👶👶👶👶👶: Ascendant, by Michael R. Miller

👏I was so psyched to get this AMAZING YA Fantasy Bookish gift box! I just can't thank @booksforward l and @michael_r_miller_author enough! What a fun gift!

Check out the awesome bookish swag we received: this FANTASTIC novel, an adorable Ash the Dragon, an awesome Holt & Ash - moon & pan - necklace (you must read it to understand the significance), and some promo items! It was so fun to unbox! THANKS A TON BOOKS FORWARD!

I will admit, as excited as I was, my teenage son was even more excited! This is his absolute favorite genre! Anything having to do with fantasy and Dragons, he is 100% here for it🎉!

📚Here is his review:

This novel was full of vivid descriptions and awesome world-building! The magical way the dragons transfer power to the riders is super cool! I was impressed with the twists too.

The characters were so likeable, but Ash, The Dragon was definitely my favorite! He was not only wise, but really funny too. But Holt was such a selfless, caring warrior and I love that he had such a big heart to take on this HUGE responsibility.

I think the best part of the book is the message of acceptance- to not treat the weak differently just because they're different from you... you just never know, they might just be the most powerful of all!

Read by my son: 4/27

👶👶👶👶👶: The War of the Woods, by D.E. Night

👦My 14-year-old son adores fantasy, but has very discriminating taste, so not many books meet his criteria. He's struggled to find a series worth his time UNTIL he found this one! With themes of magic, contending with evil, and self-discovery, 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕮𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖉 rivals the best-selling series out there... and it has a female protagonist to boot! Though marketed to a YA audience, he thinks adults will enjoy it if they liked Harry Potter.

✍️𝑴𝒀 𝑺𝑶𝑵'𝑺 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾: "This novel reminds me of Harry Potter, with a school of magic and scriveny (instead of wizardry). It is an enjoyable series with an interesting storyline, and I really liked all the different characters (aside, of course, from the Dark Queen). Ivy, the main protagonist, is a lovable person, who is always wrapped up in some sort of trouble with her best friends Fyn and Rebecca. One of my favorite characters is Rimbrick, who stood apart from the other wise dwarves to make the adventure even more exciting. In this series, Ivy must race to beat the Dark Queen in a battle of power and wit to get magical stones with awesome power."

RELEASE DATE: 4/13/22 at www.shop.denight.com & 5/13 on Amazon!

🙏Many thanks to D.E. Night and Daniela at Untold Press for gifting us with this awesome ARC!

Read by my son 3/13/22

👶👶👶👶: The Unhoneymooners, by Christina Lauren

🏖☀️My last summer post☀️🏖!

👏Okay, so I have to admit, I'm proud of me! Not only did I read all my summer TBRs, I stepped completely out of my comfort zone for most of them. To boot, not only did I get in a CoHo, but now a Christina Lauren - who even am I?!

❤I think this is my first official RomCom. Though I must admit, there's a bit of a blurred line for me with this genre... For example, I expected Big Summer to be a RomCom, but it so wasn't imho. This is much more what I expected one to be.

🤣I did laugh out loud several times, and the writing was smooth and witty. I enjoyed the banter between the protagonists, and appreciated that there weren't any explicit scenes in the novel (though some of the vocab of choice was, ahem, colorful). Though the Mama in me would still label it for mature audiences (sorry to all the teens that follow me😜)!

🇲🇽🇺🇸I loved the element of the Mexican-American family and their love for one another! It was refreshing to have Latinos represented in a modern romance.

So, once again, I can say, okay y'all, I get it! I may just have to pick up another Christina Lauren novel in the future! Many thanks to all of you who pushed me to try😘! But a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to Alyssa @thebookishvirgo who gifted me with this book from her 1k giveaway! Yes, it's taken me THAT LONG to read🙈!

Read 8/19/21

👶👶👶👶: Under the Whispering Door, by T.J. Klune

I can only imagine that T.J. Klune is a highly empathetic and warm-hearted individual. His books always leave me with a warm, sentimental feeling when I've finished reading them and his characters stay with me long after I've turned the last page. I'm left to ponder relationships with those dear to me and contemplate what's truly important in life. Addressing profound topics that are generally associated with despair, he somehow ends up crafting stories that are uplifting and inspirational. This story was no exception. In his usual whimsical manner, Klune takes his readers on an unusual journey into a uniquely-imagined afterlife. And it seems to be his modus operandi to create protagonists that are highly unlikable to begin with, but end up becoming incredibly endearing by novel's end. This author takes great care to expose the worst qualities in human beings, while also illuminating the best ones. I will admit that The House in the Cerulean Sea is still my favorite of the two. I did feel that there were scenes in this novel that didn't really move the plot along. In the same breath I'll admit that this is a more character-driven book, and therefore the plot is perhaps not a central focus. Also, Cerulean Sea was more quotable, tbh🤷‍♀️. As usual, this is a wonderfully inclusive book with BIPOC, AAPI, and LGBTQ characters. Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review! Read 9/21/21

👶👶👶👶: Lightning Strike, by William Kent Krueger

🎉🎉𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑷𝒀 𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑻𝑯𝑫𝑨𝒀!!!🎉🎉!!!

