Gargoyle by Shelley Martin
Gargoyle Blurb:
Elizabeth's secrets will kill her, but the devotion of a gargoyle
can save her.
In 1894, seventeen year old Elizabeth Riemma pulls the clothes from
her dead twin's body and assumes his identity. To avoid her
murderous uncle, she attends her brother’s school on Marettimo
Island, which is forbidden to women. Elizabeth takes solace in
sculpting and one night, she awakens her gargoyle.
Gorgeous and fiercely loyal, Aelius uses his abilities to aid
Elizabeth in keeping her secret. He only asks one thing in return- a
kiss. As Elizabeth learns confidence from her creation, suspicions
rise and the island’s bloody history threaten to bury them.
Elizabeth must hide her gender. Aelius must hide his existence.
But both of them dream of the impossible- to be together.
My Review:
Gargoyle is a must read. I honestly could not put this amazing story down.
Elizabeta
Riemma lives in the year 1891 at a school for boys. She's been living
as her twin brother for the past couple years lonely, afraid, and picked
on. Elizabeta or Erro being small in size is bullied around most of the
day at school. Being stuffed into places, art works destroyed, and
things constantly being thrown at her for being small and not taking
showers with the other boys.
One day while Elizabeta is finishing
up her sculpting of the gargoyle on top of her building she kisses the
gargoyle expecting cold hard marble. Instead she gets the shock of her
life when she feels flesh against flesh. The gargoyle Aelius tells her
that her kiss has awakened him from his slumber and that she is his
Master and he is hers to serve for as long as she lives. However, every
time she asks for something she must repay him, with a kiss.
After
a couple months of getting used to Aelius she begins to feel more and
more comfortable and happier than she ever remembered feeling since her
families untimely death. Too bad it seems happiness never seems to stay
long for the man she has been running away from has sent word that Erro
is actually dead and his sister is pretending to be him. Afraid what
will happen if she gets caught she is forced to ask Aelius to mold her
into a boy. Aelius complies and she is a boy by day and girl by night,
just as Aelius is sculpture by day and man by night.
Soon
Elizabeta finds herself drawn to Aelius her gargoyle guardian. Soon
though as always danger finds them both and they will do anything to
keep each other safe. But the long deadly history of the gargoyles may
prevent them from ever being able to do what they truly want; to be
together.
Elizabeta was an amazing character to read. She was
easily relatable, especially when she was feeling all flustered when she
was around Aelius. Elizabeta had a lot to learn about herself
throughout the novel and I liked that she wasn't perfect. She also liked
scheming a lot which was awesome, one of the best scenes in the book!
Aelius
was hot is every sense of the word. He had the perfect body and was
quite humorous himself at times, even though I don't think he meant to
be. He had a great sense of justice when it came to protecting Elizabeta
and bringing justice to those who would seek to harm her. The honestly
made a perfect couple!
Overall, Gargoyle is an amazing read. It
is extremely original like none I've ever read. The lengths Elizabeta
and Aelius were willing to go through to be together was amazing. They
both grew as characters throughout the book which was awesome. There
was always something going on in the story and I was always left
guessing what would happen next. I hope you pick up a copy of this
amazing book ASAP!
Favorite Quote:
“My uncle started that little lie. It’s amazing you believed him.”
“Oh, I didn’t believe him. The Headmaster ordered me, and your other teachers,
to keep an eye out for definitive proof. And now we have it, and this whole stupid thing is
over. That’s all.”
“I hope so, Mr. Chevalier. Because, if you wanted to see something other than
what I possess, I’d say you need to leave this island immediately and find yourself a wife.”
Did I really just say that?! First I fall on him, crack his skull a good one, now I’m
insulting him? What’s wrong with me?
He burst out laughing. He bent forward and slapped the water. “That’s more like
it, Erro. That’s the spirit! Why aren’t you like that with the boys in class?”
My brow drew together. I insult him, and he thinks it’s funny? There’s a lot more I
need to learn about men, it seems.
