Book Spotlight - Gleanings: Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: GLEANINGS: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe

Author: Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman

Pub. Date: November 8, 2022

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 432

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

The New York Times bestselling Arc of the Scythe series continues with thrilling stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge!

There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.

Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman—returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between.

Gleanings shows just how expansive, terrifying, and thrilling the world that began with the Printz Honor–winning Scythe truly is.

 

Haven’t started the Arc of a Scythe series? Start your journey now!

 

 

About Neal Shusterman:

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his latest series, Arc of a Scythe, is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. Neal is the father of four, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves. Visit Neal at StoryMan.com and Facebook.com/NealShusterman.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Tumblr | Pinterest | YouTube | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of GLEANINGS, US Only.

End November 8th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/24/2022	A Bookish Dream	Review/IG Post
10/24/2022	@jacleomik33	IG Review
10/25/2022	The Moon Phoenix	Review/IG Post
10/25/2022 or TBD	Ooodlesofbooks	Review/IG Post
10/26/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
10/26/2022	pluvioreads	Review/TikTok Post
10/27/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Review/IG Post
10/27/2022	@readerofthewrittenword	IG Review
10/28/2022	@just_another_mother_with_books	IG Review
10/28/2022	two points of interest	Review

Week Two:

10/31/2022	booksaremagictoo	Review/IG Post
10/31/2022	Feed Your Fiction Addiction	Review/IG Post
11/1/2022	MandaTheBiblio	Review/IG Post
11/1/2022	Book Briefs	Review/IG Post
11/2/2022	Jael Just Reading	Review/IG Post
11/2/2022	The Momma Spot	Review
11/3/2022	@drew_ambitious_reading	IG Review/TikTok Post
11/3/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
11/4/2022	Karen Dee's Book Reviews	IG Review
11/4/2022	onemused	IG Review

Book Review - Summer at Hope Haven (Dune Island, #1) by Kristin Harper

 

Emily returns to Hope Haven on the remote Dune Island after her family perishes in a terrible accident and her fiancé leaves her. Emily hopes that renovating the house will help her broken heart but, the cottage holds a lot of bittersweet childhood memories. While moving furniture around, Emily comes across a note in an antique writing desk. She discovers a devastating secret about her parents that turns her entire world upside down. 

When Emily meets Dr. Lucas Socorro, she feels that he can help her heal and handle her trauma. She feels with Luke by her side, she can overcome her grief. Emily feels she can finally call Dune Island home until, her secret is exposed to the locals. Emily is heartbroken because the only person who knows is Luke and she is worried that she trusted him too soon.

I didn't really care for the book. I found the secret and the plot to be too predictable and boring. Nothing really exciting happens that keeps readers attached to the book. I can't say that I cared for Emily, she was so whiny and quick to dismiss others and feel that she was always being wronged by others. At times, I found Emily and Wilson to be annoying and two peas in a pod. The two characters are both stubborn and have a way of talking to people in a rude manner while they work through their problems and expect people to forgive their behavior. Emily is very quick to make snap judgments and then feels slighted during every interaction even when the miscommunication was her fault. I also don't understand how Emily can be such a gutter-brain when she is a college professor. She heard partial of a call and instead of telling the person she didn't hear them, she continued talking to them like she heard them. Then she doesn't check her emails and forgets to sign a contract. I found this entire novel to be a nonsensical and filled with poor writing and character development.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Book Spotlight - The Rick Riordan Presents: Lords of Night: A Shadow Bruja Novel, Book 1 by J.C. Cervantes + Giveaway

 

About The Book:

Title: THE LORDS OF NIGHT (A Shadow Bruja Novel Book 1)

Author: J.C. Cervantes

Pub. Date: October 4, 2022

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents J. C. Cervantes's exciting new spin-off from the best-selling STORMRUNNER trilogy.

"This duology opener is accessible to readers who are new to this world. An engrossing, god-filled delight."--Kirkus Reviews

Fourteen-year-old Renata Santiago is the most powerful godborn of them all, a bruja with a unique combination of DNA. The Mexica blood from her dad's side gives her the ability to manipulate shadows. Her mom Pacific, a Maya goddess, gifted her a magical rope that controls time, and Ren recently used it to save a few gods from getting stuck forever in 1987. She brought them back to the present, but her BFF Ah Puch, the once fearsome god of death, darkness, and destruction, is now a teenager with no divine powers.

Ren is also a girl with ordinary hopes and dreams. She wishes, for example, that her blog about alien sightings would garner more respect. She's always been absolutely convinced that there's a connection between aliens and the Maya civilization. Plenty of online haters feel differently, and they call her a fake, a liar, and a loser.

When Ren receives an email about an alien sighting in Kansas, she thinks it may support her theory. She also suspects that the cinco--five renegade godborns--are up to no good. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a quest to prevent the troublemakers from awakening the nine Aztec Lords of Night. Problem is, none of Ren's friends are available to help her hunt down the cinco and the dangerous gods they are resurrecting. Ren has no choice but to team up with two strangers recruited by Ah Puch: Edison, a teen hybrid demon, and Montero, an eleven-year-old Aztec hunter. Succeeding in this quest will prove that Ren is no fake, liar, or loser. But it isn't just another challenge. It could well be an impossible one that leaves Ren questioning her very existence.

Anyone who enjoys fast-paced myth-based adventures will be swept up in this one featuring Maya and Mexica gods and their magical offspring.

 

About J. C. Cervantes:

J.C. is a New York Times best-selling author of books for children and young adults. Her books have appeared on national lists, including the American Booksellers Association New Voices, Barnes and Noble’s Best Young Reader Books, as well as Amazon’s Best Books of the Month. She has earned multiple awards and recognitions, including the New Mexico Book Award, the Zia Book Award, and most recently the 2021 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Readers’ Choice Award. 

She currently resides in the Land of Enchantment with her family, three spoiled dogs, and a lifetime collection of books. But she keeps part of her heart in Southern California, where she was born and raised. When she isn’t writing she is haunting bookstores and searching for magic in all corners of the world.

Her work is represented by Holly Root at Root Literary.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | Bookbub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE LORDS OF NIGHT, US Only.

Ends November 5^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/1/2022

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

10/2/2022	@meetcuteromancebooks	Excerpt/IG Post
10/3/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
10/4/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
10/5/2022	Wanderingwitchreads	TikTok Review/IG Post
10/6/2022	YA Book Nerd	Review/IG Post
10/7/2022	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
10/8/2022	booksaremagictoo	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

10/9/2022	@jacleomik33	IG Review
10/10/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
10/11/2022	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review/IG Post
10/12/2022	Ohyouread	IG Review
10/13/2022	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
10/14/2022	travelersguidetobooks	IG Review
10/15/2022	Jeff_of_allmedia	IG Review

Week Four:

10/16/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
10/17/2022	The Moon Phoenix	Review/IG Post
10/18/2022	Blog Write. Read. Live	Excerpt/IG Post
10/19/2022	The Chatty Bookworm	TikTok Review/IG Post
10/20/2022	Mindyourshelf	Review/IG Post
10/21/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
10/22/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Five:

10/23/2022	onemused	IG Spotlight
10/24/2022	bookbriefs	Review/IG Post
10/25/2022	Enthralled Bookworm Blog	Review/IG Post
10/26/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review/IG Post
10/27/2022	@drew_ambitious_reading	Review/IG Post
10/28/2022	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review/IG Post
10/29/2022	Books with Brandie Shanae	YouTube Review/IG Post

Week Six:

10/30/2022	Jenguerdy	IG Spotlight
10/31/2022	The Erudite Labyrinth	Excerpt

Book Review - Verse Book 2: The Second Gate by Sam Beck

 

Neitya is held captive by an organization that has a dark motive. While in captivity, Neitya has to come to terms with the darker side of her abilities even if it means losing everyone that matters to her. Fife and Neitya realizes the only way they can find their way back to each other is to face their own destinies alone and discover if they have the strength to face their worst fears.

I feel like the second book but, it didn't flow as smoothly as the first one. The author did say that they took a break and created the second half later because they were writing during the pandemic. It made the second volume feel a bit disjointed. The second volume does leave off on a cliffhanger and I am excited to see how the series ends.

Book Review - The Brothers Flick: The Impossible Doors by Ryan Haddock + Giveaway

 

Weird things happen at the Strander House. You might open a closet and find an orge with a knight inside or you might slip on a puddle and end up in an underwater adventure. Time moves differently at the Strander House, you might walk into a closet or a room and end up missing a few days without even knowing it. However, for all these strange and supernatural occurrences, the Flick Brothers are here to help solve the mystery.

