~ Book Review & Author Scoop ~ The Seahorse Legacy (Eyes of Everia, #3) ~ Its a tour stop! Today, not only will I be publishing a review of this long anticipated book, but Ill be hosting author, Serena Chase. Please join us below for a little chat! Miranda: Hello Serena! Its great to have you visit us today! Welcome to To Be A Person! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? Serena: I live in a small rural community in Iowa with my husband Dave, our daughters Delaney & Ellerie, and our dog, Albus. I review books, write features, and interview authors for two blogs: Edgy Inspirational Romance and USA Todays Happy Ever After, and I am a volunteer coach for the Color Guard of my local high schools marching band. My pet peeves include: bar soap, not being given a straw at a restaurant, spiders (more of a phobia), drivers who do not understand right-of-way, tipping my coffee cup and finding it empty, driving in snow/ice/sleet, and the fact that pastries and chocolate contain fat and calories. Some of my likes: Panera orange scones and cinnamon crunch bagels, action movies, chocolate (especially dark chocolate with sea salt!), Dr. Pepper, my Keurig coffee maker (fave k-cups are Jamaica Me Crazy, Caribou Signature, and Caribou Daybreak), avocados, green smoothies, 80s pop/rock, THE OCEAN (specifically the clear, jade green water on certain beaches on the Gulf Coast), strawberries, Texas Roadhouse, chocolate, Aveeno face and hair products, using straws, READING GREAT YA NOVELS, did I mention chocolate?, Sunchips, yoga pants, backyard fire pits, Mary Kays Sheer Blush Lipstick topped with Berry Tart Lip Gloss, smores made with Rolos instead of Hershey bars, authentic Mexican food--sans the cheese, 1960s soul music, and pressing my face into my husbands neck and inhaling his cologne. I consider chocolate-covered pretzels to be the perfect food. Nutritionists, however, might disagree. Oh, and I spend most of my time writing novels, which is why you invited me over. (Thanks, btw!) Miranda: Welcome! Always good to get to know you better! The Eyes of Everia Series is a unique one--and I love every single book! Could you tell us what inspired you to create the series? Serena: Believe it or not, it all started about eight years ago when my daughter was in 4th grade and wanted to read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It had been a long time since I had read it and wanted to make sure it was age-appropriate, so I made her wait while I re-read it. When I finished, I thought, I wonder if I could re-invent a fairy tale? After thinking about it for a while, I decided to try my hand at novel writing with one of my childhood favorites, Snow White & Rose Red (not to be confused with Snow White.) I thought it was a safe choice. Since it is a lesser-known fairy tale, I figured fewer people would call me to the carpet if I screwed it up! After many, many rewrites, that initial I wonder became two books, The Ryn and The Remedy. As the minor character Cazien developed, however, I knew he needed his own story, so I wrote it! Miranda: Oh, believe me, you didnt screw it up. So glad you followed that route! The character that piqued my interest and curiosity the most is Cazien de Pollis. Could you tell us what inspired you to create him as you did?--all habits and mannerisms included. Serena: Ah, Cazien. In the early drafts of The Ryn, he was a rather dark villain who betrayed Rynnaia and gave her the creeps while simultaneously charming her. His nickname, Caz, even means vain, which is rather fitting for a handsome pirate, in my opinion; and Julien did accuse him of that flaw! But the longer Cazien hung around, the more I realized he was a noble sort of villain and I wanted to develop him into something more. In between drafts of The Ryn and The Remedy, I began writing what I thought would be a prequel to series--Caziens story from age 15-17, which is a reinvention of The Adventures of Robin Hood. It is, as of yet, unfinished, but perhaps I will finish it, someday! But it served as great, if time consuming backstory prep work for this endearing, enticing pirate teen. In that story, the Seahorse Pirates and Caziens Legacy took form and I incorporated that information, however briefly, into his few-but-memorable scenes in the final drafts of The Ryn and The Remedy. When the books finally published, Cazien quickly became a reader favorite! In The Seahorse Legacy we get to know him much better. Cazien is nineteen years old with black hair, ice blue eyes, and a soul patch beneath his lower lip (though it isnt referred to as such in the book, thats what it is!) He is on the short end of average height (not exceedingly tall like most of the men--knights--weve met in Everia thus far), and has a lean-muscled physique. He is the illegitimate child of a crooked Everian Duke (now deposed) and the previous Seahorse Heir, his mother, Captain Pollis de Ledo, deceased, from whom he inherited his position upon her death. He also inherited her Andoven communication gifts (which can range from telepathic to telekinetic.) Cazien has a tense relationship with his near-lookalike half-brother, Roeg, and often suffers an eye twitch when Roeg is present. When he is troubled or thoughtful, he tends to flick his soul patch with his finger. Oh, and as far as his taste in young women? He prefers curvaceous brunettes. (Erielle is a petite, slender blonde whose most notable curves are in her biceps.) Miranda: Im SO glad he eventually turned out to be