Winter 2018-2019 Reads!

Hey'a, everyone! Sorry I disappeared for a bit. I'm back now, though! I'm sure most of us are busy trying to knock out some of our TBR lists while we have free time on Christmas break . . . but I'm here to help fill them back up with Winter 2018-2019 Reads! As always, this is my list of all the books I'm excited for (or, y'know, marginally interested in) this reading season.

Winter 2018-2019 Reads

1. Bitter Winter by Jaye L. Knight (December 14). This one's already out, actually, and I'm joining in the blog tour on Friday! But I'm looking forward to more Ilyon, even though I'm 99% certain that people are going to die again. I'm not happy about that. We've got more Jayrin, though, so that's something. And hopefully some Jace and Elinor being sibling-ly? I'd be down with that.

2. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (January 29). This falls more in the "marginally interested" category than the "super excited" category mostly because my interest in the Grishaverse comes primarily from the Six of Crows duology. Still, it sounds pretty exciting — lots of intrigue and excitement and dramatics and all that — so I do hope to give it a try. Just, maybe not until after I find time to read the original Grisha series.

3. The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf (February 5). This definitely isn't my usual genre; it's relatively recent historical fiction, for heaven's sakes. It's practically contemporary. But it sounds like an interesting book, and it's set in Malaysia, which is a place I'm not super familiar with and should therefore try to learn more about. I also think this will be a good book to review for my college's newspaper, assuming I can get ahold of it. (And the fact that the cover is gorgeous helps too.)

4. Honor: A Quest In by Kendra E. Ardnek (February 26). Kendra actually reminded me of this one after the post went up, 'cause it didn't show up on my Goodreads TBR, but it's here now! I'm actually alpha-reading Honor, and I'm enjoying it immensely. There are relatively few authors I know of who let characters have adventures after they're married, let alone after they have kids, but Kendra is doing it really well. I'm very excited to read the whole book and see it actually published.

5. Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte (February 26). In which I continue my quest for a good fantasy mystery novel now that the Knight and Rogue series is long finished and the last Mistborn Era 2 book is still in the works and who knows when it will come out. Four Dead Queens has great potential both for good (I mean, we've got a quadruple murder mystery and the same kind of noble-and-thief main character pair that makes Knight and Rogue so good) . . .  but it could also easily go bad (please, every "reluctant partnership" between male and female main characters eventually "evolves into a tenuous romance;" you're going to have to work hard to make it not cliche). I look forward to seeing which it is.

6. When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry (March 12). This is another book not in my usual genre — I'm not sure if this is sci-fi or horror or both. If it's horror, I'll probably end up DNF'ing it, if my last (accidental) experience with horror is anything to go off of. But if it's sci-fi or a variation thereon, well, awesome. I need more sci-fi in my life, especially since my dystopian science fantasy novel is defininitely going to be a thing at some point in the future.

7. Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (March 17). Excuse me as I go scream in mingled excitement and sorrow. On one hand — EUGENIDES. And with a title like that, there's no way that he won't be the primary focus. (Don't get me wrong, I loved A Conspiracy of Kings and Thick as Thieves; I just think that the more Gen, the better the book.) Also, political intrigue and conspiracy and plot twists and mystery (maybe?) and all sorts of awesomeness. On the downside, this is the end, whether or not we want it. After this, there's no more "Maybe she'll surprise us with another book!" It's just "There's no more Queen's Thief and all we can do is go back to the beginning of the series and reread it." And that's just a tragedy. But I'm excited anyway, because EUGENIDES. 

What books are you looking forward to this winter? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Rothana Blog Tour: Interview With Sarah Delena White

Hello, everyone! This is a bit late due to technical difficulties on one end, but I'm joining up with the blog tour for Rothana, Sarah Delena White's latest release! Rothana is the sequel to Halayda, which I read this past summer and quite enjoyed. Today, I have an interview with Sarah . . . but first, a little bit about the book and author.

About the Book

A new queen falls. A death lord rises. An ancient foe looms in the shadows.

Sylvie Imanthiya is desperate to lead Faerie well and deepen the bond with her husband, former king Taylan Ashkalabek. But all hope of that vanishes when the winter solstice ceremony ends in disaster, stranding her and Taylan in the Deathrealm, and stripping the kingdom from her.

With Faerie in chaos, Zad and Diza are separated once again: Zad to reconcile with an old mentor to stabilize the kingdom, and Diza to confront the nefarious Casimir in the mortal realm. But Casimir claims that a greater evil seeks to destroy both realms, an evil that Diza’s unique death magic can hold at bay—if she could only remember how.

In the Deathrealm, Taylan is succumbing to the lure of specters from his past, and pushing away Sylvie’s love. Overwhelmed by decay and darkness, Sylvie must summon unexpected magic from the soul of Kyure to fight for her convictions and her husband’s heart.

Shadows divide them. Their friends are in peril. If Sylvie fails, her marriage and her world will fall.

Find it on: Amazon ||  Barnes & Noble || Goodreads || Signed Paperback

About the Author

Sarah Delena White was raised by wolves in an alternate dimension. She writes eclectic speculative fiction that reworks mythology with a fine balance of poetry and snark. She’s an experienced world traveler who loves to weave world folklore and ancient concepts into vibrant, original story worlds. She is the administrative manager for Uncommon Universes Press. When she’s not writing, she can be found making elegant designer bead jewelry, traveling to festivals as a professional ballad singer, drinking tea, and seeking to create the perfect latte. She can be bribed with dark chocolate.

Find her on: Website || Newsletter || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram

 

 

Interview with Sarah Delena White

Hello, Sarah! Welcome to Dreams and Dragons! To start off, can you tell us a little about yourself? Who you are, hobbies, favorite books (other than your own), anything else you’d like to share?

I’m Sarah Delena White, and I write eclectic speculative fiction that reworks mythology with a fine balance of poetry and snark. I love to weave world folklore and ancient concepts into vibrant, original story worlds. I’m also the administrative manager for Uncommon Universes Press. When I’m not writing, I enjoy making nature-inspired beadwork jewelry, singing folk ballads, drinking tea, and seeking to create the perfect latte. My perennial favorite novels are LOTR and George MacDonald’s Lilith. Both of these books rocked my world and helped me realize what a deep, powerful genre fantasy could be. Two of my more recent favorites are The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli and An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. I’m drawn to books with memorable characters, well-written romance, and epic adventures.

Where did you come up with the idea for Rothana and the series in general? And what books, movies, or other sources influenced you?

The inspiration for Halayda, and the Star-Fae Trilogy as a whole, came from a dream (this is weird for me. I haven’t been inspired by a dream before or since!). I dreamed about someone who got dragonfly wings as the result of a mad science experiment gone wrong. By the time I woke up, I had a basic sense of the concept and the two main characters. I first intended to write it as a superhero story, but when I rolled out of bed and scribbled down a summary, I realized it sounded like ever superhero story ever, haha! But once I fused the superhero-esque concept with Celtic-inspired fae mythology, everything clicked into place. For Rothana, I also drew a bit from the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone (albeit very loosely!). I take inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, so it’s hard to name particular sources that influenced the Star-Fae Trilogy.

What were the hardest parts of writing this novel? The best parts?

It was a challenge to write the second book in a trilogy for multiple reasons. I needed to move the story in new directions while still keeping the same vibe that readers enjoyed in Halayda. I had to create a satisfying ending that still left the story open for a third book. And I had to get over my own fears that I wouldn’t be able to write another book (I have a massive pile of failed WIPs, so this was a legit fear!). The best part was getting to delve deeper into the characters I introduced in Halayda. Some of them have many more layers than they showed in the first book!

If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would you pick and what would you do?

Zad would be an awesome person to spend a day with! I’d want to travel Sabellyn and Faerie with him, since he knows both places inside and out and is always up for exploring.

Finally, can you share a few things you’ve learned from your writing and publishing journey thus far?

The most important thing I’ve learned is that every writer needs to be part of a good team. I’ve always prized independence, so it was a huge learning experience to work with editors and a production team. The reality, though, is that no one can write a good book alone. I need my alpha and beta readers to cheer me on and help me steer my stories in the right direction as I write. I need my editors to catch plot holes, incomplete character arcs, and those sentences that make no sense. I need a cover designer and formatter who can make the book look beautiful and polished in a way that reflects the story within. Being an indie author shouldn’t mean working alone.

 

Great advice, Sarah. Thanks for sharing!

And many thanks to all of you for reading. Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops! Also, make sure you're ready for the Facebook party celebrating Rothana's launch. It's on December 8 and will include games, giveaways, behind-the-scenes info, along with a variety of guest authors!

Have a lovely day!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)   

Tour Stops: Monday, December 3^rd

-        Author Interview – C. O. Bonham

-        Book Review & Excerpt – Coming Up Roses