Alleyway Stats

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

A Breathtaking Cover. Prose That Flow. And A Hunky Warrior.

TOUR SCHEDULE
Some sun. Travel. Mystery. Adventure. And a few hot boys. What more could a girl want out of her life?
I'm excited to introduce you to an amazing new YA release, its creator, and one heck of a fantastic cover and premise. 
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SCION OF THE SUN: The Solar Snatchers Series by Nicola Marsh

Publisher: Month9Books. LLC.
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Pages: 340

I'd like to thank the publisher for supplying me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Favorite Line/Passage: I battled tears, swallowing the great embarrassing sobs rising in my throat, my hands shaking. I would've bolted, but he bundled me into his arms and held me tight. Not some half-xxxed hug, a real good squishy one. He rested his chin on the top of my head as I released some of the pent-up fear and frustration bubbling up inside. I didn't want to show weakness, didn't want to cry, but my tear ducts had other ideas. I drenched the front of his T-shirt in five seconds flat. (55% on Kindle)

Description: When she least expects it, sixteen-year old Holly Burton’s unremarkable life is shaken to the core. A vision of the mother Holly never knew leaves her questioning everything she believes.

Eager for answers, Holly enrolls at a boarding school for highly gifted students in Wolfebane, New Hampshire. But things will get worse before they get better, as Holly accidentally transports to a parallel existence where she's confronted by a dark and ancient evil.

With the help of Joss, a sexy alpha warrior sworn to protect her, and her new BFF, the equally swoon-worthy Quinn, Holly faces her fears and an unlikely adversary in a showdown that is worse than anything she could’ve possibly imagined ...

NIGHTSTAND WORTHY +1!

My Splats: Absorbing and heroic, as a triangle of young people accept their place in existence and support each other on an emotional journey to save a world unseen. 

From the moment I saw this amazing cover and read the premise, I knew I wanted to read it. Main character Holly finds her world changes after her aunt drifts into a comma and she must move to attend a specialty school for teens with psychic abilities and those who are adopting the New Age beliefs. As if she didn't feel weird enough, life grows increasingly stranger, as her visions worsen and she discovers she's a descendant of a sun god, who's world is in danger and she's the only one who can save it.

The story is plausible and adventurous, and the transitions for world to world is clean and easy to follow. Descriptions are vibrant and viable. Nicola creates uniqueness for each world, yet gives them similarities which adds a familiar air.   

Romance is subtle, but definitely there. A sweet love trio kind of abbreviated. Quinn is one of the good guys; plus, he's normal and average, adding to his real-life appeal. Joss is otherworldly, fiesty, and tough, which is expected since he's Holly's warrior guard. But he's also honorable and true, not to mention major eye candy. 

The teasing relationship between the three lured me in and kept me there. I flip-flopped the entire book, whether Holly should be with Joss or Quinn. Holly recognizes, and shares with the reader (which is the best part), how Joss brings out one element of her personality, while Quinn highlights another. Lots of self-examination, which is right up the alleyway of a young adult reader. (And some of us adults, too!) 

As Holly's quest to save this world nears, tensions rise with her normal friends, particularly Quinn--soft, kind, adorable Quinn gets a backbone. His evolution is wonderful to watch, but heartbreaking at the same time. Holly's inner growth flowed and made sense, from chapter to chapter, giving me a spark of hopeful anticipation for her future. Made me will her to succeed. Then there's Joss, whose integrity grows even more and gaining even more respect as a character from me.
Praise for Scion of the Sun
 
“Charmed and drawn in by Holly’s spunk and snark, Scion of the Sun will leave you spinning and falling for Joss right along with Holly. Marsh’s unique story is packed with action, mystery, romance and suspense. This is not to be missed!” – Jennifer L. Armentrout, USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Before I introduce Nicola, here's a bit about her: 

USA TODAY bestselling author Nicola Marsh writes flirty fiction with flair for adults and riveting, eerie stories for young adults.

