Mercury Rises
by Scarlett Kol
Synopsis:
A
girl looking for a way out.
Being the daughter of New America’s leader,
Mercury Masters has everything a girl could want. A glamorous life full of
beautiful people, and the power to have anything she wants, except for one
thing—to escape. Because Mercury’s perfect life comes with secrets to keep.
Dangerous secrets that if made public would destroy her, her family, and her
father’s reign. Then she meets Hawk.
A
boy looking to be a hero.
Hawk, a handsome prep school dropout turned
vigilante, has his own family secrets. Deadly secrets that have haunted him
since he was fifteen. But instead of fighting the ghosts of his past, Hawk has
assembled a group of misfit hackers and thieves to save the future from the
corrupt government of New America and the mysterious virus that is killing off
its citizens. But trying to do the right thing is tough when the person you
really want to save is your enemy’s daughter.
A
love that could kill them both.
Powerful forces keep them apart, but coming
together could be the key to saving New America from destruction—even though it
may cost both their lives.
A near-future YA biopunk retelling of Robin
Hood.
Mercury Rises
by Scarlett Kol
Publication
Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Link to
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Excerpt:
The Rooftop
My
breath started to come in short bursts. I clamped my palm over my mouth to hold
it in, or at least slow it down. Hawk rolled closer to me and took my other
hand, gripping it tight.
“It’ll
be okay,” he whispered in my ear so quietly I wasn’t sure if he’d even said
anything out loud or if I’d simply felt the words flit across my skin.
“She
couldn’t have jumped, there’s no way out over there,” the guard on the dumpster
yelled to his buddy, his voice far too close.
Metal
rumbled under the guard’s boots. Back and forth. Pacing.
Fingers
popped up on the edge of the roof. Thick fingers with bulging knuckles and a
crooked black star tattoo. I started to shimmy back, but Hawk’s squeezed my
hand and shook his head.
What
was he doing? We needed to get out of here. We needed to—
“We’re
chasing a girl, not a damn monkey. She probably went the other way,” the second
guard yelled from farther down the alley.
“I
swear I heard noise from this dumpster. I know she came this way,” the first
guard responded.
“Then
get down, check inside it, and let’s go. I still have to go back and look for
my book. My ass will be on the line if I don’t find it.”
The
fingers disappeared followed by a metal bang. More footsteps and the creak of
the lid opening.
“If
she’s in here the smell probably would’ve killed her by now. I think I’m going
to puke.”
“See.
You probably heard those dumb cats. Let’s get out of here.”
Two
sets of footsteps faded into the distance. My lungs started breathing again.
Neither
of us moved. We just lay there, still, listening to the noisy clamor of the
city at nightfall. The dark, a blanket weighing heavy on our backs. The rush of
the chase had drained from my body, but my mind still ran in circles at full
speed. What were all those guards doing at an inner-city shelter? What would
have happened to me if I’d been caught? Why was Hawk still holding my hand?
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ +
Mercury Rises was perfect. I'm in love with this book and totally hooked on the story. It was that good I couldn't even pick a favourite character. You need this book in your life, and I need more, more, more!
Mercury wants to escape her life (for reasons that become known later in the book). She is willing to work hard to find a world that is for her, but her family are important and want her home. At the start of the book, we get a glimpse of her tasting freedom, but her father is the leader of the country, and his daughter running away is unacceptable. She is eventually found and brought back home. As this story unfolds Mercury realises the world she knows is tainted.
Hawk is the leader of a misfit rebel group. He is trying to help the poor and take from the rich; a modern day Robin Hood. Mercury may just be his downfall. She catches him in her house and turns his plans upside down. She's the daughter of the leader he is rebelling against. She's a threat but not in the way he expects.
Christophe has been in love with his best friend forever. He is closely entangled with her family and is losing himself in the world of politics. He is an intern to The Five, the leaders of the country. He works closely with Mercury's dad. He knows Mercury better than most but she is slowly slipping away. Can he juggle his career and remind Mercury why they were good together?
Hawks misfit crew have mad skills and all have great personalities. From Hackers to thieves they are all loveable in their own way. Even the tough ones.
Mercury is naive to a dystopian world. Hawk opens her eyes and now she can't close them. She is a great character. She's young (17) and trying to find her own place in the world. What she discovers is so much more.
The love triangle in this book was amazing. I am totally in love with all the corners.
My review and the synopsis do not do this book justice. The reason for this is because there are so many secrets in this story I don't want to give anything away.
5+ stars out of 5. This book couldn't have been any more perfect for me.
*ARC
♥
Interview Plus Bonus Scene!
Question
One: What was your inspiration for writing Mercury
Rises? This story actually came together in a
really strange way. I had intended on writing a Robin Hood retelling, but I had
plotted a cute contemporary YA romance instead. As I was starting to put the
story together, I went for a walk downtown and saw this old hotel and a scene
started to form in my head. I got back to my office and the majority of the
first chapter came pouring out, but the girl in that story wasn’t the cute
contemporary romance type. I then started reimagining how the Robin Hood story
could go if this girl was my Maid Marian instead of the one I had originally
envisioned. The virus plot line was a concept I had thought up years ago and suddenly
all of these different ideas mixed and melded together into what Mercury is
today.
