Discussion & List: The Joy of Book Two

I have a love/hate relationship with series, but today I'm going to focus on the positive and gush about my explosive love for series, particularly book two.

Starting a series is great with all of its first-date suspense, hope, and possibilities. Few things come close to the delicious anticipation of wondering if I'll fall head over heels for this book and open a brand new chapter of awesomeness in my life.

Life was never the same

And then, if the stars align and everything comes together perfectly, then there's the wait for the second book. And, yeah, it's excruciating. But it's also kind of fun because even though I have to wait, I KNOW there will be a big payoff when the time comes due.

Plus, since it's only the second book, so I know I can read the book without all the sadness that comes along with reading the last book in the series when you know it's really The End.

It's like Christmas, or my birthday. Sure they only come once a year, but when they DO come, they're filled with piles of presents and tons of tasty food and general wonderfulness. And the best part is, I know these things are coming. I can rely on that guaranteed happiness, even if I have to wait a whole year for it.

And we get to do this EVERY year!

The second book in a series is often a dangerous thing, fraught with all sorts of peril like series stretching and the introduction of the dreaded Secondary Love Interest. Usually, second books scare the life out of me.

This didn't work out well for anyone

BUT, every rare once in a while a first book is so incredible, so special, so perfect that I KNOW the next book will be nothing short of chocolate fudge levels of perfection.

(Of course I'm still a little afraid I'll experience a crushing blow if the book doesn't live up to my super high expectations, but shhh, I'm pretending that isn't even a fraction of a possibility. Because, I just, I cannot fathom that reality.)

I've had my heart crushed way too many times by book disappointment, so I don't let my heart run wild after just any old book. I'm picky and jaded and I don't want to be hurt again.

 So this is my teeny tiny list of sequels I've allowed myself to throw all caution to the wind and fall madly in love with the mere idea of their existence.

They'd better live up.

Fair warning: There be (tiny) spoilers for the first books here!

The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke
sequel to The Pirate's Curse

The first book hit pretty much all of my marks for a Special Shelf book with its sleepover friend paragon of a main character, sizzling hate-turned-love romance, and heaps of fantasy peril and action. The ending left off with the potential for an even more excitement-filled quest to come, and if the strength of the first book is any indication, The Pirate's Curse is going to set a new high in quest-fantasy.

I'm banking on The Pirate's Wish having all that, and more. Namely, I want more sizzle in the romance. Sure it was pretty close to perfect in the first book, but I felt like Naji was holding out in that department a little. He's a little too closed off and mysterious, so I'm hoping book two sheds a little more light on his, presumably, growing feelings for Ananna.

An 11th hour name change wouldn't hurt, either (I mean, Naji?? I'm still not over it).

The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
sequel to The False Prince

The idea of basking in Sage's presence is enough for me. I don't even care all that much what he's doing.

But, I'd prefer if he were scheming and manipulating and being cheeky about it all like he was in The False Prince. The blurb gives me hope that there will be a good dose of twistyness mixed with clever plotting and murder (always good for a book, I think).

I like that the blurb makes it sound like Sage has matured and gotten all responsible in The Runaway King (I always love a Capable Guy), but I'm hoping his signature sass hasn't been completely set aside. Also, a little more development of that barely-there distrustful romance would be fantastic. But just a smidgen.

The only thing I'm really not jumping for joy over is the name change. I read the blurb three times thinking, "Who the heck is Jaron?!" before I realized that, oh yeah, that's Sage's real name. But, pfft. He'll always be Sage to me.

The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy
sequel to The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

I can't stop recommending The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. Adults, kids, teens, tweens—I've even made the elderly whip out their magnifiers and read that book. My pitch is simple: Do you like to laugh? Well then, do I have a book for you!

I'm expecting nothing less out of Christopher Healy's follow up. The cover and blurb are certainly worthy and I have no doubt the author is up to the task. So, my expectations? Super high. But my fears the book might not fulfill those expectations? Practically zero. I have total confidence, Mr. Healy.

I don't really have doubts or hopes for this sequel. Not like the other books. In this case, I just hope The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle is filled with all of the same characters (and maybe a few new ones, too. Evil villainS? Plural? Yessssss) and that they're acting exactly like themselves. And, ok, maybe it would be cute to see the rearranged couples pair up a little more solidly, but that isn't a requirement at all.

Biggest reason I'm crossing my fingers in hopeful anticipation? I desperately want Bronson Pinchot to record an audiobook version.

