Reenie's Book Blog: June 2013

"Blackbrooke II is not just a fantastic read...It's an Amazingly Awesome-Colossal Mind-Fuck of Intense Twists and Turns!! I COULD NOT, WOULD NOT, PUT.IT.DOWN!!"

(Pardon the language, it IS necessary)

She did it again.

Emma Silver actually made me scream out loud at the end of Blackbrooke II!!
Not of fright. (Though these books are creepy!)
Not in ecstasy. (They aren't THOSE kind of books!)
IN utter disbelief and shock that she left me hanging like that....... AGAIN!!!

I'm very excited to be the first stop on Emma Silver's "Blackbrooke II The Guardian" Blog Tour!
(Can you see me jumping up and down, wearing my Team Gabriel tank top and lil bloody axe earrings...?? Okay, so I don't have those things... but I would if I could!)

Pull up a seat, grab a glass of wine (Wine if you're of age of course! Sparkling water if you're not!) and let's begin!

If you are not familiar with the Blackbrooke Series, than I suggest visiting my previous blog on the topic before continuing with this one! I don't want to repeat myself, but here is an excerpt from that blog to introduce you to what the story is about:

"The 411 on Blackbrooke: It's a town nestled in the woods somewhere in England. (Kinda like 'The Village' by M.Night Shyamalan, but tourists come into this place!) where mythical and deadly creatures have a 'deal' with the town. You MUST follow the rules or face certain death.
There is layer upon layer of conspiracy and mystery surrounding everything. People go missing, blamed on 'Walkouts'.... which is basically suicide by Crits... the name of the frightening creatures. These things are horribly terrifying and deadly.
The story takes place in modern times, but with dated and strange rules ( For Example: You must wear your hair up in a bun at all times)
I couldn't live there, never mind the creatures, they don't allow hair dye. (Unacceptable!)"

Blackbrooke II: MY Take

Liberty's next step of the journey is not pleasant. She gets a few (several) shocks of her life. Her character has really hardened at this point in the story, Liberty is starting to resemble a hard shell of what she was.... but who can blame her? The events unfolding are enough to make anyone do crazy things and cause paranoia. Trust is to be earned at this point, but can Liberty even trust her own gut? Her loyalty and love for Cassius consumes her and drives her. I begin to wonder if her emotions are more 'guilt' over how she had contributed to his loneliness over the years, than it is 'romantic love' and she is just too young to know the difference. We shall see.......

We learn more about why Blackbrooke is segregated from the rest of the world and why the outsiders are trying to keep it that way. While I wont spoil it for you, I will say that I am impressed with the direction that particular story line goes in and I am on pins and needles to see where it goes in Book Three!
Loyal readers will be interested to know that the book starts off with the back story about exactly WHAT happened with Liberty's best friend Gemma. It was a good way to start the novel and helped set the scene for the demented and cruel nature of what was about to unfold.
We meet some new characters in BBTG and you have no idea who is a friend and who is a foe. One new character to keep your eye on is the sadistic Carl Evans. Dude is a psychotic douche-crate. Enough said.

Emma Silver is EASILY an author I will read again and again. Her books are well written, so much so when you immerse yourself into the story, you feel the apprehension, the frustration, conflict, fright.... She knows how to set the mood for a scene whether it's comedic (Hello Denzil!) or describing the eerie general atmosphere of the town of Blackbrooke.
As much as I scream with the intense cliffhangers both her novels possess, I could honestly hug Emma for being such an incredible and imaginative author. Writing style aside (Her writing is fantastic!) at the end of the day the one thing I am after is THE STORY! Ladies and Gents...Emma Silver has the storytelling "IT" factor in spades! This book has the right twists and turns and you can't predict the events. She spins you in one direction than kicks the chair to catapult you into another. Expect the unexpected. (LOVE IT!)

A few things to note:

Read this series IN ORDER. Some series you can get away with it, not this one.

This may be considered Young Adult, but it can most certainly be enjoyed by both teens and adults. There is a quality about these particular novels that makes it stand out from other Young Adult novels.

The same goes for it being classified as horror. You do not need to be a horror aficionado to read and love Blackbrooke!! If you enjoy thriller and suspense... Try it! If you enjoy a great book! Try it! I have said this before, if you are not into horror, than READ THIS because it is just the right recipe to ~~lure~~ introduce you into the genre. Stephen King eat your heart out.

I am so excited about this series!! I want more!!!

**FIVE STARS to Blackbrooke II: The Guardian!**
Completely Crit-tastic!!! It's In-Crit-able!!!
Bring it on Blackbrooke III!
BRING.CRIT.ON!

Author Interview with Emma Silver

Can you tell us about the moment when” Blackbrooke –the concept” was born? What was the very first idea that popped into your head?

It was definitely after one too many wines and watching Twilight for the hundredth time. I missed good old-fashioned horror for teenagers. I grew up reading RL Stine and Stephen King so paranormal romance (although massively addictive) just wasn't ticking all of my boxes. I wanted to try and create something scary. I lay in bed that night and started to think about the Rules. The characters of Liberty and Cassius followed and I started drafting the next day

You had me screaming (again) at the end of Book 2 and can’t wait for the third! What can we expect in Blackbrooke 3??

Fireworks! It's chaos as you can imagine and there is a change in dynamic. Liberty is fighting her own demons and trying to come to terms with the person she's become. Her relationships with those around her are understandably strained, especially with Denzil who feels her slipping away.

How long have you been working on the series?
About 18 months all in all. Not as long as I like to think! Image hardest part was definitely putting Blackbrooke II together. I always knew how I wanted the story to progress but getting it from A to B was a challenge. I just hope I've done it justice.

Do you have a ritual that you perform when you try to get into the Blackbrooke mindset? Music? Food? Workout? Meditation?

It's music every single time. I have a spotify playlist for each book and I whack my headphones on and blast some tunes to get me in the mood to write. There's a mix-bag of everything on there from 80s pop to unknown acoustic acts. Mostly moody brooding stuff. The more sad the better in some cases unfortunately! The music for part III is a bit more angsty though.

Do you have a muse?

I really don't! I wish I could answer this question with something really cool but I'm afraid not. The closest thing I have is the music I listen to. Without music, there wouldn't have been Blackbrooke.

Other than Blackbrooke, do you have any other writing or concepts in the works?

Yes absolutely. I have several ideas that I'm currently dabbling with with are also YA horror but I'd like to write an adult horror book too. Only so I can use vile profanities throughout of course...

Who are your literary inspirations?

Stephen King, RL Stine, Joe Hill, and every single contributor to the Point Horror series. Those books saved my life as a youngster and I'll never forget them.

What is your favorite book genre?

I love a good horror but I'm starting to venture into Sci-fi. I'm currently reading Connie Willis' Doomsday Book which is part of the SF Masterworks collection. If really like to read all of the Masterworks titles. So many books, so little time!

What is the name of the last book you read?

Flowers for Algernon - another SF Masterwork. Amazing book. I'd recommend it to anyone. Utterly heart-wrenching from start to finish.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself!

Oh gosh, I'm really quite a bore! I read, I write and I have a day job selling books to pay the bills. I'm a happy little soul though. I love writing and hope to continue for a very long time yet.

When you are not writing, what can we find you doing?

A lot of reading! Over the past six months I've rediscovered the joy of reading a good book. You get so bogged down with editing your own work that you forget what it's like to actually read something for pleasure. I also love running - it gets my crazy out of me so I can relax and write.

I love a glass of wine and either chocolate or potato chips when reading…. What’s your favorite ‘go-to’ snack when sitting down with a book?

Ooh! It would have to be hummus with...anything to dip in it! I love the stuff far too much for my own good. I swear I can polish off several tubs in one sitting. It's shocking stuff...

Blackbrooke II: The Guardian Book Description from Amazon.com:

Liberty’s fight continues.
After she had discovered the truth behind ‘walk outs’ in her hometown of Blackbrooke and was forced to sacrifice her best friend, Liberty Connor thought she was finally free.
But her nightmare was only just beginning.
Taken to the Institute, a research facility dedicated to Blackbrooke, Liberty finds herself under the watchful eye of sinister Blackbrooke guardian, Mr Jones. Things aren’t as they seem. Familiar faces provide little comfort, and she soon realizes the Crits aren’t the only specimens under the microscope.

Determined to escape, Liberty is once again plunged into a world beyond her comprehension. The one thing she knows for certain is: trust no one.

Friends become strangers, but help is at hand from unexpected quarters. Forced to confront her real enemy, Liberty is left with one familiar choice.

Fight.

Happy Reading!