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I love YA fantasy and am excited to share with you a great new read: Children of Icarus by Canadian author Caighlan Smith. Enjoy the excerpt below, meet Caighlan, and learn more CoI.
You can even enter a Blog Tour Giveaway, sponsored by Caighlan Smith and in partnership with BeachBoundBooks. Enter by 24 August and good luck! 
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
Excerpt: Children of Icarus
The gods were always jealous
of the angels, or so we are taught.
They captured the angels, envious of their purity and perfection, but in their haste left one free. This was the youngest of the angels, Icarus. When the gods realized their folly, they bade Icarus come to their land to retrieve his people, and so they opened to him the doors to their realm: the sun.
The gods have always been cruel, always tricksters. The sun was no gateway but poor, young Icarus could not have known the gods’ plan for him. He flew into the sky until his wings caught fire and he plummeted back to the earth. Death would have become Icarus had he not been discovered in the field where he had fallen. He was found by the great Daedala, who took pity on the beautiful, innocent creature. She built for him a tomb far underground and crafted for him a sarcophagus, in which he might regenerate over the centuries and one day rise once more. Daedala knew she would not live to see Icarus fly again, and so built for him two more gifts, to protect him from the ruthless, relentless gods. She constructed a giant city over the tomb of Icarus, with walls and towers so high they threatened the territory of the gods themselves. And then, around this city, she built a labyrinth that was thought to never end. There is, somewhere, an end to the labyrinth. Every year those young and innocent like Icarus are sent to find this end. If they accomplish this task they are rewarded with entry into Alyssia, land of the angels, where they themselves will become angels and one day welcome Icarus home.
Or so we are taught.
BeachBoundBooks is pleased to be coordinating a Blog Tour for the young adult fantasy Children of Icarus written by Caighlan Smith. The tour will run from August 10 - August 24, 2016.
About the Book
Book Description:
It's Clara who's desperate to enter the labyrinth and its Clara who's bright, strong, and fearless enough to take on any challenge. It's no surprise when she's chosen. But so is the girl who has always lived in her shadow. Together they enter. Within minutes, they are torn apart forever. Now the girl who has never left the city walls must fight to survive in a living nightmare, where one false turn with who to trust means a certain dead end.
History and Inspiration Behind the Book
Since I was a wee kidlit, I’ve loved Greek Mythology. That love has only grown and nowadays heavily influences my writing, some more than others. Children of Icarus, my new novel, is counted among the “some”. The inspiration for this book was, of course, drawn from the myth of Icarus—the boy who flew into the sun. But a lot of the setting of the book comes from the myths about Icarus’ father, Daedalus, who built the labyrinth. Children of Icarus takes place within a labyrinth, which the main character has been chosen to enter. She was promised paradise should she find her way out of the labyrinth, but paradise seems more unlikely than ever as she’s forced to confront one horror after another. Many of said horrors have been inspired by Greek mythology, mainly the adorable monsters that populate every great hero’s tale. The thing is, I had the idea for Children of Icarus back in junior high. The plot was different in every way back then, aside from the setting of the labyrinth. Even the protagonist was an older, altered version of the way she is now. I actually started writing the story back then, but barely got a page in before giving up and moving on to something else. Fast-forward many a year, and I’m studying Greek mythology for my Classics minor at university. It reminds me of that old idea I had, so I revisit it and decide to tell the story of how my protagonist ended up in the labyrinth. I started writing from there, and everything about the story changed. For the better. And now we have a book. Ta-da! About the Author
Caighlan Smith was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador on June 1st, 1994. She grew up in the scenic coastal community of St. Philip’s, overlooking the dramatic north-west Atlantic. As a kid, she loved to play in the woods around her house, loved to tell stories and believed in magic. Caighlan, who is studying English, Classics and Creative Writing at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, is a supporter of universal girl-child education and has been involved with the Teachers Action for Girls campaign in Uganda. Her great loves are reading, gaming and, of course, writing. The “C” in her name is hard, the “gh” is silent. Blog Tour GiveawayOpen to: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Caighlan Smith and is hosted and managed by Stacie from BeachBoundBooks. If you have any additional questions feel free to send an email to [email protected]. a Rafflecopter giveaway 
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2 Comments
8/15/2016 12:10:54 pm
Thank you for sharing an excerpt from Children of Icarus and for taking part in the tour. I have always enjoyed Greek mythology and Caighlan's new book is right up my alley! 8/16/2016 12:00:05 pm
Me, too, Stacie! Always fun discovering new books in that genre. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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 Cat MichaelsBlogging about books, writing, family life, travel and more good stuff. Meet Cat
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