Fabulous and Brunette: #JudithCrow

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Dance With Me by Judith Crow - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Judith Crow and her new book, “Dance With Me”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Judith and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Dance With Me

by Judith Crow

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GENRE: YA (Fantasy)

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BLURB:

Don’t tell anyone, but Kelli spends all her free time listening to folk music. Ok, it’s not what you’d expect from a popular fifteen-year-old, but that’s why she doesn’t want the whole world to know.

When Kelli follows the mysterious Tam Lane, she finds herself in a place where folk songs come to life. As she comes to terms with the world, she makes friends, uses her privilege to help others, and even falls in love.

But Kelli has forgotten the fates which await so many characters in the songs, and she soon finds herself surrounded by heartbreak. Determined to protect the people she has left, can Kelli change a fate which has been sung for centuries?

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EXCERPT ONE:

“So, what is Carterhaugh?”

“It’s in the Scottish borders,” he replied. “You must have heard of it before, Kelli.”

Kelli thought about it. The name sounded familiar, but she knew nothing about Scotland to speak of, and certainly nothing beyond the visitor attractions in Edinburgh. “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know where.”

“Well, it’s a kind of gateway,” Tam explained. “There are beautiful gardens, and the land is very fertile so it is said that any seed to touch the earth will grow into the greatest of its kind. It was the birthplace of the ancient kings.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Kelli asked. “Or with Jehovah’s Witnesses for that matter?”

“Nothing at all,” Tam replied. “But you must have asked about it for a reason.”

“Yes, I did,” Kelli said, thrusting the magazine back into Tam’s hands with her thumb marking the last page. It fell open as Tam took it from her, and a picture of smiling children covered most of the back page, with the title ‘Bible Questions Answered’ and a small amount of text.

“Yes?”

“It was there!” Kelli said, a shiver running down her spine. She flicked through the magazine, but the page was nowhere to be seen. “It was there. There was a picture of a wood and a river.”

“That is Carterhaugh,” Tam said. “The birthplace of kings. You should go there. You’d like it.”

“How would you know?”

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book was an interesting, intriguing, and creative read!!

This book takes you on a mysterious, mystifying adventure that keeps you guessing between the real world and this exciting, new fantasy world in Carterhaugh.

I liked the main character Kelli, as she is strong and independent. In the real realm her life is pretty simple and empty. Her life revolves around music, specifically folk music that she listens to on LP or cassette. She also loves to draw and is quite talented at it. She spends her time when not at school, just getting lost in the music and the art. Kelli just broke up with her boyfriend at the very beginning of this book for pressuring her to move forward in their relationship and become intimate. Kelli is fifteen and feels uneasy about making that next step (as she should be at ONLY fifteen!!!) and so she ends things with him at McDonalds. Kelli has an older brother, Max, who is considered the “golden boy,” and dearly loved by their parents. Max is mostly focused on video games, his girlfriend, and college. Kelli’s parents are rarely home or around to parent. They are not very involved in Kelli’s life and don’t seem to mind leaving both kids at home for long periods of time. It is even stated that Max was a planned birth, while Kelli’s parents saw her as an unwanted pregnancy. Kelli states that she thinks because of that her mom never forgave her, although their relationship is more non-existent than difficult. With Kelli having no family support or structure or real home base, it is no wonder Kelli would want to find a new fantasy world filled with people that need her help and want to be around her. Kelli is looking for everything she doesn’t have at home and if Tam is going to offer her this special, unique opportunity filled with love and friendship how can Kelli resist?

This book has strong British wording throughout the book as the story starts out in Oxfordshire. I was quite surprised since that detail was left out of the blurb. It wasn’t disappointing, just shocking as I stumbled over a few of the words and had to look some up on Google. Of course, there are the more “popular,” known words like young mum and pushing buggies and I was pretty sure when Max, Kelli’s older brother showed up in a dressing gown that had to mean robe lol. But A-Levels and a car boot sale definitely had to be looked up lol.

I also want to point out that I found it odd that the book starts out with Kelli breaking up with Marcus at McDonald’s over milkshakes. Which, unfortunately, was a really awkward scene. The wording and the interaction between the characters felt unrealistic. The topic of Kelli feeling pressured into having sex is definitely a realistic theme that I am sure happens every day no matter what country. However, it just came off a bit stiff. Furthermore, perhaps it’s different in the U.K., but I’ve never heard of customers paying for their food and drinks AFTER at a fast-food restaurant, especially McDonald’s. You always order, pay, then receive your items, whether you are eating indoors or taking it to go. So, that seemed odd to me that Marcus paid for their shakes after they talked and drank them. Continuing on in the scene, I was shocked and appalled that Marcus didn’t drive Kelli home. I get they broke up and all, but she was forced to stand in the rain, wait for the bus, and then spend almost an hour on it – just to go a measly six miles. They left things amicable so I felt like he could have at least drove her home and then perhaps tried to win her back in the car instead of showing up not much later at her house.

The other tidbit I want to throw out, was the first scene with Tam, when Kelli just invites some random stranger/possible Jehovah's Witness into her house when her parents aren’t home, she’s not sure if her brother is still home, and she offers the guy a place to sit on the couch to dry off and starts making him tea. It just felt unrealistic and so weird. Especially when she just freaked out about Marcus even looking at couch let alone when he defiles it. I get that there is wayyyyy more to this and I don’t want to spill any spoilers, but this scene felt unconvincing and uncomfortable.

