Month: Mar 2020

Witches of ash and ruin by E. Latimer – review

Thank you to Little brown publishing for this Ebook copy of this book in exchange for review

Synopsis

Modern witchcraft blends with ancient Celtic mythology in an epic clash of witches and gods, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic trilogy and A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES.

Seventeen-year-old Dayna Walsh is struggling to cope with her somatic OCD; the aftermath of being outed as bisexual in her conservative Irish town; and the return of her long-absent mother, who barely seems like a parent. But all that really matters to her is ascending and finally, finally becoming a full witch-plans that are complicated when another coven, rumored to have a sordid history with black magic, arrives in town with premonitions of death. Dayna immediately finds herself at odds with the bewitchingly frustrating Meiner King, the granddaughter of their coven leader.

And then a witch turns up murdered at a local sacred site, along with the blood symbol of the Butcher of Manchester-an infamous serial killer whose trail has long gone cold. The killer’s motives are enmeshed in a complex web of witches and gods, and Dayna and Meiner soon find themselves at the center of it all. If they don’t stop the Butcher, one of them will be next.

With razor-sharp prose and achingly real characters, E. Latimer crafts a sweeping, mesmerizing story of dark magic and brutal mythology set against a backdrop of contemporary Ireland that’s impossible to put down.

Review below

AMAZING wow this was so gooooood one of the best witch books if not the best witchy book I have read!!!

This was amazing and included so many representations included from OCD to F/F romance and lgbt plus diversity in colours and race!! This book I though I would enjoy but not love it as much as I did… i couldn’t stop reading as soon as I started it was go go go with some atmospheric and eerie writing and setting 🙂 it had so many different POVS and they were all so good and loved all the stories intertwining together.

Will definitely recommend this book to everyone!!!

5/5 stars

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender – review

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid has turned into a dragonfly. When Khalid unexpectedly passed away, he shed what was his first skin for another to live down by the bayou in their small Louisiana town. Khalid still visits in dreams, and King must keep these secrets to himself as he watches grief transform his family.

It would be easier if King could talk with his best friend, Sandy Sanders. But just days before he died, Khalid told King to end their friendship, after overhearing a secret about Sandy-that he thinks he might be gay. “You don’t want anyone to think you’re gay too, do you?”

But when Sandy goes missing, sparking a town-wide search, and King finds his former best friend hiding in a tent in his backyard, he agrees to help Sandy escape from his abusive father, and the two begin an adventure as they build their own private paradise down by the bayou and among the dragonflies. As King’s friendship with Sandy is reignited, he’s forced to confront questions about himself and the reality of his brother’s death.

Review

4.5/5 stars

TW – child abuse and talks of physical abuse and racism

another middle grade that was just so beautifully written and just ripped your heart out but in the end it picked up the pieces and put it back together again. this novel is about trying to live to fullest and coping with grief in the best possible way and trying to move forward even when it feels impossible to do and also about finding the strength and courage to figuring out yourself and only being able to do that by believing in yourself and having the support system to make you feel comfortable to do/be who you want to be.

the poetic and beautiful writing throughout by Kacen Callender was just stunning and as this is my first book by this author I’m really excited to dive into Kacen’s other novels including his upcoming release Felix, ever after!!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟 💫

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The only black girls in town by Brandy Colbert – review

Thank you for the publishers for sending me a E-Galley of this book in exchange for review!

Book synopsis

Award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert’s debut middle-grade novel about the only two black girls in town who discover a collection of hidden journals revealing shocking secrets of the past. 

Beach-loving surfer Alberta has been the only black girl in town for years. Alberta’s best friend, Laramie, is the closest thing she has to a sister, but there are some things even Laramie can’t understand. When the bed and breakfast across the street finds new owners, Alberta is ecstatic to learn the family is black-and they have a 12-year-old daughter just like her.

Alberta is positive she and the new girl, Edie, will be fast friends. But while Alberta loves being a California girl, Edie misses her native Brooklyn and finds it hard to adapt to small-town living.

When the girls discover a box of old journals in Edie’s attic, they team up to figure out exactly who’s behind them and why they got left behind. Soon they discover shocking and painful secrets of the past and learn that nothing is quite what it seems.

Review below

WOW!!! Brandy Colbert has done it once again, this was absolutely beautiful, stunning, important, amazing and so on!!!

This was brandy Colbert’s debut into the realm of middle grade and wow was a rollercoaster of a ride this read was, it packed a hell of a lot of punch, with so many important topics and trying to find Your place in the world.

Alberta the main character was such a delight to read about, as we see her grow throughout this book from feeling like she doesn’t fit in, to growing up and dealing with the changes that are happening in her life with her school plus friends and family.

The friendship with the new girl in town Edie was just so beautiful to read about and Nothing could come between this dynamic duo!!! From the moment they met to where we left them at the end of the novel. Can we just get novels of them growing up through the years after because I would read it 🙂

Brandy Colbert never disappoints when it comes to her writing and the inclusivity she adds to her novels all the time and it’s just so wonderful to read about, Alberta’s two fathers are So wonderful aswell and how they always support Alberta in the best way they can and the family dynamic is just the best.

This novel was everything and more!!! From the first page to the last, here’s to hopefully many more middle grade novels by Brandy Colbert and for sure this will be a contender to be on my top ten of the year!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars