This is the first book in the series that I have read and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The funny thing is I first heard about this book at YALC 2017 when they were promoting it with #RedQueenForADay but it had taken me almost two years to pick it up to read.
Please excuse the silly picture, I was not feeling very photogenic after the long train ride to London.
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What is the book about?
The book is set in a world with two species of humans. There are those with red blood who are treated as a low class species and those with silver blood who are treated as nobles and have super power type abilities.
The MC, Mare, is a red blood. She lives in a family that are struggling to get by and she hasn’t got a job to be able to contribute to supporting her family. Mare is a thief. Eventually, when she comes of age she will be sent to war, to fight for the silvers on the front lines with a high risk of being killed.
Mare’s best friend is due to be sent away very soon and Mare decides to help them escape but first she needs to get enough money to pay for their travel. The risks are high so those that could help them escape have set a high fee.
Mare’s sister has a good job where she makes fine clothes for the Silvers. Mare tags along with her to get into the city. Whilst there a terrorist attack takes place causing bedlam. Mare panics and tries to pick a pocket but gets caught. Her sister takes the blame to save her and has her hands broken, resulting in losing her trade. The girls return home with very bleak prospects.
An unexpected request comes for Mare to come and work at the palace. This will save her from war and give her family money to survive but she will have to leave them behind.
The middle
Early on, Mare discovers she is different from other Red Servants when she accidentally manipulates lightening. She earns the nickname Little Lightning Girl and the attention of the Queen.
The Queen fears that news that a red could have powers will encourage the rebels so she marries Mare to her son and concocts a story about how Mare is a silver that was raised as a red.
Mare is watched by the Queen’s guards and the cameras in the palace. She has to keep up the ruse but despite falling for the princes (both of them), her heart is still red and wants revenge for her kinds spilt blood. Under the watchful eyes she seeks to join the rebels and take down the silvers from the inside.
How it ends
I don’t want to spoil it for you but there is a big battle where the odds are not in Mares favour.
She is placed in an arena for her execution where, for entertainment, selected silvers will use their powers to torture her before her end. Mare will have to battle them all if she is to live.
Final thoughts…
I wish I had read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard sooner. If you like powers, submersible world building and a touch of romance then give this YA Fantasy is worth a read.
Can you guess my next read? There’s a sneak peak in the photo.
Author CL Walters was looking to feature writers from Instagram on her blog and I got picked. You can read her post about yours truly by clicking here.
She is the author of two novels that can be bought from Amazon.com:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvhOTJGnKw_/
Swimming Sideways by CL Walters
“What do you do when your world has fallen apart, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to put it back together? Abby Kaiāulu (Kaw ee aw oo loo) gets the chance to start over when her family relocates from Hawaii to a small town on the Oregon coast. But she’s hiding a secret. Leaving the past and the cultural lessons of her Hawaiian grandfather behind, Abby redefines who she is to hide it. There’s Good Abby – she makes and follows the rules – and there’s Bad Abby – she always questions them. But both leave Abby wondering: which one is she really? Her road of self-discovery takes her on a journey where she must discover the truth of who she is as a daughter, a sister, a woman, a Hawaiian and as a friend. But just when she thinks her world might be coming back together, it falls apart all over again. “
“ Seth Peters has been angry for a long time. Living with an abusive, alcoholic father has that effect. But when he wakes up in a hospital – outside of his body – due to an accident that he doesn’t remember, Seth is no longer angry; he’s terrified. When his memories begin to return, he is confronted with a legacy of lies he’s constructed to survive the pain of his own life. Realizing he’s no different than the man he’s loathed his whole life, Seth’s learns that his choices have set into motion far-reaching and terrible consequences for the only true friend he’s ever had, Gabe Daniels. Challenged with wallowing in the pain or confronting his fears and admitting to the ugly truth about himself, Seth must decide if facing what he fears most to save his friend’s life is worth the risk of losing his own. “
Last month, I attended a local meet up for Planner Girls. I’ve never been to one before so had no idea what to expect. I simply hoped to get some tips and inspiration on how to use my planner.
We met at Oaks Tearoom in Felixstowe for afternoon tea. We were spoilt with a generous selection of mini sandwiches, scones, clotted cream and mini mason jars of jam. We were so full after eating the spread that we thought the owner was joking about there being more! But sure enough, he topped up our tea pots and brought out a selection of deserts including creme brulee, chocolate cake and macarons.
The cafe was adorable with its pretty cottage decor and real plants. We couldn’t help but take lots of pics. The cafe owner was such a gentleman and always there with what we needed before we even asked.
I was nervous meeting new people but they were all so lovely and it boosted my confidence. Not only that but all the women there were so lovely. They were hardcore planners and chatted about their busy lives and love of stationery and crafts. It felt like a day out with my best friends but I had never met these girls before.
The hostess of the event had made every attendee a personal gift bag based on our favourite colours. She also personally handmade items for each of us. It was such a thoughtful gesture.
