Fiercely YA: Fierce Reads Tour in Cincinnati

One week ago, the Fierce Reads tour descended on chilly Cincinnati. It was a glamorous event, full of laughter, swag and signing! This stop on the tour featured these lovely ladies:



Bathe in the awesomeness of these YA authors? Don’t mind if I do!

From left:

Gennifer Albin, author of the Crewel trilogy

Leigh Bardugo, author of the Grisha trilogy

Jessica Brody, author of the Unremembered trilogy

Ann Aguirre, author of the Razorland trilogy

 

During the Q&A, one of the attendees asked this awesome question:  

What makes your book(s) fierce?

 

Here are the answers:

Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy is fierce in SETTING

Ravka is a tough land to live in. It’s a country almost on the brink of collapse and it’s been in an economic stranglehold for years.

My interpretation: In the Grisha trilogy, the setting is a character in itself. The unrelenting attributes of Ravka, the Unsea, the Permafrost and Os Alta all play a part in the story. Living in Ravka requires one to be tough, adaptable and ultimately: fierce.

 

Jessica Brody’s Unremembered is fierce in PLOT

There is a really big, fierce plot twist at the end of Unremembered. Throughout the book, there are clues leading up to this twist.

My interpretation: In Unremembered, the plot leads to a climatic twist. Even though clues are mingled throughout the book that foreshadow this twist, it is ultimately meant to surprise the reader in a fierce, unputdownable way.

 

Ann Aguirre’s Razorland trilogy is fierce in CHARACTER

There’s a lot of killing with knives and guns in this trilogy, and also the characters are fierce in spirit and attitude.

My interpretation: In the Razorland trilogy, the characters are living on the brink of apocalypse and struggling against the once mindless but now cunning Freaks. To survive, the characters have to be fierce in attitude and intelligence.

 

Gennifer Albin’s Crewel trilogy is fierce in CONCEPT

The main character, Adelice, manipulates the fabric of reality.

My interpretation: In the Crewel trilogy, the concept that girls can weave time and matter on looms is an incredible yet complex one. Adelice can manipulate time and matter without a loom which makes her unique and coveted yet it also puts her in danger. How fierce is that? Very.

 Read fiercely. Write fiercely. Live fiercely!

 

Disclaimer: This post is an unofficial account of the Fierce Reads event with the aforementioned authors on November 3, 2013 at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, OH. The views that I present in this post are my interpretations of the event and are not direct quotations of the author's comments. These paraphrases do not necessarily represent the opinions of these authors or their publishers.