Tag Archives: Georgiana Derwent

Unknown's avatar

Guest Post by Georgiana Derwent, author of the Cavalier Trilogy

by

 

Oxford Blood (The Cavaliers, book #1) by Georgina Derwent – Review  Georgiana Derwent

 

Me: I would like to know about your interest in vampires ?
Georgiana: I first got into vampires in my early teens (I’m now 27). I read LJ Smith’s The Secret Circle, which is about witches, and absolutely loved it, so decided to find out what else she’d written. The only other books in my school’s library was the Vampire Diaries, and I really wasn’t sure I’d like it – I didn’t think vampires were really my thing! But I decided to give it a go, and although I’ve since read books that I’d say are technically better, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed reading a book quite so much in my life.
I then went on a bit of a mission to track down similar books, and over the course of the next year or so, read pretty much every vampire book I could find – although this was in about 2001, and there were far fewer options. I didn’t really enjoy any of the others quite as much, although I did love watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Around about that time, I decided that at some point, I would write a vampire book, and I wrote a very brief outline. I then went off the university and forgot all about it. By the time the whole Twilight craze started up and triggered a flood of vampire books, I was pretty much over the genre. I read Twilight itself, but I really didn’t enjoy it. The vampires were just too nice, and fundamentally, too human for my tastes. And then someone lent me the first of Charlaine Harris’ True Blood books. It was a great read and really reignited my interest in vampire books. I was visiting my parents that weekend, so I dug out my old teenage notebook, found the note about the book (which had been lurking at the back of my mind for years) and immediately made a start on finally writing the thing.
There are several reasons I like vampire stories so much. I wrote about that in more detail on my blog here: http://georgianaderwent.com/2013/01/21/why-i-like-vampire-novels-so-much-introduction/
Basically, it’s a combination of the forbidden love, the element of danger, and the history and folklore. There’s something so sexy about a romantic scene featuring a vampire, partly because you know things could go too far at any moment. That said, I’m picky about my vampire books. If they are basically just super-attractive super-powerful humans, I’m not interested. To capture my imagination, they have to do at least some of kill/drink human blood/only be able to come out at night while still retaining some human emotions. I also like to see a really developed mythology.
Me: How did you decide on the setting?
Georgiana: I attended Oxford and absolutely loved it. I started writing Oxford Blood about two years after I graduated, when I was really missing it and wanted to reminisce. That said, I genuinely think it makes a great setting for a novel. Firstly, because it’s such a beautiful place, full of centuries old buildings. Secondly, because it has such strange traditions, lots of which I explore in the book. And finally, it gathers together some of the cleverest young adults in the country, about half of whom are quite rich, and the other half of whom have had to work super hard and defy the odds to get there. It makes them live close together (at my college, at least, everyone had to live within walls for all three years) and puts them under lots of pressure to succeed. It’s a recipe for rivalry, for close friendships, and for romantic tension. All of which combines to practically give you a ready made novel before you even factor in the vampires!

Me: Are some of the characters based on people you knew while you attended Oxford?
Georgiana: The characters who are closest to being directly based on someone are Tom, who has more than a passing similarity to my fiancé, and Adelaide, who is like an exaggerated version of my Mum (for better and for worse). Someone once claimed that first novel are always autobiographical, and while I hope she’s not just a carbon copy, Harriet certainly has a few things in common with me, or at least with me at nineteen.
At the other end of the spectrum, a few very minor characters (usually random Cavaliers and their victims) are named after and broadly based on people I’ve met once or twice.
What I do more often is take different aspects of different people and mix them together to create a character. So Josh, for example, looks like one music student I knew and has the broad personality of another. And there are certain scenes that involve one character, and in reality, something similar happened, but it didn’t involve the person they are based on.
I used to try to hide the fact I’d written these books from university acquaintances in-case anyone took offence, but several people have read them now and love to come up with theories about who is based on who. At least three people claim that George is based on them, which only goes to prove how arrogant some people can be!

 

BOOK TOUR REVIEW: Oxford Blood by Georgiana Derwent              Screaming Spires (The Cavaliers #2) by Georgiana Derwent                 21848242

 

Thank you Georgiana for giving a look into what made these books possible!

