#Steampunk Saturday - Extracted by Sherry Ficklin & Tyler Folley (Young Adult, Steampunk Science Fiction)

Series: The Lost Imperials # 1
Format: E-Galley, 323 pages
Release Date: August 15, 2016
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Two opposing factions of time travelers vie for control of the future in this thrilling steampunk series opener dubbed "Interesting" and "Unexpected" by Kirkus Reviews.

Lex and Ember—two time travelers with no memories of their lives before being recruited into the time war—are torn between the factions. When Lex accepts a mission that lands him deep within the heart of the Telsa Institute, he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they were, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them once again.

*This special edition contains expanded content and bonus material not found in the first release.

Extracted is the first installment in co-authors Sherry Ficklin & Tyler Folley's The Lost Imperials series. Extracted is a story that is being re-released by Clean Team Publishing with additional material. It is a story that has all my favorite elements; Steampunk, Time Travel, Science Fiction, and Alternative History with historical figures. Extracted alternates narratives between two individuals who are on the opposite sides of time traveling war and have no memories of their past.

Ember, who was saved a year ago, belongs to The Tesla Institute named after Nikola Tesla. The Tesla Institute is apparently the premier academy for training young time travelers who are called Rifters. How Tesla finds these individuals, isn't exactly clear. Lex belongs to a group called The Hollows that is considered to be rogue Rifters. They are presumed to be no more than time bandits who care little about the consequences they might leave behind. They are led by the mysterious Claymore. Some of their members are Tesla washouts left behind to die.

Ember and Lex have no memories of the life they left behind. They each have their own romantic interests. Ember with Ethan, Lex with Stein. They don't realize that they are connected until they meet on a fateful mission that sends Lex into enemy territory to retrieve a DOX so that he can find a way to save Stein who dies on a terrible mission to a place that shouldn't exist. When this scene pops up, you are immediately brought back to pre-Communist Russia and the family of the last Czar and his family who was needlessly executed. If you can guess right now who these two characters are, you are bloody brilliant! 

Here's what makes this story fun for me. Ember is such a wonderful character. She is quick, strong, fast, clever, and her body moves and reacts on its own. She is able to do things that other Rifters are unable to do. She slowly starts to gain back her memories of her past and who she really is, after passing her final test to become an operative. From there, she starts to question whether or not Tesla really intends on preserving the time stream or is he searching for something he lost. This is where the Tesla parts of the story become important not to ignore. Trust me when I say that by the time you get to the ending, you will find a shocking secret waiting for you.

Lex is not so different from Ember. He's one of the leaders of the Hollow. He is in love with Stein but has trouble putting words to emotions. He goes above and beyond the call of duty when he tries to save Stein, and later gets stunning news after encountering Ember at Tesla. Lex is a great character, and one that you will be eager to see what happens next. This is a story that has so many honest to goodness strong secondary characters, that you really can't ignore them. I especially love Stein and Ethan. Each has their own baggage to carry, and each will eventually have their own books to tell their stories.

Have you figured out which historical figures Ember and Lex are? Let me give you a hint. They are Romanov's. Ok, Ok, how about

Anastasia and Alexei? 

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#Thursday Review - Loved It - Queen of Tomorrow by Sherry D. Ficklin (Young Adult, Historical)

Series: Stolen Empire # 2
Format: E-Galley, 280 pages
Release Date: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Sophie—now Catherine, Grand Duchess of Russia—had a tough first year at Imperial Court. Married at sixteen to Grand Duke Peter, heir to the throne, and settled in their own palace, things are finally looking up. As a new day dawns, she thinks only of securing her future, and the future of their country, during one of the greatest political upheavals of her time. Fighting desperately against forces trying to depose the Empress Elizabeth and put the young Prince Ivan on her throne, Sophie soon finds herself in the middle of a war brewing between her beloved Prussia, and her new empire. But even as she navigates the fragile political landscape, she quickly realizes that she has only begun to discover the tangled web of deceit and infidelity woven over the lavish court of Oranienbaum Palace.

When a strange and delicate alliance forms between the young couple, she glimpses a future of happiness, only to see it lost in a moment at the hands of those who still seek to end her life—and prevent her reign. Out of favor with the empress and running out of options, Sophie will have to sacrifice her own innocence on the altar of Russia if she is to save the nation, and herself. To survive, she will have to do the unthinkable, betray those closest to her and become something greater and more dangerous than she ever imagined she could be… a queen.

Queen of Tomorrow is the second installment in the Stolen Empire trilogy by author Sherry D. Ficklin. Queen of Tomorrow is a loosely based YA historical fiction about the rise of Russian Empress Catherine II. Catherine was the longest serving female ruler in Russian history (July 9, 1762-November 17, 1796). A fact that sometimes gets downplayed by the way she loved, the way she lived, the number of men she took to her bed, and the way she came to power on the back of a coup that overthrew her first husband. 

It has been a fairly busy year since Sophie Friederike Auguste became Duchess Catherine and married her childhood friend Peter III, who is now the Grand Duke and a slimy toad who has no compassion for Catherine, or their sham of a marriage. Peter has refused to lay with Catherine in order to have a heir, hoping that she will be declared barren by the Empress and then he can move on to his current mistress, Elizavetta. 

One should not hesitate to call Catherine out on her own instances of infidelity or hearts desire or wanting to actually be happy. Then again, when your own husband is a scoundrel, you do what needs to be done. What needs to be done, is that Catherine finally becomes pregnant by her hearts desire which is supposed to secure Empress Elizabeth's throne and the Romanov line. Too bad someone else had plans for Catherine. 

Catherine is a likable character because she doesn't act like a spoiled teen aged brat. She remains focused, she rises to every single challenge, including a really harsh scene that had me screaming. She's forced to play a real life game of Chess with Empress who doesn't exactly play nice. She has the will power of 10 girls her age. As she comes to understand that it is her heart, and her appeal, and her love for the Russian people, that will finally gain her the title she needs in order to live; Empress of Russia. 

Ficklin gets the era she is writing about. Oh sure, she takes her own freelances with certain characters, and situations, but the idea behind the Oranienbaum and Winter Palaces and their descriptions are realistic. Ficklin has taken Catherine's story, and added her own mix of court intrigue, betrayal, romance, suspense, and situations that I wouldn't exactly jump up and down for joy over. But, alas, this was the era that women were expected to submit fully and entirely to their husbands. Catherine's allies in this series have actually expanded from the first book.

I am definitely eager to read Queen of Always once I can get my grabby hands on it. I am eager to see how Ficklin resolves the issues she's laid out for readers. I am eager to see Catherine rise even further and avoid any further destructive situations with her so called husband. And, I am eager to see if Ficklin follows along with history by having Catherine fall in love with one of the new characters introduced in this book.

**I received this book for free from (Publisher) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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#Queen of Always Release Day Blitz* @CleanTeenPub @AuthorSherry #YA #Historical

 

Now Available The Epic Conclusion To The Stolen Empire Trilogy

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

If her time at court has taught Catherine anything, it’s that there is no room for weakness in Imperial Russia. With the Empress’ health failing and rumors of a change in the line of succession, her place in the royal line is once more in jeopardy. Tormented by her sadistic husband and his venomous mistress, Catherine must once more walk the fine line between pleasure and politics—between scandal and survival.

When her young son becomes the target of those rebelling against Peter’s reign, Catherine will have to rise up to protect herself, her child, and her nation from his unstable and potentially catastrophic rule. This means putting herself at odds with the most dangerous man she’s ever known, trusting those who once proved to be her enemies, and turning a nation against its sovereign. In the ultimate battle for the crown, new alliances will be forged, loyalties will be tested, and blood will be shed.

Don’t miss this breathtaking conclusion to the Stolen Empire series!

Queen of Tomorrow is a YA historical fiction based on the life of young Catherine the Great. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most dynamic women in history.

Start The Series Now - Book 1 is FREE!!

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About The Author

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

She is the author of several novels for teens and young adults and in her spare time she co-hosts the Pop Lit Divas Radio Show.