Tag: YA Bound Book Tours

Analiese Rising
by Brenda Drake
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: January 8th 2019
Entangled Teen

Summary:

When a stranger gives Analiese Jordan a list of names before he dies, the last thing she expects to see is her own on it. Not. Cool. Her search for answers leads to the man’s grandson, Marek, who has dangerous secrets of his own. Both are determined to unlock the mystery of the list.

But the truth is deadly. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, known as a Riser, with the power to raise the dead and control them. Finding out she has hidden powers? Cool. Finding out she turns corpses into killers? No, thank you.

Now the trail plants her and Marek in the middle of a war between gods who apparently want to raise an army of the Risen, and Analiese must figure out how to save the world—from herself.

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Woho! What a trip! Give me some Greek mythology, spice it up with a drash of my lovely Romance and I am hooked. „Analiese Rising” has an interesting story, an interesting character and a lot more to show.

The blurb just about sums all the idea of the plot. The last line is amazing J So that’s the idea and it sounds easier than in reality. Being a descended of the God of Death is not an easy thing, I mean… she has responsabilities… raising the dead and so on. How can one ignore such a thing ? Ha-ha! Comming to that realization is also not easy, but at least she is not alone. Marek is there with her, as interested to find out what is going on as she is.

The mystery and the relationship between the main characters is well built, the intesity grows slowly, until the great ending. The research is there, with al the mythology aspects and gods and all that. So what’s not to like ? What would you need more? Action, romance, gods, wars, dead people coming alive, or …trying to stay dead.

I wished the writing were a little more developed and the phrases to flow one into the next more easily. The tone of the story felt too abrupt for my taste and took away that natural feel, that normal course of words. I do believe the story is predictable to a point, but that didn’t bother me that much becose it’s more important how we get from point A to B.

But all in all, I liked it. It was a nice ride and I hope to see more of these characters. It’s my first book by Brenda Drake and I heard a lot of great things abouther other stories, so it definitely will not be my last. Enjoy 🙂

4 stars

About the Author

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. With kids of all ages populating Brenda’s world, it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical for both younger readers and the young at heart. And because she married her prince charming, there’s always a romance warming the pages.

Her favorite books are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, Kings Row by Henry Bellamann, and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. When she’s not writing, she hosts workshops and contests for writers such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. In her free time, Brenda enjoys hanging out with her family, haunting libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or just reading someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

 

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

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Star-Crossed

by Pintip Dunn
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: October 2nd 2018
Entangled Teen

Summary:

In a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters, seventeen-year-old Princess Vela has a grave dilemma. Her father, the king, is dying, and only a transplant of organs from a healthy Non-Eater boy will save him.

Vela is tasked with choosing a boy fit to die for the king, which is impossible enough. But then Carr, the boy she’s loved all her life, emerges as the best candidate in the Bittersweet Trials. And he’s determined to win, because by doing so, he can save the life of his Non-Eater sister.

Refusing to accept losing the boy she loves, Vela bends the rules and cheats. But when someone begins to sabotage the Trials, Vela must reevaluate her own integrity—and learn the true sacrifice of becoming a ruler.

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Purchase links can be found here: https://entangledpublishing.com/star-crossed.html

My Review

An unusual world, a very unusual plot and beautiful characters – that’s the best way to describe the story. I am trying to analyze it as objectively as possible, as there are some items I did not particularly liked. But if something is not ok by my standards, doesn’t mean it’s not ok by yours.

The blurb is very interesting and promises an intense story about a potential queen, trying to do what is right for her people, her family and herself. Although, it’s difficult to find a solution that would benefit all. Here is where the conflict starts. Her crush is willing to give his life for her father, her people are starving and forced to consume pills that would appease their hunger – pills produced by those who are able to eat healthy. The internal conflict is good, the characters are great and express their emotions in a beautiful manner, but I would like to insist upon the theme that is in the center of attention.

Lack of food brings people to develop new alternatives that are not necessarily the healthiest choices. This is very similar to our days – food is becoming less and less healthy and at some point, we lost the ability to appreciate the real taste of natural food. While I am not fond of the abundance of meal discussions, I do appreciate the innovative element and the effort the author has done to integrate it into Vela’s story.

Intrigue, twists and turns, food and much more – this book will not bore you at all, but it will leave you either hungrier than ever, or more satiated than ever J 4 stars J

 

 

https://countdownsbyerin.com/cd/entangled/2018/october/star-crossed/ 

About the Author

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B., and received her J.D. at Yale Law School.