a good guy. Love him better this way! When you read the Everia books, it is without a doubt that they are Christian-themed. What message do you hope your readers will walk away with? Serena: In The Ryn, the lead character (Rynnaia) was coming to God from a place of distrust and unbelief. My prayer for her story (the first two books) was that readers would see the character of God in a fresh way and they would realize that He is in the business of romance: he longs to woo their hearts to Him. The Seahorse Legacy is a different sort of faith journey because both lead characters (Cazien and Erielle) swore their fealty to The First (became believers) as children and have been raised in faith-practicing homes. Their belief is solid, but they sometimes take Divine Care for granted; both are very willful and self-reliant--and both must learn to yield to the will of The First, though in entirely different ways. Even though their story happens within a fantasy realm, I think a lot of modern Christians will relate to Cazien and Erielles flaws and internal struggles. I hope readers see, through these characters, that even when it feels like God is far away, it is never Him who imposes the distance--and He will always answer our call when we speak it from the true, realized need in our hearts. Miranda: After reading the book, I get exactly what you mean. There are also other lovely lessons I gleaned from it, which I shared in my review. Whats next after The Sea Horse Legacy? Might we have a peek? ;) Serena: Cazien and Erielles story will continue in The Sunken Realm, which will really get into the nitty gritty of the retelling of the classic Grimm fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princess (there are only hints of that--as well as nods to a few other tales!--in The Seahorse Legacy.) The story is still under construction, however, so no peeking allowed! (it will release in 2015) Miranda: Oh, dang!!! Finally, Im curious, so Ill ask--Edgy Inspiratonal Romance Blog is a lovely and wonderful addition to the blogosphere! What led you and Joy to set it up? Serena: Joy was already an experienced blogger, as the founder of the Edgy Inspirational Romance blog (EIR), when I met her through author Michelle Suttons Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers online community. edgychristianfictionlovers.ning/ EIR was a game-changer for a lot of Christian readers because it provided a voice for those who were becoming jaded against Christian/Inspirational fiction. These readers wanted deeper, gutsier stories than the safe, unrealistic, bonnet-book-heavy shelves of Christian Book Stores offered them. When the EIR blog grew beyond what Joy could handle on her own (Joy is a full-time elementary teacher with a husband and kids!), she asked me to come on board. Apparently she was fond of my snarky sarcasm, and that was the tone she was trying to set at the time. Our goal at EIR has always been to promote the work of Christian romance authors (and now also mainstream YA authors) who craft their stories with artful edginess. Were not asking authors to provide gratuitous content, which is what some critics seem to think the term edgy inspirational romance means (and, sadly, what a few Christian authors have published. We refer to those sorts of books as being edgy for the sake of edgy--and we are not fans. We prefer when novels are edgy for the sake of story.) As bloggers at EIR, we are simply seeking positive, life and/or faith-affirming fiction that is grounded by the failings of human nature and not afraid to take characters to hard places by dark roads when necessary. By edgy, we mean that a novel is crafted with both intelligence and heart, portraying people, passion, and pain in a real way without the sugar-coating, Christianese, Sunday School-approved style of prose that was (and still is, to some extent) so very prevalent among CBA publishers offerings. We dont care if the book is historical romance, rom-com, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, or speculative fiction: we just want it to resonate as true. As an author, I hope those are the sorts of stories I write, as well. As far as why EIR was set up--well, you would have to ask Joy, EIRs founder, for the whole story. She is currently on an extended sabbatical from blogging, but I am so grateful that she invited me on the journey, because EIR has been a huge blessing to me and has served as the springboard for my career as an author. Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Miranda! Miranda: Youre most welcome, Serena! Now, on to the book! ~ About the Book ~ ... a Pirate bound by a centuries-old oath ... a Knight determined to prove her calling ... ... a Legacy demanding surrender As Keeper of the Seahorse Legacy, Cazien de Pollis is a King among pirates, divinely appointed to dispense justice on the seas. Bound by the sacred oath of a long-dead ancestor, he must fulfill a contract to wed the green-eyed Oracle’s Daughter named therein — or risk losing everything he and his people hold dear. But at nineteen, with the identity of his betrothed only recently revealed, Cazien resents the contract — and the urgency within him to see it satisfied. Erielle de Gladiel returned from the quest for the Remedy, changed. Not only are her formerly-blue eyes now a brilliant shade of green, but she must don gloves to hide inky evidence that her prophetically-bestowed title, the Oracle’s Daughter, demands more from her than the task already