In addition, Ellen of Etsy Store Ellen Bee Makes had also created us each a personalised goodie bag to showcase what is on offer in her store. I especially loved the Felixstowe theme stickers. This video showcases what I got.
Meeting Ellen was inspirational. I’ve been jotting down ideas for my own planner aimed at writers and it made me more hungry to do it. If only I had the time.
If you are in Suffolk and want to know about the next event join the Facebook group Suffolk UKPA.
Day 18 of March’s Instagram photo challenge by #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019 was “Tell us about your secondary characters.”
Personally, I spend quite a bit of time developing my secondary characters. I like to know what makes them tick so I can ensure they remain true to who they are. Often, I fall in love with a character so much that I want to write them their own story, like Kya – currently writing Diamond in the Sky about her.
I decided to spotlight Denny. One of the stories about this character is below. I hope you enjoy this snipped into her background and I would love to hear about whether you enjoy developing your secondary characters as much as your primary characters.
Image from Unsplash artist Kinga Cichewicz of how I picture grown up Denny https://ift.tt/2DByKkK
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Unpack (Denny)
Gwyn had been a mother and best friend all rolled into one neat package. I picked the sticky tape off another cardboard box. Packing up had been a difficult chore but unpacking was a never ending task.
Revealing the contents, I realised this would be no quick task. At the top was a powder blue photo album with white writing ‘My Baby’. I can’t resist the urge to look at pictures of my son. I clutched it to my chest in the same manner I had when he had been small enough to do so.
The first page was a photo of him only hours old. Gwyneth had been my only visitor at hospital and took the photo for me.
Gosh, I look so young. Too young to be a mum!
I pulled the rigid board of the front cover free from the slip to retrieve a picture I had hidden there. It had been taken in a photo booth, a sketch of us together in black and white. Dean believed pictures looked better like that. Now, it was disappointing as the picture didn’t show the kaleidoscope of golds his hair had shone that hot May.
The Easter fair had been in town, we were down for the holidays. Mum had given my brother Greg and I some money to go ‘treat ourselves’.
“What ride do you want to go on first?” Greg asked as we walked along the closed off road.
It was dark and the rides were lit up by brightly coloured bulbs and painted with images of seductive looking women with large breasts and glossy lips.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “They all look lame to me.”
Image from Unsplash artist Gabriel Matula of how I picture a teenage Denny: https://unsplash.com/@gmat07
There was the familiar crashing of bumper cars and the rotation of horses on the carousel. There were the more dangerous rides for older kids like Rock City where a row of chains rotated up and down getting faster and faster, Metropolis where everyone put their faith in centrifugal force as they stood in the cage of a spinning wheel tipping on its side as they stuck to the wall. There was Niagara Falls which consisted of two carpeted tubes that spun in different direction causing you to fall to the ground. Last time we were here it gave me carpet burn. All of them looked like they would either make me sick or cover me in bruises.
“I’m gonna get some candy floss.” My brother said irritated by my lack of adventure. He had been bored at the caravan and the fair was all that had kept him going.
I begrudgingly followed him whilst he flirted with two young girls in the queue. He allowed them to steal bites of the blue fluffy cloud of sugary sweetness. My brother was terrible with his cheesy lines ‘are all the girls around here as gorgeous as you?’
One of the girls, who had slicked her hair back into a ponytail eyed me with her dark lined eyes, “Your girlfriend?”
“Sister.” My brother quickly corrected her but his grin clearly read ‘I’m in there!’
The girl rubbed her arms to brush off the cold. “Wanna game of pool?”
Obviously my brother said yes. He had lost all interest in the rides now his sole attention was on this girl, who to me looked like a slapper. Sadly, that was probably what he liked about her.
Her friend was chewing gum and seemed to be eyeing everyone up for a fight. Even when she smiled at my brother her eyes were half closed and she almost looked as if she was snarling, so I was surprised when she said, “You want to play?”
I shook my head. “I’ll just watch.”
I felt a little like a gooseberry standing on the side lines watching my brother tickle this girl every time she tried to take a shot. She giggled and blushed, “Stop cheating!”
I saw a pinball machine and decided to give it a go. The popular theme tune to the Adams Family started up. I pulled back the lever and let it go. The spring raced forward, smacking into the round silver ball and spinning it onto the table. The ball bounced off some bells and was heading down towards the bottom. My hands leaned over the edge of the table ready to hit the buttons to cause the flickers to stop the ball from being lost.
“You’ll never beat my score.”
I jumped and hit the button too late. Angrily, I searched for the person responsible for my loss, only to be taken back by the most beautiful eyes and gorgeous smile I had ever had the pleasure of meeting. As if moving in slow motion, I blushed as I watched the ball bounce and roll down the middle bringing the game to a halt.
“Dean.” He said confidently.
All I could see was his cocky grin and cool blue eyes. He had long blond hair that swept across his face in rebellious waves. He looked like he had stepped off the set of some Californian beach surfer movie and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“You’ve still got another ball.” He said with a thick Suffolk accent that killed my Mr Muscle Beach fantasy.
