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Blog Tour: The Princelings of the East by Jemima Pett (spotlight, giveaway)
The Princelings of the East (Princelings Trilogy, Book 1)
written by Jemima Pett
published by Princelings Publications
find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Goodreads
About the book: The Princelings of the East is the first of a trilogy telling of the adventures of Fred and George.
When the King’s Birthday feast is ruined by an unnatural power drain, our Princeling heroes leave their scientific experiments to set out in search of answers. They encounter the enigmatic businessman Hugo, the impressive Prince of Buckmore, the wise Lady Nimrod, the irrepressible barkeeper Victor, but find themselves threatened by those with vested interests. The scene shifts from a rural, feudal setting to the towers and heights of the curious Isle of Hattan, but where, or when, are they? Time is of the essence in solving this puzzle, and our heroes must keep their wits sharp and their heads clear if they are to survive.
Suitable for good readers aged 10 and over, The Princelings of the East is a fantasy adventure with the charm of the Wind in the Willows in a world reminiscent of Anne MacCaffrey’s Pern.
The music was good, the Great Hall was crowded, and their grandfather, King Cole XIV, was circulating among his subjects followed by a retinue of persons carrying packages of varying shapes and sizes. Fred and George had solved their problem by hiding in a sizeable alcove that was covered by a tapestry. The alcove was usually solely occupied by a marble statue of King Rudolph II. The tapestry was usually found hanging in the second corridor to the west of the upper circle of the main castle. It had a fair size patch that was extremely threadbare and George had confirmed it was not only the right height for them but it was also as easy to see through as a fine veil. Moving it the night before had been an interesting task, but they had made it without being seen by anyone that mattered. They had to share the space with King Rudolph, but they had slipped into the kitchens before the event started and stocked up with a selection of the cold foods already prepared. The smell of the hot food in the ovens had been mouth-watering, and they regretted missing the main feast. They’d made up for it by bringing back loaded plates. Garnishes and bits of sandwiches and half-eaten vegetable sticks were all that remained on them. Some of the empties were stacked on top of King Rudolph’s crown and the rest cradled pretty safely between the top of his shield and his right arm. They were still hoping to sneak out to sample the hot food though. It seemed to them to be rather late arriving.
They watched as the King did the rounds. Prince Vladimir, the Princelings’ uncle and the King’s deputy, looked straight at them, or rather the tapestry, a couple of times and Fred suspected he might have decided the tapestry didn’t belong there.
“I don’t like the looks Vlad keeps giving us,” he whispered to George.
“He can’t see us,” said George. “Stop feeling guilty!”
“He knows this shouldn’t be here.”
“So what’s he going to do about it right now?”
What Prince Vladimir was going to do was walk right over to them. He stood there eyeing the tapestry, lips pursed. He reached out to the side of the tapestry. Fred and George held their breath, looking at each other with wide eyes.
“Your highness,” said a servant, scurrying up behind the prince and whispering urgently in his ear so loudly that Vlad flinched and Fred and George could hear him. “We have a problem in the kitchen.”
Vlad turned. “What?” he said sternly.
“The ovens, they stopped working some time ago, we don’t know when. The cook…”
“Why didn’t you notice?” Vlad barked.
“Well, they were all working flat out, things were cooking, smelling of cooking, sizzling, and then they stopped sizzling, but the noise around was so loud we didn’t notice,” stammered the servant.
“Well, serve what you can; it should have been served half an hour ago!”
“That’s the problem, sire,” said the servant. “The cook is in tears, it’s all ruined!”
“Surely something can be served?”
“Some accompanying sauces, sire, but the pies and pastries ruined, the soufflé sunk, the vegetables are rock hard and the puddings a glutinous mess.”
Just then the music stopped.
“Wait here! No, get the cook to put the sweetmeats out.”
They both hurried away, Vlad to the minstrels’ gallery where he could be heard remonstrating with the bandleader, and the servant, presumably, to the kitchen.
George looked at Fred wide-eyed.
“The Energy Drain again! Oh, my… at such a time.”
Fred nodded. “Everything on full blast, and the special lighting and everything. Just too much load, I suppose.”
“The castle’s power plant should have no problem coping with this load. Something is draining the energy, Fred. And it certainly isn’t us!”
The Buzz
“Jemima Pett has woven a suspenseful mystery featuring a cast of memorable characters headed by the two charismatic guinea pigs, Fred and George. Pett dives into the story right away introducing Fred and George and establishing the crux of the plot early in the book – namely, the mysterious Energy Drain. The plot line, with its many twists and turns, is very intricate and complex; thus, making it enjoyable for older tweens and even adults. Science fiction aficionados in particular will be interested in the element of time-travel in this book.” ~ Mother Daughter Book Reviews, 5 Stars
“It was easy for me to settle into Pett’s writing style; it’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Anne McCaffrey or J.R.R. Tolkien, and Pett’s writing is a welcomed reminder of how that style of writing can really add to a good plot-line. I have to say that I was impressed with the novel overall. Although it is for older children, it’s still written in a way that will appeal to many adults.” ~ Megan, Amazon, 5 Stars
“After reading The Princelings of the East, I felt as if my IQ had gone up a few points with Ms. Pett’s vocabulary choices – what refreshing text. This true adventure book which includes a fight, time travel and mysterious strangers is reminiscent of Wind in the Willows – with a twist…I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading the next book in the Princelings series.” ~Christine M. Goodreads, 5 Stars.
About the author: I’ve been writing since I was about 8 years old. When my mum died in 2003, I found a small booklet in her box of treasures, written in a very childish hand, entitled The Little Stream. I’ve been writing articles and reports for newsletters and magazines ever since, but I couldn’t find interesting characters and plot for a novel!
I worked in business for many years. I wrote manuals, reports, science papers, blogs, journals, anything and everything that kept the words flowing. Finally the characters jumped into my head with stories that needed to be told, and The Princelings of the East was born.
I now live in Norfolk with my guinea pigs, the first of whom, Fred, George, Victor and Hugo, provided the inspiration for my stories. And the picture is me with Fred. That’s Princeling Fred, of course!
Find Ms. Pett here: web, book website, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Goodreads
Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash + a paperback copy of The Princelings Trilogy by Jemima Pett
Contest runs: September 23 to October 20, 11:59 pm, 2013
Open: WW
How to enter: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Terms and Conditions: A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send us an email!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Princelings of the East Blog Tour Schedule (2013)
September 23
Mother Daughter Book Reviews (Launch)
Black Words – White Pages Kids (Review)
September 24
September 25
Stitch Says (Author Interview)
September 26
Amanda’s Books and More (Review)
September 27
September 28
Create With Joy (Author Interview)
September 29
Christy’s Cozy Corners (Review)
September 30
Black Words – White Pages Kids (Author Interview)
Fantasy Fun With Kirstin Pulioff (Review)
October 1
Houseful of Chaos (Character Interview)
Published Bestsellers (Review)
October 2
Fiona Ingram (Author Interview)
October 3
Donna L. Sadd (Author Interview)
October 4
Magical Middle-Grade Literature (Review)
October 5
Every Free Chance Book Reviews (Spotlight With Excerpt)
October 6
Mommasez (Character Interview)
October 7
My Devotional Thoughts (Review)
The Ninja Librarian (Author Interview)
4 Comments
by Jemima Pett
Thank you so much for featuring the book today, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the excerpt!
by TheEveryFreeChanceReader
You’re welcome! I’m happy to be a part of your tour.
by Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews
Thanks so much for taking part in the Princelings Blog Tour! Your post looks great! 🙂
by TheEveryFreeChanceReader
No problem! Happy to do so!