Walk on Earth a Stranger Release Day Blitz

You guys! I am SO excited to help celebrate the release of Rae Carson's Walk on Earth a Stranger today! I read this beautiful, poignant book over the summer, and it is just absolutely incredible. You can read my full review here, but be sure to check out the rest of this post for an opportunity to win your own copy, as well as a chance to read the first chapter of the book!

I had visions of playing Oregon Trail dancing in my head while reading this novel, and if you know what I'm talking about, then you'll likely enjoy this novel, too! :D

About the book:

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger
Author: Rae Carson
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy, book #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: September 22, 2015
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes. Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

Read Chapter 1 of Walk on Earth a Stranger annotated by Rae Carson HERE!

About the author:

Rae Carson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. Her next book, Walk On Earth A Stranger, will be available September 22, 2015. She lives in Arizona with her husband.

Find Rae:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

One winner will receive a set of the three Girl of Fire and Thorns books (in paperback format). US only. Ends on September 30th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you've read Walk on Earth a Stranger, what did you think? If not, what excites you most about this story?

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Labels: beautiful covers, book blitz, fantasy, favorite authors, favorites, giveaways, harper-collins, historical fiction, magical realism, promotions, quest, rae carson, the gold seer trilogy, wild west

{Review} Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger
Author: Rae Carson
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy, book #1
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: September 22, 2015
Source: ARC received for review from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety?

Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes. Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

You guys, I didn't think I could love Rae Carson's writing any more than I did after finishing the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, but then I read Walk on Earth a Stranger. Admittedly, the last time I read a summary for this book was back in May 2013 when I added it to my TBR on Goodreads. All I remembered was that it was historical fiction focusing on the California Gold Rush. Not necessarily my kind of story, but Rae Carson penned it so I knew I'd at least be giving it the old college try. But it was so amazing and brilliant and brought back memories of playing Oregon Trail in elementary and middle school. So, of course, while I was searching for the game online, I had to take a break from writing this review and play for a bit. =)

Lee is the exact opposite of Elisa from Carson's first series, at least in the beginning, and yet I loved her tremendously. Whereas Elisa initially shrunk away from her future and duties, Lee embraces what she has to do when her world is turned upside-down. Still, there are a lot of similarities between the two protagonists, too, because when push comes to shove, both of these girls let the fire burning within them reign supreme and they get the job done. And both are harboring secrets that could mean the difference between life and death.

When I said that this story reminded me of playing Oregon Trail while reading, I wasn't kidding. There are covered wagons. Yokes of oxen to pull them. Hunting and trading and river crossings that can turn disastrous. And disease that can take out a wagon train lickety-split like. (I'm still playing the game in another tab while I'm writing this, so I can vouch for all those things. :P) But while the game was fun and somewhat entertaining, this story was sad and heartfelt and a little bit hopeful. It tugged at my heartstrings and kept me on the edge of my seat because just like with that game, you never knew what the trail would throw at you next.

Walk on Earth a Stranger isn't just about what happens on the trail, though. We get to see a little of Lee's home life before she sets out on her own -- and what put her on that course -- and there's a smidge of a romance thrown in, too. I honestly wasn't expecting much on that front, since Lee has to dress as a boy the minute she decides on this quest of hers, but it worked and it was rather sweet. But the hard-earned friendships and trials and tribulations of the trail were definitely the driving force of the story.

The book also goes a long way toward encouraging acceptance in a time where there was little to be had: of African Americans, of gays, of foreigners...even of women as equals. I loved every aspect and found it entirely too difficult to put this book aside for any length of time. Lee's story just kept calling to me, the way the Oregon Trail is calling to me as we speak, and even though I have a multitude of other things to do right now. I never once found Manifest Destiny as intriguing while learning about it in school as I did while reading this story. It's well-researched, and it felt like reading the gritty journal of one who actually traveled across the continent to get to California.

Like I mentioned, I hadn't read the summary prior to picking this one up, and I was actually kind of hoping for a stand-alone, what with all of the other series I have yet to finish. But once I got to the end, I was pretty stoked to realize that there was more of the story to come. I can't imagine the hardships Lee and her wagon train faced, but I also can't get enough of them. Also, I want so badly to see some of the characters get the comeuppance they so richly deserve.

I highly recommend this story for my fellow thirty-somethings who got to play this game while waiting for others to finish up their tests or for anyone who just loves a good historical fiction that's not afraid to get its hands dirty. I will definitely be in line for the next book in this saga.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

I write books about teens who must do brave things. I'm originally from California, but I moved to Ohio to marry my husband, who is the smartest and therefore sexiest man I know. We live in Columbus with my teenaged stepsons, who are awesome. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. I especially love to write about questions I don't know the answers to.

