Bex Hogan - Viper: Book 1 (Isles of Storm and Sorrow) - Blog Tour Interview - Orion Books

Welcome to Mr. Ripley's Enchanted Books. Today, I have a Q&A interview with Bex Hogan. This book has been an epic ten years in the making. In fact, there have been seven manuscripts and many rejections along the way. However, here we are celebrating the release of the fantastic debut book today. This week we are kicking off a blog tour with posts that will, hopefully, pique your interest. It's a brilliant high seas fantasy adventure that will take you to some amazing places. The book will be published on the 18th April 2019 by Orion Children's Books. It's going to be an epic trilogy that you will not want to miss. #StormAndSorrow

If you would like to know more about this book then please check out my book review HERE. So let us start this interview by welcoming Bex Hogan.

Your debut book, Viper, is the first book in the Isles of Storm and Sorrow. What can we expect and why should we read it? 
Viper is a YA fantasy adventure set on the high seas. The first in a trilogy, it follows Marianne, the Viper’s daughter, who has to choose whether she’s prepared to sacrifice everything to fight against her cruel father. You can expect corruption, betrayal, magic and romance, all set against a backdrop of beautiful islands and dangerous oceans. At times it’s brutal and bloody – so if any of that appeals and you fancy a read, you’d make a writer very happy.

How and where did you get the idea for this book? 
As so many of my ideas do, it came in a dream. It was a very vivid scene and when I woke up, I just had to know more about these characters. And what was going to happen next? What had led them to this point? 
Though the story has evolved through many drafts, this scene is still in the book, exactly as I dreamt it. 


Did you let the story and the characters take you on a journey or did you map out the whole plot and know exactly what you wanted to write? 
To start with, it was definitely a case of going on an adventure with my characters, just to get to know them, and glimpse the world they inhabited. But then there comes a point where you need to take the map back from them and plot your own course, otherwise, you could be wandering a bit aimlessly. And with plotting out a whole trilogy, it’s definitely important that you know where you’re going and why. 


What real-life inspirations did you draw from the worldbuilding within your book? 
Growing up in Cornwall near the coast, seeing the sea stretching beyond rugged cliffs every day, was a huge inspiration for the Twelve Isles. We used to go to the Isles of Scilly too, for holidays, island-hopping in boats, and they were very much my template for a world of islands connected by an ocean. 

Where is your preferred place to write? 
My favourite place to write is at my desk in my writing room. I was very fortunate that we were able to convert our garage a couple of years ago, so I have space to be creative. I would like to pretend that it’s a tidy desk, but the truth is I’m usually buried beneath a pile of paperwork, and notebooks full of jotted down ideas. And more paperwork. 

How important are stories to you? 
Stories are everything – I think they are to most people in one form or another. They can be friends when you are lonely, teachers when you need guidance, an escape when life becomes too much. They can carry the weight of history. Shape societies. Or simply entertain. 

Some of my favourite memories from childhood are the quiet ones where my mum would read to me, or my brother would make up stories for me on a moorland walk. I think the tales they told knitted their way into the fabric of my being, and will always stay with me. 


What genre of books do you like to read? Do you limit yourself to reading only the genre that you write yourself? 
The only requirement I have is that a book tells a good story, simple as that. It can be in any genre, although I do have a soft spot for historical novels, and of course, fantasy. But ultimately, all I want is to be swept away, to fall in love with characters and their lives, and to miss them when they’re gone. So not too much to ask!

Bex Hogan - Viper (Isles of Storm and Sorrow Bk 1) - Book Review - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

Marianne has been training to be the Viper for her entire life - to serve and protect the King and the citizens of The Twelve Isles - but to become the Viper and protect the islands she loves she must find the strength to defeat her father. A new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas.

He will make me a killer.
Or he will have me killed.
That is my destiny.

Seventeen-year-old Marianne is fated to one day become the Viper, defender of the Twelve Isles.

But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake.

He's the most dangerous man on the ocean . . . and he is Marianne's father.

She was born to protect the islands. But can she fight for them if it means losing her family, her home, the boy she loves - and perhaps even her life?

A storm is brewing this April with the debut book by Bex Hogan. Viper is the first book in the Isles of Storm and Sorrow trilogy published by Orion in paperback on the 18th April 2019. The book cover illustration shimmers in the dark and lights up this fantasy. The artwork has been cleverly developed by Samuel Perrett alongside source images from Shutterstock. I have to say it is really eye-catching and instantly makes you want to pick up the book and read it.

