Title: The Key to Everything

Author: Alex M. Kimmell

Genre: Fantasy Horror

Blurb: Cracked and weathered binding, hiding mysteries on pages tied closed by a bloodstained string. A happy young family enchanted by dreams and possibilities. A barren, empty room. A boy with no friends obsessively drawing angles, edges and diagrams. In his debut novel, Alex Kimmell captures a vivid and startling tale of fear. Auden's journey begins when he discovers a curious leather-bound book whose contents will soon endanger his entire family. The pages of this book draw him into a prison that cannot be breached, a place that can only be unlocked with a very special key. In The Key to Everything, fear is explored and heightened through jarring imagery and a terrifying, unique menace, ratcheting up the tension until the novel's gripping climax.

Review:
"If we get really lucky, and I mean very lucky, we might even meet someone who is not only our key, but we can be theirs, too."

This book is classified as a fantasy horror; and it is definitely terrifying, strange, gory, weird, creepy and any other synonym you'd like to use.  You'd love this book if you like to give yourself nightmares or if you're up for a good scare.  You do not want to read this book if you love squirrels or if seven is your lucky number. 

That being said I'll try to explain what I can without giving anything away.  This is a very intricate story, it is one where you just have to read and let it take you for the ride.  If you try to hard to figure it out too soon, you might give yourself a headache.  Auden, his wife Emily and their two son's move into a beautiful new house in a nice neighborhood.  When he's moving all of his stuff in, Auden notices a strange padlock, has an even stranger encounter with a squirrel and is compelled by a key that's buried beneath a tree. Oh, and he finds a strange book that looks like it's bound in skin and might be breathing.  Abram and Dedra are another seemingly normal family...except Abram has some secrets about his past and now he is obsessed with keys and locks and his brother that died long ago.  What has Abram released with his pursuit of locks and keys?  What power does the book have to suck people in?

This is a unique read for the horror junkies out there.  I did have have to put the book down and come back to reality for a few minutes at the extremely gory parts.  This book will suck you in (hopefully not like the creepy, skin-covered book) and it does contain mature content (if you haven't figured that out already.) There are quite a few characters in this book and the point of view for each chapter jumps around.  However, the way all of their stories intersect is part of the fun mystery of the book.  You also get to see each character's creepy encounter with the demonic squirrels, which for me, became sort of terrifyingly humorous as the book progressed. I was really intrigued by the end and we get to figure out just what is up with those squirrels! You know you want to read it...especially since "You are the key."

Author Bio
Alex Kimmell (the squirrel whisperer/twodoggarage/daddy not-so-much-bucks) is an accidental novelist, anti-rhyme-ologist, oxygen inhaler, carbon dioxide exhaler who often generates harmonious sounds with various instruments of different historical importance. his work has appeared on cool places around the 1’s and 0’s like Black Lantern Press, Front Row Lit, Dumb White Husband and The Wordcount Podcast. His novel “the Key to everything” and collection of short, horrific tales “A Chorus of Wolves” were released by Booktrope Publishing. come and join the neurosis at alexkimmell.com.

Links

Website: http://alexkimmell.com                      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.kimmell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexkimmellauth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15711734-the-key-to-everything?from_search=true

Purchase the book: http://www.amazon.com/Key-Everything-Alex-Kimmell-ebook/dp/B008BW98WA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397495502&sr=8-1&keywords=the+key+to+everything

Read an Excerpt
You toss and turn for what seems like forever. Finally all the noise and static in your head silences down and you fade into sleep. Everything is black. No sound, sight or scent.  Floating. Full complete nothing… a pregnant emptiness. The deepest relaxation ever. You know you are flying, but there is no wind or sense of gravity’s pull to let you know direction. Not up or down. Not front or back. Slowly and gently there are brief caresses. First one brushes across your cheek. Another one moves softly along the nape of your neck. Your palms feel as if they are being kissed. A wetness slides across the backs of your knees. Hours later you feel a pressure right between your eyes. Sharp and unfriendly. Pushing harder, you struggle against the pressure holding you down. Skin cracks and the lock breaks open between your eyes. You realize now that what crushes into your head is the key. It stabs in like a drill bit, not spinning. It doesn’t stop. It will not stop. You scream and struggle but nothing moves when you tell it to. Your body is not responding to your commands. Trapped, a prisoner to the pain. There is nothing you can do but endure. The key rams further in, all the way to the wave-engraved hilt and stops.  It turns counterclockwise spinning around slowly. One revolution…two revolutions…three revolutions…you feel your brain being twisted and mulched…four revolutions…you can’t scream anymore, the agony is so sharp…five revolutions…everything goes dark…six revolutions…you try to think of your family…