Based in Melbourne, she has published 44 books and sold over 5 million copies worldwide. She writes contemporary romances for Harlequin Mills & Boon, Entangled Publishing and is self-published. Her first indie release, Crazy Love, was a 2012 ARRA (Australian Romance Readers Award) finalist. BANISH, a thriller with Harlequin Teen Australia, is her young adult debut (August 2013), closely followed by the release of a paranormal YA series starting with Scion of the Sun (Month9Books, November 2013).

She's also a Waldenbooks and Bookscan bestseller, a 2013 National Readers' Choice Award and RBY (Romantic Book of the Year) winner, a multi-finalist for awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award, RBY, HOLT Medallion, Booksellers' Best Award, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, More than Magic and has won several CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Awards. 

A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now adores writing full time, chasing after her two little heroes, barracking loudly for her North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team and her favourite, curling up with a good book.

After publishing 44 books (contemporary romance and YA) in 10 years, Nicola Marsh enters the New Adult world with BEFORE...Good girl. Bad boy. A world of trouble. Releasing December 2nd. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

Welcome, Nicola. You have a seriously amazing bio. Congratulation on all your success and hardwork. Tell us about yourself as a young reader.
I devoured books as a kid. I never wanted to turn out the light! My favourite childhood book was The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Adored it!

Describe yourself now, using TV shows or films.
I'm a blend of:
Offspring
The Good Wife
Seinfeld

What do you feel is the most important element to successful writing?
I've seen many talented writers over the years not get published because they lack the drive. Persistence is key. Writing will hone your craft but without the push and the persistence to keep striving for publication? You'll be a writer rather than a published author.

One valuable piece of writerly advice.
Write. Write. Then write some more. Spending hours researching/building a platform/social media/professional development/reading resources will not hone your craft. The only way to do that is write. Explore your voice. Develop it.

If you had to outline your next story using only images, what images would you choose?
Would involve many pictures of Chris Hemsworth. Naked.
Hot Aussie outback.
Lamingtons and pavlovas (Aussie desserts)
Starry nights.
Iconic classic rock bands.
Dirty Dancing.
Horses.
Two man tent.
B & S Ball.

Oh-kay. I need a fan, now. (Psst...let me know when that one is release. Please...) Thank you for joining us, Nicola! It's been a pleasure.

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15 comments:

  1. Sounds excellent! Shared and tweeted, of course.

    Chocolate hugs!

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  2. Seinfeld and the good wife, quite the combo, I'll pass on ever seeing such naked pics though lol

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  3. Wow, what a gorgeous book cover! This sounds like a great start to a series.

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  4. I love the cover! Looks like a great read.

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  5. This is my kind of book and it's by a fellow Month9Books author, so you know I'm dying to read it.

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  6. I'm definitely going to have to read this one. And the cover is fabulous.

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    1. It's really different. And I have to be honest, Nicola's bio was so impressive I almost as though not reading it would be a disservice.

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  7. This sounds like such an amazing book!

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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  8. Holy cow -- 44 books!! How did she have time to do all that? I'm super impressed. (And it really should motivate me to get off my butt and write something...) You know what's funny? The basic premise reminds me a little of your book. I hope to see that one being released one day soon. Great review, Sheri! :-)

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    1. With little sleep, Lexa! Most of those are category romances though, so 50000 words as opposed to mainstream length (80K) 4 of those books have been mainstream length. Oh, and I don't clean much either. I write and run after my kids, that's it. :)

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    2. Oh, Laura.... I know, right. MB has a few homes with those smaller publishers, but my agent still feels she can find a home elsewhere. I won't lie; I'm struggling a little with waiting. :( My MG is almost completed - had to take this week off to write a steampunk anthology for a collection I was asked to write for. (I was so surprised I was asked; I'm pretty psyched!)

      And 44 - I thought the same thing. She must live under a different clock than me. I can hardly find time lately to brush my teeth. Which reminds me - I still haven't done that today!

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  9. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, Sheri. I'm thrilled you enjoyed Scion of the Sun. (I'm a little in love with this book...and biased!) And thanks for a fun interview! My next release, the one you want to know about? It's my debut New Adult novel BEFORE, releasing Dec 2nd. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18686338-before Drop me a line if you want to review :)

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  10. I was fortunate enough to do the formatting for this book, and the first thing I thought when I was sent the cover was WOW! That is one AMAZING book cover!

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