Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Leslie Zampetti Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 10/7/2024
  • Samantha Wekstein Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 10/16/2024
  • CoCo Freeman Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 11/11/2024
  • Courtney Donovan Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 11/202/2024

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews have been updated through the letter "K" as of 3/28/2024 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

THE CROWN OF EMBERS REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY



Before I get to the awesome book I'm sharing with you today, I have some winners to announce. Yay! I always love that.

The winner of ENDLESSLY is CELINE!

The winner of ENTICE is JULIE RUPERT!

And the winners of  THE PECULIAR are  L.C.FROST and ALICIA MARIE!

Congrats! E-mail me your addresses so I can send you your books. You must e-mail them to me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

I was so excited—like jumping up in down with excitement—when Harper Collins sent me an ARC of THE CROWN OF EMBERS after I requested because I love this series. It's the second book in Rae Carson's fantastic series and was released September 18, 2012.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.
 
One of the things I love about THE CROWN OF EMBERS is Elisa, the seventeen-year old princess, who was forced to marry for political purposes in THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THRONES. She now finds herself the ruling queen in a country she’s never lived in. She’s such a sympathetic, realistic character. At the start of the series, she was overweight and not pretty. And although she lost some weight during her journeys in book 1, she still struggles a bit with a weight problem and hasn’t turned into a ravishing beauty, though she has an inner beauty and strength. We can relate to her because she’s normal, like us. 

I enjoyed watching Elisa struggle to be a good queen. And it was a struggle at first. She’s a bit weak and lets herself be too influenced by her council and her guardian, Ximena. But she draws on her inner strength and the powers of her Godstone as she faces danger against herself and those she loves.
The plot begins with a bang with multiple assassination attempts on Elisa’s life, castle intrigue, and back stabbing. Then there’s a discovery about Elisa’s Godstone and a mission Elisa and her friends must go on if Elisa hopes to save her country from the Invierno enemies. Rae Carson does an excellent job keeping the plot moving and making you want to keep turning the pages.

And she does a fantastic job with the romance. Hector, the commander of the royal guard and Elisa’s confidant, is her solid, calm protector. It was beautiful watching Elisa’s and his friendship and deepening relationship develop over time. Even though romance between them shouldn’t happen, I couldn’t stop reading hoping that it would. 

I loved that Mara and Belen return and we get to meet new characters, including Hector’s brother Felix, Tristan, and Storm, an Invierno who Elisa isn’t sure she can trust.

The ending is fantastic and a cliffhanger. It left me dying to read the next book in the series. Totally dying to find out what happens. 

So I'm giving away my ARC of THE CROWN OF EMBERS because I want you all to read it too. 


To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment by midnight on October 6th. I’ll announce the winner on October 8th. If your e-mail is not on Blogger, please list it in your comment. International entries are welcome.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. 

Here's what's coming up:

On Wednesday Lisa Nowak will be sharing a fantastic guest post on publishing options and sharing about her new book DRIVEN, a contemporary romance about a girl who loves to work on cars. And there will be a giveaway.

Next Monday I'm so excited to help debut author Shannon Messenger (she's the founder of the Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts and one of the founders of WriteOnCon) celebrate the release of her book, KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES. I'll be interviewing her and giving away a copy of her book.

Next Tuesday I have a special Tuesday Tip by debut author Carrie Pearson to help celebrate her new picture book, A WARM WINTER TAIL

Thursday that week I'll be doing a guest post at Adventures in YA and Children's Publishing on what I've learned about reading.

The following Monday I'm helping Kiki Hamilton celebrate the release of THE TORN WING, the second book in her historical fantasy THE FAERIE RING series, with an interview and ARC giveaway.

Then on Tuesday that week I'll be participating in Mike Mullin's blog tour to celebrate the release of ASHEN WINTER, Book 2 in THE ASHFALL Trilogy with an interview and ARC giveaway.
 
And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

55 comments:

Theresa Milstein said...

Look at all those lucky winners. Congratulations!

Thanks for the thorough review of the second book. I haven't yet read the first one.

aparajita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
aparajita said...

I have the first book and its totally amazing still halfway from finishing it.....and OMG this second book sounds amazing.....

great and very through review....

Hope i win your giveaway

GFC follower - aparajita basu
tweet link - https://twitter.com/AparajitaBasu/status/250176568784211969
email - aparajita_19@hotmail.com

Beth said...

This sounds like a great book! And you have some terrific posts coming up - can't wait!

Lili said...

Ah thanks for the opportunity to win! Have had my eyes on this one for forever!

GFC: Lili

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Congrats to all those winners! Awesome.

I'm thinking I want this book, too. I am totally fangirl over the cover!!

Jemi Fraser said...

I've had the first one on my wishlist for ages now - I'll definitely have to pick it up!

Maidenveil said...

I love the first book! I was surprised in how things happened. Excited for this sequel!

-Len of Musings of a Reader Happy
maidenveil(at)gmail(dot)com

Creepy Query Girl said...

Sounds like a pretty fast paced and action packed read!

Kristin Lenz said...

Lucky you, Natalie, and thanks for sharing! I still haven't read The Girl of Fire and Thorns, so no need to enter me in the giveaway.

Angela Brown said...

Three cheers to the winners. I bet they'll love the books they won.

I think I have the first book of this series but I need to check my book stash lol! From your review, it sounds like a very good read with lots of action, adventure and intrigue. Better make sure I have this one on my TBR list.

Thank you :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited for this book! Loved The Girl of Fire and Thorns & I need to know what happens next. Thanks for the chance to win!

GFC: Danielle Nguyen
tweet: https://twitter.com/Dani_Nguyen/status/250222562049679360

Casey McCormick said...

Great review, Natalie. I felt the sequel was even better than the first. In fact, I think it's the best book I've read all year. I seriously cannot wait for book 3!!

Linda Gray said...

Wow, sounds like a complex character and an interesting story.

Vivien said...

Congrats to all the winners! I've been wanting to give this sequel a chance. Thanks so much :)
tweet:
https://twitter.com/deadtossedwaves/status/250243689367093248

Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

Pili said...

I so loved the first book, and I'm so happy that the second one hasn't disappointed me at all, what a fantastic book!

Barbara Watson said...

I, too, love reading about characters that struggle to do right and be good -- because it makes books so real.

Eli Yanti said...

congrts all winners :)

sounds a great book

Lydia Kang said...

It does sound good, and I appreciate the comments on the well done romance part!

Ali Cross said...

I love hearing about new books! Thanks!

Joanne R. Fritz said...

Natalie, you are one busy person! I have yet to read the first book(so please don't enter me in the drawing). But it looks intriguing and so does this sequel. Love that she's a normal person in the world Rae Carson created. And I love that she has an inner beauty.

jpetroroy said...

I'd love to read this sequel!

LTM said...

OH! I'm so glad you reminded me of this awesome series! I was on the fence btw Girl of Fire & Thorns or Daughter of Smoke & Bone (LOL!) and I went w/#2. I totally LOVED DOS&B, but I forgot to go back and read GOF&T! These books look so good.

Thanks, Natalie! :o) <3

Emily R. King said...

I loved the first book and can't wait to read this one. It's my most anticipated read of the fall!

Thanks for the giveaway!

Unknown said...

Thank you for the great giveaway! Anxious to check out this series!
GFC/Erika
saltsnmore at yahoo dot com

Karen Lange said...

Sounds like a good lineup! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today. It's great to meet you!

cleemckenzie said...

Very nice to win book! I always get so excited when I do, so I'm sure everyone who won today feels that way. Congratulations.

Peggy Eddleman said...

Congrats to all the winners! And thanks for the fabulous review!

Stina said...

I'm so behind on my YA fantasy books. I haven't read them in years. Now I'm going through a YA contemp fix. :D

Misha said...

Really excited about this book! Thank you for the chance to win your ARC :) MostyMisha[at]gmail[dot]com

Psyche said...

GFc: maly
msbookworm22(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for the giveaway and congratulations to all the winners.

Sigal Tzoore said...

I loved Girl of Fire and Thorns. Can't wait to read this next novel. I shall tweet this too :)
Have a happy Jewish New Year!

warisha_jayanti said...

Loved the first book. Can't wait to read this one.
Thank you for this giveaway

Natalie @ Book Lovers Life said...

Thanks so much for the chance.

GFC as nat cleary
Tweeted https://twitter.com/natcleary/status/250517404482928641
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/natcleary/posts/231239187002470

Mary Preston said...

I would love to read THE CROWN OF EMBERS thank you. It looks wonderful.

GFC: Mary Preston

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Anonymous said...

I'm not usually one for mythical YA, but this does sound great! My daughter would love it. Thanks for the give-away, and oh my goodness, you are BUSY!

Martina Boone said...

I am so excited about this book. I'm taking it on vacation with me and can't wait to get to it! Thanks for another great book review, Natalie!

Best,

Martina

SwiftScribbler said...

I can't wait to read it!!

Julie R said...

This book sounds great. Thanks for the review and giveaway. julierupert@gmail.com

Lisa Marie said...

I can't wait to read this one. Thank you for the giveaway!

:).

lisalueddecke at yahoo dot com.

crysb0503 said...

Thanks for the giveaway! I am a follower and I tweeted about it.

https://twitter.com/Crys0510/status/250724235243311106

Amanda said...

I am very excited to read The Crown of Embers! I can't really imagine where Carson will take this story next, even with the vague outline you provide in your review. But I'm content to simply read and soak it all in, and I can't wait to see what the romance is like. (Hector seems like the only character who's been worth Elisa's time). Thanks for the giveaway!

AnnMc said...

I enjoyed the first book, and look forward to the second one!

Natasha said...

Sounds really good!! Thanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

laceyblossom said...

Really looking forward to reading this book! I really liked the first book. Thanks for the giveaway :)
GFC: laceyblossom
Lacey
laceyblossom1(at)gmail(dot)com

Veronika said...

I'm so happy you liked this book! I haven't read it yet, but it's on my tbr list already and can't wait to read it!
GFC: Veronika
verusbognar (at) gmail (dot) com

Evie said...

Love the cover!
Thanks for the chance to win this book :)
GFC follower: Evie

Valia Lind said...

I'm reading the first book now and loving it!! THanks for the chance! :-)

valialind(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Neysa Kristanti said...

Great review! And thanks for the chance!

My email is : mnkbooklife (at) yahoo (dot) com

Jenn said...

Thanks you so much for this awesome giveaway! I loved the first book and cannot wait to read the second.
GFC: Jenn
star_chaser76(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Unknown said...

I would love to read this book! I'm follower and tweeted about this.

GFC: Malvina Beatrice
http://twitter.com/Acciomalfoyz/status/252637606439948289
darkenf(at)rocketmail(dot)com

Reading Mind / The Loyal Book said...

Crown of Embers! *smiles wide* I love, love, love this series! So good!Elisa is absolutely GREAT!!!

GFC reading mind

aliasgirl at libero dot it

ZaraAlexis said...

Please count me in for the giveaway! I follow you by mail: zgarcia(dot)alvarez(at)gmail(dot)com.

Thanks!
Zara Alexis

ZaraAlexis said...

I shared on FB: The Bibliotaphe Closet for an extra entry. Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/TheBibliotaphesCloset?ref=hl

Zara Alexis

Stephanie Garber said...

Thanks for another great giveaway! I loved the first book! I haven't gotten to read this one yet, but it sounds as if it's just as good!