Turning the first few pages, the story soon captures your attention. The first incision of blood seeps off the pages and floats to your brain. The fluttery wings of a dead bird whisk you on a fantasy ride of a lifetime. The author is holding nothing back in this thrilling Young Adult book that I absolutely loved. In my opinion, the YA genre at the moment is at its best with lots of original and captivating stories appearing on the horizon.  This is an adventure set on the high seas with a gutsy/brave and endearing character, seventeen-year-old Marianne. Her destiny is to become a Viper, a feared defender of the Twelve Isles, but what will she encounter on the way?

Whatever the answer, it will have you flying by the seat of your fantasy pants. This is an epic story set on the high seas. It's a voyage of discovery for Marianne as she follows her destiny and hopefully uncovers the mysteries of the ships crew the Maiden. The plot will leave the reader treading a tidal wave of death and destruction. The plot is not for the faint-hearted but it has just the right amount of detail to give you an enjoyable and exhilarating ride for the harder fantasy armchair adventurer.

This is a very well-written story that has everything for you to enjoy and really love. There is an abundant amount of action and drama that will keep you engrossed. The author has placed a little sprinkling of earthly magic into the story that lifts the narrative up a notch. I loved the plot idea which makes it crazy, wild and slightly surreal in places.  The alluring cruelty of the characters whilst also instilling a small amount of warmth and feelings makes for great reading in the plot. 

All in all, this is another outstanding read that comes will all the trappings of another two books to follow. After surviving the cracking climatic ending, it makes you want to start all over again. Providing your heart hasn't already been torn to shreds. Buzzing and brilliant, get this book pre-ordered now or I'll make you walk the plank - you salty sea dogs....

Jessica Townsend - Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Review

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organisation: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart - an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests - or she'll have to leave the city and confront her deadly fate once and for all.

One of this years most hotly tipped and anticipated children's books, Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow will be zipped on the brolly line and into publication on the 12th October 2017. Published in the UK by Orion Children's Books and later in the US by Little, Brown Book Group on the 31st October 2017. Written by Austrailian author, Jessica Towsend, this story has been ten years in the making. Finally, this book is ready to fledge and fly into the hands of eager readers and dragon riders alike. 

Jessica started to write this ever-changing book in the year that she left High School. Subsequently, she moved to London and found that the story grew into this fantastical adventure. It will spirit you away on a magical journey that is both for the young and old. As soon as you turn the first page, you'll find yourself plunged into an intriguing and extraordinary world that is . . . . .  Nevermoor. 

The narrative starts with a sombre feel as we are introduced to the main character, Morrigan. Eventide would march on like a drum beat, unstoppable. Morrigan Crow would have no future as she would die on her eleventh birthday; this story will have no happy ending. Tears will flow like little seeds of imagination in this story as you are whisked away on a mechanical spider on an unforgettable adventure like no other. 

This book has all the magical ingredients required to leave you with wonderful memories. You will soak up the atmosphere by being accompanied by a host of quaint, odd and rather endearing characters through a chorus of screechy violins and spooky organ music. Nevermind being transported to a world of infinite pleasure, chased by the deadly Hunt of Smoke and Shadow which will lift the stakes of this bold and brilliant adventure and add a little creepiness that will deliver a shaky hand to Hallowmas night. 

It's such a thrilling read that you will not want to put this book down. Equally, you will not want it to ever end. You will turn every page absorbing the humour and snarky remarks that deliver an icy punch. It's wildly imaginative and full of creativity and personality; a visit to Hotel Deucalion Smoking Parlour must not be missed. I recommend a pinch of excitement, a splash of courage and a little hint of lavender smoke to get you into the mood of the trials and madness that Morrigan Crow will face with her friends.

Stories like this can take time to shape like shimmering shadows that lurk beyond the peripheral vision. They often have other adventures that manifest before the main plot incubates and becomes the actual story that we read. The author's many ideas, feelings, and inspirations, whilst possibly writing in her pyjamas, have shaped this book into a  magical storytelling spectacle. There is so much more that I could mention about this fantastical book, but I won't. Read it for yourself and enter the wondrous world of Morrigan Crow and Nevermoor. This is one of the best books of 2017.