And the winner of a copy of Darklight by Lesley Livingston is….
twarner419
Congrats! Thanks to all who entered!
Comments rssReminder: 1 more day to enter this giveaway!
RaV has an extra copy of Darklight by Lesley Livingston and we are passing it on to you. Just enter using the instructions below and you could be the proud new owner of this wonderful book! Good luck and may the force be with you!
Dust Jacket Summary: Faerie can’t lie . . . or can they?
Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.
When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power. Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.
With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in Darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with Wondrous Strange.
Want to know more about this book? Check out my review here
How to Enter
1. Only open to U.S. Residents with a valid mailing address.
2. Only one entry per contestant will be accepted.
3. Send an email to robotsandvamps@gmail.com by Friday, March 19, 2010 to be entered into a random drawing. Please put Darklight in the header.
4. Bean will randomly pick the winner out of the RaV sorting hat and we will notify you by email.
Comments rssReviewed by Christel
Disclosure: This book was received from a publicist.
Darklight is the sequel to Wonderous Strange by Lesley Livingston. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the first novel and I can say the same about this one.
Kelley Winslow is a 17 year old, an aspiring actress and a Faerie princess. She has just recently learned of her true heritage and is trying to live as a human in New York City while her new found love Sonny is in the Otherworld attempting to quell the Wild Hunt. Kelley’s human existence has the same distractions as before. She is rehearsing for her part in the Avalon Grande’s next Shakespearean production, Romeo and Juliet. She finds herself drawn to Central Park regularly as it is the only place she feels close to her homeland and Sonny. It is the only safe place she can practice using her new powers and the Janus Guard is there regularly to protect her.
Sonny is trying to kill the members of the Wild Hunt so that he can get back to the mortal realm and Kelley. He is determined to protect her at all costs. He is alone fighting these Fae when Kelley and Fennrys Wolf come crashing into the Otherworld through a rift. Kelley is being hunted by Leprechauns. I know you are picturing a Lucky Charms box right now and laughing, but these aren’t your cartoon variety Leprechauns. Think angry Irish Punk rocker with a penchant for destruction.
On top of all of this fighting, Auberon has taken ill. No one knows what is wrong and they must protect him until they find a way to heal him. Unlikely allies are revealed and Kelley is no longer sure she knows who to trust. In the Otherworld it is difficult to tell who the bad guys are. Alliances shift and circumstances are never quite as they appear.
As I mentioned above, these books are a pleasant surprise. I never expected these books would hold my attention in such a manner. At times I get so wrapped up in what will happen next, I find that I just can’t put the book down. Kelley and Sonny are interesting, but what I find delightful are all of the other characters in this story. The lost fae, the Faerie Kings and Queens of the Otherworld, the Janus Guard, Puck and all of the other faerie creatures that happen to weave their way into this tale fascinate me. Their stories are rich in history and intrigue. The Fae have a sordid past and long standing relationships with each other that have been tested by time. This tends to make things complicated, but then again the Fae are always complicated.
I enjoyed the infusion of the Greenman and his offspring (the Leprechaun and the Glaistigs) into the Faerie mythology. Previously we had a hint of Irish Faerie folklore but now it is in full swing.
The story just keeps building and if I thought the last book left me with questions, this one has left me with many, many more. The story progresses, but new revelations are made that leave us wondering what will happen in the next installment and keep curious as to where the story will go from here. I am pretty sure I read somewhere that this was a 3 part series. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up and I am not sure how that will be accomplished in one book. But I can’t wait to find out.
Ms. Livington manages to weave together Faerie folklore, Irish mythology, Shakespeare and modern day New York with ease. She has created a fantastical world, which I hope to be able to visit again in the 3rd novel, very soon.
Author’s Website: Lesley Livingston
Comments rssOur friends at Media Masters Publicity sent RaV headquarters the 2nd book in the YA urban fantasy series by Lesley Livingston. Darklight continues Kelley Winslow’s story, alternating between the Otherworld and the mortal realm.
Dust Jacket Summary: Faerie can’t lie . . . or can they?
Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.
When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power. Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.
With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in Darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with Wondrous Strange.
And – Here is a Q&A with Author Lesley Livingston:
1. Were you surprised with the huge response and instant fan base you received from your debut novel, Wondrous Strange?
I was, a little. Surprised and gratified! There’s nothing like getting your first fan mail. And when you get it before the book has even hit the shelves—when all the general public knows about it a title and maybe a plot description and cover art—you sit up and think to yourself that there is something going on here. That you’ve tapped into a wish for a certain kind of story. And then when the responses keep coming in after the book is out there and they say such wonderful things, it’s lovely and humbling at the same time.
2. Did any feedback you received from your fans influence you when writing Darklight?
I’m not sure if the (awesome!) feedback I received exactly influenced the plot of Darklight… I pretty much knew where I wanted to take the story before I started writing it… but what it did do was make me aware of just how much readers cared about these characters. They cared about them just as much as I did… and so that made me very aware of how I treated them in the second book. It made me keep a very close eye on some of them to make sure I was doing them justice.
