Wednesday, September 12, 2012

BLOG TOUR: Anastasia Forever by Joy Preble (Review + Giveaway)

Genre:Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Romance
Publication.Date  August 1st 2012
Pages:304
Published By:  Sourcebooks Fire
WebsiteJoy Preble | 

Anastasia Forever- Goodreads
My review copy:A copy of the book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Where to get:



Praise for Haunted

"Spooky, sassy, sinister, and sexy "--Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times bestselling author

Is it possible to change the past?

Anastasia

No one ever knew what happened to her except her half-brother, Viktor--and he'll do anything to keep it that way.

Anne

She just wants a normal boyfriend, a normal family-no visions of the past, no evil mermaids, no Brotherhood trying to kill her. But Anne is not normal...and she's capable of a lot more than she thinks.

Ethan

He's been eighteen for nearly a century, and finding Anne is the best thing that's ever happened to him. But the magic in his blood is turning darker, forcing him to wonder whether he's the most dangerous threat of all..
(Goodreads)



I feel her pull away from me. From everything. I'd thought the link between us severed as I passed my magic to her in the lake. But I was wrong. Somehow, it's grown stronger. Strong enough that I can feel her fear. 
She's the first person I've told about these new dreams -- the ones of my brother that I've been having now, night after night. I thought I was done dreaming about him, like I was finished dreaming about Anastasia. But I guess I was wrong about that.
Secrets within secrets. But I won't tell. They'll have to kill me. Except that's the point. They can't.




     Two words: Russian folklore.


     I absolutely loved Dreaming Anastasia series, and Anastasia Forever - the third and final instalment - in particular. If you're into folklore, myths, legends, spooky bedtime stories about witches and fantastic creatures that are out there to get you.. well, this is the series for you! Featuring rich Eastern European mythology, culture and history, Anastasia Forever is a breath-taking conclusion to a mervellous, enticing and beautifully-written YA Historical Romance about love, destiny, immortality, dreams, long buried secrets and freedom. A well-researched, absolutely fascinating and dangerously addictive story that I couldn't put down! 

     As much as I would love to discuss the plot, I can't. This is the third and final novel, and therefore anything I would say would be a spoiler for those of you who haven't yet read it. But let me just tell you that this was one of the best, most exciting and satisfying final books I've had the pleasure of reading. Even more fast-paced and entertaining than the previous two books, even more fun and charming (with all the awesome supporting characters and their often-hilarious interactions), even more heartbreaking and mesmerizing. When I finished reading it, I immediately felt the need to sit down and re-read the entire series. It was that good.

     It's a story of three people whose lives are intertwined with each other in the most bizarre, intriguing way. Anne - a sixteen year old girl from Chicago - is connected through bloodline to some tragic and mysterious events from the past. When one day Anne accidentally collides with a handsome blue-eyed boy named Ethan, her whole world gets flipped inside out in a blink of an eye. Ethan tells Anne that Anastasia Romanov - the girl Anne has been dreaming about every night - is not dead. She's been captured and held captive by the Russian witch Baba Yaga. And the only person who can help free Anastasia is Anne. With that starts an adventure that is just as exciting as it is dangerous, and just as magical as it is romantic. An adventure that now - sadly - comes to an end in this extraordinary final book! Special powers, time travel, bizarre creatures Anne never thought existed outside of fairy tale books - our heroine will have to face all that and more.. Is she strong enough to help Anastasia? 

     This series was - and I'm not exaggerating - totally mind blowing. I love mythology and folklore, and Russian folklore in particular has so much to offer! It's so rich in beautiful (often vividly depicted, creepy) tales and spooky stories. And Joy Preble did a magnificent job researching all that and then incorporating all the most fascinating information into the story. At times I was oooh-ing and aaah-ing, other times I'd get goosebumps, but I never felt bored or uninterested in the events that were unravelling before my eyes. The story line moved swiftly and was full of heart-pounding events. There were many jaw-dropping twists and turns, and in the end I was left breathless, but with a huge smile on my face, satisfied and content. 

