Tuesday, January 29, 2019

ARC Blog Tour: Courting Darkness


Good morning lovelies!

I am proud to share with you today's stop on the Courting Darkness Blog Tour, hosted by Raincoast Books. I read this one about a week ago, and it truly surprised me.

Tour Schedule:



Book Details:

Title: Courting Darkness
Author: Robin LaFevers
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 5th, 2019
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical


Synopsis:

Death wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning…

37569347Sybella has always been the darkest of Death’s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now. In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, she agrees to accompany the duchess to France, where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Their one ray of hope is Sybella’s fellow novitiates, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the convent—provided Sybella can find them.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she struggles to remember who she is or what she’s supposed to be fighting for. Her only solace is a hidden prisoner who appears all but forgotten by his guards. When tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands—even if it means ignoring the long awaited orders from the convent.

As Sybella and Gen’s paths draw ever closer, the fate of everything they hold sacred rests on a knife’s edge. Will they find each other in time, or will their worlds collide, destroying everything they care about?


Q & A with Robin:

Kat: Would you like to see Courting Darkness as a movie? Why or Why not?

Robin: Oh absolutely! One of the coolest things as an author is seeing ANY artistic interpretation of one’s work, from cover art to fan art. So an entire movie—provided the creator was as passionate about the world and the characters as I am—would be amazing.

Although I think the His Fair Assassin trilogy should be made into one first. Actually, I suspect the books are better suited to a streaming series. And it would definitely hinge on finding someone who ‘got’ the world and the books and what I was trying to convey. Of course, I would want to be involved as a creative consultant, just to make sure. 🙂

My Review: 4.25/5 ⭐

This historical fantasy novel, the first in a bold new duology, was a pleasant surprise to me. The fictional world featured a variety of elements that I love, including royalty, a hint of romance, and underestimated heroines. It takes place in the same realm as her previous series, His Fair Assassin, which I cannot wait to read now.

The story is split between two female leads, each with their own story, woven together through a suspenseful writing style. I really liked Genevieve's determination, and how she never forgot where her roots and loyalties lie. Her daring character was engaging to read about and I liked the relationships she developed with other characters. However, Sybella was my personal favourite of the two women. I found her determination to protect her family, and the Duchess, to be exciting and easy to read.

This novel does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, which will keep readers anticipating the next book in the duo. I am hoping the next one starts off a bit quicker paced than this one, drawing the reader in right away. The size of the book might be intimidating, but the second half flew by, not feeling like it was dragging on at all.


Review on Goodreads