Book Spotlight - Twin Sisters Livingston and the Mystery at Madame Molineaux's by Mary Knight + Spotlight

 

About The Book:

Title: TWIN SISTERS LIVINGSTON AND THE MYSTERY AT MADAME MOLINEAUX'S

Author: Mary Knight

Pub. Date: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Living Lantern Media Group, LLC

Formats:  Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 428

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

Twin sisters Maddie and Jo Livingston have spent their lives traveling the world with their famous archaeologist parents. But when the Livingstons’ work takes them on a mysterious year-long excavation in Siberia, much too dangerous for two twelve-year-old girls, Maddie and Jo are whisked off to a castle in Switzerland, where they find themselves piecing together a mystery of their own.

Madame Molineaux’s School for Girls is filled with interesting students and professors from all over Europe. But it doesn’t take long for the girls to figure out that this is no ordinary boarding school: bizarre animals, hidden tapestries, secret tunnels, and a long list of unanswered questions keep Maddie, Jo, and their new friends searching for clues around every corner. Where is that snotty Rosemary Byron going when she sneaks out of her dormitory at night? What secret is their beloved headmistress trying to protect? Who is concealing treasures in the unlikeliest of hiding places? The girls must put all these strange pieces together to discover the staggering truth, and to save their school before Madame Molineaux’s closes its doors—for good!

 

About the Twin Sisters Livingston Team:

We fuel self-discovery, sisterhood and adventure.

Twin Sisters Livingston is devoted to delivering smart, sophisticated media that empowers tween girls. Anchored by a 24-book series, our brand enchants young readers though the adventurous tales of American twin sisters Maddie and Jo, who solve mysteries within the walls of a fabulously diverse Swiss boarding school. The fictional universe is expanded to include e-books and audiobooks, subscription boxes full of rich edu-tainment, gaming apps and more.

Subscribe to the Newsletter and read the fist 6 chapters for FREE! (scroll down)

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will win a finished copy of TWIN SISTERS LIVINGSTON AND THE MYSTERY AT MADAME MOLINEAUX'S, US Only.

2 winners will win an eBook of TWIN SISTERS LIVINGSTON AND THE MYSTERY AT MADAME MOLINEAUX'S, International.

Ends November 15^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/31/2022	Mythical Books	Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post
10/31/2022	Kait Plus Books	Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post
11/1/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post
11/1/2022	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post
11/2/2022	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
11/2/2022	The Momma Spot	Review
11/3/2022	Fall Between the Pages	TikTok Review/IG Post
11/3/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Review
11/4/2022	YA Books Central	Interview/IG Post
11/4/2022	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

11/7/2022	Log Cabin Library	Review
11/7/2022	Brandi Danielle Davis	IG Review/TikTok Post
11/8/2022	Blog Write. Read. Live	Guest Post or Excerpt/IG Post
11/8/2022	@froggyreadteach	IG Review/Read Aloud
11/9/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
11/9/2022	Jeff_of_allmedia	IG Review
11/10/2022	The Page Ladies @jacleomik33	IG Review
11/10/2022	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review
11/11/2022	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
11/11/2022	The Real World According To Sam	Review/IG Post

Book Review - Amy & Lan by Sadie Jones

 

Amy Connell and Lan Honey are childhood friends and spend most of their time together. They live together with their families on a 78 acre farm in the South West of England. Three sets of parents who are best friends decide to buy the farm in Frith. They decide to learn how to farm the land and raise their families together. As Amy and Lan explore the farmland and play together, there is a hidden danger they are not aware of.

The book is told from alternating point of views from Amy and Lan. I found that the story to move very slowly while the "mystery" was fairly obvious. While it was interesting to read the story from Amy's and Lan's point of view, I felt that the kids missed a lot of nuances because they didn't want to get involved with adult stuff or were more interested in playing. I wish we also got to hear the sides of the adults as well because they felt like projections and not like real people because we only knew how the kids felt about them.All in all, I felt like the novel was a rather pointless read to me but, I can see how some readers might enjoy this coming of age novel.

