Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Alexander Delacroix's debut novel, Heart of the Impaler. Today, on our tour stop, we have a review AND a tour-wide giveaway to share. So... Be sure to check out this new release and grab your copy now! Follow the tour, HERE.
Genre:
Young Adult
Historical Fiction/Romance
Publish Date:
December 7, 2021
Publisher:
Synopsis:
Alexander Delacroix’s darkly romantic debut Heart of the Impaler is perfect for fans of Kiersten White’s And I Darken.
Vlad Dracula has long lived in the shadows cast by his bloodthirsty father, the voivode, and his older brother, Mircea. Despite their cruelty, Vlad has yearned to prove himself worthy of the throne his whole life. In the cold halls of the voivode’s palace, Vlad can only rely on his cousin and closest friend, Andrei Musat.
When Vlad and Andrei meet Ilona Csáki, the daughter of an influential boyar, they each find themselves inextricably drawn to her. But then Ilona is betrothed to Mircea as part of a political alliance, and Vlad’s resentfulness of his brother begins to seethe into something far darker.
Ilona has no desire to marry the voivode’s eldest son, but love and marriage are the least of her worries. The royal family’s enemies have already tried to put an arrow through her back—and if anyone discovers her blossoming feelings for Andrei and Vlad, she may just wish they’d succeeded.
Beneath the shadow of impending war, the only battle that will be deadlier than the one for Ilona’s life will be the one for her heart.
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**About the Author**
Alexander Delacroix earned Masters degrees from Brigham Young University and Western Governors University. As an undergraduate he majored in French, Russian, and German but ultimately became a Language Arts teacher. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and writing.
Heart of the Impaler is his debut novel.
Stay connected with Alexander Delacroix
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*My Thoughts*
Note: This review contains NO spoilers
At first glance, I was intrigued after reading the synopsis. The cover is also eye-catching. I found the idea of telling the story of young Vlad, before he became the notorious Vlad the Impaler, appealing. Heart of the Impaler is pretty much a "what if" story of a well-known historical figure. So, this reads as a young adult melodramatic romance with some kind of "love triangle"... and then some. Yah... One of those... Haha!
First off, the author wrote a story of fiction with an abundance of history mixed in to give it a bit of depth to the setting and characters. With each turn of the page, reader(s) are taken through the young lives of these characters, as they maneuver through the cultural and political ways of life that they are thrust into. And, of course, the romance among these characters subtly grows as the story evolves.
However, being a fascinating read, the story fell flat for me. But, I did finish this read. The story throughout felt like scattered/haphazard writing, as if it jumps from an event to another without telling what happened to get to the next event. Does that make sense? It also seems like the story is being told from Vlad's point of view, then there are parts that seem like it's being told from Ilona's point of view. Argggh... It got a bit confusing who's point of view was being told. Anyways, I found myself losing interest in between chapters. I had to take many breaks while reading this. Bottom line... Vlad definitely read as a spoiled young "prince" vying for his father's attention, which he didn't get much of. As for the other characters... Eh, I didn't get much depth with them.
Either way, readers will either like it or not like it. I ended up in the middle. The synopsis was fascinating enough to get me reading. The blend of fiction with history was interesting. But, in the end, Heart of the Impaler will be either you love it or you hate it kind of book.f
My rating:
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***The Giveaway***
Giveaway Open Internationally
- ends December 16, 2021
Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box
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