Fifteen hundred years of Arthurian legend come to a head in the final installment of The Wraithwood Trilogy.
The sword of legend, ancient magic, and a dead man’s secrets—together they could save Brinnie’s world or end it forever.
Brinnie barely escaped Mordizan with her life. Battered and broken in body and soul, she knows she’s running out of time. And though she has discovered the identity of Mordred’s bane, no one knows where to find the legendary weapon.
To discover the truth, she and Marcus must journey to Castelon and seek the aid of the Council. However, their actions at Mordizan brand them as enemies and war criminals. Between Mordred’s armies engaged in full-scale war and the political machinations of the Council, Brinnie struggles to balance the battlefield and the courtroom while estates fall before Mordred’s wrath.
As magic ravages her own body, threatening her survival, the allure of ancient, forbidden power grows brighter. And only one man holds the knowledge of the weapon that could destroy Mordred once and for all—a man they buried in the gardens of Wraithwood.
My Review
CASTELON is the last book in a series I’ve closely followed. I love the way the author reimagined or was inspired by Arthurian legend. I also loved Brinnie and some of the other characters, too.
In CASTELON, we get to know Brinnie’s mom a bit more, and see the return of a character we thought was lost. We also say tough goodbyes to a few beloved characters. I liked the way the relationships between each character unfolded and especially the ones that I didn’t expect. In the second book in the series, MORDIZAN, Brinnie befriends a girl named Lana. I really liked the friendship between them, so I was excited to see her in this book, too.
The first two books in the series have built up to a battle against Mordred and his forces, which are bent on ruling the wizard world and destroying the human one. Brinnie and her allies struggle to find the weapon a prophecy calls Mordred’s Bane, believing only it holds the power to kill their enemy. The search takes them behind enemy lines, and gives Brinnie lots of opportunities to make brave but reckless moves.
Her bond with Marcus grows stronger chapter by chapter. Though he disagrees with her choices sometimes, he always respects her as her own person. They are partners in war and love. I adored him.
The conclusion of the book was both really exciting and also different than I expected, in a good way. I loved the wedding scene and all that represented, and the sort of open-ended way that the last pages concluded.
All in all, I thought this was a fantasy series both fierce and sweet. I think it’s perfect for readers just dipping their feet into young adult fantasy, especially those who enjoy reimagined fairy tales or Arthurian legends.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation Major characters are white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing between boy and girl.
Spiritual Content Some characters reference their Christian faith. Brinnie draws battle inspiration from Bible stories like the story of Gideon.
Some characters have the ability to perform magic.
Violent Content Battle scenes and some references to torture.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of CASTELON in exchange for my honest review.
An estranged uncle, a mysterious mansion, and Arthurian legend–together they lead to a world of magic and bloodthirsty wizards who want teenage Brinnie dead.
Brynna “Brinnie” Lane has always lived a quiet life under the watchful eye of her hovering mother–until she’s sent off for the summer to live with an uncle she didn’t know she had. While her parents get to travel across the globe, she’ll be spending three months in the middle of nowhere: upstate New York. It looks like she might spend the entire summer friendless with her nose in a book.
However, she soon finds that Wraithwood Estate, her uncle’s creepy old mansion, holds as many secrets as the man himself. When Brinnie is warned not to explore any of it, her curiosity only grows. As unnatural events take place and Brinnie hears whispers of a hidden war, she must unravel the truth about her family’s mysterious past if she wants to survive.
Something terrible happened at Wraithwood thirty years ago, and Brinnie is determined to find out what–even if it means confronting the possibility that magic is real.
My Review
I’ve read another book that was cowritten by Alyssa Roat before, so I based my expectations of WRAITHWOOD on that. I feel like this book absolutely surpassed them.
It’s hard to go wrong with a mysterious mansion and relatives keeping secrets. I liked Brinnie’s nosiness and her tendency to get into trouble. There were moments that I thought she’d be kind of shoved into more of a backseat role by the adult characters. Instead, she always held her own agency and found a way to take an active role in what was happening. I loved that.
I also loved Uncle Merlin. He’s kind of bizarre, but obviously honorable and loyal to his family, even if that loyalty sometimes leads him to do things he disagrees with.
The only thing that tripped me up at all in WRAITHWOOD was that Brinnie is fourteen in the story. That feels really young for a young adult hero, unless it’s a longer series and the author needs a lot of time for them to grow up. Her age also made her relationship with another character who’s in his twenties a little weird. Nothing inappropriate happens between them, but the setup of their relationship felt like it could lead into a romance. It doesn’t. It just felt odd to have her spend so much time with him.
