To Dance in Liradon by Adrienne Clarke - review tour and giveaway

This review is done in conjunction with the author's tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Adrienne will be awarding winner's choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card, and one crystal Faerie necklace similar to what Brigid wore to the Faerie ball to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so leave your thoughts here and you're entered! If you want more chances to win, visit the rest of her tour stops here.

To Dance in Liradon by Adrienne Clarke
Fantasy YA
220 pgs
4 stars

Seventeen-year-old Brigid O'Flynn is an outcast. A chance encounter with the Faerie Queen left her tainted in the eyes of the villagers, who blame the Faerie for the village’s missing women and children. Desperate to win the village’s acceptance, Brigid agrees to marry her childhood friend: Serious, hardworking, Connell Mackenna. But when Connell disappears before their wedding, Brigid's hopes are shattered. Blamed for her fiancé’s death, Brigid fears she will suffer the same fate as the other village outcasts, the mysterious Willow Women. Lured into Faerie by their inhuman lovers, and cast out weak and broken, the Willow Women spend their lives searching for the way back into Faerie. When Connell suddenly reappears, Brigid is overjoyed, but everything is not as it seems. Consumed by his desire for beauty and celebration, Connell abandons his responsibilities, and Brigid soon finds herself drawn into a passionate, dangerous world of two.

When Brigid discovers the truth behind Connell's transformation she’s forced to choose between two men and two worlds. Brigid’s struggle leads her into glittering, ruthless Faerie, where she must rescue her true love from a terrible sacrifice or lose him forever.

My review:  The search for true love is a staple of many plots: Romeo and Juliet; The Princess Bride; many fairytales. In To Dance in Liradon, Adrienne Clarke brings yet another story to the mix. This is a beautiful story about a girl who once had the misfortune of running into the Fairy Queen. Shunned by the other people in the village, she's blamed for anything that goes wrong in the village--from the death of her father to children who go missing.

The story begins with Brigid declaring to her mother that she does not love Connell--her childhood friend who wants to marry her. She grew up on her father's stories of true love and has her heart set on marrying her one true love. However, the course of true love can be strewn with confusion about what love truly is. Ms. Clarke keeps the reader on the edge of her seat. And, she keeps you wondering up to the end exactly what Brigid will decide and who she will choose.

I completely enjoyed this novel, and recommend it for teens of all ages.  Thanks for a fun book!

Now enjoy an excerpt:

Brigid allowed herself to be dragged to the edge of the circle before she raised her right foot and kicked backwards as hard as she could. Midir released his hold long enough for her to remove the horseshoe from her bodice. When he tried to seize her again, she shoved him away, the object gripped firmly in her hand.

Midir stumbled backwards, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. A desperate, keening sound rose up from the circle before it broke apart and every Faerie man and woman rushed towards her. Long slender arms grabbed hold of each of her limbs, and Brigid felt certain they intended to tear her to pieces. A violet-eyed woman sat on top of Brigid’s chest, crushing the air from her lungs. Brigid watched the beauty leak from her face until it was a hollow masque of rage.

“Release her!” the Faerie Queen screamed.

Whining like disappointed children, the Faerie reluctantly retreated, and Brigid rose shakily to her feet.

The Faerie Queen’s eyes flashed cruelly. “If you want him, come and claim him!”

I think I became a writer because the world inside my head was so real and vivid, sometimes more so than the outside world. In some sense I have lived parallel lives, present in my real and imaginary lives in different ways. Because much of my childhood was spent searching for faeries or reading about them, it is natural that my work encompasses fairy tale themes and other magical elements. In the words of Tennessee Williams, forget reality, give me magic!

Adrienne has previously published short stories in The Storyteller, Beginnings Magazine, New Plains Review, and in the e-zines A Fly in Amber, Grim Graffiti, Les Bonnes Fees, The Altruist, The Devilfish Review, and Rose Red Review. Her short story, Falling was awarded second place in the 2008 Alice Munro short fiction contest. To Dance in Liradon is her first published novel.

An avid reader of fairy tales and other magical stories, a thread of the mysterious or unexpected runs through all of her work. When she’s not writing Adrienne can be found searching for faeries along with her daughters Callista and Juliet.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.adrienneclarkewriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/ToDanceInLiradon
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6436251.Adrienne_Clarke
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarkeadrienne

Buy Links:

Amazon: US: http://www.amazon.com/To-Dance-in-Liradon-ebook/dp/B009F94I3W/ref=la_B009HWWMT4_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349915685&sr=1-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/To-Dance-in-Liradon-ebook/dp/B009F94I3W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1349972228&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-dance-in-liradon-adrienne-clarke/1112975145?ean=2940015710045

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/To-Dance-in-Liradon/book-J5YVsQBAyU26uuplRq4VrQ/page1.html?s=KS-iLsIhp0GoqVUvE-QpvA&r=1"

To Dance in Liradon by Adrienne Clarke - Virtual tour and Giveaway

Today we're visiting with author Adrienne Clarke on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the YA Fantasy, "To Dance in Liradon".  I'm excited to be reviewing this in a couple of weeks (come back on Feb 14th!), because it sounds fantastic -- never mind the amazing cover!

Adrienne will be awarding winner's choice of a Kindle touch, Nook Simple Touch, or a $100 Apple gift card, and one crystal Faerie necklace similar to what Brigid wore to the Faerie ball to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, so comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops)! The more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win some amazing prizes!

Adrienne answered all my prying questions -- thanks!

Why YA fiction? What draws you to it?

I’m drawn to YA fiction for its passion and idealism. For me, these qualities are the very essence of YA. Young adulthood is a time of almost limitless hope: The conviction that we can do anything, feel everything, be with anyone. Nothing is beyond our reach.

