Sometimes new authors impress me so much with their debut that I become a fan for life. I called Merrie Haskell's The Princess Curse "a must-read for anyone with a bent towards fairy tale or historical fiction," and I've anxiously awaited news of her forthcoming books ever since. I'm reading 2013 release Handbook for Dragon Slayers for the CYBILS, but Haskell has another book on the horizon already, and it got a blurb from Robin McKinley. WHO IS ONLY ONE OF MY FAVORITE LIVING AUTHORS EVER. Needless to say, I'm excited and happy and extremely impatient to get my hands on it. Merrie Haskell's The Castle Behind Thorns will be released by Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins) on May 27, 2014.
When Sand wakes up alone in a long-abandoned castle, he has no idea how he got there. The stories all said the place was ruined by an earthquake, and Sand did not expect to find everything inside-from dishes to candles to apples-torn in half or slashed to bits. Nothing lives here and nothing grows, except the vicious, thorny bramble that prevents Sand from leaving. Why wasn't this in the stories?
To survive, Sand does what he knows best-he fires up the castle's forge to mend what he needs to live. But the things he fixes work somehow better than they ought to. Is there magic in the mending, granted by the saints who once guarded this place?
Unexpectedly, Sand finds the lost heir, Perrotte, a girl who shares the castle's astonishing secrets and dark history. Putting together the pieces-of stone and iron, and of a broken life-is harder than Sand ever imagined, but it's the only way to gain their freedom, even with the help of the guardian saints.
With gorgeous language and breathtaking magic, Merrie Haskell's The Castle Behind Thorns tells of the power of memory and story, forgiveness and strength, and the true gifts of craft and imagination.
What books are you waiting on?
6 comments:
What a great pick! This is going on my TBR list. :)
-Jess
My WoW
Wow, this one sounds epic! Like a big, huge chunk of fantasy! Certainly am looking forward to this, as well now!!!
Dude, I saw this on NG but thought it didn't suit me. Now that I read the synopsis... well I'm sort of reconsidering :)
Here's my wow
That sounds really cool. (And it's definitely playing off of Sleeping Beauty, right?)
O coool.
BTW, Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for being so sweet, sharing your recipes, and for being the go to girl for middle grade fiction. :)
I'm looking forward to this one rather a lot myself!
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