Genre: Young Adult

Divider

Sep 21

{Giveaway} THE IRON FLOWER by Laurie Forest @laurieannforest

Other Books in the Black Witch Chronicles Series: (Click on the book cover for more information) Praise for THE BLACK WITCH Chronicles “Elloren learns to question authority and Gardnerian history, while developing real empathy for different races and species. Forest uses a richly imagined magical world to offer an uncompromising condemnation of prejudice and injustice.” —Booklist, starred review “Exquisite character work, an elaborate mythology, and a spectacularly rendered universe make this a noteworthy debut, which argues passionately against fascism and xenophobia.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “This briskly paced, tightly plotted novel enacts the transformative power of education, creating engaging characters set in a rich alternative universe with a complicated history that can help us better understand our own.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win 1 of 5 copies of The Iron Flower (Open INT) Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where… Read more »

Keep Reading

Sep 15

{Review} Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Man, oh man do I love the Stalking Jack The Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco. Every single book is interesting on its’ own, but together this is a world and characters that I simply cannot get enough of. They are the type of books that has you excited from the very first page until long after you have finished the last page. Escaping from Houdini is the third book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series and this is a series that I would recommend reading in order. They follow the same set of characters on a series of different cases. The first book involved the Ripper Murders, the second book dealt with Prince Dracula and now we are in Houdini’s midst, and I have to say I am a huge fan of Kerri Maniscalco’s writing and her world building/story telling ability. I love our main character, Audrey Rose. She is a strong young lady, and I could totally relate to some of her eccentricities. In this book we get… Read more »

Keep Reading

Sep 13

{Review} Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is such a fantastic story. It is the type of book that has you excited from the very first page until long after you have finished the last page. It is the first book in the Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and I hope this is one long series, because I can already tell I am never going to get enough of these books. (and curse me and my researching ways…I just discovered from goodreads that the 4th book will be in the final book in the series, and now that I have read books 2 and 3 I am mourning that fact!) Stalking Jack The Ripper, we meet our heroine, Audrey Rose. I really liked Audrey. She is a strong young lady, and I could totally relate to some of her eccentricities. I get what it is like to truly enjoy something that most people just don’t get. Audrey loves working with her uncle in his lab, in a time where it… Read more »

Keep Reading

Sep 11

{Review+Giveaway} TWO DARK REIGNS by @KendareBlake

Two Dark Reigns is the third book in the Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake. The Three Dark Crowns series is a young adult fantasy series that I freakin’ love! Full disclosure, I binge read this series and it is currently all I can think about! I need the next book fiercely. Three Dark Crowns is a series that is darkly addicting and I want more more more. I will say, I am very glad that I read this series back to back because this world is vast and complicated and reading the books one right after another helped me pick up on many world and characters nuances that I am sure I would have missed out on if a year of more had passed between my readings of book 1, 2, or 3. This review is nearly impossible to do without spoilers but because I don’t want to ruin anything for you, I will talk in general about what I like about this series. To do that first,… Read more »

Keep Reading

Sep 04

{Excerpt+Release Day Giveaway} Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting

On sale for $1.99 for a limited time only! To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win a $20 amazon gift card (Open INT) Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keep Reading

Aug 31

{Review+Giveaway} THE BOOK OF M by @PengShepherd

The Book of M is a dystopian whirlwind adventure by author Pen g Shepherd. The Book of M was a really unique story. I hate using the word “unique” but I truly feel that is the best way to describe this book. It was also completely engaging, and it kept my interest from the first page until the last. Set in a world where people start losing their shadows for some unknown reason. Once their shadow disappears their memories begin to leave them as well, which is completely terrifying. (that aspect of the story kind of reminded me of the end of Avengers infinity war when If you like thriller mysteries, then you have to grab The Book of M, because this book will keep you guessing until the end. I think The Book of M would make a fantastic movie plot. I don’t want to get into too many of the plot specifics because this is a story that really builds on itself, and revealing any particular detail can… Read more »

Keep Reading

Aug 22

{ARC Review+Giveaway} Mirage by @SomaiyaDaud @Flatironbooks @FierceReads

Mirage is the first book in a series by the same name by Somaiya Daud. Mirage is a young adult fantasy/ sci fi series about a world that is actually the moon of another planet, called Andal. I loved the set up. Immediately it had a star wars type vibe, but the comparison does not go very far. Because Mirage is a masterpiece all of its’ own. Somaiya Daud did such a fantastic job weaving this story! I am seriously still mesmerized by it. As I said before, Mirage is set on a moon world, called Cadiz. Here we meet Amani, who is kidnapped and taken to the planet Andal, where she is forced to train to become the princess’ Body Double. I was completely swept up in this story, and a large part of that was due to the intricate world building. Cadiz is heavily Moroccan inspired and Somaiya Daud really did a fantastic job creating this vast world. She immediately sucked me in and held me captive for the… Read more »

Keep Reading

Aug 10

{Review+Giveaway} Hocus Pocus & the All New Sequel by A.W. Jantha #HocusPocusSequelNovel

Disney Hyperion sent me a copy of the book and merch to check out and is partnering with me for a giveaway! So read on for my honest thoughts on the book and then be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post! You have no idea how excited I was to see that not only was Hocus Pocus being made into a novel, but also learning there was going to be a sequel. Hocus Pocus is still one of my all time favorite Halloween movies. I watch it every single year in October. I know I am not the only one who loves belting out “I’ve put a spell on you!” And Thackery Binx is one of my favorite feline characters ever! So to find out I was going to get to relive Hocus Pocus in novel form, I was all in! And I am happy to report that this book did not disappoint. Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel is split into two parts…. Read more »

Keep Reading

Aug 09

{Review+Giveaway} The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell

The Forest Queen is a young adult fantasy retelling by Betsy Cornwell. It is labeled as being book 0.5 in the Mechanica series. While I have not read Mechanica, I believe this is a standalone story that is set in the same world. Mechanica is a retelling of Cinderella but The Forest Queen is a female retelling of Robin Hood. I loved that Robin Hood was in fact our main character, Sylvie. In fact, the Forest Queen has a very strong female empowerment vibe throughout. I enjoyed The Forest Queen. I am a fan of the tale of Robin Hood and I thought the Forest Queen provided a new spin on that story. That being said, while I liked this book, it didn’t completely blow me away. It was a good novel, but something stopped me from completely falling in love with it. In the Forest Queen we meet Sylvie and her brother John. I got the impression that Sylvie and her brother John used to be pretty close, but… Read more »

Keep Reading

Aug 08

{Mini Review+Giveaway} Someone I used to Know by Patty Blount

Someone I used to Know by Patty Blount is a young adult contemporary novel that deals with a serious issue. Someone I used to Know looks at the aftermath of dealing with your life after a sexual assault. One of the things I admire most about author Patty Blount is that she is not afraid to deal with tough issues. Someone I used to Know is not a fun read by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it a light, breezy story. It is a heavy narrative, but it’s an important one. Someone I used to Know is a novel that will stick with me. It is a novel that I will remember, but be warned that it does deal with rape, so if that is something that is upsetting for you to read about, this is going to be a difficult novel for you. Our main character is Ashley. And honestly this novel was hard for me to get through, but I loved Ashley so much that I wanted to hear… Read more »