Serafina and the Twisted Staff Releases July 12 + Giveaway

My children LOVE to read and so do I, so we’re always looking for great books to dive into especially over the summer to prevent that summer slide (and get some good beach reading in – let’s keep it real here). There’s a brand new book coming out July 12 that your middle-graders are going to love. We just dove into this series this week!

Serafina and the Twisted Staff

The sequel to the popular book for middle-graders, Serafina and the Black Cloak, will be released on July 12. Take a look at where the story goes in Serafina and the Twisted Staff:

Serafina’s defeat of the Man in the Black Cloak has brought her out of the shadows and into the daylight realm of her home, Biltmore Estate. Every night she visits her mother in the forest, eager to learn the ways of the catamount. But Serafina finds herself caught between her two worlds: she’s too wild for Biltmore’s beautifully dressed ladies and formal customs, and too human to fully join her kin.

Late one night, Serafina encounters a strange and terrifying figure in the forest, and is attacked by the vicious wolfhounds that seem to be under his control. Even worse, she’s convinced that the stranger was not alone, that he has sent his accomplice into Biltmore in disguise.

Someone is wreaking havoc at the estate. A mysterious series of attacks test Serafina’s role as Biltmore’s protector, culminating in a tragedy that tears Serafina’s best friend and only ally, Braeden Vanderbilt, from her side. Heartbroken, she flees.

Deep in the forest, Serafina comes face-to-face with the evil infecting Biltmore—and discovers its reach is far greater than she’s ever imagined. All the humans and creatures of the Blue Ridge Mountains are in terrible danger. For Serafina to defeat this new evil before it engulfs her beloved home, she must search deep inside herself and embrace the destiny that has always awaited her.

About the Author: Robert Beatty

Robert Beatty lives in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife and three daughters. He writes full-time now, but in his past lives he was one of the pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, the co-founder of Beatty Robotics, and the CTO and chairman of Narrative magazine.

Let me tell you, he’s a seriously good writer! Within the first couple of pages he had painted a picture of Serafina and her life and totally drew us into the story. His writing is descriptive, yet action-packed. You know how some stories drag because the author is just throwing out too many adjectives and not moving the plot along? Not this one. We were hooked FAST! Great writing, great character development, and a truly great story make these books unputdownable!

The Book Trailer

Oooh, this is really good! It might not make total sense if you haven’t read the first book but I think you’ll be pulled in just the same!

Very cool, right? The book (as always!) is even better.

What Do We Think?

My daughter, Lily and I just started reading the first book in the series, Serafina and the Black Cloak, together this week. She and I are both bookworms and in addition to reading books on our own, we always have one we read together each night. This book is perfect for middle-graders, and she could easily read it alone but what fun is that for me?! 😉

Even though we just started we’re both completely sucked into this story. The action gets rolling right away and we both wanted to keep reading looong past bedtime. I can’t wait to see where this goes and we’re already looking forward to having a sequel to read after this one.

Serafina books are definitely stories I’ll be recommending to my daughters’ friends’ moms to grab for their kids. The books are a little….creepy? I think creepy is a good word. So far we haven’t been out-and-out scared, but more on the edge of our seats waiting to see what’s going to happen. Really engaging storytelling, well-developed characters and settings, and Serafina is a bit of an underdog so from the very beginning we’re rooting for her.

Based on what I’ve read so far I highly suggest grabbing a copy for some summer reading with your older children. Get a taste of the author’s style by checking out this free two-chapter sample of Serafina and the Twisted Staff.

You can learn more about these books on author Robert Beatty’s website, and by following Disney Books on Twitter and Instagram.

The Giveaway

Disney-Hyperion has sent me this prize pack and is providing the same to one of my readers! THE SHADOWS OF THE FOREST prize pack includes:

• Copy of Serafina and the Black Cloak
• Copy of Serafina and the Twisted Staff
• A candle tree shadow projector to make the shadows of a forest at home.

 

This giveaway is open to US residents ages 18+ only and will end at 11:59pm on July 11, 2016. Good luck!