Today we’re excited to participate in the Bookstagram & Creative Tour for If the Walls Fall by K. Malady hosted by MTMC Tours. This is book one in the The Ascend Trials, a YA Fantasy Romance series perfect for fans of Uprooted and the Folk of the Air series and it was published on May 16, 2022!
Now read on below for a book review, an out-of-context character interview plus an International giveaway were you can win one of two physical copies of If the Walls Fall + extra goodies!
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If the Walls Fall by K. Malady
Series: The Ascend Trials #1
on May 16, 2022
Genres: Fantasy Romance, YA
Pages: 350
Format: eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon|Book Depository|B&N
Source: Author, MTMC Tours
I received this book for free from Author, MTMC Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A romance obsessed teen. A fantasy world demanding she save it. Can Grace prove she's not their prophesied hero without losing her life or her heart?
If you live life like you're in a romance novel, ending up in a fantasy saga would surprise anyone. For serial romantic and reader Grace, she's less surprised and more disbelieving. When she arrives in the Kingdom of Dalner, she assumes it's all a dream. After all, Dalner is a world full of magic and attentive love interests, something no rational seventeen year old could believe is real.
Even more improbable are the hints that Grace was brought to save the Kingdom from their northern enemies, magical immortals like the mysterious Woman, who seek to tear down the walls caging them in. But as a non-magical human with no special powers (unless turning every situation into a romantic plot counts), Grace can barely keep herself alive, much less harness the skills needed to save the world.
While Grace struggles to prove she's not the girl they're looking for, outside forces drag her towards a deadly conclusion, one that may cost more than just her new friendships. To escape the evils threatening to destroy the Kingdom and protect her first love, she must confront her own definition of heroism and discover her inner power before it's too late.
This book includes scenes of violence, age appropriate romantic/sexual situations, a HEA, and no cliffhangers.
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Why you need to read If the Walls Fall
Reading If the Walls Fall felt like stepping into a medieval adventure that any fantasy lover would enjoy! And may I mention that you also get to travel with four very handsome companions that will automatically become your best friends?! Because it’s all true, the first installment of The Ascend Trials was adventurous and diverting, I almost finished it in one sitting!! 📚♥️
The main character of If the Walls Fall is the type of character that falls into the reluctant chosen one trope. She’s a romance book lover and would willingly step inside her favorite romance novels, but NOT into a fantasy world (I volunteer for it tho!!) 😍.
Grace struggles to accept that the Kingdom of Dalner is real and not a figment of her imagination. She’s suddenly expected to be a hero and do this and that, which her only logical solution is that she’s dreaming. After a lot of convincing, she slowly comes to terms that this is not a dream and quite an epic adventure as she travels said kingdom. I had a lot of fun exploring this magical land along with Grace and her four companions: Fíl, Tans, Sáv and Kórol. They were super sweet, aided Grace when she desperately needed it plus they surprisingly turn out to be romance novels fans (although Kórol tried to unsuccessfully hide it 😂).
Also there are DRAGONS!!! They are not dangerous unless provoked so nothing to worry. But there is a prophecy that might involve Grace, dragons and her being a savior, which places our heroine into a difficult situation since she’s unsure what to do. Good thing she has amazing friends (and maybe a love interest) that will help her along the way!! 🙌 All in all, I really enjoyed reading If the Walls Fall and I’m excited to see what comes next in Grace’s journey!❤️
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Out-of-context Character Interview with Grace from If the Walls Fall
❣Hi Grace, we’re thrilled to have you! Tell us a little about yourself:
At seventeen years old, I’m not the youngest student on campus but am the youngest in my year, and the only one forced to live in campus housing until I turn eighteen as a condition of enrollment.
❣We know you’re a bookworm, what’s your favorite genre?
“… I’m more into romances. The super tropey ones with slow burns, enemies to lovers, mistaken identity, fake dating, bed sharing, huddling for warmth. Anything that ends in a happily ever after.”
❣How did you feel while walking through the magical portal towards the Kingdom of Dalner?
Spots dance in the darkness until a long hallway appears. It feels like a dream, that hazy floaty feeling where nothing is quite real…
Something tugs me towards the door, like a fishhook wrapped around my waist, which tightens and yanks.
❣*Gasps* Sounds exciting!! What were your first thoughts?
It must be a vivid dream—a continuation of the fishhook dream that haunted me only moments before. Maybe this dream is a gift for my solitary brain, one where I’m the protagonist and find my true love. The book I’m reading has a similar theme—a woman wakes in the desert, and her kidnapper is a mobster (as they often are) who she falls in love with (as one does).
❣And what about the first village you encountered? Will you describe it to us?
Close up, it resembles a strangely detailed Renaissance Fair. Ribbons and flags wave from the windows, sounds of people and bells trill in the air, and the smell of meat and hops is thick around me. The women wear jewel-toned dresses with white aprons, some smeared with grease and dirt, others crisp and clean. The men wear black or brown leggings and long jewel toned shirts belted with twine. I reconsider—not a Renaissance Faire, but a medieval fair where actors mill about, all in character as they go about their day.
❣ You must have been very confused upon arriving this magical land. How did you cope?
“It is a dream!” This must be part of the fishhook dream. That’s the only thing that makes sense. My normal dreams always depict things that wouldn’t happen, but with a cast of my real life—like when my father pushes me off a cliff, or I’m chased by his third wife’s dog. Those dreams never have fantastical elements, but boredom can create anything. There’s no way I actually ended up in some magical land. My brain must have taken my one-and-only shot to find a boyfriend-slash-friend earlier that evening and produced a fake-Ireland with dragons and a cast of overly attractive potential romantic partners.
❣ Thank goodness you found help along the way though! Tell us about your travel companions!
Each man has a specific purpose within the group. I’ve figured them all out except Tans—Kórol is the leader, Sáven hunts and cooks, Fílga guides us and analyses the map. Tans’ only uses seem to be having private conversations with Kórol and flirting with me.
❣ While traveling, what do you guys do for entertainment?
I spend our free time on the walk to the castle entertaining Fílga and Tans with stories of my own, mostly of the bodice rippers I read back home. Although Sáven’s too shy for my stories and Kórol acts like they’re beneath him, they still crane their necks to listen. I avoid any books that have heavy subtext, ones where the happily ever after wasn’t guaranteed, the kind Mom loved, where only at the conclusion of the novel the readers realize it was about class and gender oppression. Those are to be read for graded purposes only and only revisited under duress.
❣And lastly what is expected of you in If the Walls Fall?
While I can’t be the Sìnnách, the coincidence of me arriving here to destroy some evil Woman while the Sàrkany are waiting for a female savior digs at something under my skin.
❣Thank you so much for talking to us Grace! We cannot wait for everyone to meet you in If the Walls Fall!!
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Tour Schedule!
July 11
@thereaderandthechef – Bookstagram &Book Blog
July 12
@dreaminginpages – Bookstagram
July 13
@paperfury – Bookstagram &Book Blog
July 14
@bookish_gab – Bookstagram
July 15
@sophiesreadingcorner – Bookstagram & Book Blog
July 16
@thebooknerd90 – Bookstagram
July 17
@anabellasbooks – Bookstagram & Book Tok
July 18
@brittyoreads – Bookstagram
July 19
@pavlinamich – Bookstagram & Book Blog
July 20
@myrelationshipwith – Bookstagram
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