I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the SANCTUARY FOR SEERS by Kathleen Baldwin Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Release Date: June 15, 2023
Publisher: Ink Lion Books
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 358
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/SANCTUARY-FOR-SEERS
The highly anticipated fifth and final book in the bestselling Stranje House series.
What if you'd been born at a dangerous and superstitious time two centuries ago... and you had the unusual ability to see not only the tangible world but also the spiritual and emotional realms?
When her family banishes her to Stranje House, Sera learns the importance of keeping some things secret.
At Stranje house, a school for unusual girls, Sera hides her abilities but finds friendship among the other girls who each possess remarkable talents. These outcast young women are secretly being trained to enter the perilous world of espionage, diplomacy, and war.
Conquering
Europe wasn't enough; now Napoleon wants Britain. He and his band of assassins
and spies, the Iron Crown, led by the ruthless Ghost, have abducted the Prince
Regent. With Britain teetering on ruin, the young ladies of Stranje House must
join the desperate hunt to find the Prince before it's too late. Now, more than
ever, Sera's secret gifts are needed to help avert disaster. Dare she risk it?
Amid the
chaos, Sera discovers the only person who truly understands her is the one man
they all fear. The man set on destroying England. Can she save her homeland and
her heart... from Ghost?
"An outstanding alternative history series entry and a must-have for teen libraries." -Junior Library Guild on Refuge for Masterminds
Top 5 Favorite Scenes from Sanctuary for Seers and Why
❶ My top favorite scene is the big final wrap-up scene. I can’t say too much without spoiling the story, but I loved having all the characters gathered together. It was such a joyous scene that I cried tears of joy. Even the wolf dogs and the girls’ pet rats show up in this scene.
❷ A scene I like almost as much as I do the ending is the big black moment—the culmination of good against evil. In Sanctuary for Seers that scene has an oddly triangular nature. Sera is forced to face off against Lady Daneska and Ghost.
Why do I love this scene?
Because, in the midst of that dangerous and intense conflict something happened that touched my heart so deeply, I wept. (Seriously. I cried multiple times.) That scene totally surprised even me.
❸ Okay, who doesn’t love a kissing scene? There are two in this book, and I thought Quinton and Sera were delightfully naive. Prior to this, they confess to each other that neither of them has ever kissed anyone. (Note: Sera’s special abilities enable her to see emotions as if they are tangible.)
Kissing is wondrous.
If only there was some way to wrap myself in its glorious warmth forever. I close my eyes. But too soon, he lets go. His sharp intake of breath startles me. Kissing him made me feel as if I was pleasantly melting. Small wonder—I open my eyes to discover Quentin Chadwick is blazing like a bonfire. I blink, trying to make sense of it.
Is he angry?
Confused, I ask, “Did you not like it?”
His head tilts oddly. He says nothing but seizes me and, praise heaven, he kisses me again.
He must’ve liked it.
PS: This is how I imagine Quinton Chadwick.
❹ I am also quite proud of how the fight scene between Napoleon and Miss Stranje turned out. Fight scenes are tough for me to write. It’s especially tricky with as big a cast as I have in Sanctuary for Seers. I mean, how do you keep twelve people in the scene, figure out the action, and also convey all of their emotions in the midst of it??? Not easy, right. That said, I worked through it trying multiple iterations. In the end I loved how it turned out. Madame Cho and Miss Stranje are amazing!
❺ I also am very fond of the scene where Sera tells us about when she first arrived at Stranje House. Here’s a shortened excerpt:
Miss Stranje issued a command, not loud, not harsh, not even scolding. Yet her wintery tone froze me to the bone. No one could’ve ignored that icy directive. “Remove that sack from your daughter’s head.” The next words Miss Stranje spoke sent my stomach plummeting to the floor. “Let us see what sort of trouble you are foisting upon me.”
Mother yanked off my hood. I stood there shaking so hard I was afraid I might wet myself until my vision cleared, and I saw Miss Stranje. One look, and I knew all that black bombazine she wore was a disguise. She smelled of rose-scented soap. I liked that it wasn’t lavender. Lavender smells so elderly and musty. Beak nosed and hawkeyed, she stared at me for several minutes without saying a word. I fancied she was actually giving me time to study her. The longer she stared, the more certain I became.
Meanwhile, my mother, uncomfortable in the heavy silence, hemmed and hawed. She promised more money if Miss Stranje would only agree to reform me and change me into a marriageable young lady. “I’ve heard you have… uh… methods. Unconventional, perhaps, but you come highly recommended.”
She blathered on, and still, Miss Stranje said nothing. My mother’s agitation finally drew a response from Miss Stranje—she held up one finger to shush her.
At that, Mamma’s lips clamped together abruptly. A second later, she began blustering irritably under her breath and finally blurted, “Look here, you cannot shush me. I am a lady of standing. My uncle is a peer of the realm.”
Miss Stranje ignored her and leaned closer to me until we were nearly nose to nose. Then, in a voice I’m quite certain not even my mother could hear, she asked, “Do you trust me, Seraphina Wyndham?”
She knew the answer long before I gave her a slight nod.
Kathleen Baldwin is an award-winning author with more than
620,000 copies of her books in the hands of readers around the globe.
Publishers translated her books into several languages, and a Japanese
publisher even made Lady Fiasco into a manga. Scholastic
licensed her School for Unusual Girls series for school book
fairs. The YA series won numerous awards and was optioned for film by Ian
Bryce, producer of Spiderman, Transformers, Saving Private Ryan,
and other blockbuster films. The series is currently in its third film option.
Kathleen loves adventure in books and in
real life. She taught rock climbing in the Rockies, survival camped in the
desert and the snow, was stalked by a mountain lion, lost an argument with a
rattlesnake, enjoyed way too many classes in college, fell in love at least a
dozen times, and married her very own hero. They’ve raised four free-spirited
adventurous children and are enjoying their many grandchildren.
“A School for Unusual Girls, by Kathleen Baldwin, is
enticing from the first sentence.” –The New York Times Sunday Book Review
#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls Kathleen’s romantic Regency adventure, “completely original and totally engrossing.”
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(1) winner will
receive a signed complete SET of the STRANJE HOUSE Series & swag - US Only.
Ends June 27th, midnight EST.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
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6/12/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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6/12/2023 |
Interview/IG Post |
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6/13/2023 |
Guest Post |
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6/13/2023 |
Guest Post |
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6/14/2023 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
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6/14/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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6/15/2023 |
Review |
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6/15/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/16/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/16/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
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6/19/2023 |
Review |
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6/19/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/20/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/20/2023 |
IG Review/FB Post |
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6/21/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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6/21/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/22/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/22/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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6/23/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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6/23/2023 |
IG Review |
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