This is my post during the blog tour for The Clandestine Queen by Brandon J Greer. In The Clandestine Queen a fifteen-year-old abandoned witch must find her way home to become queen while trying to escape from a demon hell-bent on destroying her.
This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 29 March till 18 April. You can see the tour schedule here.
By Brandon J Greer
Genre: Fantasy
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 12 April 2022
Blurb:
A shard of ice hides in her chest
A raging fire burns in his.
A lost queen
A desperate assassin
Together they will change the world.
Maggie Abernathy always thought she was human, even though she could do the most peculiar things. Things no other girl in her village could do. Fifteen years after being abandoned as a baby, she begins to question who she is, where she belongs, and what she might be capable of. When a mysterious letter from the past calls her home, she embarks on a journey that will change her life forever-if she survives.
Loravain-an enslaved, ember-breathing witch hunter-is hot on her trail and gaining fast. If he can find and kill her, he will win what he has sought for twenty years: freedom from the demon he serves. But he knows he isn't supposed to be the villain, and his conscience weighs heavily even as he continues his hunt. Will the prospect of freedom overpower his desire for redemption?
As their fates intertwine, neither knows what the future truly holds.
The barn was one of the oldest and most dangerous buildings in the village. As hazardous as it was, Maggie was grateful the town council had not yet decided to pull it down as it worked perfectly for her needs. It provided her with a private place to spy on Jacob, the town's apprentice blacksmith. His father was the real blacksmith, but the fever had taken his leg, so he left Jacob to manage in his stead.
Jacob's hair was usually golden blond but with all the ash in the air from working the forge, it was more gray than anything else, giving him an aged and distinguished look even though he was only a teenager. His arms were large and muscular, one of the benefits of swinging a hammer all day. He wasn't tall, but his shoulders were broad, giving him the shape of a barrel. A desirable barrel, Maggie thought. His eyes shone blue in the sun, which reminded her of the cool, deep lakes her village fished on. In short, Jacob was the man of her dreams and she loved watching him.
Maggie was the opposite. She was tall, lanky, and agile. Her hair, almost entirely black, matched her eyes and was shoulder length and ragged as if someone cut it with a pair of dull gardening sheers. She considered herself pretty but had never had a wide range of suiters to agree with her. At least no one said anything to the contrary. That was understandable though as she was just now reaching the age of marriage. In three months' time, she would turn sixteen and her parents would start preparing to marry her off. The only thought that brought her any comfort about that was that Jacob wasn't married either. Would he ever consider marrying her? The idea tickled her stomach.
Inside, she shimmied up a questionable-looking ladder to the loft above. She'd done it many times before so she had learned which rungs would send her plummeting back down to the hard floor below and avoided them. On the far wall of the loft was a small knot in one of the planks of wood with a tiny hole carved into it. When she lay down on her belly, she had a clear view of the forge. Closing one eye, she peered out the slight opening and watched Jacob take a drink of water. She was in luck. He'd been working hard and was already sweating. When he had finished drinking, he poured a ladle of water over his head. The thin fabric of his shirt stuck to his chest. It was almost more than Maggie could bear.
She rolled onto her back and stared through the gaps in the roof. She lost herself in a waking dream. Jacob stood in front of her, gently taking her hands in his, then slowly fell to one knee and proposed. Her parents were there as well, beaming with pride at the prospect that she would accept. The dream shifted to a wedding scene where she wore a beautifully tailored dress. The entire village was in attendance and all eyes were on her. The flowers that lined the crowded streets were stunning with bold and agreeable colors. The food was delicious, both sweet and savory, and lively music filled the air, encouraging everyone to dance. It was the biggest party the village had ever seen. When her lips were moving to form the words "I do", the smile faded from her face.
"Jacob Prescott. You know I can't concentrate with you pounding that hammer all morning."
It was the voice Maggie despised most of all and it pulled her harshly back to reality. It belonged to Katie Levinston, the butcher's daughter. She was wealthy, according to Lakes Hollow standards, and beautiful. Her mother had passed on a few years back from the same fever that had taken Jacob's father's leg, and since then her father had attempted to raise her all alone. With a bustling shop to manage, he let his daughter do whatever she wanted. Like Maggie, Katie was close to marrying age and her father was doing everything in his power to attract a long line of suitors for her. He was a little blind when it came to his daughter because Katie didn't need help when it came to finding suitors. Without his help, the line she could garner on her own would be even longer. No matter the disdain Maggie held for her, she thought Katie was stunning, which made her sick. Her hair alone was enough to entangle any man within a hundred miles of Lakes Hollow. It was rarer than diamonds in these parts. It was curly, long, and red. Her father had black hair and her mother’s had been light brown so no one knew where the red had come from but a few wicked rumors had floated around the village. Her eyes shone like emeralds, a brilliant breath-catching green, which was another rarity. All the boys swooned over her and all the girls hated her while secretly wishing they were her. Maggie loathed her, just like the rest, but for another reason. Jacob liked her. They were always flirting and playing around in the streets, putting on a show for the entire village. This morning was no different.
Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Cedar Fort
Read the first 5 chapters!
Want to read the first 5 chapters of The Clandestine Queen for free? Get the first 5 chapters here
Brandon J Greer is the second and third oldest in a family of eight kids. (He was second oldest until a new marriage brought a new child that bumped him to third.) To set himself apart from so many siblings, he discovered the arts. Drawing, acting, and writing pulled him in at a young age. His first book, Around the World in About a Year, was written in the sixth grade, complete with hand-drawn illustrations. The book was garbage but won him a place in an arts competition at the local university. Now living in northern Utah with his wife and daughter, he travels as much as he can. His favorite places to go are Yellowstone and Peru.
Author links:
- Website
- TikTok
Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Clandestine Queen. Five winners will each win a signed copy of The Clandestine Queen (US Only).
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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