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
sequel to Grave Mercy

I know this book is following different characters from the main duo in Grave Mercy, but I'm kind of okay with that. Don't get me wrong, I loved Ismae and Duvall, but I'm all about the slow burn romance and that ship has sailed for them already. When the romance comes together in book one, all book two usually offers is conflict and third parties. Or sappy, spark-less tru wuv. Either way, no thank you!

So I'm all over the idea of keeping the awesome world of assassin nuns, gods of death, and courtly intrigue but turning the focus on two new love interests. Sybella is even more distrustful and prickly than Ismae, so I'm not expecting any kind of instalove nonsense out of her. In fact, the only instalove I'm pretty certain about is the love I have for Sybella, and I can't wait to get to know her even more.

My only fear? I wasn't IN LOVE with Sybella's soon-to-be-main-squeeze. So, yeah, I'm worried I won't be feeling this romance the way I was with Duvall. But I trust Robin, so I'm not too worried. Plus, I'm sure I'll be plenty distracted with all of the historical fantasy world building and political intrigue.

Also, Sybella. I really have fallen in instalove.

What about you?

What series are you SO in love with that you just KNOW the second book will be complete perfection for you?

Do you have any hopes or fears for them?

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Book Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
# 1 in the His Fair Assassin series
Release Date: March 7, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 528
Received: ARC from author
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Special Shelf

Summary

From Goodreads:

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Review

It's *THAT* book!

I had perfectly moderate hopes for Grave Mercy after having enjoyed Robin LaFever's MG book Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos but not really having any idea what to expect from her foray into YA.

Apparently what I should have expected was the answer to all of my bookish prayers, because that's exactly what I got! It was like Robin LaFevers looked directly into my heart and then wrote out the story of my dreams.

Assassin nuns

I have a fascination with assassins, probably because they both do what I will never experience (um, killing people) and they are experts at stealth and physical prowess (I'm about as stealthy as a puppy, which is, yeah, not very).

Ismae is totally badass when it comes to her assassin skills. She is a master at poisons and pretty handy with physical combat. Need someone killed? Ismae is your girl!

But when Ismae is assigned to play the part of a mistress in order to ferret out deadly court secrets, she's a total fish out of water.

I adored her! She's one of those MCs who is imperfect--she makes mistakes, she isn't always right, she puts her foot in her mouth when talking to the guy she likes, and I love her for her imperfections (probably because I share them). Her first person narration was especially wonderful in showing her embarrassment over her social flubs.

Ismae is also torn between following her heart and following the directives of her convent, and her conflicted feelings here really resonated with me. I felt for her, and even though I've never actually been in the position of to-kill-or-not-to-kill, I could still totally understand her struggle between pleasing others or pleasing herself. I loved seeing her grow into her own woman!

Sa-Woon!

I'm super picky about romance, but Grave Mercy dished up my absolute favorite kind. The guy, Duval, isn't a weenie (auto-points for that!). To prove this, he totally held his own when he and Ismae were attacked (Hot guy with sword alert!!). And this is just one example among many other wonderfully manly actions.

Of course he's physically attractive, but I fell in love with him because he's also smart, strong, unwaveringly loyal, and the type of person who inspires that same loyalty in return.

He didn't exactly like or trust Ismae when they first met (hate turned love--more points!!), but he still treated her with respect because he's classy like that. Their romance evolved slowly across the book and never overwhelmed the plot. But did I get *that* kiss at the end?

OH YEAH, and a lot more than that! My favorite parts were actually the non-kissing parts when Duval visits Ismae's bedroom at night (no, not how you're thinking). Those scenes crackled with romantic tension.

This book is probably more like Poison Study where it is an adult/YA crossover instead of straight YA. Some of the themes and events may be a little mature for younger YA audiences.

Dasdardly plots

The political intrigue is ramped up to 11 and with all the twists and turns, I rarely knew who to trust. So many people had motives, and many of them were engaged in smaller side schemes.

As the story came together I was able to deduce the ultimate bad guy before Ismae, which might have been a little frustrating but really didn't bug me in the face of all the other awesomeness.

I also wasn't overly bothered by discovering the who because the effects of their scheming were still engaging. Poor Anne (the duchess, Duval's half sister and the woman to whom Ismae's convent has sworn their loyalty) is put in truly awful situations and as the book progresses, Anne's position becomes increasingly perilous.

I adored Anne, so I had my book clutched in a white knuckled grip wondering how in the world Ismae and Duval were going to outsmart all of Anne's enemies and worrying that something truly awful was going to happen as the machinations of the court vipers slowly closed in around them.

