There have been a spate of lovely new online mentions of RAMPANT recently. I thought I’d share some quotes:

First, from Caitlin at Addiction to Fiction:

“This book was most entertaining, and very original. I loved the idea of killer unicorns. Before I started the book, I was envisioning sprawling battles with swords and crossbows and majestic yet terrible beasts that are ravaging the unsuspecting population. And I was not disappointed in that regard. What I didn’t expect was how honest the book was going to be about teenage girls and sex. I had completely forgotten the old myth of unicorns being attracted to virgin females, but this book takes it and runs with it. And sex itself it talked about in such an honest and real way. It feels like teenage girls talking about sex. Not an adult having teenage girls talk about sex the way she wishes they would.”

From Lea at YA Book Queen:

“Unicorns totally kick butt. I never thought I could actually take ‘Killer Unicorns’ seriously, but Peterfreund makes it all believable. After the first chapter, I was hooked.”

“The fight scenes were awesome, and so well described. I felt like I was there, witnessing everything. Even the descriptions of the unicorns were awesome, because I could tell just how deadly they were (seriously!).”

Kate at Read This Book gives it a gold star and says:

“Wow! I could not put down this book and despite the fact that I was rather unwell when I read it. From the first chapter, you’d be enchanted by the world of killer unicorns. Rampant possesses a nice mixture of romance, action and adventure. Detailed gruesome battles, heart-pounding action, vivid desciptions of unicorns and fantastic dialogue. It’s no question that Diana Peterfreund is an amazingly talented writer.”

Liyana at LiyanaLand (on break from trying to guess the title of the sequel) named Rampant her book of the month for November and says:

“I loved the fighting sequences and the training scenes. As I’m writing this, I’m still in RampantLand, and goshdang it! The view there is amazing. The descriptions are breathtaking, the writing is superbly lucid and the characters are just fantastically detailed.”

And, last but not least, Angela at DarkFaerieTales has this to say:

“Overall, I think Rampant is an excellent read. These rabid and deadly unicorns will absolutely terrify you. This book has it all, from making out, to fight scenes, flesh eating mythical creatures, deadly kills, heartbreak, and downright gore. The pacing of the book is good and the premise is certainly engaging. I actually bit all of my nails off while reading this book. Many thanks, Ms. Peterfreund.”

And also:

“The love story between Astrid and Giovanni is actually pretty devastating. Astrid grapples with her physical and emotional reactions to Giovanni, and looks to him as a way out of the death and destruction. Giovanni is older and more experienced, and views his relationship with Astrid as more than physical gratification. Their relationship will certainly be fraught with difficulty and full of sacrifice for both parties.”

I save that quote for last because it really made my day. I absolutely love the response that Rampant has received from readers — I love Astrid, and Phil, and Cory, and Bonegrinder, I love the Cloisters and the battle sequences, and it means so much to me that readers love them too.

I also love Giovanni. I find the relationship between Astrid and Giovanni to be pretty devastating myself, and there are certain scenes with the two of them that make me cry every time I read them. I realize that he’s not a vampire or a fallen angel or any of those other enigmatic and enchanting boys YA heroines are wont to meet in their biology classes, He’s not a werewolf, a demon, a fairy, or a unicorn hunter. To me, this is not a downside. I like human boys very much. I married one. There’s a reason that Giovanni has been crafted the way he is.

I don’t believe love conquers all. Rather, I believe that love gives you a reason to attempt said conquering. And those who have read the secret society books and the five romances in that series know that sometimes, that’s not reason enough. I love that the Dark Faerie Tales review appreciated Astrid and Giovanni’s love story. I can’t wait for you all to read ASCENDANT and see where it takes them.

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Since one of the most frequently asked questions I get regarding RAMPANT is if there is going to be a sequel (often phrased as, “what about this plot point?”), I thought it would be a good time to remind everyone that yes, there is a sequel, though it will be available approximately three published works of fiction by Diana Peterfreund from now. Otherwise known as next September, 2010.

