Wednesday 2 May 2012

Strange Chemistry Cover Reveal - The Assassin's Curse

I am so pleased to be one of the few bloggers sharing this with you today. Strange Chemistry want to show you  one of their amazing new covers which will be published in October.
Isn't it gorgeous! I absolutely love this cover!
It is a YA fantasy, but considered to have a huge crossover appeal into an adult audience.
Here is the official blurb about the book. 
Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. And when Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn’t really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together. To break the curse, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks—all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic, and the growing romantic tension between them.
This novel has echoes of Scott Lynch, Saladin Ahmed and Tamora Pierce. It has a defiant Arabian Nights feel to the story and is all round magnificent.
Many of you will have heard me nattering on about Strange Chemistry's Open Door period, well Cassandra Clarke's manuscript was chosen during the Open Door month with Angry Robot last year. Here is a some more information about the author. 
Cassandra Clarke is a speculative fiction writer and occasional teacher living amongst the beige stucco of Houston, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from The University of St. Thomas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and in 2008 she completed her master’s degree in creative writing from The University of Texas at Austin. Both of these degrees have served her surprisingly well.
During the summer of 2010, she attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle, where she enjoyed sixty-degree summer days. Having been born and raised in Texas, this was something of a big deal. She was also a recipient of the 2010 Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund.

To celebrate the revealing of this gorgeous cover, Strange Chemistry want to give you all the chance to win an ARC copy of The Assassin's Curse. How would you like to read it before anyone else? Well all you have to do is leave a comment about the cover and leave your email address at the bottom. This is a UK only competition, but I have been assured that there are a couple of American bloggers offering the same prize. A winner will be chosen at random on the 9th May. What are you waiting for?

21 comments:

  1. Oooh, that looks great! Love the font and the boat.
    Reminds me slightly of Shadow and Bone, which can only be a good thing as that's one of my favorite recent covers.
    E-mail: emma[at]emmamaree[dot]com

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  2. This book sounds right up my street and that cover is gorgeous! Please enter me for the giveaway Viv! And thanks for the opportunity! Email: Jess2379(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  3. Wow, that looks really interesting. I'm really loving the cover, it's very artistic. It definitely shows that the creator used imagination and really worked on it, instead of just using a stock photo.

    I really wish I lived in the UK lol But good luck to those entering to win. I'll surely put it in my TBR list.

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  4. The synopsis had me from the word pirate :D This sounds like a great YA fantasy, thanks for the heads up Vivienne.

    Good luck to all the UK readers entering the giveaway.

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  5. I love the font on the title - Arabic twist on English characters! Looks a really exciting read Email:musingdragon@aol.com

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  6. It is indeed a gorgeous cover, the kind that would certainly have me picking it up if just for this reason.

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  7. What a wonderful looking cover also sounds a really interesting book to read with a mix of pirates and magic two of my favourite things.
    Email - janeappleton51@yahoo.com

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  8. That is a great cover and the book sounds good as well! I'll keep an eye out for it.

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  9. I am always on the look for new fantasy authors :)

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  10. I love this cover, The book sounds awesome!

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  11. I would love to read this! Not only does the story sound amazing, but the cover is beautiful. I love the Arabian influence on the font!

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  12. I would love to read this! Not only does the plot sound amazing, but the cover is beautiful. I like the calligraphy design.
    k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk

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  13. Thank you so much for an apsolutely fantastic book giveaway, which looks increadible! I am a huge fan of YA fiction and this particualr genre, and the front cover is so spellbindingly eye-catiching; it is really pretty and elegant. I would be extremely greatful if my name could be possibly put forward for this giveaway & i am a UK resident. Xx

    From: Miss. Lucinda Fountain
    Email: lfountain1@hotmail.co.uk

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  14. I love the cover! The colours and silhouette reminds me of Paris artwork. You often see that style of art in their postcards and such. Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    Email - ashley@booknook.me

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  15. Gorgeous cover, evocative without losing any mystery. Can't wait to read it! I'd love to enter the giveaway - my email address is girlinthelensblog(at)gmail(dot)com :)

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  16. I love the cover background and Aladdin style writing. Thanks for uk only giveaway.
    milind.uppal@gmail.com

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  17. I love the use of colors and the boat it looks awesome.
    Thanks
    jay.uppal@gmail.com

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  18. I love that cover, and I think this one is going on my wish list! :)
    michellejmoore[at]gmail[dot]com

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  19. Beautiful cover! Artistic designs are always my favourite it's always great to see a publisher putting care and thought into a cover and coming up with a quality design. I love the sound of the book anyway but a cover like that means I'll always pick up just to see if the story is as good as the cover promises! I think I'm going to feature this one on my Cover Corner. Do you know the artist behind it? Thanks also for the giveaway (I hope the ARC has this image on it to lol!)

    amy_turnthepage@hotmail.co.uk

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  20. OK...

    1. I ADORE the cover
    2. I love the fact that it's a crossover title
    3. I've been looking for this kind of story
    4. I need to read it!!!!

    Thanks for the opportunity to win and for highlighting the book!

    Lynsey(AT)narrativelyspeaking(DOT)com

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  21. Great giveway! Beautiful book cover with very unusual Arabic font.... so pretty!

    thea.wilson@ntlworld.com

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Hiya, thanks for stopping by, it is always nice to hear what you have to say, so do leave a comment if you have time.