Pintip’s novel FORGET TOMORROW won the 2016 RWA RITA® for Best First Book, and SEIZE TODAY won the 2018 RITA for Best Young Adult Romance. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the Tome Society It list; and the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her other titles include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, THE DARKEST LIE, GIRL ON THE VERGE, and the upcoming STAR-CROSSED and MALICE.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | Entangled Publishing

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Blood Crescent
by S.M. McCoy
Genre: YA Fantasy Paranormal
Release Date: September 21st 2018

Summary:

While investigating her mother’s disappearance Crystal’s bloodline leads a supernatural council to hunt her down for her latent magic. Love, lies, and long buried secrets change her life forever.

Sixteen-year-old Crystal Dylan has been marked by the waning crescent due to her latent diviner heritage. The magic from her is a beacon to any nearby supernatural beings, especially energy serpents, vampires sent by the Divine Council to capture her. She never believed in the strange, the superstitious, or magical until she started looking for her long-thought-dead mother. Too many attacks on her aura have left her drained, dying, and vulnerable leaving Victor no choice but to try anything to help her, even the serpent’s kiss.

The Divine Council was looking for the lost heir, and Damien, a drawn class serpent, was their retrieval system with an agenda of his own. Crystal’s memories are being manipulated, and she struggles to find the truth about who she loves, what happened to her mother, who she is, and how to stay alive long enough to figure it all out.

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My Review

This book frustrated me on so many levels, mainly because I was making my own scenarios and started liking some of the characters, only to realize nothing is as it seems, or at least how I thought it would be. That’s mostly why I liked it so much!

S.M. McCoy brings a new series, full of mystical beings and magic. “Blood Crescent” is only the beginning of something so much more. Our main character Chrystal’s life is turned upside down when she realizes her mother may still be alive. Oh, and she comes from a long line of people with special ties to magic.  Well, what’s so special about that? We have the same good guy, bad guy stuff, we have a quest for self-discovery and her desire to find her family.

Other than that, we have an incredible writer! The world is built incredibly and the magic system is so complex, I even got lost at some point. And the characters are some questionable, other still under development. Because Chrystal is only at the beginning of her journey.

We have a love triangle, maybe. Because I am not sure who I like best, I am not sure who Chrystal likes and if she makes a good or bad choice in the end. What I know exactly is that I am not tired of her story and that I DO WANT more!

“Blood Crescent” is only the beginning and this universe holds the promise of so much more! I cannot wait to discover what we have next. For now, I’m giving it 4 stars, but I am 100% sure that the next installments will blow me away. In case of book 1, the beginning was a little slow and at times I was a little confused with everything going on. But other than that, I loved the book and I loved the main character! Enjoy !

About the Author
Stevie Marie is the author of young adult paranormal fantasy and the Divine Series. Born within the apex of another universe, where magic flows like leaky faucets, and forged from the fires of the Underrealm she dug her way to Earth and reluctantly participates in human society, secretly returning to her home world to relay the stories of her monsters, and the troubled love of her people. When she isn’t writing she’s crafting clothing in her sewing room, cuddling her significant-other creature, or pretending to adult by managing a portfolio of properties for an accounting business in the rainy city of Seattle, Washington.

• Website: http://steviemarie.com/
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5153248.Stevie_McCoy
• Twitter: @authormarie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsteviemarie/

 

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Dickensen Academy
by Christine Grabowski
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: September 12th 2018
The Wild Rose Press, Inc

Summary: 

This school may be her dream come true…or her worst nightmare.

Dickensen Academy isn’t a typical boarding school. The faculty is hiding an unbelievable secret within their fine arts program. When Autumn Mattison receives an invitation to attend the high school, she yearns to escape her overbearing father yet remains reluctant to leave her mother and brother. Her doubts fade away when a vivid dream convinces her she belongs there.

Away from home, Autumn discovers a unique school environment that awakens her creative potential, and her new friends become like a second family. However, as she uncovers more about the dark side of the school and struggles with its curriculum, she questions whether Dickensen Academy is truly where she belongs.

When tragedy strikes, Autumn must learn to believe in her own power and stand up to her greatest fear or risk having her memories destroyed to protect the school’s secrets. Caught between secrets and dreams, can she find her true self?

