In My Mailbox [28]

Hello, hello! I've got some awesome ebooks this week, along with an experimental design for this IMM's ebook haul presentation inspired by the Mac OS dock, which appears to be smaller than I expected it to turn out. Sorry 'bout that folks, my bad. O well, I'm going to have to work on it then. ^_^

The Seer's 7 Deadly Fairy Tales: A Compendium by Elizabeth Marx

The Lost Files: Nine's Legacy by Pittacus Lore

Treachery by Andrea Cremer

Hana: A Delirium Short Story by Lauren Oliver

Old Habits by Melissa Marr 

For Review:

Daphne and the Mysterious Girls Secret Bathroom Society by Robert Shields

NetGalley Grabs:

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin

Your turn...

What did you get this week?

Interview and Giveaway with Elizabeth Marx

I had the honor of reading and reviewing Elizabeth Marx's book, All's Fair in Vanities War. I also had the privilege to interview her and she's been more than generous to provide a copy to giveaway here on the Blair Book Project. Thank you Ms. Marx! 

CLICK HERE TO SEE REVIEW

**If you're wondering where the book pile on the photo above came from, since this book is only available electronically, those are just 3D models I created and did a mock-up back and spine art for the purpose of this blog post alone. No copyright infringement intended.

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Blair Book Project (BBP): Describe All’s Fair in Vanities War in 3 words.

Elizabeth Marx (EM): Confusion, Acceptance, Mastery

I think all three of the main characters go through this same character arc, confused about who they are now, a slow and sometimes bitter acceptance of who they are meant to be, and finally they try to control and command who they’re becoming. 

BBP: What was the inspiration behind All’s Fair in Vanities War?

EM: I started out writing a story about hereditary witches and I was toying with the location of Salem, but the only hereditary witches that I could find research on were Italian, and that didn’t fit with the largest group of settlers in that area, who were from English descent and then the Irish in the Boston area. The English and Irish led me on the path to the druids and Celtic mythology. While researching that, I came across a Seer, and she wouldn’t leave me alone, she kept poking me and telling me what to do. Finally, I gave up and let her run the show and once you’ve read the book you know she has a lot to say.

You can like The Seer on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheSeers7DeadlyFairyTales

BBP: How much research did you go into regarding the lore presented in this book?

EM: I did a lot of research on witchcraft, Celtic mythology, magical creatures, symbols and magic, druids, paganism. The fun part was traveling to Salem and going to all the locations in the book, especially American’s Stonehenge which is in Salem, New Hampshire (about 45 minutes from Salem, MA), as well as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. I love history and mythology so it was a lot of fun to tie so many things together with the sinister history of Salem.

BBP: If you were one of the characters in your book, who would you be and why?

EM: Because all the characters live in my head, I feel that I’m part of all of them, even the not-so-nice ones. It’s kind of like asking a parent who their favorite child is, but if I had to decide on one, I’d have to choose Ilithyia, she’s the mother, and like the mother in most families she directs what’s happening even if it’s from behind the scenes. There is much more about Ilithyia that you don’t know than you do, and you’d be wise to keep an eye on her. I know I am.

BBP: All’s Fair in Vanities War is Book I of the series, when will we be expecting the second one and is there a title already set?

EM: Book II will be out sometime in 2012, I’m not sure exactly when, most of the research is already done, but I have two adult titles closer to completion than Book II. As far as a title, all I know at this point is that it will have one of the deadly sins in the title. If anyone has any suggestions you can email them to me at elizabethmarxbooks@gmail.com and I’ll send them an autographed All’s Fair in Vanities War bookmark.

BBP: Could you give us a little hint about what we’ll see in Book II?

EM: Book II will be loosely based on another fairy tale and its theme will be one of the deadly sins. The book will reveal more about Keleigh’s mother, Darby, she’s the key, along with Keleigh to how we ended up here in the first place. Of course Locke will be supporting Keleigh’s druidic education, but I wouldn’t count Lynx out of the picture by any stretch of the imagination, and we still don’t know who the guy is in the hooded cloak. Do we?

BBP: I’m rather curious, have you always pictured yourself becoming a writer?

EM: I’ve always been a huge reader. When I was in elementary school I won a writing contest and I wrote mostly bad poetry in high school. In college, I put my writing away for other pursuits, but after working as an interior designer for years I’ve come back to my first love, writing.  I think like so many things in life sometimes we squash our natural talents with other pursuits, but many times what we were naturally attracted to, was what we were meant to do all along. I guess I always pictured myself as a writer, not becoming one, if that makes any sense.

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And now for a giveaway. Get a chance to win an Ebook copy of All's Fair in Vanities War. 

Contest Information:

•  One winner will receive an ebook copy of All’s Fair in Vanities War

•  Open internationally

•  Entrants must be 13 years old or above

•  Winner will be informed and will receive an email

- Giveaway is now CLOSED-
Thank you to all those who've entered.
Good Luck!

All's Fair in Vanities War by Elizabeth Marx

      

All's Fair in Vanities War (The
Seer's Seven Deadly Fairy Tales #1)
by Elizabeth Marx

Summary from Goodreads:

"Keleigh Flaherty is born a Devas.

At one her mother is certain she is a Celtic ExtraOrdinary being of light, and leaves the protection of the Order to conceal her.

By three Keleigh speaks fluent Gaelic, and whispers start.

At five she makes one playmate fly, and another one dies.

By seven Keleigh reads her mother’s fear in her reflection.

At nine she is brainwashed, her ExtraOrdinary powers exiled.

By eleven Keleigh convinces herself she’s just an Ordinary girl.

At fourteen she witnesses her parents’ death by beasts that only exist in fairy tales.

By fifteen the Order shrouds Keleigh in Salem, she is given a sacrificed Seer, and Locke Cavanagh detests her.

At sixteen her mother contacts her through a magic mirror and insists Keleigh find a forgotten relic by the next blue moon.

Now Locke is her only hope for locating the artifact, but he knows the key to its discovery is in Keleigh embracing her ExtraOrdinary gifts, because they will need their combined abilities to battle the ShiningOnes over something so powerful.

And if they fail . . . Keleigh will never see seventeen."

Rating:

All’s Fair in Vanities War is beautifully created mystical world were magic is a common thing and almost everyone has special powers, except for humans that is. So if you turn someone’s skin green and give them horns, they won’t scream and go hysterical asking what’s happening to them. And they won’t sue you as long as you put them back to normal.

I’m not really a big mystery fan so I admit that I was a little impatient with the occurring events. It has also proven to be a challenge for me because I was completely unfamiliar with the culture this book has presented. The lore as well was another thing I wasn’t aware of so there were a lot of things I didn’t understand, thank goodness for the Internet! And thankfully Marx’s characters gave a brief history or a clue here and there about what they were talking about.

Speaking of characters, I’d have to say Keleigh didn’t strike as an outstanding protagonist at first. I guess I get the idea because she’s still on the verge of discovering herself and her past seem to haunt her at times. Poor kid. Also she tends to try to blend in and in spite of the she-stands-out-no-matter-what sort she kind of lacked showing personality. Well at least until she begins to find out what she’s capable of.

Locke on the other hand, was presented in a mix of personalities. At first he was all loyal and loving, then bitter and begrudging and then another whole lot of personality when he comes back home from college. I was really confused about who he really is and I totally get why Keleigh was reluctant about her feelings for him.

I absolutely love Madi and the Seer, Wiz as well. They make really striking supporting characters and I think they played their parts really well. Go Madi!

Moving on, I think the plot of this story is commendable. Despite it being completely foreign to me, it is also what I think made me hold on and keep reading. I really wanted to see how it would turn out. All the mystery and waiting was worth it when I got to the climax. Talk about an adventure! It was like watching National Treasure sort of movie with magical creatures. So awesome!

The ending still left me with a lot of questions but I am coaxing myself to wait until the next book comes out. *Be patient, Janus. Be patient.*

I’d like to thank Elizabeth Marx for the copy of All’s Fair in Vanities War and letting me have the honor to read and review her book. 

In My Mailbox [18]

In My Mailbox [18]

hosted by The Story Siren

Oh my gosh! With all the busy gift shopping I've been doing with my mom, I totally forgot to get new books this week! Sheesh!

No worries, I still have a few unread books on my shelf so I'm all good. I also did get an ebook for review this week and another one I got last week that I forgot to include on my IMM post. So here they are:

All's Fair in Vanities War by Elizabeth Marx (for review)

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Oh! and I finally got my new Starbucks planner! Weee!!!!

So what did you guys get this week?