Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Roseblood by A.G. Howard

Roseblood by A.G. Howard releases today! If you haven’t heard about A.G. Howard's latest book, be sure to check out all the details below. There's also a giveaway down at the bottom of the post, where you can enter for a chance to win a signed Roseblood poster and a mask (courtesy of A.G. Howard & Rockstar Book Tours).

Title: ROSEBLOOD

Author: A.G. Howard

Pub. Date: January 10, 2016

Publisher: Amulet Books

Pages: 432

Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads

In this modern day spin on Leroux’s gothic tale of unrequited love turned to madness, seventeen-year-old Rune Germain has a mysterious affliction linked to her operatic talent, and a horrifying mistake she’s trying to hide. Hoping creative direction will help her, Rune’s mother sends her to a French arts conservatory for her senior year, located in an opera house rumored to have ties to The Phantom of the Opera.

At RoseBlood, Rune secretly befriends the masked Thorn—an elusive violinist who not only guides her musical transformation through dreams that seem more real than reality itself, but somehow knows who she is behind her own masks. As the two discover an otherworldly connection and a soul-deep romance blossoms, Thorn’s dark agenda comes to light and he’s forced to make a deadly choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or face the wrath of the phantom who has haunted the opera house for a century, and is the only father he’s ever known.

A.G. Howard was inspired to write SPLINTERED while working at a school library. She always wondered what would've happened had the subtle creepiness of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland taken center stage, and she hopes her darker and funkier tribute to Carroll will inspire readers to seek out the stories that won her heart as a child.

When she's not writing, A.G.'s pastimes are reading, rollerblading, gardening, and family vacations which often include impromptu side trips to 18th century graveyards or condemned schoolhouses to appease her overactive muse.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads

Now for the giveaway. One winner will receive a signed Roseblood poster and a Mask. This giveaway is US Only and ends on January 17th at Midnight EST.

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Review: Untamed by A.G. Howard

Title:Untamed
Author: A.G. Howard
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling 
Publisher/Publication Date: Amulet Books, December 15, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.

In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.

This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters...

After finishing Untamed I had to carefully think about what I wanted to say. It took me a while to find the right words that fit with what I thought about it. Untamed was one of my most anticipated books back in December of 2015. So, I was really excited to get my hands on a finished copy.

Did I like it?

Well, yeah, sort of. Untamed did have some great content to add to the Splintered series, but I also found myself a little disappointed by some of the stories.

This collection includes Six Impossible Things, The Moth in the Mirror, and The Boy in the Web. Out of the three, I was most excited for Six Impossible Things since it was set in a time after the end of Ensnared. That expanded epilogue was my main reason for getting Untamed. I never really liked Jeb as a character, and I had some problems with the way he treated Alyssa back in Splintered. But I was willing to tolerate some mention of him in Six Impossible Things. The story, for me, was just alright, which kind of reflects how I felt about the whole collection. It wasn't bad. I liked it.

For me, Wonderland was still the best part. I liked Howard's take on Lewis Carroll's classic story, specifically the changes she made to the well-known characters and setting of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Untamed ended up just being okay for me. I liked it well enough, but I did have a few issues with it. Even so, I still want to check out A.G. Howard’s next novel, Rose Blood.

The Friday 56 (52) Untamed by A.G. Howard

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.

In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.

This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters...

"He hesitates. There are other stories, too, about the fairy-kind. That some are tricky and deadly."--Untamed by A.G. Howard


What are some of your favorite fairy tales or retelling's? Or what are you reading this week?

Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Title: Splintered
Author: A.G. Howard
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher/Publication Date: Amulet Books, January 1, 2013

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository      

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now. When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own...

“I’ve been collecting bugs since I was ten; it’s the only way I can stop their whispers…”

I have to say that Splintered was definitely an interesting read. Initially I had my reservations about it since I was unfamiliar with the author, but as far as a retellings go this was definitely one of my favorites.

There were a lot of things about the novel that I enjoyed. The setting started off relatively normal but shifted focus as the story progressed, with some scenes reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, only twisted to fit with the world in Splintered. It was pretty cool to see all of the changes Howard made. Besides the setting, the plot is what kept me reading. The very first page introduced the main character Alyssa Gardener, who has the unfortunate ability to hear the whispers of insects and plants—a theme that played a big part in the story. I found it interesting to see how Alyssa dealt with all of the unnecessary noise while trying to live her life, and it was easy to see why she considered it to be a curse. And even if they weren’t around for most of it, Alyssa’s relationship with her parents was a nice touch to the story along with her friendship with Jenara. The few interactions they did have were nice to read about, but I wish there was more.

Really, my main complaint with Splintered was Jeb, Alyssa’s friend and Jenara’s brother. At some parts of the story I felt like he was holding Alyssa back—that he was the only one who wanted to believe that she couldn’t do anything for herself. And sometimes—ok, a lot of the time, actually—I felt like he was more annoying than helpful with his controlling tendencies.

Overall, I think A. G. Howard did a good job with putting a different spin on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that I think fans of the classic tale would enjoy. Despite my one main issue with it, I really liked it and I would definitely consider reading another novel by Howard.

The Friday 56 (33) Splintered by A.G. Howard

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now. When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own...

"Several tendrils of dark pink hair have fallen from her upswept do. The strands coil like pink flames over her black tube dress, bringing back what they did to Alison's hair at the asylum."--Splintered by A.G. Howard

What's one of your favorite retellings?