Blog Tour- NOW I RISE by Kiersten White An Interview & Giveaway!

Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for NOW I RISE by Kiersten White! I freaking loved this amazing series!

I have an interview with Kiersten to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!

Haven't heard of NOW I RISE? Check it out!

Title: NOW I RISE

Author: Kiersten White

Pub. Date: Jume 27, 2017

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 496

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

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost. 

Now on to the interview!

Hi Kiersten! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! NOW I RISE was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

Thank you so much! I’m so happy to be back.

For the readers: can you tell us a little recap of AND I DARKEN and what we can expect in NOW I RISE?

And I Darken followed the travails of the Dracul siblings, Lada and Radu. Traded by their father for leverage, they were raised as political prisoners in the Ottoman courts. Radu, kind and thoughtful and desperate for love, surprisingly flourished. Lada, vicious and ruthlessly ambitious, struggled against the restrictions of both their captivity and her gender. But they both found a lifeline in Mehmed, the brilliant third son of the sultan. When Mehmed was thrust onto the throne, Lada and Radu used their separate skills to help him evade assassins and solidify power. They both also developed feelings deeper than friendship for him. At the end of book one, they are faced with a choice: Remain under the protection of Mehmed and help him, or go on to the throne of their long-lost home. Radu chose to stay. Lada chose to leave. Book two will trace their separate journeys as Lada realizes having power is not as simple as claiming it, and Radu’s loyalty to his faith and his friend are pushed to their limits when he goes behind the walls of Constantinople as spy and saboteur during the greatest siege of their time.

So do you have a title for book 3 yet?

Yes! It’s brilliant! I can’t tell you! I’m so sorry! I have also seen the cover, and, as much as I absolutely adore books one and two, it’s my favorite.

I know you took a trip to Romania for research did you come across any 

particularly interesting lore from the area?

There was one church we visited in the countryside that was seven or eight hundred years old. Carved on one wall was the face of God. And on the other, the Green Man, an old pagan deity. I loved that they were totally cool putting them both in a Christian church—covering all their bases! The Green Man lore is really fascinating to look into, and hopefully I’ll write a book one day where I can explore this duality and melding of beliefs.

It was also amazing to visit Vlad Dracul’s historical sites. We didn’t do it on purpose, but we ended up at every significant one, and getting a real sense for where he walked ended up being invaluable a few years later when I started And I Darken!

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

It’s a tie between Nazira, Radu’s sort-of wife, and Nicolae, Lada’s comic relief and semi-conscience. They both functioned in the role of loving their respective friends but also being honest with them. My least favorite character to write was Matthias Corvinus. Not because he is awful, but because he has such a fascinating and rich history himself, and I had to cut almost all of it to fit him into my fictional tale. I still feel bad about it—he deserves his own trilogy!

What is your favorite passage/scene in NOW I RISE?

When [spoiler] finally makes it through [spoiler] and takes [spoiler spoiler spoiler], and the sense of triumph and relief, but also how much is left to come that [spoiler spoiler spoiler SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER]. That, or the scene where Nicolae admits he sold Lada to an old man in the mountains in exchange for a goat.

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

Cricket Bell from LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins. (I’m totally an Isla, but I love Cricket best.)

What inspired you to write YA?

It was the age range I had the most fun reading, and therefore the one I wanted to tell stories in.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I am dying to read so many things! I’ve been under deadline and thus not reading. But Laini Taylor, Nic Stone, and Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are all taunting me from my TBR pile.

Team DC or Team Marvel?

Marvel generally, but Wonder Woman always.

Team Iron Man, Team Cap, Team Thor, Team Black Widow, or another Marvel 

Character?

Nebula!

Favorite Place to travel?

Romania.

Favorite TV show?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Peaky Blinders, and Brooklyn 99. (And and and…I like TV a LOT.)

Sweet or Salty?

I’m a massive sugar fiend.

Any Phobias?

Mold and raw meat.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

Hozier’s entire album.

Summer/Fall Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Atomic Blonde looks amazing!

Thanks so much Kiersten for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read NOW I RISE!

