Malinda Lo

Tomorrow is the official launch day for Huntress! To get you in the mood, here is a roundup of Huntress-related news:

Huntress received a wonderful review from the Bulletin of the Center on Children’s Books. Here’s an excerpt:

Lo expands from the lush, foreboding backdrop of the Wood found in her debut Ash (BCCB 10/09) to the rest of the Kingdom while offering up a compelling history and two cleverly conceived new heroines. Taisin’s pious, astute demeanor provides a perfect foil to Kaede’s almost reckless physicality, and as the third-person narration shifts focus between the two, readers become aware that the girls are essentially each other’s perfect complement. Subplots occasionally feel extraneous, paling in comparison to the heartbreaking sensuality that blossoms between the female leads. Beyond romance, however, stunning action sequences abound, including one literal cliffhanger and a breathtaking confrontation with the villain.

When I first read this I thought: Wow, they read the book I intended to write! That is so awesome! I am not bothered in the least by the occasionally “extraneous” subplot part, because hello, it’s compared to the “heartbreaking sensuality” between the two girls! Bring it. That is what I was going for.

Huntress also got a fantastic review from the Happy Nappy Bookseller, who wrote:

Huntress has a great balance of action, danger and love. I absolutely loved Lo’s writing. Sometimes author’s drag out an inevitable relationship, and as a reader I am screaming just get together already. That was not the case with Huntress. The author’s transitions from the potential relationship to the mission were clinic good. In doing so Lo kept me very much interested in both aspects of the story. Taisin and Kaede’s first kiss was worth the wait.

Woohoo!

I’ve been doing some interviews around the internet, too, and there will be more coming. Here are the first few:

• YA Book Reads
• YA Fantasy Guide
• Adventures in Children’s Publishing — A mini-interview in which you can also win a copy of Huntress (deadline this week!)
• iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books — An interview accompanied by a signed giveaway of Huntress (deadline April 30)

That’s all the news for today. Come back tomorrow for my launch post with some fun giveaways!