Book Review - The Secret Mother by Shalini Boland

 

Tessa Markham returns to her home to find a child in her kitchen. The boy thinks that Tessa is his mother. However, doesn't have any children, at least not anymore.

Tessa contacts the police because she doesn't know the boy or how he got inside her home. However, because of her past, Tessa becomes a suspect to the kidnapping of the child. Tessa doesn't know who to believe when her husband reveals a secret of his own. Will Tessa be able to confront her painful past?

I thought the book was an okay read. I was able to guess the ending from a mile away. I felt like all the characters felt predictable and fit into their roles i.e. her boss being a source of comfort while her husband didn't believe a word she said. I also didn't really care for Tessa as a character as she was naive. There was a few times where I rolled my eyes by her actions. I definitely expected more from this book and it didn't deliver.

Book Review - When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

 

Mira has left her small, segregated hometown in the south more than a decade ago to forget her past. She tried to distance herself from her past and her best friends, Celine and Jessie. Celine was teased because she was the only white girl who had black friends. Her old neighborhood was known for being a poor black area and most people try to avoid it.

Years ago, she and Jessie, her secret crush, decide to visit the creepy Woodsman plantation together. The plantation has been rumored to be haunted by the spirits of slaves. While they were exploring, Mira comes across a ghost and the day goes wrong when a body is found on the plantation. Jesse is accused of murder and Mira is afraid to admit to what she saw that day.

Years later, Mira has returned to Kipsen to attend Celine's wedding at the plantation. The plantation has been remodeled into a vacation resort. Mira was hesitant to come because of her past but, she still hopes to reconnect with her friends.

Even though the Woodsman mansion went through millions of dollars of renovation, it still remains a monument to its racist history. They serve antebellum drinks, have horrifying reenactments and most of the service staff is black. The darkest parts of the plantation's past has been erased; the ones that fuel the rumor mills that the mansion is haunted. The rumor is that many of the slaves were horrendously tortured and then killed. Their ghosts haunt the land and seek vengeance on the descendants of those who hurt them.

I thought the novel started off okay but, then towards the middle of the book it got really slow and boring. I was expecting more from this ghost story. The ending felt rushed and out of place. It left me wanting more but, by then I was already over the book. I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters as some didn't feel very fleshed out.

Book Spotlight - Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows by Tehlor Kay Mejia + Giveaway

About the Book

Title: PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE SANCTUARY OF SHADOWS (Paola Santiago #3)

Author: Tehlor Kay Mejia

Pub. Date: August 2, 2022

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

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

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Tehlor Kay Mejia's third chilling story based on Mexican folklore. This time Paola Santiago faces El Cucuy, aka the Boogeyman.

"Paola Santiago is a whip-smart Latina who dares to explore the shadows between folklore and middle-school friendship. A thrilling adventure."--Nina Moreno, author of Don't Date Rosa Santos

Paola Santiago has recently returned from Oregon, where she defeated the Hitchhiker ghost and saved her father from the vengeful spirit that was possessing him. The poor girl deserves a rest! But first she has to rescue Dante from the void, where he’s been imprisoned by some unknown force. Even though Dante has turned against Pao, she can’t just leave him there--they’ve been friends for too long.

Paola’s prophetic dreams seem to have dried up, so she has to find other ways to locate a new rift where she can enter the void. Signs point to Texas--but how is she going to get there from Arizona? It just so happens that Emma’s new group of politically active friends, the Rainbow Rogues, are planning a field trip to San Antonio. It’s the perfect ruse for Paola, if she can stand being with the judgmental girls for that many days. . . .

Relying on her wits, training from the Ninos de la Luz, and the emotional support of her best friend Emma, Pao makes it into the void. Once there she must face down not just one but two enemies: El Cucuy, the bogeyman . . . and someone even scarier who looks a lot like Pao herself.

This third exciting journey into Mexican folklore has our lovable, intrepid protagonist making discoveries both wonderous and fearsome.

Grab the first 2 books in the PAOLA SANTIAGO now!

Book 1 is FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription!

 

About Tehlor Kay Mejia:

TEHLOR KAY MEJIA is a bestselling and award winning author of young adult and middle grade fiction.

Her debut young adult novel, WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE, received six starred reviews, as well as the Oregon Spirit Book Award for debut fiction, and the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award runner up honor for debut speculative fiction. It has been featured on Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and O by Oprah Magazine’s best books lists, and was a 2019 book of the year selection by Kirkus and School Library Journal. Its sequel, WE UNLEASH THE MERCILESS STORM, followed to continuing acclaim, while MISS METEOR (co-written with National Book Award Nominee Anna-Marie McLemore) was named to the American Library Association’s 2021 Rainbow List, honoring outstanding contributions in LGBTQIA teen fiction.