What would you write in a letter to your teen self?

Dear Adrienne at fifteen,

Please stop daydreaming and pay attention because I have something to say. Talent is important, but so is perseverance. Some of the most beautiful stories ever written will never see the light of day because the author didn’t think he or she could handle the rejection. When things are difficult (and they will be) remember why you write in the first place. Not for fame or money or the thrill of seeing your name in print, but because you love it. You’re a writer. That’s who you are and you always will be. Write when you don’t feel like it. The act of writing is where the energy comes from. It’s also the best cure for rejection. I hope you’re still listening because if you don’t hear this the rest doesn’t matter. Don’t give up! Tell yourself this as often as you need to because it’s the best advice you’ll ever get.

P.S. Don’t worry about all the imaginary people in your head. They are your friends and they’re here to stay.

What book is on your nightstand currently?

I’m currently reading re-reading Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It’s a beautifully written book with one of the most endearing, engaging narrators I’ve ever met. If you haven’t read it yet you really must. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Favorite hot beverage. Why?

My instinct is to say my favorite hot beverage is coffee because I truly can’t imagine my life without out, but after some internal debate I will go with hot chocolate. There’s something so comforting about hot chocolate – and of course, marshmallows. Best of all I can have hot chocolate whenever I want – first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night.

Who was your teenaged crush? Why?

I don’t fall in love easily. Even as a teenager I wasn’t the sort of girl to crush on celebrities, but I definitely gave a little piece of my heart to Johnny Depp after seeing him in Edward Scissorhands. I so loved his character in that movie. I wished I could meet a boy like that: Beautiful, strange, and sensitive. A winning combination if ever there was one. I guess I haven’t changed too much because I still love Johnny Depp! He’s a teenaged crush I’ll never be ashamed of.

Favorite class in high school. Why?

My favorite class was definitely English. Mostly because it was the class I was least likely to get thrown out of. I was forever getting sent to the Principal’s office for sneaking a book under my desk and reading during Math, Science, Social Studies…. My bad behavior helped me to become a writer, but it’s also to blame for the math phobia that haunts me to this day.

Seventeen-year-old Brigid O'Flynn is an outcast. A chance encounter with the Faerie Queen left her tainted in the eyes of the villagers, who blame the Faerie for the village’s missing women and children. Desperate to win the village’s acceptance, Brigid agrees to marry her childhood friend: Serious, hardworking, Connell Mackenna. But when Connell disappears before their wedding, Brigid's hopes are shattered. Blamed for her fiancé’s death, Brigid fears she will suffer the same fate as the other village outcasts, the mysterious Willow Women. Lured into Faerie by their inhuman lovers, and cast out weak and broken, the Willow Women spend their lives searching for the way back into Faerie. When Connell suddenly reappears, Brigid is overjoyed, but everything is not as it seems. Consumed by his desire for beauty and celebration, Connell abandons his responsibilities, and Brigid soon finds herself drawn into a passionate, dangerous world of two.

When Brigid discovers the truth behind Connell's transformation she’s forced to choose between two men and two worlds. Brigid’s struggle leads her into glittering, ruthless Faerie, where she must rescue her true love from a terrible sacrifice or lose him forever.

Brigid allowed herself to be dragged to the edge of the circle before she raised her right foot and kicked backwards as hard as she could. Midir released his hold long enough for her to remove the horseshoe from her bodice. When he tried to seize her again, she shoved him away, the object gripped firmly in her hand.

Midir stumbled backwards, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. A desperate, keening sound rose up from the circle before it broke apart and every Faerie man and woman rushed towards her. Long slender arms grabbed hold of each of her limbs, and Brigid felt certain they intended to tear her to pieces. A violet-eyed woman sat on top of Brigid’s chest, crushing the air from her lungs. Brigid watched the beauty leak from her face until it was a hollow masque of rage.

“Release her!” the Faerie Queen screamed.

Whining like disappointed children, the Faerie reluctantly retreated, and Brigid rose shakily to her feet.

The Faerie Queen’s eyes flashed cruelly. “If you want him, come and claim him!”

I think I became a writer because the world inside my head was so real and vivid, sometimes more so than the outside world. In some sense I have lived parallel lives, present in my real and imaginary lives in different ways. Because much of my childhood was spent searching for faeries or reading about them, it is natural that my work encompasses fairy tale themes and other magical elements. In the words of Tennessee Williams, forget reality, give me magic!

Adrienne has previously published short stories in The Storyteller, Beginnings Magazine, New Plains Review, and in the e-zines A Fly in Amber, Grim Graffiti, Les Bonnes Fees, The Altruist, The Devilfish Review, and Rose Red Review. Her short story, Falling was awarded second place in the 2008 Alice Munro short fiction contest. To Dance in Liradon is her first published novel.

An avid reader of fairy tales and other magical stories, a thread of the mysterious or unexpected runs through all of her work. When she’s not writing Adrienne can be found searching for faeries along with her daughters Callista and Juliet.

Author Links:

Website: http://www.adrienneclarkewriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/ToDanceInLiradon
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6436251.Adrienne_Clarke
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarkeadrienne

Buy Links:

Amazon: US: http://www.amazon.com/To-Dance-in-Liradon-ebook/dp/B009F94I3W/ref=la_B009HWWMT4_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349915685&sr=1-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/To-Dance-in-Liradon-ebook/dp/B009F94I3W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1349972228&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-dance-in-liradon-adrienne-clarke/1112975145?ean=2940015710045

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/To-Dance-in-Liradon/book-J5YVsQBAyU26uuplRq4VrQ/page1.html?s=KS-iLsIhp0GoqVUvE-QpvA&r=1"