The Other Side of Magic
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GIVEAWAY! Today is my stop on the blog tour for Dare - the third instalment in Christina Bauer's series Pixieland Diaries. I am a big fan of the series and I'm really excited for this new release and Christina's guest post! But first, let's have a quick re-cap of the series and a few book details: Pixieland Diaries If you don't like pixies, don't read this diary. If you don't like loud-mouthed pixies who are really cool but sometimes get told they're immature (for no reason), then definitely stop reading. Oh, and if you're His Awfulness The Elf Prince ‘Dare’ Darius, then you can kiss my butt. My hatred for you burns with the fire of a thousand suns. Thanks for getting me kicked out of Pixieland and exiled to attend some rando human high school on Earth. You’re the worst, even if you have a cute smile. And nice eyes. Your hair looks okay sometimes, too. But you’re still a creep and I loathe you. And to everyone else: if you’ve read this far, then you better finish my entire diary. My story is supernatural, whacked-out, and overall awesome. Calla Big news in Pixieland! The Blue Fairy is sending our fave pixie, Calla, and her crush, Dare, on a mini-quest. Unfortunately, it’s an adventure that requires a lot of togetherness. We’re talking tons of touching, people. Blue believes that since Calla and Dare are just friends, then this situation shouldn’t be awkward. It’s totally awkward. Dare by Christina Bauer (Pixieland Diaries #3) Publication date: March 30th 2021 Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult Synopsis: What happens when a pixie outcast seizes the throne of Faerie… while her beloved elf prince becomes a wanted criminal? Sassy pixie Calla loves the prankster life, even if it does make her an outcast among other fae. But everything changes when Calla’s magic erases an evil blight destroying the Faerie realm. That’s when the pariah pixie becomes something unexpected: a Fae Queen. Yet no sooner does Calla take the crown than a new and unstoppable plague appears. Things get even worse when Calla’s longtime crush, the elf Prince ‘Dare’ Darius, appears to have masterminded the outbreak before fleeing to the mountains. According to the Faerie elders, there’s only one way to end this disease… Calla must hunt down Dare and destroy him. Yeah. Like that will ever happen. Instead of killing anyone, Calla vows to cure the plague while proving Dare’s innocence. And if she must pull a few mega-pranks to make it all happen? Not a problem. Even so, the path ahead is still fraught with trouble. Secret enemies scheme to manipulate the outbreak—as well as Calla’s feelings for Dare—in order to bring our favorite prankster down, once and for all. Goodreads Purchase Links Amazon / B&N / IBooks / Kobo / GooglePlay The Inspiration For My New Book, DARE By Christina Bauer Author As part of the launch tour for my latest book, DARE (Pixieland Diaries #3), the lovely folks at Reading Tonic have asked me to share the inspiration for the Pixieland Diaries series. Fun! So without further ado, here goes… A huge inspiration for this series was a book called Faeries, which is now available in a 25th anniversary edition. The original version came my way during my teenage years (I say teen years, you think secret hell.) It got my imagination going and provided a mental escape hatch in what was otherwise a crap time. The book is a clear and driving force behind wanting to explore the world of pixies in this book series. Wondering what the big deal is about with Faeries? There's a great guided video tour here. But for the purposes of this post, I'll quickly share why I love this work: the illustrations are sublime. Because of these images, I added a ton of drawings to the Pixieland series as well. There are two artists who created this book. The first is Alan Lee, a guy who's arguably best known for illustrating the Lord of the Rings novels. Then there's Brian Froud, someone I consider the go-to guy for all faerie art. Both are mind-blowing in terms of their creativity and skill. Here's why the Faerie illustrations are special (to me, anyway). These artists don't just draw a cute elves. They really think through the particular world behind each creature. For instance, a beautiful elf may have clothing with lovely geometric patterns... which then match designs behind them... and all carry a subtle visual theme of swords. The resulting message is one that combines beauty and death. Perfect for the fae. And when it comes to evil creatures? Their work is even better. Some fae have a particular texture to their flesh... or no skin at all. I'd link in a bunch of their images, but that can get me in trouble. (I'm not even kidding. I've gotten--and paid--hefty fines in the past.) Instead, I'll share a few pics that I own from my upcoming book, DARE. I'll kick off with the antagonist. The Usurper What I love about this illustration is how it takes an old image--namely a mysterious figure in a dark cloak--and adds something fresh. The extra arms are often used in Eastern art to show higher power levels, and I think that idea is conveyed here as well. The sword is a great addition (and it plays right into my story, but that's a post for another time). And the style of illustration is rough and harsh, which also tells the story of the character. This piece is created by a Russian artist who goes by the name of Warm Tail. Lady Kae In a lot of ways, this is a standard image of a gorgeous elf. What makes this illustration special is the cone-style hat and unusual jewelry. This lady is clearly not your average fae. And in DARE, she certainly plays a special role. This pic is an adaptation of a full-color piece by one of my favorite artists, Majorgaine. And here's a snapshot of me happily coddling my 25th anniversary edition. So exciting to find it on a rare books Amazon page as the original is out print. Bucket list item... done! On a final note, if you want to find out more about DARE, you can check it out on Nook, Amazon, GooglePlay, Apple & Kobo. AUTHOR BIO: Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby. Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter Blog / Facebook / Twitter -@CB_Bauer / Instagram / LinkedIn / website Thank you to Christina for her awesome guest post! March 29th
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GIVEAWAY!
My thoughts:
This is one of the best books I have read this year, and, although I did keep in mind my twelve-thirteen year-old students when I read it, it can and it should be read by people of any age. The way Sarah Allen captured what it's like to live and love a family member suffering from depression is so poignant and authentic. She also managed to do so much more and that is to show what it's like to grow into yourself and begin to own your own feelings, realise that the different ways in which we see the world create it's beauty. Thirteen year old Olivia, who is passionate about photography, and her older sister Ruth are going on a road trip with their parents' friends in an RV. Olivia would like this trip to become a Treasure Hunt that would recreate the hunt she and Ruth did in the past and remind them of happier times. Olivia tries so hard to be upbeat and keep her complex feelings under control not to upset Ruth or worry their mum. She is trying to understand her own limits (influence over other people's choices, responsibility, anger, frustration, creativity ) and this mysterious thing called sisterly love. It is difficult to imagine a better setting for a coming of age/self-discovery story than a road trip. Olivia is a talented photographer and she has a good eye for anything unusual: an angle that suddenly makes her see an ordinary object in a different light, a special detail that helps you understand the meaning of a place at a deeper level, a connection which isn't obvious unless you've had a similar experience yourself. Ruth is musical - on their treasure hunts she used to come up with perfect playlists- and Olivia comes up with a heartwarming idea- she adds song title captions to her snaps, captions that bring together the sisters' unique ways of seeing the world and creates a perfect fusion that is so meaningful for both of them. The book is written from Olivia's point of view and Sarah Allen manages to keep the first person narrative exactly that. Olivia has to rely heavily on her powers of observation to see the signs of Ruth having a downturn, because she is trying to do everything possible to make her sister feel better. Even a hint of smile on Ruth's face can make Olivia happy. There isn't a hint of omniscience that so often creeps into first person narratives. No, Olivia has to work out things on her own. She really doesn't know what her sister or her mum thinks, she has to rely on their words or their body language, or take a guess, and this is one of the things that make this book so authentic. It doesn't limit your ability to relate to other characters, though. I wish I could interview Sarah Allen just to get a glimpse into her creative process and how she came up with this perfect ending. I felt I became Olivia for a brief moment- my heart was full of emotions I couldn't express with words, but I had a picture in my mind that I will treasure. Remember I mentioned the twelve-thirteen year olds I kept in mind while I was reading the book? Would I recommend Breathing Underwater to them? Absolutely! It is a perfect book about sisterly love and life in general. Would I recommend it to adults-yes! Read it, feel it, and treasure it, because it really is special. Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion, which was not influenced in any way. |
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