Tehlor’s debut middle grade novel, PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS, was published by the Rick Riordan Presents imprint at Disney/Hyperion. It received four starred reviews, and was named Amazon’s best book of 2020 in the 9-12 age range. It is currently in development at Disney as a television series to be produced by Eva Longoria.

Tehlor lives with her daughter, partner, and two small dogs in Oregon, where she grows heirloom corn and continues her quest to perfect the vegan tamale. She is active on Twitter and Instagram @tehlorkay. 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE SANCTUARY OF SHADOWS, US Only.

Ends September 6^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/1/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Post
8/2/2022	Author Z. Knight's Guild	Excerpt
8/3/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
8/4/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
8/5/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
8/6/2022	laura's bookish corner	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

8/7/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review/IG Post
8/8/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
8/9/2022	BookBriefs	Review/IG Post
8/10/2022	xbookwormcafe	Review/IG Post
8/11/2022	Feed Your Fiction Addiction	Review/IG Post
8/12/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
8/13/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

8/14/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
8/15/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review/IG Post
8/16/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review/IG Post
8/17/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
8/18/2022	pluvioreads	Review/IG Post/TikTok Post
8/19/2022	The Book View	Excerpt/IG Post
8/20/2022	Lisa-Queen of Random	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Four:

8/21/2022	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
8/22/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
8/23/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Post
8/24/2022	wiltedpages	Review/IG Post
8/25/2022	froggyreadteach	IG Review/Read Part of Book Out Loud
8/26/2022	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
8/27/2022	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review/IG Post/TikTok Post

Week Five:

8/28/2022	onemused	IG Post
8/29/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post
8/30/2022	@jypsylynn	Review/IG Post
8/31/2022	@drewsim12	IG Review/TikTok Post

Book Review - The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

 

Agatha Christie goes missing on a gloomy day in December 1926. Police finds her abandoned car at the edge of a dark pond that has it's own sinister origins. The only clues the police were able to find was some nearby tire tracks and a fur coat left behind during a frigid night. Her husband, Archie, and her daughter has no idea where Agatha might be. A unprecedented manhunt ensues to find the budding author. Eleven days later, Agatha reappears and claims that she has amnesia and provides no explanation for her absence.

This was my second book reading about Agatha's disappearance.  Compared to the other novel, this one felt lackluster. Majority of the book is spent with Archie under the police's scrutiny. The other half we get to read about Agatha's and Archie's budding romance and then it's slow decline. There were barely any details given about anything. I felt like the entire book was just a fluffy piece and then "mystery" behind her disappearance was very predictable. I wish the author devoted some pages giving additional context to the complicated and beloved Agatha Christie's life.

Book Review - Goblin Market by Diane Zahler + Giveaway

 

Lizzie and Minka might be sisters but, they are nothing alike. Minka is outgoing and personable while, Lizzie is shy and prefers to keep to herself. Lizzie likes that nothing ever happens in their quiet sleepy village. She likes that its safe and comfortable and she hopes nothing ever changes.

However, Lizzie's world comes crashing down when Minka meets a boy. The boy gives her a delicious plum to eat. He is charming, alluring, and handsome. He tells her that she is special and he understands her like no one else does. He tells Minka to join him in the darkness in the forest.

As Minka falls under the zdusze's (goblin) spell, Lizzie will stop at nothing to save her beloved sister. She knows that his words and fruit is poison and she is desperate to get Minka to see the truth. Will Lizzie be able to save Minka before it's too late?

I am not familiar with the poem or the Polish folklore that this book is based off of. However, I thought it was an interesting read. The book was short but, filled with world building details for young readers to enjoy. At times, the book did seem to drag a bit and had a lot of fluff material though. Overall, I found it to be an interesting read and I would read more books by the author.

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

 

 

About The Book:

Title: GOBLIN MARKET

Author: Diane Zahler

Pub. Date: August 16, 2022

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 256

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

One sister must save the other from a goblin prince in this rich, spooky, and delightfully dark fantasy!

"TERRIFICALLY TIMELESS. . . SPLENDID."—Shelf Awareness

Lizzie and Minka are sisters, but they’re nothing alike: Minka is outgoing and cheerful, while Lizzie is shy and sensitive. Nothing much ever happens in their sleepy village—there are fields to tend, clothes to mend, and weekly trips to the market, predictable as the turning of the seasons. Lizzie likes it that way. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. She hopes nothing will ever change. 