The graphic novel was a fun and entertaining read with some serious moments of lost and remembering loved ones intertwine. The characters were all well developed and fun. The book is broken down to a smaller easy to digest chapters but, they all contribute to the overarching story. I can't wait to see what other adventures the brothers get into.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

 

 

 

About The Book:

Title: THE BROTHERS FLICK: THE IMPOSSIBLE DOORS

Author: Ryan Haddock, Whitney Cogar,  Nick Wyche (Illustrations), David Stoll (Illustrations), Jim Campbell, Rebecca Taylor (Editor)

Pub. Date: October 11, 2022

Publisher: Wonderbound

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 208

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Sherlock Holmes meets the Wayside School in this Middle Grade supernatural sleuthing graphic novel about the Flick brothers - four siblings searching for explanations to outbreaks of supernatural strangeness and otherworldly weirdness in their Edwardian-era hometown.    

A bump in the night? They're on the case! At Strander House, things are…weird. There’s an ogre wedged in the closet, and you have to be careful not to slip on the leak coming from the ocean in the attic. What’s possibly weirder than the fact that you can walk into the bathroom and end up in next Tuesday are the four brothers who investigate these strange supernatural occurrences…the Brothers Flick!

Leo, Desmond, Remy, and Cub seek to get to the bottom of every shadow you swear you saw move. If they happen to stumble upon answers to the mysterious disappearance of their own family along the way, all the better.   For fans of  Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gravity Falls, Whispering Pines, the Hardy Boys, the Winterhouse series, the Greenglass House series, and the Wayside School series!

Reviews:

“… the metaphor of “impossible doors” leading toward unending universes, where even the smallest changes reverberate, provides a unique framework for themes of grief and healing.”   – Publishers Weekly

“…enjoyable.” – Kirkus

“… this graphic novel will attract mystery and adventure fans by the droves..."     -- Kirkus

“… a “Jonny Quest meets the Hardy Boys” vibe with a few modern twists…”  -- Kirkus

 

About Ryan Haddock:

Ryan Haddock has wanted to write books since he was six years old. Over the years, his career aspirations also included rock star, lawyer, rock star lawyer, and teacher, but writing books never left his heart. Thank goodness someone finally let him write a book.

Ryan resides with his wife and kids in a charmingly quaint city known for its ridiculously fast internet and a jingle about a train.

Hometown/State: Chattanooga, TN

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

About Nick Wyche:

Nick Wyche lives in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains with his wonderful wife, Suzanne, overlooking the Tennessee River. He has been obsessed with comics and cartoons for over 4 decades and still can't believe he gets to draw professionally.
Hometown/State: Chattanooga, TN

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of THE BROTHERS FLICK: THE IMPOSSIBLE DOORS, US Only.

Ends November 1st, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/26/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post
9/27/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Spotlight
9/28/2022	BookHounds YA	Guest Post/IG Post
9/29/2022	Lady Hawkeye	Guest Post/IG Post
9/30/2022	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post
10/1/2022	amandainpa	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

10/2/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Guest Post
10/3/2022	Mom with a Reading Problem	Review/IG Post
10/4/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
10/5/2022	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
10/6/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	Review/IG Post
10/7/2022	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
10/8/2022	@meetcuteromancebooks	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

10/9/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
10/10/2022	Little Red Reads	Review
10/11/2022	RavenzReviewz	Review/IG Post
10/12/2022	Ya Books Central	Guest Post
10/13/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post
10/14/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	Review/IG Post
10/15/2022	@ablueboxfullofbooks	IG Review

Week Four:

10/16/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Spotlight
10/17/2022	@jacleomik33	IG Review
10/18/2022	@froggyreadteach	IG Review/Read Part of Book Out Loud
10/19/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review/IG Post
10/20/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review/IG Post
10/21/2022	Nerdophiles	Review/IG Post
10/22/2022	hodophile_z	Review/IG Post

Week Five:

10/23/2022	pickagoodbook	Review/IG Post
10/24/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
10/25/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review

Book Review - Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega

 

Marlene likes her cool aunt Ruby and her best friend, Camila. However, according to her mother, Paola, Marlene needs to focus on school and growing up. A part of growing up means that Marlene must spend every weekend straightening her hair so, she can look presentable and look like she has "good hair".

Marlene despises being in the salon for such an extended period of time. She doesn't understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. Marlene is determined to love her hair and herself as exactly as how she is.

I thought the graphic novel was a lovely and endearing read. I wish people would be a bit more understanding how their words and actions can affect children. I also wish people would stop using the phrase "good hair", no one has good hair and any hair can be good hair. For example, Marlene's curls were big and beautiful but, because she didn't know how to properly take care of her hair, it looked unkempt. Overall, I thought the book was a lovely read.