On Tour with Prism Book Tours...
Dragonwitch
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Paperback, 432 pages
Published July 1, 2013 by Bethany House Publishers
Submissive to her father’s will, Lady Leta of Aiven travels far to meet a prospective husband she neither knows nor loves–Lord Alistair, future king of the North Country.
But within the walls of Gaheris Castle, all is not right. Vicious night terrors plague Lord Alistair to the brink of insanity. Whispers rise from the family crypt. The reclusive castle Chronicler, Leta’s tutor and friend, possesses a secret so dangerous it could cost his life and topple the North Country into civil war.
And far away in a hidden kingdom, a fire burns atop the Temple of the Sacred Flame. Acolytes and priestesses serve their goddess to the limits of their lives and deaths. No one is safe while the Dragonwitch searches for the sword that slew her twice…and for the one person who can wield it.
Wow!! I've heard good things about this series and wanted to read it so what better way than to jump in on book 5? I see why people rave about these books. I was confused at first and thought I needed to start with book 1, but since I didn't have time to get through all the books before today, decided to keep reading. A couple of the names were similar and since I hadn't heard them before, I was confused but then the story started to make sense to me and came together. I didn't sail through this book because I needed to concentrate on what was happening and I loved it!!
This is a book I feel you need to read for yourself to experience how amazing it is. The characters are flawed and I felt sympathy for even the worst of them. The best of them find ways to improve and become even better (and more lovable). No one has all the answers but they each have a piece of the puzzle to insert at the right time to help. There are different stories going on that weave together to tell a fascinating tale.
I enjoyed Stengl's world building and look forward to learning more about Goldstone Wood. There are characters from other books that are included in this story and I'm looking forward to going back and starting with book 1 so I'll know more about them. Book 6 comes out in the spring so I have some time...
Be sure to enter the generous giveaway offered below--a print copy of the entire series to date is definitely worth owning!
My Rating=5 stars
Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, and STARFLOWER, with DRAGONWITCH due to release in 2013. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.
Facebook * Twitter * Website/Blog * Goodreads
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!
Since today is the day we celebrate freedom, pull up a chair and your favorite beverage of choice as we ask Anne Elisabeth some questions. Be sure to visit the other blogs on the tour to find out even more good stuff!
1. What are some of your favorite books and what book are you reading now?
I love anything by Sir Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones, and C.S. Lewis. They are probably my three favorite authors! (Is it fair to pick authors rather than books? I feel like I get more in there this way . . . )
Right now I am reading A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner. It’s book 4 in the Queen’s Thief series, which is possibly my favorite YA fantasy series of all time. I am also reading a Georgette Heyer novel called Bath Tangle, which is delightfully hilarious. I love Heyer’s wit and grasp of the language. It’s a sophisticated laugh!
2. What was your favorite part to write and why?
In Dragonwitch my favorite part to write ended up being the beginning . . . which is funny, because the beginning of this book gave me more trouble than any other book I’ve written before or since! I seriously wrote five or six different beginnings, each one about 40,000 words long, which I ended up dumping.
I finally ended up starting the book in the middle, writing to the end, and then going back and adding the beginning. But by then, I really knew what I wanted to do, so I thoroughly enjoyed writing it!
3. If you couldn't be an author, what would your ideal career be?
I would probably be an art or writing teacher. I love to teach, love to work with students. I used to be an art teacher/portrait painter before I took up full-time writing, and I really enjoyed that job. Not quite as much as I enjoy the writing, though!
I hadn't heard of the Queen's Thief series before so I looked it up and it does look good, so thanks for the tip! And, thanks, Anne Elisabeth, for allowing us to get to know you better and I look forward to learning even more as the tour progresses. Also, a little trivia--I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina from the ages of 4-15 (a long time ago) so I'm a little jealous that that's where you live!
I hadn't heard of the Queen's Thief series before so I looked it up and it does look good, so thanks for the tip! And, thanks, Anne Elisabeth, for allowing us to get to know you better and I look forward to learning even more as the tour progresses. Also, a little trivia--I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina from the ages of 4-15 (a long time ago) so I'm a little jealous that that's where you live!
Tour-wide Giveaway -
USA, Canada & UK - Print Copy of the entire series to date!
See Rafflecopter for giveaway details.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Pull up a chair and a cup of tea... we've invited Anne Elisabeth to every blog on the tour!
July
1 – Book Release!
3 – TheOther World
4 – Mel’sShelves
5 – JL Mbewe
9 – BookwormLisa
10 – Jojo’sCorner
11 – LDS& Lovin’ It
14 – Mommasez…
15 – Dee’sReads
17 – Livinga Goddess Life
18 – Cu’sEbook Giveaways
19 – Grand Finale Blast!
5 comments:
I do not have a question, but I do love the Tales of Goldstone Wood!
Caitlyn
I love the covers for these books--especially Starflower. I've also heard a lot about these books, but haven't read them yet. They'll be next on my list!
Love this series! It's so interesting to know that you jumped in at book 5 and loved it. I'll be curious to know what you think of the rest of the books. :-)
Taylor, I agree that the covers are amazing. I'll be interested to hear what you think of them.
Jennette, It has the feel of classic literature to me and I loved that I had to concentrate on what I was reading. Also, it's clean with a great message so I feel safe in recommending it to others to read. I'm anxious to get to the rest of them and will when my TBR pile goes down a little bit (or when I have time to sneak each one in).
(Question) Where is your favorite place to write?
I love the covers and premise for this series and I cannot wait to read it!
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