 

Unknown's avatar

Ivory Terrors

by

21848242

Ivory Terrors (The Cavaliers #3)

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have enjoyed this series from the first book and actually wish that we could have just one more so that I could see how things turn out for everyone after they have gotten past the worst. I love the fact that historical facts as well as fictions are interwoven giving it a richer feel and giving a fuller life to the characters. I have fond characters that I really liked and some that were kind of annoying but always got some type of reaction from me, which means they are well established in mind as more than two-dimensional. Descriptions of locations are so vivid that you can almost see them. I was immediately drawn back into the story of vampires who have forgotten their humanity and see killing a few people as nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The action starts right on the heels of the last book with Harriet still unconscious after George has mesmerized her and kidnapped her from the summer party. She is not allowed to wake until they arrive at their destination and finds herself in France with him, her mother and the man she has always believed to be her father, though he, was supposed to be dead. What she finds is that she has been brought to a man/vampire who wishes to kill her enemies but also wishes to kill the only father she has ever known, Augustine, who he hates for abandoning him. He wants Harriet’s help in setting up all his enemies and gaining him the power to take the Cavaliers in another direction. But does Harriet want to see Augustine dead, even if he is somewhat ruthless he has always been good to her.

The Roundheads are still out there and plotting their own retribution for the Cavaliers unaware of a third-party plotting to decimate their ranks. They are also not aware that a traitor has infiltrated their ranks and is working against them. When things finally come to a head everyone will be surprised by what is learned and what is lost.

This was a great way to end a series that has been riff with conspiracies from the very beginning. Betrayals were a way of life for all those involved whether human or vampire, love was given and taken away only to be redirected, lying was taken to a high art. I was very glad to get the full story behind Augustine because he was a big part of this and finally knowing what he had gone through to make him who he was made this so much more interesting. The only thing that annoyed me was who Harriet ended up with, really, him! While I loved everything else that was my one sticking point. Harriet went up and down for me because she was so mercurial about everything from her family to the men she claimed to love, but in the end she did what I would have done.

If you want to step off into a world that has beautiful men, fabulous parties, and more death than the law allows, then you have to read these books. I’d still like another one! 🙂

Look for the arrival of this last in the Cavaliers trilogy on May 1st.
  “Harriet dreamt of someone well dressed and flamboyant, who spoke like the lead in a black and white film, who drank champagne like other people drank Carling and who could talk about history and philosophy and life for hours, without making themselves sound like an idiot. Someone who made romantic gestures, who was generous to everyone and extravagant towards her. Someone, for preference, who rowed and had the muscles to prove it. When she was really having a bad day, someone with a title. Every time a well-meaning access scheme leaflet tried to reassure her and all the other state school applicants that Oxford wasn’t wall to wall Old Etonians permanently dressed in tuxedos, she died a little inside.”  ― Georgiana Derwent, Oxford Blood
Unknown's avatar

Screaming Spires

by

17522842

Screaming Spires (The Cavaliers #2)

Lets start with the fact that I give this 4.5 stars.

This book picks up pretty much where the first book, Oxford Blood, leaves off. The story is flawless in its continuation of the plot line making for a great reintroduction before moving forward. All the elements that made the first book so enjoyable are here again with the added pleasure of getting to know a bit more about some of the secondary characters as well as some mains who were not fully fleshed out. This is keeping me so engaged partially because of the triangle which developed early on and does seem to be resolved, even though you expect it to be, things have just gotten that much more tense. The introduction of new characters only deepens the mystery of what is going on and adds another layer to what/who is involved. I can only guess at the language, which can be a bit confusing sometimes, thank goodness for BBC America, I can at least understand most of the terms without a translator. 🙂 There are multiple factions and multiple plots playing out so knowing the players makes it easy to keep track.

Harriet is back at Oxford for her second year after a summer break that left her in a broken condition. She and Tom are still dating but George is never far from her thoughts which makes her feel disloyal. When George does something for her, which he claims was out of love, she cannot think straight about what she should do. Two vampires, both Cavaliers, and both claiming they have feelings for her. After all the revelations she has had to deal with, this does not make her life any easier. The one bright spot for her is the return of her best friend Caroline.

There are also darker forces gathering who do not have Harriet nor the Cavaliers best interests at heart. They are bent on revenge and anyone who gets in their way is fair game. Someone close to her also has an agenda and it may or may not be to her benefit. Harriet is going to learn the hard way that while she may be considered vampire royalty for her lineage, she must decide how to live with what she continues to find out about those around her.

I was drawn back into this world swiftly and thoroughly with the first few sentences. I had really liked Harriet when I read the first book but feel a bit more ambivalent about her now, because she seems just a bit more wishy-washy than she did before. Even though she was young she seemed to have more of a backbone and did not allow herself to be pushed or swayed one way or the other. I’m partial to Tom even though he may not be the strongest, he does seem to have more integrity than any of the others. I am enjoying this series because it has everything I like in a vampire novel, blood, sexy vampires, romance, sexual tension, rivalries, revenge, and well-defined friendships. This cliff-hanger killed me because I had no idea how long I would have to wait to find out the conclusion. I know what I want and can’t wait to find out what happens. I would recommend this series highly.