Blog Tour Interview & Giveaway: A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas


I finished reading A Wicked Thing last week and really enjoyed it (you can see my review here), so I'm thrilled to have the author, Rhiannon Thomas, stop by with an interview that you can read below...

A Wicked Thing
(A Wicked Thing #1)
by Rhiannon Thomas
YA Fantasy
Hardcover352 Pages
February 24th 2015 by HarperTeen


Summary

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of Sleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. 

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.

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Praise for the Book

“I never thought what happens after Sleeping Beauty wakes up would keep me at the edge of my seat, breathlessly turning pages. But Rhiannon Thomas has taken the familiar and the cliched and turned it into a tense, fast-paced read full of plot twists and revelations, set in a world at once intriguing and perilous.” - Sherry Thomas, author of The Burning Sky

“The book is welcome twist on the classic helpless-princess-saved-by-dashing-prince one expects from a fairy tale…. Fairy tale and fantasy fans alike will breeze through this retelling and eagerly await her next chapter.” - School Library Journal

“One of the best fairytale retellings I’ve ever read. Thomas uses the well-known back story of Sleeping Beauty to craft an entirely new future for Aurora that is anything but happily-ever-after. Starting the story after the moment that usually signals the end of the fairytale gave this book an original spin and makes it stand out among of sea of simple retellings. Don’t miss this great debut!” - Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

Interview

1. Have you always loved fairy tales?

Yes! I think I was a pretty morbid kid, because The Little Mermaid was always my favorite – not just the Disney version, but the original, where she feels like she’s walking on knives and almost stabs the prince. I loved Disney, but I got particularly excited whenever I uncovered the “secret” darker versions, like the Ugly Stepsisters cutting off bits of their feet, or the Evil Queen dancing in red hot iron shoes at Snow White’s wedding until she died.

As I said, kinda morbid. But it was the start of a life-long obsession – I studied fairy tales as part of my degree at university, I love fairy tale retellings, and obviously now I’ve written my own!

2. What made you want to write a story based off of Sleeping Beauty?

The fact that the ending never made sense to me. She wakes up to a stranger kissing her and they just live happily ever after? There had to be more going on there. To me, the story ended just as it was really going to get interesting.

But I think the motivation to write A Wicked Thing came after reading and watching a whole bunch of “fated love stories” in one go. You know the ones – love at first sight, fate says that they must be together, perhaps they loved one another in a past life or don’t even need to speak to one another to know that they should sacrifice everything to be together. That’s fun occasionally, but I really wanted to push against it. What happens when you meet a “fated love” and you DON’T immediately fall for them? Would the pressure make you less likely to like them? And that ended up being A Wicked Thing.

3. What was your favorite part about writing A Wicked Thing?

I think it was watching the story develop in ways that I didn’t expect. People I thought were going to be love interests turned out to be not-so-dreamy, random side characters became compelling to me, characters I originally thought I wouldn’t like ended up being more likeable than I’d expected… it was really fun to see the story develop before my eyes in ways I hadn’t quite intended.

4. Do you have a favorite scene or line from the book?

Argh, that’s a hard one! I think I have two favorite parts – one is a scene quite early on, where Aurora is sitting on a roof, and another is nearer the end, in a garden, involving a prince and a story book.

5. What book(s) are you most looking forward to reading this year?

Omg, so many. I think I’m most excited about Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell, because 1) It’s a Cinderella retelling, 2) It’s a FEMINIST Cinderella retelling, and 3) I LOVED Betsy Cornwell’s last book, Tides. Seriously, her prose is amazing.

I’m also excited for Stacey Lee’s Under A Painted Sky, although I’m cheating a bit there, because I’ve already read it. But I’m really looking forward to everyone falling in love with it like I did.

6. What are you working on next?

My next book is the as-yet-untitled sequel to A Wicked Thing, which I just finished editing a couple of weeks ago.

But right now I’m working on a new YA fantasy, called Long May She Reign, about a shy girl scientist who ends up as queen after the whole court is assassinated. It’s proving to be a lot of fun to write so far!



About the Author

Rhiannon Thomas is a recent graduate from Princeton University, where she studied English and Japanese, and smuggled bubble tea into the library on a regular basis. She now lives in York, England.

As well as reading and writing YA fiction, she runs the blog FeministFiction.com, where she discusses TV, books, and all kinds of fannish things from a feminist perspective.

I don't hang out on Goodreads much, so if you want to contact me, please swing by my personal website or message me on Twitter.
    

Tour-Wide Giveaway

Open to all US, UK and Canada residents | Must be 13 or older to enter


FIRST PRIZE: Win (1) signed copy of A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas plus a spinning wheel charm bracelet from Kawaii CandyCouture Jewellery


SECOND PRIZE: Win (1) of (2) signed copy of A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas.



15 comments

  1. I have been waiting for this book forever! I cannot wait to read it! I'm such a huge fan on fairytale retellings!

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  2. I am totally just now getting into the whole fairytale re-telling thing. In fact, I just started reading Cinder for the first time today! This one sounds very intriguing . . . I must learn more!

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  3. What a great premise! Glad to hear you loved reading it!

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  4. I love how you described the men. Sounds like a good cast of characters and a fun book!

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  5. Hahaha. I'm the same way when it comes to obsessing over the original fairy tales. I remember telling my friends the "real" story of Cinderella with such enthusiasm I'm pretty sure they think me to be a bit...um...disturbed. Lol.
    I really want to read this one. I don't think I've ever read a Sleeping Beauty retelling and that's something that needs to be rectified.

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  6. I just finished reading this one myself! I really enjoyed it. I felt pretty much what you felt throughout the story. I did get frustrated with Aurora, but I also realized that she knew nothing else. In the end, I felt she became a stronger woman. I loved all three possible love interests. Rodric officially came into play for me when they were in her old playroom. I found myself feeling more for him. Finn was interesting. Definitely smug and arrogant, but smart and appealing in his own way. And the barman who was my favorite at first. I am definitely curious to see where this story can and will go in the sequel!

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  7. I like fairy tale retellings, so I think I'll like this one. it seems like it's a fresh take on Sleeping Beauty!

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  8. I think it's fun you won a copy, so I hope you really do enjoy it!

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  9. Oh, LOVE Cinder and that whole series!!! I hope you love both of them! :)

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  10. I did. I thought it was unique in that it really wasn't your usual plot where the heroine falls in love with one guy or two and can't decide and incites change or whatnot. I'm curious to see where this one will go.

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  11. Thanks! It wasn't a happy book per se, but it was fun. :)

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  12. Oh, so true! And I really think she could end up with any of them because they each have their strengths and weaknesses, but obviously it's not love for them at this point. Rodric was such a good guy and I actually felt the most for him in that he was so stuck and so hidden, but could come out really strong. All of them have parts of themselves well hidden. Glad you liked this one too! :)

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  13. Oh, I am too. I really liked it, in case you didn't read my review (link is at the top of this post). I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series!

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  14. If you like the original Cinderella, not the Disney version (I like both), you'd definitely like this one. :)

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  15. So glad you liked this one, I've read some negative reviews but reading yours makes me excited to read it! ~Pam

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