But one day, Minka meets a boy. 
A boy who gives her a plum to eat. 

He is charming. He is handsome. He tells her that she’s special. He tells her no one understands her like he does—not her parents, not her friends, not even Lizzie. He tells her she should come away with him, into the darkness, into the forest. . . .

Minka has been bewitched and ensnared by a zdusze—a goblin. His plum was poison, his words are poison, and strange things begin to happen. Trees bleed, winds howl, a terrible sickness descends on Minka, and deep in the woods, in a place beyond sunshine, beyond reality, a wedding table has been laid. . . .

To save her sister, Lizzie will have to find courage she never knew she had—courage to confront the impossible—and enter into a world of dreams, danger, and death.

Rich world-building inspired by both Polish folklore and the poetry of Christina Rossetti combines with a tender sister story in this thrilling novel from Diane Zahler.

"Lush. . . Dreamy. . . Breath-quickening."—The Horn Book
"Resonates with emotion."—BCCB
"Believably wrought."—Publishers Weekly
"Will entice readers looking for some chills."—Kirkus Reviews

About Diane Zahler:

Diane grew up reading children's books and never wanted to do anything but write them. Now she’s the author of six middle-grade fantasy novels and a historical novel, DAUGHTER OF THE WHITE ROSE. She lives in the country with her husband and slightly neurotic dog in what is aptly nicknamed the Bug House. Visit her website at www.dianezahler.com.

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

 

Giveaway Details:

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/8/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
8/8/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
8/9/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
8/9/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
8/10/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
8/10/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Post
8/11/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
8/11/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
8/12/2022	Lisa-Queen of Random	Excerpt/IG Post
8/12/2022	onemused	IG Post

Week Two:

8/15/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
8/15/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/16/2022	Beers Books Boos	Review/IG Post
8/16/2022	Celia's Reads	Review/IG Post
8/17/2022	Littlefreelibrarygrahamnc	IG Review
8/17/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
8/18/2022	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
8/18/2022	@jypsylynn	IG Review
8/19/2022	@amysbooknook8	IG Review
8/19/2022	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post

Book Review - Daughters Unto Devils by Amy Lukavics

 

Sixteen year old Amanda Verner was hoping for a fresh start. When she hears that they would be moving from their small mountain cabin to the prairie, she is excited over the opportunity. She can leave behind the past winter that has taken a toll on her mentally and physically. She had terrifying visions and she felt her sanity slipping especially when her baby sister cries nonstop.

Amanda is excited to leave behind the memory and pain of the boy she was secretly meeting in the woods and whose baby is she now carrying. However, when they arrive to their bigger home, they realize something is amiss. The inside of the house is covered in blood and Amanda is certain something isn't right. She heard stories of the land being tainted by the devil and people losing their minds and killing their families. Their only neighbor is a son and his doctor father who seem strange and they live in the woods at the edge of the prairie. Amanda isn't sure if the prairie is evil or if its just her.

The novel was a quick and creepy read. However, I was left wanting more. I felt like there was a lot of build up but the story was very lacking in details. Most of the exciting parts of the story took place towards the end and it felt rushed. It was a good attempt at a debut book but, it needs to be fleshed out more.

Book Review - The Memory Keeper's Daughter: A Novel by Kim Edwards

 

 

 

In a late winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own twins in Lexington, Kentucky. His first child, a son, is born perfectly healthy. David notices that their second child, their daughter is born with Down syndrome. He decides that he needs to protect his wife, Norah, from heartache and makes a split second decision that will alter their lives forever. 

 

He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the child to an institution for children like her and to keep the secret from his family.  Caroline feels conflicted on David's choice and instead, she decides to keep the child for herself. 

I wanted to love this because the description and summary was so spellbinding. However, I was more than 40% into the book before I lost interest. and stopped reading. The story just plodded long with boring details and unnecessary filler. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters and I wasn't invested in learning what happened to them. This book is a good reminder why I shouldn't pick up books by the title and cover.

Book Spotlight -The RUSH: This Hungry Earth Reddens Under Snowclad Hills by Si Spurrier , Adrian F. Wassel + Giveaway

About The Book:

Title: THE RUSH: This Hungry Earth Reddens Under Snowclad Hills (The Rush #1-5)

Author: Si Spurrier, Addison Duke (Colorist), Nathan C. Gooden (Illustrations), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer), Adrian F. Wassel (Editor)

Pub. Date: August 9, 2022

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 136

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

Historical horror that chills to the bone, The RUSH. is for fans of Dan Simmons’, The Terror mined with a Northwestern Yukon gold rush edge. Answer the call of the wild north and stampede to the Klondike…

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD. ALL THAT HUNGERS IS NOT HOLY. ALL THAT LIVE ARE NOT ALIVE.