Review:
I am absolutely in love with this book.  It may have a strange, multi-genre concept, but it works in the most wonderful of ways.  Meriwether Lewis, of the famed Lewis and Clark died along the Natchez Trace trail 1809 in a most mysterious way; with two bullet wounds that was ruled a suicide.  This is a historic fact, but what Andra Watkins has done with this fact is an incredibly amazing story.  Upon his death, Meriwether Lewis, or Merry as we get to know him, believes he is a failure.  He did not get to publish is expedition journals and he failed to excel in the governmental position he was given, the governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory, the position that James Wilkinson was kicked out of.  Now, Merry is stuck in the Nowhere, a kind a purgatory where he must successfully complete a mission in the real world in order to move on.  Merry has failed 12 missions, number 13 will be his last chance.  Mission 13 concerns nine year old Emmaline Cagney in the year 1977.  Emmaline has gone through a bitter custody battle where she saw her father ripped from her life by a rather odd Judge. Emmaline is forced to live by her mother's strict rules in  a rather unusual setting where her mother wants her to serve tea to men with her dress unbuttoned.  When the police and the Judge arrive to bust her mother's operation, Em's Aunt Bertie tells her to make a run for it and find her father in Nashville.  Merry's quest is to take Emmaline from New Orleans to Nashville to reunite with her father, but he must outwit and outrun the strange Judge who want Emmaline for himself and face his own ghosts along the Natchez Trace.

First of all, Emmaline and Merry's characters and companionship are brilliant.  Such a strange pair, but so well done.  Andra Watkins writing takes you into the mindset and emotions of a nine year old girl and a thirty-five year old explorer so perfectly that it will break your heart.  I had so many favorite quotes from this book to share; 
                "The door slammed, and it was like a clock stopped.  Like I would never be older than that moment.                                                                      Everything would always be 'Before Daddy' and 'After Daddy.' "
This is Em's defining moment, so perfectly wrapped up as a nine year old would see it.  When Merry finds Em, his next assignment, she is desperately trying to outrun the Judge's men.  He knows he must help her and gain her trust to complete his assignment. Merry has no idea what he is in for.
                "I watched her face and cogitated the meaning behind her words.  Imagined who-or what-her mother was,                     right before she told me. Not in so many words.  A nine-year-old girl should never have to say her mother                                     is a prostitute.  But, she colored in the picture for me with broken crayons in damaged hues."
I loved the decision that the best way for Em and Merry to get to Nashville is to take the old Natchez Trace trail.  Not only do we get to experience part of the trail, but Merry is forced, quite literally and figuratively to face old ghosts that he did not get to vanquish in his life.  We also get to see a newly-painted portrait of just how great an explorer and outdoorsman Meriweather Lewis was, which brings him back to life in reader's eyes.
            " The Trace was a tunnel through time.  Sunlight cast shadows through the timber, and a squirrel                                        scampered across the trail ahead of us.  I breathed in the rich smell of earth and rotting leaves and                                 tried to remember what it felt like to lead.  To be fearless, decisive. To guide another person through                                                                                                                         the unknown."
The Judge's character, a villain for both Merry and Emmaline was a great addition.  His use of the Nowhere and his quest to seek Emmaline is such a juxtaposition to Merry, that he is the perfect antagonist. Also, Emmaline's descriptions of him are so spot-on, that when I looked up the real James Wilkinson, he was just as I had pictured.  Em and Merry's journey is is insightful, adventurous, dangerous, hilarious and heartbreaking all at the same time.  I would think anyone who enjoys historical fiction, coming-of-age, paranormal or just plain, old good writing would enjoy this story. 


Read the blurb:
Is remembrance immortality? Nobody wants to be forgotten, least of all the famous.

Meriwether Lewis lived a memorable life. He and William Clark were the first white men to reach the Pacific in their failed attempt to discover a Northwest Passage. Much celebrated upon their return, Lewis was appointed governor of the vast Upper Louisiana Territory and began preparing his eagerly-anticipated journals for publication. But his re-entry into society proved as challenging as his journey. Battling financial and psychological demons and faced with mounting pressure from Washington, Lewis set out on a pivotal trip to the nation’s capital in September 1809. His mission: to publish his journals and salvage his political career. He never made it. He died in a roadside inn on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee from one gunshot to the head and another to the abdomen.

