tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43761916269369990602024-03-16T18:52:05.408+00:00The Reading FaeryYoung Adult and New Adult Book ReviewsMoahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.comBlogger397125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-31725054598996392702020-09-07T14:46:00.001+01:002020-09-08T15:46:05.801+01:00Blog Tour + Interview: Ironspark by C.M. McGuire<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7sZZon1G_4/X1eSIkf81XI/AAAAAAAADd0/Gvo_xtM1goM1sfGMPJO1P02kohPw6I4yQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ironspark%2BBanner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y7sZZon1G_4/X1eSIkf81XI/AAAAAAAADd0/Gvo_xtM1goM1sfGMPJO1P02kohPw6I4yQCLcBGAsYHQ/w500-h206/Ironspark%2BBanner.png" width="500" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Hi and welcome to my post for the <i>Ironspark Blog Tour! </i>I'm so excited to be able to share an interview with the author with you all today, as well as a link to listen to the first chapter of the book. And don't miss the other tour stops for more fun content, just follow <a href="https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2020/08/10/tour-schedule-ironspark-by-c-m-mcguire/">this link</a>. Without further ado, let's get to the fun stuff!<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hruNtRHDP08/XIKZMXnvjnI/AAAAAAAAC6A/RfWSHzp1EMcVtEF2jcyxbvCrY6CgesqmwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/About%2Bthe%2BBook%2BSimple1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hruNtRHDP08/XIKZMXnvjnI/AAAAAAAAC6A/RfWSHzp1EMcVtEF2jcyxbvCrY6CgesqmwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/About%2Bthe%2BBook%2BSimple1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pkk8tqENPQ/X1eOcTpyq8I/AAAAAAAADdo/KB-EyLh5kK0ttQXnd0SGSWCC0dMFis4aQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1545/Ironspark.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pkk8tqENPQ/X1eOcTpyq8I/AAAAAAAADdo/KB-EyLh5kK0ttQXnd0SGSWCC0dMFis4aQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ironspark.jpg" /></a></div>Ironspark</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">by C.M. McGuire</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQ+</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Publication date: August 25, 2020</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Publisher: Swoon Reads</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="background-color: white;">A teen outcast must work together with new friends to keep her family and town safe from murderous Fae while also dealing with panic attacks, family issues, and a lesbian love triangle in C.M. McGuires's kick-butt paranormal YA debut, <i>Ironspark</i>.</b><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">For the past nine years, ever since a bunch of those evil Tinkerbells abducted her mother, cursed her father, and forced her family into hiding, Bryn has devoted herself to learning everything she can about killing the Fae. Now it’s time to put those lessons to use.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Then the Court Fae finally show up, and Bryn realizes she can’t handle this on her own. Thankfully, three friends offer to help: Gwen, a kindhearted water witch; Dom, a new foster kid pulled into her world; and Jasika, a schoolmate with her own grudge against the Fae.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But trust is hard-won, and what little Bryn has gained is put to the test when she uncovers a book of Fae magic that belonged to her mother. With the Fae threat mounting every day, Bryn must choose between faith in her friends and power from a magic that could threaten her very humanity.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51236251-ironspark?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=kFfl2sTNt5&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TSVQLP8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0">Amazon</a> * <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TSVQLP8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0">B&N</a> * <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Ironspark-C-M-Mcguire/9781250245267?ref=grid-view&qid=1596734724249&sr=1-1">Book Depository</a> * <a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/ironspark/9781250245267-item.html?ref=isbn-search">Indigo</a> * <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781250245267?fbclid=IwAR0KPpbrb2wGE-ghdpIohppM0RGXS68bhN4qumjeTiMwsk0eEkjEkpVVU4k">Indiebound</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSxehjwsik8/XKCnTLH3Z0I/AAAAAAAAC-4/HkxNclaZEp0rm4zuVrq9_20FLIDo0BL1QCPcBGAYYCw/s640/The%2BInterview%2BSimple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSxehjwsik8/XKCnTLH3Z0I/AAAAAAAAC-4/HkxNclaZEp0rm4zuVrq9_20FLIDo0BL1QCPcBGAYYCw/s320/The%2BInterview%2BSimple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white;"><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>1. Can you describe <i>Ironspark</i> using ten words or less?</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Supernatural meets Buffy but queer fairies, magic, and marshmallows.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><b>2. What was the hardest part of writing <i>Ironspark</i>?</b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I think finding the voice was the hardest part. I think I must have restarted Ironspark four or five times before I finally decided to risk an unreliable and go to first person</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><b>3. What's your favourite quote from <i>Ironspark</i>?</b></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">(re: putting out milk for the Fae) “Sounds like all we’ll get is a bunch of stray cats. I don’t want to catch ringworm.”</span> This is one of the few quotes in the book inspired by real life.<br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><b>4. How do you pick names for your characters? Do any of them have special meaning?</b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sometimes I go and pick particular names, sometimes they just happen. For example, Dom and Gwen just happened. Bryn and Jasika came specifically from actresses whom I admired while I was drafting. </span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><b>5. What does your bookshelf look like? Is it organized and clean, or messy and chaotic?</b></div></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It's sort of yes to both. I have an organization system. (Read, Unread, Tolkien, Language, Special Interest, and Comics). Beyond that, it's all over the place but I love to use it as a backdrop.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tmgjIjtdOg/XIirQK8D17I/AAAAAAAAC7Q/jdxudVFwh_8yt-oENv3zF0GqNSdQ4d8fACPcBGAYYCw/s640/About%2Bthe%2BAuthor%2BSimple.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9tmgjIjtdOg/XIirQK8D17I/AAAAAAAAC7Q/jdxudVFwh_8yt-oENv3zF0GqNSdQ4d8fACPcBGAYYCw/s320/About%2Bthe%2BAuthor%2BSimple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">When C.M. McGuire, author of <i>Ironspark</i>, was a child, she drove her family crazy with her nonstop stories. Lucky for them, she eventually learned to write and gave their ears a rest. This love of stories led her to college where she pursued history (semi-nonfictional storytelling), anthropology (where stories come from) and theater (attention-seeking storytelling). When she isn't writing, she's painting, crocheting, gardening, baking and teaching the next generation to love stories as much as she does.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://seeemmcguire.weebly.com/">Website</a> * <a href="https://twitter.com/seeemmcguire">Twitter</a> * <a href="https://www.instagram.com/seeemmcguire/?hl=en">Instagram</a> * <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18849889.C_M_McGuire">Goodreads</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Chapter 1</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7HvIssQnzkY" width="560"></iframe><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/s262/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="262" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/w210-h126/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-36018588776094704732020-08-05T12:00:00.001+01:002020-08-05T12:00:06.636+01:00Queer Recommendations from Queer Readers #2<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPZHRhLmccw/XybuMZb66EI/AAAAAAAADb8/hW5LtxeNfU0u6PgXV0KQNaKWp3Gvhh0CQCPcBGAYYCw/s1623/Queer%2BRecommendations%2Bfrom%2BQueer%2BReaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1623" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPZHRhLmccw/XybuMZb66EI/AAAAAAAADb8/hW5LtxeNfU0u6PgXV0KQNaKWp3Gvhh0CQCPcBGAYYCw/w512-h305/Queer%2BRecommendations%2Bfrom%2BQueer%2BReaders.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><font face="georgia">Hi everyone! Today, I'm back with another <i>Queer Recommendations from Queer Readers </i>post! <i>Queer Recommendations from Queer Readers </i>is a new feature on my blog where I share different book recommendations with LGBTQIA+ representation from readers who identify as LGBTQIA+. I started the feature in the hopes of diversifying my blog a little, and what better way than to get you recommendations from queer readers?<span><a name='more'></a></span></font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Today, Jenny (she/her) of @booklover_on_a_budget on Instagram would like to recommend <i>Antisocial</i> by Heidi Cullinan. Here's why she loves <i>Antisocial</i>:</font></div><blockquote><div><i><font face="georgia">"It's one of the few novels where an asexual character isn't sex repulsed and discovers their boundaries when it comes to sex. It's also a great rec for those who want to read about gay characters not playing into heteronormative standards and a bit of found family trope. And lots of Japanese culture loving! (Can be seen as exoticism by some, though.)</font></i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hruNtRHDP08/XIKZMXnvjnI/AAAAAAAAC6A/RfWSHzp1EMcVtEF2jcyxbvCrY6CgesqmwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/About%2Bthe%2BBook%2BSimple1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="640" height="78" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hruNtRHDP08/XIKZMXnvjnI/AAAAAAAAC6A/RfWSHzp1EMcVtEF2jcyxbvCrY6CgesqmwCPcBGAYYCw/w328-h78/About%2Bthe%2BBook%2BSimple1.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><div> </div><font face="georgia"><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2ZHpC6fPiQ/XymK0Pe5LnI/AAAAAAAADcs/s6HW4kQJuzEueD2_1NoNBPyqjGxXOZFgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Antisocial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2ZHpC6fPiQ/XymK0Pe5LnI/AAAAAAAADcs/s6HW4kQJuzEueD2_1NoNBPyqjGxXOZFgQCLcBGAsYHQ/w254-h380/Antisocial.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>A single stroke can change your world.</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Xander Fairchild can’t stand people in general and frat boys in particular, so when he’s forced to spend his summer working on his senior project with Skylar Stone, a silver-tongued Delta Sig with a trust fund who wants to make Xander over into a shiny new image, Xander is determined to resist. He came to idyllic, Japanese culture-soaked Benten College to hide and make manga, not to be transformed into a corporate clone in the eleventh hour.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Skylar’s life has been laid out for him since before he was born, but all it takes is one look at Xander’s artwork, and the veneer around him begins to crack. Xander himself does plenty of damage too. There’s something about the antisocial artist’s refusal to yield that forces Skylar to acknowledge how much his own orchestrated future is killing him slowly…as is the truth about his gray-spectrum sexuality, which he hasn’t dared to speak aloud, even to himself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /></font><div><font face="georgia"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Through a summer of art and friendship, Xander and Skylar learn more about each other, themselves, and their feelings for one another. But as their senior year begins, they must decide if they will part ways and return to the dull futures they had planned, or if they will take a risk and leap into a brightly colored future—together.</span> </font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia" size="6"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35652776-antisocial?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=POFzlKExlK&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/s262/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="262" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/w210-h126/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-88764733152596827452020-08-03T12:00:00.001+01:002020-08-03T12:00:05.045+01:00Queer Recommendations from Queer Readers #1<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPZHRhLmccw/XybuMZb66EI/AAAAAAAADb4/9Ckj0Kj9O_8Zbays3lbk-VPrj1H970NRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1623/Queer%2BRecommendations%2Bfrom%2BQueer%2BReaders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1623" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPZHRhLmccw/XybuMZb66EI/AAAAAAAADb4/9Ckj0Kj9O_8Zbays3lbk-VPrj1H970NRACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h305/Queer%2BRecommendations%2Bfrom%2BQueer%2BReaders.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><font face="georgia">Hi everyone! Today, I am starting a new feature on my blog called <i>Queer Recommendations from Queer Readers! </i>As the title suggests, the feature will consist of a series of posts with recommendations featuring LGBTQIA+ representation, recommended by readers who identify as LGBTQIA+. I'm starting this feature because I want to diversify my blog, get you some great LGBTQIA+ book recommendations, and who better to recommend those books than LGBTQIA+ readers? <span><a name='more'></a></span></font><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">To start things off, I have a recommendation from Alicia (@booksandpipedreams), who wants to recommend <i>Loveless </i>by Alice Oseman. Here's what Alicia has to say about the book:</font></div><div><blockquote><font face="georgia">"I like this book because it shows how platonic relationships and friendships are just as important as romantic ones, and it's going to help so many people feel seen and valid."</font></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hruNtRHDP08/XIKZMXnvjnI/AAAAAAAAC6A/RfWSHzp1EMcVtEF2jcyxbvCrY6CgesqmwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/About%2Bthe%2BBook%2BSimple1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="154" data-original-width="640" height="78" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hruNtRHDP08/XIKZMXnvjnI/AAAAAAAAC6A/RfWSHzp1EMcVtEF2jcyxbvCrY6CgesqmwCPcBGAYYCw/w328-h78/About%2Bthe%2BBook%2BSimple1.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><font face="georgia"><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YWEGiPI8GYo/Xybtg0VW9nI/AAAAAAAADbw/yYfzv4VgtcQsNzuZiuuunc55EH-77EuOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Loveless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YWEGiPI8GYo/Xybtg0VW9nI/AAAAAAAADbw/yYfzv4VgtcQsNzuZiuuunc55EH-77EuOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w246-h380/Loveless.