': Splendor by Elana K. Arnold blog tour {review & giveaway}

Splendor, the stunning sequel to Sacred, is a story about changing friendships, family, romance, passion, the study of Kabbalah, and self-discovery.

Sometimes the answers we seek aren’t ours to find. . . .

Scarlett loves her boyfriend, the dashing, mysterious Will Cohen. But now he’s gone east for college, and Scarlett is stuck home on Catalina Island. Senior year should be a breeze, but between dealing with her parents’ separation and her wild best friend, Lily, things are off to a rocky start. And then there’s Gunner. Dangerous, dark, ferociously attractive Gunner. Lily’s potential boyfriend, Gunner . . .
Scarlett distracts herself by spending time with her horse and delving into ecstatic mysticism, a way to practice Kabbalah. Through this practice, she hopes to learn to control her emotions, and begin to make sense of her place in the world. But Scarlett’s world is increasingly unrecognizable.
Are Lily and Scarlett becoming too different to stay friends? Is Will still the love of Scarlett’s life, even though she has feelings for Gunner? Does being in love mean only being attracted to one person? The more Scarlett questions, the fewer answers there seem to be.

Praise for Splendor:

“As in Arnold’s earlier Sacred, teens will gravitate toward Scarlett and her problems. Arnold has painted a very realistic picture of teenage girls and their conflicting emotions. . . . Fans of the first novel will appreciate continuing Scarlett’s story and finding some closure with this sequel. Readers unfamiliar with Sacred will still be able to enjoy Splendor.”—VOYA

Praise for Sacred:

“Will appeal to many teens, especially fans of the Twilight series.”–Booklist

“Filled with tension and angst. . . . Readers will be looking for the next installment.”–School Library Journal

“A poignant novel of loss and grief, but also of hope.”–VOYA

You can purchase Splendor at the following Retailers:

Splendor is the sequel to Sacred and continues the journey in the ever evolving lives of Scarlett and Will. Scarlett has started her senior year in high school and Will has gone of to college. Both stay strong in their love for each other, but explore the individual aspects of their lives as well. Scarlett stays busy with her now pregnant horse and the study of Kabbalah. That is until an attractive and mysterious stranger comes to town. Gunner is everything that Will is not and Scarlett loves Will, so she's really confused at her developing feelings for Gunner. Add to that his potential candidacy to be her best friend Lily's boyfriend. But there is a dark side to Gunner and he goes out of his way to drive a wedge between the best friends. Will he succeed in separating Scarlett and Will as well?

At its core, Splendor is a novel about faith, hope and love. The characters are realistic and have a depth to them, perhaps because the challenges they face are relatable. Scarlett is separated from the love of her life while battling her growing feelings for another young man. She's fighting with her best friend and her parents have separated. On top of all that, Will is continuing to explore his abilities and putting himself in danger.

Arnold set a steady pace with the perfect balance of details and descriptions within this story. Scarlett is a worthy heroine and I love that she's not fake, she is continually evolving on her journey of self awareness. If you're a fan of romance, fantasy and contemporary fiction then you should definitely consider this series.

ELANA K. ARNOLD completed her M.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction at the University of California, Davis. She grew up in Southern California, where she was lucky enough to have her own horse–a gorgeous mare named Rainbow–and a family who let her read as many books as she wanted. She lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. She is represented by Rubin Pfeffer of the East/West Literary Agency. Sacred is her debut novel.

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