2/13/13

Book Giveaway! | Win a Copy of Philippa Gregory's Order of Darkness: Changeling... There will be 2 winners! (Closed)


* * * This giveaway is now closed.  Check out the winner announcement post here.  Stay tuned for future giveaways and contests.  Thanks to all who entered! * * * 



My fellow lovely bookworms are going to love this! :)  A few weeks ago I was sent a copy of Order of Darkness: Changeling by Philippa Gregory.  Name sound familiar?  Philippa is the author of international bestsellers The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen, as well as several other bestselling works of historical fiction.  Her novels have also inspired screen adaptations: The Other Boleyn Girl starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, The Other Boleyn Girl (BBC series), and The White Queen (BBC series currently in production). 

Being a big fan of historical fiction and Philippa Gregory myself, I was psyched to be sent her new book.  Order of Darkness: Changeling is Philippa's first novel written for teens and is the first in a four-book young adult series.  What sets it apart from her other novels besides the target audience is that the characters in this novel are all purely fictional rather than historical.  The history is based on reality and research, as is trademark of Philippa.  Instead of using her research and imagination to fill in the stories of history's figures, these characters are 100% derived from Philippa's vision.

Now to get to my experience with the book... I devoured it in two days!  I could not put this novel down. I'm twenty-four and it has been several years since I ventured to the "young adult" genre, but I didn't feel like the reading was at all too young for someone of my years or even several older.  I was immediately drawn into Luca and Isolde's medieval world of mystery, intrigue, secrets, and adventure.  It's definitely a pageturner and I can't wait for the second book in the series to come out---I'll definitely be grabbing it up from my bookstore!  (Yes, even though I use a Kindle and tablet... I still love the feel of a good book in my hands from time to time.) 

About the book
Dark myths, medieval secrets, intrigue, and romance populate the pages of this first in a four-book teen series from the #1 bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl.

The year is 1453 and all signs point to it being the end of the world. Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, handsome seventeen-year-old Luca Vero is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of times across Europe. Commanded by sealed orders, Luca is sent to map the fears of Christendom and travel to the very frontier of good and evil.

Seventeen-year-old Isolde, a Lady Abbess, is trapped in a nunnery to prevent her from claiming her rich inheritance. As the nuns in her care are driven mad by strange visions, walking in their sleep, and showing bleeding wounds, Luca is sent to investigate and driven to accuse her.

Forced to face the greatest fears of the dark ages—witchcraft, werewolves, madness—Luca and Isolde embark on a search for truth, their own destinies, and even love as they take the unknown ways to the real historical figure who defends the boundaries of Christendom and holds the secrets of the Order of Darkness.


Simon & Schuster has been so generous to give 2 lucky Lovely Undergrad readers a copy of Order of Darkness: Changeling by Philippa Gregory.  I'm so excited about this giveaway since books are my favorite! :)

How to Enter:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post with your name and a valid email address.  Plus, tell me what your favorite Philippa Gregory novel is or recommend a good book you recently read.  (Email address is required.  Without an email address, I won't be able to reach you.  If you're worried about spam, please use (at) or [dotcom] tactics instead of @ and .com.  Entries without an email address will not be entered.)

2.  You can also enter by tweeting about this giveaway.  Be sure to mention @LovelyUndergrad and tag #OrderofDarkness so that I see your tweet.  (Be sure that private messages are allowed on your Twitter privacy settings so that I can reach you if you're selected as a winner.) 

3.  Two winners will be chosen: one comment and one tweet.  Feel free to both comment and tweet.  (But you can only comment once and tweet once.) 

4.  All comments and tweets must be posted by NOON on Friday, March 1st.  The 2 winners will be selected and notified that afternoon.  Check your private messages on Twitter and your email inbox as I'll be getting in touch that afternoon.  :)

5.  Giveaway limited to residents of the United States.

6.  This isn't required, but if you win... I'd love to hear what you think of the book after you read it!

May luck be with you!  While you wait for March 1 to come around, I recommend checking out the Official Site for Order of Darkness and more about the author Philippa Gregory.  You should also "like" SimonTeen on Facebook for updates on this awesome book and many others.

And for your viewing pleasure, here's the book trailer:



Happy entering!

32 comments:

Caity said...

Happy Birthday to you! I turn nineteen Saturday. I've not read any of her books yet, but Map of Time Felix Palma is pretty great.

Caitlyn Hanafin
aussieome@gmail.com

MaddiChan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Marian said...

Happy Birthday! :) That sounds like a neat book.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Happy Birthday! I hope it's full of many more exciting adventures. Have you read The Boleyn Inheritance yet? It's one of my favorites of hers. If you haven't read it yet, I'd highly recommend it.

Shannon Orth
elfchick17@yahoo.com

MaddiChan said...

I'd love to win! Thanks for the chance! Have a great day :D

Maddi L
madeline94@gmail.com

jen_nerd said...

I have not read any of her works, but I have been recommended to do so. I'm really trying to get around to my list of "need to read" books.

Jennifer Vela
jennifervela17@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Philippa Gregory is my favorite writer!!! "The Other Boleyn Girl" is my favorite, but I also really loved The Red Queen. The Queen's Fool is really good too, and The Boleyn Inheritance, and... Okay, so, all of them. I haven't read ALL her books yet, but I'm getting there!

