Blurb: When Callie Rycroft wakes to find purple flames flickering on the ceiling, she believes she’s still dreaming. But soon she’s forced to accept that she has magic―a special magic that grants her entrance into the Faery Realm.
For centuries humans have been banned from Faery, but dangerous times call for dangerous measures. Declared Champion by the Faery Queen, Callie is assigned a Guardian, and tasked with finding the Cordial―a magical elixir needed to keep the portal to the Faery realm a secret from humans.
The upside? Reece Michaels, the boy she's been crushing on for years, is her Guardian. Callie hopes that, by spending time with Reece, he'll start to see her as more than just his best friend's sister.
The downside? She's in a race not only against time, but against another Champion, and a rogue Guardian―a Guardian who stands to threaten her developing relationship with Reece.
Magic, mistaken identities, and hidden agendas are the least of Callie's worries when she learns that the Cordial requires a sacrifice. Will Callie be willing to risk everything―even Reece―to complete her task as Champion? Or will she let the portal open, and doom both realms?
*** 4/5 Stars ***
The lovely author and folks at BookFish, the publisher, allowed me to take a peek and review the ARC of "Faery Marked." This book was spot on for the intended age group (12-18) or the over 18+ set that love YA like myself. The plot was clean and concise, but details whimsical and the romance just steamy enough not to overwhelm.
Callie is a likable heroine that does not suffer from what I like to call "airhead mode" (crushes on every fella, clueless to real world, derps from one action to another with no consequence) in some YA novels- she is realistic, feels/expresses actual and relatable emotions, and makes human mistakes. She is hit hard by the death of parents, her older brother has custody, and she finds out during a very disturbing night that she's humanity's last hope. She is to solve a riddle and find the object that keeps the Faery and Human realms apart, or the separation of both worlds is gone.
The fella she adores turns out to be not human and he has a slew of brothers. One brother just happens to share the same job, pursues Cal' in the middle of her adventures, and she swaps kisses with both. Who will she choose?
Here direct enemy is of the dark Faery and a complete mean girl nut job. After some epic word and actual physical battles, Callie is left at the end of the book on a major cliff hanger decision.
This series will be sure to captivate YA readers and YA lovers alike. Looking forward to book #2!
Tell us a bit about yourself. I live in Upstate New York, with my husband, son, and two cats. If I’m not reading or writing, I’m probably at a rink somewhere watching my son play hockey. I’m an avid reader, but I read more in binges than at a steady pace. When I’m in reading mode, I can devour 1-2 books a day (depending on length). These binges usually last no longer than a month, and then I go back to writing and reading at more normal pace.
When did you begin writing? I’ve dabbled at writing for a long time, but I didn’t seriously start pursuing writing until about 5 years ago.
Have you ever been discouraged in regard to your writing ability and if so, how did you get past it and move forward? Oh yeah. I got back some well deserved, critical feedback that put me in quite a funk. Once I got over the sting (I really loved the story) I could see what my critique partner was telling me and I worked at improving my story.
What's your favorite thing about writing? Discovering new worlds and new characters. I love seeing where my characters take me in the first draft.
What is your writing style? Do you like to outline or just write as you go? I usually know where I’m starting and where I’m ending, and the middle is all uncharted territory. Recently, I’ve started trying writing a synopsis-style outline to follow for my first draft. The middle is still pretty vague, but it’s more structured and should help me to draft quicker.
Do you have a favorite spot where you like to write? Anywhere I can have my laptop, computer, or tablet.
What is something you've written that will never see the light of day? I don’t like to say never, as someday I hope to figure out how to save it, but I have a superhero story based on characters my husband and I roleplayed in a D&D style gaming campaign.
What is your writer food? Is coffee a food? How about M&M’s. I like the snack pack ones, and eat them in pairs, grouped by colors (ie: 2 blue, 2 orange, 1 yellow/1brown, 1 red/1 orange). Yeah, I’m strange. My son never lets me forget it :-)
What's the hardest thing about writing for you? Finding time to do it. Right now, things are crazy busy for me, and I’ve been letting a lot of projects sit while I try to catch up on everything else.
What inspires you to write? Music, especially lyrics that tell a story. But also pictures, poems, dreams, and just random thoughts.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite? I have written four full books and a novella. Three books are in the Princess of Valendria series, and Faery Marked is the fourth. I self-published The Mystery Prince, a novella, so to learn more about the publishing process. Of all of these, I’d say it’s a tie between Faery Marked and Different Kind of Knight, the third book in Valendria series.
What are some of your favorite books? Here’s a random variety of books I’ve read and gravitate back to to re-read.
The Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout
The Looking Glass War series by Frank Beddor
Any book by Nora Roberts (She’s my fave romance author)
Any book by Tonya Burrows (Hot military guys. Need I say more?)
Scored by Lily Harem (NOT for under 18)
The Devil Take You by HK Carlton (Historical Romance. In Scotland. One of my favorite period pieces)
What authors do you like to read? Nora Roberts, Jennifer Armentrout, Lisa Shearin, Tonya Burrows and many, many more!
What inspired you to write Faery Marked? I wanted to write something similar in style to Jennifer Armentrout. She has an amazing writing style that lets you feel like you and the characters have been friends for years. And the feels she delivers. Wow. I just love it. So, while I know I have a long way to go to emulate her writing, I gave it my best effort.
If you could choose a dream cast for insert title, who would you pick?
Reece: Drew Van Acker
Callie: Kelsey Chow
Gwen: Phoebe Tonkin- with sapphire blue eyes
Ryan: Glen McCuen- with a little bit lighter hair and green eyes
Would you say you relate to any of your characters? If so, which one and why? In some ways I relate to Callie. While writing her, I got to relive memories from my own years in high school. And I’d like to think I’d be as accepting of magic as she is.
This or that.
Sweet or Salty? Both
Naughty or nice? A little bit naughty
Cats or dogs? I have cats, so cats. But I love dogs, too.
Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate.
If you were deserted on an island, which author would you want to be stranded with? Hmm. This is a tough one. I pick Jennifer Armentrout, so I can learn about her writing style and read her awesome books before anyone else!
YA author Mary Waibel’s love for fairytales and happy-ever fill the pages of her works. Whether penning stories in a medieval setting or a modern day school, magic and romance weave their way inside every tale.
Strong female characters use both brain and brawn to save the day and win the heart of their men. Mary enjoys connecting with her readers through her website: marywaibel.blogspot.com.
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