Celebrating Debutantes 2017: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller (Review and Giveaway)

Posted on July 19, 2017 by blackplume

Welcome to another feature of Celebrating Debutantes 2017 event. Today I’m featuring new author Tricia Levenseller’s and her debut fantasy novel, Daughter of the Pirate King. I had so much fun reading this one. It’s fast paced, action packed and riveting. And if you’d like to know what else I thought, scroll down below for my review.

Then check also Tricia Levenseller’s author bio along with places where to find her online, and the book description and where to buy copies of Daughter of the Pirate King. And if you would like the chance to win a copy of the book, enter the rafflecopter form a bit further down in this post to be enter on the giveaway.

Review for Daughter of the Pirate King

Personal Thoughts:

Daughter of the Pirate King is an impressive debut from new author Tricia Levenseller.

Alosa is the daughter of infamous Pirate King, Kalligan, who rules over the seas. Her father sent her on a mission to retrieve a part of a map that will lead to a secret Isle and treasures. To do this, Alosa needs to infiltrate the Night Farer, a ship ruled by Captain Draxen and his first mate, Riden. She was captured by Draxen’s crew, making her hostage in exchange for ransom from the Pirate King. But what they didn’t know is Alosa is a willing prisoner. Being capture is part of her plan to find the legendary map that the Pirate King wants. But finding the part of the map is not as easy as Alosa anticipate, and it doesn’t help that Riden is very suspicious of her. She needs to unwit him and the others before the Pirate King decide to join her on his mission.

“Everyone has something dark in their past. I suppose it’s our job to overcome it. And if we can’t overcome it, then all we can do is make the most of it.”

Alosa is feisty, smart, resourceful, driven and cunning. Even she is locked inside the brig, she finds way to lets herself out at night to search the ship for the map. She maybe caught up several times by Riden, but she clearly finds her way to continue her mission. She is strong not because of her magical abilities but because she is trained, skilled and clever. Being raised by the Pirate King himself, Alosa is dangerous but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a heart. She is a pirate and also a young girl who just want to please her father. And she is willing to kill if that what it takes to accomplished her task.

As for Riden, he is wicked but merciful especially if compared to his brother, Draxen. Riden is also perceptive, smart, and kind which basically compose of his overall charm. Like Alosa, he is clever making the duel of wits between them much fun to read.

The relentless banter between Alosa and Riden is not only enjoyable but also full of tensions. Reading those parts where they try to unwitt each other pull out some grins from my face and even a few laughters. This book is unmistakably a fun read.

Aside from the witty dialogues, Tricia Levenseller also throw a bunch of adventures, and magic or fantasy which basically makes Daughter of the Pirate King thrilling and riveting.

On the whole, Daughter of the Pirate King is relentlessly fun, action-packed, fast paced and thrilling read. Author Tricia Levenseller successfully combine adventure, danger, romance and magic in this first installment of ya nautical fantasy series. Looking forward reading Alosa’s next adventure, with the hope to see more about Pirate’s politics and this new fantasy world of Pirates.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Initially from a small town in Oregon, Tricia now lives next to the Rocky Mountains with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English Language and editing, and she is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, and watching shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn.

Find Tricia

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: February 28, 2017
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audio

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Book Links

Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads | Indie Bound

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

Copy of Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

The Rules:

Open international where book depository ships
There will be one (1) winner
Winner will be chosen and announced through rafflecopter
Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
Ends August 9th, 2017
Prize will be sent via book depository

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2017 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each feature post or check out twitter and facebook using #CelebratingDebutantes2017.

The Crown’s Fate (The Crown’s Game #2) by Evelyn Skye

Posted on May 18, 2017 by blackplume

“The Game might be over, but their story was not.”

Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected.

Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom.

For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply. Although he just managed to escape death, Nikolai remains alone, a shadow hidden in a not-quite-real world of his own creation. But when he’s given a second chance at life—tied to a dark price—Nikolai must decide just how far he’s willing to go to return to the world.

With revolution on the rise, dangerous new magic rearing up, and a tsardom up for the taking, Vika, Nikolai, and Pasha must fight—or face the destruction of not only their world but also themselves.

