Hi, Scott! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m a former teacher who has become a full-time writer. I’ve published over 15 books that range from middle grade to young adult. I live in North Carolina with my wife and three kids.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

My very first experience with this goes back to elementary school. Our class got to write a story, and then the teacher ‘published’ them. So I had a physical copy of my very first book—The Chronicles of Rascal. It was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Seeing my name on the cover and the spine. I’ll never forget that. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find ways to get my books on shelves and it’s all worked out kind of nicely.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: I was in love with all things Frog and Toad. I wanted to hang out with those two and be invited into their world. That was the earliest read that I remember. I also remember waiting for the next Goosebumps book to come out. Those were really fun and properly terrifying for a younger reader.
• The one that made you want to become an author: I technically already wanted to be a writer, but A Game of Thrones comes to mind. When I read that book, I was left sort of breathless. The first 6 chapters, especially, are a master class in writing. The tone and the mood and the character building and the plot progression. It’s flawless. I remember reading that and thinking, “Well, I have a lot to learn…” And I took writing much more seriously after that.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I suppose I can be a prisoner of the moment: I’m reading Strange Buildings by Uketsu right now. It’s this interesting nonfiction book about strange buildings—and their designs—throughout Japan. The story is very ominous and links the strange designs slowly as you read the book. Kind of a big mystery with darker tones.

Your latest novel, Devious Prey, is out March 31^st! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Let’s see who can survive.

What can readers expect?

For my young adult career, I’ve really leaned into what I would call fantasy thriller. My books aren’t going to feel as weighty as your traditional fantasy. They’re really a thriller book with fantasy trappings. So you can expect a bunch of people lost on an island, trying to survive a dangerous dragoness. It leans hard into the fast-paced excitement of a thriller, but with some fantastical pieces to work with for those of us who love magic and all of that.

Where did the inspiration for Devious Prey come from?

I wrote the first version of this book a very long time ago—and it was wildly overcomplicated. I had 8 POV characters and all these wild plots going. Eventually, I figured out that there was one plot—the crew being stranded and hunted by a dangerous creature—that really deserved to be the main story. I cut away all of that extra stuff and kept the good parts.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I rather enjoyed Marken Burke. He’s a prisoner to begin the story. Accused of a terrible crime. And yet—when the ship crashes and they need help, he also happens to be the one with the most power. He has magic that could literally save them all, but his track record makes him less than trustworthy. I think writing a character who is needed but not wanted was interesting.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for me, any time you have multiple POV characters, is just making sure they’re equally interesting. I think I accomplished that, but there is a certain art to figuring out what needs to happen and in which POV. You are essentially a director at that point. Choosing where to put the camera and when and for how long. I will say though: Devious Prey was my fastest edit in my career. My editor had just 3 notes for me—and they took roughly 30 minutes to complete. I may never have a book happen that way in the rest of my career.

What’s next for you?

Devious Prey is a standalone, so for me, there’s another standalone coming. The title of that book will be The River Infinite. Opposite of Devious Prey, it was possibly the most challenging book that I’ve ever written. I also have the third book in my Dragonships series coming out in October. The title for that one is The Void Dragons

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

I just finished The Will of the Many, which means I’m eager to pick up The Strength of the Few and continue on with that series. And while I’ve already read this one, the special edition of Legendborn looks beautiful. I have to get my hands on that one.

Will you be picking up Devious Prey? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Scott Reintgen, Author of ‘Devious Prey’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Scott Reintgen’s A Burning In The Bones, which is out February 4th 2025.

After taking control of House Brood, Ren and Theo dreamed of using their newfound influence to change the rest of Kathor, but now they find their efforts being countered by the other great houses, who have no interest in a world where they enjoy less power.

No one understands that better than the Tin’Vori siblings. The return of their ancestral home was a decade in the making, but they’re eager to keep rising from the ashes. Nevelyn begins researching House Brood—and ends up face-to-face with an enemy that’s already slouching toward the gates of the city. The one enemy no one can avoid: a plague.

