Blog Tour: A Fool's Errand

A Fool's Errand (The Gypsy King #2) by Maureen Fergus
Release Date ~ October 8, 2013
RazOrbill ~ Penguin Canada
ISBN13: 9780670067657
ARC received from Penguin Canada for review

Goodreads Synopsis: 
More action. More romance. More intrigue. Get ready to dive into the exciting follow-up to The Gypsy King!
In the final moments of The Gypsy King, a truth was revealed to Persephone and Azriel - one that could change everything forever. For her. For him. For them. For the entire kingdom. 
But trapped in a windowless castle chamber with soldiers battering at the door, it seems impossible to believe that they'll even survive. Indeed, they are a heartbeat from death when Azriel boldly bargains with the Regent Mordecai: release them and they will seek out the mythical healing Pool of Genezing. Mordecai agrees but warns that if they do not return with proof that the pool exists, he'll make those dearest to them suffer - and he'll start with King Finnius.
Persephone has never needed Azriel's teasing warmth as much as she needs it now, but she is finding out there is a price to pay for having broken past promises. Together, they set off on a journey that will take them into the farthest corners of the kingdom.Danger will ever lie ahead and behind them; they will battle men and beasts alike. Will Persephone and Azriel survive these perils? And will this quest see their romance grow cold - or will it burn hotter than ever?

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Maureen Fergus' YA debut The Gypsy King earlier this year through Penguin Canada, and it's no surprise to people that know my taste in books that I love a good, fun YA fantasy.

I'm thrilled today to be a part of the blog tour to celebrate the release of Maureen's sequel to The Gypsy King, A Fool's Errand. Maureen is also kind enough to be sharing five of her favourite books with us here today!

*Note: This review is spoiler-free for the series! (Although the synopsis is not completely.)

1. A sequel that starts off with a bang:
   
   The Gypsy King ended in the midst of a very exciting scene and a bit of a cliffhanger - I loved that A Fool's Errand picked up right where the first book left off! It really made the story feel continuous and flowed nicely, rather than feeling jolted. Sometimes reading the sequel to a book feels like you missed something in between the first book and the second book, because the sequel picks up leaving a lengthy period of time between it and the first book.
   
2. A developed fantasy world:
   
   To me, this is a must-have in a good fantasy book: well-crafted and devoted world-building. I definitely expect this in my fantasy reads, and I think this is where A Fool's Errand really shined. We were introduced to parts of Glyndoria in The Gypsy King, but A Fool's Errand takes Persephone on an adventure to surrounding areas and introduces us to different groups of people.
   
3. Riveting storytelling:
   
   I'm a big of Maureen's writing style. She has this great sense of humour in real life that carries over so well in her writing - I always find that so tricky to get across, but she does it flawlessly. And she weaves it into this amazing story with a very dark underbelly, which makes it an engrossing read.
   

And the best part is that we still have this great bantering and romance, strong friendships being showcased, and plenty of fight scenes! It's all there still, which is great because those are things I loved about The Gypsy King.

I did find that some parts of the story felt a bit over-done to me. I'm still hoping to get a bit more reason behind the main villain, besides his evil posturing. So there were a few parts of the book that still felt under-developed for the second book of a series. 

This is a series I highly recommend to fans of YA, both those who enjoy fantasy books and those who may not read much fantasy. I think this is better described as an adventure story, rather than pure fantasy. 

And now we get to hear from Maureen Fergus about five of her top favourite books!

My 5 Favourite Books

By Maureen Fergus

1.     Roots (Alex Haley) – this story traces the lives of a slave family from the patriarch, who was kidnapped as boy in Africa, through to his descendants who finally gained their freedom generations later. Harrowing, heartbreaking and inspiring, it left me with a visceral appreciation for what a horror slavery really was.

2.     Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling) – I absolutely loved them all but if I had to pick my favourite it would have to be The Deathly Hallows (#7) because the author did such a phenomenal job of bringing the whole story to such a satisfying conclusion.

3.     A Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) – richly layered, thought provoking and immensely readable, this book is about one woman’s struggle to survive in a dystopian society where she is valued only for her ability to reproduce.

4.     The French Executioner’s Sword (C.C. Humphreys) – A lively adventure story with great characters. Set in the time of Henry VIII, this book reminded me that there is always another perspective from which to tell the same fascinating story  

5.     Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel) – Also set in the time of Henry VIII, this book is a favourite because I was captivated by her use of language and her unique interpretation of Henry’s advisor Thomas Cromwell