Prince of Song and Sea
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the PRINCE OF SONG & SEA by Linsey Miller Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Linsey Miller
Pub. Date: October 4, 2022
Publisher: Disney Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 352
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
For fans of Twisted Tales and Villains is a brand new YA series that retells the classic Disney stories you thought you knew from the Disney Princes’ perspectives.
Before Prince Eric’s mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago,
she reminded him about the details of the deadly curse that has plagued his
entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he
would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their
shores, and rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any
information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to
Vellona. The answers he has been searching for come to him in the form of a
letter left from his mother that reveals Eric must find his true love, the one
with a voice pure of heart,or kill the sea witch responsible for cursing him in
the first place.
Now Eric is on a quest to find the Isle of Serein, the witch’s legendary home.
But after he is rescued by a mysterious young woman with a mesmerizing singing
voice, Eric’s heart becomes torn. Does he enter a battle he is almost certain
he cannot win or chase a love that might not even exist? And when a shipwrecked
young woman with flaming red hair and a smile that could calm the seven seas
enters his life, Eric may discover that true love isn’t something that can be
decided by magic.
INSERT YOUR POST OR REVIEW HERE!
About Linsey Miller:
Once upon a time, Linsey Miller studied biology in Arkansas. These days, she holds an MFA in fiction and can be found writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee. She is the author of the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Révolte, The Game, What We Devour, and the upcoming Disney Princes books for Eric and Phillip. Visit her at linseymiller.com.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of PRINCE OF SONG & SEA, US Only.
Ends November 5th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsTour Schedule:
Week One:
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10/1/2022 |
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Week Two:
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10/2/2022 |
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10/3/2022 |
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10/4/2022 |
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10/5/2022 |
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10/6/2022 |
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10/7/2022 |
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10/9/2022 |
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10/10/2022 |
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10/11/2022 |
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10/12/2022 |
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10/13/2022 |
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10/14/2022 |
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10/15/2022 |
IG Review |
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10/16/2022 |
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10/17/2022 |
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10/18/2022 |
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10/19/2022 |
IG Review |
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10/20/2022 |
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10/21/2022 |
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10/22/2022 |
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Week Five:
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10/23/2022 |
IG Spotlight |
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10/24/2022 |
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10/25/2022 |
IG Review |
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10/26/2022 |
IG Review |
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10/27/2022 |
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10/28/2022 |
IG Review |
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10/29/2022 |
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10/30/2022 |
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10/31/2022 |
YouTube Review/IG Post |
Twelfth Grade Night
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, & Jamie Green Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm, & Jamie Green (Illustrator)
Pub. Date: October 11, 2022
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 160
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
“Magical and full of queer joy―this book is such a dream!”―Alice Oseman, New York Times best-selling author of Heartstopper
The course of true love never did run smooth . . . and neither does high school
in this new graphic novel series for fans of Heartstopper and The
Prince and the Dressmaker.
Vi came to Arden High for a fresh start and a chance to wear beanies and
button-ups instead of uniform skirts. And though doing it without her twin
feels like being split in half, Vi finds her stride when she stumbles
(literally!) into broody and beautiful poet-slash-influencer, Orsino. Soon Vi
gets roped into helping plan the school’s Twelfth Grade Night dance, and she
can’t stop dreaming about slow dancing with Orsino under the fairy lights in
the gym.
The problem? All Vi’s new friends assume she’s not even into guys. And before
Vi can ask Orsino to the dance, he recruits Vi to help woo his crush,
Olivia. Who has a crush of her own . . . on Vi.
Star-crossed love abounds in this hilarious and romantic story of
self-discovery, mistaken identities, and the magic that happens when we open
our hearts to something new.
INSERT YOUR POST OR REVIEW HERE!
About Molly Horton Booth:
Molly Horton Booth (they/she) is a writer, editor, and author
of Young Adult fiction. Their next book is the graphic novel TWELFTH GRADE
NIGHT, coming October 11th, 2022, book 1 in the ARDEN HIGH series co-written by the amazing Stephanie Kate Strohm and
illustrated by the incredible Jamie Green.
Book 2 in the series, KING CHEER, will be published Fall 2023. Molly is
currently a copywriter for Wayfair.com, where she describes bookcases in
exquisite detail.
Molly grew up homeschooled, earned their BA in English from Marlboro College,
and earned their MA in English from UMass Boston. She lives in Baltimore, MD
where she spends a lot of time with her partner, family, and friends, and the
rest doting on her pets.
