Sometimes you have to stop and take a photo! Isn’t this snowman so cute? I spotted him on Saturday in central Cambridge. I was out for a shopping day and this cheeky chappy caught my eye. It was the combination of his daft hairstyle and walking stick that did it. Those twigs are so perfectly perched on his head sweeping over his left eye and his walking stick is firmly planted in the ground. He means business. Ha ha! He really made me smile.
To celebrate his awesome cuteness I decided to write a Tanka especially for him…
For Mr. Snowman
This snowman’s vigour,
Frosty spirit caught my eye,
He winked, the snow fell,
His hairstyle melted my heart,
Sweet guy stay mine forever!
I used the synonyms vigour for power and spirit for energy.
In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?
My review:
I loved this from the moment I picked it up. There is so much to recommend reading Nevernight, especially if you are a YA Fantasy author. I loved the shadows, (of course I did,) the not cat, (Mr Kindly) and especially the kick-ass heroine, Mia who’s determined to avenge her father’s killers. Mia is spurred to revenge by witnessing the death of her father and the subsequent cruelty meted out to her remaining family members.
All the characters are so well defined – and I adore Tric. I know some readers develop book boy crushes and he’d be mine! Ha ha…
This is YA but there are some seriously sexy scenes which are written so well that my jaw dropped! Ha ha… If I ever want to write sexy scenes I better bookmark these!
The plot and world building are phenomenal. I was a little kind of oh, please tell me this is not happening…. by something that occurred towards the end of the novel, but no spoilers…
I wish I had read Nevernight before I started writing The Curse of Time as there are so many parallels that made me go WOW… SHADOWS..,. In A Massive YEAH WAY! It should be compulsory reading for all fantasy authors! It is exciting, sexy, bloody… yes expect some stabbing. This is not a PG. Definitely a favourite. No doubt I will continue with this series and read Godsgrave.
Things to watch our for:
Fantastic expressions… ‘Never flinch’ ‘Never fear. And never, ever forget.’ ‘When all is blood, blood is all.’ You might just find yourself saying ‘Maw’s teeth,’ a lot! I did! And ”Byss and blood’ I just loved these!
Oh, and I reckon Jay Kristoff’s favourite Nevernight twitter hashtag is #stabstabstab.
And this photo on his twitter page is so fabulous. It’s of a cosplayer in Germany.
The pre-release blog tour for my YA novel begins in April with my #ABRSC club pals, followed by a release tour with Neverland Blog Tours. (Jenny Marston is also a #ABRSC member!) http://neverlandblogtours.weebly.com/