This week, we are having a contest to guess the title of the sequel. The winner gets a copy of the as of yet uncreated ARC of said sequel when it’s finally available (in a few months). Everyone is eligible to guess, except (obviously) people I’ve already told what the title is. I’ll be coming in at various times to drop hints. Multiple guesses are okay as well.

Have at it.

HINT #1: (though most of your guesses are falling along these lines anyway) The Title is one word.

HINT #2: (disappointing Liliyana) The Title does not start with the letter R.

HINT #3: (You guys are getting marvelously close with some of your guesses. Maybe this one will help you hone in on the theme.) Behold, the flap copy:

Astrid Llewelyn is now a fully-trained unicorn hunter, but she’s learning she can’t solve all her problems with just a bow and arrow. Her boyfriend Giovanni has decided to leave Rome, the Cloisters is in dire financial straits, her best friend’s powers seem to be mysteriously disintegrating, and Astrid fears that school, home, and her hopes of becoming a scientist are nothing but impossible dreams.

So when she’s given the opportunity to leave the Cloisters and put her skills to use as part of a scientific quest to discover The Remedy, Astrid leaps at the chance. Finally, she can have exactly what she wants…or can she? At the Gordian Pharmaceuticals headquarters deep in the French countryside, Astrid begins to question everything she thought she believed: her love for Giovanni, her loyalty to the Cloisters, and – most of all – her duty as a hunter. Should Astrid be saving the world from killer unicorns, or saving the unicorns from the world?

Updated Saturday Night: All right, guys. This contest is about guessing the title of the book, not filling the comments thread with every word from the dictionary. So I’ve got a new rule. Starting with comment number 239, every entrant is allowed three more guesses. THREE. TRES. Not three more comments, three more words. This rule is in effect until I put out hint #5 (if we get that far). So think carefully.

THE TITLE HAS NOT BEEN GUESSED. So do not repeat any of the words already guessed (though several would, in fact, fit).

Ready?

HINT #4: Like RAMPANT, the title is a term of heraldry.

_________________________________________________________

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Wow, I was just about to come in and say, okay guys, hint #5, “it’s an English word,” or hint #6 “it ends in -nt,” or hint #7 “Tiff almost guessed it.”

But I didn’t have to. Because at 9:31 a.m. on Sunday, while I rode hte BoltBus to the Books of Wonder signing in New York City, on her 45th guess (though only her first since I instituted the new rule), Abby guessed the title of RAMPANT’s sequel.

The title is:

ASCENDANT

Abby, you have won yourself an ARC, though they will not be printed for a few months yet. Congratulations!

And thank you all for your wonderful guesses. I can’t tell you how many of your guesses were on the list of titles my editor and I batted back and forth for months. As I said somewhere in the comments section, the working title of the manuscript was REMEDY, but there was a concern that it sounded too medical and would not resonate with people who had not read RAMPANT and were unaware of the significance of that word inside the world of the book. It was a long time before we struck upon ASCENDANT, and when we did, it clicked into place right away as the perfect title for this book.

ascendant (n. or adj.)

1. (adj.) moving upward; ascending or rising; increasing in power.
2. (adj.) Dominant in position or influence; superior.
3. (n.) An ancestor.

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I’m so giddy. I recently received a link to these pieces of fan art from the talented Emilia, who has been drawing portraits of all the hunters. Here are a few of my favorites:

Okay, y’all. In the background? those are bloody sheep. I lurrrve it.

And here’s a remarkably accurate rendition of Phil and Bonegrinder (let’s pretend BG rolled in some mud and got her hair dirty):

And then, of course, our heroine, Astrid:

What’s so great about this one is the attention to detail. Astrid is in fact wearing a skirt in that scene, because she’s been out on the town with the other hunters, and she borrowed a “floaty, swirly” skirt from Phil. And her eyebrows are so perfect. And the alicorn knife! I love it!

Thanks, Emilia! And if anyone wants to see more, there are some more on her website.

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