Book Review: Exile For Dreamers by Kathleen Baldwin

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Exile For Dreamers
Stranje House #2
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Released: May 24 2016
Review Source: Tor Teen

Tess can't run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother. Until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her friends at Stranje House from Lady Daneska and her lover, the Ghost-agent of Napoleon, who has escaped from Elba. Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?

Starting basically right where A School For Unusual Girls left off and this time with Tess we're thrown back into the action adventure. With Lady Daneska making plans with the Iron Crown to try and kidnap Georgie, Tess believes that she must stay and protect her and those she loves - including Lord Ravencross. Not wanting to fall asleep and succumb to the horrible dreams that she has, yet needing to get the upper hand, Tess must find in herself the strength to help the girls' bring down Lady Daneska.

I absolutely loved this book. I usually don't enjoy sequels that change point of views. If I'm hooked to a sequel I want the characters I was use to reading from. But because this one picked up right in the (basically) aftermath of what had happened and Georgie was there in that first chapter it made it easier for me to accept that we would be following a new girl.

I want to talk about Lord Ravencross. Oh my goodness. I love him. I want him to worry about me and want to protect me. When he finally is able to explain to Tess how he feels about her - that's when we see a side to Ravencross that we hadn't seen before. And it's a side that I really enjoyed reading.
I was also really enjoying the relationship between Jane and Mr. Sinclair. And at the end of the book you find out that Jane's story is being told in the next book. Which makes me really excited. I can't wait for the next book!

This book had more - in my opinion - action then the last one. A School For Unusual Girls' we had to get caught up on everything. Georgie had assumed that this school was one for torturing young women into ladies who would be suitable for marriage. So to be able to not deal with the setup meant that we could get straight into the story of what was happening with Lady Daneska and the Iron Crown. I felt that, that made this one more action packed and will make readers want to keep reading!

Blog Tour: Exile For Dreamers by Kathleen Baldwin | Inteview | Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on the Exile For Dreamers tour for Kathleen Baldwin. This tour is hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.

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Exile For Dreamers
Stranje House #2
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Released: May 24 2016
Publisher: Tor Teen

Tess can't run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother. Until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her friends at Stranje House from Lady Daneska and her lover, the Ghost-agent of Napoleon, who has escaped from Elba. Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?

INTERVIEW

1. Tell me a little bit about some of the characters in Exile for Dreamers.
A. Tess Aubreyson is the main character of EXILE FOR DREAMERS. Tess is fearless. She has to be. Her dreams would have driven a weaker person to madness already. She doesn’t realize how strong she is. In my mind, she looks a lot like this actress, Ryan Newman, only maybe a little more rugged. It’s as if Tess has one foot in the spiritual realm if you know what I mean. I think that’s why animals respond to her so readily.

The book opens with her explaining why she runs:
“I run to escape my dreams. Dreams are my curse. Every night they haunt me, every morning I outrun them, and every evening they catch me again. One day they will devour my soul.
But not today.”

2. What were your biggest challenges in writing Exile for Dreamers?
A. The dreams. On the first go round, I made them too literal. My editor insisted I make them more obscure. So laying in clues without giving too much away was challenging.

3. What are some of your quirks that get you in the mood to write? Do you listen to certain music, have a certain area you write at, etc?
A. Sometimes music will help me to go deeper into the world, but mostly I grab my water jug and sit down and write. I love writing.

4. What kind of research did you have to do for this book?
A. Tons. The Stranje House world is peopled with real characters from history. Robert Fulton’s nephew is fictitious but all of the details surrounding the steamship and the

5. Describe your book in 5 words?
A. Strength, Spies, Danger, Bravery, & Dreams.

6. What scene in Exile for Dreamers are you most proud of, and why?
A. I love the scene where Tess tells Miss Stranje about her mother dying. I cried while writing it. I was able to pour many of my own feelings about my mother dying into that scene. (She died after my freshman year.) It was the hardest scene to write, but turned out to be one of my favorites.

7. Which character in Exile for Dreamers do you relate to most and why?
A. Naturally, there are aspects of the writer in all their characters. My family and friends insist that Tess is just like me. But that’s silly. She’s much cooler than I am. They only think that, because I used to be a rock climber and Tess likes to climb. In one scene she climbs two-stories up the stone wall of Ravencross manor.

8. What’s the hardest part about being a writer?
A. Sitting. I don’t do well for very long. I prefer to move around. There’s another thing that’s difficult for me when I’m on deadline. Stopping and taking the time to listen to my deep thoughts and allowing the story to emerge from there. That‘s the well from where story magic is drawn.

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"I love adventure in books and in real life. I've roamed the Rocky Mountains, wandered the desert, enjoyed way too many classes in college, was stalked by a mountain lion, lost an argument with a rattlesnake, fell in love at least a dozen times, finally met and married my very own hero, and together we've raised four free-spirited children." Award-winning author - Kensington published four of Kathleen's Regency romantic comedies, including MISTAKEN KISS, a Holt Medallion finalist. DIARY OF A TEENAGE FAIRY GODMOTHER, was a Golden Quill finalist. Her upcoming Historical YA series with TorTeen, A SCHOOL FOR UNUSUAL GIRLS, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and won a Marlene.

News and more at: www.Kathleenbaldwin.com

Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of EXILE FOR DREAMERS.
US/Canada Only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Week One:
5/23/2016- Once Upon A Twilight- Interview
5/24/2016- Stories & Sweeties - Review
5/25/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Guest Post
5/26/2016- Lisa Loves Literature - Review
5/27/2016- The Cover Contessa - Interview

Book Review: A School For Unusual Girls by Kathleen Badlwin

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A School For Unusual Girls
Stranje House #1
Author: Kathleen Baldwin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Released: May 19 2015
Review Source: Tor Teen

It’s 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England’s dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society’s constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think. In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle the girls in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

After accidentally setting her father’s stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt. Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts...

A story based in 1814 about girls whose parents think they are unruly and not proper enough to be married. In 1814 this was a disgrace for these parents. The story follows Georgiana as her parents take her to a school they think to be, basically, a torture chamber to straighten out their daughter. Little do they know that this school is only enhancing Georgie's unruly behavior.

Usually I stay away from Historical Fiction. I tend to not be able to get into the story as much because I feel like I'm taken out of a different time, I'm more comfortable in the here and now or in the future. But boy did I plow through this book. I really enjoyed it, and believe me, I cannot wait for the sequels.

Georgie was a fantastic character. She was exactly how I was at 16, except I wasn't fantastic at math and science. But the behavior parts, it was me to a T. Her relationship with Sebastian as well. As it starts, it's rocky. But you automatically know you are to like him. Lord Wyatt, is his proper name, and he challenges Georgie, and at the same time is falling in love with her. While the romance isn't the main focal point of the story it was good enough to wrench on my heart strings. Oh boy, never have I cried in such a way for a book's love story. I didn't full on The Fault In Our Stars cry, but I had tears in my eyes at least twice over their love story.

Honestly, this book has taught me that sometimes I need to pick up books that I don't usually read. I was apprehensive to read this book because I was worried that it would be dull and boring for me. But from the start it was captivating. When she got to the school I almost felt like Miss Stranje was Professor X and she was housing mutants. But really she's just housing brilliant young girls!