     All the characters in this series are wonderful. I found myself connecting with Anne and Anastasia in more than one way, and I couldn't help but to fall under Ethan's charm. They're all complex, likeable, realistic and strong. I especially loved the fact that our female lead was a strong, powerful character, who - even though she sometimes did make mistakes - was ready to face whatever life would throw her way, always finding a way to overcome all the obstacles. She was a fighter and I admired her. Not to mention that she was just so very easy to love - her personality was easy-going, likable, cheerful, and positive. 

     All the side-kicks were great, too, especially Tess and Ben. For supporting characters I found them exceptionally fleshed out and their presence added a lot of flavour to the story. Joy Preble built an incredible world, filled with historical events (the Romanov and their tragic story!), mythical creatures, goosebumpy stories and characters you genuinely care about. On top of all that, her smoothly flowing, captivating prose was like a breath of fresh air! I was amazed how much I ended up loving this series, and am so very sad to see it come to an end. 

     At the same time, though, I'm so excited to see what else this incredibly talented author has in store for us!




GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the wonderful folks over at Sourcebooks Fire, I have an entire Dreaming Anastasia series up for grabs today!

The giveaway is open to: US/CANADA
Ends: September 30th
Enter via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About the Author
Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.
She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.
You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing

42 comments:

Mariah said...

Im so excited to read this series. The more and more I hear about it the more I want to dive into it and get lost. I absolutely adore mythology/ folklore stories

ErinPaperbackstash said...

Great giveaway and review. I think I prefer mythology more also

Dizneeee said...

I do LOVE mythology and folklore stories. I've always had a big thing for Greek mythology. I don't know a lot about the Russian folklore and stories.

However, the first 2 books have been on my TBR list for quite a while! I just haven't gotten that far yet. The books sound so interesting and I've heard some pretty great things!

Thanks to you and Sourcebooks for the giveaway! It's awesome!

Kayley said...

I love mythology and folklore! That's why the Percy Jackson series is one of my favorites. I'd also love to try this one.

Joy Preble said...

So thrilled you enjoyed! Yay!
Joy

Unknown said...

At first, my impression was that mythology is so fictional to me why bother to recreate it? But the more I read different interpretations of familiar myths and folklore the more captivated I am at the imagination of the authors!

May said...

I read the first 2 books and enjoyed them very much. I like the Russian myths especially. :)

Reading said...

I do enjoy mythology and folklore. I have the first book in the series and would love to win this one.

Lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Molli @ Once Upon a Prologue said...

AHHHH. Dang it, Evie, you are just TOO persuasive. Even if I didn't LOVE Russian folklore and stories (which I DO) I'd want these books just from the amazing things you had to say about them! They just sound...swoon-worthy for sure. Thanks for the opportunity to win although even if I don't, I'll probably somehow snag the first book!

BookwormInBarrie said...

I have never read any folklore, and I would love for this to be my first, I have heard a couple things about this series, but now I REALLY want to read it after reading your review!

tellingmelies said...

A lot of my recent additions on my to read list on goodreads have come from your reviews. Keep them coming!

Danny said...

Ah I love these covers and I saw them around quite a bit... I always wanted to start this series but you know how it is!

After reading your gushing Review of this one I might finally go and read the first one..

Gina said...

Ah yes...mythology and folklore have always captured my attention. There's that seed of truth in every story that connects it to "real life" making it all the more magical. I've always heard good things about this series, so it doesn't really surprise me that the final installment was good as well....only makes me want to check it out more. Thanks for the great review and the chance to win!

Kelly said...

I love Russian Folklore too. I wonder why that is different?! I wasn't really sure about reading this series before. Don't know why but after another one of your reviews, I am all in!

Hannah said...

I love finding really well done retellings! It's interesting to see all the new takes on legends.

Victoria said...

I love both mythology and folklore. Thank you so much for having this giveaway.

kristina shields said...

I love learning about mythology. it has so many fascinating stories that are told. thx for the giveaway!

Jaime Lester said...