Historical backdrop

The setting of Grave Mercy is medieval France from the perspective of Brittany (who, at this point has been taken over by France but is still trying to maneuver for independence).

I knew NOTHING about this time period. Literally, embarrassingly, nothing. Prior to reading this book I even thought Brittany was in a completely different part of Europe. See? Embarrassing, but true.

So given that, I have absolutely no clue about the level of historical accuracy or inaccuracy in Grave Mercy. I do now know (thanks to Wikipedia) that Anne was a real person and the broad stroke events surrounding her marriage situation and the plight of Brittany at the time are true. (Although I've since learned a lot more from this slightly spoilery author's note).

But did my lack of knowledge matter? Nope, not at all. Robin LaFevers constructed her story in such a way that I didn't need to have any prior historical understanding. To me, it felt like I was reading a well-developed fantasy world with a detailed cultural backdrop and loads of political intrigue.

Bottom line

The pacing isn't super fast, but it isn't slow either. It's what I'd call "slow-burn pacing." There was always something that held my interest and the secrets behind the political intrigue were unraveled at a pace somewhere between tantalizingly slow and satisfyingly fast.

Though, honestly, these characters could sit around watching grass grow and I would still be interested in reading about them.

Grave Mercy is the first book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy, but it reads like a standalone. The next book will take place in the same setting, but will focus on a different girl and the final book on a third girl.

I can't recommend Grave Mercy highly enough! I am so, so happy there will be more books in this fantastically wonderful new series.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Grave Mercy that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

Need more incentive? 
Check out my cover review! 
Check out Robin's interview from the Historical Fantasy Jubilee!

Add it on Goodreads! 
Buy it on Amazon!


(I made sure to post this AFTER the release so you don't have to torture yourselves. No more waiting!)

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Click on the covers to go to my reviews and/or Goodreads.

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Cover Review: Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Seven reasons you like this cover...

...and why that means you're going to love Grave Mercy

You zeroed in on PRETTY DRESS

It's pretty fabulous, isn't it? It's all flowing and red, and it actually looks like it came from the past and not a prom catalog. Ismae has a few notable scenes where she gets to dress up in pretty dresses I wish I owned.

This dress also has presence, and unlike many "pretty dress" covers, this dress doesn't seem like it will hamper Ismae's ability to use that crossbow.

Ok, so maybe running is out, but Ismae isn't the type to run an hide anyway. Plus, imagine how many weapons she can hide in those folds? And I promise you, she does.

You're tired of damsels in distress

If your interest was piqued at the sight of a female lead toting a giant "Don't Mess With Me" weapon, then you're in for a treat.

Ismae is an assassin, and this point is driven home on multiple occasions. That crossbow? It's only a small part of her arsenal--an arsenal she makes full use of throughout the book.


 

You want to live in a castle

Come on, be honest, when you looked at that castle, did a tiny part of you cry out, "Mine!"? Or was that just me?

Ismae spends most of the book inside a castle as she tries to figure out which one of the guests is a viper in disguise.

You like historical settings

Doesn't that font scream "historical"? Grave Mercy takes place in medieval France and the historical setting is definitely a presence (though not at all in a boring, overly-detailed way).

You want more than a Barbie

No question, the cover model is pretty. But she's not gorgeous in that "I don't want to stand in a room with you because you're so overwhelmingly beautiful" kinda way either.

And that's Ismae. Her looks don't monopolize anything. As it should be.

You're not going to be bored with the YA cliches of Ismae talking about how plain she looks (while simultaneously attracting the eye of every single male character in the entire book), nor will you be bombarded with reminders of her shinning hair and porcelain skin.

But don't fear, someone will find her attractive...eventually (*hint* *hint* Do you remember what kind of romance I love?)

You're not one to take things lying down

Does this tagline need any more explanation? If you like the sound of it, then I have a feeling Ismae and Duval will be your new best friends.

You know a storm brewing when you see one...and you like it!

Check out those clouds! I don't need to be a meteorologist to figure out that some nasty weather is rolling in. Darkness swirls around Ismae in the story, too, with dastardly plots closing in on her from multiple directions. But see that brightness behind her? See that strong stance and determined look in her eyes? Yep, Ismae is SO going to bring it.

 

Remember that book pushing I promised you? Well, it starts today! Check out Ruby's Reads today to learn more about Grave Mercy and enter for a chance to win an ARC! 
(Heads up, the ARC copy doesn't have this gorgeous cover, but it is cool and looks like this.)