About Kiersten:

Kiersten White is the NYT bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy, the Mind Games series, Illusions of Fate, The Chaos of Stars, In the Shadows with artist Jim Di Bartolo, and the upcoming historical reimagining, And I Darken. She has one tall husband and three small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of NOW I RISE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/19/2017- Bookfever- Excerpt

6/20/2017- Lisa Loves Literature- Review

6/21/2017- Adventures of a Book Junkie- Interview

6/22/2017- Fiktshun- Review

6/23/2017- Carina's Books- Review

Week Two:

6/26/2017- Dazzled by Books- Review

6/27/2017- Books and Things- Review

6/28/2017- Rattle the Stars- Review

6/29/2017- YABC- Review

6/30/2017- Once Upon A Twilight- Review

Week Three:

7/3/2017-Two Chicks on Books- Interview

7/4/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland- Review

7/5/2017- Fiction Fare- Review

7/6/2017- YA and Wine- Review

7/7/2017- Little Red's Reviews- Review

Make sure to grab book 1!

Dying To Read (178)- NOW I RISE by Kiersten White

Hey y’all thanks for stopping by to see my Dying to Read post and of course as always I have to give credit to the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine for the Waiting on Wednesday Meme!

I loved the first installment in this series, yes I did have a couple minor issues with it but not enough to stop me from reading book 2. I have always been fascinated with Vald Dracul and I love Kiersten's gender swap book!

Title: NOW I RISE

Author: Kiersten White

Release Date: June 27, 2017

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 496

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

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

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost. 

So what do you think? Will you be adding this to your pile? What are you dying to read this week?

Blog Tour- AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White An Interview

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on blog tour for AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White! I really liked this reimagining of Vlad the Implaer as a girl if you want to see my review for the book it's HERE! I have an interview with Kiersten to share with you today! 

Haven't heard of AND I DARKEN? Check it out!

Title: AND I DARKEN

Author: Kiersten White

Pub. Date: June 28, 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon | Barnes& Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. 

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Now on to the interview!

Hi, Kiersten! First, I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! AND I DARKEN was absolutely fantastic, and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And I am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

Can you tell our readers a little bit about AND I DARKEN?

Hi! Thank you for having me! And I Darken is the first book in a new epic historical trilogy. It stars Lada and Radu, a brother and sister who are political prisoners in the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s. I decided to write a series filled with assassination attempts, violent successions, fratricide, arranged marriage, impalements, and other very current teen issues. Gotta stay on trend, and nothing says trend like reimagining a relatively obscure medieval Romanian prince as a princess instead, am I right? (Seriously, though, the more I study history, the more I realize things never change. That’s what’s fun about writing genre—you get to explore modern issues using another world.)

So do you have a title for book two yet?

Yes! My brilliant editor, Wendy Loggia, came up with the titles for all three books. In the middle of a massive title brainstorm, she emailed her ideas and I got chills, they were so perfect! But I can’t tell you . . . yet. :)

Being an amateur scholar on this particular subject, I know the history pretty well, so this is something I have been wanting to ask you. Why do a gender swap of Vlad Dracul? Wasn’t he fascinating enough as he was?

No, he wasn’t. All men can be improved by the addition of ovaries.

Just kidding! (Mostly.) What I wanted to explore with this series is how good people get to the point where they can justify atrocities in pursuit of their goals. I loved researching Vlad the Impaler because he was so deeply nationalistic, and everything he did made a sort of twisted, bloody sense. He had to fight so hard for every inch of his land. But then I thought, what if he had been a girl? She would have had to fight so hard for every inch of everything, ever, simply because she wasn’t a man, and that’s when it clicked. Plain and simple, it was history to me until I wondered how it would have been different if Vlad had been Lada. And then it changed from history to story, and I had to write it.

Who was your favorite character to write? Who was your least favorite?