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /></font><div><font face="georgia"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></font></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="georgia"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?</span> </font></div></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42115981-loveless?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ToVI6FV9bu&rank=1"><font face="georgia" size="6">Add to Goodreads! </font></a></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/s262/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="262" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/w210-h126/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="210" /></a></div></div>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-26153011651637857832020-08-02T16:46:00.004+01:002020-08-02T16:46:40.614+01:00A-spec August<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5OX4RsoDY0/Xybegw8psLI/AAAAAAAADbk/NJdynq0M6XgKh2HMmpC9lBgfLSLCdZPKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1623/A-spec%2BAugust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1623" height="305" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T5OX4RsoDY0/Xybegw8psLI/AAAAAAAADbk/NJdynq0M6XgKh2HMmpC9lBgfLSLCdZPKACLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h305/A-spec%2BAugust.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><font face="georgia">Hi guys! Yesterday was August 1st, which means A-spec August, hosted by Imi and Ellie from <a href="https://beyondabookshelf.co.uk/2020/a-spec-august/">Beyond a Bookshelf</a>, has officially started. I will be participating, and reading as many a-spec books as I can find, and I hope you guys will join me. <span><a name='more'></a></span></font><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The term a-spec includes anyone from the asexual and aromantic spectrum. This includes, but is not limited to, demisexuals, demiromantics, and grey-asexuals. Being on the a-spec means that you do not experience attraction (sexual and/or romantic) or you experience it very rarely, as is the case with demisexuals, demiromantics and grey-asexuals. </span></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">I will include my very tentative TBR for A-spec August below, most of which have been warmly recommended, so if you want to participate, you can check those out. I will also make a post later this month with a-spec recommendations. However, if you want a proper list with a-spec recommendations, I would recommend checking out Imi and Ellie's <a href="https://beyondabookshelf.co.uk/2020/a-spec-masterlist/">A-spec Masterlist</a>. There are a lot of recommendations there.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><font face="georgia">Without further ado, here are the a-spec books I hope to read this month! You can click the book titles to get to the books' Goodreads page.</font></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><font face="georgia"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40874032-vicious?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=dtkCY63VGx&rank=1">Vicious</a> </i>by V.E. Schwab (asexual main character)</font></li><li><font face="georgia"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30237061-daughter-of-the-burning-city?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=zYERy6Id04&rank=1">Daughter of the Burning City</a> </i>by Amanda Foody (demiromantic asexual love interest)</font></li><li><font face="georgia"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53102834-little-black-bird?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=y8QnnM87Nj&rank=1">Little Black Bird</a> </i>by Anna Kirchner (questioning a-spec main character and love interest)</font></li><li><font face="georgia"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46257211-read-with-pride?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=tlF155mpCG&rank=1">Read With Pride</a> </i>by Lucy Powrie (demisexual main character)</font></li><li><font face="georgia"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35335039-perfect-rhythm?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=8jLu2sz8Db&rank=1">Perfect Rythm</a> </i>by Jae (sapphic asexual main character)</font></li><li><font face="georgia"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25548442-how-to-be-a-normal-person?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=R1JxATYoEd&rank=1">How to be a Normal Person</a> </i>by T.J. Klune (asexual side character)</font></li></ul><div><font face="georgia">I will probably end up reading only a few of them, and a bunch of other a-spec books, because I never follow my TBRs, but these are a few I've been interested in for a while, so I hope I'll get to some of them this month. </font></div></div><div><font face="georgia"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="georgia" size="5">Are any of you participating in A-spec August? If so, what books are on your TBR? Are there any other a-spec books that need to be on my TBR?</font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/s262/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="262" height="126" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f6m03TGS1I4/XkXH3tpgqWI/AAAAAAAADUY/2gILjmr3tkkP19dz2mjpN4wrxP1cOtpHwCPcBGAYYCw/w210-h126/Blank%2B4%2Bx%2B2%2Bin%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><font face="georgia" size="5"><br /></font></div>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-44685100263757294592020-07-07T13:33:00.000+01:002020-07-07T13:34:48.935+01:00Book Blitz: Defy the Eye<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A thrilling new sci-fi romance filled with early Norsemen, ancient folklore, on the edge of your seat adventure, and newfound love sure to win your heart is OUT TODAY! Grab your copy of Layla Lochran's DEFY THE EYE on <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZA5qGE" target="_blank">Amazon</a>! </span><a name='more'></a></h2>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Defy The EYE: The Zarbizokian Outsider</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Layla Lochran</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">July 7, 2020</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Astradell is the first female Zarbizokian to become a ‘Defender of the EYE’; an organization of elite beings in search of a menacing force wanting to take over the universe. In her first mission she must gain information from planet Earth. Curiosity winning out, she goes against the EYE by interacting with the humans, finding them too alluring to only observe. Visions of a blue-eyed man consumes her mind, knowing he must be saved before it is too late. Now hunted for her defiance, her Defender brethren will soon realize just how strong she has become.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gundar’s ancestors hid themselves in the icy tundra on Earth long ago, teaching generations their way of worshiping many Gods and other worlds beyond their own. Folklore or not, he knows there are secrets buried within their kind yet to be discovered. Plagued with a gift to hear others thoughts, he distances himself in hopes of obtaining solace. Strength waning, he finds it difficult to go on, until a beauty baring wings and glowing eyes fills his nights. His Goddess, ready to take him to Valhalla.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Astradell's secret mission will in the end save her planet, but first a mysterious illness begins turning humans into savage beasts and Earth needs protecting. This might take longer than she expected.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Get a first look into the new Ambrotos Defenders Series at the end of this story!</span></i></blockquote>
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ORDER TODAY!</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2ZA5qGE" target="_blank">Amazon </a> | Paperback</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeCA" target="_blank">AmazonCA</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeUK" target="_blank">AmazonUK</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeDE" target="_blank">AmazonDE</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeAU" target="_blank">AmazonAU</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeFR" target="_blank">AmazonFR</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeIN" target="_blank">AmazonIN</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeIT" target="_blank">AmazonIT</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/defytheeyeES" target="_blank">AmazonES</a></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read FREE on <a href="https://amzn.to/2ZA5qGE" target="_blank">Kindle Unlimited</a>!</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Layla Lochran grew up in a tiny ski town in Western New York, always with a variety of books in her hand. Contemporary, Historical, and Paranormal romances struck her fancy, expanding her imagination and dreams in someday becoming an author herself. Rock concerts, photography, and brightly colored hair are just a few of her hobbies, as well as having fun with special FX makeup, props, and costumes with her son and community. Other than reading, she enjoys nature, many different wines and local vineyards, spending time with her family, and helping others to find their creative edge. Someday she will travel the world to see all it has to offer her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Life is short; live every day to the fullest, love exponentially, stay positive, and give it your all.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.laylalochran.com/" target="_blank">Blog </a>| <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/laylalochran" target="_blank">Goodreads </a>| <a href="https://www.facebook.com/laylalochran" target="_blank">Facebook </a>| <a href="https://twitter.com/laylalochran" target="_blank">Twitter </a>| <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laylalochran" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/laylalochran" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/AmazonLaylaLochran" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></blockquote>
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-70380451506516973292020-06-14T13:00:00.000+01:002020-06-27T18:54:48.722+01:00Blog Tour + Review: The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Falling in Love Montage</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Ciara Smyth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQIA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 4 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: June 9, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: HarperTeen</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Unbothered by Saoirse’s no-relationships rulebook, Ruby proposes a loophole: They don’t need true love to have one summer of fun, complete with every cliché, rom-com montage-worthy date they can dream up—and a binding agreement to end their romance come fall. It would be the perfect plan, if they weren’t forgetting one thing about the Falling in Love Montage: when it’s over, the characters actually fall in love… for real.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53066661-the-falling-in-love-montage?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=6x821YdVxh&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was such a fun read! It's sweet and cute and light and cliché (but in a fun way). It was even better than I expected. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I liked the characters. Okay, I had a little trouble warming up to Saoirse at first, but it didn't take long for me to start liking her. And I really liked Ruby from the start. And the romance was really sweet. The premise of them doing all these classic movie dates (the Falling in Love Montage) was really fun. It's all very cliché, since it uses all the romcom clichés, but it was fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot was well-paced, and I loved the settings. Since I'm European, I love to find books set in Europe, instead of America, so I was super excited when I found out it was set in Ireland. And the writing really made the characters and the settings come alive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something fun and light to read. It was a fairly quick read, and it just made me happy to read it. This will be perfect for fans of romantic comedies and YA contemporaries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour posts <a href="http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/05/tour-schedule-falling-in-love-montage.html">here</a>!</span><br />
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-52928280817408576752020-06-09T16:18:00.001+01:002020-06-09T16:18:29.246+01:00Diverse and relatable - Little Black Bird ARC Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3fGpcTriK8I/Xt-nMUvXxuI/AAAAAAAADZQ/d4Ch9xfj8KgSPH5A8gsm7BKUqGptsbXbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Little%2BBlack%2BBird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3fGpcTriK8I/Xt-nMUvXxuI/AAAAAAAADZQ/d4Ch9xfj8KgSPH5A8gsm7BKUqGptsbXbACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Little%2BBlack%2BBird.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Little Black Bird </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Anna Kirchner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My rating: 5 hearts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Publication date: June 20, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Publisher: Gurt Dog Press</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Magic is dying out, but it will not disappear without a fight.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Wiktoria is a seventeen year old with a secret: she has psychic powers. Her uncontrollable telekinesis hurts her and others, setting fires and throwing objects in the air, no matter how hard she tries to hold it back. All she wants to have is a peaceful, average life, but it’s difficult when you’ve been cursed to destroy the magical world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Her carefully maintained facade of normality starts to unravel when she’s hunted down by local sorcerers and their Guardian, and accused of unleashing banished demons back into the human realm. When a murder shakes up the magical community, everyone agrees that the only way to save the world is to kill Wiktoria.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Her only ally is a boy who can read her mind, shares her dreams and makes her question her sexuality. Together, they face mythical creatures and uncover ancient legends, and they soon realize that there is no such thing as simply good or evil. Whether they break the curse or allow it to fulfil its destiny, the magical world will be forever changed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Little Black Bird is a tale of trust, friendship and family, and what it means to discover one’s true path.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53102834-little-black-bird?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=9I5HCS7gn3&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!<a name='more'></a></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I honestly don't know where to start about this book. I beta-read it a while ago, and I loved it back then, it was a solid four stars, but now, after reading the ARC, well, it's definitely five stars. Honestly, this book... there aren't words good enough to describe how I feel about this book, other than it made me feel everything. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The characters were the highlight of this story. I mean, the mythology is so interesting, the plot is very well-paced, and there are so many great things about this book, but the characters are just special. Wiki is so easy to relate to and impossible not to like, and Artur... you guys, Artur is just the sweetest guy on the planet. I want to be best friends with him. But seriously, these characters are so incredibly well-written and they truly pop off the page, they feel so real. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The plot is very well-paced. Not too fast, not too slow. What really impresses me about it is how the author manages to balance between plot and world-building almost perfectly. And the world-building is amazing. It's clear that the author is very interested in the Slavic mythology that the book is based on, and it makes it hard for the reader not to be sucked into the world and mythology. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's also incredibly well-written. Vivid and imaginative, it makes the city and the magic come alive. It makes it easy to get lost in the book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also have to mention something about all the diversity in this book. For one, it was very refreshing to read about a character who is questioning her sexuality. I'm all for books about proud gays and lesbians, but I also need the questioning characters. And Wiki's and Artur's struggles are so very relatable. There's also mental health representation in the form of eating disorders and anxiety, and it's incredibly well-written and relatable. This is exactly the kind of diversity I want - need - to see more of in YA literature. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Honestly, I could go on forever about how amazing this book is, but I'm going to stop myself here. <i>Little Black Bird</i> has everything I want in a YA Fantasy; characters that you can't help but love, lots of magic, and diversity. It takes some popular tropes and turns them into something fresh and new, and uses a fairly unknown mythology to build an irresistible world. I can't wait to dive deeper into it!</span></div>
Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-37603378672717503592020-06-05T13:00:00.000+01:002020-06-05T13:00:15.963+01:00Why We Need to Read Diversely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BkVkNXWciBw/XtlXgPY0s-I/AAAAAAAADYw/Q3tZ5k5sHEgAjNOhtNz3-0lBtnBCBe9HwCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1Ocqy_Y6i1rx4d4Rb6HHnbNEvIa_SyNLHmItnXp5sEsRv8zjWeua_o3E8EncNF7LT2ZT-7b70Td-zji3gbbBcxFsg15shzvW-1r3Nry5mrLCkiJuN4hOXmx1qp0VoCxV917CDEV74VTk7Y51CEulUxR59WOViIOsvetoahl2sJgTEUyZ3CUrqr87bMrt6VrYxjhK_fhXte_GxY4bzpy9q_iT1kkpZ8pa5_3CbQv8c6Qt-7iMA85AYWAZJcrW9SOG1usuGfffYL8uPVG8eTurTM9RRLqzAuSvm_EgRI7AlE_H5Cq_WLHdX8dhsz32UPxsIPm3h8QtC7yNmfZToszHv5Wi1F-6Se_yGLeKbFAEiuiTE0-JaAs-v0QuDkhb45CG9L5QW_kzhrxGYQDWP4ViEjXW0IyrUqCVabFKM1dSGd8mhEh0E9GxvkPCZ5T9OOC6C6sJGTHj35xbVRfD12xcSeY6fgNwwJN9m_QfARvrZ-6BnsNEfbfWbVOUPfqOP8CR_tEXEZ9Q2Xe3dF1d4hb7MblFpRdNRLfcZrlFPcXWmv5pBAn-XmhTJFXHNyybUrkna9-39tsphTWhGOM5vBVCuW5tK-viAc_YCM8xYwq7Tl9gU/s1600/Why%2BRead%2BDiverse%2Bbanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BkVkNXWciBw/XtlXgPY0s-I/AAAAAAAADYw/Q3tZ5k5sHEgAjNOhtNz3-0lBtnBCBe9HwCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1Ocqy_Y6i1rx4d4Rb6HHnbNEvIa_SyNLHmItnXp5sEsRv8zjWeua_o3E8EncNF7LT2ZT-7b70Td-zji3gbbBcxFsg15shzvW-1r3Nry5mrLCkiJuN4hOXmx1qp0VoCxV917CDEV74VTk7Y51CEulUxR59WOViIOsvetoahl2sJgTEUyZ3CUrqr87bMrt6VrYxjhK_fhXte_GxY4bzpy9q_iT1kkpZ8pa5_3CbQv8c6Qt-7iMA85AYWAZJcrW9SOG1usuGfffYL8uPVG8eTurTM9RRLqzAuSvm_EgRI7AlE_H5Cq_WLHdX8dhsz32UPxsIPm3h8QtC7yNmfZToszHv5Wi1F-6Se_yGLeKbFAEiuiTE0-JaAs-v0QuDkhb45CG9L5QW_kzhrxGYQDWP4ViEjXW0IyrUqCVabFKM1dSGd8mhEh0E9GxvkPCZ5T9OOC6C6sJGTHj35xbVRfD12xcSeY6fgNwwJN9m_QfARvrZ-6BnsNEfbfWbVOUPfqOP8CR_tEXEZ9Q2Xe3dF1d4hb7MblFpRdNRLfcZrlFPcXWmv5pBAn-XmhTJFXHNyybUrkna9-39tsphTWhGOM5vBVCuW5tK-viAc_YCM8xYwq7Tl9gU/s400/Why%2BRead%2BDiverse%2Bbanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hi everyone! Today, I'm going to get a bit more personal than I'm usually confortable with, but this is a post I felt needed to be written, so I'm going to push myself this time. I have always been an advocate of diverse books, and I try to read books with characters of color, of different sexualities, with mental health issues, and so on. When I find books with representation, I promote them, probably even more than those who don't have representation. But it wasn't until very recently that I truly understood why diversity in litterature is so important.<br />
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Last summer, I started having serious anxiety. I have been struggling with panic attacks since I was twelve, but last summer, it reached its peak. While I have had quite some time to accept my panic attacks, dealing with anxiety was a whole other ballpark. Not only did I struggle with the heavy anxiety, but also with feeling like there was something wrong with me. I have a pretty good life. I have a supportive mother, I have a few close friends, even though I struggle with social situations, and I had a lot to look forward to. Yet I couldn't pull myself out of the anxiety that was drowning me (cliché, I know, but it's true).<br />
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Now that the anxiety has calmed a bit, I am constantly on the look-out for books with mental health representation. I've read about people with OCD, anxiety, and depression, and it has helped me deal with my situation. It's helped me feel less alone. Most importantly, it's helped me see that there's nothing wrong with me. It's not my fault that I'm feeling this way, and I sure shouldn't feel guilty about having anxiety.<br />
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As if this wasn't enough, I recently started questioning my sexuality. As a chronic overthinker (not to mention the fact that I still struggle with my anxiety daily), it wasn't easy for me. I started questioning everything in my life so far. Suddenly, I could relate to all those people I read about who struggled with accepting their sexuality. In fact, the fact that I read a lot of diverse books was the reason why I could suddenly put a name to what I have been feeling my whole life. Instead of chalking it up to me being 'weird', 'a late bloomer' or 'painfully shy', I found a whole community of people like me, all thanks to this one book I read.<br />
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Not only did books help me figure out that part of me, but they also showed me, before I ever considered I might not be 100% straight and allosexual, that it was okay to be that way. And I know figuring out that I might be demisexual (which is on the ace spectrum, for anyone unfamiliar with the term) would've been a lot more difficult if I hadn't already read about other asexual and demisexual characters.<br />
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Reading about characters like you can mean so, so much. For one, it can help teenagers (or even adults) figure themselves out. Like I said, without books, I probably would've gone on thinking I was just weird, not knowing there were people just like me out there. And there are tons of teenagers going through this, struggling with who they are and who they should be, who can't find themselves in books, because there isn't enough representation, and if there is representation, it's not promoted as much as other books.<br />
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Not only that, but once you figure out your identity, reading about people like you can reaffirm your own identity and help you accept it. It can show you that it's okay to be different, that it's okay to not fit into the heteronormative, that your experience is valid, no matter if you're black or white, straight or gay, allosexual or asexual, Christian or Muslim, or anything else.<br />
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And it's just as important to read about people who aren't like you. Books can help us understand other people in a way very few things can. Right now, empathy and understanding are more important than ever, and reading about people different than you can help you understand them better, as well as erase preconcieved notions and prejudices. For example, right now people are terrified of muslims, because a lot of people associate Islam with IS. I'll be honest: I did too, at first. But I made an effort to learn about Islam, to read and listen to what muslims had to say, and it made me realize how incredibly wrong I was in my assumption. Books could actually work against racism, homophobia, sexism, and so on.<br />
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To sum up, there are many reasons to read diversely, and just as important to promote diverse books. Not only can a book help you feel seen and less alone, but it can also help you understand other people, and so work against stereotypes and prejudices.<br />
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<br />Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-78717389885157387962020-06-04T19:33:00.000+01:002020-06-04T21:24:57.191+01:00Blog Tour + Review: The Redpoint Crux by Morgan Shamy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Redpoint Crux</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Morgan Shamy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 3.5 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: June 9, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: The Parliament House</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">Fans of The Phantom of the Opera and Black Swan will enjoy this thrilling debut.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">When Megan Van Helsburg gets kicked off the U.S.A. Climbing Team, she has no choice but to return home and leave her climbing career behind. With no coach, no money, and no prospects, she joins the corps de ballet determined to improve her strength and agility. But the ballet theater is in dire straits. Not only do a series of murders break loose, but the ballerinas are becoming deathly thin and brain-dead. As Megan investigates, she meets Bellamy, a tortured young man who lives beneath the depths of the theater. Megan falls hard and fast for Bellamy, who becomes her mentor, but something is off about him.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif;">It isn't until the company announces they're doing Giselle for the fall performance that Megan realizes the parallels between the ghost story and the lives around her. Megan must find a way to not only save her climbing career, but balance her feelings for Bellamy, and stop the murders and dying girls before she, too, is numbered among the dead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I saw the synopsis, calling this perfect for fans of <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, I was immediately sold. I am a huge fan of <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, so this was a must-read for me. Comparing a book to it makes my expectations sky-high, so when I dived into <i>The Redpoint Crux</i>, I was equal parts excited and equal parts worried it wouldn't live up to my expectations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It lived up to my expectations. Sure, there were parts I didn't like much - the characters failed to make me invested and the ending was hurried and quite disappointing - but the overall mood and the mystery was really interesting and made me quite enjoy it, despite the issues.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The characters were kind of... flat to me. The main character was boring and uninteresting, and she was pretty one-dimensional. All of this, while it didn't make me dislike her, also didn't make me care much about her or what happened to her. And the same goes for the rest of the characters. The only character that caught my interest was Bellamy. He was exactly what I would expect of a character very clearly inspired by the Phantom; interesting, layered, morally grey, but at the same time you can't help but feel for him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot was great. I mean, the mystery is really interesting (I loved the connection to the ballet, <i>Giselle</i>). It was dark and unexpected and really refreshing. Mind you, this isn't the book for you if you want something light and fun, but if you want a dark mystery, this is the book for you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The ending was really disappointing, to be honest. It felt hurried and left some loose ends (one, in particular, that bothered me was introduced very early in the book, and it bothered me a lot that I didn't get any answers). It left me feeling unsatisfied.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you love <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i>, I would definitely recommend this one. If you love dark mysteries, I would recommend it, too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Don't forget to check out the other tour stops <a href="http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/05/tour-schedule-redpoint-crux-by-morgan.html">here</a>!</span><br />
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<br />Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-30687787345633321442020-04-05T12:24:00.000+01:002020-04-05T12:24:29.592+01:00Blog Tour + Review: Super Adjacent by Crystal Cestari<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Super Adjacent</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Crystal Cestari</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 4 hearts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Superheroes, Romance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: March 17, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Disney-Hyperion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Claire has always wanted to work with superheroes, from collecting Warrior Nation cards as a kid to drafting "What to Say to a Hero" speeches in her diary. Now that she's landed a coveted internship with the Chicago branch of Warrior Nation, Claire is ready to prove she belongs, super or not. But complicating plans is the newest WarNat hero, Girl Power (aka Joy), who happens to be egotistical and self-important . . . and pretty adorable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bridgette, meanwhile, wants out of WarNat. After years of dating the famous Vaporizer (aka Matt), she's sick of playing second, or third, or five-hundredth fiddle to all the people-in-peril in the city of Chicago. Of course, once Bridgette meets Claire-who's clearly in need of a mentor and wingman-giving up WarNat becomes slightly more complicated. It becomes a lot more complicated when Joy, Matt, and the rest of the heroes go missing, leaving only Claire and Bridgette to save the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In this fresh and funny take on the world of supers, author Crystal Cestari spotlights what it's like to be the seemingly non-super half of a dynamic duo with banter-filled romance and bold rescues perfect for readers seeking a great escape.</span></div>