On the whole, though, I really liked this book and enjoyed unraveling the mystery of the Wraithwood Estate and its connection to an old legend. This is a series I will definitely continue reading. I think fans of Cassandra Clare will like this story about family connections within a paranormal family.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation Major characters are white.
Profanity/Crude Language Content None.
Romance/Sexual Content None.
Spiritual Content Brinnie and her uncle attend church weekly. In service, the pastor strongly condemns witchcraft, and Brinnie feels like he eyeballs her group in particular.
Some characters have magical abilities.
Violent Content Situations of peril. Kidnapping. Brief battle violence.
Drug Content None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Every now and again I hear about just the right book for the right moment, and I feel like DEAR HERO has been one of those. I definitely needed a snarky, silly, fun book to read this month! So when I got the chance to ask the authors some questions about the story and the process of writing it, of course I jumped at the chance.
First, here’s a little bit about the book in case you aren’t familiar.
Dear Hero Hope Bolinger and Alyssa Roat INtense Publications Published September 28, 2020
Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world–at least, until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new antagonist, and fast.
Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.
So the two turn to Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains, where they match right away. But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Who are the real heroes and villains? And just how fine of a line is there between love and hate? When darkness from the past threatens them both, Cortex and V may need to work together to make it out alive. Told entirely through texts, transcriptions, and direct messages, this darkly humorous chat fiction novel goes behind the scenes of the superworld.
Author Q&A with Hope Bolinger and Alyssa Roat
Q: What was it like to write a novel together? What were the easiest or most challenging parts?
HOPE: It was a ton of fun. We actually worked really well together. I would say the only “toughest” thing was there was a three-hour time difference between us. Other than that, we actually experienced more productivity together than when we wrote on our own.
ALYSSA: The unique thing about this book is that it is told entirely through instant messaging–texts, DMs, etc. The best part of that was the lack of writer’s block. If one person was stuck, the other could jump in. The toughest part was remembering to take breaks!
Q: I find that a story was often inspired by a question. Was there a question that inspired you to write the DEAR HERO?
HOPE: I don’t know if there was one singular source of inspiration. We’d made some parody Twitter accounts making fun of superhero tropes, and I had a friend who was invested in dating apps at the time. Everything sort of just clicked together. We wanted to do a pen pal program between a villain and a hero, but decided to make it more modern and snappy.
ALYSSA: We had a lot of fun questions we came up with along the way. What if being a hero or a villain was a career path like any other? What if it involved building your social media platform and fighting bigger and better nemeses for clout? At that point, what does it even mean to be a hero or a villain?
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about something you know about the story that the reader may not know? Maybe a deleted scene or something you know about the characters that didn’t make it into the book?
HOPE: Sure! Without spoiling anything, certain elements of the story (big plot twists) surprised both of us. I woke up one morning to a text from Alyssa saying, “I discovered that Fill-in-the-blank-character was a villain.” And I was like, “Welp, didn’t see that coming.” Everyone gets mad at authors for plot twists, but sometimes, even the writer doesn’t anticipate something will happen until it does.
ALYSSA: We got attached to these characters and definitely texted about all sorts of head canon for their futures, their pasts, scenes that didn’t make it into the book, etc. I ended up writing a special scene where our villain receives her first pet shark as a child from her beloved elderly henchman, Bernard. I wouldn’t be surprised if we put together several shorts someday.
Q: What’s your favorite moment in DEAR HERO?
HOPE: So hard to pick. I really love any of the “ship-able” moments between our main characters. Especially when V hits Cortex on the head with a dragon stuffed animal during a “gory” movie. It’s the Breakfast Club. He’s tricked her into thinking it’s a slasher film.
ALYSSA: That moment is probably my second favorite. My first favorite is a little bit of a spoiler, but it’s when our hero Cortex is able to explain some things to his former idol, a now-washed-out superhero, and delivers some iconic lines about villains, heroes, humans, and love. Hope knocked it out of the park on that one.
Q: What was the hardest scene in the book to write, and how did you finally get it on paper?
HOPE: Alyssa and I will probably agree on this, we struggle to write romantic scenes. Not from lack of experience, but because it’s weird to co-author them. Similar to romance in real life, you have to collaborate with the other person to make it work. So any time things get spicy, I definitely struggled.
ALYSSA: I blush through every romantic scene, no matter how innocent. Writing with someone else meant I had to confront the romance head on, but it ended up being fun as we both got invested in the characters’ relationship.
Q: Is there a scene or moment in your story that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
HOPE: I like that although it’s a very hilarious story that we have some very serious moments. I think one scene that Alyssa wrote with V talking to a dead character was particularly poignant. She talks earlier in the book about how she killed a customer in retail, but in this scene we discover why … and discover that she’s actually a hero at times, whether she wants to admit it or not.
