On Tour with Prism Book Tours...
Tales of Goldstone Wood #4
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Paperback, 400 pages
Published November 1st 2012 by Bethany House
Premise:
When a cursed dragon-witch kidnaps the lovely Lady Gleamdren, Eanrin sets boldly forth on a rescue mission...and a race against his rival for Gleamdren's favor. Intent upon his quest, the last thing the immortal Faerie needs is to become mixed up with the troubles of an insignificant mortal.
But when he stumbles upon a maiden trapped in an enchanted sleep, he cannot leave her alone in the dangerous Wood Between. One waking kiss later, Eanrin suddenly finds his story entangled with that of young Starflower. A strange link exists between this mortal girl and the dragon-witch. Will Starflower prove the key to Lady Gleamdren's rescue? Or will the dark power from which she flees destroy both her and her rescuer?
Today I am spotlighting part one of a three part guest post series as part of this blog tour. I'm so happy that Anne took the time to share this with us! Thanks, Anne!
To Love is to be Bound: Part One
"It's a terrible thing, love," Eanrin said. "Love is the most dreadful end."
So says the hero of my newest novel, Starflower. An odd sentiment for a hero, particularly in a fairy tale. If we can't believe in the triumphant power of True Love here in a magical world of faeries and dragons and magic, where can we turn?
But there is a certain truth behind Eanrin's statement, odd though it may sound. Love is the most powerful binding force in the world. But that's just it . . . love is a binding. As soon as a heart opens itself up to love, suddenly someone else becomes more important than the all-consuming Self. Without love, people are free to focus on their own needs and desires exclusively. There is a freedom in this form of selfishness, a freedom that is difficult to relinquish.
Enter love, and this freedom is no longer an option.
Love means vulnerability. You can never control another person. You can never make them do, think, or behave how you want. So to love someone else means to open yourself up to hurts and heartaches you cannot control. The armored safety of selfishness vanishes in the exposed weakness of love.
In Starflower, we see many characters battling the terror that is love. We see Eanrin, the selfish immortal suddenly faced with a chance to change, to soften his heart--and reduced to quivering horror at the possibility. We see the dragon-witch, Hri Sora, and her vengeful fury at the one she once loved.
Foolish! Hateful! She had loved because she knew no better, and she had made herself vulnerable before him. The fiend. The Beast, unfit to lick the soles of her feet! And he must die. He must die, for she had loved him, and love was not to be borne! (p. 289)
For Hri Sora, loving made her a slave. And she prizes her freedom and her power far too highly to stand for any form of slavery. Love is the ultimate weakness.
But Starflower goes on a much deeper exploration of love than this. While we glimpse the hearts of Hri Sora and Eanrin, we also are led into the heart of the title character herself. And Starflower's perspective on love is very different.
About the Author:
Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog. When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and studies piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. She is the author of HEARTLESS, VEILED ROSE, MOONBLOOD, and STARFLOWER, with DRAGONWITCH due to release in 2013. HEARTLESS and VEILED ROSE have each been honored with a Christy Award.
Find & Follow:
The Dragonwood Series:
Get Your Copy:
Bethany House
Barnes & Noble
The Book Depository
Amazon:
Check out the entire December Tour!
3 - Laura @ Colorimetry - Launch!
3 - Sarah @ Letters to the Cosmos - Review
4 - Kathy @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer - Excerpt
4 - Kari @ Kari's Crowded Bookshelf - Review
5 - Aleksandra @ Aleksandra's Corner - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats I
6 - Lisa @ Bookworm Lisa - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats II
6 - Mandy @ The Reading Diaries - Review
7 - Alicia @ Mortality Bites - Dragonwitch page REVEAL
7 - Naj @ Unputdownable Books - Guest Post - Inspired by Cats III
9 - Lissette @ Passion and Life - Guest Post - Night Terrors
10 - Laura @ Colorimetry - Review
10 - Bonnie @ A Backwards Story - Review
12 - Aimee @ Getting Your Read On - Guest Post - The Faces of Love I
12 - Kimberly Krey @ Kimberly Krey - Guest Post - Drafts
13 - Abbi @ Christian Novels - Tales of Goldstone Wood Reviews
13 - Mandy @ The Reading Diaries - Interview
14 - Ivy @ Open the Page - Guest Post - The Faces of Love II
16 - Alicia @ Mortality Bites - Review
17 - Len @ Musings of a Reader Happy - Hightlight/Excerpt - Meet Dragonwitch
17 - Jen @ Literally Jen - Review
18 - Beth @ Living a Goddess Life - Review
19 - Rach @ Stressed Rach - Guest Post - Illustrated Sneak Peak
19 - Christy @ Christy's Cozy Corners - Review
20 - Heather @ Proud Book Nerd - Review
20 - Heidi @ Geo Librarian - Guest Post - The Faces of Love III
21 - Jaime @ Goodreads - Review
21 - Finale @ Colorimetry - Giveaway winner announced.
Catch the Christmas Read-along!
Giveaway:
Grand Prize
GRAND PRIZE: The first four books The Tales of Goldstone Wood: Heartless, Veiled Rose, Moonblood and Starflower + SWAG! 2nd place is a copy of Starflower + SWAG!
Enter to win until 12/20. Winner to be announced 12/21. Open to anyone who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here & on Colorimetry as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Void where prohibited by law.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for sharing about the book, seems like it'll be a great read (both the series and author are new to me)
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It is!
DeleteI've read it already and you're in for a ride! :D
This installment looks interesting though I wish I can read the first one. Would love to win and read them all :)
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