Honestly, I loved writing every single character. It’s a large cast, much bigger than I usually work with, and they all brought different things to the story. So far Lada does seem to be the favorite character of most readers. I think it’s because I gave her absolute permission to be unrepentantly awful—angry, violent, brutal—and I didn’t try to soften her. There was always the temptation to pull her back—give her some redeeming sweetness, or make her beautiful, or do SOMETHING to make her traditionally appealing. But I didn’t, and I’m delighted that readers appreciate her in all her raging glory.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

All the research. So much. I did research on Vlad, on Mehmed, on Constantinople, on the Ottoman Empire, on Islam, on Orthodox Christianity, on Vlad and Mehmed’s contemporaries, and on actual historical women who were able to rise to positions of tremendous power. You name it, I researched it. Part of me thought these books would be a little easier because history had already done so much of the plotting for me. The part of me that thought that was an idiot. Such an idiot.

I was fortunate in that I had already been to Romania and visited all of Vlad the Impaler’s historical sites. (We really didn’t plan to do a Dracula tour, but we ended up around his old haunts and so made a point of seeing them.) We visited a church that his father was patron of, climbed 1,300 steps to the remains of his mountain fortress, and visited his birthplace and his capital. So much is still the same, and walking through his history was so inspiring. My only regret with this series is that I haven’t been able to visit Constantinople (now Istanbul). Someday! Until then, I will continue to frequent countless strangers’ photos on the Internet.

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

Here’s the sad thing. I’ve hit the point in my life where I read things like Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series and I don’t want to bed any of the characters, I want to PUT them to bed with a glass of warm milk and all the parental love and support they aren’t getting. I’m such a mom.

What inspired you to write YA?

I think the most innovative, interesting, and frankly just plain fun writing is happening in YA. That’s the community I wanted to be a part of, the stories I wanted to tell, and the readers I wanted to tell them to. No book I read as an adult had anywhere near the impact on me that the books I loved as a teen did. If I could do that for someone else, I can’t think of a higher privilege as a storyteller!

I also love the themes and questions of YA. Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I get there? Teens are coming into their own and starting to be in a place to really make decisions for themselves for the first time in their lives, and those questions are universal—both intimate and huge. There’s no more exciting age to write about and for.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

Nnedi Okorafor’s LAGOON. I’m itching to read Leigh Bardugo’s SIX OF CROWS!

What Hogwarts house would the Sorting Hat place you in?

Teen me was all Ravenclaw. Adult me would be a hard call between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter.

Favorite superhero?

Jessica Jones.

Favorite TV show?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Sweet or salty?

Sweet.

Any phobias?

Trypophobia. Google it. You’ll know REALLY fast if you have it, too.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

“Genghis Khan” by Miike Snow.

Thanks so much, Kiersten, for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read AND I DARKEN!

CLAIM THE THRONE. Visit AndIDarken.com to order now!

About Kiersten:

Kiersten White is the NYT bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy, the Mind Games series, Illusions of Fate, The Chaos of Stars, In the Shadows with artist Jim Di Bartolo, and the upcoming historical reimagining, And I Darken. She has one tall husband and three small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

AND I DARKEN Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 30^th through Friday, July 8^th (Mondays through Fridays)

Monday, May 30^th: Icey Books, Review

Tuesday, May 31^st: Bookiemoji, Guest Post (Character Profiles)

Wednesday, June 1^st: Seeing Double in Neverland, Review

Thursday, June 2^nd: Alexa Loves Books, Playlist Post

Friday, June 3^rd: Awesome Book Nut, Review

Monday, June 6^th: Jessabella Reads, Review

Tuesday, June 7^th: The Eater of Books!, Top Five Roundup

Wednesday, June 8^th: Across the Words, Review

Thursday, June 9^th: Pandora’s Books, Sneak Peek for Book Two

Friday, June 10^th: Tales of the Ravenous Reader, Review

Monday, June 13th: A Midsummer Night's Read, Review

Tuesday, June 14^th: The Irish Banana Review, Top 10 Guest Post

Wednesday, June 15^th: Stories & Sweeties, Review

Thursday, June 16^th: Jenuine Cupcakes, Author Mystery Guest Post

Friday, June 17^th: The Soul Sisters, Review

Monday, June 20^th: Winterhaven Books, Review

Tuesday, June 21^st: Two Chicks on Books, Q&A 

Wednesday: June 22^nd: The Book Swarm, Review

Thursday, June 23^rd: Read. Sleep. Repeat., Top Five Fantasy Books Kiersten Loves to Re-Read

