Review: Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Book Description:

Hardcover, 444 pages
Published February 9th 2016 by HarperTeen

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

Reviewer's Copy: Hardcover

Source: Purchased

My Thoughts:

Red Queen was an enjoyable read for me. Magic pulsed in the pages. I loved the setting of the story. Glass Sword was an entirely different story. The rebellion had grown deep into the story, its roots tangling with the lives of the characters. I appreciated the straight forward expansion and focus on the rebellion side - this was familiar territory for me. But then, I felt that the sequel was more of a dystopian novel now, with just a sprinkle of fantasy. The magic and the fuzzy, lovey feeling that I felt and enjoyed in Red Queen was replaced with the adrenaline rush of rebellion. It was not unpleasant, however, I felt that it was a startling change to what I had come to expect.

Mare just went through a damaging journey. She survived the battle but she was not left unscathed. She was licking her wounds, trying to get past what she went through in the Silver court of Norta. She left the battlefield with a weapon, though, and she won't go down without taking someone with her. Mare was a whole new level of lethal in Glass Sword. She was a bit snappy. Her temper was like a dynamite, ready to explode at any moment. I liked that she was more cautious and suspicious this time around - it was just a healthy dose of being careful - however, as the story progressed, she trusted less and less, until she didn't trust anyone at all. It was the breakdown of Mare, her weakest point and I ached for her. In addition to this, there was a demarcation line between Reds and Silvers, and between Reds and newbloods. Despite being a newblood herself, Mare felt that she didn't truly belong. She was "Other." She was the lightning girl in the eyes of Reds, Silvers and newbloods. She was on a kind of platform, raised up and set apart from the rest. It was a dark and lonely place for her.

Cal was the only person who understood Mare in her entirety. He knew all about her past, her complicated situation as Mareena Titanos, her connection with Maven and her desire to bring the Silver world down. He was forced to runaway, framed for a crime that he was equally forced to do. He lost his crown and his family. The only place he had left was at Mare's side, in the rebellion. The Reds tolerated him because of his connection with Mare, but he just didn't know his place in the world anymore. He could walk out of the Scarlet Guard's hideout anytime he wanted to. Cal being lost was equally painful as Mare's being alone. Both were hurting and the emotion was palpable, wrapping hands around my own heart.

The Scarlet Guard was such a massive movement. The exploration of the extent of the rebel group in Glass Sword could just be the tip of the iceberg. I could sense it stretching deep into an ocean, moving and functioning beyond what I had originally imagined. The Guard was strong, with aid from various countries. There were still questions in my head about "Command," how the Scarlet Guard came to be, its origin and its organizational chart. I enjoyed reading about the little steps that they took towards equality. Each step was heavy and bloody, coated with Silver and Red blood alike. Their was was costly and excruciatingly slow. The rebel group was very organized and patient, biding their time to take the Silvers down.

Glass Sword is an explosion of adrenaline, blood and tattered hearts. Readers will keep reading, sitting on the edge of their seats, jumping straight to the next scene with Glass Sword's full-blown rebel movement and cinematic action sequences. If you are a fantasy reader and if you like action scenes, this book would work for you.

Rating:

4 Cupids = Strong book love.
I really enjoyed this. I recommend this!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Fear My Mortality by Everly Frost (Playlist + Giveaway)

Happy Monday! We have a playlist to jumpstart your week! Everly Frost, the awesome author of Fear My Mortality, is going to share and tell you all about her playlist for her debut. Hope you enjoy listening ;)


*****

I listened to a lot of great songs while I was writing Fear My Mortality, but these are the ones that I think really match the themes and mood of the finished book. The list contains a lot of Ruelle and Sia – those ladies can sing!

1. Fear on Fire by Ruelle
2. Elastic Heart (1000 Forms of Fear) by Sia
3. Titanium (feat. Sia) by David Guetta
4. Up in Flames by Ruelle
5. Til My Heart Stops by Too Far Moon



Here is the URL for the playlist for those of you who prefer to play this in spotify: Click here

I first heard Fear on Fire by Ruelle when I was editing Fear My Mortality and couldn’t believe how perfectly it fit the story – the lyrics, sound, and even its title reflect my main character and her fight against fear.

I love the focus on resilience in both Titanium by David Guetta and Elastic Heart by Sia – what it takes to ignore what other people say and think, pick yourself up, and be true to yourself.

Up in Flames by Ruelle is the song I chose for Michael (the boy who unintentionally rips Ava’s world apart). Not just because it’s about being on the outside, but also because it could be the soundtrack to a scene in the book where Michael proves just how invincible he is.

And Til My Heart Stops by Too Far Moon, well, this one is for Ava’s brother who sacrifices everything in the hope that he can save his sister.

I hope you enjoy listening!


*****

Thank you for sharing, Everly!

About the Author:

If Everly Frost doesn’t have her laptop handy, then she has a pen and paper stashed nearby. She writes young adult and middle grade fiction set in worlds like ours with unexpected differences. She lives in Brisbane, Australia. You can find out more at www.everlyfrost.com.

Find Everly: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Book Description:

Paperback
Expected publication: April 5th 2016 by Month9Books

The future is bright for 16-year-old Ava Holland and the residents of Evereach. They don’t have to worry about old age or even getting sick. In their world, humans regenerate, heal, and live for hundreds of years. Mortality isn’t something to fear. Disease has been all but eradicated. Everything changes when Ava watches her brother die and he doesn’t regenerate. Ava’s genetics are called into question by the government, scientists, extremists, and Ava herself. Could her genes hold the answer to mortality? Is she an anomaly or something to be feared? Determined not to become anyone’s guinea pig, Ava doesn’t stick around to find out. She wants answers too, but the only person who can help her is 17-year-old Michael Bradley, the boy who killed her brother. If either of them have even the slightest chance of survival, they must find the genetic keys hidden in Ava’s DNA before it’s too late.

Giveaway

Thanks to Everly for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: Copy of Fear My Mortality
Scope: International

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!

Out and About: Book Signing with Victoria Aveyard

Out and about is a feature here on Fragments of Life for events, book launches and movie adaptations.

I finished Red Queen and Glass Sword and the novellas in a little more than a week. It was cross over galore. It had an entertaining cast, a beautiful setting and a robust rebellion, which I all love. Today, I met the author and the creator of Cal, Victoria Aveyard in the book signing. #VictoriaAveyardinPH was enlightening - I got to ask the question that has been burning in my mind.

The Basics
Who: Victoria Aveyard
What books: Red Queen, Glass Sword + Cruel Crown.
When: March 6, 2016
Where: National Book Store, Glorietta 1

What I learned about Victoria Aveyard, her books and her writing style from the Q&A:

Here was my question to Victoria: Could you tell us if there is some kind of scientific background or explanation regarding the First Divide, when Silver and Red blood split two ways?
It was a result of nuclear warfare a thousand years before the story happened. There was mutation among mankind.

Victoria's advice to writers:
You have to finish your first draft. You need to finish your book before you could sell your book. Victoria is fond of action sequences and high-octane parts. It is easier for her to draw out a map of long battle sequences. In order to be good at writing action scenes, you need to read stuff with it and internalize the language of it. Though you need to balance it out a little - 100 pages of action scenes could just be 10 minutes in real time.

Which is more important: characters or plot?
Victoria started Red Queen with the world or in this case, an image = the Red girl in an arena about to be executed but then she kills her executioner instead, with lightning. Victoria's style is from macro to micro. Characters are more important for her. It is more important to have characters that are relatable because they keep the story alive and keep the readers reading.

On the story of Red Queen being set from a duology to a saga:
In book two, Glass Sword, Victoria figured out the ending of the story. She doesn't consider having four books for the series as extending or stretching the story. It all had to do with understanding the characters and their reactions to what was happening in the book. The characters were moving on their own accord, taking specific turns to specific paths and taking detours around the plot.