Was it suicide or murder? His mysterious death tainted his legacy and his fame quickly faded. Merry’s own memory of his death is fuzzy at best. All he knows is he’s fallen into Nowhere, where his only shot at redemption lies in the fate of rescuing another. An ill-suited “guardian angel,” Merry comes to in the same New Orleans bar after twelve straight failures. Now, with one drink and a two-dollar bill he is sent on his last assignment, his final shot at escape from the purgatory in which he’s been dwelling for almost 200 years. Merry still believes he can reverse his forgotten fortunes.

Nine-year-old Emmaline Cagney is the daughter of French Quarter madam and a Dixieland bass player. When her mother wins custody in a bitter divorce, Emmaline carves out her childhood among the ladies of Bourbon Street. Bounced between innocence and immorality, she struggles to find her safe haven, even while her mother makes her open her dress and serve tea to grown men.

It isn’t until Emmaline finds the strange cards hidden in her mother’s desk that she realizes why these men are visiting: her mother has offered to sell her to the highest bidder. To escape a life of prostitution, she slips away during a police raid on her mother’s bordello, desperate to find her father in Nashville.

Merry’s fateful two-dollar bill leads him to Emmaline as she is being chased by the winner of her mother’s sick card game: The Judge. A dangerous Nowhere Man convinced that Emmaline is the reincarnation of his long dead wife, Judge Wilkinson is determined to possess her, to tease out his wife’s spirit and marry her when she is ready. That Emmaline is now guarded by Meriwether Lewis, his bitter rival in life, further stokes his obsessive rage.

To elude the Judge, Em and Merry navigate the Mississippi River to Natchez. They set off on an adventure along the storied Natchez Trace, where they meet Cajun bird watchers, Elvis-crooning Siamese twins, War of 1812 re-enactors, Spanish wild boar hunters and ancient mound dwellers. Are these people their allies? Or pawns of the perverted, powerful Judge?

After a bloody confrontation with the Judge at Lewis’s grave, Merry and Em limp into Nashville and discover her father at the Parthenon. Just as Merry wrestles with the specter of success in his mission to deliver Em, The Judge intercedes with renewed determination to win Emmaline, waging a final battle for her soul. Merry vanquishes the Judge and earns his redemption. As his spirit fuses with the body of Em’s living father, Merry discovers that immortality lives within the salvation of another, not the remembrance of the multitude.


Read an excerpt

Buy the Book:
Amazon Kindle             Amazon Paperback            Barnes and Noble Nook               Barnes and Noble Paperback

About the Author:
About the Author Hey. I’m Andra Watkins. I’m a native of Tennessee, but I’m lucky to call Charleston, South Carolina, home for 23 years. I’m the author of ‘To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis’, coming March 1, 2014. It’s a mishmash of historical fiction, paranormal fiction and suspense that follows Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) after his mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in 1809.

I like:

hiking
eating (A lot; Italian food is my favorite.)
traveling (I never met a destination I didn’t like.)
reading (My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
coffee (the caffeinated version) and COFFEE (sex)
performing (theater, singing, public speaking, playing piano)
time with my friends
Sirius XM Chill
yoga (No, I can’t stand on my head.)
writing in bed
candlelight

I don’t like:

getting up in the morning
cilantro (It is the devil weed.)
surprises (For me or for anyone else.)
house cleaning
cooking

Andra Watkins Website                             Facebook                              Twitter                                     Goodreads
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About the Natchez Trace Walk:
The Natchez Trace is a 10,000-year-old road that runs from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. Thousands of years ago, animals used its natural ridge line as a migratory route from points in the Ohio River Valley to the salt licks in Mississippi. It was logical for the first Native Americans to settle along the Trace to follow part of their migrating food supply. When the Kaintucks settled west of the Appalachians, they had to sell their goods at ports in New Orleans or Natchez, but before steam power, they had to walk home. The Trace became one of the busiest roads in North America.
To launch To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis, I will be the first person of either sex to walk the 444-mile Natchez Trace as the pioneers did since the rise of steam power in the 1820′s. March 1, 2014 to April 3, 2014. Fifteen miles a day. Six days a week. One rest day per week. I will spend each night in the modern-day equivalent of stands, places much like Grinder’s Stand, where Meriwether Lewis died from two gunshot wounds on October 11, 1809.

I will take readers into the world of the book. You’ll see the places that inspired scenes and hear the backstories of different characters, with running commentary by my father, who’s tagging along with me.

I’ll also have a daily YouTube segment where I answer reader questions about the book, my walk, my arguments—I mean—interactions with my dad, and whatever readers want to know. Ask me anything at

mystories(at)andrawatkins(dot)com.

You might see yourself on this site during my tour.


See More of The Tour:

Virtual Book Tour Schedule Tuesday, April 1
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Wednesday, April 2
Review & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick

Thursday, April 3
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Friday, April 4
Guest Post at Kincavel Korner

Monday, April 7
Review & Giveaway at Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, April 8
Review at Book Nerd
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, April 9
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Friday, April 11
Guest Post & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection

Monday, April 14
Review at Book Addict Katie

Tuesday, April 15
Review at Cheryl’s Book Nook
Spotlight & Giveaway at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Spotlight & Giveaway at I’d So Rather be Reading

Wednesday, April 16
Interview at Kincavel Korner
Guest Post & Giveaway at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Friday, April 18
Review at Book Drunkard

Monday, April 21
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Tuesday, April 22
Review at Bibliotica
Interview at Oh, for the Hook of a Book

Wednesday, April 23
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader

Thursday, April 24
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Friday, April 25
Review at Griperang’s Bookmarks

Monday, April 28
Spotlight & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Tuesday, April 29
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading

Wednesday, April 30
Review at A Bookish Girl

Thursday, May 1
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court

Friday, May 2
Review at Layered Pages
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

​

Title: The Benighted

Author: A.M Dunnewin

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Blurb: The King was dead. His body was found slain in his room, only months after his son had been brutally murdered. Skylar Mandolyn, his daughter, has now become the last heir to the throne. But instead of becoming Queen, she was imprisoned for helping in the escape of Sir Harlin Brien, her knight who was framed for the King’s murder.

Confined to darkness, Skylar’s captors have given her no choice but to yield to a new kind of enemy: a domain that has advanced in both technology and warfare. It’s only when she refuses that the prison uses other means of persuasion. Though unmerciful, the whip lashings and isolation can’t suppress her memories. She’s forced to face again both her brother’s death and her father’s emotional decline, though even the darkness can’t hide the deceptive hands that have tormented them all. Advisor turned adversary, Cross Lutherus has brought the ancient bloodline to its knees, and Skylar is the only Mandolyn left to feel his wrath.

With two kingdoms on the brink of war, and the end of her life drawing near, Skylar’s only hope is in the person who haunts her the most – Harlin, the knight who was sworn to protect her. His presence surrounds her when the darkness screams louder than the prisoners, when Death smiles a faceless grin in between the cracks of the stone. And it’s his strength she embraces just as the tremors start to rise from the deep, crawling up through the prison’s walls to terrorize the benighted realm and all its souls.

The mystery was never how Harlin escaped. It is how he will return.

Review: 
" I am the change they will forever regret!"

This is a dark and suspenseful tale of secrets, torture and good against evil.  The Kingdom of Mandolyn is in disarray.  The male heir to the throne has died a mysterious death, then the King is found slaughtered is his own bed.  The princess' personal guard, the benighted, Harlin is accused of the crime and imprisoned. This leaves Princess Royal of Mandolyn, Skylar to rule the kingdom with the devious adviser to the throne, Cross Lutherus, by her side.  Cross Lutherus hopes to rule the kingdom his way through the Skylar; however, he has underestimated her and her guard Harlin terribly. 

We meet our wonderful heroine Skylar as she is being tortured in prison for the escape of Harlin, who was accused of killing the King.  Skylar is a well-developed character and one fierce princess!  She is smart, brave and determined.  Along with her protector, Harlin, who is mysterious and one of the fearless benighted, they are quite a team to go up against.  Most of all this is a tale of right and wrong and standing up for yourself, these characters let you live that.  Along with A.M. Dunnewin's beautiful and descriptive writing, you can see the kingdom, the prison and even the torture clearly.  Even the romance, which I could usually do without is meaningful; especially because Harlin needs Skylar as much as Skylar needs Harlin.  There is an equality and strengths, and that's amazing. There was also a heart-pounding, un-put-downable exciting ending which left me impatiently waiting for the next installment of this saga. 

About the Author: A. M. Dunnewin inherited her love for mysteries and thrillers from her family, which motivated her to pursue a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Although her stories cover a wide range of genres, she primarily writes historical fiction and thrillers. An avid reader at heart, she's also a passionate collector of both antique books and graphic novels, and has been known to search for stories in the most random places. She lives in Sacramento, California.


A.M.'s Blog                   A.M.'s Facebook                      A.M.'s Twitter

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Book Synopsis

Across Great Divides is a timeless story of the upheavals of war, the power of family, and the resiliency of human spirit. When Hitler came to power in 1933, one Jewish family refused to be destroyed and defied the Nazis only to come up against another struggle—confronting apartheid in South Africa.

Sixteen-year-old Eva and her twin sister, Inge, witness their lives in Berlin change before their eyes. Their best friend, Trudy, betrays them when she becomes a member of the Hitler Youth. A valuable family heirloom, a beautiful emerald and diamond pendant necklace, is confiscated by the Nazis as they continue to harass Jewish families and businesses. The family is conflicted whether they should leave home. But after the devastation of Kristallnacht in 1938, they finally flee Germany with the help of the underground resistance after hiding many diamonds. They seek refuge in Antwerp, but war follows them as Belgium is occupied by the Germans.

After they escape Europe - hiking over the Pyrenees Mountains while eluding German patrols and Spanish informers - they spend agonizing days on a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro that is targeted by a German U-boat. As Rio’s diamond business is corrupt, they decide to go to South Africa, another diamond market. In Cape Town, Eva encounters an impoverished colored woman, Zoe, who is in need of work. The family hires Zoe as their maid and shields her and her daughter, Zola, from the dangers they face in the slums of District Six and from the horrors of apartheid, which are all too reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

But, when Max gets into trouble with the South African police over his participation in an anti-apartheid march, will he be subject to imprisonment?

In a thrilling conclusion, the family comes to terms with the evils of society, both in their memories and current situation in South Africa.

Book Details
Across Great Divides
Monique Roy
Historical Fiction - WWII
ISBN: 0615846688

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About the Author

Monique loves writing that twitches her smiling muscles or transports her to another time or place. Her passion for writing began as a young girl while penning stories in a journal. Now she looks forward to deepening her passion by creating many unique stories that do nothing less than intrigue her readers.

Monique was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and her grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It's their story that inspired her to write Across Great Divides, her debut, historical fiction novel.

Monique holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is also the author of a children's book Once Upon a Time in Venice. In her free time, she loves to travel, play tennis, pursue her passion for writing, and read historical fiction. In 2008, she was chosen by the American Jewish Committee's ACCESS program to travel to Berlin, Germany, on the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, to explore German and Israeli relations along with 20 other Jewish professionals from across the U.S.


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Guest Post- Monique Roy writes about Kristallnacht, an inspirations in Across Great Divides.

Kristallnacht—Sparking a Fading Memory

 Kristallnacht—the word itself provokes stark images. Breaking glass exploded into city streets, while fires ravaged synagogues. The “Night of Broken Glass” resulted in the destruction of 1,000 synagogues and 7,000 Jewish-owned businesses throughout Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Nazis killed Jews on the streets of Europe and rounded up 30,000 Jewish males and sent them to concentration camps. The night of November 9, 1938 was a significant turning point toward the murder of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

In chapter four of my historical fiction novel, Across Great Divides, readers experience the horrifying night of terror that marked the transition from discrimination against Jewish citizens to their systematic persecution.

“When a cold dawn finally came and the faint morning sun peeked through the lingering fog, the evidence of the night became visible. Fires continued to smolder. Broken glass crystallized the streets. It looked like they had suffered an air raid. Residents stood in the streets as they watched the synagogues continue to burn to the ground. Everyone seemed to be asking for forgiveness, but no one said a word or did anything to stop the roaring flames or the destruction that had occurred only hours before.” [Chapter 4, Across Great Divides]

The inclusion of Kristallnacht in Across Great Divides reflects a reality that we all must face—that we must never forget. The 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht just passed, and before long, all the witnesses to this tragic event will be gone. No longer can those witnesses speak of the horrors, so it is left to us to teach the world about Kistallnacht. We should always remember the pogrom by fighting hatred, racism, and anti-Semitism of any kind. We must do this because in 1938 hatred of this kind was enforced by the Nazi regime, but today, we can stand up to hatred and bigotry. And it’s vital to teach younger generations about this part of history. How much do children and teenagers know of this time in history? Probably very little. If we can educate our children and teenagers, then we stand more powerful against any form of hatred.

In the fall of 2008, I was chosen by the American Jewish Committee/ACCESS program to travel to Berlin with 20 other young, Jewish professionals from across the U.S. This trip was a very moving and special one.

On November 9, 2008, the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, I sat alongside other young American Jews in Germany's largest synagogue, Rykestrasse Synagogue, located in Berlin. I looked on in awe as German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed hundreds of Jews and non-Jews who sat together at a commemoration ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Nazi-incited violence.

"We can't remain silent when rabbis are accosted on the streets, Jewish graveyards desecrated and anti-Semitic crimes are committed," Chancellor Merkel said. "Complacency is a first step toward putting the most essential values of our democracy at risk."

Merkel also noted that remembering Kristallnacht is not enough; "we must always think how it was that it could come to this singular event, the Holocaust."

It moved me to sit in one of the restored synagogues that was among the many damaged or destroyed during Kristallnacht. It shows that after all these years, there’s a silver lining in this destruction, and that we can learn from the past and create a better future for younger generations. My belief is that with a little knowledge and understanding, these kinds of events can be prevented in the course of time.

Read more about my experiences in Berlin, click here >

Author Bio:
Anna Carolyn McCormally currently manages a small used bookstore in Washington, D.C.. She has a tattoo of the Deathly Hallows and blogs about YA fiction at www.giantsquidbooks.com.. Her short fiction and poetry has been published in pacificREVIEW, Quantum Fairy Tales and 3 am magazine. Follow her on Twitter @mccormallie.



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Book Excerpt:
"Nia was giving Cal’s injured shoulder the evil eye and reached for the sword that was lying beneath him. She drew it, went to open the cut on her palm.

“Hey!” Rowan said, and reached over and swatted the blade away. “Don’t do that. What are you trying to do?”

Surprised, Nia said, “Blood, for the healing spell,” and Rowan shook his head.

“Barbaric,” he muttered. “There are better ways to heal.” He glanced at her. “But you don’t need to use Old Magic—you’re a witch, aren’t you?”

Curiously she said, “How did you know? Is it because I’m translating?”

Rowan blinked. “What language are you speaking?” he asked.

“English,” Nia said tentatively.

Blurb:
All Hanna Euli wants is to become a proper witch – but unfortunately, she’s stuck as an apprentice to a grumpy fisherman. When their boat gets caught up in a mysterious storm and blown wildly off course, Hanna finds herself further away from home than she’s ever been before.

As she tries to get back, she learns there may be more to her apprentice master than she realized, especially when a mysterious, beautiful, and very non-human boy begins following her through the ocean, claiming that he needs Hanna’s help.

UK Release May 1
North American Release May 6

Review:
Hanna wants nothing more than to hone her magic skills to become a Witch and go on an adventure like her Pirate's namesake, Ananna.  Instead, she is sailing as a fisherman's apprentice to her mother's friennd, Kolur.  Hanna helps to control the sea winds with her wind magic. However, Kolur has other plans and forces Hanna to help him on a fool's errand in the dangerous and magical northern islands, far from Hanna's home.  Kolur has kidnapped in order to use her magic against the dangerous Mists that he will be fighting.  Along the way a mysterious not-so-human boy, Isolfr contacts Hanna and says that he is there to help against the Mists.  Will Hanna get the adventure that she wanted?  Will she become a Witch?

I enjoyed riding along on this suspenseful journey with Hanna as she makes choices that may affect her entire world. You can really see how Hanna's character develops and matures as she faces new obstacles.  It is nice reading about a younger girl character that can take care of herself and take charge when she needs to, even if she makes some mistakes along the way.  With great descriptions, Cassandra Rose Clarke has built a beautiful world, even though much of the action takes place on ships, I still felt a strong sense of what life is like on each of the islands that Hanna visits.  It seems like we are waiting an awfully long time for something big to happen; but there is a cliffhanger at the end...so we'll see where the next book goes.  I'd also like to know more about the beautiful Isolfr. 



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Giveaway:
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Author Bio:
Cassandra Rose Clarke is a speculative fiction writer living amongst the beige stucco and overgrown pecan trees of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing at The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.

During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.

Want to read more in Hanna's World?
Join the Re-Read of The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish on Goodreads!  This duology takes place in the same magical and fantastic world as The Wizard's Promise.  Cassandra is also taking part in the discussion!  Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Blurb for The Assassin's Curse:

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to another pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. When Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together.

To break the spell, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks--all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic...and the growing romantic tension between them.

and The Pirate's Wish:
After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction