Juliet Marillier answers some FAQs on what’s in the pipeline, writing-wise. I’m excited about her new series, Blackthorn & Grim:
The series is adult fantasy set in early medieval Ireland, and features a pair of older, more flawed protagonists who appear in every novel. There are both fairy tale and mystery elements.
Also, I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that as much as I love her Sevenwaters books, I’ve not yet read her Bridei Chronicles or her Wildwood books. Any thoughts on these books?
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I would love to work in a library (I’m madly jealous of you librarian bloggers out there), but I suspect my expectations don’t match reality at all. I mean, I kind of imagine spending a lot of my day sitting hidden behind large stacks of books, just reading… I know – one can dream, right?
So that’s why I found Kelly @ Stacked’s post on weeding out her library’s YA collection so fascinating. Something I’ve never thought about at all!
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I forgot to link this earlier, but Tamora Pierce did an interview @ Goodreads when BATTLE MAGIC was released. She’s one of my favourite YA authors (and an autobuy), so I’m always up for more Tamora Pierce. I liked how she referenced Georgette Heyer when talking about secondary characters she likes:
I like characters with wit and self-awareness. One of my favorite writers for her broad cast of characters is Georgette Heyer: Ulysses, the scruffy dog, and Jemmy, the climbing boy of Arabella, are both favorites of mine for their spirit and commentary; Frederica’s younger brothers always catch the Marquis flat-footed in Frederica, and the smooth Sir Vincent in The Grand Sophy as well as Beau Brummell in Regency Buck always have dignified, sarcastic comments to make.
FWIW, I love her Bridei Chronicles. The first one is solid, the second is awesome, and the third is my favorite. So, so good.
Her YA doesn’t thrill me as much, though I’ve read both Wildwood books and enjoyed the second quite a bit.
Oh, good to know! I’m not quite sure why I never read them – maybe the same reason I took *years* to get around to reading the first Sevenwaters book…
Juliet Marillier is another author I’ve been meaning to try. Her books sound very good. Tamora Pierce was in Washington DC in September for the National Book Festival, but I was out of town 😦 Lark at The Bookwyrm’s Hoard (http://bookwyrms-hoard.blogspot.com/) went and heard her speak. I was quite jealous…lol. She wrote about it and it sounds like it was a great time.
I obviously can’t speak for all Marillier’s books 😉 but I can safely say her Sevenwaters books are firmly on my keeper shelves.
That Tamora Pierce recap is fantastic – thank you for pointing it out!
Please, please read the Bridei books as soon as you get the chance!
I also loved the Wildwood books, but then I was only about fifteen when I read the first one so maybe that had something to do with it 🙂 They’re less complex but still well-written.
Have you read Heart’s Blood yet?
Another vote for the Bridei books – I’ve obviously been missing out! Have you read her recent YAs? I’m wondering if they’re more similar to the Wildwood books.
I have read HEART’S BLOOD – I remember liking it very much as well, but it hasn’t lingered in my mind the same way the Sevenwaters books do, possibly because it was a standalone?
I’ve read Shadowfell – it’s not one of her best books (IMO) maybe because it does lack some of the complexity of the grown up books. Thea from the Book Smugglers sums up the issues I had with it very well here – http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/09/book-review-shadowfell-by-juliet-marillier.html. That said, it’s a perfectly good book, but not of the same level of PLEASE GIVE ME MORE that the Bridei books are.
I’m so easy (though I admit ebooks + Kobo coupons make it even easier)… I’ve now the Bridei books ready to read next 🙂
I know – ever since I got an e-reader my self-control around books has gone out the window 🙂
Yes! It’s that just-one-click-to-buy thing which is my downfall…