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When I first heard about <i>Super Adjacent</i>, I was super - no pun intended - excited. I mean, a book about superheroes? Even better, a book following two sidekicks? Sign me up! The fact that it has a sapphic romance was just a plus. Needless to say, I had sky-high expectations of this one. And it was just as awesome as I hoped!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The characters were great. I loved the main characters, Claire and Bridgette. They were both interesting to read about and well-written characters. They were layered and flawed, which I loved. But I also loved the side characters. Teddy, Joy, Matt... I could go on. Really, I'd read a book about either one of the side characters, because I can tell that they all have their own stories. It's been a long time since I read a book that had such interesting side characters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The romance was really sweet. The romance between Claire and Joy felt a little rushed, and I would've preferred if it got to take more time, because I felt like they went from hating each other to kissing - a lot - in very little time. But Bridge and Matt are such a cute couple, and it's very obvious they love each other very much. I also have to say I appreciate that at the end of the book, you could tell there was more to the story than just this book. The romance wasn't done. The couples still has quite a few challenges ahead of them. It was really refreshing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot was well-paced. I struggled a little to get into it, but after a few chapters, I was caught. And I really like the premise. The idea of an organization - a very secretive, fairly mysterious organization - that hires people with superpowers and makes them into superheroes is really interesting, and it was very well-executed. And the insight we got into how the superheroes were marketed - they weren't just born superheroes, but there was actual thought and planning put into each superhero persona - it added another layer to an already quite layered world. And I loved how things weren't just black and white.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's rare for me to be truly surprised by books nowadays. Often, I see plot twists coming from miles away. But this particular plot twist threw me for a loop. I was totally blind-sided. And I loved it! And the ending was very fitting. I don't want to say too much, but let's just say I hope we get more books about this universe, because there are so many more stories that need to be told. And I really want to see how the world deals with the aftermath of what happened. Especially Warrior Nation - the organization behind the superheroes. But I can also see this being a standalone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. It was light and fun, but also layered and complicated. And I have to say it was a lot of fun to get to read about the sidekicks this time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour <a href="https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/03/tour-schedule-super-adjacent-by-crystal.html">here</a>!</span></div>
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<br />Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-63192603530512668072020-03-31T19:57:00.000+01:002020-03-31T19:57:36.910+01:00Surprise release! From Blood and Ash ARC Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>From Blood and Ash </i>(Blood and Ash #1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Jennifer L. Armentrout</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 4.5 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Upper Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: March 31, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Blue Box Press</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A Maiden…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A Duty…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">A Kingdom…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've had the ARC of this one for a few weeks now, and it has been pure torture to keep this super secret release to myself, because my favorite author wrote a High Fantasy. That's right. Jennifer L. Armentrout has written a High Fantasy, and it is everything. Okay, it had some small annoyances, but as always, her writing pulled me in - or more like dragged me by my teeth - and kept me there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>From Blood and Ash </i>follows Poppy, a girl destined for great things and given very few choices in her own life. As the Maiden, she isn't allowed to do much of anything - including, but not limited to, showing her face to anyone but a select few, talking to people, and having friends. Despite all this, Poppy is a total badass. Of course, she learned how to fight in secret. And she's a true rebel. She refuses to follow all the rules imposed on her. But outward, she still tries to be a proper Maiden. I loved her from the start. But the way she grew through the book, the way she went from hiding herself from everyone to shamelessly standing up to herself, well, I loved it. And I loved how completely flawed she was - like how she is a bit reckless, and takes unnecessary risks. Poppy was truly prefectly imperfect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"Anger flooded my system once more, overwhelming me. I thrust my knee up, aiming for a very sensitive part of him--the one that somehow made him more qualified than I was to fight."</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And the romance... Armentrout is the queen of tension. It's there from the start (and okay, lust at first sight does annoy me, but she does it so well) and it's enough to steal your breath and make your heart race. And the witty banter between Poppy and Hawke is hilarious. While there is certain attraction between them from the start, they certainly aren't in love, or even really friends, at first. What grows between them does so slowly and organically, and I loved every moment of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The world-building wasn't perfect. In the beginning, I felt like I got too much information, but that was really just the first couple of chapters. After that, it was much better spaced out, so it didn't really matter for my enjoyment of the book. My biggest annoyance was that the plot twists weren't all that surprising. In fact, it was pretty predictable. And maybe that makes sense, considering I have read more than fifty books by this author. Again, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book, because obviously, Armentrout has magic powers.</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">"Some truths do nothing but destroy and decay what they do not obliterate. Truths do not always set one free. Only a fool who has spent their entire life being fed lies believes that."</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With imaginative writing, Armentrout weaves an irresistible tale of loneliness, friendship and the power of choice. <i>From Blood and Ash </i>is a high-stakes adventure that will leave you wanting more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"This wasn't just about him. I knew that from the moment I'd asked him to stay. It was about me. What I wanted. My choice."</i></span></blockquote>
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-39093571874433068762020-03-26T17:56:00.000+00:002020-03-26T17:56:31.882+00:00Blog Tour + Review: The Edge of Anything by Nora Shalaway Carpenter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Edge of Anything</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Nora Shalaway Carpenter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 4 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: March 24, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Running Kids Press</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Len is a loner teen photographer haunted by a past that’s stagnated her work and left her terrified she’s losing her mind. Sage is a high school volleyball star desperate to find a way around her sudden medical disqualification. Both girls need college scholarships. After a chance encounter, the two develop an unlikely friendship that enables them to begin facing their inner demons.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But both Len and Sage are keeping secrets that, left hidden, could cost them everything, maybe even their lives.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Set in the North Carolina mountains, this dynamic #ownvoices novel explores grief, mental health, and the transformative power of friendship.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40651796-the-edge-of-anything?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=L6EVjTq5KO&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I really liked this one. The reason I picked it up in the first place was because it has mental health representation and focuses on friendship rather than a romantic relationship. Those are also the reasons why I loved this book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I really liked both the main characters. They were relatable and likeable, and it was easy to care about them. I really just wanted both of them to be okay. And the friendship between the two of them was amazing. I really want more YA books to portray healthy female friendships, and this book does exactly that. I loved it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As some of you may know, mental health is a subject that is very close to my heart, and as a teaching student, I have also seen how many kids are struggling with mental health issues. Therefore, it always makes me happy to see mental health portrayed realistically in books. The way Shalaway Carpenter does it is relatable and heartbreaking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot had some issues. It was a bit slow, almost boring, at times, but for me, that was okay. Some books are intense because of the sheer amount of things that happen. Other books are intense because of the emotions it wakes in the reader. This book is the second kind. So it didn't need to be fast-paced or very exciting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Edge of Anything </i>is a beautiful and yet heartbreaking story about friendship and hope in the face of loss. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Don't forget to check out the other tour stops <a href="https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2020/02/tour-schedule-edge-of-anything-by-nora.html">here</a>!</span></div>
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-87926198880144740302020-02-17T14:00:00.000+00:002020-02-17T14:00:01.305+00:00Emotional and important - Am I Normal Yet? Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Am I Normal Yet? </i>(The Spinster Club #1)</span><br />
by Holly Bourne<br />
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary<br />
My rating: 4 hearts<br />
Publication date: August 1, 2015<br />
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23592235-am-i-normal-yet?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=uWRE7V8tqV&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<i>Am I Normal Yet? </i>was recommended to me by a friend who usually gives great recommendations, so I was very excited to read this one. And it didn't disappoint. It was a touching story about a young girl's struggle with mental illness, and it's such an important book. I would tell everyone to read this, because it mentions several issues connected to mental health that are real issues in society. Because of that, it's a very difficult book to review.<br />
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Evie was such a relatable character. I don't have OCD, like she does, but many of her thoughts and feelings are still highly relatable for teens. All she really wants is to be normal, and what teen hasn't at one point felt the pressure to be normal, to fit in? Of course, I think it can be especially good for people dealing with mental illness of different kinds. I'm going to get a little personal here. I have anxiety since a few years back, which has gotten way worse lately. And Evie's struggles mirrored mine so much, and it was such an amazing experience to read about a character like me.<br />
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The romance was great. You know how in all Young Adult books, the main character meets The One, falls in love and everything turns right in the world? <i>Am I Normal Yet? </i>threw all of that in the trash and did something totally different. Evie didn't meet a guy and suddenly all her problems were unimportant. Instead, it focused on the friendships in the story.<br />
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Speaking of the friendships, the friendship between Evie, Amber and Lottie is such a great example of what friendship should be like. It warmed my heart to read about them, and I think all YA authors should read this and take notes, because friendship - true friendship - is such a rarity in YA books nowadays, and I hate that. In reality, friendship - or the lack thereof - is one of the single most important things for teens, so why shouldn't teen books reflect that?<br />
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Another important theme was feminism. Guys, this was such an inspriring read. It was highly feministic, and dealt with many important topics that are a bit taboo in society. Also, the part about feminism connected to mental health was amazing and again mentioned several important issues, reinforcing the fact that this is a very important book.<br />
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<i>Am I Normal Yet? </i>was such an emotional, relatable story. Even if you don't have any mental health issues, it is an eye-opening book, even for me, who is very passionate about mental health. Honestly, I want every teen to get to read this book, because I truly think it could help so many kids struggling with fitting in, anxiety and romance.<br />
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<br />Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-25584812024749044002020-02-14T14:00:00.000+00:002020-02-14T14:00:02.229+00:00Backlist Shelf Control: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Backlist Shelf Control </b>is a weekly feature hosted by The Reading Faery which is dedicated to sharing backlist books that have been on your TBR for too long. Every Friday, you talk about a backlist book (any book published the previous year or earlier) that you're excited to read and why you want to read it. If you participate, don't forget to comment on my post and share your links so I can check out your posts!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>The City of Brass </i>(The Daevabad Trilogy #1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by S.A. Chakraborty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Fantasy, Historical</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: November 14, 2017</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Harper Voyager</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...</span></span><br />
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<b>Why I want to read it:</b><br />
One of my bookish goals this year is to read more diversely. All I really needed to know was that this book is own voices Muslim fantasy. Of course, it's a plus that it sounds utterly enchanting and therefore has been on my TBR for years. I should also note that I tried to listen to this as an audiobook, and failed spectacularly. It only made me more intrigued about the book, but the world was so intricate and I listen to book so rarely that I managed to forget the details of the world-building between each time I listened. So I got the ebook instead, and I really, really want to read it, because it's such an interesting world.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Let's chat! What backlist books have been on your TBR for way too long? Let me know in the comments!</span><br />
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-89466269354140753692020-02-13T22:08:00.000+00:002020-02-13T22:08:26.606+00:00Announcement! New Co-Blogger!Hi guys! I have some very exciting news to share today! The Reading Faery is getting a new blogger - Anna of @rattletheshelves. I have been following her on Instagram for years, and she has the most beautiful outdoors photos and she gives the best book recommendations, especially diverse books. We've also become friends over Instagram. I'm very excited to have Anna join me here at The Reading Faery, so let's give her a warm welcome!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">About Anna</span></b></div>
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My superpower is that the more I read, the more my tbr grows. I read instead of doing things I probably should be doing and scroll down Instagram instead of reading. I'm passionate about a lot of things for about fifteen minutes and then I forget all about them. I genre-jump a bit but I focus mostly on YA.<br />
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<b>My links:</b><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/rattletheshelves/">Instagram</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/16831423-anna-rattletheshelves">Goodreads</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/_AnnaKirchner?s=09">Twitter</a>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-73874760339249477512020-02-01T15:30:00.000+00:002020-02-01T15:32:13.891+00:00Diverse fantasy - Belle Révolte ARC Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnFuxHkhK7Y/XjWZS8qmJmI/AAAAAAAADS4/E5GunPIMqcIol9Q5l7gFHU9T_0ZuFr9fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Belle%2BR%25C3%25A9volte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnFuxHkhK7Y/XjWZS8qmJmI/AAAAAAAADS4/E5GunPIMqcIol9Q5l7gFHU9T_0ZuFr9fQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Belle%2BR%25C3%25A9volte.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Belle Révolte</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Linsey Miller</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 4.5 hearts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: February 4, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But when their nation instigates a frivolous war, Emilie and Annette must work together to help the rebellion end a war that is based on lies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39673190-belle-r-volte?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=FpNYVIOIsh&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Belle Révolte </i>was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases. I absolutely loved Miller's other books, so when I heard she was writing a new story with an asexual main character (this was around the time her last book was released, by the way, which was more than a year ago), I was very excited. So when I started it, I was equal parts excited and scared, because I had no idea how it could ever live up to the hype I have built up for this book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You know what? It did. It was everything I hoped it would be, and more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So what did I love about this book? The short answer is: everything. The characters were so easy to care about and love, and by the end of the book, all I wanted was for them to live happily ever after. They were two very different characters, but they were both relatable girls, both wanting things society didn't think they should have. But they weren't willing to settle for what society gave them; no, they fought, and they fought hard, to get what they wanted. It was so inspiring and refreshing to read about two young girls who know exactly what they want and are willing to do anything to get it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the reasons why I was so excited when I found out about <i>Belle Révolte </i>was that it would have an asexual main character, so I was a little sad when the asexuality played a very small part in the book. However, there is so much other diversity in this book (one of which is a sapphic romance) that it was okay anyway. By now, I've started thinking of Miller as the queen of diversity, especially LGBTQIA+ representation (read: <i>Mask of Shadows</i>).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since Young Adult Fantasy is my most-read genre, it's rare to find one that feels completely original and fresh. But <i>Belle Révolte </i>is exactly that. The magic-system is unlike anything I've ever read before, and I found it to be very interesting. The concept of midnight and noonday arts being two different kinds of magic intrigued me from the start, and it was gorgeously written and intricately built. The plot was a bit on the slow side, but it was shock-filled with political intrigue, which kept me on my toes. Plus, it deals with several political issues, not only diversity, which makes it such an important story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Belle Révolte</i> deserves all the hype, because not only does it have great diversity, but it's also an absolutely gorgeous world with two kick-ass heroines, not because they can kick ass, but because they know what they want and are willing to fight for it. This is a book I'd recommend to anyone, but maybe especially people who, like me, are looking for more diverse fantasy. </span></div>
Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-18601146325179522712020-01-22T12:00:00.000+00:002020-01-22T12:00:05.271+00:00WWW Wednesdays #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hi guys! I've decided to try a new weekly meme, WWW Wednesdays, hosted by <a href="https://samannelizabeth.wordpress.com/">Taking on a World of Words</a>. For this meme, you answer three questions starting with W (hence the name). The questions are: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What are you currently reading?</b></span>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-08PetMocOQI/XidXiURnA6I/AAAAAAAADR4/BySAjiwYEaQ18ZEuBqePF-eaZfA9qnRhACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Loveboat%252C%2BTaipei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-08PetMocOQI/XidXiURnA6I/AAAAAAAADR4/BySAjiwYEaQ18ZEuBqePF-eaZfA9qnRhACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Loveboat%252C%2BTaipei.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I just started reading </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Loveboat, Taipei</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> by Abigail Hing Wen. It's a highly anticipated 2020 release, so I'm very excited to read it. Since I just started it, and have only read a couple of chapters, I don't have much to say yet, but I have very high expectations of it. It's an extra plus that the main character is a dancer, like me! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What did you recently finish reading?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The last two books I finished are <i>Beyond the Black Door </i>and <i>Technically, You Started It</i>. Both were really good reads with great rep. <i>Beyond the Black Door</i> was a really interesting fantasy world, with a questioning asexual main character, which made me happy to see in a fantasy book. <i>Technically, You Started It</i> was told entirely through texts, and it was a quick and fun read, despite dealing with anxiety. This one also had LGBTQIA+ rep. I'd warmly recommend them both.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What do you think you'll read next?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay, so I'm 100% a mood reader, so attempting to plan my reading is a lost cause. But I have a few ARCs that I need to get to soon, <i>Echoes Between Us</i>, <i>Sensational </i>and <i>Hungry Hearts</i>, so hopefully I'll read one of them next. But, <i>The Bound</i>, the second book in the Ascension series, is calling my name, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">Let's chat! What are your WWW answers? Have you read any of my answers? And don't forget to share your links with me so I can check out your posts!</span></div>
Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-26977986175718074212020-01-13T11:40:00.001+00:002020-01-20T19:24:19.036+00:00Blog Tour + Review: Beyond the Shadowed Earth by Joanna Ruth Meyer<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nL39xmnwy8/XhxWB7yOIbI/AAAAAAAADOE/AWfnjjcpL5Au0Zp5TrK22XUPI57bcSqqwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Beyond%2Bthe%2BShadowed%2BEarth.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2nL39xmnwy8/XhxWB7yOIbI/AAAAAAAADOE/AWfnjjcpL5Au0Zp5TrK22XUPI57bcSqqwCEwYBhgL/s320/Beyond%2Bthe%2BShadowed%2BEarth.jpeg" width="213" /></a></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Beyond the Shadowed Earth </i>(Beneath the Haunting Sea #2)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Joanna Ruth Meyer</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 3 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Pub. date: January 14, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Page Street</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">It has always been Eda’s dream to become empress, no matter the cost. Haunted by her ambition and selfishness, she’s convinced that the only way to achieve her goal is to barter with the gods. But all requests come with a price and Eda bargains away the soul of her best friend in exchange for the crown.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Years later, her hold on the empire begins to crumble and her best friend unexpectedly grows sick and dies. Gnawed by guilt and betrayal, Eda embarks on a harrowing journey to confront the very god who gave her the kingdom in the first place. However, she soon discovers that he’s trapped at the center of an otherworldly labyrinth and that her bargain with him is more complex than she ever could have imagined.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Set in the same universe as Joanna’s debut, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Beneath the Haunting Sea</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Beyond the Shadowed Earth</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"> combines her incredible world building and lush prose with a new, villainous lead.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40778901-beyond-the-shadowed-earth">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Beyond the Shadowed Earth </i>was... okay. It wasn't anything special, but it was still enjoyable, overall. I didn't like the main character all that much, either. I felt like it was a lot longer than it probably needed to be, and it wasn't a particularly memorable read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I didn't really like Eda. She's hard to relate to and equally hard to like. And while I can enjoy reading about a morally grey main character - in fact, villainous characters can be quite interesting to read about - in this case, Eda just wasn't very well-written. And I hated how she became a whole different person when she fell in love. Eda just felt kind of washed out and uninteresting to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The romance was really hurried. I prefer slow-building romance. I hate love-at-first-sight. And while it wasn't insta-love, it didn't take long before Eda proclaimed herself in love and ready to marry (after being completely against it, too). And while I can see why it was written this way (it was part of the plot), I just couldn't enjoy the romance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot was fast-paced. And while I love fast-paced fantasy book, this one felt a little hurried at parts. For the most part, it was good, but there were some things I felt were rushed through, especially the ending. It took a long time to get to the ending, but once we got there, it was very hurried.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The world-building was great, though. It's an interesting world, and the premise was really great. The world is clearly very thought-through, and it's really interesting. Honestly, it had a great premise, which is why I was so excited to read this book, but since I had such a hard time relating to and even liking the main character, it was hard to really enjoy it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, this book had a great premise, but poor execution. The main character wasn't particularly interesting or layered, which is necessary if you want people to be interested in a villainous main character. Unfortunately, I just didn't care about Eda, and for me that's absolutely necessary in order to enjoy a book. But if you care more about the plot and world-building than characters, I think it's worth a try.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Make sure to check out the other tour posts <a href="https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2019/11/tour-schedule-beyond-shadowed-earth.html">here</a>!</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfY80osfbpE/Xfj_NO7gSjI/AAAAAAAADNU/hFurCnQ-e0YcZApHu-APdyiL-FHtNzzYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Becoming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfY80osfbpE/Xfj_NO7gSjI/AAAAAAAADNU/hFurCnQ-e0YcZApHu-APdyiL-FHtNzzYACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Becoming.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Becoming: The Balance Bringer </i>(The Balance Bringer Chronicles #1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Debra Kristi</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My rating: 3.5 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Publication date: January, 2018</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Ana still blames herself for her boyfriend's death two years prior. Now, what she thought were mere dreams are starting to enter her waking life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">As Eerie shadows hunt Ana, strange new abilities develop. Her dream guy becomes reality, and Ana is becoming something...other.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Ana feels like she's becoming something beyond human, or maybe she's just going crazy. But there's no one for her to turn to. Her mother and her best friend are keeping a dark secret about who Ana really is―a secret that could restore the balance between worlds or hurtle them deeper into darkness.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Ana is not only discovering the world is far stranger than she ever expected, but that its survival is dependent on her. But for there to even be a glimmer of a chance at salvation, she must make it alive to the home she's never known.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">If you devoured the Mortal Instruments series you'll love this award-winning, action-packed, romance-touched, coming-of-age adventure told from the point-of-view of a confused and unreliable high-school senior.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38338988-becoming?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7Ily1bNcQl&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have mixed feelings about this one, to be honest. It didn't start out very promising, but since I was really interested in the premise and the world, I pushed through, and I flew through the second half. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have mixed feelings about the main character. On one hand, I had a really hard time connecting with her. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it's about the way she acted. But I still enjoyed reading about her. She was interesting, she was quirky, and she was such a badass. I couldn't relate to her, but I was still very interested to see how things would turn out for her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The romance was... I'm not even sure what word to use here. It was... different. At the beginning, it seems like there will be three love interests (a... love square?) which made the main character seem really boy crazy. But it gets better with time, and it becomes clear that we aren't talking about a whole bunch of love interests. (Also something really icky that is super spoilery, but thankfully that's just very brief.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The plot was good. It started out a bit slow, and it felt like it took a while to really start, but I think that has more to do with the world-building than the actual plot. But overall, the plot was great, and it's very promising for the upcoming books in the series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The world-building could've definitely been better. It took a very long time before we (the reader) learned anything real about the world, which annoyed me a bit. For the most part of the book, it was mostly lies and very vague statements that could mean anything. It wasn't until after halfway through that I actually learned anything about the world, and then everything came at once. I would've liked the information to have been spread out more evenly through the book, but the world is very interesting and it wasn't until around 40% through that it started bothering me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Overall, it was a definitely enjoyable read, but more importantly, it's an interesting beginning to a series that will make it impossible to quit after reading the first book. So now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go read the second book.</span>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-48547911783028262902019-12-03T12:00:00.000+00:002020-01-20T19:26:38.244+00:00Blog Tour + Review: Dangerous Alliance by Jennieke Cohen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Dangerous Alliance: An Austentacious Romance</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Jennieke Cohen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 3 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: December 3, 2019</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: HarperTeen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44244324-dangerous-alliance">Add to Goodreads!</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was pretty disappointed by this one, to be honest. After reading the synopsis, I expected a mysterious, romantic read. What I got was romance that could be described as luke-warm at best, and the mystery was barely there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I liked the main character well enough. Vicky was a bit naive, but considering the life she lived, that's not something to hold against her. I liked that she never hesitated to stand up for what she believed in, not to mention she wasn't one to sit idly by while everyone else tried to find out what was going on. Not to mention the character development she went through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I did not like Tom. He's a bit of a jerk to Vicky, and even following his thoughts bothered me, because he was really judgmental. And then the romance between them came pretty much out of nowhere. There was no tension whatsoever, and I didn't like either of the guys. Honestly, I wanted Vicky to end up with neither guy, because both of them were kind of disrespectful to her on several occasions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot was really boring. The only reason it got three hearts is because the last half of it picked up and got more interesting, but it was really slow and boring through a lot of the book. And the ending was really predictable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I did love all the Austen references, though. That was a big reason why I picked it up, and that part didn't disappoint. For fans of Jane Austen, I think you could enjoy this, as long as you don't go in expecting a big mystery. I think if I were expecting a plain romance, I would've liked it better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2019/10/tour-schedule-dangerous-alliance.html"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Check out the rest of the tour!</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Annette Marie</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 4 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: September 11, 2019</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: New Adult, Fantasy</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Rule one: Don't look at the demon.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Rule two: Don't listen to the demon.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Rule three: Don't talk to the demon.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">But I did, and now it's too late.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44932446-taming-demons-for-beginners?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=UPD1MQg2En&rank=1">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was a fun adventure. After reading the other Guild Codex series, I knew it was going to be good, but Taming Demons for Beginners was even better than I was expecting. It was a fast and fun read, and I flew through the pages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I loved reading about Robin. At first I got the impression that she was a bit naive, but she definitely wasn’t. She was no kickass heroine, but I loved her anyway, because she still doesn’t cower in front of danger, so she’s very brave. And she grew so much through the book, and I can’t wait to see her character development in the other books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fantasy and world-building were great. I already knew I was going into a world I love, since I’ve read the other series set in the same world, but I loved learning more about it in Taming Demons. You get a look at a darker side of the world, and you get a deeper understanding of it, and it’s such an intriguing world, too. I have a feeling there are a lot of stories to be told of this world, and I’m so here for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The writing was really immersive. I love Annette Marie’s books because you know you’ll be getting an imaginative, fun story which will get you hooked from page one, and this one was no different. There wasn’t a page of this that I didn’t enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast and fun fantasy read. It’s immersive and intriguing, and it will leave readers wanting more.</span>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-53375808029090272322019-10-24T17:54:00.001+01:002020-02-01T15:51:28.158+00:00Middle Grade Blog Hop + Q&A With Amy Bearce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hi guys! I'm really excited to participate in the Middle Grade Blog Hop hosted by <a href="https://www.snowywingspublishing.com/">Snowy Wings Publishing</a>. Today, I'm hosting the author of the World of Aluvia series, Amy Bearce. Keep reading for information about her series, and my interview with her. Welcome to The Reading Faery, Amy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Amy writes fantasy and light science fiction for young readers and the young at heart. She is the author of the World of Aluvia series (Fairy Keeper, Mer-Charmer, and Dragon Redeemer, 2019) through Snowy Wings Publishing and Shortcuts (CBAY Books, 2019), for grades 4 and up. She is also a former reading teacher and librarian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As an Army kid, she moved eight times before she was eighteen, so she feels especially fortunate to be married to her high school sweetheart. Together they are raising two daughters in San Antonio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A perfect day for Amy involves rain pattering on the windows, popcorn, and every member of her family curled up in one cozy room reading a good book.</span><br />
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<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E75" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E75" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can you describe yourself with five words or less?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E77" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E77" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Introverted, curious, compassionate, absent-minded, and impatient.</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E78" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E78" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E80" is="qowt-line-break" qowt-eid="E80" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E83" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E83" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">What's your favorite thing about your Hogwarts house?</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E84" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E84" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E86" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E86" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is som</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E87" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E87" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e debate over which is my real </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E88" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E88" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">house, but I claim </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E90" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E90" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ravenclaw</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E92" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E92" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. As a former librarian, it just seemed logical. I love learning new things and like hanging out with others who are always learning stuff, too. Life is much richer that way.</span></span></div>
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<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E95" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E95" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tell us about your current project! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E97" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E97" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m almost finished with edits on a book coming out next summer called </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E98" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E98" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paris on Repeat</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E99" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E99" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It’s a</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E100" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E100" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n upper middle grade twist on Groundhog Day, set in Paris. It’s about an American military kid living overseas who gets stuck in a time loop during a class trip to Paris and must take risks to discover what trapped her there. Otherwise, she’ll be stuck reliving the most awkwardly painful day of her life forever.</span></span></div>
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<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E102" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E102" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E103" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E103" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What's your favorite love story (book or movie)?</span></span></div>
<div id="E104" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E104" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E105" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E105" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Honestly, my first response was Practical Magic, the movie. Then I thought, well, gosh, there’s a lot of death in that movie, plus a very unhappy haunting…maybe I shouldn’t list that one as a LOVE STORY, and yet… I still love Sandra Bullock’s character and her happy ending. So yes, Practical Magic it is. </span></span></div>
<div id="E106" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E106" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E107" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E107" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E108" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E108" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How do you pick names for your characters? Do any of them have any special meaning?</span></span></div>
<div id="E109" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E109" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E110" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E110" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Names are so important! For Sierra in </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E111" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E111" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fairy Keeper</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E112" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E112" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I went through a whole list of names before finding out </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E113" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E113" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E114" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E114" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hat </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E115" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E115" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E116" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E116" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">felt right, </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E117" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E117" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">without any unwanted connotations</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E118" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E118" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from modern society</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E119" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E119" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Phoebe’s and Nell’s names were easier</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E120" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E120" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for me, maybe</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E121" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E121" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> because they weren’t main characters when I wrote them. They just popped out</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E122" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E122" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the names stuck. But it’s not uncommon for me to change names after a first draft. </span></span></div>
<div id="E123" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E123" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E124" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E124" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E125" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E125" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">What scenes </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E127" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E127" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">are your favorite</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E129" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E129" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to write (dialogue, romantic scenes, action or anything else)?</span></span></div>
<div id="E130" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E130" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E131" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E131" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I love writing scenes where someone gets to tell their crush how they feel. Trying to capture that moment of extreme vulnerability that’s all tied up with nerves and hope and fears… I love that moment.</span></span></div>
<div id="E132" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E132" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E133" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E133" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E134" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E134" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do you have any quirky reading or writing habits?</span></span></div>
<div id="E135" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E135" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E136" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E136" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I start a new story, I often type at the very top of the page, “THIS IS JUST A BRAINSTORM AND YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP OR USE ANY OF IT.” I find it helps me relax and be more willing to play with my words, but it has come to my attention at writing events that not everyone feels the need to remind themselves of this in giant letters across the top of their screen.</span></span></div>
<div id="E137" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E137" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E138" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E138" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E139" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E139" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They say don't judge a book by its cover, but I think we can all admit to have done so at some point. How important is the cover to you as an author?</span></span></div>
<div id="E140" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E140" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E141" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E141" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cover is so, so important. I was really fortunate with my World of Aluvia covers, that the artist, </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E143" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E143" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amalia</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E145" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E145" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E147" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E147" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chitulescu</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E149" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E149" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> created exactly what I was hoping for, and then some.</span></span></div>
<div id="E140" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E140" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E149" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E152" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E152" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E153" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E153" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">What does your bookshelf look like? Is it organized and clean or chaotic and messy?</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E155" is="qowt-line-break" qowt-eid="E155" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E156" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E156" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike my desk, m</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E157" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E157" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y book shelves are pretty organized—by age group and genre, and then by spine color to create rows of rainbows on the shelf. </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E158" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E158" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E160" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E160" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E162" is="qowt-line-break" qowt-eid="E162" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E-596" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E-596" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E-597" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E-597" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E163" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E163" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E164" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E164" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What's your favorite quote?</span></span></div>
<div id="E165" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E165" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E166" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E166" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” -- Aesop</span></span></div>
<div id="E167" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E167" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E168" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E168" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E169" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E169" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If someone made a movie of your life, would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?</span></span></div>
<div id="E170" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E170" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E171" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E171" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’d hope it would be a romantic-comedy, but only the light, gentle kind, not the painful awkward ones. I can’t handle those and have to run out of the room.</span></span></div>
<div id="E172" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E172" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E173" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E173" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E174" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E174" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you were a superhero, what would your name, superpowers and costume be?</span></span></div>
<div id="E175" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E175" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E177" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E177" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Captain Factual, able to wipe away misinformation with a single bound.</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E179" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E179" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I’d have an infinity bag full of nonfiction, ready to hand out at a moment’s notice for anyone, at any reading level.</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E180" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E180" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I am not currently working as a librarian anymore, but information literacy is still a topic close to my heart.</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E182" is="qowt-line-break" qowt-eid="E182" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E-617" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E-617" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E-618" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E-618" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E183" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E183" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E185" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E185" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coffee or tea?</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E-638" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E-638" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
<div id="E-637" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E-637" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E188" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E188" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tea—I really cannot stand the taste of coffee. </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E190" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E190" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chai</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E192" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E192" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tea is very yummy.</span></span></div>
<div id="E193" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E193" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="E194" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E194" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-format="{"siz":12}" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E195" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E195" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Best ice cream flavor?</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E196" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E196" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
<div id="E-669" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E-669" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E198" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E198" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Salted caramel (though I prefer fruit pie to ice cream or cake.)</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E200" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E200" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
<div id="E201" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E201" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0px 0pt;">
<span class="qowt-font3-Arial" is="qowt-word-run" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E203" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E203" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">What advice would you give to everyone?</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E204" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E204" style="color: #222222; display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E206" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E206" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be kind</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E207" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E207" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E208" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E208" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E209" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">listen well, but don’t be afraid to have good boundaries.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31ZveNwm5BI/XbHWN4JyPTI/AAAAAAAADLE/qQlrRja5RDM9R0f8xhpAnay3VMC6Q2EUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Fariy%2BKeeper%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31ZveNwm5BI/XbHWN4JyPTI/AAAAAAAADLE/qQlrRja5RDM9R0f8xhpAnay3VMC6Q2EUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Fariy%2BKeeper%2Bcover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Fairy Keeper </i>(World of Aluvia #1)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Amy Bearce</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publication date: January 22, 2019</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publisher: Snowy Wings Publisher</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="color: #222222; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">Forget cute fairies in pretty dresses. In the world of Aluvia, most fairies are more like irritable, moody insects. Almost everyone in the world of Aluvia views the fairy keeper mark as a gift, but not fourteen-year-old Sierra. She hates being a fairy keeper, but the birthmark is right there on the back of her neck. It shows everyone she was born with the natural ability to communicate, attract, and even control the tiny fairies whose nectar is amazingly powerful. Fairy nectar can heal people, but it is also a key ingredient in synthesizing Flight, an illegal elixir that produces dreaminess, apathy and hallucinations. She’s forced to care for a whole hive of the bee-like beasties by her Flight-dealing, dark alchemist father.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">Then one day, Sierra discovers the fairies of her hatch are mysteriously dead. The fairy queen is missing. Her father’s Flight operation is halted, and he plans to make up for the lost income by trading her little sister to be an elixir runner for another dark alchemist, a dangerous thug. Desperate to protect her sister, Sierra convinces her father she can retrieve the lost queen and get his operation up and running.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">The problem? Sierra’s queen wasn’t the only queen to disappear. They’re all gone, every single one, and getting them back will be deadly dangerous.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">Sierra journeys with her best friend and her worst enemy -- assigned by her father to dog her every step -- to find the missing queens. Along the way, they learn that more than just her sister’s life is at stake if they fail. There are secrets in the Skyclad Mountains where the last wild fairies were seen. The magic Sierra finds there has the power to transform their world, but only if she can first embrace her calling as a fairy keeper.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25017130-fairy-keeper?ac=1&from_search=true">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a thank you for participating in our blog, we're offering a chance to win eight (8) ebooks and two (2) paperbacks from our middle-grade authors!</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> An ebook of <i>Something Wicked</i> by Sarah Dale (releases Nov 2019)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> An ebook of <i>The Falling</i> by T. Damon</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> An ebook of <i>Keara’s Raven: Escape</i> by Mindy Klasky</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> An ebook of <i>The Missing Guardian</i> & <i>The Mer Queen’s Daughter</i> by Melanie McFarlane</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> An ebook of the World of Aluvia series (<i>Fairy Keeper, Mer-Charmer, Dragon Redeemer</i>) by Amy </span>Bearce</li>
<li><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> A paperback of <i>Life and Death</i> & <i>Gods and Demons</i> by Selenia Paz</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ee2d0acb26/?">Rafflecopter Giveaway</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Check out the other blogs for more exclusive content!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Hop around and make sure to visit everyone today!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 25th – <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yareeds/posts/3065798726770164?__tn__=K-R">YA/NA Book Divas</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 26th – <a href="http://seleniapaz.com/news.php">Selenia Paz</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 27th – Mindy Klasky</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 28th – <a href="https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/24/snowy-wings-blog-hop-feature-author-t-damon/">I Love Books and Stuff</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 29th – <a href="http://www.amybearce.com/blog/snowy-wings-blog-hop">Amy Bearce</a> / <a href="http://thereadingfaery.blogspot.com/2019/10/middle-grade-blog-hop-q-with-amy-bearce.html?m=1">The Reading Faery</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 30th – <a href="http://hiddenworldsbooks.blogspot.com/2019/10/lets-go-to-hop-blog-hop.html">Melanie McFarlane</a> / <a href="https://thetryeverything.wordpress.com/2019/10/24/snowy-wings-publishing-middle-grade-blog-hop/">Jenifer Reads</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">October 31st – <a href="https://www.sarahdaleauthor.com/blog-1">Sarah Dale</a> / <a href="http://www.suckerforcoffe.com/q-a-with-author-sarah-dale-snow-wings-publishing-blog-hop/">Sucker for Coffe</a></span></div>
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-19340679555327882742019-10-18T12:59:00.001+01:002019-10-18T12:59:30.965+01:00Backlist Shelf Control: Akarnae by Lynette Noni<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1699004864177787110" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 708px;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2mr1-Ea0slI/XCodKY_tefI/AAAAAAAACpM/1aJ2wZYrtTQJxzfK9lFu9go1nzbFNK5LgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Backlist%2BShelf%2BControl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="475" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2mr1-Ea0slI/XCodKY_tefI/AAAAAAAACpM/1aJ2wZYrtTQJxzfK9lFu9go1nzbFNK5LgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Backlist%2BShelf%2BControl.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Backlist Shelf Control </b>is a weekly feature hosted by The Reading Faery which is dedicated to sharing backlist books that have been on your TBR for too long. Every Friday, you talk about a backlist book (any book published the previous year or earlier) that you're excited to read and why you want to read it. If you participate, please comment on my post so that I can check out your post!</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hYz5Uwp4Ayc/XamodAoYnKI/AAAAAAAADKk/Kw0zDX6QojY8uM8XK-IstQtFbPDGwlfrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Akarnae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hYz5Uwp4Ayc/XamodAoYnKI/AAAAAAAADKk/Kw0zDX6QojY8uM8XK-IstQtFbPDGwlfrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Akarnae.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Akarnae </i>(The Medoran Chronicles #1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Lynette Noni</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: February 1, 2015</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Pantera Press</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="color: #181818;">With just one step, sixteen-year-old Alexandra Jennings's world changes—<i>literally</i>.</b><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">Dreading her first day at a new school, Alex is stunned when she walks through a doorway and finds herself stranded in Medora, a fantasy world full of impossibilities. Desperate to return home, she learns that only a man named Professor Marselle can help her... but he's missing.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">While waiting for him to reappear, Alex attends Akarnae Academy, Medora's boarding school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts. She soon starts to enjoy her bizarre new world and the friends who embrace her as one of their own, but strange things are happening at Akarnae, and Alex can't ignore her fear that something unexpected... something </span><i style="color: #181818;">sinister</i><span style="color: #181818;">... is looming.</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">An unwilling pawn in a deadly game, Alex's shoulders bear the crushing weight of an entire race's survival. Only she can save the Medorans, but what if doing so prevents her from ever returning home?</span><br style="color: #181818;" /><br style="color: #181818;" /><span style="color: #181818;">Will Alex risk her entire world—and maybe even her </span><i style="color: #181818;">life</i><span style="color: #181818;">—to save Medora?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23569787-akarnae">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Why I want to read it:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have three words for you: magical boarding school. Seriously. A boarding school for 'teenagers with extraordinary gifts'? Sign me up! I've seen this one around quite a bit lately, so I got curious and checked it out on Goodreads, and, well, let's just say the magical boarding school had me convinced. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Let's chat! What backlist books have been on your TBR for far too long? Let me know in the comments!</span></span></div>
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Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-90464482980042338702019-10-14T10:00:00.000+01:002019-10-14T10:00:06.329+01:00Suspenseful, intense & complex - Hexen's Binding ARC Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whFSj0od1TE/XZMdjisTXmI/AAAAAAAADJU/Q7U-dqevN3so6R0agzsKFjocZYZB6AgiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hexen%2527s%2BBinding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1006" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whFSj0od1TE/XZMdjisTXmI/AAAAAAAADJU/Q7U-dqevN3so6R0agzsKFjocZYZB6AgiQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Hexen%2527s%2BBinding.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hexen's Binding </i>(Hexen's Cross #2)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by J. Kowallis</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My rating: 5 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publication date: September 23, 2019</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Genre: New Adult, Fantasy</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bryden changed everything. History that once was, is no longer. And life doesn't exist as it once did. Hellia lurks in the shadows between worlds, but the specter of the once-powerful hexen is the least of Taran Grim's worries. Something happened that day in Bryden. Something Taran failed to see. And Coll might be the one paying the price.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39815801-hexen-s-binding?ac=1&from_search=true">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hexen’s Cross was the book I’ve been waiting for since I was a kid. Hexen’s Binding delved deeper into this intriguing world, and I loved every moment of it. Kowallis impresses with complex world-building and layered characters. It was every bit as impressive as the first book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of my favourite things about the first book was that the characters were really layered, which made them very interesting to read about. In this book, you get to know your beloved characters better, but you also meet some new, very intriguing characters. And all the characters have their own stories, even if you don’t learn them all, which I especially loved about this book. And I loved getting to know Taran better, and seeing her grow through this book... I didn’t think it was possible to love her more than I did in the first book, but I do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The romance was... intense. That’s the only word I can find to describe it. I honestly don’t really know what to say about it without giving away the entire plot, so I guess you’ll just have to read it yourself *winks*. What I can say is that you should be prepared for all the feels. It’s an emotional roller-coaster.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’ve already said this about this series, but it’s worth mentioning again; the world-building is incredible. In the first book, you’re introduced to this really intriguing world of witches, or hexens, and in the second book, you get to delve deeper into the magic and intrigue, and you learn just how complex the world-building is. I’ve got to say, I was really impressed by the intricate world-building. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The plot was pretty slow, as in there wasn’t much action, but Kowallis made up for it in suspense. Usually I prefer fantasy books to be fast-paced and filled with action, but in rare cases, a suspenseful, slower plot can be just as amazing. <i>Hexen’s Binding</i> is a perfect example of how to make a slow plot suspenseful enough that it will keep the reader on their toes anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Hexen’s Binding </i>is exactly what I’m looking for in a good fantasy book; it’s suspenseful, it’s intense, and it’s complex. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good witchy read, but also anyone who is interested in mythology, because Kowallis’ take on the Germanic folklore is fresh and irresistible. </span>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376191626936999060.post-15099535345150954042019-10-13T16:53:00.001+01:002019-10-13T16:53:56.092+01:00An intense roller-coaster - The Burning Shadow ARC Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--g57xEs_VCY/XaNHkizsHEI/AAAAAAAADKM/yRGf1hhB5UIgQijeCcMfY2KlA02_OYZuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BBurning%2BShadow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--g57xEs_VCY/XaNHkizsHEI/AAAAAAAADKM/yRGf1hhB5UIgQijeCcMfY2KlA02_OYZuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/The%2BBurning%2BShadow.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Burning Shadow </i>(Origin #2)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My rating: 5 hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Publisher: Thor Teen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Publication date: October 8, 2019</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Synopsis:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux—only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is—and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">#1 </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">New York Times, USA Today, </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with this steamy, shocking second installment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263224-the-burning-shadow">Add to Goodreads!</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I finished this yesterday, and I’m still not sure what to think, other than that was <i>intense</i>. And I have to say I’m impressed by how much Armentrout managed to fit into a single book, because so much happened that my head is still spinning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I loved the characters. All of them. Except maybe Grayson. One of my favourite things about Armentrout’s books is that she always writes relatable characters, with real voices. And it’s also clear that all characters are important to the story – all characters have their own stories and all of them are interesting and dynamic. Although, of course, I love Evie just a little bit more than the other characters. I liked seeing how she grew up in this book, became more independent, if possible even more stubborn and a bit of a badass, to be fair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The romance was intense. There’s so much tension between Evie and Luc that it’s actually palpable, and it’s impossible to not be affected by it as a reader. I have to admit the romance is a little more mature than it usually is in YA, but I do think it was important to the story, so I can forgive that. I’m just putting the warning out there for any younger audiences. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Burning Shadow</i> is the definition of fast-paced. Seriously, Armentrout should get some kind of award for managing to fit that much into a single book, because there isn’t so much as a second of breathing space for the reader. Just when you think you’ll get a break from the intensity of everything, she throws in a plot twist you never saw coming. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Speaking of which, the plot twists deserve a paragraph all of their own. Actually, they deserve an essay of their own, but I’ll just stick to this one paragraph. I’ll admit, Armentrout rarely truly surprises me anymore. I’ve read more than fifty books by her, and I thought she couldn’t surprise me anymore, but guess what? She can. The plot twists in <i>The Burning Shadow</i> surprised me like I haven’t been surprised in a long time, so if you do decide to pick this one up (which you really, really need to do), be prepared for a roller-coaster like you’ve never seen before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I could go on and on about everything that Armentrout does beautifully with this book, but I’m going to leave it at that, with one final word: Read this book. </span>Moahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02865482243794305886noreply@blogger.com0