Happy Saturday and welcome to my stop on the BLOODSWORN blog tour! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Scott Reintgen to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so so excited to for you to find out more about it!
Blood Sworn by Scott Reintgen Series: Ashlords #2
Published on February 16, 2021 by Crown Books for Young Readers
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 400
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Three cultures clash in all out war--against each other and against the gods--in the second book of this fantasy duology that's sure to capture fans of The Hunger Games and An Ember in the Ashes.
The Races are over. War has begun.
Ashlord and Longhand armies battle for control of the Empire as Dividian rebels do their best to survive the crossfire. This is no longer a game. It's life or death.
Adrian, Pippa, and Imelda each came out of the Races with questions about their role in the ongoing feud. The deeper they dig, the clearer it is that the hatred between their peoples has an origin point: the gods.
Their secrets are long-buried, but one disgruntled deity is ready to unveil the truth. Every whisper leads back to the underworld. What are the gods hiding there? As the sands of the Empire shift, these heroes will do everything they can to aim their people at the true enemy. But is it already too late?
If you could trade lives with any book character for a day, who would it be and why? What about a week? A month, year, or forever?
I’d have a hard time turning down the opportunity to ride a dragon, so I supposed I’d jump into the Khaleesi’s boots for a day. That said, the prospects of trying to conquer the Seven Kingdoms are daunting, so if I have to trade lives permanently I’d love to slide my way into Kell’s cloak from A Darker Shade of Magic. Life isn’t easy for him either, but at least I’d get to visit all the Londons.
What would you do if you spent the day with adrian, pippa, and imelda? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?
It would be a hard task to get those three to set down their weapons for a day and gallivant around town, which just means we need some really great distractions. I’m based in the Raleigh, NC area. So we’re obviously hitting up my favorite bookstore—Quail Ridge Books. From there, I’d have them sipping some coffee at Cup A Joe (Pippa would complain that it’s not strong enough, but hey, it is where I met my wife). I’d wrap things up with Mother and Sons—my favorite Italian restaurant over in Durham. And then, naturally, we’d end the day by racing our phoenix horses across UNC’s campus, just for kicks.
If adrian, pippa, and imelda were to hang out with characters from other YA books, who would they be and why?
For some reason, I really want Imelda to cross paths with Ronan from The Raven Boys. I just feel like they’d create so much havoc together. I’d absolutely love to see Pippa stand toe to toe with Cersei Lannister and I think Adrian would happily grab a drink or two with Darrow from Red Rising to talk about their background in uprisings.
what was your favorite piece of research you didn’t end up using?
This is always a great question. One the FBI is no doubt keeping track of, given my computer search history. My favorite thing that got cut from these novels? The other two worlds. Originally, this was meant to be a race through dimensions. That ended up being a bit too complicated, and the phoenix horses always stood out for early readers. But there was an entire section about an alternate history 1930’s Baltimore that was really fun. Oh well. Some day in the future!
What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from bloodsworn?
I’m particularly proud of all the quotes that kick off the sections, but my favorite scene in the whole book is a spoiler. All I’ll say is this: I did something that I’ve never done in a book. I did something I’ve never seen done in any book that I’ve ever read. It’s one of my favorite plot twists of all time, and you’ll have to dive in to see what it is!
Were there alternate endings you considered, or did you always know where the story was headed?
Always. I feel like I weigh every possible outcome that I can. In recent years, I have certainly leaned toward hopefulness. I want that to be a relatively central part to what I was doing, because there were some bleak times in the last year or two. Offering younger readers hope was important, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t losses, and it doesn’t mean those losses won’t sting.
Scott Reintgen is an author of science fiction and fantasy books. He wrote the Nyxia trilogy, as well as Saving Fable, Escaping Ordinary (Fall 2020), Ashlords and Bloodsworn (2021). He began his career as an English and Creative Writing teacher in North Carolina. He strongly believes that every student who steps into the classroom deserves to see themselves, vibrant and victorious and on the page. It’s his hope to encourage a future full of diverse writers. He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife Katie and his two boys, Henry and Thomas.
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What do you think about Bloodsworn? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
I’m new to this series but these covers are stunning!!!
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