Find Rae:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: beautiful covers, fantasy, favorite authors, favorites, harper-collins, historical fiction, magical realism, quest, rae carson, reviews, the gold seer trilogy, wild west

Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle, book #2
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Source: ARC won from Fic Fare; from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

I am steadfastly unapologetic of my Maggie love.  No matter if she's writing about homicidal faeries, boys trapped in wolves bodies, killer water horses, or a group of kids searching for a Welsh king, her writing never fails to be evocative, lyrical, and whimsical.  I've read every novel she's written to-date, and I'll be honest, I'm having a difficult time deciding my favorite now that I've read The Dream Thieves. Before this book, I would still have been able to say that The Scorpio Races would forever remain my favorite Maggie book, even despite how much I enjoyed The Raven Boys last year.  I mean, even the author herself has proclaimed this her new favorite.  Is it any wonder I'm waffling?

Prior to picking up this book myself, I'd seen others call this "Ronan's book".  And it kind of is.  Didn't he deserve his own side of the story after that rather shocking revelation at the end of The Raven Boys?  And that's only the beginning.  You have no idea what this guy is capable of...and neither does he!  Ronan is a complicated guy. You empathize for his loss and his lack of familial support, but you also wonder how Gansey can stand to be friends with a guy who is so clearly his polar opposite.  But that's the beauty of the relationship between the Raven Boys...and Blue; can't forget her.  They all come from such different backgrounds and have such contrasting aspirations in life and yet they all come together in search of Glendower.  I digress, but I just can't get over that group dynamic...it's almost as interesting as the one between the women of Blue's family.

Anyway, back to Ronan.  He is special.  All the characters in this series are special, but Ronan has a gift, an unbelievable, awesome, dangerous gift.  And for much of The Dream Thieves, he's practicing mastering said gift.  I found his talent interesting, but it wasn't until Kavinsky abruptly arrived on the scene that it truly caught my attention.  Kavinsky, with his white framed sunglasses and his souped-up Mitsubishi, is the character you loathe to like; he's equal turns cocky and disgusting and dangerous, manipulative and calculating, and he wants to team up with Ronan.  What a terrible and terrifying alliance that would be!  (The following video is totally relevant...watch it.)


So much happens in this book as the quest for Glendower continues, though the group is really no closer to finding their Welsh king than they were before.  That said, I felt like some of the magic had gone out of the story...literally.  The lines that separated reality from the surreal in the first book are no longer blurred, except when Ronan dreams, and I love how the magic disappearing in one area correlates with the magic appearing so brazenly in another.  This right here is some fascinating story-telling.

Despite the fact that this is a Ronan-centric book, there's still a little of everyone's story built into it.  Adam is angry and a bit self-destructive.  Blue is sad and lonely.  Gansey is still driven, determined, and dapper. Noah is still dead, and because of circumstances created by the ending in the previous book, he's noticeably absent from a good chunk of this one.  But, oh, when he's there, he is even more adorable than I remember...and sweet and charming and just.... *sigh*  Oh, and Maura gets herself a hitman love interest. And I really liked his character's inclusion in the story.  There has always been heavy emphasis on morality (and mortality!) in this story, and Mr. Gray/the Gray Man toes the line superbly.

"Like, if you kiss your true love, he'll die," he said, "or is it when you kiss your true love, he'll die?"
"I don't get what the difference is."
He rubbed the side of his face on the pillow.  "Mmmmsoft," he remarked, then added, "One's your fault. The other one, you just happen to be there when it happens.  Like, when you kiss him, POW, he gets hit by a bear.  Totally not your fault.  You shouldn't feel bad about that.  It's not your bear."
"I think it's if.  They all say if."
"Bummer.  So you're never going to kiss anyone?"
"Looks that way."

There may be a kissing curse on Blue, but there is plenty of kissing to be had in this book.  Maybe not in the way you might expect...I did tell you Maura landed herself a hitman, right?  ;0)  But that near kiss....it almost undid me.  It took my breath away more than an actual kiss might have...the potential for disaster there is astounding, and yet I want it to happen so badly.


Oh, that ending!  Why does Maggie insist on tormenting us so?!?  Things were going so well, er, well, as good as they're going to get for these characters any time in the near future.  But man, does Maggie like leaving us on the edge of a precipice!  It's going to be torture waiting another year for the next book, but it will definitely be worth the wait.