Check out our Historical Fantasy Jubilee full schedule of events and giveaways!

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Author Interview: Robin LaFevers + Giveaway (US)

Please Welcome Robin LaFevers!

Robin LaFevers is the Middle Grade author of the adorable Theodosia Throckmorton and Nathaniel Fludd series, as well as the upcoming YA series His Fair Assassin (Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph, and Dark Hope). You already know how I feel about Theodosia from my review yesterday, but I'm warning you now, get ready for massive book pushing from me when it comes to Grave Mercy (think The River of Time series kinda book pushing. Yeah, it's that good).

I love both Robin's MG and YA books, and they are both historical fantasies, but they are distinct in tone and feel. Robin is here today to talk with you about channeling those very different voices. 

 There are NO spoilers here!

Website | Twitter | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads

All The Voices In My Head
by R. L. LaFevers

My editor wasn’t overly surprised when I submitted my second series to her, Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist. After all, I was already writing one middle grade series, and going from a precocious eleven year old girl in Edwardian England to a timid ten year old in post WWI England was only a jump of a few short years and one or two stages in childhood development.

But, when I turned in my latest project, a dark YA historical fantasy about teen assassin nuns in medieval France, she was, to say the least, floored. And possibly more than a little concerned for the state of my mental health. She loved the project, but had a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that all three had come from the same person.

The answer to her question, where do all these ideas come from probably did not reassure her, because the truth is, the voices just come: A wounded eight year old musing in my head, wondering what will become of him now. Or a clever-yet-needy eleven year old, who is too smart for her own good and is torn between testing the full strength of that cleverness and being the child her parents want her to be and thus ensuring their love.

But of course, a snippet of conversation, even inside my own head, is not enough to make a book. That’s where the hard work comes in, the rolling up of proverbial sleeves and digging and prodding, trying to understand who these characters are and why I am the one to best suited to telling their story.

After enough digging and thinking and pondering, the answer usually ends up being that we, the characters and I, have had something in common at one point or another.

Writers tend to go to where the best material is; for me, that was childhood. I was anxious, frightened a lot, insecure, and powerless. In other words, ripe for a transformative journey that would turn me into a hero. I think it is not uncommon for writers of children’s fiction to have been voiceless as a child, to have their childhood scars and wounds be some of the most severe that they have sustained during their lives.

Each of my characters start with at least one core emotion or defining characteristic that is mine, if not now, then back in the distant murky past. That’s not to say that each character is me; far from it. But I have to have one point of entry into each of my characters, a point of access, if you will, like the opening in a glove through which I can slip my hand, allowing me to enter, not only their world, but their very skin. Because for me, that is key. I don’t watch my characters from without as they move through the story world, but instead, I move through their world as them. I become them.

The truth is, we all have many facets to ourselves. We all laugh and cry, are brave sometimes and terrified others. In some situations—and with the right people—we can be quite droll and witty. Other people or situations make us so anxious that we become timid and fearful.

All of us have a tender inner child who experienced a first loss, or vividly remembers the first moment when they learned their parents weren’t infallible. As children, most of us have looked at the adults in our lives and marveled at their cluelessness. Or kept secrets from them simply because the act of keeping a secret was the only power we had.

As we grow older, we have all taken steps to claim our personal power, self actualize, all that painful growing up stuff. Some of us do it in tentative baby steps and others in giant leaps. Still others struggle with it their entire lives.

I think one key to being a successful writer for children and teens is being able to access those emotions of long ago.

Pictures help. So does having a good, long, perhaps unforgiving memory.

So my secret is simply that I tap into all those various selves. It is pretty much that simple, but it is far from easy. For even though we might share one or two key emotions, there is still a lot of prep work involved in taking that emotion or memory and turning it into a living, breathing, autonomous character on the page. Collecting pictures of the time period, looking through my own childhood photos, not just to connect with myself, but especially when writing boy characters, to look back and remember in intimate detail the struggles my brothers went through, their fears and worries and joys. That is helped somewhat by the fact that I have two sons, and have been able to watch them and their friends over the years (and take notes!)

It requires locating true memories, rather than reminiscence. Memories that have not been shaded or stretched or papered over by family dynamics or retellings—but are true recollections containing both our ten year old joy and delight and our ten year old disappointment or anger or sense of betrayal. You can usually recognize those true memories by the small, visceral emotional punch that can still be felt in our bodies; an echo, if you will, of how we felt back then. It might be a small lump in our stomach reminiscent of the tummyaches we used to get all the time, the faintest quickening of our heartbeat, or a ghost of clamminess on our palms.