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Buy Links:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dickensen-academy-map-success/dp/B07G71747S

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dickensen-academy-christine-grabowski/1129315140?ean=2940161849330

Apple:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dickensen-academy/id1419915501?mt=11

The Wild Rose Press:

https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6044-dickensen-academy.html

Book Trailer:

https://youtu.be/sgjRes7zPLQ

My Review

This was such a refreshing novel! I loved the setting, I loved our main character and her decision to succeed. There are so many interesting things happening here, but the most important of all, we see a young teenager develop. That’s what captured me.

In a world where we now lose sight of how to create a moral support for our kids, we have a book about a girl who only wants to succeed and be great in school. Yes, she has a strict family and yes, this is a book in which things can happen as the author imagines them. But Christine Grabowski managed to create a character that should inspire our young generations. Autumn Mattison is starting Dickensen Academy, a boarding school that is out of the ordinary. The school has secrets and its students help nurture them. Autumn must be special in order to be fully accepted. She needs to have some special skills or abilities to be able to rise to the school standards. So she pushes herself harder and harder.

The action is very interesting, easy to follow and with twists and unforeseen events. But what mostly captured my attention was Autumn and her relationship with her family, with her new friends and with herself. She experiences a deeper connection with Ben, a friendship that may turn into more. She becomes a more matured version of herself. The academy has shaped her well, as it should have.

As sated a bit earlier in my review, we live in a world where technology dictates. Our kids (generally speaking, as mine are not born yet) spend more time with a video game than face to face interactions and we, as adults, need to guide them to the right direction and teach them how to never give up their dreams and always fight to achieve them.  That’s the beauty in this book. I would have wanted to see more from the other characters but all in all, I’m giving it a 4.5 star rating. Beautiful writing, I’ve flown through it. I hope you’ll like it as well J

About the Author

Dickensen Academy is Christine’s debut YA novel. After graduating from the University of Washington, she earned her MBA at the University at Albany. She honed her technical writing skills in marketing and consulting but attributes the creative part of the process to her passion for reading.

When she isn’t reading or writing, Christine can often be found running, skiing, or hiking. She lives in Newcastle, Washington, with her supportive husband, two avid teen readers, and their energetic wheaten terriers.

Newsletter Sign-up:  bit.ly/ContactList-CG

Connect with Christine online at:

Website: http://christinegrabowski.com

Facebook: Http://facebook.com/christinegrabowskiauthor

Goodreads: Christine Grabowski

Instagram: www.instagram.com/christinegrabo

Twitter: http://twitter.com/christinegrabo

Bookbub Profile:

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/christine-grabowski

Amazon Profile:

https://www.amazon.com/Christine-Grabowski/e/B07G7D9LJ2/ref=dbs_p_pbk_rwt_abau

 

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Continue reading “Book Review: The Phoenix Cycle: The Best Shall Rise” →

Pete & Daisy

by Tani Hanes

Genre: NA Romance

Release date: May 14th 2018

Summary:

He needs a place to live, she needs a baby daddy.

Pietro Santangelo and Marguerite White are students at prestigious Columbia University in New York City. She is a fun-loving, free spirit who finds herself in a bit of a familial bind, he is an exchange student with a chronic case of poverty. They concoct a plan that they think will work, not realizing how much changes with two simple words.

*****************

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My Review

Pete and Daisy are such a sweet couple! I loved them from the very start. They both have a need that needs to me bet – either for a father for a child or a place to live. These needs tie them together.  Who could have imagined it could lead somewhere new?  Well, they sure did not!

Their story is so much fun and the writing is so easy and beautiful. The book is perfect for a relaxing evening, with a coup of something good, after a long long day at work (or at least a stressful day). Which is why I enjoyed it so much. The atmosphere the author has created with these characters and their life together made me feel all sorts of good things inside. So I cannot but appreciate it!

Our main characters are far from your normal protagonists in love stories. They are far from perfect, far from rich and far from a perfect family. But they respect their commitment and try to do the best they can in a less than perfect situation. I loved Daisy’s determination to be there for her child, as reckless as her life may be. I loved Pete’s commitment to her and her baby.

I would have given the story all my 5 stars if it were not for the small confusions here and there with the characters and some conflict situations (if I can call them like that) felt a bit artificial. I wanted more complicated stuff (yup, I wanted more complicated… than not having a home and not being in a true relationship, I’m difficult, I know! )

All in all, this is a perfect book for a relaxing evening. Believe me, it really helped relieve some of my stress and some of that tension after a loaded week! This is my first book by Tani Hanes, but I have a feeling it will not be my last J Happy reading!

