Crown of Talons Lockdown

I am so thrilled to welcome back Katherine and Elizabeth Corr, sisters and authors of two series that I chat about on this blog, The Witch's Kiss trilogy and the Throne of Swans duology. Their latest is the conclusion to the Throne of Swans duology, Crown of Talons, and the best way to describe this series (and this book in particular) is imagine Game of Thrones had a baby with Swan Lake and you have a vague idea.  

Now, seeing as Crown of Talons is a sequel, I don't want to do a write-up in case of spoilers, so how far can I go to talk about this world... After the events on Throne of Swans, Aderyn is on high alert. Enemies outside and within court are watching her and thinking she and Aron, her cousin, aren't enough to rule. But with nobles from neighbouring country fleeing for their lives - the flightless have risen up and overthrown their rules - and an attempted assassination is made on Aderyn's life, the world is changing and Aderyn must have the strength to overcome everything to save her kingdom. Or die trying... 

It's going to be a bloody, feathery fight to the death!

Now, before I hand you over to the Katherine and Elizabeth, I just want to thank and apologise to them for writing this. I popped a random email at them (I love having them on the blog as they are a delight!) over Easter, saying something along the lines of "Hey, am reading Crown of Talons. Fancy popping on the blog for a guest post, if you have time?" and them saying "Sure, what do you want us to write, though?" and us bouncing ideas till someone (Katherine, was it you or Elizabeth? It wasn't me, am not this clever) said "What about what TV shows they watched or books they read if they were in lockdown with us?" and I jumped up and down in my seat, going "YES! THIS! CAN YOU WRITE THIS?!"

Ok, quick house-keeping. If you want to know more about either the Corr's series (Throne of Swans and their debut trilogy, The Witch's Kiss), pop over to their website - corrsisters.com - or you can jump on their social media and say hi to them both. Elizabeth is on Twitter at @lizcorr_writes and Katherine can be found at @katharinecorr.

Now, what would the characters in Crown of Talons read/watch during lockdown. Shall we find out?

During the third lockdown, we both spent a lot of time curled up with comfort reads or lying on the sofa binge-watching television – and we doubt we were alone! We decided it would be fun to work out what some of our main characters from A Crown Of Talons might have been reading and watching if they’d been stuck in the 21^st century UK over the last few months. 

ADERYN

Reads: everything by Professor Brian Cox, and astronaut Tim Peake’s autobiography.

Watches: everything by Professor Brian Cox. Political drama, especially The West Wing and Veep.

An avid star gazer, Aderyn would escape the planet entirely by reading about space and the latest astronomical discoveries. She’d then watch Brian Cox’s TV shows and probably fall a little in love with the way he gazes moodily at the stars. Given the political machinations she comes up against in Talons, she’d also enjoy watching similar manoeuvring on the screen, especially in shows that don’t involve quite as much actual bloodshed and torture.  

LUCIEN

Reads: The Lord Of The Rings

Watches: The Lord Of The Rings films and Tidying Up With Marie Kondo

Lucien would really identify with the themes of nobility and sacrifice in The Lord Of The Rings. Driven by Aderyn’s comments about his untidiness, he would also watch every series of Marie Kondo available, with the plan of returning to his house at Hatchlands and his rooms at the Silver Citadel to decide what ‘sparked joy’. Despite his best intentions, we’re not sure it’s going to help.

ARON

Reads: the Aubrey-Maturin novels of Patrick O’Brian

Watches: RuPaul’s Drag Race UK

Ever since Valentin told him about the boat he built, Aron has wanted to sail, so we think he’d love reading about tall ships, privateers, naval battles and other drama on the high seas. He’d also enjoy watching Russel Crowe in Master And Commander. But his favourite show for binge-watching would definitely be Drag Race – he would adore the snarky banter.

LETYA

Reads: all the Agatha Christie books she can lay her hands on

Watches: Desperate Housewives

Letya would get through lockdown by embracing her predilection for intrigue. Her favourite Agatha Christie character would be Miss Marple, who (like Letya) has a gift for picking up incredibly useful bits of gossip. She’d watch Desperate Housewives obsessively, revelling in the increasingly over-the-top plot twists and approving of Bree’s exceptional baking skills.

Thanks so much Andrew for having us on the blog!