Thursday, March 31, 2022

Book Spotlight - A Darkening of Dragons by S.A. Patrick + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: A DARKENING OF DRAGONS (Songs of Magic #1)

Author: S.A. Patrick

Pub. Date: April 1, 2022

Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Audible, B&NiBooks Audiobook, Kobo AudiobookTBD, Bookshop.org

Three accidental heroes encounter one legendary villain in an epic dragon-filled adventure just right for young fans of Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, and How to Train Your Dragon!

13-year old piper Patch Brightwater is a boy in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one's idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth – the evil Piper of Hamelyn is on the loose.

With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper from sparking the biggest battle of them all.

S.A. Patrick’s debut children’s novel is a vivid retelling of one of the darkest legends of all time – the Piper of Hamelyn. Combining fairy tale lore with the very best of modern storytelling and empowerment, A Darkening of Dragons takes fantasy fans on a journey filled with adventure, magic, and the delight of finding friends in unexpected places. Perfect for fans of The Hobbit, Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books, and How to Train Your Dragon.

A Carnegie Medal nominee. 


About S.A. Patrick:

S. A. Patrick was born in Belfast. When he was a child, he wanted to write video games, become an author, and have magical powers. The first two came true. If he ever does get magical powers, he hopes people like dragons and griffins because there’ll suddenly be a lot of them around. He lives in England.

 

Twitter | Goodreads

 





Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of A DARKENING OF DRAGONS, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/28/2022

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt/IG Post

3/28/2022

@enjoyingbooksagain

Excerpt

3/29/2022

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Review

3/29/2022

More Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

3/30/2022

The Bookwyrm's Den

Review

3/30/2022

Log Cabin Library

Review

3/31/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

3/31/2022

Onemused

IG Spotlight

4/1/2022

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Review/IG Post

4/1/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

Week Two:

4/4/2022

Ravenz Reviewz

Review/IG Post

4/4/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review

4/5/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

4/5/2022

One More Exclamation

Review/IG Post

4/6/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

4/6/2022

BookHounds YA

Review

4/7/2022

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

4/7/2022

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

4/8/2022

Locks, Hooks and Books

Review

4/8/2022

@lexijava

Review/IG Post


Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Book Spotlight - The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

 

About The Book:

Title: THE RUMOR GAME

Author: Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra

Pub. Date: March 1, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 480

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, AudibleB&NiBooks(audiobook), KoboTBD, Bookshop.org

All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.

At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.

Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity, thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.

Now it’s the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone’s lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school’s social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.

As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?

From Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series), comes the edge-of-your-seat social thriller everyone will be talking about.

Review:

"A juicy, elegant, absolutely flawless thriller with a twist. It's the diverse Gossip Girl we've been waiting for!"―Tiffany D. Jackson, New York Times best-selling author of Grown and White Smoke

 

 

About Dhonielle Clayton:

Dhonielle Clayton is the New York Times best-selling author of the Belles series, The Mirror: Shattered Midnight, and the coauthor of Blackout and the Tiny Pretty Things duology, now a Netflix original series. She hails from the Washington, DC, suburbs on the Maryland side. She taught secondary school for several years, and is a former elementary and middle school librarian. She is COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books, and president of Cake Creative, an IP story kitchen dedicated to diverse representation. She’s an avid traveler, and always on the hunt for magic and mischief. Up next: The Marvellers, her middle grade fantasy debut. You can find her on social media @brownbookworm.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

About Sona Charaipotra:

Sona Charaipotra is the author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and How Maya Got Fierce, and coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things duology, now a Netflix original series. She earned her master’s in screenwriting from NYU and an MFA in creative writing from the New School. A working journalist, Sona has held editorial roles at People, TeenPeople, ABCNews.com, MSN, and most recently, the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog (RIP), and contributed to publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue. She is a former We Need Diverse Books board member, and co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packager focused on high-concept diverse titles. Find her on the web talking about books, Bollywood movies, and chai.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub

 

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE RUMOR GAME, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/1/2022

For the Love of KidLit

Excerpt

3/2/2022

The Reading Devil

Excerpt

3/3/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

3/4/2022

BookHounds YA

Review/IG Post

3/5/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

Week Two:

3/6/2022

The book review crew

Review/IG Post

3/7/2022

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt/IG Post

3/8/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review/IG Post

3/9/2022

Excuse Me, I’m Reading

Review

3/10/2022

Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Review/IG Post

3/11/2022

YA Book Nerd

Review/IG Post

3/12/2022

onemoreexclamation

Review/IG Post

Week Three:

3/13/2022

@capturedfiction

Review

3/14/2022

Fyrekatz Blog

Review

3/15/2022

Cindy's Love of Books

Review

3/16/2022

Karen Dee's Book Reviews

Review/IG Post

3/17/2022

Confessions of a YA Reader

Excerpt

3/18/2022

Fire and Ice

Review

3/19/2022

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

Week Four:

3/20/2022

boozybook blog

Review/IG Post

3/21/2022

The Book View

Review/IG Post

3/22/2022

The Girl Who Reads

Review/IG Post

3/23/2022

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

3/24/2022

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt

3/25/2022

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

3/26/2022

YABooksCentral

Excerpt

Week Five:

3/27/2022

onemused

Review/IG Post

3/28/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

3/29/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

3/30/2022

@jypsylynn

Review/IG Post

3/31/2022

Momfluenster

Review/IG Post


Sunday, March 27, 2022

March 2022 Haul Part 2!

 

I can't believe March is over already. It felt like it took forever but, also went by pretty quickly some days. I am looking forward to brighter days and warmer weather. I think Spring and Fall have the best weather.

I got tons of great goodies this month that I am excited to use. I love eucalyptus so when I saw the shower steamers from Lujobar, I knew I had to get them. I can't wait to take a shower later and use them. I got two new bars of soap which I am so super excited to try. I got one from Megababe called space bar. I believe it's for underarms but, honestly I might use it for all over. I recently discovered stress sweating is a horrible beast and smells 1,000x worse than regular sweating. I am definitely going to start using these during more stressful weeks.

I got a few things from UMM skincare and this brand looks so luxurious. Their "The Bar" smells amazing and it has so many delicious and good for you ingredients. Their hand and body butter has scents of jasmine, sandalwood, and rose. It looks so creamy I can't wait to rub this in. The body oil is so amazing and it has bits of 24kt gold and saffron. Everything I have gotten smells amazing and I can't wait to try them.

I got this $249 cream from Lancome called Absolute Rich Cream. You have to be rich to afford this cream. I am hoping that it both works and it doesn't so I don't get stuck buying more. I got a new facial oil from Herbivore that I am exciting to try. I love facial oils and this one has a cool name!

Is there any you got this month that you are excited to try?

Friday, March 25, 2022

Book Spotlight - It's The End of the World and I'm In My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT

Author: Justin A. Reynolds

Pub. Date: April 5, 2022

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 304

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, Audible, B&NiBooks, KoboTBD, Bookshop.org

Twelve-year-old Eddie Gordon Holloway has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores... especially the dreaded L-A-U-N-D-R-Y. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he'll only have to do the laundry once during his school break.

On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie's monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie's day has just taken a turn for the worst. Now he's stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry. But mid-cycle, the power goes out!

With his first load of laundry wet and the rest of his stuff still filthy, he sets out to explore the seemingly empty neighborhood in his glow-in-the-dark swim trunks, flip-flops, and a beach towel. He soon meets up with other neighborhood kids: newcomer Xavier (who was mid-haircut and has half his head shaved), Eddie's former friend Sonia (who has spent her entire break trying to beat a video game and was mid-battle with the final boss), and siblings Trey and Sage (who are dealing with major sibling drama).

As they group up to cover more ground and find out what happened, they realize that their families aren't coming back anytime soon. And as night falls, the crew realizes that they aren't just the only people left in the neighborhood, they might be the only people left... anywhere.

Book Trailer:


Justin talks about IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT



 

About Justin A. Reynolds:

JUSTIN A. REYNOLDS has always wanted to be a writer. Opposite of Always, his debut novel, was an Indies Introduce selection, a School Library Journal Best Book, has been translated in 17 languages, and is being developed for film with Paramount Players. He hangs out in northeast Ohio with his family and likes it, and is probably somewhere, right now, dancing terribly. His second novel, Early Departures, published September 2020. In spring 2021, he teamed up with Marvel and Graphix to release his debut graphic novel, Miles Morales: Shock Waves. You can find him at justinareynolds.com.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I’M IN MY BATHING SUIT, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/21/2022

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt

3/21/2022

For the Love of KidLit

Excerpt

3/22/2022

BookHounds YA

Excerpt

3/22/2022

@jael_and_jenessa_reads

Review

3/23/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

3/23/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

3/24/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

3/24/2022

Cindy's Love of Books

Review

3/25/2022

Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Review

3/25/2022

The Reading Wordsmith

Review

Week Two:

3/28/2022

The Bookwyrm's Den

Review

3/28/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

3/29/2022

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Review

3/29/2022

One More Exclamation

Review

3/30/2022

@drewsim12

Review

3/30/2022

Ravenz Reviewz

Review

3/31/2022

More Books Please blog

Review

3/31/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review

4/1/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

4/1/2022

fictionologyst

Review


Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Book Review - The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

 

Violet is an eighteen year old ballerina that days away from attending Julliard, her dream school. She is worried that something might expose the truth behind her achievement. In the inside of a girls' juvenile detention  center, is Amber, who has been locked up for as long as she can remember.  Tying these two girls together is Orianna who knows Violet's dark secret.

I thought this was going to be an interesting read but, it was such a long and boring read. There were pages upon pages were nothing happened but, they same repetitive and asinine things. I didn't really care for the author's writing style as I felt I had to constantly reread things to understand what she was trying to say. This novel was billed as a horror story but, unless you include the ending which was confusing in it's own right, there was nothing scary or thrilling about this book. There was no guessing who was behind the murders because it was obvious. The characters were all duds and most of the time I was wondering what the point was of some of these characters.

Monday, March 21, 2022

Book Review - Turtle in Paradise: The Graphic Novel by Jennifer L. Holm

 


It's 1935, and eleven-year-old Turtle knows that life will never go as one expects it. She knows better than to expect a Hollywood ending. She knows that money and opportunity is scarce. When her mother gets a job as a housekeeper, Turtle is sent to live with her relatives in Florida. Florida is not what Turtle expected and before long, Turtle starts to come out of her shell.

The graphic novel was beautiful illustrated with bright vibrant colors. The story is sweet and heart breaking at time but, a cute read. Personally, I like graphic novels with humor so, I didn't really care for this story too much. I might be opened to reading other graphic novels by the author.