Tag: TBR & Beyond Tours

Blog Tour (Book Review): Not Good for Maidens – Tori Bovalino

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Fantasy, Horror, Review, YA2 Comments

Hello!

Today I am joining the TBR & Beyond Blog tour for ‘Not Good for Maidens’ by Tori Bovalino, a horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Salem’s Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forestin this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”

Lou never believed in superstitions or magic–until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market.

The market is a place Lou has only read about–twisted streets, offerings of sweet fruits and incredible jewels. Everything–from the food and wares,to the goblins themselves–is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in.

Determined to save Neela, Lou learns songs and spells and tricks that will help her navigate this dangerous world and slip past a goblin’s defenses–but she only has three days to find Neela before the market disappears and her aunt becomes one of them forever.

If she isn’t careful, the market might just end up claiming her too.

Content warnings: on-page gore, on-page body horror, violence, trauma

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Not Good for Maidens – Tori Bovalino” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Mapmakers and the Lost Magic – Cameron Chittock and Amanda Castillo

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Childrens, Comics & Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Review, Traditionally-PublishedLeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am joining the TBR & Beyond Blog Tour for Mapmakers and the Lost Magic – Cameron Chittock and Amanda Castillo which was released a couple of days ago.

You can check out the tour schedule and the other blogs involved here.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

A young girl finds herself faced with an impossible choice–run away from her beloved valley, or unleash a hidden magic and become a Mapmaker to save her home from its new overlords.

For centuries, the Mapmakers kept peace in the Valley, but they’ve long since disappeared. Now the Night Coats hold power with an iron grip–there are only rules, punishments, and consequences. Until one night, on the run from the Night Coats (again), after breaking another rule (again), Alidade stumbles upon a secret door leading to a magical hideaway that belongs to the Mapmakers. There, she finds a map of her home and accidentally brings to life Blue, a magical creature called a memri who is meant to protect the Valley. Blue needs Alidade’s help to find the Mapmakers and save the Valley from the Night Coats!

But the Mapmakers are long gone.

Alidade has a choice: leave the Valley like she’s always wanted…or become a Mapmaker and save the only home she’s ever known.

This is the first book in a thrilling series of adventures where Alidade discovers the world around her as she goes on a fantastical journey.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Mapmakers and the Lost Magic – Cameron Chittock and Amanda Castillo” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Anne of West Philly – Ivy Noelle Weir

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Childrens, Comics & Graphic Novels, Review, Traditionally-Published3 Comments

Hello!

Again a little later than planned due to technical issues, but I am delighted to be joining the TBR & Beyond Blog Tour for Anne of West Philly, a modern retelling of Anne of Green Gables, by Ivy Noelle Weir.

You can check out the rest of the tour schedule HERE

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Anne of Green Gables with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and The Secret Garden on 81st Street, this full-color graphic novel moves Anne Shirley to modern-day West Philadelphia, where where she finds new friends, new rivals, and a new family.

When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to foster a teenage girl for the first time, their lives are changed forever. Their redheaded foster daughter, Anne Shirley, is in search of an exciting life and has decided that West Philly is where she’s going to find it. Armed with a big personality and unstoppable creativity, Anne takes her new home by storm as she joins the robotics club, makes new friends in Diana and Gilbert, experiences first love, and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. But as Anne starts to get comfortable, she discovers one thing she wasn’t looking for: a family.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Anne of West Philly – Ivy Noelle Weir” →

Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): The Witch, The Sword, and The Cursed Knights – Alexandria Rogers

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Book Spotlights, Childrens, Fantasy1 Comment

Hello!

Belated but today I am delighted to be hosting a spotlight for The Witch, The Sword, and The Cursed Knights as part of the TBR & Beyond Blog Tour. You can find the schedule for the tour HERE, so please do check out the other stops on the tour and hopefully we can tempt you to pick up this wonderful book which is out in the world today!

Book Summary:

Twelve-year-old Ellie can’t help that she’s a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy—her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie’s dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur’s legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft—but only if she saves a lost cause.

Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can’t possibly exist. But when Merlin’s ancient magic foretells his family’s death if he doesn’t follow through, he travels to the knights’ castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power.