The victims experience strange bruising, an unquenchable thirst, and a temporary disruption in magic. When doctors trace the illness to its source, they find another mystery: corpses placed in strategic locations around the city. As Ren leads the hunt for the culprits, she’ll find herself two steps behind a devious enemy whose sights are set on an unexpected prize: the city’s magic.

Survival will require every ounce of their skill, every bond old and new, or else the future Ren and Theo have worked to build will burn down with the rest of the world.

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The post Read The First Chapter From ‘A Burning In The Bones’ by Scott Reintgen appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Right from the start, Blood Sworn is packed with action and intrigue. The story picks back up with Imelda, Pippa, and Adrian months after the end of Ashlords and the bloody war that rages across the known lands. Things have turned darker and much more mysterious as the gods come into play.

Out of all the characters, I’d have to say that I’m extremely loyal to Imelda. I don’t know why but she’s my absolute favourite. Maybe because of her love of the magical, mystical ashborn horses. As a horse-lover myself, I would be totally content with reading an entire book of Imelda travelling across the known world into unknown territories in search of new ingredients to create new horses. I mean, come on, all possibilities are endless! But also because of her steady character, and how she never changes throughout the books. She remains clever, quick-witted, and wild to the core.

Okay, I do like Adrian as well. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and a good sense of when to fight and when it’s better to not. Pippa, however, I felt it harder to connect with. Maybe it’s the point of view the author chose, or her somewhat uppity, snobbish ways, I don’t know. But while I didn’t really like her all that much throughout Ashlords and most of Blood Sworn, she eventually grew on me.

Reintgen’s world building is amazing. While the first book centered around the races and the war brewing just beneath the surface, Blood Sworn starts out with the rebellion well under way and the three main characters each in a different position during the war. But as things progress, Reintgen subtly brings in more and more worldbuilding until an explosive truth is revealed and everything known is turned on its head, giving the world a surprising amount of depth and realism.

But all of this world building brought on a much darker edge to the story, and everything just suddenly switches in the middle of the book, as new evidence on the gods comes to light, something that makes Pippa and Adrian see everything from a new perspective. At first, I had no idea how I felt about the sudden change, but then things started to make sense and I got caught up in the wild battles and interesting turn of events. Even though I’m not a huge fan of Greek mythology, I did like the subtle hints Reintgen added, as it seemed he pulled much of his inspiration for the people and the gods from it, while still staying true to the world and its unique features.

Reintgen’s prose is wonderfully beautiful, with sharp sentences and an excellent use of words. I grew sort of jealous of his amazing word mastery, but I digress. Reintgen’s talent is something to be admired, and I hope to one day be able to write like him.

Despite all of this, I found it hard to really get into the story until about one-third of the way in. I found myself constantly putting the book down, as something about it didn’t quite catch my attention. While there were battles and mystery, I felt it moved a tad too slow for my liking, taking too long to get to the meat of the story and the shocking turn of events. Still, it was interesting enough to keep me reading, until it really hooked me in the middle of the story.

Overall, I’ll give Blood Sworn 7/10 for just wonderful worldbuilding and a beautifully climactic ending. Blood Sworn is the amazing ending to a beautiful duology perfect for fans of horses and stories that take you beyond what was originally laid out.

Blood Sworn is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of February 16th 2021.

Will you be picking up Blood Sworn? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Three cultures clash in all out war–against each other and against the gods–in the second book of this fantasy duology that’s sure to capture fans of The Hunger Games and An Ember in the Ashes.

The Races are over. War has begun.

Ashlord and Longhand armies battle for control of the Empire as Dividian rebels do their best to survive the crossfire. This is no longer a game. It’s life or death.

Adrian, Pippa, and Imelda each came out of the Races with questions about their role in the ongoing feud. The deeper they dig, the clearer it is that the hatred between their peoples has an origin point: the gods.

Their secrets are long-buried, but one disgruntled deity is ready to unveil the truth. Every whisper leads back to the underworld. What are the gods hiding there? As the sands of the Empire shift, these heroes will do everything they can to aim their people at the true enemy. But is it already too late?

The post Review: Blood Sworn by Scott Reintgen appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be checking one of these books out!

Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson | Goodreads

One of the most cunning and merciless officers of the First Order, Captain Phasma commands the favor of her superiors, the respect of her peers, and the terror of her enemies. But for all her renown, Phasma remains as virtually unknown as the impassive expression on her gleaming chrome helmet. Now, an adversary is bent on unearthing her mysterious origins—and exposing a secret she guards as zealously and ruthlessly as she serves her masters.

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff | Goodreads

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it, and after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself. When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.

The Uploaded by Ferrett Steinmetz | Goodreads

In the near future, the elderly have moved online and now live within the computer network. But that doesn’t stop them interfering in the lives of the living, whose sole real purpose now is to maintain the vast servers which support digital Heaven. For one orphan that just isn’t enough – he wants more for himself and his sister than a life slaving away for the dead. It turns out that he’s not the only one who wants to reset the world…

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo | Goodreads

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art. Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines | Goodreads

Eli’s willing to admit it: he’s more than a little obsessed with the mysterious woman he met years ago who’s driving a hundred-year-old car, clad in Revolutionary-War era clothes, and wielding an oddly modified flintlock rifle. When the traveller reappears in his life, Eli is determined that this time he’s not going to let her go without getting some answers. But his determination soon leads him into a strange, dangerous world and a chase not just across the country but through a hundred years of history.

An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard | Goodreads

In New York City, magic controls everything. But the power of magic is fading. No one knows what is happening, except for Sydney—a new, rare magician with incredible power that has been unmatched in decades, and she may be the only person who is able to stop the darkness that is weakening the magic. But Sydney doesn’t want to help the system, she wants to destroy it.

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill | Goodreads

It’s been thirty years since the apocalypse and fifteen years since the murder of the last human being at the hands of robots. Most of the world is controlled by an OWI—One World Intelligence—the shared consciousness of millions of robots, but not all robots are willing to cede their individuality. These intrepid resisters are outcasts and have formed into an unruly civilisation of rogue AIs. Brittle, a scavenger robot, is haunted by the terrible crimes she perpetrated on humanity. As she roams the Sea of Rust, a large swath of territory that was once the Midwest, Brittle slowly comes to terms with her raw and vivid memories—and her guilt.

Stranger of Tempest by Tom Lloyd | Goodreads

Lynx is a mercenary with a sense of honour; a dying breed in the Shattered Kingdom. Failed by the nation he served and weary of the skirmishes that plague the continent’s principalities, he walks the land in search of purpose.Bodyguard work keeps his belly full and his mage-gun loaded, but he’s not forced to rely on others or kill without cause. Little could compel Lynx to join a mercenary company, but he won’t turn his back on a kidnapped girl. The job seems simple enough, so long as there are no surprises or hidden agendas along the way, it should work out fine.

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King | Goodreads

Under the One Child Policy, everyone plotted to have a son. Now 40 million of them can’t find wives. Wei-guo finally saves up the dowry required to enter matchmaking talks at the lowest rung as a third husband, but a single family—one harbouring an illegal spouse—shows interest, yet with May-ling and her two husbands, Wei-guo feels seen, heard, and connected to like never before. But everyone and everything are listening, and men, excess or not, are dispensable to the State. Wei-guo must reach a new understanding of patriotism and test the limits of his love and his resolve in order to save himself and this family he has come to hold dear.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King | Goodreads

In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent; and while they sleep they go to another place. The men of our world are abandoned, left to their increasingly primal devices. One woman, however, the mysterious Evie, is immune to the blessing or curse of the sleeping disease. Is Evie a medical anomaly to be studied, or is she a demon who must be slain?

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett | Goodreads

Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the Emperor’s royal explorers and she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance. Everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin. She must retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor but to do so, she must climb the tallest and deadliest mountain, face avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at every turn.

Nyxia by Scott Reintgen | Goodreads

Emmett Atwater isn’t just leaving Detroit; he’s leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden—a planet that Babel has kept hidden—where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe. But Babel’s ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won’t forever compromise what it means to be human.

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