Question
Two: There are so many characters in this book I love. Who is your favourite
character and why? My favorite character is Red. She’s
snarky and brash, but she has this other side to her that I don’t think
everyone typically sees.
Question
Three: Christophe and Mercury were close when they were younger. Can you tell
us more about their childhood? Christophe and Mercury have always
had a close relationship. As their fathers have been partners in business for
years, they have often been thrown together. Not surprisingly, a romance
between the two began as they grew older, and as Christophe leaned on Mercury
after the death of his mother. Christophe was always the overachiever. Popular,
athlete, student government, anything to throw himself into and make him feel
validated. Mercury would’ve been a bit of a drama queen. She’d be centre of
attention just because of who her father was and her access to anything she
wanted. Coupled with Mercury’s growing disdain for her father, her party girl
ways would’ve been a form of rebellion against his conservative reign.
Christophe and Mercury were a high school power couple. Christophe’s flair for
the romantic and Mercury’s dramatic streak made for an electric, passionate
relationship that would’ve been relationship goals for any of the students at
Charlotte Hall. A close girlfriend of mine has asked for a Christophe/Mercury
prequel love story, and maybe that might be something I need to look into!
Question
Four: Will we be meeting Bill again in later books or can you tell us what
happened to him. Did he get back on his feet? How does he feel about Mercury
and did he receive her gift without any other consequence? I
would love for Mercury and Bill to meet up again at some point. I have some
ideas on how I would like this to happen, but it is still preliminary.
Mercury’s gift would’ve allowed Bill to settle down and live a serene life,
making peace with his own demons. He would’ve been allowed to accept the gift
as losing it would’ve caused more questions than the Five would be willing to
answer.
Question
Five: Before Mercury's world began to get unbearable. What was her favourite
thing about being 'Princess of the kingdom'? The excess.
Parties, servants, and virtually anything she wanted. Eventually, as we see in
the novel, Mercury realizes that these things aren’t worth the pain they cause,
but while she could throw herself into fabulous clothes and fabulous friends to
hide her pain, it was definitely a perk.
Question
Six: What were Hawks impressions of Mercury when he saw her at the party? Maybe
this would be better answered from that scene in Hawk’s point of view.
Step one complete. All essential personnel
had been accounted for in this room. Now step two -- slip out of this hall and
get into that office. After gliding through the front door without even a blink
from a guard, the rest of this mission should be simple. No one suspected me.
No one to try and stop me.
I craned my neck and scanned the back
wall. Ratchett stood in position, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Don’t lose it now, man, we’re almost done.
I dropped my head and focused on the far ballroom door, quickening my pace. Then…bam! My arm wrenched back, as a blurry
purple missile tried to rip through me instead of simply going around.
I glanced down into the shocked face of
none other than Mercury Masters, the first daughter of the Five. Adrenaline
ripped through my blood, the room heating to boiling in an instant. Of anyone
to see me, it had to be her. One of the only people in this room who might be
able to expose me. Her wide-eyed stare pierced my brain. Never wavering. Never
blinking. Analyzing. This girl. The one I’d watched from a far, like everyone
else at Charlotte Hall, parading around with all her pretty self-important
friends. The centre of the universe. A terrifying, beautiful threat to my
existence.
“Sorry,” she said, as she shook her
head and a few long dark curls fell soft over her bare shoulders. Her full red
lips quivered slightly as if to say something else, but instead cast her eyes
toward the floor and turned away.
“It’s all right, my fault,” I shouted over
the noise, then tore off towards the door trying to shake the paralyzing effect
of her stare and the image of kissing those perfect lips. Besides it would
never happen, and getting involved with Mercury Masters would be end up being
nothing but trouble.
Question
Seven: I can't wait for more of this story. When can we expect book two? Nothing
official at this point, but I am hoping to get something out as soon as
possible.
Question
Eight: Are you planning a newsletter to sign up to? Definitely!
I just put the sign-up on my website (www.scarlettkol.com)
and intend to send out my first one in the spring. I’m planning to keep it 4 a
year so not to overwhelm people, and maybe an extra one now and again if I have
exciting news that can’t wait.
About the Author
Scarlett Kol grew up in Northern Manitoba reading books and
writing stories about creatures that make you want to sleep with the lights on.
As an adult, she's still a little afraid of the dark. Scarlett now lives just
outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with her husband and two boys, but if you
need to find her she's likely freezing at the hockey rink.
Giveaway
Info:
·
One (1) winner will receive a
Stella and Dot "On the Mark" Arrow Necklace and a $20 Amazon gift
card (INT)
Thank you so much for hosting me today. I’m so pumped that you love the story!!
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