Tag Archives: Historical Fantasy

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UNDER A STARLIT SKY releases today!

UNDER A STARLIT SKY BOOK COVER

My second book UNDER A STARLIT SKY is officially out today! Here is the blurb from my publisher Feiwel & Friends:

Spring 1662. In the wake of Fouquet’s defeat, Henriette is keeping her promise to the Sun King and helping him build the enchanted Palace of Versailles he’s always dreamed of. But when her poor health worsens, her magic wanes and her husband Philippe fears for her well being to such an extent that he forbids her to remain Louis’ Source.

Forced to step aside, Henriette witnesses the swift rise of a new player at the French court: the handsome and self-assured Chevalier de Lorraine quickly becomes both Louis’s new Source of magic—and Philippe’s latest lover. With her ladies Louise and Athénaïs now both vying for the king’s attention, Henriette is more isolated than ever, and her place at Versailles has never felt more in jeopardy.

EM Castellan’s Under a Starlit Sky is the captivating sequel to the YA historical novel, In the Shadow of the Sun…

UNDER A STARLIT SKY is available as a hardcover, an ebook, and an audiobook.

You can now find all the information to buy UNDER A STARLIT SKY here.

You can also add UNDER A STARLIT SKY on Goodreads here.

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Waiting On Wednesday – 84

Hello gentle reader,

today I’m waiting on A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING (Kingdom On Fire #1) by Jessica Cluess (expected publication: 20th September 2016 by Random House BFYR). It’s a YA Historical Fantasy set in Victorian London – you all know how much I love those… And isn’t the cover amazing?

A Shadow Bright and Burning cover

From Goodreads:

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames.

Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she’s shocked when instead of being executed, she’s invited to train as one of Her Majesty’s royal sorcerers.

Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the chosen one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, handsome young men eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her.

But Henrietta Howel is not the chosen one.
As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers that the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, what does it mean to not be the one? And how much will she risk to save the city–and the one she loves?

Exhilarating and gripping, Jessica Cluess’s spellbinding fantasy introduces Henrietta Howel, a powerful, unforgettable heroine, and an entertaining world filled with magic, monsters, and mayhem.

“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by book blogger Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we’re eagerly anticipating.

Have you heard about this book? Is it on your TBR list? What are you waiting on this week?

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Book of the Week – A Tyranny of Petticoats

Hello gentle reader,

A Tyranny of Petticoats releases today and it sounds like the perfect YA read for this International Women’s Day!

Tyranny of Petticoats

It’s a YA anthology of “fifteen stories of belles, bank robbers and other badass girls” edited by Jessica Spotswood. The Historical Fantasy short stories are by Elizabeth Wein, Beth Revis, Marie Lu, Andrea Cremer, Caroline Richmond, J. Anderson Coats, Marissa Meyer, Katherine Longshore, Saundra Mitchell, Robin Talley, Y.S. Lee, Kekla Magoon, Leslye Walton and Lindsay Smith.

From Goodreads:

From an impressive sisterhood of YA writers comes an edge-of-your-seat anthology of historical fiction and fantasy featuring a diverse array of daring heroines.

Criss-cross America — on dogsleds and ships, stagecoaches and trains — from pirate ships off the coast of the Carolinas to the peace, love, and protests of 1960s Chicago. Join fifteen of today’s most talented writers of young adult literature on a thrill ride through history with American girls charting their own course. They are monsters and mediums, bodyguards and barkeeps, screenwriters and schoolteachers, heiresses and hobos. They’re making their own way in often-hostile lands, using every weapon in their arsenals, facing down murderers and marriage proposals. And they all have a story to tell.

Doesn’t it sound exciting?!

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Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Hello gentle reader,

if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you may know I love Historical Fantasy, a genre I both read and write. The first book that I loved in this genre is JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL by Susanna Clarke, which was published in 2004.

Jonathan_strange_and_mr_norrell_cover

I was therefore utterly delighted when I found out the BBC was adapting the book into a mini-series. So far two episodes have aired in the UK, and it’s set to premiere in the US in June.

My expectations were understandably quite high before watching the first episode, but I’m happy to report I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. This is a great example of a TV show that lives up to the standards of plot and setting set by the book it’s based on.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL is set in an alternate England during the Napoleonic Wars. Although magic is widely believed in, no magician has been able to cast a spell since the Raven King is said to have left the country. Magical studies have become theoretical, until Mr Norrell (played by Eddie Marsan) comes along: a recluse gentleman living in Yorkshire, he becomes the first magician to perform magic in 300 years. Suddenly famous, he moves to London in order to help in the war against France. Meanwhile, another gentleman named Jonathan Strange (played by Bertie Carvel), fortuitously discovers he can cast spells as well. He then proceeds to meet Mr Norrell, and asks him to become his apprentice.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell 2

All sorts of shenanigans ensue, involving a mysterious Gentleman with the Thistle-Down Hair, fairies, dreamlike-balls, crows, odd hats, and the Duke of Wellington.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell 5

Clarke’s book is long (almost 800 pages!) and extremely rich and complex. Turning it into a mini-series can’t have been an easy task, yet the BBC manages it superbly. The settings are gorgeous, the cast spot-on, the plot shortened yet never simplified.

 

It’s magical, dark and creepy, but also funny and delightful. I recommend it!

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell 4

And if you need further convincing, here is the trailer:

Have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell? Have you watched the BBC mini-series? What did you think?

Feel free to leave me a comment below!