Blog Tour- The Dragon's Egg by H.B. Bolton Interview, Review and Giveaway

Okay, I'd first like to ask you to hang in there with me for my post. I realize it's long, but there are just a lot of things to know about this series and I'm doing an interview and review. There is a giveaway at the end and right below this is a link to the rest of the tour that you will definitely want to follow. I can't say enough good things about this series. My excitement for it grows with each book. It is definitely a recommended read!

Tour Page & Schedule 

The Dragon’s Egg (Relics of Mysticus- Book Three) by H.B. Bolton



Sure, the glass castle floating over Evan’s head makes him uneasy, but that’s the least of his worries. With each step inside the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams, he must battle against his worst nightmares. One after the other, wispy smoke-filled bull sharks come at him — he must remember they’re only illusions pulled from his imagination by those dreaded shadowlike hands. If only the vengeful dragon circling above was also an illusion and didn’t have his mind set on destroying the one person who can control him: Emrys.

Inside the castle’s glass tower, Emrys sleeps in an eternal slumber, and Evan’s uncertain whether he can save the great wizard. Especially now that Emrys’ former student, the Lady of the Lake, has joined forces with the cunning immortal Alamaz. Together they have already stolen the Dragon’s Egg, but their greed doesn’t end there. The Siren’s Pearl calls to them, and that means only one thing … Atlantis is in trouble.

Join Evan, Claire, and Dunkle — along with a few other unlikely heroes — as they travel across the realm of Medieval Legends, float through the Ancient Isle of Avalon, plunge inside the Dungeon of Dreadful Dreams, and be there when Atlantis rises once again.



                                          Book Trailer | Amazon | Goodreads

  

  The Serpent's Ring (Relics of Mysticus- Book One)

Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum … that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods.

Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous fish and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely heroes, must retrieve the Serpent’s Ring before Aegir uses its immense powers to flood all the lands on Earth.

The Trickster's Totem (Relics of Mysticus - Book Two)

Life has returned to normal for fourteen-year-old Evan and his older sister, Claire. That is until Dunkle, a clever but stinky little imp, pays an unexpected visit to their school. He has come to take the siblings back to Sagaas, the mythical realm of the gods. Once again, a Relic from the ancient Mysticus Orb has fallen into the wrong hands. Only Evan and Claire, with their unique mystical abilities, can help find it.

Through the power of the Trickster’s Totem, a coyote trickster has escaped. His laughter echoes throughout the realm, as he spreads mischief and mayhem. He burns an entire crop of popcorn, carves his grinning image into sacred artifacts, and things really get interesting when he shape-shifts into Evan’s friends.

Claire and Evan must capture the Trickster, retrieve the Totem, and be careful not to become sidetracked by robotic Steampunk animals, “sweet” pixie-like Pains, and a problematic mermaid … all while dodging Mothman-like aces. Most surprising, Evan discovers the true reason dragons exist in the Native American Spirit World.

INTERVIEW WITH HB BOLTON

1    1)  You've written quite a few different mythologies in your series so far; which one would you like to be a part of, including the current book that's touring, The Dragon's Egg (Book Three)?

Good question. I’ll have to say that I’d like to travel to Atlantis with Evan, Claire, and Dunkle: explore the mysterious island, swim in the sparkling sea, collect exotic shells from the beach, communicate telepathically with Atlanteans, and relax in a crystal chamber ... oh, and go on an incredible adventure.

2    2)Take a character from any of your novels and put him in one of your other novels. Given the different mythologies, how does he fare? Who do you think would adapt the best/the worst?

Let’s take a character from the oceans of Asgard in The Serpent’s Ring (Book One) and place her in an American desert in The Trickster’s Totem (Book Two). According to Norse mythology, Himinglaeva’s father was the sea god Aegir. Each of his nine daughters symbolized a different part of the wave.

AEGIR'S DAUGHTERS

 Himinglaeva represented the transparency of water through which one could see the heavens. Although this character played a small role, her personality stuck with me: a mixture of Luna Lovegood from the HarryPotter series and Lucy Pevensie from the Golden Age of Narnia.  