I love this series, and I hate to see it go. I cannot wait to get my hands on the last book. This is another series that I feel like it hasn't gotten enough praise. It truly is fantastic! Thanks for the review. And the giveaway!

Justin941 said...

I really need to read this series. I always seem to miss out on all the awesome series out there until they are all out. I will hopefully get around to it soon though, it sounds like it is pretty amazing. And the covers are beautiful.

- Justin @ Justin's Book Blog

Unknown said...

I love mythology and folklore very much and I can't wait to read this book. It sounds very good. Thanks for the giveaway. Tore923@aol.com

The Little Green Art Witch said...

I love mythology!!! I'm very intrigued by this series. Thanks so much for offering the giveaway! Crossing my fingers!

thanks,
Danielle
known to Read

Bookish in a Box said...

I've always been fascinated by the story of Anastasia. The combination of that history and the Eastern European myths sound fantastic. That's something I haven't read much of in YA.

Kristilyn (Reading In Winter) said...

This sounds like such a unique series!! I'm just hearing about it now. Love the idea of Russian Folklore ... I will definitely have to check this out!

In Julie's Opinion said...

Stories about mythology and folklore are some of my favorite stories of all to read, so I would LOVE to win this giveaway!! Thanks so much for the chance:)

Holly said...

I love reading stories with mythology and folklore in it. Thanks so much for the chance to win, I love this series!

vatrask said...

I love mythology and folklore (hey, it's my major)! And I've always had this random, casual interest in Russian History/Folklore so I really should get my hands on these books!

Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer said...

Evie, I love Russian folklore and cannot believe this series has slipped me by, off to fix that! Awesome review!

SweetMarie83 said...

This sounds so good, I can't believe I haven't heard of these books before! I love that the characters were great, especially the supporting characters - that's always something that grabs my attention in a book. Great review, I can't wait to read this now! :-)

Jennifer said...

I absolutely love folklore and mythology stories, especially mixed with historical fiction! These seems like a totally unique retelling of the Anastasia story.

(jen487@Hotmail.com)

Angie said...

I really love folklore and mythology. The retellings of them are always so fascinating and exciting

LisaILJ said...

I have actually been surprised about how much I like Mythology. I hated it when I was in school, but I think it's because it was never presented as well as it has been in recent years in YA/MG books. This series has been on my TBR list FOREVER.

Barbara E. said...

I enjoyed your review and the chance for me to learn more about Anastasia Forever as well as the Dreaming Anastasia series.

Yackers said...

Great review! I love mythology books, this seems different to the greek adaptions I keep reading, I'll definitely be picking this series up!

Erin said...

How have I missed this series in YA? I love all things mythology and folklore...oh well one more series to add to the goodreads shelf. Lord I am a hot mess!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE mythology. And I a huge fan of retellings as well. I can't believe I haven't read this series yet.

~Ashley @ The Bibliophile's Corner

gracelo said...

I absolutely love mythology / folklore stories!!! It's just amazing to see the author's take on a particular tale.

alicia marie said...

Thanks for the great review! I love this series and really most any that have to do with mythology or folklore! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

Emilie said...

Thanks for the great review. I haven't read this series yet, but anything involving mythology and folklore is usually right up my alley. Plus I always love learning about new mythologies and I find books are great at making me aware of ones I didn't know before.

Danielle D said...

Thanks for this great giveaway, I do enjoy reading mythology and folelore, it helps open up your world, when you didn't know about the backgrounds before.

Holly Bryan said...

Thanks for the great review and giveaway! I've heard really good things about this series (and have actually attempted one or two other times on other blogs to win one or all of the books!), and I'd really like to read it. I love mythology and folklore, whether it's the "original" stories or in an "updated" form like this series. Love fairy tales and retellings too!

Twisted Pixie Reviews said...

I really like mythology and folklore stories because even though they might not be real they had to start some where and usually that some where was real and something similar happened.

Awesome review and great giveaway. I have added a new series to start reading. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Anything that has folklore, myths, legends I am reading!!

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