Friday, April 7, 2017

PRISONER OF ICE AND SNOW By Ruth Lauren / Blog Tour: Excerpt / Top 5 List & Giveaway


Welcome to the next stop on the PRISONER OF ICE AND SNOW blog tour, hosted by Bloomsbury. I'm thrilled to be apart of this blog tour. This book is so good. It's a great cross over for MG, and younger YA readers. Today's stop features my Top 5 Reasons to read this book, along with an excerpt from the book, and be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of the post. First, here's a little bit about the book.

ABOUT THE BOOK



By: Ruth Lauren

Published by: Bloomsbury
Released on: 4.4.17
Purchase from: Bloomsbury | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

She'll do anything to break her sister out of prison--even get arrested on purpose.

When thirteen-year-old Valor is sent to jail, she couldn't be happier. Demidova's prison for criminal children is exactly where she wants to be. Valor's twin sister, Sasha, is serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family, and Valor is going to help her escape . . . from the inside.

Never mind that no one has escaped the prison in centuries. Valor has a master plan and resources most people could only dream about. But she didn't count on having to outsmart both the guards and her fellow prisoners. If Valor's plan is to succeed, she'll need to make some unlikely allies. And if the plan fails, she and Sasha could end up with fates worse than prison.

This exciting middle-grade debut effortlessly melds an unforgettable protagonist, a breathless plot, and stunning world-building--and is impossible to put down.


TOP 5 REASONS TO READ THE BOOK

PRISONER OF ICE AND SNOW is such a fabulous read. I really enjoyed this book. It's a read that is great for younger YA readers, and MG readers alike. Per today's stop, I'm sharing 5 reasons why you should pick up this book and read it. 


1) It's a great story about a love between two sisters.


2) There's a lot of action, intrigue & betrayal (okay that's more than 1).


3) It's a story about courage, and proving someone's innocence.


4) The outcome of the story is not what I was excepting, and it's oh so good.


5) Not only is the story great, so is the world building and the characters.


I also have to add, that this book will make you wish there was a sequel, and that it was already in your hands. 



PRIASE FOR THE BOOK


"Prisoner of Ice and Snow is an exciting, fast-paced story, full of twists and turns. Valor is an engaging heroine who never loses courage, even when everything goes wrong. I was captivated from the first word to the last. This is a story readers will love again and again!" 

--Jennifer A. Nielsen, New York Times bestselling author of The False Prince

"Action-packed and full of heart, Prisoner of Ice and Snow is a riveting tale of betrayal, intrigue, and the love between two sisters. Valor's determination and the risks she takes to save her beloved twin will have you rooting for her from the very first page." 

--Aimée Carter, author of Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den


READ AN EXCERPT

I slide my fully assembled crossbow onto the ledge in front of me. Across the square, the clock tower strikes eleven. The sun is high over the domes of the palace, picking out the blue, gold, red, and stark white of their patterns. A light dusting of snow sits on the bulb of each dome like sugar icing on buns. The queen takes the hand of one of her guards and steps up onto the wide rim of the fountain. The giant back hooves of the stone horse and the jets of ice glint as she walks beside them.
The queen’s family follows her onto the same wide stone brink Sasha and I used to play on until they are all raised above the people, facing a sector of the city. Prince Anatol is closest to me, the spot he stands in directly in line with my turret, as I knew it would be.
I try not to think about the time he offered me his hand when I fell from my horse. Still breathless, with a bruised leg and a crop of nettle stings, I had let him help me up. I let go of his hand as soon as I could. I’d been proud that my mother worked for his, that my family served his. It had felt strange to let him help me when he was a prince—like it should have been the other way around.
But some things are more important. I had to choose one of the royal family today, and my sister wouldn’t want me to aim at the princess.
Lady Olegevna approaches on horseback, her deep-purple cloak sweeping the ground, her entourage on smaller mounts. They ride around the outer rim of the fountain, the crowd cheering, waving, clapping. This alliance has been hard won.
My finger hovers over the trigger of my crossbow as I take careful aim at Prince Anatol. I tried to teach Sasha to shoot on my target in our garden when we were ten. She did her best, but she didn’t have the strength, and the bolt flew wide—straight through a pillowcase the housekeeper had hung on the washing line. Sasha’s shocked face made me giggle, and we both ran away to the orchard, laughing fit to burst.
I’m not aiming at a practice target now. The prince’s cloak is clasped at the throat with a golden fist, revealing the high-collared peacock-blue tunic he wears underneath. I’ve seen him in this apparel at a state function before—gold embroidery covers the front of it all the way up to the collar, which stands stiffly around his neck. As I steady my hands, lining him perfectly in my sights, he glances to his right and then yanks at his collar quickly before returning to waving at the crowd. If I wasn’t where I am right now, that might make me smile. He’s only a little older than I am, not yet fourteen.
The queen steps forward to address her subjects, and the crowd goes still and quiet. Little tremors pass all over my body. I tell myself they’re because of the cold and take a deep breath. This is the hour that I’ve been waiting for. This is the minute that I’ve planned in secret for three weeks.
I shift the aim of my bolt a fraction to the left, just past Prince Anatol’s shoulder, then I hold my breath, pray that he doesn’t move, and shoot.  


FOLLOW THE TOUR





ENTER TO WIN

Thank you to Bloomsbury, we have 1 copy of PRISONER OF ICE AND SNOW to giveaway! To enter, please fill out the form below:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~