Showing posts with label Rosamund Hodge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rosamund Hodge. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

May 2015 Young Adult Fantasy Releases

Good afternoon, Travelers!

How are you this Wednesday? We are excited to be researching what we can do this summer to make a printed second issue of Realms a reality! Please tell us what you think of the magazine on our social media or comment on the website. Moving on, we know you're here to take a look at some of the enticing May 2015 releases.
          Below you will find five YA fantasy books or publications that we think are fantastic. This is purely opinion, and if you know of other books that released this month that are earth-shaking, please comment below and share the book/publication with the world! Nothing shows author appreciation like spreading the word. 


Realms, Issue No. 1
May 1, 2015:

Realms Young Adult Fantasy Literary Magazine – Step into the Realms, where magic and fairy tales become reality. We can't promise that every story has a happy ending, but we guarantee each one is intriguing.
          Come, join the sea riders, whose serpentine sea beasts guide them through the deeps. 

          Keep your eyes peeled for the follower. 
          Should you hear an earsplitting roar, do not be afraid; the dragons are not here to harm you. 
          Tread softly, carefully, around the fairy pool. 
          Do not go near the grim grimoire, particularly when it talks to you and whispers promises. 
          If you were told that rules are made to be broken, we hope you had the good sense to laugh at that; otherwise, you might be in the raven king's clutches....
          This is but a taste of six stories in the magazine. You can read all of the ones here and the rest on our main website.

May 5, 2015:
Crimson Bound
by Rosamund Hodge


Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge – When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless—straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.
          Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her find the legendary sword that might save their world. As the two become unexpected allies, they uncover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic, and a love that may be their undoing. In a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?
          Inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Crimson Bound is an exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption.

A Court of Thorns and
Roses
by
Sarah J. Maas
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin-one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
          As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

May 12, 2015:

End of Days
by Susan Ee
End of Days by Susan Ee – End of Days is the explosive conclusion to Susan Ee’s bestselling Penryn & the End of Days trilogy. After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.
          When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?

Off the Page
by Jodi Picoult
May 19, 2015:

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult – Meet Oliver, a prince literally taken from the pages of a fairy tale and transported into the real world. Meet Delilah, the girl who wished Oliver into being. It’s a miracle that seems perfect at first. Sure, Oliver doesn’t know that you shouldn’t try to open your locker with a dagger or that there’s no such thing as “the ruler” of the local mall. But he also looks at Delilah as if she’s the only girl in the world—the only girl in any world—and Delilah can’t help feeling that being with him is a dream come to life.
         But not every story can have a happy ending. Because the book wants Oliver back. And it will turn both worlds upside down to get him. 
         Oliver and Delilah will have to decide what—and who—they’re willing to risk for love and what it really means for a fairy tale to come true.

Let us know how you rate each book/publication and what you thought of them! We're curious to know, or email us with your review and have a chance at being featured on Realms News!

Realms

Monday, February 9, 2015

Realms Review: "Cruel Beauty"

Cruel Beauty cover
In a retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast, set in a world based on Greek mythology, what isn’t there to love about Rosamund Hodge’s debut novel, Cruel Beauty? Nyx, the protagonist, is being forced to marry the cruel ruler of their land, Ignifex. Even though she’s been forced to marry him, Nyx has also been training to kill him and unravel the spell that has separated their kingdom from the real world.
            Without giving anything else away, we would like to rate this tale with four stars. For a debut novel, it’s absolutely mesmerizing. The writing is beautiful, the world-building in incredible, and for a tale that’s been retold in so many ways, Hodge still makes it original and spins it on its head. Nyx is our strong female protagonist who represents the dark side within all of us. We’re all bound by responsibility, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hate those responsibilities. And, sometimes, what we want the most is what everyone else disapproves of.
            Rarely have I seen such a well-developed character with a strong voice. Even when she’s “helpless,” she’s independent and strong. Whether dealing with her father, her sister, or Ignifex, she bends the rules to achieve her goals. Ignifex is a great foil to her character. He represents pure evil, but, ultimately, reveals that no one can be categorized in such a black-and-white fashion. The well-rounded characters have you constantly guessing who the real villain is, and in the end, you have decide for yourself.
          Cruel Beauty is a magnificent tale that will have you dying to know what happens next. We couldn’t put the book down. You can buy the book here on Amazon! And, if you like this book, you need to check out Hodge’s new novel, Crimson Bound, a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and The Girl with No Hands, set to release May 5, 2015.
Crimson Bound cover
Realms Review