I enjoyed the strong folk music references that were featured throughout the book. Each chapter started with a few song lyrics that seemed fitting for that particular chapter. I also looked up some of the bands mentioned that Kelli listens to since I was curious, and I have Spotify so it has pretty much everything on it! I listed to a few songs by Kelli’s favorite, Steeleye Span. I am a huge music lover, so I totally get it, but I’m a millennial and a total EDM fan so the music wasn’t totally my speed. However, I appreciated the music being so weaved into this book, it’s clear Kelli and the author are huge fans!!

I also enjoyed the richly detailed world-building that kept this fantasy world spinning. The author wrote such descriptive details that provided reasonable boundaries as well as comprehensive ideas that flowed and felt plausible.

I definitely think there were some country and cultural differences and misunderstandings. Not just in the language wording, but in the way of life and daily habits. A US fifteen-year-old girl seems not quite the same as a fifteen-year-old UK girl – neither missing nor lacking – just different.

There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!

At this time, this book is not part of a book series, therefore, it can be read as a standalone.

All in all, there were just a few hang-ups for me, but overall, I still enjoyed reading this book and would still recommend it! I think all young adult readers and fantasy fans will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R335ZFKLMSYRNI

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AUTHOR BIO:

Judith was born in Orkney, grew up in Lincolnshire and now lives in the far north of Scotland. Her writing is inspired by the experiences of her life so far and she loves picking up on quirks and immortalising them in fiction.

Judith’s new book, Dance With Me, combines her love of folk music and creative writing, and finds her main character in a world where folk songs come to life. Her debut book, The Backwater, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2019.

When she isn’t writing, Judith is a primary school teacher who enjoys crafting and music, as well as being a generally doting spaniel owner.

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CONNECT WITH JUDITH:

Website:

https://www.judithcrow.co.uk

Website:

https://www.crowvus.com

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/jayzed_kay

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18528764.Judith_Crow

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55096170-dance-with-me

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/2Hr9yDC

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dance-with-me-judith-crow/1137367626

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Dance-With-Me-Judith-Crow/9781913182137

Kobo eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dance-with-me-57

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Judith will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Friday, October 23, 2020

Dance With Me by Judith Crow - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Judith Crow and her new book, “Dance With Me”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Judith and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Dance With Me

by Judith Crow

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GENRE: YA (Fantasy)

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BLURB:

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EXCERPT TWO:

They left the inn as the church clock began to chime midday and completed their journey in relative silence. As they neared Arlen Manor, Kelli began to feel a strange sensation of being watched, as though a hundred pairs of eyes were following her wherever she went. Looking carefully, she saw there were sculpted birds in many of the trees: great, black, hideous creatures with round eyes which stared unseeingly and followed her as she passed them by.

“They are crows,” William explained. “Centuries ago, before it was Arlen, the castle which stood here was called Corbie. That’s just another word for crow. According to family legend, when a disaster is about to befall the men of the family, the crows of Corbie Castle can be heard talking to one another.”

Kelli felt a shiver stalk down her spine, and she was grateful when they left the woods and moved up the long driveway to the house, which was a picture of gothic splendour in the late afternoon light. She immediately had the feeling that this was the place she had been meant to find, although she could not explain where the idea came from. Climbing down from the trap, Kelli followed William to the door, and stood behind him as he hammered his fist against it.

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GUEST POST:

My mum and dad raised five strong daughters (my brother’s not bad either, but we’re talking about the girls here!). All of us, in our own way, are feminists, although perhaps not all of us would use that specific word to describe ourselves. We’re all authors as well – using the written word to explore and improve the world around us.

The Backwater, my first book, featured a strong female protagonist, and Dance With Me is the same. Both of them are ordinary girls who find themselves facing extraordinary circumstances. Girls in this situation have appeared in literature for a long time with some amazing results – for children think about Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch, or in classics we have Jane Eyre. But, more often that not, girls and young women are used as a plot device, often providing an incentive for the male characters to achieve their potential.

But Dance With Me is – to borrow words from Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin – sisters doing it for themselves! Kelli changes the strange new world in a way that the people around her believe is impossible.

That’s not to say that she does the whole thing alone. In fact, the story is really about the important relationships which she develops. Kelli has come from a place where she doesn’t really have any positive relationships: she’s just broken up with her boyfriend because he’s been pressuring her to have sex, her parents are uninterested in her, and her brother mostly ignores her.

She hitches a ride into another world and, as soon as she’s there, she starts developing relationships.

Sometimes she needs to be saved, sometimes she does the saving. The thing is, that’s life! Perhaps most significantly, it’s often with the same person: for example, Kelli is saved by Ailric and his family but then it is up to her to save them.

One of the techniques I used to highlight Kelli’s strength was to create difference between her and other main female characters. Although Kelli is a strong female protagonist, the other main female character (Lady Arlen) is much less feisty. She is a product of her background, where she has been taught to be a specific thing, and where she has been expected to show subservience to her husband.

Another of the characters in the book is really a female characterisation trope: the woman who has become bitter from having to hide what she has to offer behind her husband’s power and title. The Countess of Broughley, Lord Arlen’s mother, is first introduced as being very resentful that her time as Lady Arlen was cut short by her husband’s death. She has established her role as being one of controlling the men in her life and, after realising that her eldest son wasn’t open to her control, she has forced all her attention onto his brother, Lysander. As a result, Lysander is one of the vilest characters in the book!

However, Kelli’s friendship with Barbara allowed me to explore the relationship between two equally strong, determined female characters. In fact, Kelli hero-worships Barbara a bit because of how she managed to be so feisty in a male-dominated world.

One of my beta-readers really wanted to know more about another of the female characters, so I hope that means they generate plenty of interest! I think a lot of us can identify with being stereotyped or overlooked because of issues of gender (or other things), and this is something in Kelli’s character which I hope resonates with my readers.

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AUTHOR BIO: