Genre: Fantasy & Magic

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Apr 17

{Review+Giveaway} Tracing Shadows by @AlexLidell ‏

Tracing Shadows is the first book in the Scout series by author Alex Lidell. I loved the first book in her Tides series (see my Ash and Air Review), which is an epic high fantasy adventure that takes place on the high seas! It was a five star read for me last year, and I have been kicking myself ever since for needing to continue on with the series. (I even bought the books!) But as soon as I saw that Alex Lidell was coming out with a new series, I knew I couldn’t miss it. And honestly, the summary of Tracing Shadows appealed to me even more than the summary for Ash and Air did! I absolutely loved this adventure. I loved everything about it! I loved the characters and I really really loved the world building that Alex Lidell created. Trust me, Tracing Shadows (and all of Alex’s Books) is a book you do not want to miss. Alex Lidell has thoroughly impressed me with each of her… Read more »

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Apr 12

${ARC Review+Giveaway} Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian @sebastian_lk @DelacortePress$

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian @sebastian_lk @DelacortePress

Ash Princess is the first book a young adult fantasy series by the same name by author Laura Sebastian. Ash Princess is Laura Sebastian’s debut novel, which impressed me even more. I really liked this novel. I know it might seem like a storyline that you have heard before, and while I am not going to say it so shockingly different, it was different enough to stand out against other young adult fantasies. I especially loved the foreword, where she describes her heroine as someone who does not battle with a sword, but rather, with her own wits and cunning. It is really refrshing to see such a heroine portrayed, because it made her so much more relate able to me. Theo is the princess of her country that was invaded and taken over when she was a little girl. Her parents, and most of her people, were killed and Theo, or Thora, was kept as a palace prisoner. The invading ruler, called the Kaiser, believes that he completely broke… Read more »

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Apr 06

{Review+Giveaway} The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton @TorBooks

The Queens of Innis Lear is an adult fantasy by Tessa Gratton. I really, really enjoyed this novel. It had a slow and kind of confusing start, but in the end that makes a lot of sense, because this is an epic story that requires a lot of world and character building. This is Tessa Gratton’s first foray into adult fantasy, and I think the Queen of Innis Lear was a rich and detailed world. Overall, the story was well executed and a great read. The Queens of Innis Lear does work well as a standalone, but I am kind of hoping that we see more from this world. In The Queens of Innis Lear we are introduced to the island of Innis Lear, and we meet the three princesses of Lear. Each of the princesses have such a unique personality and they each have their own story, which was great. I really enjoyed getting to know each of the sisters. But it was also an initial frustration for… Read more »

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Apr 04

{Review+Giveaway} To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

To Kill a Kingdom is a young adult standalone fantasy by Alexandra Christo. This book totally rocked my world you guys. I loved the fact that it was a standalone. (though I would love to see some more novels in this world, whether they be sequels or companion novels.) To Kill a Kingdom was a book that a few of my bookstagram friends read really early on and were not shy about raving about. It made me so excited. That coupled with the fact it was about sirens, and my excitement rocketed up a few more notches. And then I picked up the book. And for the first 30 pages or so, I was very underwhelmed. Then I started to get nervous. Normally if a book is really hyped, I enjoy it as well, but there is nothing worse than expecting to love a book and then not liking it. So I had a mini freak out. I wanted to like To Kill a Kingdom so much. But then I read on… Read more »

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Apr 03

{Two Truths & a Lie+Giveaway} Argos: The Story of Odysseys as Told by His Loyal Dog by Ralph Hardy

Welcome to Day #2 of The Argos Blog Tour! To celebrate the paperback release of Argos: The Story of Odysseys as Told by His Loyal Dog on March 27th, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Ralph Hardy and 5 chances to win a copy of the book! So read on for Two truths and a Lie and then be sure to enter the giveaway down below for a copy of Argos! ———————– Two Truths and a Lie Two Truths and a Lie about Ralph Hardy 1) I’m a twin. My brother’s name is David and he’s a producer/director for the North Carolina PBS station where he has won a number of regional Emmy awards. We’re even working on a book together, although our efforts have been somewhat sporadic lately. 2) I prefer cats to dogs. Some people are just cat people, right? We always had cats as I was growing up, and there’s just something about their antics that I can’t resist. In fact, I wrote a… Read more »

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Mar 30

{Review+Giveaway} Ignited by A.M. Deese @authoramdeese

Ignited is the first book in a new young adult fantasy, called the Dance of the Elements series by author A.M. Deese. I am so sick of books that start out slow and eventually build up to something interesting. It seems like that has been all I have been reading lately. But I am really happy to report that Ignited is not a book that starts out slow. It plops us right into the middle of interesting action. We start with out main character, Jura having to plow head first into a governing council meeting in her father’s place. She is the daughter of the first, the highest family in the council of the Thirteen, and she has to make lots of tough decisions as she tries to unravel the mystery of what is going on with her father. While keeping the whole thing a secret. In a country that thrives on secrets. I immediately fell in love with these characters, this world and this story. Ignited is one of… Read more »

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Mar 19

{Early Release Spotlight+Interview} From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris @CassRMorris @dawbooks

I am super excited to have Cass Morris here today! Cass’ upcoming book, From Unseen Fire comes out in April 2018 from Daw Books and it looks awesome! 1.Who are your biggest writing influences? I used to say that I wanted to be Neil Gaiman when I grew up, and that’s still rather true. His writings, and Terry Pratchett’s, have affected a lot of how I think about story and mythos. My ideas on crafting magic have roots in everything from Harry Potter to tabletop role-playing games. Years of studying Shakespeare has put a lot of rhetoric in my head, so that’s been a large influence as well. I’ve also read a lot of romance novels and a lot of historical fiction, and I think those bleed into my style, too. 2..When did you know you wanted to be a writer? I’ve been a natural storyteller and a lover of books for as long as I’ve known what words were, but I can remember, clearly, the first moment I knew that… Read more »

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Mar 14

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Lost Crow Conspiracy by @RosalynEves @KnopfBFYR ‏@TheNovl

Note: this is the second book in a series that must be read in order. Though I will keep spoilers to a minimum there may be spoilers for the first book in the series. If you are new to the series, you can check out my review of book one- Blood Rose Rebellion, HERE Lost Crow Conspiracy is the second book in the young adult fantasy series, called Blood Rose Rebellion. It is also author Rosalyn Eves debut series which really impressed me. The first book, Blood Rose Rebellion was an excellent read for me, and I can’t wait to journey back into this crazy world. The first book ended on a great note, with Anna breaking the binding with her breaking magic and releasing magic to the masses. Initially it seems like a fantastic idea, but this is only the start of the second book, where we get to delve deeply into the class struggles and political drama that have really heightened in the world that Rosalyn Eves has… Read more »

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Mar 07

{Favorite Quotes+Movie Tie In Review+Giveaway} #AWrinkleInTime by Madeleine L’Engle

Are you guys as excited as I am for the Wrinkle in Time movie?? I cannot wait to see it! In case you didn’t know, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Oprah Winfrey starring as the famous Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which!!!! Today for the blog tour, I am going to be sharing a collection of my favorite quotes- in honor of Mrs. Who, of course! You might not know this about me, but I am a quote fanatic! So I would love for you to share some of your favorites with me in the comments below. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt, This is My Story “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” ― Oscar Wilde “We accept… Read more »

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Feb 19

{Review+Giveaway} Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Tempests and Slaughter is the first book in The Numair Chronicles by Tamora Pierce. Tempests and Slaughter is my first experience with a Tamora Pierce novel, but it will not be my last by a long shot. Before I get to my review, I wanted to first point out how absolutely beautiful the collectors edition is! I love all of the detail that went into the creation of this book- from the cover, to the poster to the beautiful map of the Tortall world. I really, really loved this book. The back describes it as the story of how Numair came to Tortall, but being new to the world it was just as really epic new fantasy. Tempests and Slaughter is the story of three student mages- Arram, Varice and Ozorne. And…wait for it…they go to mage school!! Yes, you know this is right up my alley. The characters really shine in this story. The world is fascinating as well. I can’t wait to see the development as the problems progress and… Read more »