Blood and Sand by C. V. Wyk

Blood and Sand by C. V. Wyk

Published: January 16th 2018 by Tor Teen

FORGED IN BATTLE…
FROM THE DUST OF THE ARENA…
A LEGEND WILL RISE

The action-packed tale of a 17-year-old warrior princess and a handsome gladiator who dared take on the Roman Republic―and gave rise to the legend of Spartacus…

For teens who love strong female protagonists in their fantasy and historical fiction, Blood and Sand is a stirring, yet poignant tale of two slaves who dared take on an empire by talented debut author C. V. Wyk.

Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire―an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves.

Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor. Enslaved as a child, Xanthus is the preeminent gladiator of his generation.

Against all odds, Attia and Xanthus form a tentative bond. A bond that will spark a rebellion. A rebellion that threatens to bring the Roman Republic to its end―and gives rise to the legend of Spartacus…

NOTE: I received an ARC copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way influences my opinion.

I am going to be honest and say that I don’t really know a lot about the Spartacus legend, except the fact that he was a gladiator and the whole I AM SPARTACUS shenanigans. I liked the fact that I went into this not really knowing much about the original because it meant that I could see the story with a fresh pair of eyes, rather than constantly comparing it. I really really enjoyed this story, even though it had a bit of a slow beginning.

As mentioned, the beginning was a little slow. Whilst there was a lot of action in the first couple of pages, the pacing of the book dipped a little after that and it needed some time before the pacing was really fitting with the book. There were times at the beginning that were slow and where I had to push through a little bit, but it was definitely worth it. When the pacing and the events of the story begins to pick up, it was impossible to put the book down! I had to know what was going to happen next and I was not let down.

This story is also told from the perspective of two characters – Xanthus and Attia. I loved seeing this story from both their PoVs because they were both a huge part of the story. Both characters were unique and had their own voices, so it was easy to keep track of which PoV I was reading at any given time. I probably would have preferred to have had some sort of header (Xanthus, Attia) when the PoV changes because it changed at random moments and from paragraph to paragraph depending on what was going on at the time and it was sometimes a bit confusing to be reading from the PoV of one character, to then switch to the next with no real warning.

I LOVED the world building! I honestly felt like I could have been in Rome/Pompeii (depending on where they were) at this particular point in history. I could easily imagine the rich families and their slaves, the gladiator fights etc. No matter how often I put the book down, I was always sucked right back into it when I picked it up again and it was easy to get lost in it. I also liked the fact that the author kept things in keeping with the history of the Roman times, as opposed to changing things up to make it more appropriate to the YA genre.

Another thing the author did well was to create a slow burn romance, as opposed to the insta love trope. A lot of YA Fantasy novels fall into the insta love trope and it often ruins that part of the story because it just doesn’t fit. Wyk did a great job of building up the trust between the two characters and watching things slowly unfurl. Both characters were naive when it came to love and it was cute to watch both of them try and tread the waters around it, whilst not trying to scare off the other one.

As mentioned above, I don’t really know a lot about Spartacus and the original legend. I do, however, know that in the original legend, Spartacus was male. I enjoyed the fact that Wyk has taken the legend and turned it around by gender reversing Spartacus. I loved the way she used the history of Rome and the way in which they saw women, and used that against some of the characters in the way in which they viewed/thought who Spartacus was, because they never suspected anything. It was a great representation of gender reversal and I am looking forward to seeing where Wyk is going to take it in book 2.

I also just want to quickly mention the ending. I don’t to give any spoilers away, so this may seem really really vague, but for those of you who have read it, will understand. I feel that the way in which the book ended was a little pointless? I don’t feel that things needed to go down the way it did with certain characters, and I feel that it was more used as a plot device to spur another character on, rather than something that probably should have been emotional for the reader. I am hoping that a huge twist is going to come some time in book 2 (which is actually what I believe is going to happen in book 2), because, if it doesn’t happen, I feel that what could have been a really emotional ending was pretty much ruined.

All in all I absolutely loved this story! The world building was rich and magical and I am so excited for book 2 (why do I have to wait so long?). I am so excited to see where the characters will end up going and what is going to happen next. I gave this book 4/5 stars.

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Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted here. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off. Don’t forget to link back here and feel free to link up in the comments so that others can see what you picked! 

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing weekend! It snowed Saturday evening… and then promptly started raining about an hour after, so snow didn’t stay 😦 I’m waiting for snow to lay so my son can play in it since he has never seen snow :-O

Anyway, this weeks pick for me was a book that I ordered during Black Friday and I am extremely excited for it to show up!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

October 10th 2017 by Philomel Books

Amazon: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, Band 1)

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins–sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

Find me Here:

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Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Published: May 16th 2017 by G. P. Putnam’s sons for Young Readers

The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires. 

I was a bit wary going into this book because I DNFed TWATD and I wasn’t sure if I just didn’t like the book or Renee Ahdieh’s writing in general. However, I absolutely adored this book! This was a fantastic retelling of Mulan and I am already so excited for the next book!

From the very beginning of the book, I was hooked! It was fast paced from the very beginning and I just absolutely had to know what was going to happen next! The beginning of the book set the pace for the rest of the book and I didn’t feel like it had pacing problems at all!

I think my favourite aspect of this book was the character development – whether it was Mariko or any member of the Black Clan. I loved watching them interacting and how the relationships grew and developed as they got to know each other better. I felt like I could feel the moments of indecision between them and I empathised with all of the characters. I will say that I wasn’t totally on board with the ship that was sailing because I felt like it did’t have enough time to develop considering she was pretending to be a boy… but I feel like it is a ship that I will definitely support by the end of the next book.

I also enjoyed the multiple POV’s within this book. Each and every character had their own voices and they didn’t blend into each other. It was easy to tell who we were reading when the POV just changed. It also helped to give the readers an insight into the other characters and what makes them tick and what makes them do the things they were doing.

The plot was so amazing! There was always something going on, whether in a big way or a little way and I always had the feeling of needing to know what was going to happen next! Whether or not she was going to get caught etc. Also, may I just mention THAT DANG ENDING!!!  *Ahem* So much happened, and I was left gobsmacked and I just need to second book already because I NEED to know what is going to happen next!

The world building in the book was beautiful. I was so detailed that I felt completely transported to the world that Ahdieh created. It was easy to get lost in this book and not want to come back!

I absolutely loved this book and I cannot even wait until the next instalment! I definitely need more! I loved each and ever character and the different aspects and back stories that they brought to the book and I cannot wait to revisit them in a re read and to meet them again in the next book! I gave this book 5/5 stars.

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

Published: September 27th 2016 by Balzer+Bray

When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die.

Paris Catresou has always wanted to serve his family by guarding Juliet. But when his ward tries to escape her fate, magic goes terribly wrong—killing her and leaving Paris bound to Romeo. If he wants to discover the truth of what happened, Paris must delve deep into the city, ally with his worst enemy . . . and perhaps turn against his own clan.

Mahyanai Runajo just wants to protect her city—but she’s the only one who believes it’s in peril. In her desperate hunt for information, she accidentally pulls Juliet from the mouth of death—and finds herself bound to the bitter, angry girl. Runajo quickly discovers Juliet might be the one person who can help her recover the secret to saving Viyara.

Both pairs will find friendship where they least expect it. Both will find that Viyara holds more secrets and dangers than anyone ever expected. And outside the walls, death is waiting. . . 

I was really looking forward to going into this book. I absolutely love the story of Romeo and Juliet and I was excited about this retelling. However, I was left pretty disappointed and DNFed this at just over 100 pages.

My biggest issue with this book was the fact that I genuinely had no clue what the heck was going on! I didn’t understand why they wore masks, or what the Juliet actually was, the guardian, the sisters… pretty much everything. Nothing was explained in detail or very well within the first 100 or so pages and I felt more like I was blundering through with the hope that it was going to get better/I was going to find out what was going on exactly and why. I didn’t enjoy the feeling of being lost throughout and I started putting down the book in order to do something else.

I also feel like the plot was affected by the fact that I didn’t certain aspects of the society and why some things happened. Without a certain understanding of some of the things the characters were doing, the world building etc. the plot was confusing – even more so because it kept switching between the sisters and Paris and Romeo.

My other issue with this book was the characters. I struggled to empathise with them and I didn’t feel like the characters each had their own individual voice despite the book being multiple pov. I struggled to differentiate between the pov’s and only managed to based off of the chapter titles. I felt like they were all too similar and none of the personalities stood out particularly.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this book, considering that I was extremely looking forward to this retelling! I gave this book 1/5 stars.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Published: February 7th 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

I just want to start off by saying that I absolutely LOVE this cover! It is so amazingly pretty! Ok, now that’s out of my system, there were a lot of mixed review going around for this book. A lot of people were disappointed with this book because it wasn’t what they thought it was going to be etc. However, I am not one of these people! I actually really really enjoyed this book and I am really looking forward to the next instalment!

I think my favourite aspect of this book was the mystery behind the Goblin King (which, by the way, was repeated WAY too many times in this book! I thought I would just throw that out there). I found myself wanting to get to know him and what made him tick and how he became Der Erlkönig! I loved getting to know him as Elisabeth got to know him – especially because it was done in detail. I liked him from the very beginning, even though he was shown to be the Lord of Mischief, there was always that draw toward him and, as I got to know him better as a character, I began to empathise with him a lot more. I loved watching his vulnerable side come out and the way that the mystery of who he was slowly being shown to us. I would love to get to know more about him and I cannot wait to see more from him in the next instalment!

I also really liked Elisabeth. I did struggle with her right at the beginning because I felt like she whined and moaned a lot and I really just wanted to slap her really really hard. However, as her memories began to come back to her of her childhood and what was done to her and the way she was treated, it was easy to see why she had become the way that she was and how she became to be the protector of her siblings. I felt really sorry for her and I really enjoyed watching her grow as a character, alongside the Goblin King. I felt like they grew as characters together and they began to learn together, which made this story extra special for me.

Whilst I don’t feel like there was much going on plot wise, I never felt like the book got slow in any way. There was a form of plot there in the sense of why she went to the Goblin King etc, but it wasn’t particularly well developed because it focused a lot more on character development, rather than what was going on. In its own way, the character development actually gave hand to the plot because it helped to shape the plot and what was going on in both the world underground and the normal world that we live in.

I would have loved to have a double POV between Käthe and Elisabeth because I think showing what was going on both underground and in the world would have given an extra something something to the story and maybe the plot itself. I think a second POV would have been a good counterpart to know how the events of the book were affecting various characters.

I would have also loved to have seen more of Josef! After the crazy revelation about him, I wished that we could have seen more from his perspective and how he would’ve reacted if he had ever found out what he was!

All in all, I really loved this story and I absolutely cannot wit for the next instalment. I found the book intriguing and I was always looking forward to picking the book back up after putting it down again. I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted here. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back here and link up to the inlinkz below so that others can see what you picked! 

Hey guys! Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy belated mothers day to every mother out there! The weather here was absolutely beautiful – which meant that we weren’t at home all weekend! Anyway, this pick for me is a book that I picked up over the weekend – which doesn’t actually release until tomorrow! I managed to find an early copy and it is so beautiful!

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Published: May 16th 2017 by G. P. Putnam’s Son Books for Young Readers

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor’s favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family’s standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.
Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and track down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Hunted by Meagan Spooner

Published: March 14th 2017 by HarperTeen

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2017 – and when I FINALLY managed to get my hands on a copy… I ended up DNFing it. I am so upset that I ended up DNFing this book because I usually adore Beauty and the Beast retellings and I was just so excited for this! I had quite a few issues with this book, but the cover is definitely not one of them – because this is cover love right here!

My first issue with this book is that I felt like the characters were mostly flat. I didn’t feel like there was an overriding difference between any of the characters and I often felt like they ended up blurring together. I didn’t feel any connection with the characters on a reader/character basis, which is an absolutely must for me if I am going to get along with the book. I feel like they were completely underdeveloped and really could have used lifting up. Yeva really bugged me. At lot of things that she did really grated on my skin, but I think the worst thing would be the fact that she fell in love with someone whilst blindfolded (she never even saw the guy!!) telling him stories because she thought he was her ally/friend. Despite the fact that he doesn’t try and help her escape or anything… some ally. I hated the fact that she was so fickle and that there was absolute no real connection before she started falling in love with him… until she obviously found out what he was.

I was also disappointed that we didn’t get to know our secondary characters. They were there, I knew they were there… I knew basic facts about them – one of her sisters is engaged, the other has a disability – but I didn’t really get to KNOW them. They were there, but they weren’t. I didn’t feel that bond that would have driven the sisters to take care of each other, or the bond between Beauty and her father that would have driven her to go out and look for him. It was completely missing and it was almost like reading a bunch of strangers, rather than a close knit family.