To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he’s meant to be, they will both fail—and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Spotlight): The Witch, The Sword, and The Cursed Knights – Alexandria Rogers” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): Game On – Laura Silverman (ed)

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Review, YALeave a comment

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing ‘Game On: 15 Stories of Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between’ as part of the TBR & Beyond Blog Tour. You can check out the tour schedule Here and please check out the other blogs involved.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

A charming and inclusive YA anthology all about games–from athletic sports to board games to virtual reality–from editor Laura Silverman and an all-star cast of contributors.

From the slightly fantastical to the utterly real, light and sweet romance to tales tinged with horror and thrills, Game On is an anthology that spans genre and style. But beneath each story is a loving ode to competition and games perfect for anyone who has ever played a sport or a board game, picked up a video game controller, or rolled a twenty-sided die.

A manhunt game is interrupted by a town disappearing beneath the players’ eyes. A puzzle-filled scavenger hunt emboldens one college freshman to be brave with the boy she’s crushing on. A series of summer nights full of card games leads a boy to fall for a boy who he knows is taken. And a spin the bottle game could end a life-long friendship.

Fifteen stories, and fifteen unforgettable experiences that may inspire readers to start up that Settlers of Catan game again.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Game On – Laura Silverman (ed)” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): The Secret Garden on 81st Street – Ivy Noelle Weir, Amber Padilla (Illustrator)

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Childrens, Comics & Graphic Novels, Review2 Comments

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir & Amber Padilla as part of the TBR & Beyond Blog Tour. You can find the schedule for the tour HERE, so please do check out the other stops on the tour and hopefully we can tempt you to pick up this wonderful book.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

The Secret Garden with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, this full-color graphic novel moves Mary Lennox to a New York City brownstone, where she and her very first group of friends restore an abandoned rooftop garden…and her uncle’s heart.

Mary Lennox is a loner living in Silicon Valley. With her parents always working, video game and tech become her main source of entertainment and “friends.” When her parents pass away in a tragic accident, she moves to New York City to live with her uncle who she barely knows, and to her surprise, keeps a gadget free home. Looking for comfort in this strange, new reality, Mary discovers an abandoned rooftop garden and an even bigger secret…her cousin who suffers from anxiety. With the help of her new friends, Colin and Dickon, Mary works to restore the garden to its former glory while also learning to grieve, build real friendships, and grow.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): The Secret Garden on 81st Street – Ivy Noelle Weir, Amber Padilla (Illustrator)” →

Blog Tour (Book Review): City of Shattered Light – Claire Winn

On By Rowena AndrewsIn Review, Sci-Fi, YALeave a comment

Hello!

Belatedly due to some technical issues yesterday, I am delighted to be reviewing City of Shattered Light by Claire Winn as part of the TBR & Beyond Blog Tour. You can find the schedule for the tour HERE, so please do check out the other stops on the tour and hopefully we can tempt you to pick up this book when it comes out later this month!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

As darkness closes in on the city of shattered light, an heiress and an outlaw must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other.

As heiress to a powerful tech empire, seventeen-year-old Asa Almeida strives to prove she’s more than her manipulative father’s shadow. But when he uploads her rebellious sister’s mind to an experimental brain, Asa will do anything to save her sister from reprogramming—including fleeing her predetermined future with her sister’s digitized mind in tow. With a bounty on her head and a rogue A.I. hunting her, Asa’s getaway ship crash-lands in the worst possible place: the neon-drenched outlaw paradise, Requiem.

Gun-slinging smuggler Riven Hawthorne is determined to claw her way up Requiem’s underworld hierarchy. A runaway rich girl is exactly the bounty Riven needs—until a nasty computer virus spreads in Asa’s wake, causing a citywide blackout and tech quarantine. To get the payout for Asa and save Requiem from the monster in its circuits, Riven must team up with her captive.

Riven breaks skulls the way Asa breaks circuits, but their opponent is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. The A.I. exploits the girls’ darkest memories and deepest secrets, threatening to shatter the fragile alliance they’re both depending on. As one of Requiem’s 154-hour nights grows darker, the girls must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other before Riven’s city and Asa’s sister are snuffed out forever. 

Content Warnings: violence, death, blood, mild gore, emotional abuse/manipulation, mild body horror (cybernetics), references to suicide, terminal illness, drug and alcohol references

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): City of Shattered Light – Claire Winn” →