How far is Red Screen from the silver screen?
Elizabeth Banks has been signed to direct the movie. Victoria feels that she is very much involved in the process. It was also great that this was her line of her work, this way she knows where her job/her role ends. She doesn't stress out too much about the entire thing.

Victoria's favorite fantasy books and books that she drew inspiration from:

1. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - this was mainly Victoria's inspiration. She mentioned that she brought the book around with her for two years and kept rereading it.
2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling - she starting reading the Harry Potter series when she was nine years old. The last book was released when she was 17 years old. She was just "there" during the Harry Potter period.
3. Song of Ice and Fire- She loved how the author twists fantasy tropes. No one's good and no one's evil in the novel. Good characters make bad decisions. Bad characters make good decisions. The characters were in a gray area and this made them more interesting.

What are the advantages of having a film/screenplay writer background in writing a book?
Film school gave Victoria a comprehensive, highly detailed way of storytelling. Pacing is key. Escalation is the name of the game. Each scene/chapter should up the ante. You should know your audience. Her main role was an entertainer to her audience. Screenplay is like poetry for her. In a screenplay you need to finish telling a story with limited words and make use of context really well in 120 pages tops. In a novel, you could really, completely paint a picture. She prefers to work on whatever she wasn't working on.

Which part was the most difficult to write?
It was difficult to write the 'quiet scenes' for Victoria Aveyard - the part where the characters regrouped after something bad happens. In the Red Queen, it was the entire middle of the book. After a certain character had died, the protagonist was a lunatic.

Inspiration for the names and abilities of the royal houses: Victoria did a lot of google translation from English to Latin and vice versa. Cal was from the word Calore, which meant heat in Spanish. She also played with a few words: Osanos sounded like ocean. Victoria used wikipedia to research about super powers. Some of the super powers serviced the plot. Elora had to be a mindreader. Evangeline, who could control metal, always had needles around her which was an indication of her character.

Victoria on literary betrayals: Game of Thrones is the ultimate book for literary betrayals. There was a time when the author of Game of Thrones took three characters successively and Victoria had to be in a dark place, sad and broken. Harry Potter was another favorite of hers, Sirius Black + Dumbledore. Taking away the mentor was storytelling 101. It was a pattern that people follow.

Victoria on the third book: Characters who are not that present in Glass Sword will be in Red Queen 3, based on what happened towards the end of Glass Sword.

Victoria on the strong presence of feminist indicators in the book: Victoria is a modern woman. It is her natural inclination to write about a woman who is respected, who is a strong, opinionated character but isn't necessarily a perfect one. Victoria liked Mare's flaws above her powers.

Victoria on mixed fantasy, science fiction and dystopian genres in Red Queen: Victoria likes genre mashups. She is a kitchen sink writer and she needs to love what she writes. Dystopia is the background/setting of the story. Fantasy is the power house/monarchy set-up. Science fiction is the super powers of the characters.

Victoria on the portrayal of Mare and what readers could expect from Mare after Glass Sword:
Glass Sword is the book where Mare wobbles. It was her anti-hero moment. In the third book, Mare would realize that she is not the center of the universe. Here is a brief rundown of what happens to Mare:

Book 1: She trusts the wrong people.
Book 2: She doesn't trust anybody.
Book 3: She tries to trust who she is and who she could be.

My Reaction: It was really fun to go out to meet bookish people and another amazing author after several months of quiet life. I missed the zing and enthusiasm in the air. I missed being with my blogger ladies and gents. It's always great to be able to mingle and discuss things with like-minded people. NBS staff were awesome as usual - seriously, they do a great job in making a booklover's dream come true. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to have a giveaway copy signed for you guys this time around. The rules said three books and I had three - if I knew, I would have bought the ebook version of the novella, instead. I'll try to whip up something by next week! *winks*

My black shirt, my hair and Miss Aveyard

Victoria and I

Signed books :)

The group and Victoria Aveyard. I'm the one holding Glass Sword.

Thank you to National Bookstore and Harper Collins for making this happen! You guys rock.

