Fiction in Fiction in Fiction: maas thirteen

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Empire of Storms Blog Tour: Fan Cast + Giveaway

This is my favourite time of the year - the release of a new Sarah book, followed by a Maas Thirteen blog tour! We get to spread the love for Sarah and fangirl over another wonderful addition to Celaena and Aelin's journey. Of course I adored EoS beyond words, check out my review which is basically all flails.

I can't believe this is the THIRD year of the Maas Thirteen. Let's get right to it.

Synopsis:

"The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?"

About Sarah

Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as a USA Today and international bestselling author. Sarah wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. Empire of Storms, the fifth Throne of Glass novel, will release on September 6th, 2016.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

Empire of Storms Fancast

You knew it was coming! I've been doing these every year since like Crown of Midnight haha. Obviously would be continuing the tradition for EOS :D

Check out my previous fan casts for Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows including Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, Rowan, Aedion, Manon, Nesryn, Asterin, Lorcan and Lysandra.

Emily Browning as Elide Lochan - I always imagined Elide to be slightly pixie looking with her small frame and delicate in appearance but really strong underneath. That's the impression I get with Emily Browning who can look sweet and innocent yet seductive. I could also imagine an Asian actress as Elide like Kim Yoo Jung but she's a bit young at 16.

Evan Rachel Wood as Ansel - described as having wine red hair and a cutting smile I could picture Evan Rachel Wood playing the assassin Ansel with her sultry eyes and mischievous smile. Evan Rachel definitely looks older than Ansel is meant to be but it is SO HARD to find young actresses that fit the bill.

Liam Hemsworth as Gavriel - I had Alex Pettyfer as Aedion because I imagine Aedion as having a harder look about him with everything he's been through as the Wolf of the North. I can picture Liam (same age as Alex I believe) being a calmer but larger Aedion so it would be really interesting to see the two next to each other.

Theo James as Fenrys - supposedly so beautiful he's hard to look at with golden hair, tan skin and dark eyes. Theo is in my opinion one of the most gorgeous men on this planet lel so it works? Also, would like to see Liam and Theo as besties in a movie because they've each done huge YA post-apocalyptic roles.

The fan cast isn't perfect, they never are and I found Empire of Storms to be the hardest one yet. I really struggled with Ansel, Gavriel and especially Fenrys. A little bit of makeup and costume can go a long way though and it's all up to the actress/actor to embody the character!

Giveaway

Prize:

One signed copy of Empire of Storms
One Throne of Glass tote bag
One set of lip balms (Dorian, Chaol, Rowan) & one Celaena soap (c/o Behind the Pages)
One set of Throne of Glass buttons (c/o ThroneofGlassPH)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OFFICIAL TOUR SCHEDULE

September 7 - Katie @ Polished Page-Turners
September 8 - Steph @ No BS Book Reviews
September 9 - Sarah @ What Sarah Read
September 12 - Kelly @ Belle of the Literati
September 13 - Louisse @ The Soul Sisters
September 14 - Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs
September 15 - Andi @ Andi’s ABCs
September 16 - Gina @ Behind the Pages
September 19 - Jaz @ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
September 20 - Mel @ The Daily Prophecy
September 21 - Betty @ Book Rock Betty
September 22 - Rachel @ Hello Chelly
September 23 - Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Queen of Shadows Blog Tour: Fan Cast + Giveaway

Hi everybody! For the second year now, I am absolutely thrilled to be a host on the QUEEN OF SHADOWS blog tour hosted by the Maas Thirteen. I can't believe it's been a year since Alexa, Rachel, Judith, Katie and I started the fan club out of our love for the series. I can't believe we've made it this far, and what makes me SO happy, is seeing the outreach of Throne of Glass. If you haven't already, you should check out my gushing (duh) review here.

Tour Schedule

September 7 – Judith (Paper Riot)

September 8 – Jaz (Fiction in Fiction in Fiction)

September 9 – Kelly (Belle of the Literati)

September 10 – Andi (Andi’s ABCs)

September 11 – Gillian (Writer of Wrongs)

September 14 – Kim & Wendy (The Midnight Garden)

September 15 – Mel (The Daily Prophecy)

September 16 – Gina (Behind the Pages)

September 17 – Nicole (The Quiet Concert)

September 18 – Jamie (The Perpetual Page-Turner)

September 21 – Katie (Polished Page-Turners)

September 22 – Rachel (Hello, Chelly)

September 23 – Alexa (Alexa Loves Books)

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date Released: September 1, 2015
Pages: 656 pages
Genre: High fantasy
Goodreads

Synopsis:
"Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world."

Purchase
Australia: Bloomsbury | Booktopia | Bookworld

International: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Book Depository
E-book: Kobo | iBooks
Audiobook: Audible

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series–Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade–as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses. She wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in twenty-three languages. Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, will release worldwide on September 1st, 2015.

A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

Find Sarah: Website | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Instagram

Fan Cast

In continuing with tradition, I'm going to do what I do best... Ok well I'm going to stick to what I sort of know how to do - and that's fan cast. I did a fan cast of Heir of Fire last year, so I'm going to show you guys who I'd choose for some of the newer characters in Queen of Shadows AND I PROMISE NO SPOILERS.

Basically, I loved ALL the females in Queen of Shadows. If you haven't already heard me screaming it to the world, THE GIRL POWER IN THIS BOOK IS AMAZING.

Anyway my fan cast isn't necessarily to the exact descriptions of the book but I wanted to add a diverse twist! I went through Sarah's TOG Pinterest quite thoroughly to ensure that who I was casting had some parallels to who she had in mind.

Chanel Iman as Nesryn Faliq

Nesryn is one of my favourite characters. I loved her calm demeanour and the way she and Celaena just had this understanding. I chose Chanel Iman because Nesryn is clearly not white. She's got tan skin, eyes that tilt up, and I got the impression she had like Asian/Middle-Eastern roots (if comparing to us Earthlings). Chanel is 1/4 Korean and 3/4 African American which I think sort of embodies that.

Images: Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

Ashley Greene as Asterin Blackbeak

Sweet baby Jesus, Asterin's story is one of the most phenomenal side stories EVER. I admired her resilience, strong morals and opinions and the way she stood by what she believed in. Her loyalty and strength literally made me cry. I really like Ashley Greene, especially after seeing her play Alice in Twilight - Alice was my fav character. Ashley can pass off the sweet but also fierce look.

Images: Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

Lee Pace as Lorcan

Lorcan is an extremely complex character and very chilling. But cool. He's so very cool and he certainly gave me some laughs. When I was reading I kept picturing Lorcan like Thranduil from LOTR... I haven't actually watched any of the LOTR movies beyond the first one but I've seen enough gifs on tumblr and everything on social media to know who Thranduil is LOL. I was like "OMG THAT'S HIM."

Images: Source 1 | Source 2 | Source3

Crystal (Yifei) Liu as Lysandra

Another amazing young woman who shows astounding inner strength and resilience. After reading what she's been through I was like GURLLL CAN I PLEASE GIVE YOU A HUG. I know Lysandra isn't Asian (diverse casting here). She's so beautiful men aren't coherent upon seeing her. I'm not coherent when I see Crystal Liu. I think she's probably my favourite Asian actress. Crystal may seem delicate (Return of the Condor Heroes hnnnnng) but she's such a fantastic actress she can pull off anything.

Images: Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

AND NOW I PRESENT TO YOU MY QUEEN...

Barbara Palvin as Aelin Galathynius

Did you really think I'd pass up the chance to cast Aelin? Really? Please. I was looking for photos to cast other characters and then I came across Barbara and I was like HOLY SMOKES THIS IS AELIN. She's soooo gorgeous. Do you see her eyes? DO YOU SEE HER ASHRYVER EYES? So she's a model and not an actress. I don't care. She can be my fire-breathing-bitch-queen any day.

Images: Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

OK tell me what you thought of my casting? Who did you guys have in mind?

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY TIME YAYAYAYAY (I seem to do this a lot I don't know why. Giving you guys free stuff makes me so happy.)

In both cases of the giveaways you must be old enough to give us your address so we can mail you the goodies if you win!

International

Firstly, thanks to the Maas Thirteen, we're giving away TWO copies of QUEEN OF SHADOWS US hardback and they each come with a THRONE OF GLASS tote bag. Yisss you heard right. This is open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Australia

Thanks to Bloomsbury Australia I'm giving away TWO copies of QUEEN OF SHADOWS AU paperback and these HAVE SIGNED BOOKPLATES INSIDE. YESSSS YOU HEARD RIGHT. Australia only sorry international folks.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 25, 2014

Thirteen Days of Ash & Fire: An Heir of Fire Blog Tour Day 1

Hallo Throne of Glass fans (and everyone else too) and welcome to Day 1 of Thirteen Days of Ash and Fire, the Heir of Fire blog tour hosted by Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, Rachel from Hello Chelly, Judith from Paper Riot, Katie from The Polished Page-Turners and myself. We present to you the Maas Thirteen! I’m thrilled to be kicking off the tour. Stayed tuned over the next twelve days because the Thirteen have some amazing posts for you! We’ve also got a spectacular giveaway that’s open internationally.

To keep up with posts use hashtags #HOF13Tour and #MaasThirteen (:

Tour Schedule

August 25 – Jaz @ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction

August 26 – Katie @ Polished Page-Turners

August 27 – Kelly @ Belle of the Literati

August 28 – Elena @ Novel Sounds

August 29 – Nicole @ The Quiet Concert

September 1 – Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs

September 2 – Judith @ Paperiot

September 3 – Melanie @ The Daily Prophecy

September 4 – Magan @ Rather Be Reading

September 5 – Andi @ Andi’s ABCs

September 8 – Gina @ Behind the Pages

September 9 – Rachel @ Hello Chelly

September 10 – Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books

About the Maas Thirteen

It all started with a tweet...

The Thirteen will be something you come across in Heir of Fire if you haven’t read it yet. I fell in love with the concept and was Tweeting about it one day to Sarah, asking if she would accept me as one of her Thirteen, when Judith, Alexa and a few other Throne of Glass fans started fangirling along… And ta-da the Maas Thirteen was born! Alexa, Rachel, Katie, Judith and I decided to put together this tour along with other Throne of Glass fans to show our love for the series! We sincerely hope you enjoy (:

Heir of Fire

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 2, 2014 (US); September 11, 2014 (Aus)
Genre: Fantasy

Goodreads

Synopsis:

"Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?"

Buy Links:

To see my gushing about the book, you can read my review here: http://www.pixelski.com/2014/08/review-heir-of-fire-throne-of-glass-3.html

About Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series: Throne of Glass,

Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog.

Find her at the following places:

Official Website: http://sarahjmaas.com/
Blog: http://sjmaas.livejournal.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SJMaas
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sarahjmaas/

Fan Cast and Character Profiles

For my tour stop I’ll be doing a fan cast of some of the characters you’ll meet in Heir of Fire with brief character profiles – no spoilers I promise! I tried to find actors/actresses that not only fit the physical descriptions from the book, but more importantly, embodied their personalities based on roles I’ve seen them play.

The left image is Photoshopped to enhance hair and/or eye colour to match the book's description.

Main Cast

If you’ve been following my blog a long time, you may or may not remember I did a fancast of the main characters in Throne of Glass sometime last year. Either way, here it is again and I stand by my original choices!

Celaena Sardothien – Jemima West

Celaena’s physical appearance is described as being beautiful. She’s got golden hair with turquoise eyes ringed with gold. She’s headstrong, snarky, intelligent and quick with a blade.

I thought Jemima West would play Celaena perfectly. She’s so pretty and looks really sweet, but for those of you that have seen her in City of Bones, you know she can play the assassin well. As Izzy, she did an amazing job as the beautiful Shadowhunter and I loved her sarcasm and haughtiness.

