Epic fantasy

  • Spring fantasy books to add to my TBR pile …

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    Can you guys believe that it’s the middle of February already? That means that March — and spring! — are right around the corner. Is it just me, or are there a lot of great-sounding fantasy books (with a lot of great-looking covers) coming out this spring? Here are some books that I’m hoping to add to my TBR pile. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon.

    Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

    Out on April 24

    For fans of Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen and Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes, Ash Princess is an epic new fantasy about a throne cruelly stolen and a girl who must fight to take it back for her people.

    Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

    For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

    Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

    For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

    My thoughts: I love YA epic fantasy, and this book sounds really interesting, especially since it seems like the heroine will use her wits to defeat her enemies.

    The Defiant Heir by Melissa Caruso

    Out on April 24

    Across the border, the Witch Lords of Vaskandar are preparing for war. But before an invasion can begin, they must call a rare gathering of all seventeen lords to decide a course of action.
     
    Lady Amalia Cornaro knows that this Conclave might be her only chance to smother the growing flames of war, and she is ready to make any sacrifice if it means saving Raverra from destruction.

    Amalia and Zaira must go behind enemy lines, using every ounce of wit and cunning they have, to sway Vaskandar from war. Or else it will all come down to swords and fire.
     
    My thoughts: I’ve been meaning to check out The Tethered Mage, book #1 in this series, and I’m hoping to read it before this book comes out.
     

    The Queen of Sorrow by Sara Beth Durst

    Out on May 15

    The battle between vicious spirits and strong-willed queens that started in the award-winning The Queen of Blood and continued in the powerful The Reluctant Queen comes to a stunning conclusion in The Queen of Sorrow, the final volume of Sarah Beth Durst’s Queens of Renthia trilogy.

    Queen Daleina has yearned to bring peace and prosperity to her beloved forest home—a hope that seemed doomed when neighboring forces invaded Aratay. Now, with the powerful Queen Naelin ruling by her side, Daleina believes that her dream of ushering in a new era can be realized, even in a land plagued by malevolent nature spirits who thirst for the end of human life.

    And then Naelin’s children are kidnapped by spirits.

    Nothing is more important to her than her family, and Naelin would rather watch the world burn than see her children harmed. Blaming the defeated Queen Merecot of Semo for the kidnapping, Naelin is ready to start a war—and has the power to do it.

    But Merecot has grander plans than a bloody battle with her southern neighbors. Taking the children is merely one step in a plot to change the future of all Renthia, either by ending the threat of spirits once and for all . . . or plunging the world into chaos.

    My thoughts: One of the things that I love about epic fantasy are all of the gorgeous covers, and I like the moody blues on this one. Plus, the story sounds really interesting.

    What about you guys? Which books are you looking forward to reading this spring?

  • Pre-order Kill the Queen, out on Sept. 25 …

    The pre-order links for Kill the Queen, the first book in my Kill the Queen epic fantasy series, are online. Woot!

    Amazon Kindle / Amazon paperback / Barnes & Noble e-book / Barnes & Noble print book / Books-A-Million / Google Play / iBooks / IndieBound / Kobo

    There will be an audiobook version, although I don’t know when those links will be online. I will share them as soon as they are online.

    Kill the Queen will be out on Sept. 25. I should also have the cover art and the description to share soon, but the book is basically Gladiator meets Game of Thrones with a kickass heroine. As of right now, there will be three books in the series.

    The ebook will be $10.99, and the print book will be $15.99 — although I see that Amazon and Barnes & Noble are both offering the print book for around $11 if you pre-order it. Note that the print book will be released as a trade paperback — the larger paperback size.

    Also, please do not complain to me about the ebook price. I do not set the ebook price — the publisher does. Plus, keep in mind that this is an epic fantasy book. My Elemental Assassin books are about 95,000 to 100,000 words. Kill the Queen is around 123,000 words. So you are getting about 25% more book for your money. And you can always request that your local library buy either an ebook or print copy of the book.

    I’ll share more information about the book as it becomes available. Thanks!

  • Winter/spring books to add to my TBR pile …

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    One of my favorite things to do in the winter when it’s cold outside is curl up on the couch with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. Here are some upcoming books that I’m looking forward to reading this winter/spring. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon.

    A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

    Out on Feb. 27

    From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .

    Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

    Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

    The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?

    My thoughts: I’ve heard a lot of good things about Cole’s books, and I love a royal-themed romance. Plus, this sounds like it has a fun, Coming to America vibe.

    Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora PIerce

    Out on Feb. 6

    The highly anticipated NEW Tortall Legend from TAMORA PIERCE, the #1 New York Times bestselling author who is legend herself, is a must-read for any fantasy lover!

    Arram. Varice. Ozorne. In the first book in the Numair Chronicles, three student mages are bound by fate . . . fated for danger.

    Act fast! The first printing of the hardcover includes a collector’s edition poster!

    Arram Draper is on the path to becoming one of the realm’s most powerful mages. The youngest student in his class at the Imperial University of Carthak, he has a Gift with unlimited potential for greatness–and for attracting trouble. At his side are his two best friends: Varice, a clever girl with an often-overlooked talent, and Ozorne, the “leftover prince” with secret ambitions. Together, these three friends forge a bond that will one day shape kingdoms. And as Ozorne gets closer to the throne and Varice gets closer to Arram’s heart, Arram realizes that one day–soon–he will have to decide where his loyalties truly lie.

    In the Numair Chronicles, readers will be rewarded with the never-before-told story of how Numair Salmalín came to Tortall. Newcomers will discover an unforgettable fantasy adventure where a kingdom’s future rests on the shoulders of a talented young man with a knack for making vicious enemies.

    My thoughts: I’ve been wanting to try Pierce’s books for a long time, and I love epic fantasy.

    Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

    Out on March 27

    Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president’s son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie’s dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.

    No phone.
    No Internet.
    And not a single word from Logan.

    Maddie tells herself it’s okay. After all, she’s the most popular girl for twenty miles in any direction. (She’s also the only girl for twenty miles in any direction.) She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full.
    Until Logan shows up six years later . . .
    And Maddie wants to kill him.

    But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back and get help. But the weather is turning and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.

    Maddie still really wants to kill Logan.
    But she has to save him first.

    My thoughts: I’ve enjoyed Carter’s other books, and this one sounds really good. A love-hate YA romance and survival story set in the Alaskan wilderness? Yes, please.

    What about you guys? What books do you want to read this winter/spring?

  • ·

    Guest author: Amanda Bouchet talks about Heart on Fire …

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    Today, I am pleased to welcome USA Today bestselling author Amanda Bouchet to my blog. Amanda is the author of the Kingmaker Chronicles epic fantasy romance series.

    Jennifer: Welcome, Amanda! Please tell readers about your new book, Heart on Fire. 

    Amanda: Thank you for inviting me, Jennifer! Heart on Fire is the final book in the Kingmaker Chronicles, a fantasy romance trilogy that began with A Promise of Fire and then Breath of Fire. In this final part of the story, Cat and Griffin continue their quest to reunite the three realms of Thalyria and go through difficult and sometimes terrifying trials as they fight to overthrow the last and most powerful of the land’s vicious leaders—Cat’s own murderous mother. 

    Jennifer: This is the third book in your Kingmaker Chronicles series. Can you tell us a little about the series? 

    Amanda: The books are set in a fantasy world based on ancient Greek mythology. The gods, legends, and mythical creatures we know as stories are an actual part of the characters’ reality, and the gods play an active role in the affairs of men. There are two types of people in Thalyria, those with magic and those without, an imbalance that has led to power abuse and conflict. Griffin is a warlord without magic but with a burning desire to overthrow the exploitative, brutal magical class. Cat is a powerful Magoi in hiding from her own people. For years, she’s been carefully avoiding her own magic and the cruel royals who would capture and use her for it. The moment he sees her, Griffin knows that Cat can help him accomplish his goals. Unfortunately for him, Cat wants nothing to do with him or his grand design for Thalyria, especially if it means exposing the secrets she’s been guarding for years. But Griffin isn’t letting her get away from him anytime soon—or possibly ever. Sparks fly, wills clash, and adventures begin!

    Jennifer: What appeals to you about the fantasy and romance genres?

    Amanda: So much! In fantasy, there are endless possibilities. As a writer, I can literally make up anything I want. How fun is that? But there is also a base to fantasy literature that incorporates things that stir me as a reader and writer—the loyalty and kinship of a band of warriors on an epic quest, the trials, the adventures and battles, the heartbreak and suffering, and the ultimate payoff of good triumphing over everything else. All of that is actually really close to what appeals to me in romance, too. I need that happily ever after in the end, but that doesn’t mean that getting there is easy or trial-free. Conflict and difficulties inevitably arise, but they only make the positive outcome for the romance all the sweeter. In both instances, it’s the journey that counts.

    Jennifer: What inspired you to write the Kingmaker Chronicles series?

    Amanda: It was the heroine, Cat! She got into my head and wouldn’t get out, even though I was writing a different story at the time. She was extremely vivid, very sarcastic, and absolutely demanded to get on the page. She wasn’t a fully-formed character in my head, though, so once she got her claws into me, I had to brainstorm about what would make her different, what was going on in her world, and who her love interest would be. For the setting, I think I must have had “Greek-ness” in the back of my mind from being half Greek myself and familiar with the mythology. Tapping into my own heritage was a way to introduce gods, monsters, and magic into the books while keeping the terminology familiar for readers. In a way, it streamlined the world building and left more room for the romance and adventure.

    Jennifer: What are some of your favorite fantasy and romance books/authors and why?

    Amanda: With so much talent out there, it’s hard to pick only a few. For fantasy, the first that comes to mind is J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books. To me, they were sheer brilliance, with so much cleverness and imagination. Also, J.K. Rowling gave us Hermione, who showed us that it’s cool for girls to be smart and not be shy about it. And she gave us Harry, who didn’t always need to be the smartest or the best, as long as he was loyal and brave. In romance, I’m a huge fan of historicals, and I’ll buy and read anything by Julia Quinn the day it comes out. I love the humor, dry wit, and complicated path to love. To combine both fantasy and romance, Kresley Cole is a definite favorite. I’ve been reading her Immortals After Dark series since the very beginning, and they never fail to sweep me off into the adventures of the characters, make me laugh out loud, and make my heart pound from the steamy love scenes.

    Jennifer: Have you always wanted to be a writer? What got you started on your writing journey? 

    Amanda: I didn’t always imagine being a writer, but I have been making up stories in my head for as long as I can remember. I didn’t actually start writing anything down until about a dozen years ago, though. After I graduated from college, I moved to France and pretty quickly married the man I’d met while studying abroad. That left me with an American degree in French, living in France, and no career plan. I spent a number of years in jobs I didn’t really enjoy before deciding to start writing with the goal of publication in mind. I had plenty of imagination, but no practice at all in writing down a full story from beginning to end. It took a lot of writing, some starts and stops, and maybe five years before I hit on the story I really wanted to polish and try to sell. That was A Promise of Fire. I spent a long time self-editing the manuscript before querying it to literary agents, but once I started the querying process, everything went very fast. 

    Jennifer: What’s next for you? What are you working on? 

    Amanda: Right now, I’m working on a new trilogy that I like to describe as Robin Hood meets Star Wars. It’s a futuristic romance where the captain of a rebel spaceship gets herself into deep trouble and needs a little help getting out. The problem is—who can she trust? And when she turns to a stranger for aid, it could mean losing her freedom, or her heart. The series is tentatively called Endeavor, and the first book should come out in early 2019. I’m loving writing something totally new for now, but I do plan on returning to the Kingmaker world to tie up some loose ends. There are secondary characters whose stories still need to be told. 

    Thank you so much for having me as a guest on your blog! 

    ALL ABOUT AMANDA 

    Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.

    A French master’s graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French. 

    Visit Amanda’s website, or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

    GIVEAWAY TIME

    Amanda is generously offering up one signed, print bundle copy of the three books in the Kingmaker Chronicles. This giveaway is open to those 18 and older. This giveaway is open internationally. To enter, use the form below.

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Fantasy books in my TBR pile …

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    Is it just me or has this been a really good year for fantasy books? Here are some fantasy books that are on my TBR pile and that I’m looking forward to reading later this year. Note that the descriptions are from Amazon.

    Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

    Out now

    One of fantasy’s finest next-generation storytellers continues to break new ground.

    Michael J. Sullivan’s trailblazing career began with the breakout success of his Riyria series: full-bodied, spellbinding fantasy adventures whose imaginative scope and sympathetic characters won a devoted readership and comparisons to fantasy masters Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch, and J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Now Age of Myth inaugurates an original five-book series.

    Since time immemorial, humans have worshipped the gods they call Fhrey, truly a race apart: invincible in battle, masters of magic, and seemingly immortal. But when a god falls to a human blade, the balance of power between humans and those they thought were gods changes forever.

    Now only a few stand between humankind and annihilation: Raithe, reluctant to embrace his destiny as the God Killer; Suri, a young seer burdened by signs of impending doom; and Persephone, who must overcome personal tragedy to lead her people. The Age of Myth is over. The time of rebellion has begun.

    My thoughts: I bought Wheezley the first book in Sullivan’s Riyria Revelations earlier this year. Wheezley really enjoyed it, and he’s read the rest of the Sullivan’s books. So I’m hoping to read some of Sullivan’s books as well.

    Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

    Out now

    The highly anticipated, entirely new coming-of-age story for the world’s greatest super hero: WONDER WOMAN by the # 1 New York Times bestselling author LEIGH BARDUGO.

    She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .
     
    Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.
     
    Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
     
    Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

    My thoughts: I’ve always been a Wonder Woman fan, and I also liked Bardugo’s Six of Crows series. Count me in.

    A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne

    Out on Oct. 17

    From the author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, a thrilling novel that kicks off a fantasy series with an entirely new mythology—complete with shape-shifting bards, fire-wielding giants, and children who can speak to astonishing beasts

    MOTHER AND WARRIOR
    Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons—all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men.

    SCHOLAR AND SPY
    Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light.  

    REBEL AND HERO
    Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all—if it doesn’t destroy him first.

    Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine—and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend.

    My thoughts: I’ve enjoyed Hearne’s Iron Druid series (although I am several books behind), so I’m interested to see his take on epic fantasy.

    What about you guys? Which fantasy books are you looking forward to reading?