Friday, June 24^th: Please Feed The Bookworm, Review

Monday, June 27^th: Comfort Books, Review

Tuesday, June 28^th: Fitshun, Q&A

Wednesday, June 29^th: Addicted Readers,Review

Thursday, June 30^th: Lindsay Cummings, Movie Casting Post

Friday, July 1^st: Rabid Reads, Review

Monday, July 4^th: Reading Teen, Review

Tuesday, July 5^th: YA Bibliophile, Guest Post (Trip to Romania)

Wednesday, July 6^th: Carina’s Books, Review

Thursday, July 7^th: Mundie Moms, Author Mystery Guest Post

Friday, July 8^th:  My Friends Are Fiction, Surprise Post!

Book Review- AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White

Title: AND I DARKEN

Author: Kiersten White

Pub. Date: June 28, 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon | Barnes& Noble | iBooks | Goodreads

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. 

And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

Let’s get this out of the way. If you’re looking for a paranormal story about vampires, you’re not going to get it here you’re not even going to get a magical fantasy so I’m not really sure why the book is being compared to Game of Thrones since most of this stuff really happened. 

This is a historical tale about the heirs to the Drăculești throne. And here’s where it gets fun, it’s not a pure historical since Kiersten flipped the script and did a gender swap, Vlad Dracula is now Lada, a girl. If it were a pure historical I may be reviewing this differently since I am such a nerd about the real Vlad Dracul and have studied him and his family for a long time. There’s things that would really make me unhappy with this book but since it’s a gender swap I took my issues off the table and just enjoyed what I was reading. And I loved what I read! I honestly think this is Kiersten’s best book to date!

There’s not much known about Vlad’s life in the Ottoman empire so Kiersten had room to play with Lada’s life there and it was really brilliant! But what historical aspects she did write she wrote well! Kiersten definitely did her research and it showed. She took the historical and blended it with her “twist” into a completely enjoyable story! I will say that the “love triangle” (oh yes there is one) did kind of make me mad because historically there is no proof of a certain character’s sexuality (only speculation) but, there is proof of his undying loyalty to the Ottomans though and therefore I get why she did it. It increases the tension and makes for a good read. 

I’m not going to talk about the romance except to say that it was swoon worthy but this wasn’t the heart of the story, at least not in my opinion. This story was about Lada and her strength to become what she needed to be. A warrior, comfortable in her own skin as a woman, and a ruler. I loved her time in the Ottoman empire but I am really looking forward to the next installment when she is back in Wallachia! If Kiersten follows history (as accurately as she can) that’s were all the interesting/fun things start! I NEED BOOK 2 NOW!

Top Ten Tuesday (56)- My Top Ten Historical Settings I Love/ Ten Historical Settings I'd Love To See.

Hi thanks for stopping by!!! And welcome to my Top 10 Tuesday post! 

Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Broke And The Bookish for creating this weekly meme!

Here's this week's topic.

February 2: Top Ten Historical Settings You Love/ Ten Historical Settings You'd Love To See.

I went with historical. Some of these may have been done before but I would like to see them again. Especially in YA these are all ideas for YA books.

1. The Roaring 20's it's been done before but not really in YA. I'd love to see more of this.

2. Ancient Egypt. Yes it's been done but not enough IMO.


3. The 1940's especially WWII.

4. The 1980's yes this actually counts as historical now. Wow I feel old.

5. I need MOAR Imperial Russia! This one is starting to become popular but I need more!

6. Late 1400's especially in Italy and France. Maybe some Borgia stories!

7. Ancient Greece and Rome. Lets get some YA stories about Athens or Sparta or Spartacus or Julius Caesar stories! Or the peloponnesian wars!

8. 1400's Romania, Transylvania, & Wallachia. Yes I want more Vlad the Impaler inspired stories like Kiersten White's!

9. California Gold Rush. We're barely scratching the surface on this one and I see so much potential. 

10. The Great Depression.

So what about you? What would be some historical genres you'd like to see done? And check back next week for my Top Ten Valentine's day books I will be doing swoon worthy reads!

Hugs,

Jaime