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads | Publisher

Personal Thoughts:

The Crown’s Fate is darker, action-packed and thrilling conclusion to Evelyn Skye’s The Crown’s Game fantasy duology.

The story picks up shortly after the the first book, The Crown’s Game ended. Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter under the command of Pasha who is the next Tsarevich following his father’s death. Nikolai is gone, presumably dead after his sacrifice during the Game, saving Vika’s life. Pasha and Vika are torn in Nikolai’s death. Pasha blame himself for forcing the Game to his friends which resulted losing Nikolai. While Vika is incredibly sad. She not only loose Nikolai, she also earned a new prison she didn’t expected. She maybe the Imperial Enchanter, but she doesn’t have the power over her magic. She is bound to serve the Tsar, disobeying his orders means punishment for her.

But Nikolai isn’t really dead, he is just trapped in the dream world – a place he previously created which still holds some of his magic. After the battle with Vika and saving her, Nikolai almost drained his energy and magic, he become a shadow reeling in-between world. In order for Nikolai to go back to the real world, he must pay a dark price – a payment he isn’t willing to make. But what if the choice isn’t for him to make? What hill happen if Nikolai turned against not only to Pasha and Vika but also against himself?

One of the strongest aspects of this series is the Russian settings. Evelyn Skye weaves fantasy and Russian history together, while painting the world in an enticing imagery for readers to get lost into. I was happily lost in Saints Petersberg, following the characters in each corner of the streets of Imperial Russia. Add the political settings, and rich history where the characters are dancing, I feel like I am at the center of a grand show. The Russian elements make the story atmospheric and worth visiting over and over.

“But hadn’t they all changed? Life happened without permission, and it swept everyone along in its violent wake.”

Vika continue to be a strong character in this final installment. She is still smart, forgiving, and compassionate. When she was commanded to limit the usage of her magic, Vika realized how vulnerable she is without magic, and how she become dependent to her power. Magic maybe part of her, but it is not what she is.

“We are not defined by what we can do, but by what we actually do.”

Pasha who is soon to be a Tsar finally realize the importance of his role. With his parents gone and his best friend not on his side, he now gradually accepting his responsibilities. After the devastating outcome of the game from the previous book, he is now learning from his mistake. He wants to do things right and be a worthy Tsar of Russia.

Nikolai on the other hand, turns to the dark side. A situation he didn’t pick for himself, and no full control over. As he battle his dark side, readers will surely feel for him. Nikolai’s inner battle is sometimes intense. His newly acquired personality painted this last installment dark, edgy, even at times frustrating. It is no doubt that followers of this series will miss the old Nikolai, and will probably don’t like his newly acquired personality. On my case, I understand why his character need to be tainted. He cannot always be the perfect guy after-all. By throwing Nikolai on the dark side, Evelyn Skye open his character. Readers who love him from the first book will surely find ways to excuse his actions. Like Vika, we all believe that the old Nikolai is still there and we all want to save him.

The only mild complaint is the rush ending. Though the story was tied up pretty neatly, I feel like the conflict was easily resolved. The last battle is action packed and well delivered but I wish there was more. There are still room for more actions, answers and character development. Like more information about Vika’s parents, about Renata’s newly acquired power or even just the tea leaf reading, and Yuliana’s character. Too bad this is the final book already.

Overall, The Crown’s Fate is a fast and enthralling read. A dark and edgy conclusion to Evelyn’s Skye first fantasy duology that will probably leave readers asking for more.

* This review is based on an advance readers copy I received courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins International in exchange of honest opinion.

Avenged (Ruined #2) by Amy Tintera

Posted on April 30, 2017 by blackplume

“Just because you have the title of King doesn’t mean you have any power.”

In the sequel to Ruined, the romance of The Selection and the epic stakes of Red Queen come together in a story of revenge, adventure, and unexpected love.

Emelina Flores has come home to Ruina. After rescuing her sister Olivia from imprisonment in rival kingdom Lera, Em and Olivia together vow to rebuild Ruina to its former glory.

