BLOG TOUR: The Princess & The Page by Christina Farley - Ashley's Review + GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to a world where magic spills from the tip of a pen. THE PRINCESS AND THE PAGE is Christina Farley's first middle grade, releasing from Scholastic Press. Make sure you enter the $25 gift card giveaway at the end of this post!

ABOUT THE BOOK

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHRISTINA FARLEY is the author of the bestselling Gilded series. Prior to that, she worked as an international teacher and at a top secret job for Disney where she was known to scatter pixie dust before the sun rose. When not traveling the world or creating imaginary ones, she spends time with her family in Clermont, Florida with her husband and two sons where they are busy preparing for the next World Cup, baking cheesecakes, and raising a pet dragon that's in disguise as a cockatiel. You can visit her online at ChristinaFarley.com.

MY REVIEW

I love a good fairy tale as much as the next princess and I was so excited to hear that Christina was writing one about a princess and a magical pen! It sounded like exactly the type of book my younger self would have loved, and I have been anxious to read it! A princess, an evil step-sister, a dragon, a magical castle (based on a real castle!), and a whole slew of other fairy tale characters? Definitely count me in!

From the very beginning, I felt like Keira was living in her own twisted version of a fairy tale. Her mother doesn't allow any pens in the house - only pencils - and she is not allowed to read or write any fiction. It's kind of crazy, and I can't really blame her for having a secret stash of writing supplies. There's a secret, magical pen though, and I actually kind of enjoyed how the explanation was spread throughout the book. It made for a great mystery and as the story progressed, made it easier to understand Keira's mom's crazy rules. 

Most of the characters are very likeable - at least the ones who aren't villains! I really enjoyed watching Keira's friendship with Chet develop and grow. They make a great team and it was fun to see them sleuthing together. It was also nice that there was no hints of romance or anything underneath their friendship. It seems like every fairy tale princess ends up with a prince at the end, but anything more than friendship would have felt forced, I think. Bella, on the other hand, kind of annoyed me, but I can definitely understand why she and Keira are such good friends. They seem to balance each other out and have each other's backs even when they disagree. I'd love to see more of Keira, Bella, and Chet! 

I think my favorite part of The Princess & The Page was the mystery surrounding the pen and the fairy tale. From the blue light emanating from the pen, to the WW symbol on the case and everywhere in Keira's story, to the ghosts in the castle and the people who are in both the story and real life, there was never a dull moment. Even when Keira is  going about her planned activities for the day, there's always something strange afoot and a mystery to be solved. If she doesn't continue writing stories, I think she'd make a great detective. 

Overall, this was a really fun story that kept me hooked and left me wanting more. I could definitely see this book being a standalone - the story wraps up nicely at the end and doesn't leave too many loose ends. I still have plenty of questions that I hope might be answered in a sequel - or a prequel about Keira's grandmother! - but at least there isn't a cliffhanger or anything that would make for a very agonizing wait. I would definitely recommend this to a younger crowd of readers, especially anyone who loves princesses, castles, magic, and even a good villain or two. It would be a really great book for a parent or older sibling or even babysitter to read with a younger child. I can't wait to see what Christina has up her sleeves next! A strong 4/5 from me.

CONTINUE THE BOOK TOUR

Mar. 23th - Ana Loves Books

Mar. 24^th - YA Book Madness

March 25^th - Literary Rambles

March 27^th - Twinning for Books

March 28^th - Mundie Kids

Mar. 29^th - All Things Christine

Mar. 30^th - YA Book Divas

Mar. 31^st- Miranda's Book Reviews

Mar. 31^st - Word Spelunking

Apr. 3^rd- Mine of Books

Apr. 4^th – The AP Book Club

Apr. 5^th – Middle Grade Ninja

ENTER TO WIN

One (1) lucky winner will receive:

$25 gift card to their favorite book vendor. Giveaway open internationally. Enter below or HERE.

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BLOG TOUR: Brazen (Gilded #3) by Christina Farley - Ashley's Review + GIVEAWAY!

Today we’re super excited to be celebrating the release of BRAZEN by Christina Farley! BRAZEN is the third and final book in the Gilded series about a sixteen-year old girl who must use her martial art skills and wits to save her family, friends, and country from an evil Korean god.

To learn more about this series, visit the Gilded Series website. Watch GILDED's book trailer here!

Be sure to pick up the letter for this stop at the end of this post to earn extra points in the Kindle Fire or $50 Amazon gift card giveaway! Collect all the letters during the blog tour to spell out the secret message to earn more points.

About the Book

Find it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads | Indie

Ashley's Review

You guys. This series. I've been anxiously awaiting this conclusion to the Gilded series since I finished reading Silvern, and it did not disappoint. I mean, I loved the first two books - they're full of action, romance, mystery, mythology, friendship, and incredible world-building. But this book. This book is probably my favorite in this series! 

First of all, the ending of Silvern almost killed me. I needed this book immediately, and I was so sad that I had to wait a year to read it. I mean, it was SO worth the wait, but the choice Jae had to make was horrible and definitely a no-win situation. Most of this book deals with the consequences of her choice, and follows her as she tries to make amends and right things that are even necessarily her fault. She's separated from her friends, family, and Mark, and most of them believe she's dead. It's terrible, and I don't envy her at all. 

One of my favorite things about this series is the incredible world building. I thought that this book would have less, since it is the third book, but I was so wrong. Jae travels to new places in both the real world and the spirit world, and I really enjoyed seeing them through her eyes. There's a lot more showing than telling, which is how I prefer my world building, and the descriptions are beautifully written. I felt like I was in China, and in the temple, and on the docks with Jae. I've never even been to any part of Asia, but I felt like I was seeing all of these incredible places with my own eyes. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the mythological creatures and gods. Some are familiar from previous books, some are brand new, and most of them I'd never even heard of before reading this series. I love learning about other religions and myths, even if it's from a fantasy book. I'll probably spend an afternoon researching Korean and Chinese deities now, just so I can reread and get even more from these books. And speaking of deities, Kud is awful. I mean, there are times when he doesn't seem so bad, but then he reverts back to his normal self and it's horrible. I felt so terrible that Jae was in such a bad position. 

Without giving too much away, this is a book you NEED in your hands ASAP. Especially if you've read Gilded and Silvern. It ties up pretty much all of the loose ends and is just a really excellent conclusion. I'm so glad this series turned into a trilogy, and I can't wait to read more from Christina! Also, can we just take a moment to admire that cover? GORGEOUS. Absolute favorite in the series. 5/5!!

About the Author

CHRISTINA FARLEY is the author of the Gilded series, a YA contemporary fantasy series set in Korea. GILDED was nominated for Korea's 2014 Morning Calm, Ohio's 2015 Buckeye award, and the Tome’s It List. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. Christina's adventures sparked her to write stories, infusing the real world with fantasy. Currently she writes from home in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown.

Find Christina Here: Website • Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Tumblr • Goodreads • Instagram

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of BRAZEN, Christina is giving away a Kindle Fire (US only) and a $50 Amazon gift card (international). The letter for this stop is  N. Collect all the
letters from the blog tour to earn more points!

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Gilded by Christina Farley - Paul's Review

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Gilded
Author: Christina Farley
Publication Year: 2014

My Pre Reading

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for. 

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Review: This book was a slow read for me. I never really connected with it. I found the Korean mythology really interesting as well as the rest of the Korean culture. The food is referenced often and when my favorite Korean dish, jopchae, was mentioned I may have squealed just a little bit. 

My problem with the book may have just been that it is targeted to a younger audience. I had problems with the way the science was presented. When a story takes place in the real world, but has magical or paranormal elements truly existing, the science needs to at least sound plausible to me. In this book, the mythology matched up too well with the actuality. The scientists seemed to know too much for things they were unsure if they even existed. There is a secret society, but it just didn't blend well with me. The whole science and grounding of the paranormal felt awkward. This is random, but I also just didn't like the way the word metamorphosis was used. 

I also didn't connect with the characters, especially the protagonist. The way the paranormal elements were dealt with when it comes to belief were hard for me to follow. 

This book felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie from the late 90s or early 00s. It had the cheesy elements and the cool paranormal imagery to match. I could totally see this as a DCOM from that era featuring Brenda Song, although she is Thai and Hmong.  

This review turned out more negative than I thought it would be. I did enjoy this book, I just didn't connect with it as much as I wanted to. I give it a 3/5 and suggest it to readers who enjoy contemporary paranormal stories that may be a little cheesy. If you like Paranormalcy by Kiersten White or Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, you may enjoy this. I will be reading the sequel, but I need to step back from the series first. I hope you can connect with this book more than I did.


--PAUL

Gilded by Christina Farley - Paul's Pre Reading

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Gilded
Author: Christina Farley
Publication Year: 2014

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem.

There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for. 

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Why?: This sounds like an awesome paranormal YA set in a foreign country. I'm interested in the Korean mythology this book will show. I don't know much about the Korean culture, but i love Korean food. 

Expectations: I'm expecting a fun paranormal YA with a female protagonist, maybe something in the style of Paranormalcy.    

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is pretty cool. I like the font of the title and how it appears to be made of metal. The spirit bird thing also is awesome. It's quite ethereal and makes me interested in reading this book. 


--PAUL