Thursday, November 1, 2012

Lit Chat: Joy and Alexa on Quintana (and Giveaway)

See the full schedule for the Quintana of Charyn blog tour HERE.


So. Alexa and I spent an hour or two one Sunday afternoon fangirling chatting about Quintana. Please bear with us because we were all over the place. We wanted it to be as spontaneous as possible so we didn't really have any prepared topics or questions. We flew by the seats of our pants and if you can bear with our ramblings, I'm sure we've made a bit of sense...somehow.

Please note: We had to block out a couple of spoilery things below. We could tell you what they were...but then we'd have to kill you...just kidding!  


12:46 PM Joyousreads: Oh hey!
12:47 PM Alexa: I was looking everywhere and finally found the invite on this talk thing lol
 Joyousreads: Sweet. :)
12:48 PM You read Quintana pretty fast!
12:49 PM Alexa: I've realized I can read fast when it's a book I REALLYREALLY want to read. Other books just take me days. lol
 Joyousreads: I hear ya. I forced myself to slow down. I've read and re-read this book already.
12:51 PM Alexa: Ooh I want to reread it too along with Froi. Not sure when tho.
12:52 PM Joyousreads: I knowwwww. I had this plan to write a post on 132 about all the things I was looking forward to about Quintana before she comes but time ran out on me.
12:53 PM Anyway. I don't need to ask if you loved it because...that's just a stupid question. LOL. Of course, you did!
12:54 PM Alexa: That would have been an interesting post to compare to after reading.
  Yes, same for you!
 Joyousreads: Exactly. Rhetorical question. :)
12:57 PM Well what were you looking forward to the most about Quintana?
1:00 PM Alexa: In the summary it said that there was a showdown between Isaboe & Quintana in the valley and I couldn't wait to read that!
1:01 PM Who was going to gain power & who was going to go through heartbreak?
1:02 PM It made me really nervous. D:
1:03 PM Joyousreads: For me, I wanted to know if Froi would be forced to take sides. I knew his bond with Isaboe would make it difficult and it was interesting to see it all play out.
1:06 PM Alexa: Yes I wondered how that was going to work out. I know he cares so much for Isaboe, Finnikin, and Lumatere, but I wanted him to be with Quintana and his real parents.
  Everyone has just been through so much. I wanted everyone to be happy.
1:08 PM Joyousreads: They got there but it wasn't easy though, wasn't it? But I'm not complaining. I love that about MM's books. Her characters go through so much before she gives them their HEA. The books are always fraught with hardships and heartaches.
1:10 PM Alexa: So true. Wouldn't be an MM book without all that.
  Who did you think would get the power or the heartbreak?
1:15 PM I didn't want either Quintana or Isaboe to go through any sort of heartbreak. But I admit I did want Quintana to get the power...
 Joyousreads: I was more hedging on the fact that no matter what, both kingdoms would be united as one. Froi is the bridge that would link them to peace. As for heartbreak...well. It was across the board. Like you said, it wouldn't be an MM book without it.
1:16 PM And I agree. Charynites deserved peace after all the years of their struggle.
1:20 PM Alexa: They did deserve! Actually while I was reading, I remember finally deciding who I wanted to have the power. I was like, 'Okay, Isaboe, I'm sorry. It's Quintana's turn.' As soon as I thought I turned the page to the next chapter..
1:21 PM Spoiler: And I found out Isaboe and Finnikin had lost their baby!!
1:22 PM Joyousreads: Lol! We're going to have to block that one out!
  But yeah, that was...hard to read.
 Alexa: (lmao Okay!)
1:24 PM Yeah, it was. So sad. :'( I wanted to go in there and comfort them. I regretted thinking that one deserved more happiness than the other. Quin&Isa both deserved happiness.
1:28 PM Joyousreads: I love what Finnikin said when Isaboe asked him that question and his answer was that he'll shout out to the goddess in fury why he was given so much and other men so little. God. This is what I love about her writing. It doesn't take much for her to reduce me to tears.
1:36 PM Alexa: Aww Finnikin... While it all just broke my heart, I'm glad that MM still had Finnkin and Isaboe go through heart wrenching moments. They were going through things like everyone else.
1:37 PM Joyousreads: I must admit, I was a little irritated with him right from the get to. I mean, come on, Finch. You really think Isaboe is going around dreaming of another man while she's in bed with you? Duuuude.
1:44 PM Alexa: Oh I know! I wanted to punch him! His assumptions and some of things he said were funny to me because they were so ridiculous. :p
 Joyousreads: :)
1:45 PM Do you ever find yourself going to the map to track where everyone was? I did that a lot. Lol.
1:46 PM I think this is the only fantasy book where I'm completely vested in every facets of the novel.
1:47 PM Alexa: Heck yea! I would have been lost without those maps. This time I kept getting Sarnak and Sorel mixed up.
1:48 PM Same here. Usually I don't pay much attention to maps in other books, but I loved looking at the ones in this series.
 Joyousreads: I was more obsessed about how much traveling they had to do. Like that part where Grij had to take Phaedra back to the valley. Mind you, it probably was more because I was dying for a reunion with Luc-ien!
1:49 PM Alexa: Phaedra and Lucian!! <3 <3
1:50 PM I was definitely looking forward to scenes with them. I needed to know what would happen between them! :D
 Spoiler: Joyousreads: Yessss. God. I expected a lot more temper throwing from that Mont though. Especially when he found out his wife was alive the entire time.
1:51 PM Alexa: lol I wanted the opposite. I didn't want him to get angry at all!
1:52 PM Joyousreads: What?! Come on, Mont boys are hot when they lose their tempers! Actually, so do the boys from the Rock...and the Flatland...and the River. Well...I like them when they lose their tempers anyway. :)
1:55 PM Alexa: I know, you're right! But....I didn't want him to be angry at Phaedra. Because she's awesome, and I wanted him to be understanding.
1:56 PM Joyousreads: MM's books are littered with strong heroines...even secondary ones. A lot of writers could use a lesson or two from her.
1:58 PM Alexa: For real. And her secondary characters leave an impression. I actually care about them and want to know what happens to them as much as the main characters.
1:59 PM Joyousreads: Which brings me to this question: if MM would write a short story about a couple of her secondary characters, which two would you pick?
2:00 PM ...that is, if we were given the chance to choose. :)
2:01 PM Alexa: After finishing Quintana, I would definitely love to read more about Perri and Tesadora.
2:02 PM Joyousreads: God. Yes! It'd had to be R-rated. There's just no way those two wouldn't have fierce...er, relations. Lol.
2:03 PM Alexa: I loved those two before, but when I found out what happened to them all those years ago.. I need to know more!!
  YES! lol And Perri is just... faints
2:04 PM Joyousreads: Yes. That scar on his face. That fierce, dangerous aura? And Tesadora could give as much as she could take. They're perfect.
2:08 PM Alexa: They made me smile so much. X3 That reminds me, when Lucian tried to warn Perri about Tesadora's mood...that was hilarious! Oh Lucian. XD
2:09 PM Joyousreads: Tesadora is one scary witch.
2:10 PM Was it everything you hoped for?
2:13 PM Alexa: It was completely satisfying. I felt so relieved and happy when I was done. :) What about you?
2:16 PM Joyousreads: That and more. I can't pinpoint what I liked best about the book but I can say in all honesty that I didn't like the fact that this is the end for this series. I mean, don't get me wrong. It ended how it was meant to end but I just can't. I don't. You know the feeling you get when you've prepared and worked hard to achieve something for the longest time and instead of feeling relieved you're just kind left feeling empty? Like a deflated balloon? That's how I felt. Not because the book was unsatisfactory but it's like..."now what do I do?" yanno?
2:18 PM Alexa: It's weird; I did feel like that in a way as well. I didn't want it to ever end!
2:19 PM Joyousreads: Oh well. Anyway, the boy is screaming for his afternoon snack. I'll catch ya later on Twitter. Nice chatting with ya :)
2:21 PM Alexa: hehe Okay
  Enjoyed chatting about the book. :)
 Joyousreads: Same. We should do this often. :) 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Quintana of Charyn Blog Tour Schedule


