Yearly Archives:: 2012

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Treachery of Beautiful Things Tour Stop

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The Treachery of Beautiful Things is a highly anticipated novel for lovers of fantasy, and especially perfect if you’re looking for an old-fashioned fairy tale. Today I’m very happy to have Ruth Frances Long over for an interview, and you can win your very own copy!

The Treachery of Beautiful Things
Ruth Frances Long
Publication date: August 16th 2012
by Dial Books

 

A darkly compelling mix of romance, fairy tale, and suspense from a new voice in teen fiction

The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she’s lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice–and not just her own.

Interview with Ruth Frances Long

Q. Let’s start with telling us what it is about writing fantasy that you love the most?

I love the sense of exploring the edge of human existence and beyond, the way it combines our oldest and newest tales, adventure, mystery and passion.

Q. What was the best part of creating the world inside The Treachery of Beautiful Things?

While researching for The Treachery of Beautiful Things, the stories and legends I was looking at seemed to form links of their own, to interconnect in unexpected ways. Stories also emerged from between the words I wrote, old stories I did not originally intend to use, but they seemed to force their way in nonetheless. It was sort of magical.

Q. What type of research went into building this fantasy world?

I read a lot of folklore and fairy tales, tracing stories as far back as I could wherever possible. I looked at a wide variety of tales from different cultures and found the places where they intersected. We also visited the White Horse at Uffington and Waylands Smithy on a glorious summer’s day, and traced Jack’s path along the Ridgeway between the two.

Q. The cover for The Treachery of Beautiful Things is absolutely gorgeous and I’m sure you’ve had tons of feedback on it. What’s the best comment you ever got? Is there one that stands out?

The feedback on the cover has been wonderful, and so exciting. I love when people notice the tiny details pertinent to the story, like the way the flowers become part of the dress. The details are amazing and I’m so grateful to the very talented artist, Danielle Delaney, for doing such a fabulous job. On a more humorous not, there was the comment from a good friend: “that girl needs a sandwich!” J

Q. Is there anything you can  tell us about yourself or the book that would surprise your readers?

Much of the landscape—the forests, the Ridgeway, Wayland’s Smithy—are real places, or based on real places. There are old forests and old places everywhere. It’s worth a visit to get a sense of the other that seems to linger there.


Thanks so much for coming over the blog, Ruth! I’m glad I got to be a part of your tour!

 

A lifelong fan of fantasy, romance, and ancient mysteries, Ruth Frances Long studied English Literature, History of Religions, and Celtic Civilization in college and now works in a specialized library of rare and unusual books. She lives in County Wicklow, Ireland. The Treachery of Beautiful Things is her first novel for teens.

This post was a part of:

Giveaway
Thanks to Itching For Books Tour and treachery Penguin Young Readers Group, there’s one finished copy of The Treachery of Beautiful Things up for giveaway.

Open to US addresses only
Giveaway ends August 15th, 2012
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Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (16)

Posted by on 08/12/2012 • 58 Comments

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week. This week at Xpresso Reads

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all taking advantage of the last weeks of summer *sniffs* I can’t believe how fast it went by. I don’t know if you remember on my last Stacking the Shelves I got a book that had the cover hidden – Nobody – well, sorry but I still can’t show you the cover until the 16th, >.< BUT, you can enter to win an ARC and, get this, four other books by Jennifer Lynn Barnes are included in the prize pack! I also posted a new giveaway along with my review…

Review: Feed by Mira Grant

Posted by on 08/11/2012 • 39 Comments

FeedMira GrantSeries: Newsflesh, #1Publication date: May 1st 2010by Orbit

 

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.  NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

“The zombies are here, and they’re not going away, but they’re not the story. They were, for one hot, horrible summer at the beginning of the century, but now they’re just another piece of the way things work….

Fresh Batch (August 12th – 18th)

Posted by on 08/11/2012 • 20 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

False MemoryDan KrokosSeries: False Memory, #1Release date: August 14th 2012by Hyperion

 

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.

Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy–especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving. Then…

Review: Spookygirl by Jill Baguchinsky

Posted by on 08/10/2012 • 19 Comments

Spookygirl: Paranormal Investigator Jill BaguchinskyPublication date: August 21st 2012by Dutton Juvenile

 

Violet doesn’t remember much about her late mother, but she is certain of one thing: she too can see ghosts and communicate with the dead. But when Violet discovers paranormal activity in the girls’ locker room, she finds herself ill-equipped for handling the school’s ghostly echoes. Through Violet’s own investigation and with the help of some unlikely allies, Violet discovers there is a lot she doesn’t know about her special skill–and more still that can stand in the way of its power. With sharp wit and determination, Violet sets out to uncover the truth behind her school’s haunting, to finish the investigation that led to her mother’s sudden death, and to learn why the only ghost she…

Review: Skylark by Meagan Spooner

Posted by on 08/09/2012 • 37 Comments

Combining magic, science-fiction, and a scary futuristic setting, Skylark is original in its concept that brings forth a dark, twisted world where magic, and monsters, run rampant.

I was wary at first because I wasn’t sure how well the mix of dystopian and magic would mingle, but I found myself quite captivated by it all, though this did not happen right away. At the very start there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to the world building: What exactly is this harvesting and why is it done? Where does the magic come from? How does society live before and after the harvesting? These are some of the questions that accumulates after the first few chapters, making it hard to get into initially. Due to this showing rather than telling…

Waiting on Wednesday (48)

Posted by on 08/08/2012 • 60 Comments

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.  My pick this week:

Shadowlands Kate Brian Release date: January 8th 2013by Hyperion Books for Children  

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to…

Review: The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley

Posted by on 08/07/2012 • 32 Comments

The Color of SnowBrenda StanleySeries: Standalone Publication date: June 1st 2012by Tribute Books

 

Can a troubled young girl reenter society after living in isolation?

When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora–a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.

Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who…