Guest Post + Quickie Giveaway - Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

From my review post earlier today, you know that I really, really liked the debut offering Ward Against Death from new author Melanie Card.  Well I am now very excited to be the first stop to host Melanie as she kicks off her blog tour with Entangled Publishing. 

Welcome and take it away Melanie....

 

Thank you Jules for inviting me to be your guest today. I’m so excited to be here.

Today I’d like to introduce the hero of my debut novel WARD AGAINST DEATH. One of the things I love about writing are characters who pop up and demand a story. Not all of my characters are like this, but my hero, Ward, knew what he wanted from the start.

He showed up one night when I was watching Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hallow. Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Ichabod Crane was so quirky and endearing (and he got the girl at the end of the movie!) At the same time I was pondering the question: in what situation would a necromancer be good instead of evil? (Yep, sometimes I think about the strangest things).

In answer to my question and inspired by a quirky Ichabod Crane, Ward showed up. Edward de’Ath the Fourth, to be precise. He comes from a long line of de’Ath necromancers who, through their magical abilities, study the dead and work to maintain the balance between life and death.

Like Ichabod, Ward is lanky, shy, and determined to make something of himself. He believes in hard work, study, and keeping his word. He’s sweet and compassionate. The kind of guy you want to hang out with and who has your back when you’re in trouble. But he also has two dark secrets.

The first is that he’s mystically blind, unable to see or sense magical energy, which means he never quite knows what he’s doing when he casts a spell. And the second is that he’d rather be a surgeon.

Unfortunately for him, surgery is consider desecration of the human body and is illegal. But all Ward dreams about is saving lives instead of studying death and while he became an apprentice physician, he can’t help but explore surgery.

When the book opens, Ward has been caught studying surgery and expelled from his physician’s school. He’s now forced to fall back on the family business of necromancy. If only that was the end of his troubles.

Thanks for joining me today. Ward was a fun hero to write and I hope he’s a fun hero to read about.

What are some of your favorite heroes and why do you love them?

Melanie, thank you so much for including One Book Shy on your tour.  I love hearing how characters introduce themselves to their authors.  It's been a treat having you here as well as getting the chance to enjoy Ward's story.  I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Readers:  Connect with Melanie:  Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Goodreads / MelanieCard.com

 

Melanie and Danielle from Entangled Publishing have generously offered one lucky reader at One Book Shy a chance to win their own copy of Ward Against Death in a quick 24 hour giveaway!  Thank you very much ladies and good luck readers..

• Must have a US or Canadian mailing address.
• Must answer Melanie's question from her guest post.  Leave a comment with your answer and your email address.
• Drawing ends tonight at the stroke of midnight PST (7/29/11 - 11:59:59)
• Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email notification.
• One entry per person.

Ward Against Death can be found at  The Book Depository and Amazon as well as many other book retailers. 
 
 
~~~~~ 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.

Review - Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

TITLE:    Ward Against Death
AUTHOR:    Melanie Card
INFO:    E-book, Fiction, 264 pages
PUBLISHED:   Entangled Publishing, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour

FROM GOODREADS:    Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.


But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.

However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive.

MY TAKE:    What a fun story!  This was a quick read that I really enjoyed.  It's one of those books with a world that you become immersed in and don't want to surface from.  

Debut author Melanie Card has created an intriguing tale that draws the reader in immediately and doesn't let go.  Her characters are rich and engaging.  Ward is what most of us would want in our hero:  he's smart, sensitive, loyal and hard-working.  His values and sense of fairness really add to his appeal.  His interaction with Celia is priceless.

Celia is a real gem.  She is good and bad as well as hard and soft.  She is such a delightful mix that poor Ward doesn't know if he's coming or going.  I loved it!  Their chemistry is quite apparent from the start and just builds as the adventure progresses.  The author has done a lovely job of giving the reader glimpses of their sexual tension and attraction without delving too much into that aspect.  I do want to mention that I think this book is definitely more appropriate for older YA readers and adults as the characters are no longer kids themselves.  Some of the situations might be a little mature for the very youngest readers of the YA genre.

I had a hard time trying to classify this tale.  It's adventure, fantasy, paranormal, romance, thriller and so much more.  Most readers will find some element that appeals to them ~ no matter what genre they choose to label it as.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

Be sure to check back later today as the fantastic Melanie Card will be stopping by One Book Shy to share some thoughts on her book and her hero Ward.

There is also some talk in the air about a Giveaway....

 

~~~~~ 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.