ALYSSA: In an important moment between our two main characters, Hope’s character, the hero, reminds the villain that she’s not a villain or a hero, she’s human. That stuck with me. We all have villain and hero inside us.
Q: What do you most hope that readers take away from DEAR HERO?
HOPE: Of course, we want them to laugh. Too much of YA depresses us, so we wanted to give people something to chuckle at. But we’d love for them to see themselves in both the villain and hero characters and to see that often the distinctive lines we draw between good and bad are arbitrary.
ALYSSA: This is a ridiculous, satirical romp, and I just want people to have fun. But I also hope it helps readers to confront the potential for villainy or heroism inside of each of us, and look past labels to the real person inside.
Q: What is one question about your novel you are often asked by readers?
HOPE: We often get asked “Who wrote each character?” Because although I took most of the “hero” characters and Alyssa most of the “villains,” we do mix it up from time to time. I write a villain in the sequel that I CANNOT wait for you to meet.
ALYSSA: From the people who know us, once we say Hope for the most part wrote the heroes and I wrote the villains, the most common response is, “Makes sense.” Which leaves ME with questions for readers: why does everyone think I’m the villain, haha! Of course, the second most-asked question is, “Is there a sequel?” And the answer is yes! Keep an eye out in 2021 for Dear Henchman!
Hope Bolinger is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. and a graduate of Taylor University’s professional writing program.
More than 900 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer’s Digest to Keys for Kids to HOOKED to Crosswalk.com. She writes about 250-300 articles a year.
She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her column “Hope’s Hacks,” tips and tricks to avoid writer’s block, reaches 6,000+ readers weekly in the Serious Writer newsletter.
Her modern-day Daniel, “Blaze,” (Illuminate YA) released in 2019, and the sequel “Den” released in 2020. The final installment Vision releases in August 2021.
Her superhero romance she co-wrote with Alyssa Roat releases from INtense Publications in September 2020. Sequel Dear Henchman set to release in April 2021.
Alyssa Roat has worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as an agent, editor, writer, and marketer. She is the publicity manager for publisher Mountain Brook Ink, as well as an associate literary agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, an editor with Sherpa Editing Services, and a freelance writer with 200+ bylines in local, national, and international publications. She holds a B.S. in Professional Writing from Taylor University.
Up-and-coming teen superhero Cortex is on top of the world–at least, until his villain dumps him. If he’s going to save his reputation, he needs a new antagonist, and fast.
Meanwhile, the villainous Vortex has once again gotten a little overeager and taken out a hero prematurely. Will any young hero be able to keep up with her? Maybe she should work on finding a steady relationship with an enemy she won’t kill in the first round.
So the two turn to Meta-Match, a nemesis pairing site for heroes and villains, where they match right away. But not everything in the superhero world is as it seems. Who are the real heroes and villains? And just how fine of a line is there between love and hate? When darkness from the past threatens them both, Cortex and V may need to work together to make it out alive. Told entirely through texts, transcriptions, and direct messages, this darkly humorous chat fiction novel goes behind the scenes of the superworld.
My Review
So this whole story is told in what looks like direct messages through an app called Meta-Match, which is like a browsing site for villains and heroes to help them pair up and fight each other.
The opening chats were a little bit awkward, but I feel like it’s hard to write scenes where characters meet online without having at least a little bit of the feeling each other out and trying not to give too much away. Right away I knew I’d love V’s tough exterior and soft heart and Cortex’s awkwardness.
I had a lot of fun reading this book. It’s really different. Definitely a great read for anyone really needing an escape. I haven’t read RENEGADES by Marissa Meyer, but I wish I could say how it compares to something like that.
It reminded me a teeny bit of the ILLUMINAE books in the way it used direct messages and transcribed conversations. DEAR HERO does leave you to fill in the blanks on some of the scenes because you’re strictly getting dialogue unless someone narrates what’s happening.
All in all, it was definitely an entertaining, cute read. I’d say perfect for middle school readers.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.
Representation Cortex is Japanese-American.
Profanity/Crude Language Content There were some teasing comments about race. For instance, in one scene V comments to Cortex (who is Asian) something like, aren’t you supposed to be good at math? He calls her out for stereotyping.
Romance/Sexual Content Kissing between boy and girl.
Spiritual Content Reference to V attending Mass with Cortex’s family.
Violent Content Situations of peril. Some references to violence and descriptions of battles between heroes and villains.
Drug Content None.
Note: I received a free copy of DEAR HERO in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.
