Two Points of Interest

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Book Review - Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentino + Giveaway

Kat Van Tassel doesn't want anything to do with Sleepy Hollow and it's ghostly history. However, things doesn't go as Kat plans. She receives the original Katrina van Tassel's diary on the two hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's original haunting. As Kat reads Katrina's diary, she notices a few events from Kat's past starting to merge with her present. Then Kat comes across a mysterious stranger who has Kat questioning everything she thought was true.

I thought the book had an interesting premise but, I felt like it was missing something. I found the book to be a bit predictable and dull at times. I thought that the book would focused on the horseman, he would have a bigger role and would have been described in detail. I felt like he was used mostly as a prop. I thought the book would have some spooky elements but, this didn't have any. It was an okay book but, not something I would read again.

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

About the Book

Title: RAISING THE HORSEMAN

Author: Serena Valentino

Pub. Date: September 6, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 304

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

From the New York Times best-selling author of Disney’s Villains series comes a ghostly new stand-alone novel that reimagines The Legend of Sleepy Hollow through the eyes of a modern teen.

The two-hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow is approaching, but Kat van Tassel wants nothing to do with the town's superstitious celebrations. As a descendant of the original Katrina van Tassel, Kat knows she’s expected to fulfill her ancestor’s legacy by someday marrying her longtime boyfriend and running the prestigious family estate. But Kat dreams of a life outside Sleepy Hollow.

Then Kat meets Isadora, a new girl in town who challenges Kat to reexamine those expectations, opens her eyes to the possibility that ghosts are real, and makes her question who she truly wants to be . . . and be with.

When Kat is given the original Katrina’s diary, a new legend begins to take shape, one that weaves together the past and the present in eerie ways. Can Kat uncover a two-hundred-year-old secret, and trace its shocking reverberations in her own life, in time to protect what she truly loves?

Fans of Serena Valentino will delight in this supernatural coming-of-age tale that finally gives the women of Sleepy Hollow a chance to tell their side of the story.

Review:

“A sweet retelling of a spooky classic.”―Kirkus Reviews

About Serena Valentino:

Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade. She has earned critical acclaim in both the comic and horror domains, where she is known for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty, and extraordinary protagonists. The books in her best-selling Villains series are best enjoyed when read in the following order: Fairest of All, The Beast Within, Poor Unfortunate Soul, Mistress of All Evil, Mother Knows Best, Odd Sisters, Evil Thing, Cold Hearted, and Never Never. She is also the author of the Villains graphic novels Evil Thing and Fairest of All.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of RAISING THE HORSEMAN, US Only.

Ends October 7^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/1/2022	Celia's Reads	Review/IG Post
9/2/2022	booksaremagictoo	Review/IG Post
9/3/2022	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

9/4/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
9/5/2022	@ReaderOfTheWrittenWord	IG Review
9/6/2022	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
9/7/2022	Book-Keeping	Review/IG Post
9/8/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
9/9/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Review/IG Post
9/10/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

9/11/2022	Laurenreads._	IG Review
9/12/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
9/13/2022	Forthenovellovers	Review
9/14/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
9/15/2022	Epic Book Society	Review/IG Post
9/16/2022	@booksrn_rashi	Review/IG Post
9/17/2022	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

9/18/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
9/19/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
9/20/2022	Novel Novice	IG Spotlight
9/21/2022	@ReadsReaders	YouTube Review/IG Post
9/22/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
9/23/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
9/24/2022	Momfluenster	IG Review/FB Post

Week Five:

9/25/2022	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review/IG Post
9/26/2022	@drew_ambitious_reading	IG Review/TikTok Post
9/27/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
9/28/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
9/29/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review/IG Post
9/30/2022	onemused	IG Review

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Book Review - Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting by Roseanne A. Brown + Giveaway

Twelve year old Serwa Boateng catches fireflies. Unlike, the usually harmless summer activity, for Serwa it can be life or death. The fireflies she hunts are really shapeshifting vampires that prey on the innocent. They drain their victim's blood and possess their minds. Serwa and her parents have been protecting people from these threats for years in silence and secrecy.

Serwa is the best slayer for her age and she knows more about combat than things "normal" children do. However, everything changes when a witch destroys her home while searching for a drum that can bring about mass destruction. Instead of taking Serwa with them, her parents decide to leave her with her extended family for her own safety, while they search for the witch. Serwa is disappointed that she won't be joining her parents in the hunt. Serwa finds herself out of her element dealing with going to school and managing friendships.

When Serwa adjusts to her new norm, she realizes a vampire has infiltrated her school. After Serwa was unsuccessful at removing the vampire on her own, she decides to recruit a few friends to help. Will Serwa be able to fight the vampire with the help of her new friends?

I thought the book was an interesting read. I enjoyed reading about mythology and customs from Ghana. I loved that the author included an in depth informational guide about her culture. The beginning was a bit slow but, it gradually got better. I enjoyed reading how Serwa grew into her own independent person and adapted to her new surroundings. I liked how the book showed different sides of "good and evil" and none was portrayed as just good or bad but, shades of grey. I look forward to seeing how the series progresses.

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

About The Book:

Title: SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO VAMPIRE HUNTING (Serwa Boateng #1)

Author: Roseanne A. Brown

Pub. Date: September 6, 2022

Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 400

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

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling YA author Roseanne A. Brown's middle grade debut about a pre-teen vampire slayer with a strong helping of Ghanaian folklore.

For most kids, catching fireflies is a fun summer activity. For twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng, it's a matter of life and death.

That's because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of innocents, possessing their minds and turning them into hulking monsters, and for generations, slayers like Serwa and her parents have protected an unknowing public from their threats.

Serwa is the best adze slayer her age, and she knew how to use a crossbow before she could even ride a bike. But when an obayifo (witch) destroys her childhood home while searching for a drum, do Serwa's parents take her with them on their quest to defeat her? No. Instead, they dump Serwa with her hippie aunt and cryptic-obsessed cousin in the middle of Nowheresville, Maryland "for her own safety." Now, instead of crossbows and battle armor, she's dealing with mean girls and algebra, and for the first time in her life she doesn't have to carry a staff everywhere she goes, which is . . . kind of nice, actually.

Just as Serwa starts to get the hang of this whole normal girl who doesn't punch vampires every day thing, an adze infiltrates her school. It's up to her to whip some of her classmates into monster-fighting shape before all of them become firefly food. And when she uncovers a secret that upends everything she thought she knew about her family's role in the slayer vs. adze war, Serwa will have to decide which side of herself--normal girl or slayer--is the right one.

After all, seventh grade is hard enough without adding vampires to the mix.

About Roseanne A. Brown:

Roseanne “Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her debut novel A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was an instant New York Times Bestseller, an Indie Bestseller, and received six starred reviews. She has worked with Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney among other publishers.

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO VAMPIRE HUNTING, US Only.

Ends October 7^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/1/2022	booksaremagictoo	Review/IG Post
9/2/2022	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
9/3/2022	xbookwormcafe	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

9/4/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
9/5/2022	wiltedpages	Review/IG Post
9/6/2022	The Real World According to Sam	Review/IG Post
9/7/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
9/8/2022	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
9/9/2022	Feed Your Fiction Addiction	Review/IG Post
9/10/2022	hodophile_z	IG Review

Week Three:

9/11/2022	Wanderingwitchreads	TikTok Review/IG Post
9/12/2022	Log Cabin Library	Review
9/13/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
9/14/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post
9/15/2022	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
9/16/2022	Confessions of a YA Reader	Review
9/17/2022	@meetcuteromancebooks	IG Review

Week Four:

9/18/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
9/19/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
9/20/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
9/21/2022	onemused	IG Spotlight
9/22/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
9/23/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
9/24/2022	@jacleomik33	IG Review

Week Five:

9/25/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
9/26/2022	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review/IG Post
9/27/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
9/28/2022	@ReadsReaders	YouTube Review/IG Post
9/29/2022	@drew_ambitious_reading	IG Review/TikTok Post
9/30/2022	The Clever Reader	Review/IG Post

Monday, September 26, 2022

Book Review - Ghoster Heights by Lisa Larose

Eight year old Ona had the rug pulled from under her. She lost everything except for her father and she almost lost her own life. She and her father decided to move into her grandmother's apartment complex after the devastating events. They are hoping for a clean start but, a mysterious specter keeps following her around.

Ona decides to befriend the ghost that is haunting the boiler room. She starts to spot other ghosts that are haunting other residents. She decides to use her ability to help her new neighbors face their troubles and free themselves of their ghost. However, Ona soon realizes her neighbors are not the only ones who have a ghost. Will Ona be able to face her own trauma and grief?

The graphic novel had quirky vivid drawings. I enjoyed reading about Ona's struggles and how she tries to help others before she can come to terms with her own struggles. The graphic novel had themes of grief, trauma, and friendship that teach children in an easy to digest manner.

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

About The Book:

Title: GHOSTER HEIGHTS

Author: Corey Landsell, Kelly Mellings, Lisa Larose, Becca Carey, Rebecca Taylor (Editor)

Pub. Date: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Wonderbound

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 208

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

A haunting and hopeful Middle Grade graphic novel about a girl, ghosts, and grief. For fans of Sheets, Small Spaces, and Ghosts.

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBOOHOOD!

Eight-year-old Ona has lost just about everything: her home, her possessions, her mother, and almost her life. When she and her father move into her Baba’s apartment complex after these traumatic events, they had hoped for a clean start. But a mysterious specter follows her, and Ona befriends the ghost she discovers haunting the boiler room. When her new friendship starts allowing her to see other ghosts—the ghosts who haunt the other residents of her building—she decides to use her ability to help her new neighbors face their troubles and free themselves from their specters. In doing so, however, Ona must eventually come face to face with a much darker foe—her own trauma and grief. The earnestness of Judy Bloom meets the raw emotion of I Kill Giants in this beautifully hopeful story of childhood tragedy.

An original graphic novel for Middle Grade readers about grief, loss, and the ghosts that haunt us all.

For fans of Brenna Thummler’s Sheets and Delicates.

About Corey Landsell:

Corey Lansdell is a multiple award-winning illustrator and animator. He is a skilled communicator, expert storyteller and passionate collaborator. Corey heads up a SCBWI illustrators group in Edmonton, Alberta.

About Kelly Mellings:

Kelly Mellings is an award-winning art director, illustrator, and designer. His work has
appeared in comic books, TV commercials, magazines, apps, museum exhibits, and video
games. He is the co-writer of Ghoster Heights and illustrator of the Canadian best-selling
graphic novel, The Outside Circle. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

About Lisa Larose:

Lisa LaRose is a pop surrealist painter, illustrator, and comics artist in Vancouver, Canada. She is best known for her paintings: Bizarre and Colourful artworks. She creates lively and exciting colour palettes and is always making something a little weird. Lisa loves middle-grade fiction (books, comics, cartoons, you name it) and so she also moonlights as a middle-grade comics artist.

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of GHOSTER HEIGHTS, US Only.

Ends October 11th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/12/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
9/13/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
9/14/2022	hodophile_z	IG Review
9/15/2022	Jazzy Book Reviews	Guest Post/IG Post
9/16/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post
9/17/2022	@jaimerockstarbooktours	IG Spotlight

Week Two:

9/18/2022	Ya Books Central	Guest Post
9/19/2022	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post
9/20/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Spotlight
9/21/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post
9/22/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post
9/23/2022	BookHounds YA	Guest Post/IG Post
9/24/2022	RiverMose-Reads	Guest Post

Week Three:

9/25/2022	The Real World According to Sam	Review/IG Post
9/26/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
9/27/2022	Novel Novice	IG Spotlight
9/28/2022	@jacleomik33	IG Review
9/29/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
9/30/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
10/1/2022	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review

Week Four:

10/2/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
10/3/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
10/4/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
10/5/2022	booksaremagictoo	Review/IG Post
10/6/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	Review/IG Post
10/7/2022	Mom with a Reading Problem	Review/IG Post