3. Why did you select Central Park, rather than, for example, The Empire State Building or the subway, as the point where the mortal and Otherworld realms meet?
Because it’s one of the most magical places I have ever been! When I first went to New York I was wowed by the city as a whole, but I was absolutely captivated by Central Park. Even in February. It was utter infatuation at first sight. I did the touristy stuff on that trip – carriage ride, Tavern on the Green (both of which are now plot points in Wondrous Strange) but I also became fascinated by certain landmarks in the park – by the fantastic, otherworldly landscapes of the Shakespeare Garden and the Ramble and the Lake, by the statue of the Indian Hunter (a source of inspiration for Sonny Flannery and the Janus Guard in the book) and by the Carousel – which is the fourth one to stand on that spot – two previous incarnations having burnt to the ground. Back home, I couldn’t get the park out of my head. The whole place just struck me as somehow mythic. And a really good location to stick a story (obviously – I mean, writers have been doing that forever!).
4. What character in Darklight has been the most interesting to work with? What would happen if that character were real?
I introduce a new character into the story in Darklight. He’s alluded to in the first book, but only very tangentially. In this book, he comes very much to the forefront as a malevolent adversary that Sonny and Kelley find themselves facing off against. The character, like most of the Otherworldly beings in the books is based on a mythological creature but with my own particular slant that takes a much darker view of the reality behind the lore. He was a lot of fun to write.
If he were real? We should all be very worried. Personally, I would tend to avoid outdoor spaces with lots of landscaping and I might get rid of any potted plants in the house. Just as a precaution.
5. Which character most closely resembles you?
I think there’s a little bit of me in just about every character I write (yes, even the naughty ones!) but there are, of course, a few who come the closest. You might think Kelley is the obvious choice because we share a similar background in the theatre and similar experiences… but otherwise, were not all that similar. I think she’s braver than I am and maybe a little more reckless. (Also, I’m not a Faerie princess. That I know of.)
I do, however, think that Tyff (Kelley’s model/Faerie roommate) and I have a lot in common attitude-wise. Most of the things that come out of Tyff’s mouth are the same things that would come out of mine. We’ve both got the same kind of smart-ass, sardonic thing going on. Now if I just had her height, and bone structure, and wardrobe, I’d be set.
6. What songs do you think Kelley Winslow, the seventeen-year-old actress/ Faeries princess, would have on her ipod? Any special ones meant just for Sonny?
In fact, Kelley has entire playlists! (Or at least, I do—my boyfriend creates one for me for every book I write.) She’s got some Arcade Fire on there, a lot of U2, The Killers, Kings of Leon (especially Manhattan), Blue October, also some older stuff; Peter Gabriel, Springsteen, the Beatles, Robbie Robertson, The Police, Roxy Music (she likes the classics). A couple of songs that always make her think of Sonny are Dave Matthews Band’s Crush, The Waterboys’ When Ye Go Away, Clannad (w. Bono) In a Lifetime, INXS’s Afterglow…
7. Your stories are steeped in Faerie lore and Shakespearean references. How much research in these areas did you do prior to writing Wondrous Strange and Darklight?
I’ve been a Shakespearian actor for the better part of two decades now, and I have a Masters Degree in English with a specialization in the subject, so I didn’t have to do all that much active research in that respect. Same thing with Faerie lore, I suppose. I’ve been fascinated by Faerie lore since I was a kid. The stories that intrigued me the most, though, were never the ones that portrayed the Fae as tiny, sweet, sparkly things. Rather, I was drawn to the idea that these were the creatures that existed beyond the circle of firelight, or just on the other side of the threshold, or just over that far hill; things only ever glimpsed out of the corner of your eye – if you were lucky! I love the dangerous aspects of the Fair Folk. I did have to research detail stuff, and I did a lot of digging into the history of Central Park, but the rest of it, I’ve really just been researching my whole life.
8. If you could meet an infamous Faerie who would it be and why?
Puck, definitely. He’s one of my favorite characters in the Wondrous Strange series and we get along very well. I think it would be a riot to go out to a pub with him and just listen to him tell stories of all the various mischief and mayhem he’s caused down through the years. Although, I’d keep an eye out to make sure he didn’t stiff me on the bill or steal my wallet or anything like that. Also, I’d be polite. You never want to get on the bad side of a boucca. Never.
9. You’ve become a hot commodity in the urban fantasy genre. What’s next for you?
Well, what’s next is Darklight, and then the third book in the Wondrous Strange trilogy (which is, at present, nameless). Then I have another YA fantasy in the works that I’m very excited about. I’ve also got a fairly epic idea for yet another story that would involve fantasy elements and a sweeping romance. Plus, I’m not entirely convinced I’ve left the world of Wondrous Strange behind for good…there are potentially a few Otherworldly tales that remain yet to be told. 
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