So as an eight year old, I was fearful and anxious and worried, but I was also surrounded by a huge variety of pets; cats, dogs, chickens, chipmunks, a goat, and at one point, two baby bear cubs. Exotic animals were a hugely positive part of my childhood experience and I took great pleasure from the special bonds formed with them. I also had a grandmother who would swoop down and take me away for a few days when everything got to be too much.

At eleven, I was hugely curious and very clever and loved books and myths. Libraries seemed to me to be holy ground, as did museums. My divorced parents were hugely distracted with their own disintegrating  lives and it is probably safe to say that I was emotionally on my own for a time.

And at eighteen, ah, at eighteen I met my husband. (Yes, we were that young) and ran smack dab into something I thought did not exist: unconditional love. He required nothing of me, simply loved me for myself, warts and all. (Although for the record, I would like to make it clear that I had no warts. Not then, not now.) The impact of that love changed the trajectory of my entire life.

The hardest part of using all this raw material for our work is clawing our way past our own adult filters, because of course now, as adults, it is much easier to see where parents were coming from and perhaps even agree with their decisions and actions. As writers for children, we have to forget all that. We have to be true to the childhood experience. We owe that to our young readers, be they eight years old or eighteen.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Robin!


Ah ha! So that is why I find myself relating so well with teen and tween characters! I really do enjoy a book so much more when the characters' emotions truly resonate with emotions and experiences I have had throughout my life.

What about you? Do you find you connect better with a book when you can relate to the main character and live their experience? If you write, have you ever tried this approach to developing your characters?

Robin is generously providing a copy of your choice from either her Theodosia Throckmorton series or her Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist series for giveaway!

Click here to enter!

Info for the giveaway:

• As always, you do NOT have to be a follower
• You must have a US address
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• One entry per person
• Your address is not required, but including it will help with sending the book out to you sooner
• I will contact the winner through email and the winner will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen 
• This giveaway closes on December 7th

What about Steampunk? Is it historical fantasy?  Share your thoughts today with Ruby!

Check out our Historical Fantasy Jubilee full schedule of events and giveaways!

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Spotlight List: 5 Reasons I Love Historical Fantasy

1. Opportunities for humor

I like to laugh, and historical fantasy is a genre ripe for humor. Just take the fantasy element of time travel, for example. The "fish out of water" possibilities are endless!

One of my all time favorite humorous scenes was in Emily Whitman's Wildwing where the main character totally flubs the dining conventions of the time.

Then, to make things even funnier, Emily Whitman gives us a peek into one of the local's impressions of the time traveler--showing that she didn't pull things off anywhere near as well as she thought!

2. Makes it feel like magic could be real

Perhaps it's because, deep down (or, not so deep), I want to be a fairy tale princess (minus the evil stepmother or curses, plus the handsome prince), but a part of me is still holding out hope that I can live in a world where magic actually exists.

Of course that's unlikely to happen, so immersing myself in historical fantasy worlds is the next best thing! The historical part grounds me in the real world so the story feels like it could actually happen, and then the fantasy part makes my dreams come true.

Check out Stephanie Dray's books about Cleopatra's daughter Selene for an example of magic and history coming together seamlessly.

3. Hot guys

I am a firm believer that a hot man will become ten times hotter if he wields a sword. And do you know how common a sword-wielding hero is in historical fantasy??

VERY common.

Plus, historical men oozed with chivalry goodness. Just look at Lisa T. Bergren's River of Time series for an example of how unbelievably hot historical fantasy men can be.

4. Women's roles are more interesting

Let's face it, the life of most women in history was booor-rriiinng! Sure authors can make a totally spunky female lead who doesn't follow any of the conventions of her time, but that's a very tricky thing to do and still make the book feel historical and be true to the historical setting.

So enter historical fantasy. Suddenly that boring life is made interesting because maybe she can do magic spells, or see the future, or time travel, or do any number of fantastical things. Instantly better (without being anachronistic!).

The fantasy aspects also let me stretch my rigid historical standards a little. I can more easily buy that a woman would be a master assassin in a world where magic also exists.

5. History + Fantasy = 

The perfect combo

Historical fiction and fantasy are two of my favorite genres ever. Combining the two is simply perfection!

What are some of the reasons you love the genre? Which books are some of your favorite examples?

Dislike any of these features? Feel free to share why!

Click here for more Spotlight Lists

What about on the author's end of things? Why do authors like writing historical fantasy? Ruby has the answer (and a giveaway) today!

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