I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the SPELLBINDERS: THE NOT-SO-CHOSEN ONE by Andrew Auseon Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar Book Tours.
Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Andrew Auseon
Pub. Date: May 14, 2024
Publisher: Yearling
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 448
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/SPELLBINDERS-THE-NOT-SO-CHOSEN-ONE
"Ben may only be pretending to
be the 'Chosen One'—but I’ve definitely chosen this one as my favorite new
fantasy series.”
—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the
Last Kids on Earth series
How far would you go to play the hero? One seventh grader gets way more
than he bargained for when he is swept into the fantasy quest of his gaming
dreams in this funny illustrated series full of adventure and twists.
It’s not so easy being the Chosen One (or in Ben Whitlock’s case, pretending to
be the Chosen One). Sure, when you’ve been mistaken for a long-prophesied hero
by a teenage girl/mysterious assassin and transported to a fantasy realm you're
supposedly destined to save, you don’t have to worry about things like math
homework. But when flying narwhals are trying to blast you into oblivion (gulp)
and a bunch of old mystics in flip-flops want you to enter something called the
Gullet of Eternal Torment (double gulp), suddenly a C in algebra doesn’t seem
like such a big deal.
Back in the real world, Ben preferred to escape into fictional adventures and
role-playing games. But the more he learns about his true quest, the more he
realizes that being a hero goes way beyond rolling a few dice. . . .
Reviews:
“Spellbinders hooked
me from the beginning, but it became one of my favorites around the first
flying narwhals.'“—James Riley, New York Times bestselling
author of the Story Thieves series
"Here comes a new series that brilliantly embodies the power of
creativity....The book’s immersive fantasy world of Lux is one I did not
want to leave."—George Jreije, author of the Shad Hadid series
"To use the local parlance, a “ridonkulously” entertaining kickoff."
—Booklist
"The themes of interpersonal relationships and change give the work
emotional heft...A love letter to escapism and writing one’s own
destiny." —Kirkus Reviews
"Through subversions of familiar fantasy tropes and a thoroughly engaging
plot, Auseon conjures an idiosyncratic realm replete with endearing
characters, madcap humor, and hijinks-filled adventure"—
Publisher’s Weekly
Book Trailer:
Top 5 favorite Video Games.
Final Fantasy VI (FFIII in the U.S.)
I played and enjoyed plenty
of games before Final Fantasy IV, including some classic story-based
game series such as Zork, The Bard’s Tale, and plenty of point-and-click
adventures like King’s Quest and Monkey Island, but Final Fantasy IV has
the distinction of being the first game to make me cry. I’d played Final
Fantasy I and several of the follow-ups, but the sixth installment had
something special, and I’m not the only person who thinks so. The villain was
unsettling and funny, the companions were memorable, and the music was
undeniable. I played it over several unbroken days, and I cried when party
members split up and reunited. It was a grand time, unforgettable.
Real-time-strategy games (and turn-based) remain my biggest weakness when it comes to falling down a gaming rabbit hole. They’re designed to create a one-more-turn itch that, if done properly, never goes away. Like many gamers of my generation, the early Blizzard Games--WarCraft, WarCraft II, StarCraft--defined an era and dominated our lives. They were fast-paced, colorful and incredibly satisfying experiences. I’m not a particularly skilled gamer (ask anyone!) but real-time strategy allows for some truly unpredictable victories, and it’s always a messy edge-of-your-seat time at the keyboard. I chose WarCraft II over the timeless classic StarCraft because it’s sillier and has boats. Ha.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
I missed out on the Grand
Theft Auto III (Liberty City) phenomenon at first. Nothing about its drab
urban aesthetic particularly appealed to me, and I hadn’t played the first
games; however, as a gamer it was difficult to avoid the fervor that swept the
gaming community when it was released. GTA: Vice City was an altogether
different story. I’ve always played games to achieve a level of interactivity
and immersion you can’t find in fiction or film. At the time, video games were
just starting to really excavate what the next generation technology could do
and how to pair it with grander ambitions in systems design. Nobody had ever
really tried telling stories this way, with a cloud of interconnected
narratives running simultaneously. They didn’t have the means to even try it.
But what really grabbed me, and the hordes of other Generation X players who
jumped in to give GTA: Vice City a spin, was its incredible fantasy
1980s vibe--a sea of neon, palm trees, coastal mansions, big hair, and the best
video game soundtrack ever made. It was transcendent and transportive in a way
few games are.
By nature, most board games
are social affairs. Tabletop role playing mandates a group dynamic. Although
video games don’t require friends to play, but some of the best gaming moments
I’ve ever had were shared with friends, whether clustered around a Nintendo
Four Score playing Super Spike Volleyball, building a LAN setup for Halo,
or battling a stranger in StarCraft II on my PC. The Left 4 Dead series
is the epitome of that ethos. Grab three friends, turn out the lights, and
explore an incredibly cinematic and dynamic zombie outbreak. You laugh, you
bond, you die a lot, but every time you start over you learn to work more
closely as a team, and you get better. Left 4 Dead might be the best
team-building exercise I’ve ever experienced. Take note, HR managers
everywhere!
Fallout 3
Few games succeed at
worldbuilding as well as Fallout, and in my opinion Fallout 3 holds the
title as the best in the series. Some of that power comes from its role as the
game that rebooted the franchise, switching developers and radically changing
the role-playing style--evolving the traditional turn-based role-playing game
into a first-person action RPG. While the unique tone and art style remained
the same, the rebooted threequel leaned into the violence and dark humor,
creating a bizarre and truly unforgettable experience. I’d played the early
Fallout games and appreciated them, but the third game truly felt like a
reintroduction to a larger, grittier, and more fascinating world than ever
before. It didn’t hurt that Fallout 3 took place in the Capital
Wasteland, a fictional Washington, D.C. metro area, the exact area where I
happened to live at the time. Also, as a longtime fan of vintage radio
programs, the game’s popular music soundtrack and audio design hit me hard.
A whole generation of gamers spent hours wandering the ruins of the National
Mall and battling super mutants to the songs of the Ink Spots or the Andrews
Sisters. I still think about it all the time.
About Andrew Auseon:
Andrew Auseon is the author of several books for children and young adults, and he is the writer of numerous bestselling and award-winning video games. A transplant from the Midwest, he lives in Washington, D.C. with his family and two very naughty cats. He loves breakfast cereal, the sound of the ocean, and the feeling of a brand-new book in his hands.
Website | Book Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Amazon
Giveaway Details:
2 winners
will receive a signed finished copy of SPELLBINDERS: THE NOT-SO-CHOSEN ONE &
a swag pack. US Only.
Ends June 8th, midnight EST.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
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5/20/2024 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
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5/20/2024 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
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5/21/2024 |
Excerpt |
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5/22/2024 |
Interview/IG Post |
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5/23/2024 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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5/24/2024 |
TikTok Spotlight |
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5/25/2024 |
IG Post |
Week Two:
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5/26/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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5/27/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/28/2024 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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5/28/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/29/2024 |
Review |
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5/29/2024 |
IG Review |
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5/30/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/31/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/31/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/1/2024 |
Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
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6/1/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
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6/2/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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6/3/2024 |
Review |
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6/3/2024 |
Review/IG Post |
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