💯𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚 𝐾𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐾𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 has quickly risen to the top of my must-read authors list. A master storyteller, Krueger lures his readers in with his lyrical descriptions and imaginative narratives.

✔His newest novel is no exception... a mosaic of cozy mystery, historical fiction, and coming-of-age adventure - this one has it all! I was intrigued from the get-go as I followed young Corcoran O'Connor through the winding road to his discovery alongside his dad. With a motley cast of characters, this novel moved along at a quick clip and had some unexpected surprises en route. I appreciated that there was plenty to throw me off the scent and each time I had someone pegged, I turned out to be wrong.

🤷‍♀️I must admit, I'm not much of a cozy mystery reader, but now, thanks to Mr. Krueger, I can certainly understand the lure. To boot, I learned quite a bit about the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 and what it did to the Native American Community... so incredibly tragic.

😲I honestly had no idea this was a prequel to his 17-book series until I just looked it up on Amazon to review! All I knew was that I was so taken with 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑇𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑑, that I was beyond thrilled when Atria Books gifted me with this Advance Reader's Edition. Thank you so much!

Read 8/24/21

👶👶👶👶👶: The Second Blind Son, by Amy Harmon

🎉🎉𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗗𝗔𝗬!!!🎉🎉

💯💯💯OH. MY. WOW. Amy Harmon, is there no end to your astonishing talent???!!!

🔥This book, oh, this book.

First off, let me tell you that I have NEVER been a fan of Mythology, Fantasy, or Romance... Enter Amy Harmon. Because of her, all my presuppositions regarding these genres have gone out the window.

Why? Because Ms. Harmon hits the mark on everything a well-written Fantasy should have: prodigious world-building: ✔check, magnificent character development: ✔check, provocative story line: ✔check. This novel has it all: multi-dimensional protagonists, endearing secondary characters, unexpected plot twists, intriguing adventure, and a beautiful, tasteful love story.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Amy Harmon is an absolute master with words. She will lure you in with her magic, stun you with her skill, and leave you with the biggest book hangover Every.Single.Time!

I just did not want this story to end. I was a part of their world for a short time, and it was not only captivating, but all-encompassing.

This is the companion novel to The First Girl Child, and Harmon was brilliant in allowing this to be a stand-alone novel OR the perfect accompaniment to the first. If you haven't read The First Girl Child, you won't be lost, but if you have, it brings so much depth to that story as she drops several Easter Eggs along the way.

My favorite quote: "𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅. 𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑺𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆... 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆, 𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅."

All the stars as usual!!!
5/5👶👶👶👶👶

I've tagged a few of my Fantasy-loving friends - this is a MUST READ!!!

Many thanks to Amy Harmon and for gifting me with this early review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Read 7/19/21

👶👶👶👶👶: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab

Strangely enough, I really wanted to hate this novel - the whole concept is quite honestly a bit terrifying to me. Not only that, but characters that dislike their lives and feel like the grass is always greener elsewhere just irk me.

Sooo... what a surprise it was when I ended up absolutely adoring it!

What struck me most about this novel was the tragic dichotomy between a girl who is desperate for unencumbered freedom to live her life as a female without restrictions, and a girl longing for human connection. It never dawns on her until it's too late that the absence of constraints would mean the absence of relationships.

"𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔰𝔨 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔩𝔦𝔪𝔦𝔱. 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔣𝔯𝔢𝔢𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔢. 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔡. 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔞𝔫𝔱 𝔱𝔬 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔢𝔵𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔞𝔰 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢."

V.E. Schwab, in writing this long, drawn-out saga, gives readers a glimpse of the lonely eternity that Adeline was faced with.

"𝔏𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔣𝔢𝔢𝔩 𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔤 𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰, 𝔟𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔢𝔫𝔡, 𝔦𝔱 𝔤𝔬𝔢𝔰 𝔰𝔬 𝔣𝔞𝔰𝔱."

Schwab also astutely conveys the idea that life is fleeting and precious.

"𝔅𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔨 - 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞 𝔶𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔦𝔰 𝔤𝔬𝔫𝔢. 𝔅𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔨 - 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔣𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔣𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴."