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Crossing the Line by Meghan Rogers (Author Interview + Giveaway)

Today I'm featuring one of my most anticipated novels for 2016. It is about espionage and everything in between. Crossing the Line has been on top of my wishlist for months! I'm happy to have this chance to interview Meghan Rogers and ask her the questions in my mind about her debut.

What kind of research did you do to be able to write Crossing the Line?
I did a lot of research on spies, North Korea, torture, and other things that have me certain I’m on a government watch list. I watched some documentaries on North Korea and did a lot of reading to understand what a top secret spy agency in that country might look like. I also went to some spy exhibits at the Franklin Institute and the International Spy Museum, which were fantastic! I even got to crawl through some air ducts like Jocelyn does in the book! And have a cousin who is really into history, espionage, weaponry, and the world in general. Even if he can’t answer one of my questions, he usually knows where to look to find the answer.

Could you tell us a bit about Jocelyn's kidnappers?
Jocelyn was taken by a North Korean covert spy agency called KATO. They’re known for their ruthless tactics and have found that the younger they start training their agents, the more control they have over them. Jocelyn was, in part, taken because her parents were spies for the American-based International Defense Agency (IDA). KATO trained her to fight against the IDA.

Could you tell us a bit about Jocelyn's training to be a spy/agent?
KATO’s training philosophy hinges on two main factors. The first is to start young. From the time Jocelyn was kidnapped as an eight-year-old she was taught to fight, steal, and kill. She had about six years of training before she was put on her first mission when she was fourteen. The second factor is control. KATO controls their agents with brainwashing and a certain degree of torture for misbehaving and poor performance, but their biggest weapon is an addictive drug called Gerex. Gerex is engineered in KATO and can’t be found anywhere else. Once KATO gets their agents addicted, they use it to keep agents loyal to them, and withhold it as a form of punishment. You’ll see Jocelyn struggling with this drug in the book.

How did you mold and develop Jocelyn as a character, given her complicated situation?
For this book the goal really to develop Jocelyn’s ability to trust. She’s coming from an agency and situation where she could trust no one but herself. Now in order to escape that environment, she’ll have to trust the IDA, which she has spent her KATO career fighting against, with her life. She takes this huge risk in order to safe herself, and that’s just the first step. She isn’t someone who likes to talk and share—especially given her history—but if she’ll have to find a way to get past that if she hopes to win over the IDA. A lot of her development comes by putting her in situations where she has no choice but to trust the agents at her new agency, with both her history and her life, which forces her to grow. By pushing that aspect of her character, it also opened the window for development in other aspects of her and the story.

I have read a lot of amazing feedback on the twists and turns and the strong plot of Crossing the Line. They have noted that you accomplished a difficult task in pulling this off. Have you encountered any challenges while writing Crossing the Line? How did you deal with it?
I love hearing that the plot keeps people guessing! The answer for this is a little involved. When it comes to plot there are a couple of factors at play for me. First, I don’t go into a book looking to create plot twists. My goal is to find ways to keep increasing the tension as the book goes on. Sometimes this happens with an unexpected turn, but a lot of times it’s more about raising the stakes. The second factor is that as much as there is one overarching plan for a book, I tend to break my books down into 8-10 storylines. When I’m planning, I’ll work out each storyline independent from one another and focus on increasing the tension within the individual plotline in the same way I look to increase the tension in the book as a whole. Once I’ve done that, I’ll start looking at ways to fit the storylines together. This is where I think the twists and turns come into play. My goal is to weave the storylines together as tightly as possible, which means a lot of times the connections come from unexpected places. The connections also tend to evolve and strengthen as the book develops. This is the when things start to get challenging because getting the storylines to fit together as tightly as possible, and filling in any plot holes that pop up, can be so hard! Usually when this happens I’ll go work on another project and come back. Or find a friend/critique partner who has read the book and discuss it with them. My editor is also particularly awesome at pointing out weak areas and giving killer notes to strengthen them.

What is your favorite part or scene in Crossing the Line? Why?
I don’t think I have one favorite part or scene, but there are a lot of scenes in this book that push Jocelyn to trust people (and her new agency) before she’s really ready to. I loved pushing her in situations where she had to trust and grow. It was fun to see how those scenes impacted not only Jocelyn, but also the other characters in the book.

Thanks so much for having me and for your fantastic questions!! :)

Thank you, Meghan! We're really looking forward to your book! :)

About the Author:

Meghan Rogers has been telling stories since she could talk and writing creatively since she was first introduced to the concept in third grade. She spent her high school years completing her first novel and has been actively writing ever since. After college, Meghan went on to work with high school writers while earning her MFA in Creative Writing from Rosemont College. She is currently living in the Philadelphia area and working on the next Raven Files novel.

Find Meghan: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Pinterest

Book Description:

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: April 12th 2016 by Philomel Books

If Jason Bourne were a teenaged girl…

Jocelyn Steely was kidnapped as a child and raised in North Korea as a spy. When her agency sends her to the U.S. to infiltrate the very group her parents once worked for, Jocelyn jumps at the chance to turn double agent and finish off her kidnappers once and for all. She convinces the head of the American spy agency to trust her, but it’s not quite as simple as that: Jocelyn has to fight the withdrawal symptoms from the drug that the North Koreans used to keep her in line, and her new fellow spies refuse to trust their former adversary. Worst of all, there might be some new information to uncover about her parents - if she even wants to find out.

This action-packed spy thriller is part Gallagher Girls, part Alex Rider, and part Bourne Identity.

Giveaway

Thanks to Meghan for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs:
Signed Crossing the Line bookmark, signed Crossing the Line note card, Crossing the Line stickers, and a limited edition Crossing the Line credit card flashdrive and Crossing the Line ARC
Scope: US and CA

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: The Marked Girl by Lindsey Klingele (Playlist + Giveaway)

Hi guys! Today, I'm featuring one of my most anticipated debuts for this year. I'm a fantasy enthusiast through and through, so it was just so predictable when my eyes crossed over the words The Marked Girl. The cover is swoon worthy, a mix of old and new. I've been swimming deep into old world fantasy lately, that I'm looking for something more modern. Lindsey is such a friendly author!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I could really see playlists becoming more popular. And I love it. Here's the playlist for The Marked Girl. Perhaps I'd try to listen to this playlist once I'm reading the novel itself.


And here is the Spotify link -- https://open.spotify.com/user/kling1lc/playlist/28o4ZXtjHcHUhRtFgl8WCm

Here are the songs featured in the playlist:

1. Time to Pretend by MGMT
2. The Only Place -- Best Coast
3. Young Legends -- Sleigh Bells
4. Anything Could Happen -- Ellie Goulding
5. Like Real People Do -- Hozier
6. Midnight City -- M83
7. Daylight -- Mat and Kim
8. Cruel and Beautiful World -- Grouplove
9. Feel Real - Deptford Growth
10. Myth -- Beach House
11. Our Hearts are Wrong -- Jessica Lea Mayfield
12. Home -- Glasser


Thank you, Lindsey!

About the Author:

Lindsey Klingele has worked in the writers' rooms of television shows such as ABC Family's The Lying Game and Twisted. The Marked Girl is Lindsey's first novel. She lives in Los Angeles.


Find Lindsey: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

Book Description:

Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: June 21st 2016 by Harper Collins

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (Los Angeles)…

When Cedric, crowned prince of Caelum, and his fellow royal friends (including his betrothed, Kat) find themselves stranded in modern-day L.A. via a magical portal and an evil traitor named Malquin, all they want to do is get home to Caelum—soon. Then they meet Liv, a filmmaker foster girl who just wants to get out of the system and on with her life. As she and Cedric bond, they’ll discover that she’s more connected to his world than they ever could’ve imagined…and that finding home is no easy task…

Worlds collide in The Marked Girl, an exciting fantasy tale turned upside down.

