Blog Tour Stop and Giveaway for The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting
Today I have a Tour Stop for the second book The Pledge series. There is also a giveaway below.
The Essence (The Pledge #2) by Kimberly Derting
Published January 1st 2013 by Margaret K. McElderry
“Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies. At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness. Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two. As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.
The Essence is the second installment in The Pledge series. Picking up where The Pledge left off, we are thrust back in Ludania. Charlie has taken her place as Queen, and is learning to handle her new duties and the influence of Sabara as well. This is no easy feat either. She isn’t safe there is trouble brewing and she is the target. But Charlies is strong and determined as ever. She is a great character all the way around She is smart and has a quirky side to her. I enjoyed her growth as I followed her story and I hope to see more of it too. Her romance with Max this time around was a little thin, but none the less just as sweet. A handful a new characters were introduced and they definitely brought a lot to the story. The world building was fascinating and engaging and left me wanting more. Citizens are rebelling against Charlie’s ruling and with the threat to her safety, it was acton packed. There were betrayals and twists along the way and the pace of the story moves at fairly consistent pace. One that keeps your attention and makes you want to keep reading for fear you might miss something. Derting’s writing brings the world and the characters to life with such a vivid description and it just sucks you in. Overall, I was very please with this. It was heart stopping, and suspenseful and with a touch of romance, I am looking forward to the next book in this series, but wow, it won’t be out till 2014 sometime. Ugh… This is one that I would definitely recommend picking up for sure. Kimberly is the author of the BODY FINDER series (HarperCollins) and THE PLEDGE trilogy (Simon & Schuster). She lives in the Pacific Northwest, the ideal place to write anything dark or creepy…a gloomy day can set the perfect mood. She lives with her husband and their three beautiful (and often mouthy) children who provide an endless source of inspiration. Where to find Kimberly: Happy Reading… This copy was provided by Simon & Schuster for Tour purposes and an honest reveiw.
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2014?! S&S is surely torturing us. I’ll forget 9/10ths of what was in The Essence by the time the next one comes out, I forgot most of what was in The Pledge before I started reading this one.
I’m glad to hear you liked it – I’m about halfway in and haven’t decided yet, but it sounds like it’ll get better?
I know right…. 2014 seems like for forever…
So glad you loved the world-building and character growth, I love the cover on this.
I really loved the cover too. Can’t wait to see the next cover.
Thanks for participating. Good review!