)
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Young heroes decide that they are not too young or too powerless to change their world in this gripping, futuristic young adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of the Printz Award–winning Monster.

It is 2035. Teens, armed only with their ideals, must wage war on the power elite.

Dahlia is a Low Gater: a sheep in a storm, struggling to survive completely on her own. The Gaters live in closed safe communities, protected from the Sturmers, mercenary thugs. And the C-8, a consortium of giant companies, control global access to finance, media, food, water, and energy resources—and they are only getting bigger and even more cutthroat. Dahlia, a computer whiz, joins forces with an ex-rocker, an ex-con, a chess prodigy, an ex-athlete, and a soldier wannabe. Their goal: to sabotage the C-8. But how will Sayeed, warlord and terrorist, fit into the equation?

Walter Dean Myers was a prolific author for young people, writing over one hundred books and receiving every major award in the field of children's literature during his lifetime. He was the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature during 2012 and 2013.

My Review

I don't believe that I've ever read anything by award-winning author Walter Dean Myers before, so I thought On a Clear Day would be a good place to start. I love speculative fiction, so I was sure that this would be great.

I was wrong.

Cover Reveal: Night Sky by Suzanne & Melanie Brockmann

Today, I'm sharing the cover of Night Sky here on Bibliophilia, Please! If you're anything like my family members and library patrons, you better sit down, because your excitement for Suzanne Brockmann's new novel with her daughter, Melanie, might just knock you over!



Title: Night Sky (Night Sky #1)
Author: Melanie Brockmann and Suzanne Brockmann
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Sixteen-year-old Skylar Reid is thrown into a strange world when she discovers that she has unique telekinetic and telepathic powers. After Sasha, the child she babysits, is kidnapped and believed to be murdered, Sky and her best friend Calvin are approached by Dana, a mysterious girl who has super-abilities similar to Sky’s. With the help of Dana and her sidekick Milo, the four teens embark on a quest to discover who killed Sasha, and to bring the killers to justice.

With Dana as Skylar’s surly and life-toughened mentor, Sky attempts to harness her powers to aid them in their quest. Complicating an already complex relationship with the older girl, Sky starts to fall for the dangerously handsome and enigmatic Milo – and begins to suspect that the attraction is mutual. But then Sky realizes that Sasha might still be alive, and the unlikely foursome’s mission becomes one of search and rescue, pitting the heroic teens against a very deadly enemy.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Fishpond


About the Author

Review: Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore

Title: Just Like the Movies
Author: Kelly Fiore
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Acquired Via: Kaye Publicity
Release Date: July 22, 2014
Pretty and popular track star Marijke Monti is confident about almost everything – she’s got great friends, a great family, and she’s on her way to the State Track Championship. In fact, the only thing Marijke isn’t confident about is her relationship with Tommy Lawson.

Lily Spencer has spent her entire high school career preparing for the future – she’s participated in every extracurricular activity and volunteer committee she could. But, at home, she watches her mother go on date after date with dud-dudes, still searching for “the one.” Lily realizes that she’s about to graduate and still hasn’t even had a boyfriend.

While they live on each other’s periphery at school, Lily and Marijke never seemed to have much in common; but, after a coincidental meeting at the movie theater, Lily gets an idea – why can’t life be like a movie? Why can’t they set up their perfect romantic situations, just in time for their senior prom, using movie techniques?

Once the girls come up with the perfect plans, they commit themselves to being secret cohorts and, just like in the movies, drama ensues.

My Review

There's nothing like having flashbacks to your teenage years, and Kelly Fiore had an uncanny ability to make me do so while reading Just Like the Movies. She captured a lot of the insecurities and issues that plague teenagers with school, home life, and relationships.

Just Like the Movies is told from two alternating points of view: Marijke's and Lily's. Each character has a well-fleshed and complex life - with very real problems - making either girl easy to relate to for teenage readers. They had very different problems at home with their parents, issues with friends, and, of course, boy problems. Since this is more "chick lit" than an "issues" book, only the surface of these things are scratched.