Literary agent: Alexander Slater at Sanford
J. Greenburger Associates.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Tumblr | YouTube | Goodreads
STEPHANIE KATE STROHM is the author of It’s Not Me, It’s You; The Date to Save; The Taming of the Drew; Prince in Disguise; Love a la Mode; That’s Not What I Heard; Restless Hearts (Katy Keene #1) and Once Upon a Tide: A Mermaid’s Tale. After graduating with a joint major in theater and history from Middlebury College, she acted her way around the country, performing in more than 25 states.
She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her son, and a dog named Lorelei Lee.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Pinterest | Goodreads | Bookbub
About Jamie Green:
Jamie Green is a maker and professional curious person living in Greenville (funny, right?), South Carolina. They graduated in 2020 from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration. In 2019, they was recognized by the Society of Illustrators as the Zankel Scholar. Much like her hobbies, their work can be described as the feeling of being bundled up around a campfire or hiking through the autumn woods. It is a goal of theirs to both intrigue and educate, combining nature and whimsy and creating a space for curiosity (as well as a bit of magic). Jamie strives to create picture books, illustrated educational books, magazine covers, interactive materials, and chapter book covers/interiors.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Goodreads
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of TWELFTH GRADE NIGHT, US Only.
Ends November 5th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsTour Schedule:
Week One:
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10/1/2022 |
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10/2/2022 |
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10/11/2022 |
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10/29/2022 |
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10/30/2022 |
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10/31/2022 |
IG Review |
The Lords of Night
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE LORDS OF NIGHT by J.C. Cervantes Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: J.C. Cervantes
Pub. Date: October 4, 2022
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 320
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents J. C. Cervantes’s exciting new spin-off from the best-selling STORMRUNNER trilogy.
“This duology opener is accessible to readers who are new to this
world. An engrossing, god-filled delight.”–Kirkus Reviews
Fourteen-year-old Renata Santiago is the most powerful godborn of them all, a
bruja with a unique combination of DNA. The Mexica blood from her dad’s side
gives her the ability to manipulate shadows. Her mom Pacific, a Maya goddess,
gifted her a magical rope that controls time, and Ren recently used it to save
a few gods from getting stuck forever in 1987. She brought them back to the
present, but her BFF Ah Puch, the once fearsome god of death, darkness, and
destruction, is now a teenager with no divine powers.
Ren is also a girl with ordinary hopes and dreams. She wishes, for example,
that her blog about alien sightings would garner more respect. She’s always
been absolutely convinced that there’s a connection between aliens and the Maya
civilization. Plenty of online haters feel differently, and they call her a
fake, a liar, and a loser.
When Ren receives an email about an alien sighting in Kansas, she thinks it may
support her theory. She also suspects that the cinco–five renegade
godborns–are up to no good. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a quest to
prevent the troublemakers from awakening the nine Aztec Lords of Night. Problem
is, none of Ren’s friends are available to help her hunt down the cinco and the
dangerous gods they are resurrecting. Ren has no choice but to team up with two
strangers recruited by Ah Puch: Edison, a teen hybrid demon, and Montero, an
eleven-year-old Aztec hunter. Succeeding in this quest will prove that Ren is
no fake, liar, or loser. But it isn’t just another challenge. It could well be
an impossible one that leaves Ren questioning her very existence.
Anyone who enjoys fast-paced myth-based adventures will be swept up in this
one featuring Maya and Mexica gods and their magical offspring.
INSERT YOUR POST OR REVIEW HERE!
About J. C. Cervantes:
J.C. is a New York Times best-selling author of books for children and young adults. Her books have appeared on national lists, including the American Booksellers Association New Voices, Barnes and Noble’s Best Young Reader Books, as well as Amazon’s Best Books of the Month. She has earned multiple awards and recognitions, including the New Mexico Book Award, the Zia Book Award, and most recently the 2021 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Readers’ Choice Award.
She currently resides in the Land of Enchantment with her family, three spoiled dogs, and a lifetime collection of books. But she keeps part of her heart in Southern California, where she was born and raised. When she isn’t writing she is haunting bookstores and searching for magic in all corners of the world.
Her work is represented by Holly Root at Root Literary.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE LORDS OF NIGHT, US Only.
Ends November 5th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsTour Schedule:
Week One:
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10/1/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
Week Two:
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10/2/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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10/3/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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10/4/2022 |
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10/5/2022 |
TikTok Review/IG Post |
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10/6/2022 |
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10/7/2022 |
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10/8/2022 |
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10/9/2022 |
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10/10/2022 |
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10/11/2022 |
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10/12/2022 |
IG Review |
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10/13/2022 |
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10/14/2022 |
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10/15/2022 |
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10/16/2022 |
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10/18/2022 |
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10/19/2022 |
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10/20/2022 |
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10/21/2022 |
Review |
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10/22/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
Week Five:
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10/23/2022 |
IG Spotlight |
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10/24/2022 |
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10/25/2022 |
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10/26/2022 |
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10/28/2022 |
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10/29/2022 |
YouTube Review/IG Post |
Week Six:
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10/30/2022 |
IG Spotlight |
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10/31/2022 |
Excerpt |
Gleanings
BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE: Gleanings
AUTHOR: Neal Shusterman
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2022
GENRES: YA Fantasy, YA Dystopian
PURCHASE LINKS:
Barnes & Noble:
Amazon:
Bookshop:
SYNOPSIS:
The New York Times bestselling Arc of the Scythe series continues with thrilling stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge!
There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.
Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman—returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between.
Gleanings shows just how expansive, terrifying, and thrilling the world that began with the Printz Honor–winning Scythe truly is.
Maybe An Artist by Liz Montague
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Maybe An Artist
Author: Liz Montague
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: Black MC with dyslexia, Black and other POC characters
Recommended For…: middle grade readers, graphic novel, memoir
Publication Date: October 18, 2022
Genre: MG Graphic Novel Memoir
Age Relevance: 12+ (war, islamaphobia, anxiety, HP reference)
Explanation of Above: War is mentioned and there are moments of Islamaphobia. There are also scenes that show anxiety. There is one HP reference that spans 2 pages/4 panels.
Publisher: Random House Studio
Pages: 176
Synopsis: When Liz Montague was a senior in college, she wrote to the New Yorker, asking them why they didn’t publish more inclusive comics. The New Yorker wrote back asking if she could recommend any. She responded: yes, me.
Those initial cartoons in the New Yorker led to this memoir of Liz’s youth, from the age of five through college–how she navigated life in her predominantly white New Jersey town, overcame severe dyslexia through art, and found the confidence to pursue her passion. Funny and poignant, Liz captures the age-old adolescent questions of “who am I?” and “what do I want to be?” with pitch-perfect clarity and insight.
This brilliant, laugh-out-loud graphic memoir offers a fresh perspective on life and social issues and proves that you don’t need to be a dead white man to find success in art.
Review: For the most part I liked this book a lot. I loved seeing the author’s journey with her art and all of the throwbacks to 90s kids/early 00s kids things. I liked seeing the character struggle with identity and figuring out what she wants to do and be in life, which I think would hit well with middle graders who are pressured to start thinking about that at their early age. I loved the artwork and the story was beautifully told.
The only issues I had with the book are that the Islamaphobic moments in it weren’t addressed to be wrong and there was a very unnecessary HP reference that participated in the Islamaphobic comments.
Verdict: It was good.
Book Info:
Maybe an Artist, a Graphic Memoir by Elizabeth Montague
Genre: YA Graphic Memoir
Publishing Date: October 4, 2022
Synopsis:
A heartfelt and funny graphic novel memoir from one of the first Black female cartoonists to be published in the New Yorker, when she was just 22 years old.
When Liz Montague was a senior in college, she wrote to the New Yorker, asking them why they didn’t publish more inclusive comics. The New Yorker wrote back asking if she could recommend any. She responded: yes, me.
Those initial cartoons in the New Yorker led to this memoir of Liz’s youth, from the age of five through college–how she navigated life in her predominantly white New Jersey town, overcame severe dyslexia through art, and found the confidence to pursue her passion. Funny and poignant, Liz captures the age-old adolescent questions of “who am I?” and “what do I want to be?” with pitch-perfect clarity and insight.
This brilliant, laugh-out-loud graphic memoir offers a fresh perspective on life and social issues and proves that you don’t need to be a dead white man to find success in art.
Book Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59811800-maybe-an-artist-a-graphic-memoir
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/059330781X/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maybe-an-artist-a-graphic-memoir-liz-montague/1140956641
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Maybe-An-Artist-Graphic-Memoir-Liz-Montague/9780593307816
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/maybe-an-artist-a-graphic/9780593307816-item.html IndieBound: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/maybe-an-artist-a-graphic/9780593307816-item.html
About the Author:
Liz Montague is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator whose work focuses on the intersection of self and social awareness. She began contributing to the New Yorker in 2019 as a cartoonist and has illustrated for the U.S. Open, Food Network, Google, and the Joe Biden presidential campaign. She’s been profiled by the Washington Post, ABC News, and Today, among other media outlets. Liz is the creator of the popular Liz at Large cartoon series, which previously ran in Washington City Paper, and is passionate about documenting social change and protest movements. This is her first book for children.
Author Links:
Website: https://lizatlarge.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizatlarge
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizatlarge/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14395566.Elizabeth_Montague
Tour Schedule:
Road of the Lost by Nafiza Azad
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Road of the Lost
Author: Nafiza Azad
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended For…: young adult readers, fantasy, fae, low fantasy
Publication Date: October 18, 2022
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Relevance: 13+ (gore, violence, death, kidnapping, illness)
Explanation of Above: There is some blood gore and violence in the book, along with death. There are some kidnappings as well and illness is mentioned here and there in the book.
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 336
Synopsis: Even the most powerful magic can’t hide a secret forever.
Croi is a brownie, glamoured to be invisible to humans. Her life in the Wilde Forest is ordinary and her magic is weak—until the day that her guardian gives Croi a book about magick from the Otherworld, the world of the Higher Fae. Croi wakes the next morning with something pulling at her core, summoning her to the Otherworld. It’s a spell she cannot control or break.
Forced to leave her home, Croi begins a journey full of surprises…and dangers. For Croi is not a brownie at all but another creature entirely, enchanted to forget her true heritage. As Croi ventures beyond the forest, her brownie glamour begins to shift and change. Who is she really, who is summoning her, and what do they want? Croi will need every ounce of her newfound magic and her courage as she travels a treacherous path to find her true self and the place in the Otherworld where she belongs.
Review: For the most part I thought this book was ok. The book had some good world building and great character development. I think the book has a lot of potential to be a wonderful fae book for those who love fae books. I also liked how, as our MC developed in the story, the storytelling got better and better and more in-depth.
However, I think the story in this e-arc form is really choppy and it’s super hard to get into. Like I said though I have hope it’ll get better in the finalized version.
Verdict: It was good!
For the Love of Pheyrin by Lance C. Haynes Jr.
Disclaimer: I received this finished copy from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: For The Love of Pheyrin
Author: Lance C. Haynes, Jr.
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Recommended For…: young adult readers, sci-fi, aliens, threat to humanity, chosen one, chosen ones, found family
Publication Date: February 13, 2022
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Age Relevance: 15+ (violence, gore, war)
Explanation of Above: There is discussion and showings of war, with violence and blood gore shown.
Publisher: Indie Published
Pages: 606
Synopsis: In a war waged centuries ago between humans and Pheyrinites, the majestic inhabitants of Earth’s dual planet, Pheyrin, a prophecy was born that ensured the redemption of Earth’s alien foe after their dramatic defeat. Benjamin “Beebee” Brooks, a bashful Memphis teen and artistic prodigy, makes a discovery of his alien ancestry and his inevitable role in the fulfillment of this prophecy. After the mysterious death of his radical mother, he must accept extraordinary truths that have been hidden from him and balance the weight of an entire planet on his shoulders, all while falling in love with one of the “chosen seven” named Audrey; a gentle ballerina from Seattle who is mending a broken heart after the tragic death of her mother as well. The two of them, along with Jacob, Gabrielle, Liam, Diana, and Kalena, are pulled into an intense clash for freedom by Fa’lu, a wise Pheyrinite prophetess, a skilled Pheyrinite warrior named Antuulo, and Oluuni… the great and merciless king of the Pheyrinites who is filled with an unparalleled desire to drive all humans to extinction. Benjamin and his six brothers and sisters of prophecy, each of them escaping their own grievous teenage lives to claim their crowns and lead a long-awaited alien rebellion, embrace the heartbreaks and magical gifts their destinies bring in an adventurous and passionate tale of love and war.
Review: I thought this was a great read! The book, which features teens who are pulled to save the fate of humanity when an alien species is determined to drive them to extinction. The book gave me Avatar vibes, but also I got a lot of Shazam vibes. The book is told in multi-POV in the beginning, switching to Benjamin’s prospective for the majority of the book, and I feel like that style of writing gave the characters a lot of opportunities for character development. The book does amazing with world building and I loved the magic system. The book opens so strongly that it doesn’t feel daunting to be reading such a huge text after awhile.
The only issues I had with the book is that I felt like the characters and magic system could have been better developed, but overall I loved it a lot!
Verdict: I recommend this one, especially if you’re into found family and sci-fi vibes!
Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties by Kellye Crocker
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxities
Author: Kellye Crocker
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Anxiety Disorder MC, ADHD character, Hispanic characters
Recommended For…: middle grade readers, contemporary, blended families, children of divorce, anxiety disorder
Publication Date: November 22, 2022
Genre: MG Contemporary
Age Relevance: 10+ (pregnancy, gore, anxiety attacks, period talk, HP reference, parental death, sexist remark, grief, racism)
Explanation of Above: There is pregnancy mentioned and some period talk. There is a slight mention of blood. There are showings of anxiety attacks. There is one slight HP reference. There are mentions of a parental death and grief. There is one sexist remark and mentions of racism.
Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company
Pages: 288
Synopsis: Dad hasn’t even been dating his new girlfriend that long, so Ava is sure that nothing has to change in her life. That is, until the day after sixth grade ends, when Dad whisks her away on vacation to meet The Girlfriend and her daughter in terrifying Colorado, where even the squirrels can kill you! Managing her anxiety, avoiding altitude sickness, and surviving the mountains might take all of Ava’s strength, but at least this trip will only last two weeks. Right?
Review: I loved this book so much! As someone with anxiety I deeply related to this character and her struggles. I don’t like surprises and I am always thinking of the worst case scenario. The book did well to present an anxious character and then give really good advice on calming your anxiety down, with 2 techniques and some advice to remember. The book also did well to be relatable to kids who are about to be apart of blended families and those going through their parents divorcing. The book had really well done character development and world building and this will definitely be a book I remember for a long time.
The only issue I had with the book was the HP reference. It really could have been any other book mentioned in the context it was mentioned in (“that was as thick as the ____ books”).
Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend.
Book Info:
Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties by Kellye Crocker
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary
Publishing Date: To Be Announced
Synopsis:
Since Ava’s mom died, Ava has relied on her consistent routines, predictable schedules,
and exhaustive risk assessment to keep herself safe from uncertainty. For the most part, her life in small-town Iowa has been stable. That is, until now.
As soon as sixth grade ends, Dad is whisking Ava away to meet his girlfriend and her daughter in terrifying Colorado, where even the ground squirrels can be deadly. Managing her anxiety, avoiding altitude sickness, and surviving the mountains might take all Ava’s strength.
Can she stay in control when everything around her is changing so quickly?
Content Warning: panic attack
Book Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60373276-dad-s-girlfriend-and-other-anxieties
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0807514217/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dads-girlfriend-and-other-anxieties-kellye-crocker/1140957581
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Dads-Girlfriend-Other-Anxieties-KELLYE-CROCKER/9780807514214
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807514214
About the Author:
Kellye Crocker is a journalist who has written for Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, and Glamour. She holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a bachelor’s degree in news-editorial from the Missouri School of Journalism. She lives in Denver, Colorado.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.kellyecrocker.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelcrocker
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyecrocker/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22220465.Kellye_Crocker
Tour Schedule:
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Disclaimer: I bought this finished copy but I did originally have an e-arc of it and this is my first reread. Thanks! Support your authors! All opinions are my own.
Book: Skin of the Sea
Author: Natasha Bowen
Book Series: Skin of the Sea Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Diversity: Black MC and characters
Recommended For…: young adult readers, mythology, mermaids, fantasy, slight Little Mermaid references
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
Genre: YA Fantasy
Age Relevance: 15+ (violence, death, gore, slavery, suicide, animal death)
Explanation of Above: There is violence mentioned and shown as well as death. There is some gore involving blood shown. Slavery is mentioned and shown in the book and there is a theme of the mermaids being created from people who were thrown overboard slavery ships and it plays an important plot point in the story. There is an attempted suicide shown in the book. There is animal death with a cow mentioned.
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 303
Synopsis: Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata–a mermaid–collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.
But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable–she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods.
To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail . . .
Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she fails, she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.
Review: I loved this book so much! I love the magical-ness of this book and how action packed it is for being so short. The pacing doesn’t feel weird and I love how original of a mermaid tale it is but that it keeps some of the callbacks to Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid tale. The book includes CWs in the front of it which I very much appreciate. The character development and the world building was also well done and I loved the magic system in this one.
The only issue I had with the book is that the flowery language of it kinda messed with my head. I wished it didn’t have as much fluff and was a bit more straight forward, but it was good regardless.
Verdict: It’s so good! Highly recommend!
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