Welcome to my stop on the His Black Wings Book Tour, Brought to you by Reading Addiction Blog Tours. You will find my review, a guest post, blurb, and excerpt here. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour to read more about it. Here
His Black Wingsby Astrid Yrigollen Add to Goodreads Date Published: November 20th, 2012 Synopsis: Claren Maidstone has been forced to flee her childhood home after the death of her parents and a vicious assault from a sadistic young man who intends to marry her. Claren changes her identity and finds employment as an assistant to the handsome Fredrick Lowood, a generous yet mysterious benefactor. However, she soon finds out his generosity comes at a price. Fredrick wishes for Claren to befriend his disfigured son who resides in seclusion at their estate, Westwind.
Fredrick Lowood knows what the history books do not teach, that the Grand Council built this new world of peace and beauty on hidden blood and greed. He has plotted for years to bring down the family that enslaved his own people. Suddenly, he has the last living heir in his grasp.
Etrigan Lowood rejects the world that forces him to hide. He is powerful, plagued with a terrible dark beauty: WINGS. It is these wings that carry him out only at night to watch the unwanted intruder in his home. A creature of refined instinct yet little social grace, he is strangely captivated by Claren but knows nothing of how her family’s dark past is intertwined with his own. Through their blossoming friendship, Etrigan realizes he still retains his human heart and yearns for Claren’s love.
Kurten Wandsworth is the only son of the Mayor of St.Marhen. Kurten lives his life fueled by cruelty and lust. Whatever he wants he takes and he wants Claren to be his wife even it if kills her. Scarred by Claren he hunts her down mercilessly until he can set a trap which she will never be able to escape from.
Astrid Yrigollen Author BioAstrid Yrigollen is a native of the Bay area of California and currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.Astrid started writing stories for her friends in sixth grade. After working part time at a funeral home during high school, she channeled her love of story writing in to creating video games for PC's which were featured in Shareware magazines. In the early 1990's she secured a position with International Video game giant, Sega of America but never lost her love for writing in traditional format. After leaving the video game industry, she worked briefly as a vet assistant, aiding in surgery until she found out she passes out at the site of blood! Maintaining a great love of animals, but preferring work where there was no blood involved, Astrid became a boutique fashion designer for people 'who like to dress like their dolls', successfully placing her designs in boutiques in Europe, the U.S, and Australia. She founded and now co-chairs with her husband for the California Coast Ball Jointed Doll Convention, an annual event for Japanese Super Dollfie Collectors. Astrid enjoys collecting dolls, Anime, video games, baking and sewing and is currently studying college level Japanese, her third language. WorksShe now enjoys writing Young Adult and Children's books and has succeeded in putting out The Doughnut Tree, The Zombie Playground, A creature compilation , and The Mosswoods to name a few.
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How Do You Keep Your Writing Different
We have all heard the phrase" Write what you know" and "Write what you like to read". I find these two phrases when coupled, can give birth to some very interesting stories. One of the things I find disappointing when reading new fiction is to be half way through a story and think to myself,"This is a lot like ...."Then upon finishing the story, I find that it was so similar to another well known book, I am surprised there was not a plagiarism lawsuit filed.
There is nothing wrong with borrowing a classic idea and putting your own spin on it.In fact those are some of my favorite types of stories to read.However a person wants to make sure that they are not writing a cookie cutter version of a story that has already been written.People are smart and when they read your book they will be able to tell.
When I get a idea for story I will go over it and even do research to see if there are similar story lines....and sometimes I won't. Like the honey badger, I just won't care. Since writing is a creative outlet, you have to write stories that make you happy.If you wan't to make money though, you may want to approach it from an entirely different angle.Hopefully a profitable and marketable one. Insert tongue in cheek here.
Excerpt
Fredrick’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud crashing sound as he saw the double doors to his library burst open with tremendous force. They slammed against the inside walls to his library and bounced back.
“Etrigan. How good to see you so soon after my arrival.” Fredrick said to his son, genuinely pleased.
Perhaps this would work after all. Especially now that I have put my original design on hiatus.
A tall form clad in black strode into the room sending books and paper flying everywhere. Etrigan was a younger version of his handsome father. Jet black hair that desperately needed a haircut, it curled around the nape of his neck and ears. While his eyes were blue, they were the darkest blue, darker than his father’s. Eyes that displayed anger and inner torment one moment, and great passion the next. His strong Greek nose fit perfectly with the rest of his features, not underwhelming and not overpowering. Lips red and pouty were always set in either a frown or a scowl but never in a smile. When he stood without slouching he was taller than most men at six foot five. His form was muscular, yet lithe, graceful, and strong. In a word, Etrigan was beautiful in a masculine way. He would have been the envy of every man in the outside world and the desire of every woman who set eyes upon him, save for one thing.
His black wings.
They were massive, soft, and leather like, similar to the patagium of a bat, but thicker. They started off narrow, then projected outwards from between his shoulder blades. He had slim bones that ran through them in true bat like fashion. At each wing tip he had a menacing glossy black spike. A natural bone that was part of his wingtips, he could use these tips to rip flesh or gently move things in his way, so great was his control. At their full expansion his wing span was easily twelve feet.
Fredrick looked up at his son who now stood menacingly over him and recalled when he was a small child, he had broken one of the bones in his wings. It took him a month to heal. He had been trying to carry off a boar that was larger than himself. Always the little savage, he insisted on eating the boar before his wing was set with a splint.
Now his son’s wings were being held in but wanting to span out in anger.
“Why have you brought her here!?” He demanded harshly of his father. Fredrick sighed.
His Black Wings Review
I really enjoyed this remake of Beauty and the Beast. Though I don’t see Erigan as a “beast” at all. He is very handsome, and to me wings are not something to make him a beast. Though I find the cover misleading, and really don’t even like it, too cartoonish to me, but that’s me. His wings do not have feathers, more membrane like a bat, so like I said misleading.
Over all it was a sweet story. I at first was confused; not knowing what time in history this is to take place. Seemed like Victorian London to me, but it’s not, it’s a dystopian era, but like went backwards, were women went to finishing school, and had to be “courted” I just do not like anything in that type of time set. I am too much of a female who likes freedom of choice. Not to bend to a man’s will. Anyway, so for a bit it was hard to connect with the main character Claren, but I did, finally.
We have some technology in this, or hints of it, that’s what tipped me off that it was not the past, but future we were in.
Overall I found this story enchanting. It’s a fun fairytale with a paranormal/sci-fi twist, and I loved it.
I had to get used to the type of speak they do (all proper and old fashioned) and I did, but it felt strange at times a lot like reading one of those classics (which I do not like, lol)
I do recommend this book, as it’s a sweet interesting tale. You won’t be sorry. Look past the cartoonish cover, and try it. Don’t pass it up based on the cov er, like I did, or would have, had I not took a second look for the book tour. Honestly, if I seen it at the store or online to read, even if free, I would have passed on it, as
I do base lots on the cover, just to stop me to read about it. So don’t do what I would have, check it out. Its worth it.
4 ½ out of 5 stars for me. Will be 4 at places that I can’t put the 1/2 mark.
1/2I Received this book from the author for my honest review, for the book tour.
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