The question is, how would a goddess derived from the sea cope with the dry, expansive desert? In truth, I have no idea, but it would be interesting to watch Evan and Claire discover a way to help her. In fact, maybe I’ll bring her — as well as her mermaid friend Lazonia — to the deserts of Egypt in The Mummy’s Amulet (Book Four) so we can all find out J

3    3) Which world do you think Claire and Evan would choose to live in if they could never go home? Would they choose separate worlds?

                                                                                                                                

LAZONIA

They would choose different realms, which is a problem since they’d prefer to stay together. Evan misses Asgard and his time spent there. To make matters more difficult, he hasn’t been able to shake Lazonia from his mind. Claire would live in the Native American Spirit World if she were able to. In the end, I believe they would choose *mild spoiler alert* to be raised by their “grandmother” in Atlantis.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

4    4) What would Claire and Evan have to say to you about the way their adventures began in the first book, The Serpent’s Ring (Book One)?

They would express surprise at discovering they have mystical abilities but then would proceed to show them off.

5    5)  How much of the mythology you use is real, and how much is creative license?

                                                                                                                       

I spend a ton of time gathering information for each mythological realm used in my books — ranging from gods/goddesses, monsters, and magical creatures — to learning more about each time period: architecture, appropriate clothing, native food, and furniture. I enjoy bringing mythological characters to life with as much

 historical accuracy as possible but then offer a little twist. For example, I had learned that flibbertigibbets — from medieval legends — were known as tempters in the form of winged serpents who enjoyed whispering into one’s ear. I imagined that perhaps one would appear as an adorable, kittenlike creature who could lure Evan away from his friends,   only before changing into a hideous, evil creature … but I don’t wish to give too much away. To answer your question, most of what I write is based on research but with a tremendous amount of spin, or creative license.      

FLIBBERTIGIBBET

   

      6) What is your favorite book from your childhood?

As a child, I would dive into fantasy stories such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and so many others. As an adult, I still feel the thrill and enchantment of such stories.

               

                                                         REVIEW

The Dragon's Egg jumps right in to the action as soon as you open the book. Evan, Claire and Dunkle, the imp, are still in Sagaas looking for Alamaz and the missing relics. Everything starts coming together for me in this novel. The main characters, Evan and Claire are learning how to use their powers and spirit totems they gained in previous books. The worlds they encounter fascinated me, Camelot, Avalon, the Otherworld, meeting the Orchestra of the Dead so many worlds and magical beings and creatures. I love traveling through these places, some I've heard of, some I haven't, with Claire, Evan and company and experiencing everything they do. I also appreciate the author's imagination. The way she weaved the story in and out of different folk stories and myths, the fae, The Day of the Dead, and even a back story for how Evan and Claire are even able to enter Sagaas, the world between the Earth and The Land of the Gods. Things take an evil turn at the end of the novel when Evan and Claire find out who Alamaz really is and Ethan is captured. I can only imagine what will happen in the next book THE MUMMY'S AMULET.

I highly recommend this series for lovers of fantasy, middle grade readers and above. Their are budding romances, lots of references to various mythologies, Celtic, Atlantis, Native American, Greek, just to name a few. It's a well written series with various creatures from fae to unicorns to imps. Impressive powers are bestowed upon Claire and Evan, sister and brother and a strong bond is shown between them. Family is important as well as friendships, despite what those friends are, magical beings or animals. It's a really enjoyable series.

I received a copy of this novel from the tour coordinator in exchange for my review. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions expressed are my own.

  

 About the Author:

A magical part of H.B. Bolton’s childhood was being swept into worlds of enchanting

characters, fantastical creatures and extraordinary powers—simply by picking up a book. As a mother and a teacher, she was compelled to create imaginary worlds of her own in order to share them, not just with her children, but with all children. H.B. Bolton lives in Florida with her supportive husband and two highly spirited children. Shh, can you keep a secret? Not only does she write books for the young-at-heart, adventurous sort who yearn to dive into a good young-adult fantasy story, she also writes spellbinding, heart pounding women’s fiction. These particular books are written under the name Barbara Brooke, but that’s another story, altogether.

Connect with H.B. Bolton here:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway:

$25 gift card (Int), paperback set of all 3 books (US), ebook set of all books (INT)

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