Rating: 4.5
Interview with Shelley Martin!! Yay!!!
Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here and can’t wait to dig into these
questions.
1. What made you decide to write about gargoyles? I mean they aren't exactly main stream so what made you decide to break the mold?
Actually it started out as a contest entry for a writer’s convention. There were two titles to choose from and I went for the more difficult “The Silent Roar.” But I couldn’t think of anything to write. I finally presented the problem to one of my friends and she said when she hear the title she thought of a statue screaming. I immediately picked up a gargoyle and ran with it. I went home with an award and everyone in my writer’s group encouraged me to turn it into a novel.
2. Was there any truth to the story of Marettimo island?
No. *smiles* It is a real place though. I looked at a map and picked an island the farthest from Sicily, the most isolated one. When I did the Google map zoom later I saw that the whole island is mostly just a rugged mountain wreathed by beautiful sandy beaches. The only inhabitants live on the beach, and there are very few of them.
3. Who was your favorite character to write?
Oh, Aelius by far! I crush on him J I was determined my cover artist got him right, so I sketched him first, and wow did the artist Grant Griffard deliver!
4. When did you first decide you wanted to become an author?
I’ve been writing since I was 10. It’s just something I did. But I really decided I wanted to pursue it as a career when I was 14. I was in English class and the boy in front of me nabbed my notebook and started reading the story I was working on. Mortified, I kept asking him to give it back. He ignored me. By the time he finally tossed it back over his shoulder he said I wrote better than the junk they forced us to read in high school. That one comment pushed me to take a hobby seriously.
5. How long did it take you to write Gargoyle?
Once I finished the short it took me six months for the first draft. But it was only aiming for a novella at the time. A few people made some suggestions and ignited my imagination farther. I kept writing until it reached novel length.
6. Do you plan on writing more on the story of Elizabeta and Aelius?
I’m currently writing the second in the series, planning on four or five total.
7. Does the name Aelius mean anything?
I love Latin names. And since the story takes place around Sicily and Italy I thought a Roman name would be appropriate. The name Aelius originated from a Roman Emperor, Lucius Aelius, who was adopted into the Cesar’s family and deemed heir to the throne. I thought it sounded so fairytale-ish.
8. What made you decide to change Elizabeta the way you did at the end?
The short story originally had a tragic ending, which I knew had to change. The story was a romance, and romance always has a happy ending. I’m not sure how it happened, but I was thrilled how both Elizabeta and Aelius had “changing” abilities in the end. I just wrote, aiming for a happy ending, and they figured it out for themselves.
9. What was your favorite scene or scenes to write?
Oh, the bath house scene, by far! I laughed and giggled the entire time I wrote that chapter. I finished it in two days. I mean seeing one’s hot teacher in the buff is face-scalding enough, but what happened between Elizabeta and Mr. Chevalier … I don’t think I could have thought clearly for days after that incident!
10. Did you listen to certain songs while you wrote certain scenes? If so what were they?
I always listen to music when writing. It’s like fuel for my imagination. The first couple are haunting tunes from anime, and the rest are mainstream that were favorites on my playlist.
- Lilium by Kumiko Noma (Elfin Lied)
- Silence by Witch Hunter Robin
- Fireflies by Owl City
- Stereo Love by Edward Maya and Viki Jigulina
- Miss Independent by Ne-Yo
I am so excited to hear there is going to be more to their story!!! Want to find out more about the author?
Author Bio:
Shelley Martin taught kindergarten and rustled cattle; once upon a
time. She’s now a mother and wife, and loves living in North
Idaho. Her imagination has always plagued her, the characters
jumping into her head at some random song or thought. She started
writing when she was ten, finishing her first short story when she
was eleven. The paranormal has always fascinated her, and nothing
draws her to the page more than the whisperings of fantastical
creatures.
Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6542638.Shelley_Martin
https://twitter.com/ShelleyMartin12
https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyMartinFiction
http://shelleymartinfiction.com/
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