Guest Post & Giveaway: The Prince of Powys By Cornelia Amiri

From the pages of the ancient codex, The Anglo Saxon Chronicles, the warrior kings of Wessex and Mercia fought each other while they both battled the welsh king of Powys. Elisedd, the king of Powys’s deeds and genealogy is honored by a monument his great grandson Cyngen map Cadlel erected, the Pillar of Eliseg, which stands to this day.  Welsh poems from bygone days mention Elisedd’s unique crown, fashioned from thick, twisted links of gold. He also adorned himself with gleaming armlets and anklets of pure gold. This great king was succeeded by his son Brochfael, also a character in The Prince of Powys. The legend of these eighth century AD warrior kings, Celtic mythology, and the mystic hill fort of Dinas Bran where Elisedd ruled inspired me to write The Prince of Powys. It’s a young adult novel of an ancient god, a magic sword, and a brave prince named Blaise.

I created the heroine, Branda, the youngest daughter of Ethelbald of Mercia and the hero, Blaise, the youngest son of Elisedd of Powys.

Blurb:

In an age of heroes, Branda, a Saxon princess helps Blaise, a prince of Powys, escape her father’s stronghold. In turn, he vows to escort the princess to her sister in Scotland so she can escape an arranged marriage. Instead, he holds her captive as his hostage in the unbreachable hill fort of Dinas Bran, where she captures his heart. Will Blaise be forced to throw away his honor for love or tear out his heart for honor? 

GIVEAWAY:

I’m having a blogging contest and giving away three PDF Ebooks of the Prince of Powys to three lucky winners. Please fill this form and include your email so I can contact you if you are chosen. The winners will be randomly selected. Ends 20th March. 

For more on my young adult fantasy/romance, The Prince of Powys, please visit my publisher’s site at  http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615725823

and my website at http://CelticRomanceQueen.com

Here’s a short excerpt:

The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.


Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

Publisher: Penguin Group USA

Published Date: September 29 2011


What can I say about Maureen Johnson that her twitter feed already hasn’t?

She is totally BONKERS. And in the best possible way ever.
 Her tweets often more entertaining than plenty of novels got her on "140 Best Twitter Feeds" in Time Magazine.

But that is hardly the only reason to read The Name Of The Star.

The plot is flawless. I loved the fresh spin on the Jack The Ripper plotline. The story is full of twists and surprises.

The setting is perfect. The book departs from the usual American High Schools and features a British Boarding School. Rippermania has seized London. There are a series of copycat murders taking place.

The protagonist is delightful and at times eccentric. I loved her southern ways.

Her roommates are SO RAD! They are polar opposites and yet I could identify parts of myself in both of them. Jazza was a sweetheart. She was so nice and helpful and had these insecurities that just made her more believable.
 Boo was HILARIOUS and a complete riot. Kudos to Maureen Johnson for breaking stereotype and giving us an Indian character that wasn’t nerdy but a complete contrast. She was such a fun and quirky character!

All the other secondary characters were well developed and significant in their own places.

I loved that the romance did not overshadow the rest of the plot. I look forward to it being developed in the sequel.

There mystery was light and guessable but the suspense shone through.

The only negative thing in the book was that the writing wasn’t spectacular but nevertheless it was a great book and I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Last words:

An impeccably crafted plot and brilliant characters make this an excellent start to the Shades Of London series.

IRON FEY SERIES ( THE IRON KNIGHT ) BY JULIE KAGAWA

Ash, former prince of the Winter Court, gave up everything. His title, his home, even his vow of loyalty. All for a girl… and all for nothing.

Unless he can earn a soul.

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Expected publication: October 25th 2011 by Harlequin (first published October 18th 2011)

 

For some really strange reason and foolish reason I never picked up the Iron Fey books though the reviews were always great. Maybe the word Iron turned me off. I am weird like that. Then I saw The Iron Knight on Netgalley and before I could say

Hottest Guy Ever

On The Cover

I had requested the book. Of Course now I had to go read the first three books before I could start with The Iron Knight and OMG am I glad I did! BEST.DECISION.EVER.

To those uninitiated in The Iron Fey series let me paint a picture of what these books are all about.

Magic. Humour. Romance. Action. And above all ADVENTURE.

Adventure that is missing in YA books these days.

JKagawa’s imagination and creativity is stupendous. Her writing is vivid and detailed and completely transported me to Nevernever. I was constantly left mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the setting she had created- be it the Wyldwood or Tir Na Nog.

For me The Iron Fey series is The Lord Of The Rings for teens. Lord Of The Rings is a book I famously tried to and could not finish reading. (Okay I am officially hiding my face now! I love the LOTR movies..okay..maybe "love" would be an exaggeration but I did like them...I mean I loved golum and his "my preciousss" and do I even need to mention Orlando Bloom!!Again however I could not finish this book.I read it when I was a kid and all I remember is that there was like A LOT of description of trees. And barely any females. Or for that matter even humans. O.o)

Now I feel like I don’t need to since The Iron Fey is just as awesome and especially tailor-made for me! :D

Iron Fey series also happens to be influenced by my favorite Shakespeare play- A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There’s the CHERRY on top.

Another thing I loved about the series were the different magical creatures. Each of them from trolls to goblins to mermaids to jack o’lanterns played an important role and were well-developed.

While the endearing Meghan Chase was the protagonist for the first 3 books, The Iron Knight is from the point of view of Prince Ash. The Ice Prince. Cold, brooding, dark and absolutely YUMMY. There is also the delightful Puck but I am hard-core TEAM ASH. The Iron Knight gets a new feel, offers glimpses of the past and answers many questions as we get into the mind of the winter prince as he embarks on an EPIC adventure along with Puck and Grimalkin.

Grimalkin- the finest and the best part of The Iron Fey books.

Grimalkin is a CAT and there totally awesome. With his snarkiness and witty one-liners he shows us exaclt why EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A CAT.

Honestly best cat in literature since the Cheshire Cat.

The Iron Fey series is gonna end up right alongside Chronicles Of Narnia, Alice Wonderland and Wizard Of Oz. It is a must read for fans of the faery and just about everyone who loves fantasy.

The ending was unexpected and breath-taking. I don’t wanna divulge the plots too much because it’s always fun discovering that on your own!

Go pre-order The Iron Knight NOW! 

And if you haven't started this series yet, What are you waiting for? Go buy The Iron King. You have a week or so to catch up!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin teen for providing me with a galley.

You can now win The Iron King at my 100 FOLLOWERS INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!

Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

 

A modern retelling of the German fairy tale "Tristan and Isolde," Tris and Izzie is about a young witch named Izzie who is dating Mark King, the captain of the basketball team and thinks her life is going swimmingly well. Until -- she makes a love potion for her best friend Brangane and then ends up taking it herself accidentally, and falling in love with Tristan, the new guy at school.

Expected publication: October 11th 2011 by EgmontUSA

The moment I saw this book on Netgalley I was in love. In love with the stunningly gorgeous and highly misleading cover.

The book had two things going for it.

That it was one of the prettiest book covers that I had ever seen and the fact that I really was a big fan of the Tristan and Isolde legend.

I had read negative reviews of this book but I still really hoped it would deliver.

Two pages in, I knew it wouldn’t.

The writing seemed juvenile and the characters were extremely immature.

The protagonist Izzie was insensitive and shallow.

I disliked her strongly when she claimed to be the queen of the high school since her boyfriend; the basketball captain was like the king.

Then she proceeded to tell us how she could socially outcast anyone she wants.

I mean what the hell!?

Who talks like that!!?

*someone shouts Blair Waldorf from behind*

She wasn’t even like some funny mean girl types.

I couldn’t finish the book due to the unlikable characters and a storyline that in no way resembled the original fairytale.

I do however believe that younger readers say 11-15 year olds might enjoy this book and find it a quick read.

Similar Books: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Hush, Hush ( Hush, Hush #1) By Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along. 
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I still have no clue what Hush Hush stands for.

Everytime I thought of this book I remembered the PCD song Hush Hush.

And let’s just say I am less than fond of the Pussy Cat Dolls.

Also while I do enjoy urban fantasy/paranormal romance at times I am more into contemporary reaslistic fiction.

And I had never read a book on Fallen Angels.

These are the reasons why I read Hush Hush now and not say 2-3 years back.

It wasn’t the best book I have ever read. It wasn’t a book I couldn’t stop gushing about.

It is not one of my favorites.

But I enjoyed the book immensely and finished it in one sitting!

I found the Protagonist Nora Grey likable enough but nothing shone through her personality.

She was the totally generic and at times very stupid.

Her BFF Vee on the other hand was awesome. She was perky and fun and had all these little personality quirks that I would have loved to see in Nora. Vee added all the humour to this book.

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but I find that in most YA books the female protagonist’s BFF’s happen to be perkier and funnier!?

Also I soo want Vee as my best friend! And while the topic of what I want, I must mention a certain hot fallen angel.

Patch was the star of this book.

All the girls are gonna be swooning over him.

He is dark, mysterious, cocky and the epitome of bad boys.

And he has a AC/DC Highway To Hell CD!!

I LOVE AC/DC!!

:D

Okay so maybe we can’t really blame Nora for being so stupid and careless. And not even freaking out when she found out he was a fallen angel.She barely even thought of it!

The romance was hot and steamy. Only how majorly overused is the guy-teaches-girl-how-to-play-pool-while-their-bodies-touch sequence? I remember loving it in The OC years ago.

Anyways I thought that their romance was more to do with physical attraction. Okay, it was completely to do with physical attraction. But again I don’t really blame Nora .Patch is worthy of protagonist lust-inesss.

I loved the suspense and mystery aspect of the book. That is what made me keep turning the pages. Also I am definitely going to read the sequel.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of the Twilight Saga.

They are bound to devour this book.

And while it wasn’t an amazing profound book, It at least got me warmed up to the idea of Fallen Angels and well it was a really fun read.

The Book Trailer 

Xo