Giveaway

Thank you to Lindsey for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: The Marked Girl
Scope: US and CA

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos (Playlist + Giveaway)

Hi guys! Today we're doing a double feature. Head over to Blackplume for the feature for Ashley Herring Blake. For Fragments, we have Rebecca Podos and her debut, The Mystery of Hollow Places.

Like a lot of the authors, Rebecca chose a playlist feature. I'm seeing this as a trend, maybe. I feel that more authors are now opting for alternatives to the traditional author interview and I'm happy about it! There will be more playlists in the feature.


Here are the songs included in The Mystery of Hollow Places playlist:

“Up the Wolves” by The Mountain Goats
“Under” by Aaosoon
“We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes
“Somewhere Only We Know” cover by Lily Allen
“Burn the Maps” by Castledoor
“Honey in the Sun” by Camera Obscura
“Keeping Your Head Up” by Birdy
“On Our Way” by The Royal Concept

If you want the link, click here to be redirected to the page.

Thank you for sharing, Rebecca!

About the Author:

THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES (Balzer + Bray) is Rebecca Podos' debut novel. A graduate of the Writing, Literature and Publishing program at Emerson College, where she won the M.F.A. Award for Best Thesis, her fiction has been published in journals like Glimmer Train, Paper Darts, and Smokelong Quarterly. By day, she works as a YA and MG agent at the Rees Literary Agency in Boston.


Find Rebecca: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

Book Description:

Hardcover, 304 pages
Published January 26th 2016 by Balzer & Bray

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It’s the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist, she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when Imogene was a baby, a woman who was always possessed by a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as “troubled waters.”

Now Imogene is seventeen, and her father, a famous author of medical mysteries, has struck out in the middle of the night and hasn’t come back. Neither Imogene’s stepmother nor the police know where he could’ve gone, but Imogene is convinced he’s looking for her mother. And she decides it’s up to her to put to use the skills she’s gleaned from a lifetime of reading her father’s books to track down a woman she’s only known in stories in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she’s carried with her for her entire life.

Rebecca Podos’s debut is a powerful, affecting story of the pieces of ourselves that remain mysteries even to us, and the desperate search through empty spaces for something to hold on to.

Giveaway

Thank you to Rebecca for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: Signed Hardcover of The Mystery of Hollow Places
Scope: US and CA

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!

Celebrating Debutantes 2016: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (Movie Cast + Giveaway)

Hi guys! It is the first day of March! The first author for #CelebratingDebutantes2016 this month is Brittany Cavallaro, author of A Study in Charlotte. We're giving away a copy to anyone around the world, so stick around! ;)

A Study in Charlotte Movie Cast

Jamie Watson – Our narrator. The great-great-great-grandson of Dr. John Watson. A transplant from London to Sherringford, he’s a day-dreamer, a reluctant rugby player, a would-be writer. Charlotte Holmes’s partner-in-crime…maybe literally, if the police have anything to say about it.

Alden Ehrenreich

Charlotte Holmes – The girl in question. In America at boarding school for reasons that Jamie can’t quite put together at first. She’s made some bad decisions in the last few years, had some awful things happen, is self-protective and self-isolating. Charlotte would be happiest tucked away in her lab in the science building, doing experiments and playing her violin.

A young Eva Green

Thank you, Brittany!

About the Author:

Brittany Cavallaro is a poet, fiction writer, and old school Sherlockian. She is the author of the poetry collection Girl-King (University of Akron) and is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She earned her BA in literature from Middlebury College and her MFA in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she's a PhD candidate in English literature at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she teaches creative writing, detective fiction, and lots of other things. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, cat, and collection of deerstalker caps.

Find Brittany: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Tumblr

Book Description:

Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: March 1st 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Equal parts tender, thrilling, and hilarious, A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy brimming with wit and edge-of-the-seat suspense.

Giveaway

Thank you to Brittany for this giveaway!
What's up for grabs: Pre-order of A Study in Charlotte
Scope: International
*As long as the Book Depository ships to your country

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full schedule and links to the posts!