THE CONJURER'S CURSE: A YA/Upper MG Book Review by Georgie Bartlett

REVIEW

The Conjurer’s Curse (Monarch: 2022) by Stephanie Cotta is an epic fantasy set in the fictional world of Mestria. We follow seventeen-year-old Rowan as he struggles with his history and searches for answers.  

Rowan is an outsider in his village. For the thirteen years since his arrival to Karahvel, his albino skin and unusual marking on his neck have caused him to be viewed as cursed by the superstitious villagers. His “curse,” however, is evidenced by the mysterious deaths of his three previous guardian mothers; beginning with the first woman who took him in after his birth mother abandoned him. Even Rowan begins to worry that the rumors are true, and when his fourth guardian mother suddenly passes, Rowan is banished from his village. He must embark on a long journey to discover who cursed him and defeat them before his curse has the chance to kill anyone else.  

  

I am relatively new to reading fantasy, and this book was a wonderful introduction to the genre. What first struck me about The Conjurer’s Curse was the unique concept. I was immediately interested in seeing how things would play out, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. The worldbuilding and realistic, fictitious geography made Mestria intricate and well thought out. As Rowan struggles to find where he belongs, you are taken on an adventure through multiple landscapes. This includes a trip across the sea, through the jungle, and into the mountains of The Iron Kingdom. 

 

Rowan’s story is an exciting and heartbreaking one yet filled with hope, and within the first chapter, he is on his journey. Many beautiful and important lessons can be learned from reading The Conjurer’s Curse, such as not judging others unfairly and the importance of community and friendship.  

 

I believe everyone can relate in some way to Rowan’s feeling like an outsider. “Outsider. Rowan hated that word. All his life, he heard it whispered as a reminder of how different he was from everyone in Karahvel.” 

 

On top of that, every character has realistic struggles, making them relatable. I flew through this book and was sad when the adventure was over. I immediately wanted more. I can’t wait to read the upcoming books in the IRON KINGDOM series! I would recommend The Conjurer’s Curse to any fantasy fan, or anyone in search of a gripping story with a strong plot and strong characters.  

THE NEXT BOOK IS OUT!

After you read The Conjurer's Curse you're going to want to find out Rowan's next adventures. New from Monarch Publishing, here is Book Two in The Kingdom Series: The Wraiths of Arjun.

GIVEAWAY

Monarch is giving away an E-book copy of The Conjurer's Curse to one fortunate winner! Leave me your name in the comments along with your email address if you are new to my blog. A winner will be drawn on January 10. 

Georgie Bartlett is a teen living in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina with her family and two mischievous rescue dogs. She enjoys writing, crocheting, journaling, gardening, playing the drums, and above all, reading. 

The Wizard's Daughter: A Book Review and Autographed Giveaway

Congratulations to Danielle H. for winning The Smallest Tadpole's War in the Land of Mysterious Waters.

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If you, or a teenager you know, is a fan of clean science fiction/fantasy, then The Wizard’s Daughter by Jeff Minerd, is a book you should consider.

Minerd sets his three-book series, The Sky-Riders of Etherium in a world that is futuristic and yet also includes medieval/steam punk elements. The story opens with Brieze, the teenage protagonist, watching her mother jump off the edge of their floating island and into space. Brieze straps on her parachute pack and rescues her from impending death. In the process, Brieze learns that the man they are living with, the Wizard, has proposed to her mother. But, Patentia, can’t let go of the idea that Brieze’s father—her first love—still loves her and will come back for her.

With that, Brieze is thrust into a new normal and into her quest: to find her biological father, Kaishou Fujiwara, and to demand an explanation for why he abandoned her mother. She knows her journey to the Eastern Kingdoms will be fraught with dangers, but she is determined to not let anything stop her. 

The reader meets the other point-of-view character, Tak, a warrior in his own right and Brieze’s romantic interest. (He is the star of the first book in the series, The Sailweaver's Son.) Tak tries to talk Brieze into allowing him to accompany her, but she refuses—a decision she regrets during the long and lonely flight. 

The wizard, her adopted father, gives her a great surprise when he provides the airship she will need for her journey. Painted with a new pigment, the ship takes on the color of its environment. Delighted with the camouflage, Brieze names her airship, Devious. As a sky rider, Brieze “craved the weightless freedom of flying.” This powerful urge, along with Tak’s flying lessons, and her desire to confront her father propel her into a perilous journey and unknown future. 

Minerd's world-building is admirable. I'm quite sure that I could never imagine the complexity of the worlds, strange creatures, and dangers which Brieze encounters. Here is an example that shows some of the world that Brieze navigates in search of clues about her father's disappearance. 

She looked over the ledge. The clouds that covered the roots of the Wind's Teeth [dangerous, sharp mountains in which she had almost crashed] were only a few yards below her, looking like gray mist. She used the sturdy rope with the knots to lower the pack over the ledge, foot-by-foot down through the mist, toward the unseen ground below....

The glowing light stick on the pack dimmed as it descended through the fog....

A hundred knots passed...four-hundred twenty feet...

[She descends over five-hundred feet to the roots of the Wind's Teeth]

When she planted both feet on the ground, they sank in a little, as they would in mud. Brieze took a few cautious steps. The ground supported her, but it was definitely soft. She hadn't expected that. She bent down and scooped up a handful of the whitish-colored stuff she was walking on. It was like dirt, but much finer and dryer. It flowed like water between her fingers...

"Liquid dirt," she said to herself. "Fascinating."

......

[That night at her campfire] Sand slithered and hissed as the wind pushed it about.

Something moved in the darkness. She heard scrabbling sounds and the faint clink of metal on metal. Sniffing. Lips smacking and chewing. Satisfied grunts. Something was eating the goat strips she'd scattered in the dark...She saw the gleam of their eyes as they drew closer to the fire. Big, bulbous eyes, spaced far apart and glimmering green with the light reflecting off their retinas. There were two pairs of eyes and strangely, a single eye bobbing and blinking all by itself.

But they were Gublins.  (p. 199-4)

I referred to the map in front of the book several times; it helped me picture where Brieze was traveling. The prologue and epilogue were slightly confusing. Both reference characters and dragons that are not shown in the book. I assume they are important to the series, but I would have liked to see how they factor into The Wizard's Daughter.  In addition, I was left hanging at the end of the book. I assume that is because the author wants the reader to read the final book which he is working on, The Dragonlord's Apprentice. I would have preferred a greater sense of completion of this particular story. 

GIVEAWAY

If you are interested in receiving an autographed copy of The Wizard's Daughter, please leave a comment with your email address if you are new to my blog. Giveaway ends March 7.

The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill AND a Giveaway!

Congratulations to Ann Eisenstein, a fellow SCBWI-Carolinas writers, who won an autographed copy of Sheri Levy's novel, Seven Days to Goodbye. Thanks to all of you who entered. Here is another book to try and win!

At a recent SCBWI-Carolinas conference, I took an informative workshop with Emma Dryden on world building. First, Emma instructed us to write three tenets that govern the fictional world and/or society in which our character lives. Second, she asked us to write three tenets that govern our protagonist's personal world. 

As I considered how I would review the most recent book I listened to, The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill, I thought how the historical setting played such an integral role in this story.  Applying what I learned in Emma Dryden's workshop, here are some of the tenets which govern the protagonist's, Hazel Kaplantsy, world: 

First of all, the bigger world in which Hazel lives in is governed by the facts that:

1. In 1954, Communism is a very real threat. 
2. Fall out shelters and air raid drills are necessary.
3. Senator McCarthy has a right to search for spies in Hazel's small New England town of Maple Hill.

Second, these three tenets govern her personal world:

1. Maple Hill is a sleepy, boring town that Hazel will leave as soon she grows up.
2. It's normal to grow up living and playing in a cemetery.
3. Hazel's best friend has just moved away and most probably her next best friend will leave her too.

These tenets are the framework upon which Megan Blakemore has built Hazel's dream of showing the world that she is as good a detective as Nancy Drew.  But while Hazel is always ready to find evidence that supports her pre-formed conclusions, her new friend Samuel is the voice of reason suggesting that she might not always correctly interpret the facts. 

The backdrop of the McCarthy era forms a perfect canvas for this upper elementary book for girls. When Hazel's favorite librarian warns her that it is a dangerous thing when a "whisper becomes a rumor and a rumor becomes a fact" she is speaking truth not only about the McCarthy investigation at a local factory, but also to Hazel herself. Hazel's moment of truth comes when she realizes that her erroneous accusations are just as hurtful as the smashed window in her favorite Chinese restaurant. 

For more information on deep world building, check out Emma Dryden's blog. As a bonus, here are two worksheets on world building from Brenda Windberg of Free Expressions Seminars.

I'm giving away a copy of the audio CD of this entertaining and informative book. To enter, please leave me a comment before 9 AM on Friday, October 24. If you want a second chance, become a new follower or share this on your social media of choice and let me know what you did. Be sure I have your email address too!

Free Expressions Takeaway Part III: Building Imaginary Worlds

I used to think world building just pertained to creating a science fiction or fantasy world. And although it is generally associated with those genres, all novelists must create believable, fictional worlds in which reader immerses themselves.  

For example, even though Half-Truths takes place in a "real" time and place-- Charlotte, NC in the 1950's--I must show the sights, sounds, smells, textures, emotional tone, and sociological and political atmosphere of the two areas of the city in which my story unfolds. There is historical data which helps me construct this world such as this 1939 article from The Charlotte Observer:

It is my job as a novelist to weave this information into the fabric of the world I am building. What will it mean to my white and black characters that there is a separate hospital for Negroes? A lot. 
Here are a few takeaways from Brenda Windberg's class on world  building:

• Consider the psychological and political world of your character. There is always someone who has power and people who rebel.
• The structure of your character's existence will create the context of your story.
• Describe concrete, highly specific worlds. It should be fully immersive because of the high level of specificity.  Brenda used the Harry Potter Theme Park as an example of the huge amount of details which JK Rowling included in her books; this makes the theme park a totally immersive experience. 
• Writers must ask questions such as: "What if?" "Why" and "Why not?" Find the boundaries of your world--which is more than just a physical world. 
• Brenda's advice: "The rules and parameters of your character’s emotional reality can set the tone for your world."
•  Use details in a way that adds emotional content. Let them show a purpose. The place the character’s eye goes to is what you record. “Let your character react to details, don’t note them.”
•  Limit what the reader needs to know to propel the story forward. Weave this through your story. Readers want to experience the world as they come into it. 

Our incredible Free Expressions leaders:
Lorin Oberweger and Brenda Windberg

Brenda generously shared her two handouts from the class. You can access them here:
World Building Exercises
Description as a World Building Tool 

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Since  I have a lot to say about writing a tight query letter, I'm going to save that for the next blog post. 

If you missed the first two blogs in this series, here they are:
Free Expressions Takeaway Part I- Voice and Deep Point of View
Free Expressions Takeaway Part II- Deep Scene