Chaol Westfall – Sean O’Pry

With dark brown hair and amber (his eye colour occasionally shifts) eyes, the Captain of the Guard is handsome in an understated manner and slightly rugged. He’s muscular but lean and is very familiar with swordplay. He may seem closed off but we all know what he’s like underneath. Honourable, loyal and so sweet, Chaol is my ultimate book boyfriend.

Alright so Sean O’Pry isn’t an actor but my gosh tell me that he doesn’t look like Chaol? He’s so handsome! And that strong jaw really perfects the image.

Dorian Havilliard – Chace Crawford

Prince Dorian Havilliard, with his stunningly good looks is a bit of a playboy. The black hair that sets off those baby blues really grabs the attention of the ladies (if being a prince didn’t already). Preferring books over fighting, I’ve always pictured Dorian as cheerful with a mischievous smile. He’s genuine and kind, and just so likeable.

Chace Crawford you guys. His smile! He’s always smiling and that smile is so contagious and we know he can play the sweet guy (Nate Archibald <3) so yes I’ve always pictured Chace as Dorian.

New Heir of Fire Characters

You guys these new characters. I HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR THEM. They are amazing and Sarah has just gone above and beyond to develop these characters into such distinct and memorable pieces of the story.

Rowan Whitethorn – Henry Cavill

A Fae with pale hair and green eyes, Rowan is tan and broad-shouldered. He doesn’t speak much, is an amazing fighter and very loyal. A lot of the time he comes off as harsh as he really pushes Celaena to her limits but he sees her potential. There’s a darkness to him but I think he’s a good person underneath, just hardened by his life.

Henry Cavill does not have pale hair nor does he have green eyes (does he? I can’t tell) buuuut he is tan and broad-shouldered and when I was reading the book I actually pictured Henry Cavill (physical appearance from his Tudor days) as Rowan. Then I realised Rowan has silver hair and I was trying to find someone with pale hair but no one could pull off Rowan like Henry in my mind. And you know what? Bleach will fix the hair colour problem. Henry is an amazing actor that can pull off any role so why not Rowan?

Aedion Ashryver – Alex Pettyfer

Cousin to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius the lost Queen of Terrasen, Aedion is branded a traitor by the people of Terrasen. He works for the King of Adarlan by controlling the lands to the north of Adarlan (where Terrasen used to be). Loud, obnoxious and a bit uncouth, he doesn’t set a good first impression. My love for Aedion knows no bounds. I just want to cry thinking about this golden haired boy who shares the same features as his cousin.

Me thinks Alex Pettyfer would play this warrior very well! Alex looks good in a fight… Well he looks good period but yes everything about him fits in my head.

Manon Blackbeak – Eva Green

Dis qurl is BADASS yo. Manon is so cool and there is this sense of honour I really admire about her. She’s strong, has a take-no-shit attitude and isn’t afraid to give people what they deserve. And as a Blackbeak witch, she is ruthless. Pale hair, gold eyes, iron teeth and iron nails, this is one red-cloaked witch you don’t want to mess with.

EVA GREEN. I saw her and she just clicked as Manon for me. Eva is beautiful and fierce which is how I see Manon. She’d play the part perfectly.

Heir of Fire Playlist - Ash & Fire

And as a bonus here's my Heir of Fire playlist. comprised of songs that I think embodied the story and my feelings regarding the book.

Giveaways

International Giveaway

This giveaway is open internationally and runs across all 13 of the tour stops!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Australian Giveaway

This giveaway is open to Australian residents only and is available only on this blog. Gina's (Behind the Pages) tour stop will also feature this giveaway, so check out her stop when the time comes for more chances to win Aussies! Thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for providing the prizes.

Aussies also stay tuned because at the end of the tour Gina and I will be doing a special post with another giveaway JUST for you guys (:

a Rafflecopter giveaway