Tour: Nightspell Scene

Today,  I've got an excerpt from Nightspell, Leah Cypess's newest release, courtesy of Teen Book Scene. Hope you enjoy!

A trapped, panicked feeling burned its way up Callie’s throat. She forced it down, concentrating on maneuvering her way between tables, and was halfway to the side door of the banquet hall when the room behind her went silent.

It was just for a second -- a momentary break in the rhythm of conversation -- but Callie had learned to pay attention to the moods of the court, and she knew immediately that something was wrong. She turned, her skirt catching on a chair edge, afraid to find out what her sister had done now.

But Darri was still seated, her shoulders tense beneath her shiny strands of dark hair, leaning forward in that way she did when she was spoiling for a fight. Varis was seated too, his tired face set in a shrewd, polite expression. Neither of them had seen what the rest of the court had.

The Guardian was striding across the banquet hall toward them. He moved far more easily than should have been possible in that iron casing, as if the black metal was a second skin.

Callie’s breath caught in her throat as she struggled between an urge to run toward Darri and an urge to get out of the banquet hall. In the end, she followed her strongest instinct: to do exactly what the rest of the court was doing. Nothing at all. She watched.

The Guardian’s feet hit the marble floor with a heavy, metallic tread. Everyone watched him as he passed, though they pretended not to; they returned to dining and talking, but less ostentatiously, trying not to draw attention to themselves.

Across the room, Prince Kestin stood, his eyes flashing, but he was too far away to do anything.

The Guardian drew his silver sword. He was so fast that not even Varis had time to move before the sword sliced through Duke Salir’s throat, just as the duke was tilting his head back to down a goblet of wine.

    Wine splattered, Duke Salir vanished, and the goblet shattered on the floor. For a moment the room resembled a painting, everyone in it frozen and silent, all staring at the Guardian. The silver sword was the only real-looking object in the room.

Then, one by one, the courtiers turned away. The low buzz of conversation resumed, a few servants detached themselves from the corners to clean up the wine and the glass, and the Guardian sheathed his sword and kept walking.

             Toward her.

Thanks so much to Ms. Cypess and Teen Book Scene! I hope you'll all give Nightspell a try if you ever have the chance, it's a good book.

Tour: Nightspell Review

Author: Leah Cypess
Release Date: May 31, 2011
Pages: 336 (HC)
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from Teen Book Scene

Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri's sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister . . . if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince of the dead. But nothing is simple in this eerie kingdom—not her sister, who has changed beyond recognition; not her plan, which will be thrown off track almost at once; and not the undead prince, who seems more alive than anyone else.

Strong is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Nightspell. It was full of strong characters, strong writing, and very strong world-building,.

Though despite the characters strength--which was nice and kind of admirable--I never fully connected to them. Maybe it was the style of writing or something, but I felt more like the characters in this book were my cool acquaintances rather than my BFFs, you know?

I loved the setting so much. It was well thought-out, well executed, and unlike any other world I've read about. The idea that ghosts walked around and were full members of society was just so cool to me.

The pacing was kind of slow towards the beginning, but I still found it hard to put down thanks to the killer plot. If a book has action, sibling issues, and a dash of politics, then why would you put it down? We both know the answer.

When I read Cypess's debut last year, Mistwood, the ending was definitely my least favorite part of it. In my Mistwood review I claimed that, "The way that Isabel's past was explained just sort of popped up and left me confused and wanting to go into more detail about it." Luckily, I didn't have this problem with Nightspell's ending. It built up to it wonderfully to the ending and didn't leave me confused at all.

So despite some minor flaws, Leah Cypess has proved again to me that she's an author to keep an eye on, especially if you're a fan of fantasy.

Plot: Awesome, though it could be a bit quicker.

Characters: Strong, but hard to connect to.

Writing: Very good.

Ending: Very well done.

Kind Friendly? Yeah, definitely. There was some death, but other than that....

Overall:

Mistwood Review

Author: Leah Cypess
Release Date: April 27, 2010Pages: 320 (ARC)
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: From Kim for review

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.
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Books have been passing my expectations quite a bit lately, and Mistwood was no exception.

The back of the book says that Mistwood is similar to Graceling and Tamora Peirce novels--and if that's true then I'm going to need to bump those books up on my To-Be-Read list! I immediately fell in love with the setting of Mistwood, as well as the concept. The twists and turns don't stop and I was left guessing where the story would go until the very end.

I loved the characters! Isabel was fierce, determined, and level-headed, which adds up to one awesome main character. I also really liked Rokan. So of course I wanted their romance to work out. This was one of those books that didn't focus too much on the side characters, but I didn't really mind, since the main character's story was such a good one.

Leah Cypess is an excellent storyteller. I've read better writing, but I've also read worse. I think Leah Cypess is very good at describing feelings and settings, and I'll definitely be interested in what she puts out next. She's an excellent storyteller.

I didn't think I would have any complaints about Mistwood...until I got to the end. The way that Isabel's past was explained just sort of popped up and left me confused and wanting to go into more detail about it. Other than that, the ending was very satisfying. There definitely doesn't need a sequel, but I'd like one. Overall, Mistwood impressed me. Give it a shot.