WITCHLANDERS Review and Kindle Giveaway - Lena Coakley

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Publisher: Atheneum
My Recommended Age Group: Young Adult to Adult
Released: August 30, 2011
Blog Tour: Kismet Book Touring
Our Rating:

From Goodreads:

High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.

It’s all a fake.

At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated?

But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic and about himself will change, when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned—

Are about him.

My thoughts:

Imagine two points of action, like the ends of a string, fluttering around in a breeze and slowly drawing together. Suddenly they meet with fireworks, explosions, and huge bursts of color. For me, that just about sums up the POV within WITCHLANDERS by Lena Coakley.

Unlike the cover of the book might lead one to think, the main POV in WITCHLANDERS is not a female, but a male. More to the point, it's actually two different males. We switch back and forth between the stories of Ryder and Falpian, enemies by birth and yet unlikely allies by the time their "strings" finally meet. While the POV switch could be confusing if not worked well, Ms. Coakley obviously put a lot of energy into making sure that they meshed well. I've read books (as I'm sure we all have) where the POV switches can really kill a story. I'm happy to say that in this case, they add to WITCHLANDERS instead of detract.

About this time I always try to consider what my favorite part of the story was. In this case, I'm having a hard time picking one aspect as my favorite. The characters, their struggles, and the conflict between them is done wonderfully and truly builds the story. The world and the history of the Witchlanders and Baen add a fantastical element that keeps the reader engaged and wondering what's going to happen next. If I had to pick one thing, however, I think I would pick the scenery of the story as one of the aspects that really made this book memorable for me. Ms. Coakley did an excellent job building her landscapes and creating a place where the reader could jump in and experience the story along with the characters. Although I've come across many stories that I love, it's not as often that I find a book where I find myself wishing that I could see the scenery for myself and experience the colors, sights, sounds, and smells there. Ms. Coakley creates such a story.

Although WITCHLANDERS didn't seem to have a huge romance emphasis, I think fans of many genres will find something to love here. It has a touch of a high fantasy feel, a bit of romance, and a ton of adventure. Family and personal conflict abounds, hooking the reader and developing into a story that is very difficult to put down until the last page is turned. I highly suggest WITCHLANDERS and, if you haven't done so already, suggest you go find a copy and settle in for some good reading.

*****

The Language of Witchlanders

By the red!

I knew when I was creating the world of Witchlanders that I wanted the characters’ everyday language—even their swear words—to hint at the book’s backstory.

At the beginning of the novel, Ryder, the main character, thinks his heritage as the descendant of witches is an insignificant part of his life—but his language tells a different story. Almost all the swears he uses, like “by the red” and “by the twins,” refer to witches. (Witches wear red, and Aata and Aayse, the prophets of witchcraft, were twins.) The swear, “Aata’s blood!” is particularly significant, because it hints at a dark secret in the coven’s past. These curses were one of the things I used to show that although Ryder might think he has rejected his heritage, he is actually immersed in it every day of his life.

In the Witchlands, the worst thing you can call someone is a “blackhair,” a word people throw around so often that they have almost forgotten it is a racial slur, referring to their enemies across the border, the Baen. When we actually meet a “blackhair,” Falpian Caraxus, his blasphemies reveal a worldview much different from that of the Witchlanders. His favourite swear, “Curses of Kar!” suggests a more violent creator (someone who might actually curse you!) than the mother goddess the Witchlanders imagine.

Because Falpian is a funnier character, some of his swears were chosen for comic effect, like when he finds a body and yells, “Kar’s thousand eyes!” But even that reflects how much Falpian has taken for granted about his religion. He’s never really questioned whether he believes his god truly has a thousand eyes and a thousand tongues or whether this is just a metaphor. And he’s never questioned some of the other tenets of his religion, too, such as his people’s belief that women don’t have souls.

Falpian and Ryder have lived with these sayings and expressions for so long that they don’t hear them anymore, just as they don’t notice the stereotypes and assumptions they have grown up with. It’s only when these two characters meet and form an uneasy alliance that they begin to question their beliefs about each other and about themselves.

Thanks so much, Cinnamon, for having me on your blog!

Lena


About Lena Coakley

Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, creative writing was the only class she ever failed (nothing was ever good enough to hand in!), but, undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She got interested in young adult literature when she moved to Toronto, Canada, and began working for CANSCAIP, the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers, where she eventually became the Administrative Director. She is now a full-time writer living in Toronto. Witchlanders is her debut novel.

Lena: On her Website // On Facebook // On Twitter

*****

Contest Info

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Continue on to the next stops in the tour!

Monday, August 22nd -The Page Turners
Tuesday, August 23rd- The Unread Reader
BONUS post! Tuesday, August, 23rd - The Zealous Reader
Wednesday, August 24th - Books Complete Me
BONUS post! Wednesday, August 24th - Rayment's Reading Rants and Rambles
Thursday, August 25th - We Fancy Books
Friday, August 26th - Read.Breathe.Relax

Monday, August 29th - Emilie’s Book World
Tuesday, August 30th - The Mundie Mom’s
BONUS post! Tuesday, August 30th - YA Booklover's Blog
Wednesday, August 31st - The Enchanted Inkpot
Thursday, September 1st- Well Read Wife
Friday, September 2nd - A Journey of Books

Monday, September 5th- The Story Siren
Tuesday, September 6th - One A Day Y.A.
Wednesday, September 7th - Reading Angel
Thursday, September 8th - Soul Unsung
Friday, September 9th - Alice Marvel’s

Tuesday, September 13th: Announcement of the big prize winner on Lena's Site!