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


Thursday, May 30, 2019

Book Review - Gather the Fortunes (Crescent City, #2) by Bryan Camp + Giveaway


Photo Credit - Amazon

Renaissance Raines has found her place among the psychopomps. She is one of the guides who leads the recently departed souls through the Seven Gates of the Underworld. Renai tries to focus on getting her souls through the gate and avoid any unwanted attention from gods and mortals. However, when a young boy named Ramses St. Cyr manages to escape his fate of dying, Renai finds herself in the middle of the devious plan. Renai has to figure out who has the power and will to go against the Thrones to help Ramses slip free from death. 

I liked how the author wove elements from different mythologies across cultures seamlessly into the story. I loved reading a bit of each different mythology that was included at the beginning of the chapters. However, there were a few things that I didn't like. I felt that the author was very wordy and I ended up getting lost and had re-read the paragraph again and that took away from the experience the author was trying to garner. Also, the first portion of the book felt completely different from the rest of the book because the last three parts of the book were littered with vulgar language which took me by surprise. Overall, the book was an imaginative journey mixing mythology and adventure together.


 **Disclosure - I received a free  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.**





Series: A Crescent City Novel (Book 2)
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 21, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1328876713
ISBN-13: 978-1328876713


Praise for GATHER THE FORTUNES

"Camp’s prose is suspenseful and rich with feeling, highlighting an incredible heroine. VERDICT: Full of magic and numerous mythologies but still tied to the lush New Orleans setting, this Crescent City is one readers will not want to leave." —Library Journal, STARRED

"Savory...Renai’s second outing is as raucous as her first, and the magic is just as double-edged and slippery... Renai is a real standout of a heroine, a powerful African-American woman cutting through bad or desperate situations in living and dead realms of increasing chaos, armed with snark, courage, and a storm of magic drawn from deep within her. This will be a feast for all lovers of urban and dark fantasy." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED

"The second Crescent City book (after The City of Lost Fortunes, 2018) once again displays Camp's ability to weave different mythological beliefs in fascinating ways. Readers will relate to Renai as she learns her most trusted guides are unreliable in this fast-paced urban fantasy." —Booklist, STARRED

"In this second installment of his Crescent City urban fantasy series, Camp raises the stakes and broadens the scope of his alternate world...the richness and inventiveness of Camp's vision and the vivacity, warmth, and compassion of his leading woman keep you alert to whatever's happening next. As with the real New Orleans, once you leave this creepier but just as colorful variant, you'll be eager to go back." —Kirkus Reviews

"What a joy it is to return to Bryan Camp's weird, dark, vivid, gorgeous magical New Orleans. Highly recommended!" —Sam J. Miller, award-winning author of Blackfish City

“The magic and mythological heft of Bryan Camp’s debut doesn’t lose any momentum in Gather the Fortunes. He captures the essence and resilience of a still healing New Orleans by digging into the parts of a city too often ignored by the well-to-do and powerful. If The City of Lost Fortunes was a love letter to New Orleans then its next installment is an Earl King blue’s song.” —Brent Lambert, editor at FIYAH Magazine


Renaissance Raines has found her place among the psychopomps—the guides who lead the souls of the recently departed through the Seven Gates of the Underworld—and done her best to avoid the notice of gods and mortals alike. But when a young boy named Ramses St. Cyr manages to escape his foretold death, Renai finds herself at the center of a deity-thick plot unfolding in New Orleans. Someone helped Ramses slip free of his destined end -- someone willing to risk everything to steal a little slice of power for themselves.

Is it one of the storm gods that’s descended on the city? The death god who’s locked the Gates of the Underworld? Or the manipulative sorcerer who also cheated Death? When she finds the schemer, there’s gonna be all kinds of hell to pay, because there are scarier things than death in the Crescent City. Renaissance Raines is one of them.


You can purchase Gather the Fortunes at the following Retailers:
        

Photo Content from Bryan Camp

Bryan Camp is a graduate of the Clarion West Writer’s Workshop and the University of New Orleans’ Low-Residency MFA program. He started his first novel, The City of Lost Fortunes, in the backseat of his parents’ car as they evacuated for Hurricane Katrina. He has been, at various points in his life: a security guard at a stockcar race track, a printer in a flag factory, an office worker in an oil refinery, and a high school English teacher. He can be found on twitter @bryancamp and at bryancamp.com. He lives in New Orleans with his wife and their three cats, one of whom is named after a superhero.
        
WEEK ONE
MAY 20th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
MAY 21st TUESDAY BookHounds INTERVIEW
MAY 22nd WEDNESDAY TTC Books and More TENS LIST
MAY 23rd THURSDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT
MAY 24th FRIDAY Insane About Books REVIEW
MAY 24th FRIDAY Kelly P's Blog EXCERPT
MAY 24th FRIDAY Pages Below the Vaulted Sky REVIEW

WEEK TWO
MAY 27th MONDAY A Dream Within A Dream REVIEW 
MAY 28th TUESDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW 
MAY 29th TUESDAY Sabrina's Paranormal Palace REVIEW
MAY 29th WEDNESDAY Port Jericho REVIEW
MAY 29th WEDNESDAY Book Briefs REVIEW
MAY 30th THURSDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW
MAY 30th THURSDAY Gwendalyn Books REVIEW
MAY 31st FRIDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

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