This Hungry Earth Reddens Under Snowclad Hills.

1899, Yukon Territory. A frozen frontier, bloodied and bruised by the last great Gold Rush. But in the lawless wastes to the North, something whispers in the hindbrains of men, drawing them to a blighted valley, where giant spidertracks mark the snow and impossible guns roar in the night.

To Brokehoof, where gold and blood are mined alike. Now, stumbling towards its haunted forests comes a woman gripped not by greed -- but the snarling rage of a mother in search of her child...

From Si Spurrier (Way of X, Hellblazer) and Nathan C. Gooden (Barbaric, Dark One) comes THE RUSH, a dark, lyrical delve into the horror and madness of the wild Yukon.

Collects the entire series. For fans of The Terror, Fortitude, Coda, and Moonshine.

Reviews:

"The book strikes a wealthy mixed vein of sophisticated psychological chills and monstrous horror."― Publishers Weekly

"Gritty historical drama meets supernatural horror in this sumptuously drawn tale set during the Yukon Gold Rush." ― PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"The Rush is a chilling bit of historical horror. Rugged and raw and thoroughly researched. It's got such a wonderfully creepy sense of menace but most of all it's the moving story of a mother searching for her child, that's its beating heart. Wonderful work."  -- Victor Lavalle (best-selling and award-winning author of he anthology, Slapboxing with Jesus and four novels, The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, and The Changeling, the fantasy-horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom, and the comics series Destroyer and Eve)

"The Rush is a splendidly savage tale of frontier scum and the doom they’ve brought down upon themselves, and the innocents cursed to suffer alongside them. I for one can’t wait to see more."  -- Garth Ennis (best-selling and award-winning writer, Preacher, and writer/co-creator of The Boys)

 

About Si Spurrier:

His work in the latter field stretches from award winning creator-owned books such as Numbercruncher, Six-Gun Gorilla and The Spire to projects in the U.S. mainstream like Hellblazer, The Dreaming, and X-Men. It all began with a series of twist-in-the-tail stories for the UK’s beloved 2000AD, which ignited an enduring love for genre fiction. His latest book, Coda, is being published by Boom! Studios at present.

His prose works range from the beatnik neurosis-noir of Contract to the occult whodunnit A Serpent Uncoiled via various franchise and genre-transgressing titles. In 2016 he took a foray into experimental fiction with the e-novella Unusual Concentrations: a tale of coffee, crime and overhead conversations.

He lives in Margate, regards sushi as part of the plotting process, and has the fluffiest of cats.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

 

About Nathan C. Gooden:

An award-winning illustrator and sequential artist, Nathan C. Gooden is Art Director at Vault Comics. Nathan studied animation at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and worked in film production, before co-founding Vault Comics. Nathan’s previous works include Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One (Vault), Barbaric (Vault), Zojaqan (Vault), and  Killbox (from American Gothic Press). He lives in Southern California, where he plays a lot of basketball and hikes constantly with his wife. 

Website |  Instagram | Goodreads

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of THE RUSH, US Only.

Ends August 23^rd, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/25/2022	Writer of Wrongs	Guest Post
7/26/2022	BookHounds	Guest Post/IG Post
7/27/2022	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt
7/28/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post
7/29/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Post
7/30/2022	Bookdreamr	Review/IG Post/TikTok Post

 Week Two:

7/31/2022	Sadie's Spotlight	Guest Post/IG Post
8/1/2022	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
8/2/2022	The Girl Who Reads	Review/IG Post
8/3/2022	Fire and Ice	Review
8/4/2022	The Real World According To Sam	Review/IG Post
8/5/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Post
8/6/2022	See Sadie Read	Review/IG Post

 Week Three:

8/7/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
8/8/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
8/9/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/10/2022	The Chatty Bookworm	Tik Tok Review/IG Post
8/11/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
8/12/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
8/13/2022	@just_another_mother_with_books	IG Review

 Week Four:

8/14/2022	The Underground	Review
8/15/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
8/16/2022	Brandi Danielle Davis	Review/IG Post
8/17/2022	More Books Please blog	Spotlight
8/18/2022	Lady Hawkeye	Excerpt/IG Post
8/19/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post