The blog tour for Quintana of Charyn officially kicks off tomorrow! Who else is excited?! Thanks to all the lovely bloggers and fellow Melina Marchetta fans who volunteered to participate in this blog tour. We hope everyone has fun reading all the posts during this blog tour! (FYI: There's a tour giveaway in each post, so be sure to enter!) Here's the schedule of what you can expect for the next nine days:

November 1
132 Minutes - Book Chat
Joie de Lire - Excerpt


November 2
Bookittyblog - Review
A Girl Books and Other Things - Top Five Characters


November 3
Carina's Books - Review
Whole Lotta Mama! - Favorite Character


November 4
WinterHaven Books - Review + Giveaway
We Fancy Books - Excerpt


November 5
Joyous Reads - The Romance
Love is not a triangle - Review


November 6
Collections - Fanart
The Ink Spills - Series Review


November 7
A Book and a Short Latte - Series Cast
The Readers Den - Excerpt + Giveaway


November 8
The Fairytale Nerd - Reasons to Read the Series
GrowingUp YA - Dream Cast


November 9
132 Minutes - Melina Marchetta's Guest Post
132 Minutes - Shelf Envy + Wrap-up

Thursday, October 4, 2012

US Cover Reveal: Quintana of Charyn

Quintana of Charyn was released last week in Australia, but it's still on its way to being released in North America. Thanks to Raquel S. at Candlewick for allowing us to reveal the fierce cover for the North American edition of Quintana!


Previous books in the Lumatere Chronicles

Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta 
Release Date: March 12, 2013 | Pages: 528 | Publisher: Candlewick

The climactic conclusion of Printz Award winner Melina Marchetta’s epic fantasy trilogy!

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi and his companions travel through Charyn searching for Quintana and building an army that will secure her unborn child’s right to rule. While in the valley between two kingdoms, Quintana of Charyn and Isaboe of Lumatere come face-to-face in a showdown that will result in heartbreak for one and power for the other. The complex tangle of bloodlines, politics, and love introduced in Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles coalesce into an engrossing climax in this final volume.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Happy Release Day!

Melina at the Quintana launch in Sydney (image source)

Quintana of Charyn is finally out in Australia! Yay! Happy release day to Melina Marchetta! If you don't live in Australia or can't wait for the North American edition to be released in March 2013, Quintana of Charyn can be ordered through Fishpond, which provides free worldwide shipping.

In other news, 132 Minutes reached 10,000 pageviews yesterday! Thanks to all those who have visited and continue to visit this page. We love you, Melina!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Update on Quintana of Charyn blog tour

Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far to participate in the Quintana of Charyn blog tour! The blog tour will begin November 1, and sign-ups will be closing on September 30. If you're interested, please go to the sign-up post HERE.

We know not everyone will be able to get their hands on a copy of Quintana of Charyn from Australia, so just another reminder that you don't have to read the book to join the blog tour. Your post can be about anything relating to the Lumatere Chronicles! :)

If you signed up before today, you should have received an email from us today. Didn't receive it? Please let us know as soon as possible because that email is very important! And if you have received it, please make sure you reply.

There will be another blog tour in March 2013 to coincide with the North American release. Sign-ups for that one will open later, and more details about that tour will be released probably near the end of the year.

Any questions about the blog tours can be left in the comments or sent to us via email.