Welcome to Friday Reads!
You can enter to win a print copy of The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Dawn Ford, courtesy of the author. (US ONLY!) You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of this post. (Contest ends August 5, 2022.) Click To Tweet If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along.
About the book…
Eighteen-year-old servant girl Tambrynn is haunted by more than her unusual silver hair and the star-shaped pupils in her eyes. Her uncontrollable ability to call objects leads the wolves who savagely murdered her mother right to her door.
When she’s fired and outcast during a snowstorm, her carriage wrecks and she’s forced to find refuge in an abandoned cottage. There, her life is upended when the magpie who’s stalked her for ten years transforms into a man, Lucas. He’s her Watcher and they’re from a different kingdom. His job is to keep her safe from her father, an evil mage, who wants to steal her abilities, turn her into one of his undead beasts, and become immortal himself.
Can they make it to the magical passageway and get to their home kingdom in time for Tambrynn to thwart her father’s malicious plans? Or will Tambrynn’s unique magic doom them all?
The story behind the story…
In 2010 I sat down at a computer and typed out the first three chapters of The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes before I knew it. It was as if God had placed it in my mind and it unfolded with every keystroke I typed. In the months that followed, I had three tragic events happen in my life that left me emotionally unable to write. It would take another six months before I got back to where I left off: the middle. It would take two more revisions after that first finish and ten more years before I got the story right. My friends told me to give up on it, but I kept coming back to Tambrynn’s story. Finishing it this last time felt like God fulfilling that promise he gave me when I first sat down and began typing the story out. It felt right. I’m so glad I didn’t give up.
Excerpt…
A brisk autumn wind pushes against the heavy manor door when I step outside for midday chores. The sky is stony and overcast, promising a coming storm.
Face to the sky, I smile slightly. I take a deep, crisp breath of the chilled air. I’d been here less than a week, but with one month left until my birthdate, I can almost taste the freedom it brings. No more winters shackled to a wooden pole awaiting my next assignment or grueling hours of thankless servitude. The end of my indentureship is near. At last, I’ll be free and able to search for my father.
Wind whips my face and my hood slips. I hurriedly clutch it to hide my hair that I’d pulled in a tight bun. I didn’t have a chance to rub more coal dust in it this morn to darken the silver tresses.
Little Nellie, the newest maid, steps through after me, glancing at the forest that lies beyond the boundary of the Broodmoor Estate. “Tambrynn, is it true the forest is haunted?” Her eyes widen like brown saucers as she runs to stay beside me as we head to the barnyard.
My joy disappears like dried leaves darting about in the wind, and I press my lips together. “Who told you that nonsense?” I couldn’t tell her the truth. The forest isn’t haunted. I am. Haunted from my past and my curse. One only needs a glance at my eyes or hair to know I’m different. However, I’ve been careful to keep the hood over my head and not be noticed by most of the staff since arriving the past week. For once, I’m thankful that scullery maids secure little attention. Only Cook and Mrs. Calvin have seen me without my covering.
Cows bawl in the barn next to the chicken coop as we walk up to it. The wooden latch on the door always sticks, and a humming sensation that starts in my gut answers my unspoken call. The bolt releases as if well-fitted instead of wedged too tight. It’s just a little nudge, not enough pull that Nellie would notice and not enough to sap my strength.
Recently I’d learned how to call objects with more control, so the wood flips loose easily, though there’s a spark of blue static that travels between my hand and the door handle. I shake my fingers to get rid of the sting, confused. Though I haven’t always been able to restrain it, calling has never bitten me back before.
Hens squawk and dart about, kicking up dirt as we enter, tossing dusty clouds in the air. Nellie’s clasped hands are red and chapped from scrubbing the hearth earlier this morn. Knowing she’s a recent orphan, my heart twinges at her fate. I was the tender age of eight, Nellie’s age now, when Mother died and I first became indentured. It had taken me the ten years since, moving from place to place, to become tough enough to survive. I consider what to tell Nellie.
Glancing at the trees, I shiver, but not from the cold. “Nellie, there’s nothing haunting that forest. Whoever told you that wants to scare you so you don’t try running away.”
She looks up at me, her face alight with the trust only seen in the young and naive. I’m heartened when she doesn’t flinch as she looks into my eyes, something even adults cannot manage. Mother lovingly said I have stars in my eyes, as if my star-shaped pupils were magical. But then she’d been brutally murdered by wolves, and I realized Mother was the only one who thought my eyes and hair were acceptable. If only everyone could be as innocent and nonjudgmental as Nellie.
I touch her shoulder, longing to protect her as I had not been. “You’ll learn soon enough the tricks they use to keep us obedient.”
My review…
This is the first book I’ve read by Ford, but it won’t be my last! The author created a fascinating fantasy world, featuring mythical characters, danger, and magic. The cover is perfect! At the core, this is a story of good vs. evil. There’s a religious element to the story, but it’s skillfully woven in, and it’s not overwhelming. I liked how Tambrynn (I love that name!) looked to The Kinsman for guidance, which is a nice reminder of how we can/should look to the Lord in the same way. The ending paves the way for a sequel. This book is appropriate for children (middle grade) on up to adults. This is a great option for anyone who loves Christian fantasy books.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.
About Dawn…
Dawn Ford lives in a small town nestled among the Loess Hills in Western Iowa with her husband and Snickers, the Wonder Beagle. Dawn’s love for stories came naturally to her as a child who was lucky enough to be able to explore the Iowa pastures and countryside in search of adventure.
Dawn adores anything steampunk, is mesmerized by shiny, pretty things, purses, shoes, and needs at least one good, strong cup of coffee to wake up in the morning.
Her novel, Kingdom Come, now titled The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes, won the 2016 ACFW Genesis Award in the Speculative Genre. Her flash fiction stories have been featured in Havok’s online magazine.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DawnFordAuthor
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Website: https://dawnfordauthor.com/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dawn-ford
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2547537.Dawn_Ford
Rules for giveaway can be found here.
looks intriguing
Good luck!
I’m excited to read this book because I love fantasy stories, and this one sounds like a great story. The characters in the excerpt were engaging and I want to see where the tale takes them.
I think you’ll really enjoy it, Candice. Good luck!
With all that you have been through to write this story – I would most certainly like to read it! And since I am trying to expand my book genre -your book sounds like a great place to start!
Good luck, Cheri!
This book sounds intriguing
It is! Good luck!
I read a lot of YA and middle grade fantasy and this excerpt makes me want to read more.
I think you’ll really enjoy it, Danielle. Good luck!