Welcome to another blog tour! Hah. I know, I’m up to my neck in blog tours again, but I just couldn’t turn down the chance to read books by up and coming authors. Today I have a review of Tournament of Chance and a quick interview with the author S.G. Rogers. I won an ebook copy of this book in a giveaway some months back and when the invitation for the tour came out, I decided to jump in and join the fun. There’s a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway so don’t forget to enter at the end of this post!
In Tournament of Chance, a hunter’s daughter becomes the spark that ignites a revolution—in time.
When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?
The first line of the summary got me interested in this book. I’ve always loved female heroines and I was looking forward to reading about a truly kickass one. This book definitely did not disappoint when it comes to that. Heather of Jagged Peaks was strong, smart, independent, and was a true fighter. If she was a girl in current times she’d be someone who’d rather be caught dead in sporty shoes rather than sensible pumps.
I wasn’t very impressed with the start of the book. I think it was more of how the first part was written. Yes, the pace of the story was very fast and it was exciting enough, but it felt like everything went too perfectly and was a little predictable. I don’t know. Luckily, the story picked up when Heather met the shape-shifting wizards and from there it was just one big fantastic adventure with dragons (yep, I said it) and magic! The time travel aspect was nicely done, too, and many things made more sense as Heather went hurling through time. This was one of the few time travel fantasy adventures that I truly enjoyed reading, and if you also like fantasy, time travel, and dragens, you might enjoy this one! ;)
I received a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligations. All opinions and views expressed here are my own.
About the author
Originally from Southern California, S.G. Rogers has lived in Asheville, North Carolina and Laurel, Mississippi. She earned her first black belt in taekwondo from martial arts champion Billy Blanks. Later on, she earned black belts in taekwondo and hapkido from Master Myung Kim. Currently residing in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, S.G. Rogers writes fantasy and romantic fantasy stories. She’s owned by two hairless cats, Houdini and Nikita, and lives on an island populated by exotic birds, deer and the occasional gator. Although she’s most often drawn to speculative fiction, she’s been known to break away to write other genres. Tab is her beverage of choice, but when she imbibes, a cranberry vodka martini doesn’t go amiss. Connect with her on her blog.
And now, a flash interview with the author!
1. How did you come up with the storyline for Tournament of Chance?
The novel was based on a short story I wrote a few years ago. The plot was about a commoner who wants to earn a royal title by winning an archery competition. The narrative originally ended after the competition, when it became clear a revolution was about to take place. I tweaked the short story a little and then kept writing.
2. What’s the first thing you did when you first became a published author?
I gurgled with joy. Then I wondered what I was going to do for an encore.
3. What’s the best advice about writing or being an author that you ever received?
An author tends to think every word he or she writes is golden. The truth is, less is more.
4. What’s the one book you would love to see made into a movie (one that hasn’t been made into a film already!) and who would be the main actor/actress in it?
I cannot understand why the Dragonriders of Pern novels (author Anne McCaffrey) haven’t yet been made into films. There are probably a lot of actresses who could play Lessa, but Jessica Biel would be great.
5. Name just one movie that you would rewrite into a book.
Nikita (Director Luc Besson) would make a thrilling book. The Dark Shadows TV series from the ’60s would make a great book, too!
Big thanks to SG Rogers for answering these quickie questions! You can check out the rest of the tour stops here.