My hands shook rapidly to the beat of my heart and it was more difficult to pull the bar back the second time. I let it go and tried again to keep the ball on the table but I was all flustered. I managed to hit it back into the game twice more before it disappeared for good.
“It’s your last ball. Do you want my help?”
My throat was tied up in knots, pretty much like my stomach and I couldn’t speak. I gave a nod. The next thing I knew, he was standing behind me. His hand clasped over mine and we drew back the lever together. “Never go all the way.” His hot breath tickled my neck like a forewarning my body wanted to rebel against. “Otherwise the ball will be too fast to keep up with. You need it to be just enough to put it on the board and get stuck behind those bells. Then you will get the maximum points.” He let go of my hand and I released it. I let it go and as my hands fumbled for the buttons, I felt his fingers guiding me into place, finally resting gently over the top of mine.
That was how my romance for ‘Hugo Boss’ had begun. The scent surrounded me in the same way his arms were. It was intoxicating the way it gripped my senses and spun my world like the little silver ball. From that day forward, it became the smell that I associated with summer, replacing the uplifting fresh salty sea breeze and lashings of sun lotion. I no longer hungered for the tantalising sweetness of a ninety-nine vanilla ice-cream and chocolate flake; I just wanted to taste Dean. That was the start of the holiday romance that broke my heart and changed my life eternally.
Looking at the photo, I was surprised to discover how similar Dean looked to Jace. I shouldn’t have been surprised, after all Dean was his dad. The last time he had come to mind had been when I met Dave, my fiancé. The first thing that caught my attention was the heart capturing scent of Hugo.
Now Jace was wearing it thanks to Dave trying to bond with him “Wear this, the women love it.” I never told Dave why this woman loved it.
This song has beautiful imagary that I feel captures the intoxicating feeling of first love and the magic of the whirlwind, followed by the crushing destruction when all is not as it was and all you have left is sweet memories that are painful to carry. I think it captures the emotions of the scene above well.
I am really proud of myself for keeping it going. Life with a newborn is super busy but I just try to write one or two articles a week. I easily could have let this go but since starting my blog I love it.
My blog is mainly about writing, sharing tips and my journey to publication. I also share some personal posts on my other interests (being a mum, organic beauty and Netflix recommendations).
I am so thankful for everyone who has not only taken the time to read my posts but to also subscribe to my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy my content.
My blog picture is from when I was modelling and taken by Natalie Collins (Instagram @neotheartist) who I hope to work with again one day. She is an amazing photographer and this shoot was extra special as I am wearing my wedding dress.
My work in progress, Jewel of the Sea, has romance, coming of age and friendship but one of the strongest themes is metamorphosis.
Mariah begins as a shy girl that hides behind her best friend but by the end she has matured and started to blossom into a young woman. In addition, she starts out unaware she is a mermaid. But, by the end she has mastered turning into a mermaid and controlling her emotions that trigger her weather manipulation powers.
Tell me about what theme is strongest in your story.
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This is my pic for day 15’ s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019
Image from #Unsplash by artist Karina Vorozheeva https://ift.tt/2HBNxQu
I use the Simple Note app for jotting down ideas as I always have my mobile phone with me.
I do have physical notebooks but tend to use them more for development. For example when I sit down to flesh out an idea. This could be for jotting down research or for when I outline my plot or character development like their backstory. I also jot down useful tips I’ve picked up from reading blog articles or watching videos by other authors.
How about you? Where do you keep you story ideas?
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Image from Unsplash by artist Aaron Burden @aaronburden
I always feel that a well developed antagonist can be both good and bad. Most people have a reason for their actions. It depends of the perspective.
For example, Fallon is quite mean to Mariah. Some could accuse her of bullying. She keeps pushing Mariah until she triggers her weather manipulation powers.
However, in Kya’s story, Fallon is her best friend and she’s protecting her from the heart ache of seeing Jace and Mariah together. In Kya’s story she is more of a heroine.
Does your villain have a good side?
Here’s my pic for day 14’s prompt #womenwritingfiction #wwfchallenge2019
Collage made with images from Unsplash artists Becca Tapert, Riccardo Mion, Courtney Clayton, Kings Cichewicz.
I had to dig out these pictures as they were taken in 2010 when my short contemporary romance was printed in the Scribblers Anthology. The proceeds of the sale went to charity, I think it was the East Anglian Childrens Hospice.
My first article was published when I just a kid by Leyton Orient in their fanzine. Over the years I’ve written a number of blog articles on a wide range of topics (writing, gaming, sex, fashion, conservation, etc).
My dream is to be a published author. I’ve lost count of the number of years I’ve worked towards this dream. One day, I will see my novel in a bookshop, I just feel like it is what I am meant to do. How about you?
Image from Unsplash artist Kinga Cichewicz of how I picture grown up Denny https://ift.tt/2DByKkK
Image from Unsplash artist Gabriel Matula of how I picture a teenage Denny: https://unsplash.com/@gmat07
