YA Book Queen: Crusade

Showing posts with label Crusade. Show all posts

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Damned Blog Tour Interview with authors Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Today, I have the two lovely ladies behind the Crusade series, Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, here to answer some questions for The Damned Book Tour!

Quick! Describe Damned in 7 words or less!
DEBBIE: World War Three with vampires
NANCY: love, sacrifice, desire, honor, explosions!
What was the experience like writing Damned in comparison to writing Crusade?
DEBBIE: Wow, that’s a really great question! In some ways writing Damned was easier because we had already established the universe and were very comfortable writing all the characters. There’s a lot to be said for momentum when writing a series. Emotionally, though, Damned was a little more difficult to write in some ways because of some of the painful scenes we had to write.
NANCY: I was so happy to return to our world, but then when we got into the very tense, high emotion of the story, it took so much out of me. We had to raise the stakes to high pitch--we’ve taken this story to the top of the highest hill on the rollercoaster. In Vanquished, the survivors will careen all the way to the station.
What do you enjoy most about writing together?
DEBBIE: Calling and bouncing ideas off each other and creating something new or adding a new dimension or plot detail lightning fast and then congratulating each other on being geniuses. :)
NANCY: I just read a chapter I thought I had written and realized Debbie wrote it. It’s so wonderful. And we’re such good friends--I just flew to Florida to spend time with her, and she stayed a few days over after Comic-con here in San Diego. Of course, we partied at Disney, because that’s what we do!
Any favorite teaser quotes for Damned that you can share?
DEBBIE: I know who I am now.
NANCY: Let me die for her, if need be.
Who was your favorite character to write, and why?
DEBBIE: I love writing for Jamie. He isn’t my favorite character, but writing him is just fun.
NANCY: Antonio, because he is a true hero. He’s passionate, sincere, and courageous.
Scenario time: A hungry vampire lurking in the shadows notices you both out walking one night. He moves quickly towards you two, about to make his attack…what do you do next?
DEBBIE: I tell Nancy to run and jab my cross necklace (I often wear one) into his eye. Nancy then finds a funky piece of wood lying on the ground and stabs him in the back through his heart while I keep burning his eye and distracting him.
NANCY: Exactly what Debbie said!
Love the teamwork! What are you two working on now?
DEBBIE and NANCY: Book 3 of Crusade: Vanquished; and Book 2 of Wolf Springs Chronicles: Hotblooded (Book 1: Unleashed comes out in November).
We’re both doing solo work as well, and getting ready to go on tour together.
Thanks so much for the interview!
DEBBIE: Thank you!NANCY: ¡Muchas gracias!

Curious about Damned? Read the first chapter here.
Be sure to check out the rest of The Damned Book Tour stops by clicking on the banner below!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Book: Crusade

Authors: Nancy Holder, Debbie Viguie

Release: September 7th, 2010

Pages: 480

Source: Bought

Summary:

For the past two years, Jenn has lived and trained at Spain's Sacred Heart Academy Against the Cursed Ones. She is among the few who have pledged to defend humanity or die trying. But the vampires are gaining power, and the battle has only just begun.

Forced to return home after death takes a member of her family, Jenn discovers that San Francisco is now a vampire strong-hold. As a lone hunter apart from her team, Jenn is isolated—and at risk. She craves the company of her fighting partner, Antonio: his protection, his reassurance, his touch. But a relationship with Antonio comes with its own dangers, and the more they share of themselves, the more Jenn stands to lose.

Then Jenn is betrayed by one who was once bound to protect her, causing her to doubt all she had held as true. To survive, Jenn must find the courage to trust herself—and her heart.

Review: Vampires, battles, romance, secrets and so much more.

Jenn Leitner, despite her own self-doubts, would make Buffy The Vampire Slayer proud. She's a self-described average girl, who works hard to keep up with her fellow hunters. But she's smart and a quick thinker, which helps her survive. The varying relationships between Jenn and her fellow hunters were intriguing and amusing. With a third-person narration, Crusade lets the reader delve into different characters minds and times to get a better view each person. There's a lot going on in Crusade, quite a few plot points, but it never becomes overwhelming.

The different settings were wonderful and easy to visualize. Vampires have taken over, and it's truly a different and interesting world. By the time I reached the end, I was wishing for more pages.

Crusade is filled with kick-butt hunters, secrets, bloodthirsty vampires, and epic battles that will leave you craving more.

Highlights: It was impossible to put Crusade down once it got going. It grabbed my curiosity, filled my need for some epic fights with vampires, and had smart, strong characters. Each character intrigued me, and I found myself wanting to know more them. The relationships were authentic, whether it be Jenn's bond with her sister Heather, or the friendship/romance with Antonio. Plus, the vampires were actually scary, so that's a definite plus.

Lowlights: It took a few chapters to really get into the story. Jenn comes off a bit annoying at first, and she doubts herself a lot. Once Jenn makes it to California, everything gets interesting and Jenn has to start toughening up in order to save her sister. I also did dislike how some of the characters just kept their dark secrets from each other, especially when it probably will come back to bite them later -- no pun intended.

Rating: