I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the VERSE BOOK 2: THE SECOND GATE by Sam
Beck Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar
Book Tours. Check out my review and make sure to enter the giveaway!
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on
the THE LAST FALLEN MOON by Graci Kim Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the BRAVELY by Maggie Stiefvater Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pub. Date: May 3, 2022
Publisher: Disney Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 384
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
What if you had one year to save everything you loved?
ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her
family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets— and
her peaceful kingdom. But she’s frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the
same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge – maybe even, someday,
love.
TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest
by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot
and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to
demolish the realm – and everyone within. Only the intervention of the
Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope:
convince her family to change within the year – or suffer the eternal
consequences.
THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a
series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire
revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from
ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all –
herself?
FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH – OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.
Quick Review:
I used to read Maggie's books years ago. So when I heard that she was writing a sequel of sorts book to Brave, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I honestly wasn't too sure if I'd like it, but I was willing to give it a chance.
I did have a bit of an issue with the pacing of the book and found that it didn't always capture my attention, but it was somewhat of a small issue and didn't largely impact what I thought of the book as a whole.
I thought Maggie did a really nice job of capturing the spirit of Brave and Merida. Maggie's descriptions and writing style lend itself beautifully to a book like this and she surpassed what I thought she would be able to do. I've not seen Brave in a while so I'm not too sure how the characterization of the people holds up when compared to the movie, but I liked the people. I thought they were interesting and fun and I'm glad we got to spend time with characters beside Merida and her mom.
About Maggie Stiefvater:
Maggie Stiefvater is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Cycle, the Shiver trilogy, and other novels for young and adult readers. She is also an artist, an auto enthusiast, and a bagpiper. She lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband, two children, and an assortment of fainting goats.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of BRAVELY, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
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5/1/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/2/2022 |
Excerpt |
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5/3/2022 |
Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
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5/4/2022 |
Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
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5/5/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/6/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/7/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
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5/8/2022 |
IG Review |
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5/9/2022 |
Review |
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5/10/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/11/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/12/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/13/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/14/2022 |
IG Review |
Week Three:
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5/15/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/16/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/17/2022 |
Review |
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5/18/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/19/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/20/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/21/2022 |
IG Review |
Week Four:
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5/22/2022 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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5/23/2022 |
IG Review |
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5/24/2022 |
IG Review |
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5/25/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/26/2022 |
IG Review |
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5/27/2022 |
Review |
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5/28/2022 |
Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
Week Five:
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5/29/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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5/30/2022 |
Review |
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5/31/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT by Justin A.
Reynolds Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Justin A. Reynolds
Pub. Date: April 5, 2022
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 304
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible,
B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores... especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he'll only have to do the laundry once during his school break.
On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie's monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie's day has just taken a turn for the worst. Now he's stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry. But mid-cycle, the power goes out!
With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he
sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in his glow-in-the-dark
swim trunks, flip-flops, and a beach towel. He soon meets up with other
neighborhood kids: newcomer Xavier (who was mid-haircut and has half his head
shaved), Eddie's former friend Sonia (who has spent her entire break trying to
beat a video game and was mid-battle with the final boss), and siblings Trey
and Sage (who are dealing with major sibling drama).
As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize
that their families aren't coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the
crew realizes that they aren't just the only people left in the neighborhood,
they might be the only people left... anywhere.
Book Trailer:
Justin talks about IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY
BATHING SUIT
This was a really fun book once everything started to get going. I really enjoyed the writing style and thought the characters felt real. This book felt like what I would expect from a middle-grade book. The kids were kids, they weren't written as young adults or anything like that. They acted like kids, heck I still put off doing the laundry.
I did have a bit of an issue where I couldn't really get into it at first, but thankfully that ended up passing.
Now the big issue that I'm sure others have mentioned. This book ends on a cliffhanger. Personally I don't like books that do that. I don't fully enjoy the feeling of being forced into reading another book. Now sometimes the resentment isn't strong, other times it is. Right now, I'm not too sure. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really enjoy it either.
About Justin A. Reynolds:
JUSTIN A. REYNOLDS has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his
debut novel, was an Indies Introduce selection, a School Library Journal Best
Book, has been translated in 17 languages, and is being developed for film with
Paramount Players. He hangs out in northeast Ohio with his family and likes it,
and is probably somewhere, right now, dancing terribly. His second novel, Early
Departures, published September 2020. In spring 2021, he teamed up with
Marvel and Graphix to release his debut graphic novel, Miles Morales: Shock
Waves. You can find him at justinareynolds.com.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
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3/21/2022 |
Excerpt |
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3/21/2022 |
Excerpt |
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3/22/2022 |
Excerpt |
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3/22/2022 |
Review |
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3/23/2022 |
Review |
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3/23/2022 |
Review |
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3/24/2022 |
Review |
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3/24/2022 |
Review |
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3/25/2022 |
Review |
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3/25/2022 |
Review |
Week Two:
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3/28/2022 |
Review |
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3/28/2022 |
Review |
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3/29/2022 |
Review |
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3/29/2022 |
Review |
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3/30/2022 |
Review |
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3/30/2022 |
Review |
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3/31/2022 |
Review |
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3/31/2022 |
Review |
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4/1/2022 |
Review |
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4/1/2022 |
Review |
I am so excited to be hosting a spot on the Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts tour hosted by Turn the Page Tours. The premise of this book interested me from the get-go. It sounds similar to the books I used to love when I was a bit younger and I was hoping to recapture that feeling. Check out my review and see some of my favorite quotes from the book! Also, make sure to check out the rest of the tour schedule here to see the other reviews.
About The Book:
Author: Erika Lewis
Pub. Date: March 1, 2022
Publisher: Starscape Books
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Adventure
Pages: 325
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693426-kelcie-murphy-and-the-academy-for-the-unbreakable-arts
Book Purchase Link: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250208255/kelciemurphyandtheacademyfortheunbreakablearts
Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis's Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.
Rating: 4/5
About the Author:
The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy—
a foster child raised in the human world—is dying to attend.
A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and—most importantly—finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.
When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld's most infamous traitor. But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.
"Did you rub roasted meat on your face, Kelcie Murphy?"
"Between these two girls, I'm gonna drop dead of a heart attack before the day is over."
"That was fun."
"Fun isn't the word I would use..."
"Well done, fianna three. But why is it you're always breaking things?"
"That when you four work together, there is nothing that can stop you from accomplishing your goals."
Review:
I was really excited to get an arc of this book and be allowed to read it. I used to love books like this when I was younger and I was hoping I would get to re-experience that in this book. I had a couple of issues with the book, but overall it was what I was hoping it would be.
The characters are probably the strongest part of this book. Kelcie makes for a good main character. She’s someone who you can root for while also being sure of what she wants to gain by joining the academy. She was likeable and her actions made sense with her past. Especially since she seemed to grow desperate to follow the rules and stay at the academy.
The side characters were just as good. The rest of Kelcie’s fianna were strong. Each had their own motivations for joining the academy and wanting to succeed. They weren’t given the deep-dive treatment that Kelcie was, but it was also clear that they weren’t side characters or characters written to be thrown away. The group meshed well together and built off each other to form a believable group with solid dynamics.
I have a couple of issues that I mention later but one of them is that I thought the beginning dragged a bit. However, I’ll give my kudos to Lewis. When the book picked up the pace and started to dive more into the training and action side of the story, it was good. The author introduced characters and talents that led to really interesting fight scenes. It might have been nice for their group to have a Cat in their fianna. I doubt it would have extremely changed the story, it just might have been cool to see how a Cat was interwoven into the fights.
The plot was interesting. I’ll admit that I’m still not positive what to think about this story. The plot was an interesting one that kept the book moving at a good pace with decent growth. My problem is…I guess it just didn’t feel well-explained. Everything felt like it was explained in a rush and I honestly still don’t know why she was able to remove the lids, why removing them was bad, why the other person had control. This might be a series that delves deeper into this, but the plot (as interesting a premise as it was) left me kind of scratching my head.
I have a couple personal issues with this book that stopped it from being a 5-star read for me. One is that I felt the beginning dragged a bit and then suddenly introduced a lot of people and terms to know. I was overwhelmed and often scrabbled to remember who was being talked about at the moment. It was a bit of a struggle. Another personal problem I had (and this one is definitely personal and nothing to do with writing or pacing) is that I really wish book series like this would stop adding romance. I get why they do, it’s just not something that works for me in books like this anymore. I’ll give this book that it was only hinted at/starting, I just wish it hadn’t been there at all.
This book was an interesting experience for me. I really enjoyed these characters, even side characters that barely got mentioned. My personal favorite minor character is Roswen. I don’t even know why, just something about her. The characters were well-written and had an interesting dynamic. The action scenes and fights were a lot of fun to read. Whether it was them fighting creatures or trying to solve a challenge, it was fun and unique. The world felt well-built. My problems are that I struggled a bit at the beginning to get into the story and then it felt like everything and everyone was thrown on top at once. Also, the plot around the eye just really confused me. I must have missed the part where everything was clearly explained, but who knows. This was an interesting book and premise though. If there’s a sequel, I’d probably read it.
Erika Lewis grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, spent summers with her grandparents in
Worcester, Massachusetts, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. With a
passion for storytelling set in magical places, she spends as much time as she can
traveling. When she’s not writing, she can generally be found scribbling notes in a blank
book while wandering through abandoned buildings, all kinds of museums, and
graveyards.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, her list of credits straddles the comics and novel
space, including Game of Shadows from Macmillan’s Tor Books, Firebrand and
Acursian from Legendary Comics, #Guardian from Awesome Media & Entertainment,
and The 49th Key from Heavy Metal Publishing. The Color of Dragons is her debut YA,
coming from HarperTeen October 19th, 2021, and Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for
the Unbreakable Arts is her middle grade debut coming from Starscape/Macmillan
March 1st, 2022.