**I did miss Will Patton's narration, though.  He provided all the voices in The Raven Boys audiobook and is doing the same for the audio for The Dream Thieves.  Even so, I still heard his raspy voice for Ronan and the slight Southern drawl for Adam, etc., in my head while I was reading this one.  That's the sign of a truly good narrator, if you ask me:  when you can't imagine the voices any other way.  If you haven't checked out the audio, I highly recommend it.

Rating:  

Favorite Quotes/Passages:

"So what you're saying is you can't explain it."
"I did explain it."
"No, you used nouns and verbs together in a pleasing but illogical format."

He didn't say, Or maybe something terrible happened to Adam that day he sacrificed himself in Cabeswater.  Maybe he's messed up all of Henrietta by waking up the ley line.  Because they couldn't talk about that.  Just like they couldn't talk about Adam stealing the Camaro that night. Or about him basically doing everything Gansey had asked him not to.  If Adam was stupid about his pride, Gansey was stupid about Adam.

If he were a god, he thought, this would be precisely how he'd create his new world.  Unrolling it like a carpet.

Adam's response was buried in the sound of the second-story door falling open.  Noah slouched in.  In a wounded tone, he said, "He threw me out the window!"
Ronan's voice sang out from behind his closed door.  "You're already dead!"

"I'm very nearly drunk enough to be transcendent," Calla said after a space.  She was not the only psychic drinking, but she was the closest one to transcendence.

Gansey ran over the memory until he no longer felt the thrill of hearing Glendower's name whispered in his ear, and then instead gave himself over to feeling sorry for himself, that he should have so many friends and yet feel so very alone.  He felt it fell to him to comfort them, but never the other way around.
As it should be, he thought, abruptly angry with himself.  You've had it the easiest.  What good is all your privilege, you soft, spoiled thing, if you can't stand on your own legs?

"Are you ready?" Ronan asked.
"What is it I'm preparing myself for?"
Behind the door, something scratched on the floorboard.
Tck-tck-tck.  Like a mallet dragged across a washboard.  Something in Gansey's heart thrilled with fear.
Ronan said, "What's in my head."
Gansey didn't think there was a way to steel oneself for that.  But he helped Ronan push the bookshelf out of the way.

Gansey threw open his door.  Gripping the roof of the car, he slid himself out.  Even that gesture, Ronan noted, was wild Gansey, Gansey-on-fire.  Like he pulled himself from the car because ordinary climbing out was too slow.
This was going to be a night.

"You're being creepy," Blue said.  "Maybe you mean to be, but in case you're being accidentally creepy, I thought I'd let you know."

The Raven Cycle series

About the author:

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

Find Maggie:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: favorites, ghosts, maggie stiefvater, magic, must-read, paranormal, quest, scholastic, the raven cycle

Teaser Tuesday #70: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's what I'm teasing this week:

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle, book #2
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Source: ARC won from Fic Fare; from publisher via Netgalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...

"Ronan told Gansey what he thought of this plan, very precisely, with a lot of compound words that even Adam hadn't heard before.  Gansey nodded, but he also dialed Declan's number."

-- p. 123 of ARC

Ha, I'll just bet Ronan had some choice words for Gansey if Declan was to be involved.  :)  After re-listening to The Raven Boys recently, I am more ready than ever to return to Blue and the Raven Boys and discover more of the secrets of Cabeswater.  I'm not very far into this sequel yet, but I'm already loving it.  'Course, I always love whatever Maggie writes, so it shouldn't be any surprise that I'm enjoying The Dream Thieves.  =)

What are you teasing this week?  Share it in the comments or leave a link so I can visit!

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Labels: favorites, ghosts, maggie stiefvater, magic, quest, scholastic, teaser tuesday, the raven cycle

Waiting on Wednesday: The Pirate's Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...

Title: The Pirate's Wish
Author: Cassandra Rose Clarke
Series: The Assassin's Curse, book #2
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Publication Date: June 4, 2013

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Why I'm waiting:  I just read The Assassin's Curse, closely followed by The Witch's Betrayal, and I knew I was going to like this story, but I just didn't know how much I was going to enjoy it.  And then the author goes and ends the first book right after the main character has this huge realization that could change the course of their quest!  I waited a long time before picking up the first book, but maybe I should have waited a little longer, at least until this book was released, anyway.  Someone could have warned me, at least.  :P

ETA:  This is up on Netgalley!!!  The WoW gods have smiled upon me again!  =)

What are you waiting on this week?  Feel free to share it in the comments or leave a link so I can stop by!