But their fight has only begun. Olivia is determined to destroy everyone who acts against Ruina, but Em isn’t as sure. Ever since Em posed as Prince Casimir’s betrothed in Lera, she’s started to see another side to this war. And now that Cas has taken the throne, Em believes a truce is within reach. But Olivia suspects that Em’s romantic feelings for Cas are just coloring her judgement.

Em is determined to bring peace to her home. But when winning the war could mean betraying her family, Em faces an impossible choice between loyalty and love. Em must stay one step ahead of her enemies—and her blood—before she’s the next victim in this battle for sovereignty.

Book Links: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads | Publisher

Personal Thoughts:

Avenged is a quick, easy read, and entertaining sequence to Amy Tintera’s young adult fantasy, Ruined.

In this installment, we are reacquainted with Emelina Flores and her sister Olivia. The two are now ruling side by side as Queens of Ruined. They plan to rebuild Ruina but soon they realized that it will take a while to restore their lands to its former glory. While Casimir, now the new King of Lera, is struggling to maintain his position as the new leader. His cousin, Jovita is a huge threat, and not everyone believe that he is fit to rule.

With the ending of the first book, Ruined, I was actually looking forward for Olivia in this second installment. She is the big sign that promised great battle and wars. Which makes me excited to read Avenged. Add the title, I’m positive that the book will be an action-pack read even before I start reading. And true to itself, Avenged is packed with battles and war. Olivia is portrayed as menacing, non-empathetic and cold-blooded, which makes her a terrifying villain. But Olivia doesn’t start as the villain in the story. Though readers will see her true side, for Emelina, Olivia is still her younger sister, her family – the very reason Emelina put herself in danger in Ruined.

But inspite of not seeing ahead what Olivia truly is, Emelina is actually smarter in this installment. Most of her decisions are thoughtful and clever. She don’t make drastic decisions, she ask opinions from others and most importantly she put her people first. She deserves her position as one of the leaders of the Ruined in-spite of her being powerless.

Casimir Gallegos on the other hand started weak. He was poisoned, lost his position as King, and almost give up his entire Kingdom just to be with Emelina. Soon, with the help of Em, he realized what a huge mistake it will be. He then start to claim his throne, and fight for land and his people.

“Maybe ‘coincidence’ is another word for fate.”

Emelina and Casimir are caugth in the middle of political war, revenged, and relationship issues. Which basically makes the plot flowing. With so many things that is happening around these two, there’s no time for boredom. The only mild complaint is that despite of all those things, I still feel like that the story doesn’t contribute much to the whole plot of the series. From book one, we already know that Lera and Ruina are at war with each other, which continue here in this second installment. It’s a never ending war and revenged that started from earlier generations. It’s like they haven’t learn after losing their parents and many of their people. Though we finally seen the land of warriors, Olso, and get glimpse of how their Kingdom operates, that lasted shortly and cramped near the end.

All in all, Avenged is a heart-pounding, addicting, and light-fasting read. Though it offers little resolutions being the middle book that it is, it is still satisfying and enjoyable overall. Followers of the first book, Ruined will surely relish additional time with Emelina and the rest of the characters, while eagerly waiting for the final installment.

* This review is based on an advance readers copy I received courtesy of the publisher, HarperCollins International in exchange of honest opinion.

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: The Voyage to Magical North by Claire Fayers (Author Interview + Giveaway)

Posted on August 6, 2016 by blackplume

Celebrating Debutantes 2016 Second Wave

I’m so excited for my first feature post for the second wave of Celebrating Debutantes, not only because I have a wonderful author and book to feature but also because I know you will all love today’s stop.

Author Clare Fayers is on the blog today for an interview about her middle-grade fantasy fiction The Voyage to Magical North. This delightful book is a must read for fantasy readers. If you’re looking for fun, adventurous read with magic, monsters, pirates and piraña-like penguins, this book is definitely for you. And the best news, this is only the first installment of a three books series. Yes, that is right, Clare get a three books deal for her debut novel.

Following my interview with Clare is her bio along with places where to find her online. Then there’s also the book description and where to buy copies of The Voyage to Magical North. Trust me, you need to get a copy of this book. And for a chance to own one, check the bottom of the post for the special giveaway. There’s a signed copy that is up for grab and it is open to all. How cool is that? But before that, here’s my interview with Clare first. Enjoy reading!

