Monday, August 1, 2011

Review + Giveaway - The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss


TITLE:    The Twelfth Enchantment
AUTHOR:    David Liss
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 399 pages
PUBLISHED:   Random House, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Book Tour
  

FROM GOODREADS:  Lucy Derrick is a young Regency woman of good breeding and poor finances: after the death of her father, she is forced to maintain a shabby dignity as an unwanted boarder with her unpleasant uncle, fending off marriage to the local mill owner, Mr. Olson. But her prospects of even that unwanted match are complicated by the appearance of a beautiful stricken man who appears on the family doorstep begging her not to marry Mr. Olson just as he collapses. This appearance seems to open the door to a series of increasingly strange occurrences surrounding Lucy. Soon it becomes clear that there is more at stake than her own happiness — and that she is caught between two forces, one ancient and one modern — and that the soul of her very country is at stake.

MY TAKE:    The Twelfth Enchantment was not quite what I was expecting when I signed up for the tour.  I was ready for an ordinary historical fiction story and instead was treated to an "extraordinary" tale that included elements of history, fiction, magic and romance.  Mind you, we are still reading a Regency era story about the Industrial Revolution and the role of the Luddites; it just happens to brilliantly encompass several other genres.

David Liss has created an intriguing story about an average-seeming woman who is destined for quite an adventure.  Lucy first appears to be a quiet, level headed young woman who is resigned to her fate as the wife of a dour mill owner.  As the reader sympathises with Lucy's plight, circumstances take a new turn with the unexpected appearance of a wild man in the night who begs her to not marry Mr. Olson. 

I liked Lucy's character.  She was a strong woman with normal desires and dreams.  Admittedly there were a few moments when I wanted to prod her along a bit, but I enjoyed her journey out from under her uncle's oppression.  Characters were well written and well placed in the story.  The introduction of Lord Bryon was a fabulous addition who brought much to the plot.  Mr. Morrison was a definite favorite as well.

The author managed to leave the reader wondering at many points throughout the book exactly who Lucy could really count on.  There are many plot twists and turns to keep the suspense high.  Romance and mystery are highly prevalent in this lovely tale that I recommend whole-heartedly. 
  
Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

~~~~~


Thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours and author David Liss, we have one copy of The Twelfth Enchantment for one of you lucky readers.
  • Must be 13 years old or more
  • US or Canada residents
  • NO PO Boxes
  • Leave a comment with your email address
  • Contest ends at midnight PST August 8th
  • Winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning email
Good luck to all and be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour here:


More info on the author and his other books can be found at:
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    ~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.

30 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued please sign me up.
    Theresa N
    weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the review and giveaway! I'm interested to see what the author does with a blend of historical fiction and fantasy.

    susanna DOT pyatt AT student DOT rcsnc DOT org

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like a really interesting book! Thanks for the review and the giveaway!

    junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like it is in a similar genre as "The Magicians and Mrs. Quent" by Galen Beckett, which is intriquing, I've put this book on my wish list.

    melorabrock {at} gmail {dot} com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is great...sounds like a good read...
    gfc follower

    vidishamun at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the giveaway!

    snifflykitty@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I know from his previous novels that Mr. Liss is a fantastic writer. This may be a departure from the strict "historical fiction" genre, but I think it sounds, well, enchanting! Looking forward to reading this one, but sure would love to win a copy! Thanks for the chance!

    geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great review. This looks like a great read. Thanks for giveaway.

    Judy
    magnolias_1[at]msn[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  9. How awesome. I would love to read this.
    dorcontest at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. This looks awesome! Would love to read it!

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am a follower and email subscriber. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds great. Thanks for the chance to win.

    Mary_Reiss @ hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ooh! This sounds really great! Please enter me.

    Thanks for the tour stop and giveaway!

    Laura Hartness
    CalicoCritic at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great review. Sounds like my kind of book.

    lag110@mchsi"com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sounds intriguing! Please count me in. Thank you!

    nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  16. So glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for being a part of the tour.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Regency period is a favorite of mine...
    I like that Lucy is a strong female character!
    Many thanks, Cindi
    jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  18. It should be interesting to see how the two genres mix. I can't wait to read it!
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Please count me in! --Thanks.
    ldsmomof03atyahoodotcom

    ReplyDelete
  20. Great giveaway!!

    ruby95660[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  21. great giveaway
    follow via gfc
    drakebdog@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Please enter me in the draw!

    I'm following you on GFC (Darlene), and my email address is darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  23. It looks like a great book
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sounds very interesting, and I'd love to read it. Please enter me. Thanks!

    Anita Y
    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  25. I've read David Liss' other historical novels and LOVED them... this seems a bit of a departure since the others were more of a noir-detective type while this seems to verge on romance and some magic. I'm curious to see what it's like. He is a TERRIFIC writer.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks for the giveaway!
    Sounds like an intriguing book.
    I'm a follower on GFC-Lisa Richards


    (\___/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
    http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  27. This book sounds very interesting and fun with all the strange happenings.

    Cambonified[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Please count me int. Thanks :)

    quixoticdreamer(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thank you for the chance to win!
    deedeebamagirl at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'd love to be entered for this book. Thanks!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

    ReplyDelete

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