You can contact me at virginconfessions20s@gmail.com. Online, I'm known as Belle Vierge, but if I win, I'll email you my real name if necessary.

Katherine said...

I have wanted to read a Phillipa Gregory book for some time now but haven't yet gotten my hands on one. Though not a recent read, I'd highly recommend "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. By far one of the best books I read in 2012!

Cheers!

Katie
katherine.sarojini[at]gmail[dot]com

Katherine said...

I have been meaning to pick up a Phillipa Gregory to read but haven't as of yet. Though not a recent read, I highly recommend "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant. By far the best book I read in 2012!

Katherine said...

Cheers!

Katie
katherine.sarojini[at]gmail[dot]com

Amanda said...

I just read In Name Only, and it was pretty good!

Thanks!

Amanda
ajsterzick@gmail.com

Unknown said...

My favorite Philippa Gregory book is The Other Boleyn Girl.
Kate
kmfuller94(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

The trailer is awesome!
My favorite is The Other Boleyn Girl.

si_di12(at)hotmail(dotcom)

(:

bn100 said...

recently read and liked the great Gatsby
L
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Megan said...

I love Philippa Gregory! I've read the big ones, of course (The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance), but my favorite is probably The Constant Princess, which is the story of Katherine of Aragon before and leading up to Anne Boleyn. I definitely want to enter your giveaway! And Happy Birthday. :)

semicharmedkol@gmail.com

Nat said...

Sounds like a great book.

Nat
Natalierussell@cox.net

amanda @ twoninenine&ever after said...

One of my fav authors... What a fab giveaway!

Amanda at dreaming_of_dreams [at] hotmail [dot] come

Bookish in a Box said...

Thanks so much for the giveaway! I'm a big fan of Philippa Gregory's novels, and my favorite is still the first one I read--The Queen's Fool. Second choice, The Other Boleyn Girl.

whatinabox at gmail dot com

Jordan said...

What an awesome way to promote reading and real, feel-the-pages-in-your-hand books! Gotta say, I'm definitely a fan of those. :)

I have not yet read any of Gregory's novels but they're definitely on my "things to read" list. A few of my favorite reads (that I have just recently finished) are the classic Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and modern novel The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Anything by either of these authors is amazing!

Thanks again for the great giveaway!
Jordan
Jetblackwings66(at)comcast(dotnet)

Anonymous said...

How neat! I just read a wonderful book by Emma Donoghue called Kissing the Witch. It's SO good!

frostingpink@gmail.com

-Merry

Unknown said...

Lily Grant

lilyof.thevalley1995@ymail.com

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnddd my favorite PG book is The Boleyn Inheritance (I love the contrast between Jane Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and snooty little Katherine Howard...) :)

Unknown said...

Great giveaway. I am reading Perks of Being a Wallflower and so far it is really good.
Zoe Aron
zophenia@gmail.com

M.A.M. said...

Lovely giveaway! I was obsessed with historical fiction as a kid and I devoured most or all of the American Girl series and anything and everything written by Ann Rinaldi. I haven't picked one up in a long while, but lately I have been going through the classics; I just finished the Bronte sisters and am now onto reading Dickens. I am almost finished with Oliver Twist, which I've loved so far.

m.amber.moller[at]gmail[dot]com

The Queen's Revenge said...

Hello! Donna here. I remember reading historical fiction all throughout my high school years, and I would just love to become entranced with a good book again! The Other Boleyn Girl was amazing, especially the book. I would love to read another book by this amazing author!

Donna, donna.pegram@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

This is AWESOME! I love Historical Fiction - it's my favorite genre! I recently read The Last Boleyn by Karen Harper and I cannot say that I particularly enjoyed it...WAY too much unnecessary detail.

But if you're looking for a good HF book, The Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier is actually a pretty good read! Thank you so much for hosting the giveaway! -Emily

emily.neuherz @ yahoo (dot) com

Anonymous said...

My favorite novel The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. Catherine of Aaragon is one of my most favorite people from history, and I am definitely interested in reading more of her. Thank you for hosting this contest!

-Steve

stephen.har@aol.com

Unknown said...

Dru Rodriguez my e-mail is paranormalacademy@gmail.com and I recommend the first book in The Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

ruth a stiles said...

I would love to win this. I soak up historical fiction. Thank you for hosting this giveaway.

Anonymous said...

Hey! I am so glad you're having this giveaway! My favorite books by Greggory are The Queen's Fool, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess. I've read others too but I'm excited to read her style of writing under Young Adult and if it's historical fiction then it would be a bonus lol. :D My name is Nushrika Islam and email is oishi4014@hotmail.com.

Anonymous said...

Hey! I am so glad you're having this giveaway! My favorite books by Greggory are The Queen's Fool, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Constant Princess. I've read others too but I'm excited to read her style of writing under Young Adult and if it's historical fiction then it would be a bonus lol. :D My name is Nushrika Islam and email is oishi4014@hotmail.com.

Anonymous said...

My favorite would probably be The Constant Princess, but I love them all.
veronica51198@yahoo.com