Author Interview with Clare Fayers

Your debut novel The Voyage to Magical North is just a first book of a series. Congratulations! How thus it feel to have a three-book deal for a first time author like you?

Very exciting and a bit terrifying. On the one hand, a three-book deal meant I could afford to give up work and write full-time, which was amazing. On the other hand, I had an outline for book2 and I was reasonably confident about it, but book 3? No idea at all. I worried for months that the deal would fall through, that my publisher would change their minds and regret ever signing me. But then I got to know my editors (I have one in the US and one in the UK) and saw how much they loved Magical North and my confidence grew.

The best thing of all – I was expecting a quiet launch, but then Waterstones (the major UK bookstore chain) chose The Voyage to Magical North as their children’s book of the month for July. I had a tremendous month visiting stores in the UK for signings and launch events and there were big piratey window displays everywhere. It’s given me a whole new appreciation of book sellers and the fantastic work they do.

Now things are a little quieter, I’m back to working on book 2 and thinking ahead to the third book.

Wow! Congratulations again. I’m sure you had fun at launch events and signing. Meeting your readers and followers.

What led up to The Voyage to Magical North?

I started with the vaguest notion that I wanted to write something fun. It soon became obvious that my ideas of fun – magic, pirates, sword-fights and penguins – were not going to exist together in the real world.

The story really came together, though, with the character of Brine Seaborne. I started to wonder why a twelve-year-old girl would want to go to Magical North – a place so full of magic that if you stand there you can see the whole world. What did she want to see? Once I’d worked that out, the Onion’s quest became her quest to find out who she is and why she was abandoned as a child.

And why middle-grade? Do you think it is easier to write for younger audience than YA and adults?

I don’t think writing for any age group is easy. I didn’t deliberately set out to write for middle-grade; the story and the humour just seemed to fall naturally into that age group. But there is something very appealing about the middle-grade audience. The kids are just growing up and seeing all the possibilities of the world, yet they have very little control over their lives, which is immensely frustrating for them. Many of my characters are driven by the desire to go beyond the rules, to find out what they are capable of doing.

What aspect of storytelling is most challenging for you, and how do you develop your weak areas?

That is such an interesting question! There are so many things I’m still learning. One thing I really had to get to grips with is viewpoint. I tell the story in the third person and switch between my main characters, and it is very easy to slip out of someone’s thoughts and feelings. Thanks to my agent (who is a great editor) I pause every paragraph or two now and ask “and how is x feeling about this?” If I don’t know, then I know I’m slipping out of their head. It sounds like a small thing, but it’s made a great difference to the book, because things tend to get more exciting when you’re really connecting with the characters.

That’s actually a good advice for writers. Thank you for sharing that to us.

Fantasy is such an exciting genre – you can create whole new worlds without much limitations. Do you have any advice for writers when they’re building these worlds? How can you make sure they seem authentic?

You don’t have to think of everything straight away. I started with a basic concept that the world would consist of small islands, most of them ruled individually, and there’d be lots of sea travel, and magic. Other things grew out of that – the different island, how magic works, the way people view magicians. You do need to be consistent, though. If you establish a rule, you can build on it but you can’t overturn it. Consistency gives a real sense of depth as you build up your world, each new idea fitting into what’s already there.

The Voyage to Magical North has a diverse cast of characters. Is it intentional or byproduct of the writing process?

Brine’s nationality is deliberate. She’s trying to find out where she belongs in the world so I wanted her to stand out physically as not belonging. The rest of it is a byproduct of the world, which is composed of vast oceans and scattered islands. It made sense to me that people on the different islands would look different and have different customs and cultures. And the crew of the Onion come from all over the world, so there’s quite a mix.

Without too much spoiler, tell us about the next book of The Voyage to Magical North

Following a clue that Brine might have come from a lost island in the Western Ocean, the Onion sails west and soon the crew are braving giant spiders, man-eating plants and maybe even dinosaurs in the land that Brine forgot.

—

Thank you so much Claire for stopping by today and for taking the time to answer all my questions above. I’m looking forward to the next adventure of Brine and Peter.