Furthermore, she allows her readers to understand that yes, there is uncertainty and hardship in life, but that genuine relationships are what make a lifetime so precious.

"𝔅𝔢𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔬𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔫, 𝔰𝔥𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔨𝔰, 𝔦𝔰 𝔞 𝔟𝔦𝔱 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔤𝔬𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔪𝔞𝔡. 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔟𝔢𝔤𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔬 𝔴𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩, 𝔦𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩. 𝔄𝔣𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔩𝔩, 𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔞 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩 𝔦𝔣 𝔦𝔱 𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔡?"

And with this understanding, comes the appreciation of the old platitude to "be careful what you wish for".

Read 6/7/21

👶👶👶👶 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling

My opinion of the first and second book of the Harry Potter series still applies for the third as well:

So, after being begged by each of my children in succession as they read this series, I finally caved and decided to begin, what is arguably the most popular children's series of all time... and what a well-earned label indeed. Not only have I never been a fan of fantasy, but I also avoid committing to such a long series. However, I must admit, J.K. Rowling may have reversed my aversion. Rowling is absolutely brilliant; her imagination, unmatched. She has the ability to deliver a visual feast for her readers. I was all-at-once transported and transfixed, engrossed and intrigued. It was a fun-filled joyride, and I truly look forward to the next installments of the adventures of Harry and his friends.

Read 12/7/19

👶👶👶👶 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling

My review of the first book of the Harry Potter series rings true for the second as well:

So, after being begged by each of my children in succession as they read this series, I finally caved and decided to begin, what is arguably the most popular children's series of all time... and what a well-earned label indeed. Not only have I never been a fan of fantasy, but I also avoid committing to such a long series. However, I must admit, J.K. Rowling may have reversed my aversion. Rowling is absolutely brilliant; her imagination, unmatched. She has the ability to deliver a visual feast for her readers. I was all-at-once transported and transfixed, engrossed and intrigued. It was a fun-filled joyride, and I truly look forward to the next installments of the adventures of Harry and his friends.

Read 11/4/19

👶👶👶 Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer

While I’m a sucker for a good Dystopian novel, I can do without the sci-fi edge in this fan-fiction quartet. Having been to the author signing with my daughters, I can assure you that Meyer is a YA favorite (as well as being incredibly adept at recounting original fairy tales from memory). So, although these novels were not absolute gems for me, I can see the allure for the younger population.

Scarlet was a very unique retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story, complete with a "wolf" and "granny", but certainly not in their usual form. This second novel in the series was a bit more entertaining than the first, and kept me guessing just a bit more.

As an adult, however, I cringe at the impulsive infatuation exhibited by each of the female lead characters. It was a shame that each female protagonist had to be paired off with a male character throughout the progression of the stories. To that end, it was with resignation that I continued to read the series, as it followed this cliché pattern, and made me question the message being sent to young girls. Certain scenes were a bit nauseating with the dependency on their swoon-worthy counterparts. However, for the most part, I’ll admit it was plot-appropriate, and it is after all, fan-fiction.

The violence level is high, and as usual, I struggle with the necessity for such content, but I can be a bit conservative in terms of that part of it.

Overall, these were fast-paced, incredibly unique retellings of the Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White stories. Kudos to the author for quite an entertaining imagination, and I must comment that the book covers are absolutely fabulous!

Read 2/2/16

👶👶👶 Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles), Marissa Meyer

While I’m a sucker for a good Dystopian novel, I can do without the sci-fi edge in this fan-fiction quartet. Having been to the author signing with my daughters, I can assure you that Meyer is a YA favorite (as well as being incredibly adept at recounting original fairy tales from memory). So, although these novels were not absolute gems for me, I can see the allure for the younger population.

Cinder was a very unique retelling of the Cinderella story, in that it is set in New Beijing, for starters, and in that it deals with cyborgs and lunars (not your usual combo for fairytale retellings).

As an adult, however, I cringe at the impulsive infatuation exhibited by each of the female lead characters. It was a shame that each female protagonist had to be paired off with a male character throughout the progression of the stories. To that end, it was with resignation that I continued to read the series, as it followed this cliché pattern, and made me question the message being sent to young girls. Certain scenes were a bit nauseating with the dependency on their swoon-worthy counterparts. However, for the most part, I’ll admit it was plot-appropriate, as it is after all, fan-fiction.

The violence level is high, and as usual, I struggle with the necessity for such content, but I can be a bit conservative in terms of that part of it.

Overall, these were fast-paced, incredibly unique retellings of the Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White stories. Kudos to the author for quite an entertaining imagination, and I must comment that the book covers are absolutely fabulous!

Read 7/10/15