Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the SERAPHINA blog tour being presented by Random House Children's Books in honor of the upcoming release of SHADOW SCALE! Today I'll be doing a spotlight feature on the first book in the series, Seraphina, and don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a copy! Be sure to check back on March 12th when the tour for SHADOW SCALE stops by - with my review and another awesome giveaway!
Seraphina (Seraphina #1)
Author: Rachel Hartman
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: December 23, 2014 (paperback ed.)
Publisher: Ember
Description:
Lyrical, imaginative, and wholly original, this New York Times
bestseller with 8 starred reviews is not to be missed. Rachel
Hartman’s award-winning debut will have you looking at dragons as you’ve
never imagined them before…
In the kingdom of Goredd, dragons and humans live and work side by side – while below the surface, tensions and hostility simmer.
The newest member of the royal court, a uniquely gifted musician named Seraphina, holds a deep secret of her own. One that she guards with all of her being.
When a member of the royal family is brutally murdered, Seraphina is drawn into the investigation alongside the dangerously perceptive—and dashing—Prince Lucien. But as the two uncover a sinister plot to destroy the wavering peace of the kingdom, Seraphina’s struggle to protect her secret becomes increasingly difficult… while its discovery could mean her very life.
In the kingdom of Goredd, dragons and humans live and work side by side – while below the surface, tensions and hostility simmer.
The newest member of the royal court, a uniquely gifted musician named Seraphina, holds a deep secret of her own. One that she guards with all of her being.
When a member of the royal family is brutally murdered, Seraphina is drawn into the investigation alongside the dangerously perceptive—and dashing—Prince Lucien. But as the two uncover a sinister plot to destroy the wavering peace of the kingdom, Seraphina’s struggle to protect her secret becomes increasingly difficult… while its discovery could mean her very life.
Praise:
“In a young readers’ market dominated by sexy paranormal creatures, it’s refreshing to return to an epic fantasy about good old-fashioned dragons—although Seraphina . . . isn’t exactly old-fashioned. It’s a novel that will appeal to both fans of Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series and Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Full of grace and gravitas, Seraphina’s first-person voice is a welcome change from today’s snark-infested YA novels. Readers loath to turn the last page of this lush, intricately plotted fantasy will rejoice in the knowledge of [a] sequel.”
—The Washington Post
“Her world-building is so detailed and well-integrated, each character and place so well-drawn, one wonders if they truly exist somewhere. . . . Endorsed by fantasy powerhouses such as Christopher Paolini and Tamora Pierce, Seraphina is an engaging and innovative fantasy that uses the plights of dragons and humans as an allegory for the real prejudices we all must face.”
—BookPage
“Passion and musicality—those are the qualities prized by Seraphina, the fiercely intelligent, headstrong half-human/half-dragon heroine in Rachel Hartman’s debut novel of the same name. They also emanate from every element—from prose to plot—in this beguiling YA fantasy.”
—National Post
“A beautifully written fantasy debut about a young girl’s journey to gain acceptance of herself.”
—SheKnows.com
“Seraphina makes dragons fascinating once again.”
—io9.com
“BookPeople children’s buyer Meghan Goel says [Seraphina, a] ‘wonderful new dragon fantasy,’ should be on your to-get list for July; it’s also snagged praise from the likes of Eragon bestselling author Christopher Paolini.”
—Austin American-Statesman
AUTHORS:
“Beautifully written, well-rounded characters, and some of the most interesting dragons I’ve read in fantasy for a long while. An impressive debut novel; I can’t wait to see what Rachel Hartman writes next.”
—Christopher Paolini, New York Times bestselling author of the Inheritance cycle
“A book worth hoarding, as glittering and silver-bright as dragon scales, with a heroine who insists on carving herself a place in your mind.”
—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of the Temeraire series
“Seraphina is strong, complex, talented—she makes mistakes and struggles to trust, with good reason, and she fights to survive in a world that would tear her apart. I love this book!”
—Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Beka Cooper series
“A wonderful mix of thrilling story, fascinating characters, and unique dragonlore. I loved being in Seraphina’s world!”
—Alison Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of Eon and Eona
“Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about dragons, it turns out there is, and plenty! Rachel Hartman’s rich invention never fails to impress—and to convince. It’s smart and funny and original, and has characters I will follow to the ends of the earth.”
—Ellen Kushner, World Fantasy Award–winning author
BOOKSELLERS:
“A young fantasy author to watch.”
—Barnes & Noble
“I picked it up and couldn’t put it down! I was thinking I might cross-shelve it in Fantasy, as it is not too totally teen, and fans of Anne McCaffrey and Robin Hobb might find it as well.”
—Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO
“I loved this book. The characters were complex and the world was original and richly developed. I have read a lot of fantasy books with dragons, but this one has a very unusual twist. Hopefully, this author will write more novels in the future, and I look forward to eagerly devouring them.”
—Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
“Seraphina is one of those books that come around rarely that firmly grip the imagination by the scruff of the throat and shake it. The way which Hartman has constructed her narrative world is sick. When the book degenerated into a proper witch hunt I knew I was absolutely in love with this character.”
—Schuler Books & Music, Lansing, MI
“I only ordered two copies of Seraphina by Rachel Harman. I finished reading it last night. I need to change the quantity to fifteen. Seriously... the woman can write! It’s driving me nuts that I can’t talk to ‘my’ readers about the plot until they’ve gotten a chance to read it... I’m already telling people about it and they’re going to get it once it’s published... I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.”
—Alexander Book Co., San Francisco, CA
“I just read Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and WOW! I just loved it. What a breathtaking and mature debut! It already has lots of support in our office, and after our kids’ meeting today, it sounds like we aren’t the only fans! We’re going to be featuring it, along with dragon books of the stores’ choosing, in July.”
—Books Inc., San Francisco, CA
“I have read Seraphina, and I am going to read it a second time—I want to blurb it for the store... The teen audience is pretty much guaranteed! I can only hope there will be a sequel... Don’t leave me hanging!”
—Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
“You must read it for yourself!”
—Village Books, Bellingham, WA
“I think you may have the next Harry Potter. There have been dozens of writers that have tried to capture the magic interwoven in the Potter series. This is the first book I’ve read that has that same exceptional quality.”
—Warwick’s, San Diego, CA
AWARDS:
A New York Times Bestseller
An Indie Bestseller
An Amazon Best Teen Book of the Month
An Amazon Top 20 Teen Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Library Journal Best Young Adult Literature for Adults Selection
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
An ABA Top 10 Kids’ Indie Next List Selection
An ABC New Voices Pick
Nominated for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
Winner of the Cybils Award for Teen Fantasy and Science Fiction
A Publishers Weekly Flying Start
An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book
An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults Books
Winner of the William C. Morris YA Debut Award
An ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
Shortlist—Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature (2012)
Author Links:
http://rachelhartmanbooks.com/
http://rachelhartmanbooks.com/blog/
https://www.facebook.com/rachelhartmanbooks
https://twitter.com/_rachelhartman
Giveaway: (2) Paperback copies of Seraphina - Open to US/CAN only! (A huge thank you to Random House Children's Books for allowing me to give away copies of the book!)
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