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Labels: assassins, cassandra rose clarke, fantasy, favorites, magic, pirates, quest, strange chemistry, the assassin's curse, waiting on wednesday (wow)

Audiobook Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title:  The Raven Boys
Author:  Maggie Stiefvater
Narrator:  Will Patton
Series:  1st book in The Raven Cycle
Publisher:  Scholastic, Inc.
Publication Date:  September 18, 2012
Source:  purchased
Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

A quest.  Four very different boys and one very unique girl.  And secrets heaped upon secrets, just waiting to be dug up.  Literally.  If there are any lingering doubts out there that Maggie Stiefvater is a genius, this book should curb any skepticism.  (I, for one, never doubted it for a second.)

The Raven Boys finds Blue Sargent in a churchyard late at night on St. Mark's Eve when she first "meets" Gansey, the boy that she will inevitably kill, if her mother and her psychic friends are to be believed.  Blue's not one to tempt fate, but who wouldn't be curious about a prediction like that?  When the boy shows up elsewhere in her life, neither of them think it's a coincidence.

I love the way the narrative is split in this novel.  It's not the standard first person POV we usually see from this author.  Instead, it's divided between Blue and several of the Raven Boys and told using the third person omniscient perspective, which unloads veritable buckets of knowledge on the reader without which we'd otherwise be clueless.  Blue's perspective is fun but she's very much the staple type of protagonist in a Stiefvater novel: quirky with a quick wit and even sharper tongue.  Gansey's point-of-view was probably my favorite to read because he was self-deprecating, but not in a dreary, depressed way.  He simply accepted himself for who he was, even if he didn't see himself as others did.  Gansey is the reason for this quest, the reason they are all brought together in the first place.  Adam's perception of things was slightly jaded because of his background, but I tried not to hold it against him.  We don't really get to read from Ronan or Noah's perspectives, but we still find out enough about them to know that they both have skeletons in their closets, or at the very least, they know more than they've divulged to the group.  I didn't particularly like reading from Whelk's point-of-view, but his story is just as vital to the quest as those of the Raven Boys.

So, if I'm correct, that's four different perspectives.  How did the narrator of the audio tackle that?  Beautifully.  I'll be honest, I was wary in the beginning.  I hate when a male narrator attempts to make his voice effeminate to portray a female character.  But Will Patton simpy softens his voice a notch, and in doing so, he was able to voice the dialogue of several female characters without grating on my nerves, even weird old Persephone.  His portrayal of the Raven Boys was fantastic, as well, even Adam's Virginian accent and the way Gansey properly enunciated things the way you'd expect him to.  All around, great narration.

It's funny how Blue is supposed to keep away from the Raven Boys and then they ultimately become her boys.  I loved this group dynamic, the bond they all seemed to share without even really intending to.  It seems that just as easily as the boys fell in together, they just as easily accept Blue's now permanent residency as one of the gang.  It's intriguing to see where their exploits take them and how much they're willing to risk to find what they're looking for on this adventure of their own making.

I've adored Stiefvater's lyrical prose since I first delved into Shiver what feels like forever ago, and it's only gotten better over time.  Her wry sense of humor shines through in The Raven Boys -- even more than it did in The Scorpio Races (though some might argue that point with me...I still thought it had its moments) -- and I found myself laughing out loud many times while listening to this incredible audiobook. I can't wait to read more of this most mysterious mystery and see what the future holds for the Raven Boys and their girl Blue...especially after those jaw-dropping last lines.

Favorite Quotes:

"He was still wearing those idiotic Top-Siders she'd noticed at the reading, this time paired with cargo shorts and a yellow polo shirt that made it look as if he were prepared for any sort of emergency, so long as that emergency involved him falling onto a yacht. In his hand he held a container of organic apple juice."

"We have to be back in three hours," Ronan said. "I just fed Chainsaw but she'll need it again."
"This," Gansey replied, "is precisely why I didn't want to have a baby with you."

"You are in trouble. I told you to stay away from him and you didn't," Maura said. "I just haven't decided what to do about it yet. My feelings are hurt. I've consulted with several people who tell me that I'm within my rights to feel hurt. Do teenagers still get grounded? Did that only happen in the eighties?"

Rating: 


Dude, I just watched that trailer again, and even now, it gives me chills.  This woman is so freaking talented, it's unreal.

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Labels: audiobooks, book trailers, favorites, maggie stiefvater, magic, must-read, quest, reviews, scholastic, the raven cycle