I also really struggled with the plot. A lot of the time, it is snow and trees and trees and snow with some superficial hunting stuck in the middle of it. The fact that she goes hunting for half of what I read because she wants to be on her own (surrounded by snow and trees… and more snow and more trees) was boring after a while. I struggled to get through the bit of the book that I read because it was repetitive. The plot also didn’t seem to develop after beauty met the beast. She told stories for ages and then did some more hunting.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this story. I found the plot to be extremely repetitive and the characters underdeveloped. I gave this book 1/5 stars.

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted here. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back here and link up to the inlinkz below so that others can see what you picked! 

Hey guys! I hope you all had a great weekend! The weather here has been great, which means we were outside a lot! Anyway, this weeks pick for me is a relatively recent release and it is a highly anticipated read for me! Also, the cover is to die for! I do actually already own a copy of this book, and it is sat on my shelf, waiting for me to read!

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Published: February 7th 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

Wanted by Betsy Schow

Wanted by Betsy Schow

Expected Publication: February 7th 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire

Book Depository

In the sequel to Spelled, can Robin Hood’s daughter, Rexi, stop the Wicked Witch from finding Excalibur?

Fairy-Tale Survival Rule No. 52:
No matter how difficult the obstacles or all-powerful the evil villain, one can rest assured that the hero of the story never dies. The sidekicks though…they should be worried.

Rexi Hood is proud to be an outlaw. After all, she’s the daughter of the infamous Robin Hood. But sidekick? Accomplice? Sorry, that wasn’t in her story description. Yeah, she and Princess Dorthea of Emerald have been inseparable since they teamed up to fight the wickedest witch. But if Rexi doesn’t figure out how to break the curse that binds them, forget being overshadowed by the spirited princess, Rexi’s going to become a Forgotten, wiped from the pages of Story and reduced to a puddle of ink. 
Not happening. No way in Spell. 
Rexi’s plan? Steal the sword Excalibur and use its magic to write her own tale. But Gwenevere has opened a new Academy of Villains in Camelot and danger lurks behind every plot twist. And you know how it goes in Story: keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. This in no way influences my opinion. 

Can I just mention how long I have been pining for this book?? I feel like it has been sine forever! I read Spelled last year April and immediately wanted more! It has become one of my favourite books ever and this book is joining it up there… because it was just as good as the first book!!

This instalment is told from the perspective of Rexi – our favourite sidekick, daughter of Robin Hood. I loved the fact that her voice was its own and didn’t mix with Dorthea’s. Despite some of the events that take place in this book, it was easy to tell her voice apart and it was so refreshing. I loved her voice and her opinions on things and I found myself connecting to her on a deeper level because she was an extremely relatable character for me. I really wanted her to pull through and make it to the end in tact!!

Just like in the first book, there was always something happening! As soon as you think you can have a 5 minute breather, something else happened which had you reading not o see what would happen next!

Can we also just talk about the ending for a second. Not in the spoilery sense, but in the OMG WHAT DID I JUST READ?!?!? kind of sense!!! I got to the end and I’m still pretty gobsmacked… how do I even carry on with that ending? *Sigh* #problemsofabookaholic

I really loved the little tips at the beginning of each chapter (as also featured in the first book) – they really brought an extra something something original to the story itself. Each of the tips and the character and stories, whilst they had links to the original stories and plots etc. The author managed to twist and change them to make them her own and she owned it! I absolutely loved it!

I really loved this instalment and I am seriously hoping there is more to come because I don’t think I can cope if there isn’t and … with that ending, I really need more! I gave this book 5/5 stars!

RoseBlood by A. G. Howard – Release Day Blitz!

RoseBlood by A. G. Howard

Published: January 10th 2017 by Amulet Books

Amazon/B&N/iBooks/Audible

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera. 

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

This release day blitz is being hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

So, I am really excited to be taking part in this release day blitz because I absolutely love Howard’s writing! I really enjoyed the Splintered series and I am so excited to get a copy of this book and sink into it! This Book Blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed RoseBlood poster and mask! So, without further ado…

Here is the book trailer for RoseBlood:

 

Giveaway:

1 winner will receive a signed RoseBlood poster and a mask – US only. This giveaway ends on January 17th at midnight EST. If you would like to enter, you can do so HERE

About the author:

A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would’ve happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

When she’s not writing, A.G.’s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

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