Monday, June 3, 2019

Book Review - The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields + Giveaway



Photo Source - Amazon


In Saskia's world, bones and blood is a source of power and privilege. Bones can be used to reveal the past, present, and the future. Each village has a designated bone charmer that is responsible for performing readings for the townsfolk.  In Midwood, Saskia's mother is the town's bone charmer.

Every resident has the opportunity to have a special bone reading called a kenning to identify their best path for their future. The kenning determines the apprenticeships for the young villagers. Saskia is hoping that she will become a tutor and not a bone charmer like her mother and grandmother. However, her worst dreams come true when she is matched as a bone charmer. Against her wishes, her mother performs a matchmaking reading and pairs her with Bram. Bram is a mysterious boy whose past is littered with hints of violence and darkness.

Saskia is disappointed with her mom because she knew her mother picked the path Saskia wouldn't want. She believes that her mother doesn't take her happiness into account. Distraught with her chosen path, Saskia accidentally fractures one of the kenning bones. Broken bones are considered bad luck but, Saskia's kenning bone was imbued with extra magic to help garner vivid images of her future. Which means Saskia's life is in great danger as her future has been split.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first read the summary of the book. I thought it was going to be over the top but, I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The premise of using bones to see the future and pick a career path was interesting. The story had a lot of mystery especially, with two alternate paths unfolding for Saskia. I thought I would be disappointed with one of the alternate paths but, they were both interesting.  The novel was beautifully written and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.


 **Disclosure - I received a free unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**


About the Book:
Title: THE BONE CHARMER
Author: Breeana Shields
Pub. Date: May 21, 2019
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 400
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonKindleB&N, iBooksKoboTBD

"I was absolutely swept away by the world of The Bone Charmer." – Kendare Blake, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

In Saskia’s world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. Each village has a designated seer who performs readings for the townsfolk, and in Midwood, the Bone Charmer is Saskia’s mother.

On the day of her kenning—a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds—Saskia’s worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram—a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of violence.

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones. Broken bones are always bad luck, but this particular set of bones have been infused with extra magic, and so the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both.




About Breeana:
Breeana Shields is an author of fantasy novels for teens including The Bone Charmer, Poison’s Kiss, and Poison’s Cage. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English.

When she’s not writing, Breeana loves reading, traveling, and playing board games with her extremely competitive family. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, her three children, and two adorable, but spoiled dogs.



Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a signed finished copy of THE BONE CHARMER, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:


Tour Schedule:
Week One:
5/21/2019- BookHounds YAExcerpt
5/22/2019- Smada's Book SmackReview
5/23/2019- The Pages In-BetweenReview
5/24/2019- A Dream Within A DreamExcerpt

Week Two:
5/27/2019- Lifestyle of MeReview
5/28/2019- Some Books & RamblingsReview
5/29/2019- Book-KeepingReview
5/30/2019- Jena Brown WritesReview
5/31/2019- Confessions of a YA ReaderExcerpt

Week Three:
6/3/2019- Two Points of InterestReview

Friday, May 31, 2019

Book Spotlight - All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton + Giveaway






Title: ALL OUR BROKEN PIECES
Author: L.D. Crichton
Pub. Date: May 7, 2019
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 416
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonKindleB&NiBooksKoboTBD

"You can’t keep two people who are meant to be together apart for long...”

Lennon Davis doesn’t believe in much, but she does believe in the security of the number five. If she flicks the bedroom light switch five times, maybe her new L.A. school won’t suck. But that doesn’t feel right, so she flicks the switch again. And again. Ten more flicks of the switch and maybe her new step family will accept her. Twenty-five more flicks and maybe she won’t cause any more of her loved ones to die. Fifty times more and then she can finally go to sleep.

Kyler Benton witnesses this pattern of lights from the safety of his treehouse in the yard next door. It is only there, hidden from the unwanted stares of his peers, that Kyler can fill his notebooks with lyrics that reveal the true scars of the boy behind the oversized hoodies and caustic humor. But Kyler finds that descriptions of blonde hair, sad eyes, and tapping fingers are beginning to fill the pages of his notebooks. Lennon, the lonely girl next door his father has warned him about, infiltrates his mind. Even though he has enough to deal with without Lennon’s rumored tragic past in his life, Kyler can’t help but want to know the truth about his new muse.



About L.D.:


She is one of 6 hosts for a weekly Twitter chat about writing. Search the hashtag #Wattpad4 Monday nights at 8:00 PM EST on Twitter to join in!


Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of ALL OUR BROKEN PIECES, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

Tour Schedule:
Week One:
5/1/2019- Lifestyle Of MeReview
5/2/2019- A Dream Within A DreamExcerpt
5/3/2019- Novel NoviceGuest Post

Week Two:
5/6/2019- Betwixt the PagesReview
5/7/2019- BookHounds YAReview
5/8/2019- Life of a Literary NerdExcerpt
5/9/2019- Do You Dog-ear?Review
5/10/2019- Novel Nerd FactionReview

Week Three:
5/13/2019- A Bookish EscapeReview
5/14/2019- Here's to Happy EndingsReview
5/15/2019- Dani Reviews ThingsReview
5/16/2019- The Pages In-BetweenReview
5/17/2019- Lone Tree ReviewsReview

Week Four:
5/20/2019- Savings in SecondsReview
5/21/2019- Book-KeepingReview
5/22/2019- Life of a Simple ReaderReview
5/23/2019- Smada's Book SmackReview
5/24/2019- Eli to the nthReview

Week Five:
5/27/2019- Popthebutterfly ReadsReview
5/28/2019- Jena Brown WritesReview
5/29/2019- Literary MeanderingsInterview
5/30/2019- Paper ReaderReview
5/31/2019- Two points of interestReview