Book Review - Deserter: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

 

The graphic novel is a collection of Junji Ito's earliest work when he first entered the horror scene. The graphic novel is done in a black and white format and read in the same way as traditional Japanese manga are. Some of the short stories were more fleshed out than others. I think some missed their mark or perhaps, some of it was lost in translation. Most of the stories were creepy and witty as the characters fell prey to their own hubris. Overall, it was an interesting read and great introduction to Junji's work.

Book Review - Dragon Mountain by Katie Tsang

 

Billy Chan doesn't know what to expect from his culture summer camp that his parents are sending him to. The camp is in the middle-of-nowhere China and Billy doesn't know anyone there. When he arrives, he meets his fellow campers and is assigned to a group to work together during the summer. Dylan, Charlotte, Billy, and Ling-Fei, come across a mountain that has four powerful warrior dragons hidden behind the camp. The dragons need the help of the children to help defeat the Dragon of Death before it can unleash evil on the earth. The campers will need to travel to the Dragon Realm to help save the dragons. Can the team work together to help the dragons?

At first I thought the book was going great but, then it went downhill. The writing felt clinical and boring. It felt like the author was in a rush to get the book done and the writing became very straightforward. There was almost no time spent on building the friendships between the characters. They went from strangers to best friends who are willing to die for each other. There was almost no humor and somehow, every single time someone knew exactly what was needed at the right moment.

October 2022 Empties!

 

 

 

It's been a few months since I did a beauty haul post! I would like to say with that three months of no posting I finished a million and one things but, I didn't. I did end up buying a million and one things though.  Not surprising, I finished a lot of basic items along with skin care stuff.

I finished a couple of bars of soap and a few were a lot better than the others. I enjoyed the OffCourt's exfoliating body soap scent but, I felt like the grit was a bit too rough on my skin. I  think my skin is too dry to use something this rough.  The Soap Distillery's  Bourbon soap smelled refreshing and provided a generous lather. I would get this bar again or try another scent. I like that it didn't dry out my skin. I was quite disappointed with the Nopalera Catcus soap because it was $14 a pop and it didn't lather very well. It wasn't very moisturizing and overpriced considering it was meh. I bought six bars of Humble bar soaps from Amazon and found their scents to be nice and the bars provided decent lather. I don't remember the cost but, it was cheaper than Nopalera and worked 100% times better than it.

I always liked Babor concentrated capsules and bought two additional ones: Collagen and SOS Calming.  The Collagen capsules worked great and I felt and notice a difference with my skin texture after using it for a week. The SOS calming smelled terrible almost like vomit and I didn't notice a single different thing about my skin while using. I will be avoiding repurchasing that one again.

Is there anything you finished this month that you enjoyed?

Book Review - The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

 

Saskia Kreis is a former piano prodigy that left home to pursue another career path. She returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's unexpected death. She expected to inherit  the family estate, the Elf House. However, she is dismayed to learn that her mother bequeathed the Elf House to man that Saskia had a complicated relationship with. As Saskia tries to come to terms with her mother's wishes, she is forced to reexamine her past and come to terms with the relationship that changed her life's trajectory.

I was expecting so much more when I was reading this book. At first, I thought it was going to be a gothic thriller or maybe like Henry James "The Portrait of a Lady". Instead, it was more like the #MeToo movement and the realization of a toxic relationship. I guess I had a hard time enjoying this book because it was very boring and Saskia wasn't a very likeable character. I feel like if the the author spent more time on the story line than with random details, perhaps I would have enjoyed the story more. I also felt like the ending came out of nowhere after being rather subdued for the entire book.

 

Book Review - Artie and the Wolf Moon by Olivia Stephens

 

Artie Irvin is desperate to get a photo of the full moon for her photography class. So,when her mom says no, Artie decides to sneak out anyways. As she makes her way home, she notices a large wolf near her house. She watches as the wolf transforms into her mom. Artie finds out that she comes from a long line of werewolves. She is interested in learning more including learning about her late father.

Artie tries to learn and figure out her abilities while, her mom recruits some family friends to help. As Artie thrives in her new community, she develops a crush on her new friend. As Artie starts to learn more about her lineage, she learns that there are scarier things than wolves.

The graphic novel was a fun and interesting read. I enjoyed reading how Artie is learning about her family and her navigating her life with her new abilities. I liked the drawing but, at times the story was a bit confusing when they had time jumps. Overall, I would read other graphic novels by the author.

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