Blog Tour: Where You Lead

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have you stumbled upon a favorite book this summer? Tell me about it in the comments. Feel free to share a link.

Summer & Books: Bane’s Eyes

Inspired by the A to Z Blogging Challenge this past April, I have decided to blog about books for the month of June. I will be sharing tidbits about my own books and the other books on the Catholic Teen Books website.

The final book in your next fast-paced, mind-blowing dystopian! You won’t want the series to end. Corinna Turner finishes off this series with the final conflicts in the exciting, thought-provoking story of Bane’s Eyes.

About the Book:

“Bane, I know it’s risky, but I think I should do this speech. We’ve got to win… If we don’t, we’re all dead…”

A HUSBAND IN DESPAIR… AN ENEMY IN NEED… A LIFE AND DEATH VOTE…

In three months, the citizens of the EuroGov will decide whether or not to abolish Sorting, the grim annual harvesting of “imperfect” teenagers for their organs.
If they vote the wrong way, then Margo and everyone she cares about will die.

While her beloved Bane struggles to cope with the loss of his eyes, the lives of millions of young people and Believers are at stake as Margo embarks on increasingly risky media missions out of the Vatican. Every step she takes is steeped with political consequences.

Author Corinna Turner shares how she researched for Bane’s Eyes.

A certain amount of the Vatican State description in Bane’s Eyes and elsewhere in the series is 100% authentic (though some has been altered because, after all, it’s set in the future, you know…).

How is this? Well, I was super lucky to visit Rome for a holiday/retreat run by an order of Religious Sisters, and some of the Sisters worked in the Vatican. I was doubly lucky because it was back in 2010, before security became such a huge issue. This meant that the Sisters thought nothing of slipping us into some of the less secure areas for a little behind-the-scenes tour (places like the Campo Santo Teutonico (Swiss Guard Graveyard), Square of the Roman Proto-Martyrs, Via di Belvedere, and Belvedere Courtyard).

We got even further into the State during a quick car tour, but when we reached the Vatican Gardens they said we would have to turn back there, since the Holy Father could be walking there at any time and the Swiss Guards wouldn’t let us pass. It was all totally awesome!

To see a few present day behind-the-scenes shots, click HERE. NB; please do not try to wander into these places yourself! We were with people with official Vatican passes, and anyway, sadly, times have changed.

And here’s my review!

I am a fan of dystopian fiction. But when the story contains elements of faith, it is so much more powerful to me! This dystopian series rocks! Bane’s Eyes is packed with adventure, challenges, trials, and authentic human emotions. I particularly loved how the underground Catholic Church is shown.

Turner’s writing is incredibly strong and visual, perfect for a dystopian story. And the characters are all so well developed, three-dimensional with strengths and flaws, and they each continue to grow.

Highly recommend this series to older teens adults!

If you fall in love with the series and want a little bit more, Corinna Turner has provided it. Check out Margo’s Diary! It is filled with fun stuff from the series, including Margo’s Underground Latin Primer, her favorite Psalms and Prayers, a few Maps, and a diagram of a ProCamera Mass kit that a priest used in the stories.

This book has the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

Learn more about Corinna Turner and her books:

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have you stumbled upon a favorite book this summer? Tell me about it in the comments. Feel free to share a link.

Summer & Books: Liberation

Inspired by the A to Z Blogging Challenge this past April, I have decided to blog about books for the month of June. I will be sharing tidbits about my own books and the other books on the Catholic Teen Books website.

Book three in your next fast-paced, mind-blowing dystopian! The tension is mounting! Corinna Turner gives us another exciting, thought-provoking story with Liberation.

About the Book:

“Seriously, Bane, should I sit around and pat myself on the back for resisting the EuroGov for six months of my life? Or should I go out and try to make a world in which you and I can raise children without being afraid that one day, they’ll be taken from us and murdered?”

THE EUROBLOC GENETICS FACILITY WHERE MARGO WAS IMPRISONED STANDS EMPTY. EVERY OTHER FACILITY IS FULL. TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

In the Vatican’s hidden place of exile, Margo and her fiance, Bane, hatch a daring plan: use Vatican strike teams to liberate teenagers destined for human ‘recycling’—to start a public outcry against Sorting. But if they succeed, the EuroGov’s vengeance will be swift and merciless. If a revolution happens, will it be too late for Margo—and Bane?

Author Corinna Turner shares some super fascinating details that went into writing this story:

The Citadel of Rabat in Liberation is a real place! Pretty much all the details are accurate, including the fake dome on the cathedral. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Malta and Gozo before writing Liberation, and I was going around sussing out all the old cities, trying to find the best hideout for my characters.

In the end it was a toss-up between two extraordinary walled cities, one in Malta – Rabat, also known as Victoria – and one on Gozo – Victoria, also known as Rabat (confusing, huh?). Gozo’s Victoria/Rabat (with its incredible Citadel) won the ‘extraordinary’ stakes by a hair – I really do mean it when I describe it as a ‘perfect city in miniature’. It also won on small size and isolation, both things that made it the more likely choice for a hide-out in Liberation.

You can see photos of the present day Citadel HERE.

I hope you checked out the Citadel! And here’s my review:

I thoroughly enjoyed Liberation, the third book in this series. This entire series is action-packed and fun to read, but also so thought-provoking. Turner’s clean, quick, and descriptive writing style is so fitting for this type of story.

It’s easy to see the similarities in attitudes and ideologies between the future conveyed in this story and today. I love how Margo, Bane, and Jon stir things up a bit, and I love the message that the books in this series give: we can’t just sit around and watch our world fall apart, even if we are safe and comfortable for the moment. We have to think about our children and their children, along with everyone else. We are all in this together and we must do our part to make things better.

Though they each struggle with different trials, Margo, Bane, and Jon do their part, take the risks, and give all they’ve got. And while the Church has had to go underground, it remains a very important part of the solution.

Highly recommend this series to older teens (there is a bit of language and violence) and to adults!

This book has the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

Learn more about Corinna Turner and her books:

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have you stumbled upon a favorite book this summer? Tell me about it in the comments. Feel free to share a link.

Summer & Books: The Three Most Wanted

Inspired by the A to Z Blogging Challenge this past April, I have decided to blog about books for the month of June. I will be sharing tidbits about my own books and the other books on the Catholic Teen Books website.

Book two in your next fast-paced, mind-blowing dystopian! The chase is on! Corinna Turner gives us another exciting, fast-paced story with The Three Most Wanted.

About the Book:

“Bane? Take Margo and go. You’ve done everything that you can. Just leave me here. I’ll be fine.”
“No, you won’t,” said Bane.
“Fine. I won’t. Doesn’t make any difference now. Go.”

2000 KILOMETERS. THREE YOUNG ADULTS.A CONTINENT-WIDE MANHUNT.
CHANCE OF SURVIVAL? NO CHANCE.

Having outwitted the EuroGov by rescuing an entire facility of teens destined for recycling, Margo is on the run. Together with Jon and Bane, she’s posing
as a summer backpacker. Their only hope is to keep ahead of the government trackers and somehow cross the continent to the last free state in Europe: The Vatican.

But just how long will that state remain free if the Three Most Wanted Fugitives
in Europe find refuge there?

Author Corinna Turner shares some “behind the scenes” that went into writing the second book in this series.

In the Three Most Wanted the main characters go on a very long trip across Europe, a lot of it by foot, but also by other means of transport. I would’ve loved to make the trip myself – for research purposes, of course! – but I lacked the time and resources. Since the book is set in the future, this was even less important than it might have been. So I have to confess that most of the French trip was based on a large road atlas that included terrain (which now sports a long pencil line marking their route), and good old Google Earth – with which one can now visit almost anywhere. Vatican State and Malta were a different matter – see the upcoming posts about ‘Liberation’ and ‘Bane’s Eyes’!

I did sample nettles whilst this book was underway! They can be safely eaten raw (if you know how to pick them) and they do taste like beans. But the wolf body language was something I already knew about, after researching for a previous novel from a different series in which one of the characters is… a werewolf! That book’s not yet published, but may be soon. Watch this space!

My review:

This is the first book in the series that I read, even though it’s book two, and I loved it! The EuroGov has taken control of everything and implemented unethical programs that all must live by. Margo has become a top rebel, standing up for what is right, good, and true, and many look to her for guidance. But now she, Jon, and Bane are on the run!

This is a gritty, action-packed adventure full of twists. Older teens and adults, especially fans of dystopian, will love it!

Margo and Jon became my favorite characters right away. I loved that a blind man was a main character and such a strong, selfless, capable character at that. I also liked the character Bane a lot. He struggles with a bit more than the others, in a sense, and he has a bit of growth to come (yes, I read the next two books in this series already).

Every character in this series is well-developed and I wanted to keep reading more about them after I finished the book. Highly recommend!

This book has the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

Learn more about Corinna Turner and her books:

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have you stumbled upon a favorite book this summer? Tell me about it in the comments. Feel free to share a link.

Summer & Books: I Am Margaret

Inspired by the A to Z Blogging Challenge this past April, I have decided to blog about books for the month of June. I will be sharing tidbits about my own books and the other books on the Catholic Teen Books website.

Your next fast-paced, mind-blowing dystopian is here! Carnegie Medal Award nominated author Corinna Turner gives us a dystopian series with strong protagonists who have plenty of integrity. I Am Margaret is the first in this series. This book was one of two runners-up for the “Teen and Children’s” Catholic Arts Letters Award.

About the Book:

IN MARGO’S WORLD, IF YOU DON’T PASS YOUR SORTING AT 18 YOU ARE RECYCLED. LITERALLY.

“Look, if you don’t pass…” said Bane, “I’ll have to see what I can do about it. Because… well… I’ve been counting on marrying you for a very long time, now, and I’ve no intention of letting anything stop me!”

Margaret Verrall dreams of marrying the boy she loves and spending her life with him. But she’s part of the underground network of Believers – and that carries the death penalty. And there’s just one other problem. She’s going to fail her Sorting.
But a chance to take on the system ups the stakes beyond mere survival. Now she has to break out of the Facility – or face the worst punishment of all.
Conscious Dismantlement.

I asked author Corinna Turner to share some “behind the scenes” that went into the writing of this book:

When writing I Am Margaret, first I had to create this ultra-secure fortress – the Facility where Margaret and her companions are locked up. I applied myself to this with enthusiasm, because let’s face it, these supposedly secure lock-ups with glaring and obvious weaknesses (air ducts, anyone?) are really annoying to read about and smack of laziness on the part of authors and scriptwriters.

But then… Uh oh. My characters needed to plan an escape. This was a serious problem! I’d deliberately avoided any glaring weaknesses! How could they do it? I sat around for ages on end, waving my hands and talking to myself: So they could do that, then that, and then… yes! I’ve got it! Finally! Oh! Oh no! No, I forgot about the… No, it won’t work, it just won’t… Oh no, I can’t get them out. They’re all dooooooomed…

Eventually the Holy Spirit took pity on me and their plan took shape. But does it succeed? Well, that would be telling!

Here are a few reviews:

“Great style—very good characters and pace.
Definitely a book worth reading, like The Hunger Games.” ~EOIN COLFER, author of the ARTEMIS FOWL books

“An intelligent, well-written and enjoyable debut from
a young writer with a bright future.” ~STEWART ROSS, author of THE SOTERION MISSION

“This book invaded my dreams.” ~SR MARY CATHERINE B. OP

“Probably one of the best Christian fiction books I have read.” ~CAT CAIRD, blogger, “Sunshine Lenses”

“This book is not for the faint of heart… I found myself emotionally worn out by the time I finished the book, after a rollercoaster ride of feelings … Without the faith element, I would probably have merely liked this book. With it, however, I loved it.” ~FR PAUL COLEMAN OFM Cap, blogger, ‘A Certain Hope’

“The beginning was a punch in the gut … The ending went by in a flash, and I paced the room reading the penultimate chapter. Everything in between was alternatively moving, exciting, and sad in turns.” ~JOSEPH WETTERLING, Goodreads Librarian

This book has the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.

Learn more about Corinna Turner and her books: