Revisiting the Black Dagger Brotherhood and Disappointment in HarperCollins

It's been nearly two months since I was offered an ARC of the second book in the Tearling series and no book has arrived. It's well past the publish date of the book, which was June 9, so I guess I'm not getting one.

On Friday, I sent an email to the marketing exec in charge (as far as I could tell from the HarperCollins site) for the book to let them know how disappointed I was in the lack of follow through or response since the original offer. I emailed the original contact twice, and sent three direct messages to HarperCollins via Twitter, all to receive no response. We'll see what the new email to someone else brings, if anything.

I really don't want to purchase the book now, because I have a bad taste in my mouth from the experience, but I want to read the damn book! So, pay day is this weekend and I'm sure I'll have to go purchase it for myself, and I'm sure I'll probably review it. It's not the author's fault the marketing higher-ups don't keep their word. I NEED to know what happens with Kelsea!!!

In the mean time, I will have to resort to an ebook since I STILL can't find some of the other books I know I had lost in the move. I just finished the Kindle version of The King by J.R. Ward and am still contemplating how I feel about it. I won't do a full blog review on this one until I am sure where I stand, but I will say - I love Wrath. He was the first of the Brotherhood I was introduced to, since I insist on reading the books in order. I assumed with all the myriad of characters the author has created, the continuation of the series would focus on the ones we haven't seen yet, but I was pleasantly surprised to revisit Wrath and Beth.

The author also revealed that one of the upcoming books would once again feature Rhage and his Beast, which I am VERY excited for! The cover was revealed earlier this month:

I have a feeling I must have missed some books in the series, because I felt like the other story arcs in The King featured some characters I have a big question mark about. Like I remember iAm and Trez, but who the hell is Assail and where did he come from? I need to go do some research to figure out where I went wrong in the reading order. It could be simply that when I was focusing on college graduation, trips to Orlando and London that I just overlooked some.

I might just have to institute a reread of the series.

What a hardship, to revisit all my favorite members of the Brotherhood, true?

Have you read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series? Which Brother is your favorite and why? Let me know in the comments!!! 
 

The waiting is killing me!

 

 

As I await my ARC for The Invasion of the Tearling, I'm trying to find things to read. I have realized that during the very quick move from my little town to the big one, in my haste to get the hell out, I must have tossed some books.

I can hear your gasp of shock and disgust. Go ahead, hate me. I hate myself, if I have to be honest.

Here I had this whole stack of something like 32 books I was all set to read and now I can't find but one! I guess I'll have to read that, or barring any interest in the lone straggler, I'll have to resort to.... *gulp* my Kindle books.

Don't get me wrong, a story is a story, but I really HATE ebooks. I want to feel the pages in my hands. I want to smell them. Kindle feels so...cold. Impersonal. Like it's sex without the love. Not the best when you know what it could potentially be.

Oh well.

Let's hope the ARC arrives soon. I'm dying to find out what happens to Kelsea!

The Queen of the Tearling

The Queen of the Tearling

Author: Erika Johansen

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: Paperback edition April 2015

Available in: Paperback, Hardcover, and Kindle

Like any good book, you hear about it via word of mouth. I'd seen blogs, heard people talking about it, and finally I gave in, though I lacked any substantial reading time. We'd reviewed the book for MuggleNet but I'd yet to pull the trigger on a purchase. 

Luckily, a trip to London gave me plenty of the reading time I'd been lacking, so I hunted for the infamously eye-catching red paperback cover at Barnes and Noble in the airport and began reading before the plane had even taken off.

For the Harry Potter fans, you'll know the novel has already been optioned for a film which will star Emma Watson. For the non-Harry Potter fans, this is the medieval fantasy adventure story you've been waiting for!

"With the arrival of her nineteenth birthday, Princess Kelsea Raleigh Glynn is ascending to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling. Surrounded by enemies, including an evil sorceress possessed of dark magic, the young ruler stands little chance of success. But Kelsea possesses fearsome weapons of her own, including the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic. As an epic war draws near, Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny begins - a wonderous journey of self-discovery and a trial by fire that will make her a legend...if she can survive." - The Queen of the Tearling

There are so many things that I love about this story. The relationships between each character, the seemingly plain-girl self-awareness that Kelsea has when it's so obvious that she is anything but plain, the mystery surrounding the event referred to as the Crossing...it all adds up to a read that answers questions but leaves more questions looming.

And perhaps my favorite thing - this isn't your run-of-the-mill fairytale Disney princess. The strength of this character and her conviction is refreshing. Yet she, and the reader as we take this journey with her, have yet to fully realize the power she holds.

I feel lucky that I waited so long to have jumped on the Tearling bandwagon, as the release of sequel to the first novel in the series is only DAYS away, and hopefully I'll get some answers to my questions! Who is The Fetch? Why is the evil sorceress so evil, yet written almost sympathetically? What is the secret of the two sapphires? Can Kelsea save her people and bring an end to the horrors they've experienced?

Is it June 9th yet?

Check back for my next review of the sequel, The Invasion of the Tearling!