 

About the Author

My name is Tani Hanes, and I am a 51 year old substitute teacher. I’m from central California and am a recent transplant to New York City. The most important things to know about me are that I’m punctual, I love grammar and sushi, and I’m very intolerant of intolerance. The least important things to know about me are that I like to knit and I couldn’t spell “acoustic” for 40 years. I’ve wanted to write since I was ten, and I finally did it. If you want to write, don’t wait as long as I did, it’s pointless, and very frustrating!

Author Links:

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The Bad Boy’s Girl
by Blair Holden
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: February 21st 2017

Summary:

Tessa O’Connell is a girl as ordinary as they come-or so she thinks. Her aim for senior year is to keep her head down yet somehow manage to convince her childhood love Jay Stone to love her back. What she isn’t prepared for is for Jay’s brother, Cole to return to town and change the life she’s always been seemingly content to live. Tall, gorgeous as all hell and a bad boy with ocean blue eyes and the perfect edge of adorability, he was her greatest tormentor, her number one enemy.But the guy that’s come back is like no one Tessa’s ever come across. He challenges her, he tests her limits, he forces her to bring out the girl she’s long ago buried under a veil of mediocrity and most of all he compels her to consider that perhaps the boy that infuriates her to the point of no return might just her guardian angel.

This new edition contains never before seen, exclusive content!

 

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Buy Links:

Landing page (includes all buy links and other book info): http://badboysgirl.pagedemo.co/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2oY7hnC

B&N: http://bit.ly/2oEtzZb
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2oEpHap
iBooks: http://apple.co/2q72FJQ

My Review:

 This book deals with a lot of issues, starting with insecurities and ending with family drama. I do believe is quite complex and talks about most issues that teenagers face these days. Though in the end the action dragged too much, it is a book to my liking.

So Tessa has always been bullied by her all time crush’s brother, but when her best friend starts to treat her the same, she loses her confidence and retreats from social life. Her weight does not help much either.  Years later, she finds herself with fewer kilos, face to face with her all time torturer: Cole Stone.  She now has to face not only the relationship between Jay and Nicole (crush and ex-bestie), but also Cole, who says he’s changed. Add to that some family drama.

I liked how the story started, with some memorable funny lines (which I will soon include in my Goodreads page), even some teenage wisdom.  It is narrated from Tessa’s perspective, though in the end we get to experience some of Cole’s feelings as well. The author does a great job in creating different personalities (Tessa, her friends, her brother), which all have their own story and issues.

Tessa has always been in love with Jay, always held him high. She has tried to maintain the friendship door open, behind his girlfriend’s back. When Cole returns, he has to earn her trust and her appreciation. All the while, they both have family issues of their own. While Tessa has to endure her parents’ constant arguing and her brother’s self-destruction, Cole has to suffer a jealous step brother and hold to a secret not few know.

70% of the book was amazing, but after that, I felt the action was dragged a little. I believe the book should have ended somewhere around 75%.  It looked like a completely different attitude; I could not recognize the characters and even the writing.

All in all, I am going with a 4 star rating on this one, hoping that you like it as well. Let me know your opinion in the comments bellow.

 

About the Author

BLAIR HOLDEN (@jessgirl93 on Wattpad) is a twenty-three-year-old college student by day and Wattpad author by night. Her hobbies include and are limited to obsessively scouring Goodreads and reading romance novels, with a preference for all things new adult. Her own work usually contains lots of romance, humor, angst, and brooding bad-boy heroes. Caffeine and late-night Gilmore Girls marathons help her find a balance between completing her degree and writing. She writes for herself and also to make readers swoon, laugh, and occasionally cry. Her book, THE BAD BOY’S GIRL, has amassed over 170 million reads, which absolutely baffles her. Her dream is to see her readers holding a published copy of her books and remembering how far they’ve come together!

 

Author Links:

Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Wattpad│Instagram

 

 

 

 

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Ascension
by Hannah Rials
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release date: August 2016
Aletha Press

Summary:

Life is supposed to be perfect after Cheyenne Lane’s Ascension ceremony, but it turns out awakening her vampire half only complicates things more. Burdened with a patronizing family and constant surveillance by the Vampire Council, Cheyenne welcomes a summer vacation to the magical city of New Orleans. But Cheyenne quickly realizes that she can’t escape her problems, no matter where she goes.

