Interview with Augusta Blythe

Hi everyone! Today Augusta Blythe, author of Winterborne and Ravenstoke, is here on the blog to do an interview!

1. How would you describe Ravenstoke in a sentence or less?  

It's superhuman powers, mythological creatures, England, and a high school musical rolled into one. 

2. If you could change anything about Ravenstoke, what would it be?  
The number of copies sold so far.

3. Are you anything like your main character, Loie?  
She has my sense of humor and my strong sense of loyalty.  We also like similar types on the guy front.  Thankfully, I never suffered from a complete lack of confidence like Loie, but I knew plenty of girls who did.  
   
4. What are you working on right now? Something new or more books for the Winterborne series?  
I'm about to publish a middle grade fantasy adventure novel called In the Land of the Sapphire Sea.  It's about a timid 12-year-old girl who must perform nine tasks in order to rescue her little sister from the clutches of an evil Imp queen.  I've also mapped out the third book that follows Ravenstoke; that will be called The Yawning Void.  

More about Augusta: Augusta Blythe is the author of Winterborne and Ravenstoke, YA urban fantasy novels. She is also the author of Hostel Takeover written under the pseudonym Keeley Bates. She currently lives in England with her husband, two children, a clown fish, a cleaner shrimp and a mine urchin.


Read my reviews of Winterborne and Ravenstoke!


Thanks so much for stopping by Augusta!

Ravenstoke by Augusta Blythe

Title: Ravenstoke
Author: August Blythe
Publication Date: December 4, 2011
Source: Author: Thanks Augusta!
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Summary: In Winterborne, Loie and Mia's seventeenth birthdays brought more drama and surprises than they ever expected. Now, in Ravenstoke, they are adjusting to the aftermath and struggling to keep those newfound powers in check. When Andreas is called away to England under mysterious circumstances, a new guy is sent to Salcey Ridge in his place. Cian is smarmy and cocksure and Loie wants nothing more than to unleash a hellhound on him. Unfortunately, Cian isn't the only complication in their lives as the girls must also contend with the reappearance of Mr. Winterborne himself and Loie's most dreaded fear of all - a part in the school musical. Can the girls survive the rest of junior year unscathed?

Review: Ravenstoke is such a fun read. I was so glad to be back in this world that I got to visit in the first book, Winterborne.

Loie, the main character, has such a distinctive voice. That was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book. She's really admirable, too. She has tons of awesome powers but she never once becomes conceited or annoying. Loie is just a very down to earth character. Plus, she was always making me smile with her memorable narration.

We're introduced to a new character in Ravenstoke. His name is Cian and I was definitely enthralled with him. He and Loie don't have much of a romance, they don't see each other that much, but when they did meet I was definitely rooting for them. Hopefully something more will happen in later books!

I was very intrigued by the plot of this one. Loie is growing into her powers, powers that are very powerful and very cool to read about. I loved reading about her training sessions! The plot could be a little bit slow in times but I could get through those parts because of Loie! Loie and her friend Mia take a trip overseas that I absolutely loved!

Overall, Ravenstoke is a fantastic sequel. I'm definitely looking forward to more from Blythe.


Rating:

Winterborne by Augusta Blythe

Title: Winterborne
Author: Augusta Blythe
Source: Received for review from author*

Summary: Sixteen-year old Mia Winterborne is destined to be special. Details are sketchy, though, as her dad disappeared with all the answers when she was five. Mia only knows that she will inherit her superpowers on her seventeenth birthday. Helping Mia prepare for her anticipated ascendancy is Loie Bryce, her best friend and eternal sidekick extraordinaire. The girls' intense friendship has never wavered until now, when Andreas arrives in Salcey Ridge. They both fall hard for the British hottie, who quickly becomes a fixture in their lives. When they discover that Andreas is not who he appears to be, the frightening reality of Mia's powers finally hits home. The nearer Mia's birthday draws, the more the danger escalates and long-buried lies are exposed, putting the girls on a path that they never expected.

Review: I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked up Winterborne. But I really never expected something this good!

I actually thought this would be narrated by Mia instead of Loie. But it was really enjoyable to have Loie as a narrator. She was really a sweet girl that cared about her friend. Although she did live in Mia's shadow and that sort of annoyed me, I got it. And a random fact: I really like the name Loie! I ended up connecting easily to Loie, while she was shy and living in a shadow she could also be a really funny, great person! And I admired that.

Andreas was a pretty good character also. He seemed like your typical nice guy, that was just mysterious. He and Mia did annoy me a tad. Especially Mia, she treated Loie nicely but was just so overpowering!

One of my favorite things was that fantasy elements! It was so much fun to read and learn about. And while it wasn't terribly original I enjoyed Blythe's take on it. 

I really liked how things played out in the end, it was so much fun and so interesting to see how things ended!

With a good main character and some great fantasy elements, Winterborne is a great book!

Rating: 4.5

*I received this from the author for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion and the honesty of this review.