A Dream Within A Dream: Air and Ash

May 12, 2017

Air and Ash Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

AIR AND ASH (Tides #1)

Author: Alex Lidell

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Pages: 284

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

Master and Commander meets Tamora Pierce in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’s quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms. 

After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission—and fails.

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battleworthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

AIR AND ASH is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and Naomi Novik.

Air and Ash is an exciting start to a new young adult fantasy series that brings a breath of fresh air into the genre. This is completely different from what I normally read, even within the YA fantasy category. It's very reminiscent of historical fiction - namely the era of pirates and strong naval countries. I enjoyed learning everything I could about Ashing and the rest of the world the author created. It was very layered and in depth - I couldn't possibly hope to know everything in just one book. I'm looking forward to getting to know the world better in the following installments of the series. Every aspect was incredibly thought out and detailed down to the smallest tidbit, and the author did a fantastic job bringing it to life in front of the reader's eyes and transporting them into that world.

The characters were all well rounded and complex - especially our main character, Nile. She's a wonderful lead for the series. She's smart, dedicated, determined, brave, honest, and incredibly loyal to her homeland of Ashing. I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know her even better in the next book. One of the biggest aspects for me was the author's writing style. The story is told from the first person point of view - from Nile's perspective. This is a huge plus in my book, and I think it was a perfect fit for the book. Because the novel was written in this way, the reader gets to really get to know Nile on a deeply personal level. This helps us to understand and identify with her easily and early on. I think it also plays a big role in getting the reader to slip inside Nile's world and losing themselves in the story. I'm almost positive that I wouldn't have had such a positive experience if the book had been written in a different way, so I'm incredibly glad the author chose this style. The plot has some pretty standard occurrences that I would expect to see in a book of this type - like the renegade princess who wants nothing more than to live her life as she wants, but is faced with life decisions based around the kingdom instead. Although there are a few predictable places the novel, the author gives it a new twist with her incredible attention to detail and the wonderfully thought out world she constructed for Nile. I'm interested to see where the next book will take us and what Nile is going to get herself into. Definitely recommended for fans of YA fantasy, historical fiction, action/adventure, and stories set in "piratey" worlds.

Alex Lidell is an avid horseback rider, paramedic and ice cream addict. Born in Russia, Alex learned English in elementary school, where a thoughtful librarian placed a copy of Tamora Pierce’s ALANNA in Alex’s hands. In addition to becoming the first English book Alex read for fun, ALANNA started Alex’s lifelong love for YA fantasy books. Alex’s debut novel, THE CADET OF TILDOR, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards finalist. Her second book AIR AND ASH releases in May 2017.

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(1) winner will receive a finished copy of AIR AND ASH & a hardcover of A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas - Open INT!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/1/2017- Wandering Bark Books- Excerpt

5/1/2017- Twinning for Books- Review

5/2/2017- Don't Judge, Read- Interview

5/2/2017- History from a Woman's Perspective- Review

5/3/2017- Fiction Fare- Review

5/3/2017- Book Princess Reviews- Review

5/4/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

5/4/2017- Reading for the Stars and Moon- Review

5/5/2017- Margie's Must Reads- Review

5/5/2017- Angelic Book Reviews- Review

Week Two:

5/8/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest Post

5/8/2017- Book Briefs- Review

5/9/2017- A Backwards Story- Interview

5/9/2017- Mundie Moms- Review

5/10/2017- Book Sniffers Anonymous- Excerpt

5/10/2017- J.R.'s Book Reviews- Review

5/11/2017- Bibliobibuli YA- Review

5/11/2017- Booklove- Review

5/12/2017- Reese's Reviews- Review

5/12/2017-A Dream Within A Dream- Review

May 5, 2017

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Air and Ash by Alex Lidell

I am so excited that AIR AND ASH by Alex Lidell is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Alex Lidell, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a finished copy of AIR AND ASH & a copy of A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN by Sarah J. Maas, International, courtesy of Alex and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

AIR AND ASH (Tides #1)

Author: Alex Lidell

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Publisher: Danger Bearing Press

Pages: 284

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

Description:

Master and Commander meets Tamora Pierce in a seafaring adventure of duty, love, magic, and a princess’s quest to protect her kingdom on her own terms.

After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission—and fails.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

AIR AND ASH is the thrilling first installment of the TIDES series. Recommended for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and Naomi Novik.

My breaths come quick, my side vision a blur of sand. The horses rear, showing their bellies and hooves. When Red turns to the beasts, I crash into him. The impact ricochets through me. I drop my rock.

Red staggers but remains standing.

I wrap my arms around Red and draw the other pistol from his waistline even as he throws me to the ground. I land in a heap and breathless, but my hands still clutch the gun.

Inconveniently, the bloody weapon is as much a danger to me as to the men. It bucks in my hand, yielding to the natural pulse of Clay’s uncontrolled magic. Rising to one knee, I move the barrel between Bald and Red. “Stop,” I command. “All of you.”

Three sets of eyes grip me. None give a sign of recognition. I little blame them—having spent most of my life aboard an Ashing ship, the only people who’d reliably recognize me are those I’ve served with. This Felielle trio is unlikely to recognize even Thad outside the throne room, or think twice if they heard my name absent salutation.

My palms are moist, but I know better than to let the fear slip into my voice. “I believe the man has understood your message,” I say.

Clay’s dog chooses that moment to run up beside me and bare its teeth. Its low growl leadens the air between us.

One heartbeat stretches after another, punctuated by the break of waves and the horses’ snorts. My breaths come quick and shallow. I’m unlikely to miss at this range, but the pistol is good for one shot only.

Bald squints. “What’s your stake in this?”

“A broken law and a bound man.” I shake my head. The constant foreign presence in Ashing is a necessary burden for now, but I hope to see it end after the war. “One pistol has fired already, gentlemen. I expect the Ashing patrols are en route to investigate.”

Red scowls at me, likely calculating whether he might knock me to the ground before I squeeze off the trigger or the horses scamper. He probably can.

I scowl back, hoping the thugs’ employer paid them too little to risk their hides so greatly. “I would wager you will pay with your horses and backs if the patrols come upon us now.”

Bald snorts and makes a decision. “Is the lady correct, Domenic? Has the message penetrated?” He lands a vicious knee in the man’s abdomen.

Domenic’s jaw tightens, and he has to draw a breath before he can speak. “I have a debt.” His voice is steadier than I had expected. “I will pay it.”

“Why, that is all we wished to hear in the first place.” Bald pats Domenic’s shoulder and turns away, then twists back and punches Domenic’s jaw as an afterthought. “A pinch of a memory aid.” He chuckles at his joke and, accepting the reins from Red, swings into the saddle. The horses neigh and pick up a gallop, eager to be away, and I raise my free arm to shield my eyes from the flying sand.