Title: As Cold As
Thorns
Author: Isis Sousa
Series: Duology Book 1 of 2
Genre: Dark Fantasy/Gothic/Paranormal/Dark Fairytale
Publisher: Tragic Books
Release Date: Nov 28 2016
Edition/Formats: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
When lust and vanity consume a humble young soul, nothing is
left but a faint flame in the darkness of the void.
The solace and contentment of Henrique’s simple life as a small-town
tailor’s apprentice vanish when his ambitions turn him overnight into one of
the most powerful and influential personalities in early-1800s Europe. His
quick ascension to the upper echelons of the leading Iberian Empire reveals a
man torn between the pure heart he once was, and the grim shade of what he has
now become: a spirit obsessed with expensive material possessions and the urge
to acquire the unattainable.
Henrique succumbs to the ever-growing desires and beguiling
passions tormenting his mind, causing a rupture between reason and a desolate
world of ice and snow where pain is the key to salvation. Will he survive his
encounter with the colossal emptiness and find the righteous path to lead him
out of his agony?
Come and indulge yourself in this startling tale of coldness
and wonder.
Henrique Albuquerque de Sousa Lombardi
Henrique is the lead
character on the duology “As Cold As Thorns”. He is first introduced in the
book in a scene where he is dressing Princess Catelyna in her betrothal gown, a
sumptuous dress which he had designed and fashioned himself. He is the Royal
Tailor and his creations are both admired and envied by the other European
courts and acclaimed to be the most exquisite the world has seen in his time.
Background
Childhood
The tailor was born in
1774 in the old city of Évora, South East of Portugal, where two thousand years
of history has been imprinted in its architecture, folklore and traditions.
Henrique’s family was one of simple origins and they grew a business in the art
of dressmaking for several generations. His father, uncles and older brother
worked in the local atelier, where he spent most of his days, observing and
learning the craft for which he fell in love with.
Career:
from a simple family of tailors to the Royal Courts of Portugal and the New
Kingdom of Iberia
Already at age twelve,
Henrique began working in his family’s atelier doing small jobs and errands. By
age fifteen he was sewing and designing entire pieces and his name began to
grow in the city, thereafter in the region as his skills had outgrown those of
his co-workers. Word continued to spread about his talents, and before he was
eighteen, he was fashioning clothes for nobles, until the day a Marquess talked about the young man’s
brightness to the Crown of Portugal.
He was soon summoned in
the Royal Palace and became the Royal family’s tailor. A few years later, at
the turn of the century, Portugal was taken by the Spanish King, becoming part
of the New Kingdom of Iberia. A transition that changed Henrique’s homeland and
life drastically, forcing him to pay services to his ruler. He had to move to
his new home in former Spain, at the region of Aragón.
Character Arc (Book #1) – Spoiler Alert!
Henrique, who has
always been a man of principles and noble conduct, starts the story with small
changes in his behavior, way of thinking, and physically, his hair began
turning grey. These changes are result of his ever-growing ambitions and
obsessions, such as to conquer the heart of the Princess and find a legendary
Black Rose. An unknown force, slowly takes over him, turning him into someone
who finds pleasure on other people’s suffering and who manipulate people at his
will. The tailor’s erratic path leads him to murder and ultimately to losing
control of himself, putting those he love in danger. Despite the darkness
surrounding him, Henrique has still something of the man he was left in his
conscience, and he uses that to do what little good he can before he loses
himself to the unknown force devouring his soul.
I am an artist; illustrator and graphic designer who
writes on my free time. But with all the imagination I have running lose, there
came some stories… And there came some books!
I am born and grown up in
Brazil, however I live in Mid-Norway with my beloved husband, in a tiny valley
surrounded by mountains and with very few neighbours.
When I’m not doing artwork
and illustration for clients, I’m doing woodcarving, painting ornaments,
painting artworks for myself, and so on. Love Arts, History and Metal.
Author Links
Blog Tragic
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Blog
Darkest Soirée
Twitter @tragicbooks
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