VeganYANerds: Blog Tour: The Violet Fox by Clare C. Marshall

The Violet Fox (The Violet Fox #1) by Clare C. Marshall

Published October 13, 2012 by Faery Ink Press

Source: the author

Rating: 4 paws

From the blurb: Run.That’s what instinct told me.But in order to save the secrets of my people and to protect my brother I have to become the enemy.

The Violet Fox by Clare M. Marshall is set in the fictional land of Marlenia. Kiera Driscoll is a fifteen year old Freetor. She and her people live underground in a series of tunnels and caverns, forced to do so after the war between them and the ruling Marlenians. The war ended two hundred years ago but the hated between the two races is still strong today. Living with Kiera’s group are The Elders, they are able to wield magic and this both frightens and entices the Marlenians who have never been able to do the same. Keira is a Fighter, along with her older brother, Rordan, and best friend, Laoise. Being a Fighter means going above ground, stealing food from the Marlenian merchants and rescuing enslaved Freetors whenever possible. Kiera always goes dressed as the Violet Fox and enjoys taunting the Marlenian guards. One day she meets Prince Keegan and she is about to be captured and taken to the castle dungeons but she manages to escape, injuring Keegan in the process. That same day she is called by The Elders and told of a new mission: impersonate a noblewoman, enter the castle as part of Prince Keegan’s name-day celebrations then locate and steal back a Freetor tome containing information about their magic. Kiera accepts and sets off for the castle. But not everything is as it seems and soon Kiera will be questioning her loyalty.

I was contacted by author, Clare, to see if I wanted to take part in the blog tour for her book, The Violet Fox. The cover immediately had me interested as I liked the old-fashioned look as well as the gorgeous illustration. I’m really glad I accepted because I enjoyed this book a lot! It has mystery, action, romance, strong world building and bonus points for no insta-love and no love-traingles!

From the first page I was drawn into Kiera’s world. It’s just like any other day for her; she is above ground, attempting to steal from the Marlenians, alongside Rowan and Laoise. (I imagined the opening scene to look like the market scene in Aladdin when they all sing One Jump Ahead, only Kiera doesn’t have a monkey for a side kick!) But unlike most days the Prince is in the market area and she cannot pass up an opportunity to attack his carriage in the hope of killing him. Things don’t go to plan but luckily for Kiera, Rordan is always watching out for her. Kiera is brave, cunning and a little bit reckless. She likes the attention she gets when she wears her Violet Fox mask and cape and enjoys her life as a Fighter. She is willing to do whatever it takes to help her people and she accepts her mission immediately and I admired her for that.

Kiera enters the castle impersonating a noblewoman from the North. She is pretty sure she has her mind made about Prince Keegan but on her first night in the castle the discussion turns to Freetors and he shows compassion when others at the dinner speak with hatred. While voicing her opinions she catches Keegan’s attention and it’s clear that he is taken with her, not only because she’s beautiful but because unlike the other ladies, she is willing to speak her mind. I really enjoyed the way their relationship develops, it felt very realistic. Kiera doesn’t fall in love with Keegan right away as she hates him for being Marlenian, for having so much while she and her people have so little, but he is so kind and interested in her opinions and wants to get to know her that soon her feelings are conflicted.

I never doubted Kiera or Keegan’s actions but there were other characters that made me intensely curious, mostly Rordan and Advisor Ferguson. Both of them had me guessing the whole way through and I was surprised by both of them.

Being a fantasy story there was a good amount of detail regarding the setting, the food, and the clothing but it was never overdone or boring. I enjoyed picturing the world that Clare created and I felt like she’d done adequate research particularly in making sure that the Freetors could survive underground due to the moss growing in the caverns, not just having to rely on stolen bread and fruit.

There was also a message about forgiveness - the hatred between the Freetors and Marlenians felt like a direct comparison to our world, the fact that the prejudice is passed down through the generations and both sides are not willing to look past their differences or forget the past.

Lately I have not been enjoying drama-filled books, particularly when the drama has no real purpose, so I was really pleased when I kept thinking “Oh no, this is going to cause major drama” only to find my guess was been wrong and instead the characters handled things really well. There were many instances where I thought something typical was going to occur and when it didn't, I was surprised and impressed.

The Violet Fox is an intriguing blend of fantasy, mystery, romance, magic and action and I for one can’t wait for book two!

