Incendiary Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Incendiary (Hollow Crown #1)
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Synopsis:

I am Renata Convida.

I have lived a hundred stolen lives.

Now I live my own.

Renata Convida was only a child when she was kidnapped by the King's Justice and brought to the luxurious palace of Andalucia. As a Robari, the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria, Renata's ability to steal memories from royal enemies enabled the King's Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown and helping the remaining Moria escape the kingdom bent on their destruction. The Whispers may have rescued Renata from the palace years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred--or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she turned "hollow" during her time in the palace.

When Dez, the commander of her unit, is taken captive by the notorious Sangrado Prince, Renata will do anything to save the boy whose love makes her place among the Whispers bearable. But a disastrous rescue attempt means Renata must return to the palace under cover and complete Dez's top secret mission. Can Renata convince her former captors that she remains loyal, even as she burns for vengeance against the brutal, enigmatic prince? Her life and the fate of the Moria depend on it.

But returning to the palace stirs childhood memories long locked away. As Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom--and end the war that has cost her everything.

Incendiary is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series that fans of the genre and of the author are sure to love. I've read some of the author's other books and loved them, so I have to admit that I had pretty high hopes and expectations going into this one. Overall, I wasn't disappointed. There were a few things that I wish had been different: a more in-depth explanation of the Moria and their different types of magic, better character development and complexity for almost all of the characters except Ren, and maybe a little quicker pace during the first part of the book. These are all just small things that bugged me a little but not enough to make a big impact on my reading experience. Also, please remember that these are my personal thoughts and opinions and not everyone is going to feel the same way as I do. 

Other than the few things I mentioned, this book was fantastic and I really liked it. I've been looking forward to reading it for months now and I was a little afraid that it wasn't going to be as good as I hoped. Luckily for me, it was. I loved our main character, Ren, so much. She's very realistic and I connected with her right from the beginning of the book. I love how the author shows every aspect of her - the good, the bad, and everything in between. She's smart, strong, has rare and awesome magic - but she also has issues with believing in herself, proving herself to others, and lots of stuff surrounding her past. I really liked getting to know her and watching her character change and grow throughout the book.

The plot was exciting and full of twists and turns that you don't see coming. I wasn't expecting most of these twists and they definitely kept me on my toes and reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. I loved learning about the history of the kingdom, especially the Moria and their magic. I wish that the different magics were detailed and explained more in depth because that was a big part of why I wanted to read the book. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't say much about the plot without giving anything away. Some of the things you can see coming and know are going to happen but then the author throws in these twists that you don't expect. I loved that! And that ending.... Let's just say that I'm so incredibly glad that this is just the first book in a new series because I don't think I could've handled the ending otherwise. 

The writing was very well done and brought Ren's world to life for me. The author uses lots of detailed descriptions and vivid imagery so I could easily picture everything that happens. Another major part of the book for me is the writing style, and if you've read any of my other reviews, you know that it can make or break a book for me. I'm a huge fan of the first person point of view because I think it lets the reader connect on a much deeper level with the narrator. I was so happy that the author wrote this book in the first person from Ren's perspective. I loved learning everything about her - her hopes and dreams, fears and regrets, memories, thoughts and emotions, and everything in between. That really help me bond with her right away and only strengthened that connection over the course of the book. By the end, I felt as if I had known Ren forever and that I had been right alongside her throughout everything that happened in the story. 

Overall, I thought this was a thrilling first book in a very promising new YA fantasy series and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre and readers who like the author's other books.

Zoraida Córdova is the author of many fantasy novels including Star Wars: A Crash of Fate, the Brooklyn Brujas series, and The Vicious Deep trilogy. Her novel Labyrinth Lost won the International Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2017. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, and Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft. Her upcoming books include Incendiary, book one in the Hollow Crown duology (Hyperion 2020) and she's the co-editor of Vampires Never Get Old (Imprint 2020). Zoraida was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. When she isn’t working on her next novel, she’s planning her next adventure.

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Incendiary Blog Tour: Excerpt

Incendiary (The Premonition Series #4)
Author: Amy A. Bartol
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Release Date: November 28, 2012

Description:

Cold, fine drops of rain fall softly on my cheeks as I emerge from the darkness of the ship's interior to the gray, overcast sky of the main deck. Pulling my dark pea coat tighter to my body, the wind lifts red tendrils of my hair. I walk slowly to the railing overlooking the water.

I catch my first sight of the Irish coastline; its craggy landscape makes me shiver in dread. I find it difficult to imagine now how the Gancanagh had made this their home for so long without anyone realizing it. The cold, moss-covered edifices practically scream their presence. As I study the shadows between the falling-down stone, I imagine creeping shapes of undead Faeries grasping the rock, waiting for our ship to draw nearer to their position.

Tipping my face up, I let the rain wash over me. It bathes away the frigid sweat of fear that has broken on my brow. "You don't know how fiercely beautiful you are, do you?" A quiet voice behind me asks, causing me to stiffen and fix my eyes on the rocks along the shoreline.  

 

Chapter 1
The Moon
Evie

Opening my eyes in the darkness of the bedroom, the sheer canopy surrounding the bed sparkles with frost. I sit up against the pillows, allowing the silken sheet to slip from me. Reed, sleeping soundly next to me, looks so peaceful...angelic. His dark brown hair is falling over his brow in messy wisps. Reaching out, I smooth his hair lightly away from his face, feeling his warm skin beneath my fingertips. His charcoal-colored angel wing slips forward a little, brushing against my thigh. It, too, is warm against my frigid skin.

Something's wrong, I shiver, exhaling a breath and seeing it curl into a white current in front of me, as wintery air will do. It's too cold... Goose bumps rise on my arms as dread runs like icy water through me. Zephyr's island is located in the South Pacific; it never gets this cold here.

I toss my long, auburn hair over my shoulder and wrap the white sheet securely around my body. I put my bare feet on the teak floorboards, feeling them crackle with cold beneath me. Frosty condensation covers everything in the room, causing surfaces to sparkle eerily in the hazy moonlight from the half-shuttered windows.

Walking slowly to the bedroom door, I turn and go to the front door of our small, beach bungalow. As I open it, black clouds roll and boil toward the cove of Zephyr's island paradise. My hand clutches the doorframe, watching the ominous storm blowing in. The wind whistles against the feathers of my crimson wings, causing them to ruffle. The palm trees that line the beach are swaying in the breeze as the whitecap water churns against the white sand.

I hear cracking sounds, like someone is walking on ice too thin to sustain weight. A dark figure strides beneath the storm clouds toward me out on the open water. A thin layer of ice forms beneath his feet with each step he takes. Coming closer, the wind carries his sweet, sticky scent to me, covering me like it's marking me as his. A terrible kind of love swells in my heart - painful and raw - enslaving and cruel.

I live in Michigan with my husband and our two sons. My family is very supportive of my writing. When I’m writing, they often bring me the take-out menu so that I can call and order them dinner. They listen patiently when I talk about my characters like they’re real. They rarely roll their eyes when I tell them I’ll only be a second while I finish writing a chapter…and then they take off their coats. They ask me how the story is going when I surface after living for hours in a world of my own making. They have learned to accept my “writing uniform” consisting of a slightly unflattering pink fleece jacket, t-shirt, and black yoga pants. And they smile at my nerdy bookishness whenever I try to explain urban fantasy to them. In short, they get me, so they are perfect and I am blessed. Please visit me at my website: www.amyabartol.weebly.com

Author Links:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Amy_A_Bartol 
Website: http://www.amyabartol.weebly.com/ 
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authoramyabartol
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286855.Amy_A_Bartol 

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Cover Reveal: Incendiary by Amy Bartol

 

Incendiary (The Premonition Series #4)

Author: Amy A. Bartol

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Release Date: Trade Paperback - November 30/ebook - December 7

Description:

Cold, fine drops of rain fall softly on my cheeks as I emerge from the darkness of the ship’s interior to the gray, overcast sky of the main deck. Pulling my dark pea coat tighter to my body, the wind lifts red tendrils of my hair. I walk slowly to the railing overlooking the water.

I catch my first sight of the Irish coastline; its craggy landscape makes me shiver in dread. I find it difficult to imagine now how the Gancanagh had made this their home for so long without anyone realizing it. The cold, moss-covered edifices practically scream their presence. As I study the shadows between the falling-down stone, I imagine creeping shapes of undead Faeries grasping the rock, waiting for our ship to draw nearer to their position.

Tipping my face up, I let the rain wash over me. It bathes away the frigid sweat of fear that has broken on my brow. “You don’t know how fiercely beautiful you are, do you?” A quiet voice behind me asks, causing me to stiffen and fix my eyes on the rocks along the shoreline.

 

I live in Michigan with my husband and our two sons. My family is very supportive of my writing. When I’m writing, they often bring me the take-out menu so that I can call and order them dinner. They listen patiently when I talk about my characters like they’re real. They rarely roll their eyes when I tell them I’ll only be a second while I finish writing a chapter…and then they take off their coats. They ask me how the story is going when I surface after living for hours in a world of my own making. They have learned to accept my “writing uniform” consisting of a slightly unflattering pink fleece jacket, t-shirt, and black yoga pants. And they smile at my nerdy bookishness whenever I try to explain urban fantasy to them. In short, they get me, so they are perfect and I am blessed. Please visit me at my website:  http://www.amyabartol.com

Links:

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