Blog Tour: Beauty by Nancy Ohlin Excerpt + Giveaway

Welcome to our stop on the Beauty blog tour for Nancy Ohlin. The tour is hosted by Mundie Moms.

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The excerpt:

Four year ago, when Ana turned twelves, the Queen organized a party for her, as was her annual custom. Everything about the party was lovely: the ballroom adorned with rosebushes and plumeria trees, the wild butterflies flitting through the air, the actors from Catonia performing elaborate dream-plays and shadow dances. Hundreds of dignitaries and royals were in attendance, along with the most important citizens of Ran. They drank copious amount of wine out of silver goblets and ate tiny, perfect confections shaped like jewels.

The queen had had a red velvet dress made for the occasion, for Ana. "You are not a little girl anymore, darling Tatiana," she had said to Ana before the party as she helped her won with the dress. "You are almost a young women."

"Yes, Momi."

"YOu must made me proud tonight."

"Yes, Momi."

Out in the ballroom Ana watched her mother mingling with her guests. The queen was dressed in a green silk gown that rustled stiffly as she moved. Ana thought that she must be the most beautiful mother in the world. And the most gracious, too-she seemed to know everyone's names as well as the names of their wives, husbands, and children. "How are you dearest Eleni? HOw i your darling son Maximilian? Is he still riding and playing Kings? And how is your husband enjoying his work at the Ministry?" Ana couldn't imagine such clever words coming out her own mouth.

The trills of a bamboo flute rose and hovered in the air as the shadow dancers wove through the crowd, leaping and turning. Ana's red velvet collar itched. She picked and scratched at it. She noticed a lot of people smiling at her, though, so she stopped what she was doing and dropped her hands to her sides.

The bamboo flute grew louder and more insistent. Just then Ana spotted her mother walking up to her, the green silk of her skirt swishing and crinkling around her ankles. There was a man at her side. He was dressed in gold and back, and royals colors of Kieska.

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By: Nancy Ohlin

Published by: Simon Teen

Released on: May 7th, 2013

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add it to Goodreads

Looks to kill for...

Ana is nothing like her glamorous mother, Queen Veda, whose hair is black as ravens and whose lips are red as roses. Alas, Queen Veda loathes anyone whose beauty dares to rival her own—including her daughter.

And despite Ana’s attempts to be plain to earn her mother’s affection,
she’s sent away to the kingdom’s exclusive boarding school.

At the Academy, Ana is devastated when her only friend abandons her for the popular girls. Isolated and alone, Ana resolves to look like a true princess to earn the acceptance she desires.

But when she uncovers the dangerous secret that makes all of the girls at the Academy so gorgeous, just how far will Ana go to fit in?

About the Author:

I am the author of Thorn Abbey, a YA retelling of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Beauty. a YA retelling of the Snow White tale. 

I've also contributed to several celebrity novels, including a New York Times-bestselling YA trilogy.

I'm currently hard at work on my next YA novel, which will be as romantic and mind-bending as Thorn Abbey (I hope!). 

My favorite cures for writers' block are long walks, long showers, popcorn, chocolate, and really expensive coffee. I talk to myself a lot while I write (you know, to make sure the dialogue zings).

Visit Nancy via her: Website | Twitter | Facebook 

The Giveaway:

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, you can enter to win a copy of Nancy Ohlin's BEAUTY. Follow the tour for your chance to enter. 

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