Thanks to wonderful author, Clare, for not only providing me with a copy of her book but also for offering to take the photo for this review – please welcome Boots, what a handsome cat!

And Clare is hosting a giveaway! Enter below for a chance to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

19 comments:

Clare said...: Thanks so much for being part of my blog tour, and for writing such an in-depth review! :); 18 October 2012 3:13 pm
Kristen Evey said...: This sounds awesome! Court intrigue and class differences and awesomeness! Great review Mandee. :); 18 October 2012 3:46 pm
Alex (A Girl, Books, OtherThings) said...: Looks like your cat really enjoyed the book.
:D (Love the pic).

The story sounds pretty cool even though I'm no huge fan of fantasy the whole court intrigue and kind of spy thing going on sounds good :D; 19 October 2012 2:56 am
Alexa said...: Oh wow, this book sounds perfectly brilliant! I love a good fantasy, and this one sounds like one I'd absolutely love. YAY FOR NO LOVE TRIANGLES!; 19 October 2012 4:06 am
Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...: Ahh Boots is adorable! I want to rub his nose. I know what you mean about too much drama so I am glad to hear that the characters handled it well in this one. I am also happy to hear the world building and details were just right!
Thanks for sharing!; 19 October 2012 4:28 am
Clare said...: Boots is very flattered with all the attention he's receiving from the ladies.; 19 October 2012 4:35 am
Bailey said...: I agree! I love the old fashioned look to this cover. The moment I saw it by your cat I was like that book looks interesting! Great review Mandee! This one I must check out sometime.; 19 October 2012 4:45 am
Sam said...: Really glad to hear the characters didn't end up causing unnecessary drama. I can only put up with that for so long. :D Great review!; 19 October 2012 7:42 am
Keertana said...: Woah, this sounds incredible! I'm so intrigued by it, especially as it's fantasy, so I'll have to try to find this one as well. Wonderful review, Mandee! :); 19 October 2012 8:12 am
Heidi said...: Mandee, I'm SO glad you accepted this book for review, because it sounds absolutely wonderful! I love that unexpected things kept happening, and that there was a lack of drama, not to mention insta-love/traingles. This sounds really cool! Though I do have to admit, the name 'Freetors' just makes me crave Fritos. Do you guys have those over there?; 19 October 2012 10:47 am
Sonia said...: Ooh Mandee, this sounds great! I love that the author was able to steer clear of some of that unnecessary drama... nothing is more likely to make me groan than that. The romance and characters sound fantastic. I've always had a soft spot for stories with princes, haha! Fab review, Mandee! <3; 19 October 2012 1:57 pm
Carly said...: This really does sound like a great read. There seems to be a lot going on in there to keep the reader interested throughout! I actually do love a bit of drama myself, lol! Fab review Mandee! :); 20 October 2012 2:26 am
Shooting Stars Mag said...: Aaw, Boots is an adorable cat! I'm glad there wasn't any un-needed drama. I really dislike that as well.

-Lauren; 21 October 2012 7:00 am
jowearsoldcoats said...: You had me at Aladdin.

Also, that cover is gorgeous. :)

Wonderful review, Mands!; 21 October 2012 8:49 am
speculatef said...: This is totally my kind of book - I'm entering the competition now :D Thanks for your wonderful review!

Shaheen @ Speculating on SpecFic.; 21 October 2012 10:52 am
Livvy said...: This sounds absolutely brilliant! Fantasy I adore. Mystery I adore. Romance I adore. Magic I adore. This is practically everything I love blended into a book.

Totally added it to my wishlist and after seeing another review of this book, I knew I should have added it to my review pile sooner.

Glad you enjoyed this book so much and wonderful review! :); 22 October 2012 12:33 am
Lizabelle said...: Ooh, I'm getting echoes of the old Ruritanian novels here (A Prisoner of Zenda, Violet Needham, that kind of thing). Is the competition available to international readers?

Thanks for the great review!; 22 October 2012 8:23 am
Estelle said...: You can't go wrong with an Aladdin reference. :) EVER. That's my favorite song.; 23 October 2012 12:55 am
Novels On The Run said...: I have not heard of this book. Lovely cover. Wonderful review on your vlog you mentioned Aladdin, so that sounds all the more intriguing:D

Mich; 25 October 2012 3:29 pm