completed. Erielle’s dearest-held dream is realized when she is knighted by her King, but unbeknownst to her, that very honor jeopardizes the prophesied purpose to which she and Cazien have been called. Just as Cazien summons the courage to collect his bride, dark rumors and darker deeds crawl up the coasts, calling its guardians, the Seahorse Pirates, into action — and Cazien away from Erielle. But even though the Oracle’s Daughter knows nothing of the contract to which she has been consigned, Cazien’s enemies have somehow learned of his interest in Erielle. And if they reach her before his ancestor’s weighty oath is executed, the Seahorse Legacy will be forfeited . . . and darkness will be given reign. Subtly paying homage to several classic tales including Peter Pan, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, Much Ado About Nothing, and even The Three Little Bears, THE SEAHORSE LEGACY begins an epic re-imagining of the classic Grimm fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which will conclude in Eyes of E’veria, Book 4: THE SUNKEN REALM. ~ Genre ~ Christian/Fantasy/Romance ~ My Rating ~ 5 out of 5 (stars) ~ My Review ~ After reading the first two books—The Ryn and The Remedy—in the Eyes of E’veria Series, I thoroughly enjoyed them and became a fan. So The Seahorse Legacy naturally fell into my top priority To Read list and I wasn’t disappointed. Chase certainly has a talent for this thing called Fantasy. The story is more complex than the first two in the series, especially in emotional depth. Cazien de Polis, the hero, may have appeared to an onlooker as simply mischievous, and maybe arrogant and imposing, but there was more to this young man and what went on in his head. I loved that despite his young age, he was so wise and able to manage the kinds of responsibilities he had. And like any other human being, he struggled under the weight (even though he didn’t let on) and managed to fulfill an important legacy. The heroine, Erielle de Gladiel, was a feisty delight to follow. I more or less chuckled every time she found herself in a situation. As opposed to Cazien, she had a lot to learn when it came to handling her responsibilities. They were both very strong and lovable characters, and I kept anticipating how/when they’d eventually fall for each other. As much as I loved King Jarryn E’veri, he seriously annoyed me in this book, and in my opinion, got in the way of things. I personally hold him responsible for a lot of things that went wrong in the story. From the beautiful castles on land, to the vast seas and majestic creatures like the seahorses, I was immensely impressed as well as entertained by the fantasy elements in this story. I truly can’t describe it all! I’ll leave it for readers to explore for themselves. There are a lot of lessons to be gleaned from The Seahorse Legacy, but I’ll mention just a few: when you clearly hear from God, it’s NOT wise to let ANYONE (whether king or not) to get in the way of what you’re absolutely certain you should do. You have no idea the kind or extent of damage it could cause in your life and in the lives of others. Quick obedience to God is very important. This was the case between Cazien, Jarryn, and Erielle—Cazien knew what he was supposed to do; he let Jarryn interfere and, Erielle got seriously hurt in the end. Secondly, as much as we may sometimes hate to admit it, but there are such things as responsibilities, and even expectations from those around us—some of which should be taken seriously. When we ignore them, we not only insult the people that bestowed them upon us, but we dishonor God, also, and then eventually hurt ourselves. This was the case with Erielle. Part of the reason she was hurt in the end was because she didn’t pay as much attention to her responsibilities as she should have. She not only wanted things done her way, but insisted that her way be acceptable, as inappropriate as it was. She let the fact that she was perceived as different get in the way of becoming successful in her duties. Like I said, this story is more complex than the first two, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! My only regret was swiping the last page only to discover that there wasn’t more. Yes, people! There’s a cliffhanger. I’m soooo looking forward to book #4, The Sunken Realm! *Although I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. My thanks to Serena Chase for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion. You can also find this post on my blog: wp.me/p2xc8z-gZ ~ About the Author ~ A life-long lover of fairy tales, Serena Chase is the author of THE RYN (3/26/13) and THE REMEDY (April 2013) Together, these two novels comprise an expanded re-imagining of the classic Grimm fairy tale, Snow White & Rose Red and are the first two books in the Eyes of E’veria series. A frequent contributor to USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog and Edgy Inspirational Romance, Serena lives in Iowa with her husband, two daughters, and a white goldendoodle named Albus. She has been known to live vicariously through her hair, however, so don’t be too surprised if she looks a tad different from one day to the next. We all have our vices. Connect with Serena on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, & GOODREADS Tags: #ChristianFiction #ChristianRomance #ChristianFantasyRomance #InspirationalFiction
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 11:46:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015