After seventeen years of fearing exposing her secret to humans, Cheyenne’s world is rocked when she starts to fall for a witch named Eli. When he shows Cheyenne how complex the world really is, she must accept that everything she thought she knew about being a Deuxsang is a lie.

As if all this isn’t problem enough, Cheyenne finds herself the pawn of a conspiracy hatched by those who should be protecting her. Her whole life Cheyenne is told what to believe and who to trust. Now, she’s forced to choose for herself who and what is right. No matter which choice she makes, it will cost her everything.

Steeped in the mystery, intrigue and rich history of New Orleans and the secretive world of the Deuxsang, teen vampire, Cheyenne, and her forbidden love, Eli, embark on a very different, and vastly more dangerous, journey as the net of betrayal tightens around them. This intense and fresh novel is enchanting, engrossing and impossible to put down right up to the cliffhanger ending. Remember, the end is not the end.

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Buy Link:

iBooks: https://itun.es/us/JDRDfb.l

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ascension-74

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Ascension-Hannah-Rials/dp/1936426005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477589265&sr=8-1&keywords=ascension+by+hannah+rials

Amazon Kindle:https://www.amazon.com/Ascension-Book-1-Hannah-Rials-ebook/dp/B01MDM24XK/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486244524&sr=1-1&keywords=ascension+by+hannah+rials

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ascension-hannah-rials/1124901423?ean=9781936426010

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=ascension%20by%20hannah%20rials&c=books

Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=ascension%20by%20hannah%20rials

My Review:

I missed reading a book with vampires. I have read so many that I am sometimes scared of starting a new one because I might not be completely satisfied. So I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this blog tour. The idea of half breads becoming more powerful than the vampires, the mix between vampires and witches really made me very enthusiastic.

Still, I would have wanted a lot more from the story. I would have wanted a lot more attention to details, it mostly seems as an introduction to a more complex action which will unfold later in the coming books.

I do not feel very comfortable with the chosen title. The entire action starts with Cheyenne’s Ascension when she was a young girl. Since it was a traumatizing event, she has not managed to get over it. She understood then that she’s not just an ordinary Deuxsang, but somehow nobody cared to enlighten her on what she actually is. Since that moment she has grown up and other changes start to happen. The title underlines an important event in her life, but an old one chronologically speaking.

Regarding the action, on one side I felt like it was rushed, but on the other it lacked details like why she’s not like the others. Like why there are so many lies, what are the interests that other have. I don’t know, too much mystery. The characters are quite alright. We find out a little bit about everybody.  Cheyenne is quite indoctrinated by her family when it comes to history and she always has followed the rules. I did not like her not insisting more on why she had such a violent Ascension. She simply accepted everything. I could go on and on with things that don’t add up when it comes to other characters as well, but I don’t want to turn my review into a negative one.

So without further comments I decided to give it 3.5 stars, mainly because it’s a book with or about vampires and there are some signs of this becoming a great series. I hope next one will be better though.

Testimonials

“Their love story anchors the novel, the first installment of a series, and sets the stage for the cliffhanger ending. An entertaining and promising series opener about an appealing human and vampire hybrid. “-Kirkus Reviews

 What an extraordinary debut novel with new and intriguing twists on vampires—a strong female protagonist as one. I already can’t wait for book two.-Jill Murphy Long, author of The Conduit

This book is by the far the BEST YA/Adult fiction that I’ve read in a very long while. So exciting!-Rebecca F

The wait is over-Ascension is here! Thrilling and entertaining, like the experience on a crazy roller coaster. Hannah has grown into the most amazing writer. Watching her journey has been as much fun as holding the book in my hands. A “must read” for YA and thriller fans!-Valarie B.

Rials has created a complex, fascinating, hidden world within our world. And I think we’re just beginning to scratch the surface.”-Kris Whorton

 

About the Author

As Maryville native and current college student at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Hannah Rials began writing her first novel at age twelve. Eight years later, the result is her newly published YA novel Ascension; a modern day teenage romance filled with “double-blooded” vampires and revenge-seeking witches.
Published by Aletha Press of Maryville, TN, Ascension is Rial’s first novel. When not attending college and spending time with her family, Rials keeps busy by playing with her beloved Corgis, Buddy and Noel, leading a creative writing group at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and cultivating her writing skills.

“I feel like I am living proof that dreams do come true.”– Hannah Rials

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

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