April 10, 2012, was the release of Blue Magic by A. M. Dellamonica.
The synopsis of Blue Magic reads:
This powerful sequel starts in the small town in Oregon where Astrid Lethewood discovered an underground river of blue liquid—Vitagua—that is pure magic. Everything it touches is changed. The secret is out—and the world will never be the same. Astrid’s best friend, Sahara, has been corrupted by the blue magic, and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world. Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world.
Conflicting ambitions, star-crossed lovers, and those who fear and hate magic combine in a terrible conflagration, pitting friend against friend, magic against magic, and the power of nations against a small band of zealots, with the fate of the world at stake. Blue Magic is a powerful story of private lives changed by earthshaking events that will ensnare readers in its poignant tale of a world touched by magic and plagued by its consequences.
You can read my review here. As I said in my review, Blue Magic is a satisfying read.
Alyx Dellamonica’s writing is beautiful and eloquent. The world in Blue Magic is a complex one. It would have been extremely easy leave loose ends or wander off in directions that had no bearing on the big picture. Despite a couple situations where a reader may get lost in the whirlwind of events, the story is tightly woven and neatly finished. Any negatives I felt about the story have to do with what I bring as an individual to the story and my own preferences. They have nothing to do with Alyx’s writing ability. In fact, I am in awe of Alyx’s ability to paint such a vivid and palatable world and story; a world where I found the aftermath of the Vitagua spill believable, even if I had to talk my brain into accepting Vitagua. But if I can get over Red Matter… Vitagua was a lot easier to accept as something that is a thing.
It is because of Alyx’s ability to move an existing story forward, while interweaving the pre-existing story, that my brain was able to get over itself and accept even the romantic relationships and fantastical events, anchored with a good dose of realism and even mention of science. A very satisfying read, indeed.
I have 2 copies of this book to giveaway, courtesy of Tor Books.
Contest Details:
1) Alyx Dellamonica loves birds. She wrote about her love of these animals in her Geeky Pleasures guest post. There are birds in all of her stories, include Sahara Knax’s starlings in Blue Magic. Leave a comment telling me what is your favourite bird and why.
2) Only one comment per person. Leaving multiple comments will disqualify you. When leaving a comment, please use a valid e-mail address so that I can notify you if you win.
3) You have until Monday, May 7, 2012 at 23:59 PST to leave a comment. At that time, I’ll use a random number generator to select two winners. Winners will be notified by e-mail on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. Winners will be announced on this website on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 16:00 PST.
4) If you have any questions, please e-mail me.
You can purchase Blue Magic on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo Books and Music, or where ever books are sold. Visit Alyx’s website here and follow her on Twitter @AlyxDellamonica.
Remember, Alyx will be joining me tomorrow, live, on the Geeky Pleasures Radio Show, Friday, April 27, 2012.
My favorite bird is a raven. They are intelligent survivors with a mischievous streak.and they are just plain cool looking.
She takes great bird pictures too (Alyx)
My favorite bird? I’m a bird of prey fan–hawks and their kin, especially.
I like cardinals – their red plumage brightens up my day.
My favorite bird would have to be the crow. After humans and chimps, they are one of the smartest creatures in the animal kingdom. They have the ability to make and use tools, and solve complex problems. Pretty cool, indeed.
A chicken, simply because it’s the most rubbish of dinosaurs. At school, I used to keep chickens. They’re vicious little buggers, and I have a deep dislike of them on a personal level. But what else goes so well with bacon other than eggs?
My favorite bird is the chickadee.
When I was younger, my dad and I went out to Kensington State Park in the middle of winter with a small bag of birdseed. I stood off to the side of the path and he poured some into my outstretched bare hand. After a few moments of waiting as still and silently as possible, a ton of chickadees started landing on my hand and eating the seed off it. Both times I did that were among the absolute coolest and most magical experiences in my life so far!
my sister once had this little green and yellow parakeet “Petey,” which never said a word, despite my sister’s constant goading to speak. My dad, a mechanic for Pepsi, was working on his car one day when Petey got out of his cage, flew through an open window and sat on the edge of the engine, lookingup at my father. My dad looked at the little bird and Petey looked up at him and sais “Whatcha doin, stupid?” which happened to be my dad’s catchphrase for any and everything. My dad laughed so hard he shot Faygo RedPop out of his nose.
I like Great Tits and Blue-Footed Boobies because haha, tits. Boobies.
The peregrine falcon for it’s form, and the goshawk for it’s amazing maneuverability among the trees.
Looking forward to getting into falconry in the future.
My favorite bird is the Magpie, very very smart