Review: The Trick

Title: The Trick
Author: Emanuel Bergmann
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sweeping between Prague during World War II and modern day Los Angeles, this deeply moving debut follows a young Jewish man in 1934 who falls in love and joins the circus as the country descends into war. Decades later, a young boy seeks out the now cynical, elderly magician in the hopes that his spells might keep his family together.

Prague, 1934: The fifteen-year-old rabbi s son Moshe Goldenhirsch marvels at the legendary circus magician known as the Half-Moon Man. Unexpectedly, he falls madly in love with the magician’s delightful assistant, spurring him to run away from home to join the circus, which is slowly making its way to Germany as war looms on the horizon. Soon, he becomes a world-renowned magician known as the Great Zabbatini, even sought after by Adolf Hitler. But when Moshe is discovered to be a Jew, only his special talent can save him from perishing in a concentration camp.

Los Angeles, 2007: Ten-year-old Max Cohn is convinced that magic can bring his estranged parents back together before they divorce. So one night he climbs out of his bedroom window in search of the Great Zabbatini, certain this powerful magician has the power to reunite his family.

Review:

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It isn’t something that I would typically read but I loved it. 

This story was so easy to read. It had good pacing throughout. The chapters alternated between Moshe in the 1930s onward, and Max in 2007. By the end of each chapter, I wanted more, so I had to keep reading. 

There were many surprising twists through the story, in both time periods. They were both dramatic and funny. 

I loved the way that the two stories came together at the end. They are connected in a beautiful way. I won’t give it away, you’ll have to read it for yourself!

I recommend this story if you’re looking for a heartwarming read! 

Stacking The Shelves #5

STSsmall

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

On Sunday I went to Word On The Street, a book festival in Toronto.

It was blazing hot! And it’s all outdoors. Even though it was on the lake, there wasn’t any relief.

So of course, I splurged a little on books… okay I splurged a lot. Here’s what I bought:

From HarperCollins I bought:

  • This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
  • Our Dark Night by Victoria Schwab
  • They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
  • King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard
  • One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
  • Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
  • Hunger by Roxanne Gay

From Simon and Schuster I bought:

  • Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
  • The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schemer

So after that I had to stop. Those books were heavy enough to carry back to the car.

I had a pretty good book week. Now I really have to take a break from buying books (but we’ll see if that happens!)

What books did you buy this week? Have you read any of these ones?

Review: DC Super Hero Girls, Volume 4: Past Times at Super Hero High


Title: DC Super Hero Girls: Past Times at Super Hero High
Author: Shea Fontana
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: DC Entertainment
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: September 26, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Welcome back to DC Super Hero High!
In the newest original graphic novel from the DC Super Hero Girls line, catch up with the students of Super Hero High School as they find out that fun, friendship and hard work are all parts of growing up! DC SUPER HERO GIRLS VOL. 4 continues to develop the relationships forged in DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: FINALS CRISIS and HITS AND MYTHS. Written by Shea Fontana, this story is perfect for girls 6-12.

Review:

This is the first DC Super Hero Girls comic I’ve read. It was super cute!

I loved how all the super heroes are kids in this series! Young readers can fall in love with these classic super heroes. It’s especially important that it focuses on the female super heroes, such as Wonder Woman and Batgirl, since most super hero entertainment is aimed towards a male audience.

These stories also translate the characters into appropriate storylines for kids. I love Harley Quinn but her graphic novels are definitely not appropriate for children. However, the same characters are in this graphic novel without losing any of their personality. For example, Harley is able to charm dogs and she calls the baby dinosaur her “puddin’.”

I really liked this graphic novel and would definitely recommend it for middle grade readers.

First Lines Friday #5

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here are my first lines:

“Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love.
Her family traded in predictions. These predictions tended, however, to run toward the nonspecific. Things like: Something terrible will happen to you today. It might involve the number six. Or: Money is coming. Open your hand for it. Or: You have a big decision and it will not make itself.

Do you recognize these first lines?

And the book is… The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

 

Here’s the Goodreads synopsis:

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

I love this series! Have you read it?

Review: They Both Die at the End


Title: They Both Die at the End
Author: Adam Silvera
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure and to live a lifetime in a single day.

Review:

There has been a lot of hype about this book, and it didn’t disappoint me. 

The characters are instantly loveable. They have both suffered a lot, with the loss of their families. Even when Rufus makes mistakes, I was still rooting for him. 

The idea of finding out the day you die is a fascinating subject. It’s hard to decide if you would want to know. It’s intriguing to learn about your future, but it’s scary to know when you’ll die. Even the people in this story who tried to fight it, still ended up dying. You can’t change your fate. 

At the same time, I have to wonder if Death-Cast has a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since people know they will die that day, they don’t stop it when they sense it coming. This happens with Rufus’s family who don’t even try to escape the car crash that eventually kills them. 

There were some other minor characters whose Death-Cast-related stories were also told. At first, I didn’t like how these distract from the main plot. But these glimpses into other lives demonstrate how our lives are so interconnected. 

Even though the ending is given away in the title, I still kept hoping throughout the story that they would beat the odds. This is a very emotional story and I shed a few tears but I loved it. 

TBR Thursday #5

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid.


I have heard good things about this book. The sequel is coming out soon so I want to read the first in the series soon.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Cover Reveal: Rage of the Dragon King

 
 

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Rage of the Dragon King
(The Chronicles of Fallhollow #2)
by J. Keller Ford!

 

Be on the lookout for this upcoming title from
Month9Books!

 

HERE WE GO!
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE COVER?

 
 
 

 

David and Charlotte paid their dues. They traveled to another realm, battled the Dragon King, recovered the all important magic key to the mage tunnels, and found the heir to the throne of Hirth, as promised. Now it’s time to go home. There’s just one problem: the powerful crystals needed to activate the tunnels have been stolen…and David’s parents have mysteriously disappeared along with them. Guess who’s not going home to Havendale anytime soon.

Eric Hamden, squire extraordinaire, survived the poisonous knick of a shadowmorth’s blade, rescued the king of Hirth from the bowels of the dragon’s lair, and confronted a heartbreaking betrayal that nearly got him killed. Still reeling from the news, Eric sets his sights on a daring rescue only to wind up in a prison of his own with David and Charlotte at his side. But rescues come in strange ways, and before they know it, the three end up in David’s hometown of Havendale…and Eric gets a quick schooling in Modern Life 101. He’d rather fight a dragon.

With secrets, lies and betrayals meeting them at every turn, David, Charlotte and Eric soon discover that Havendale isn’t the sanctuary they’d hoped for. Even their best-laid plans can’t prepare them for the danger that stalks them. This time, no amount of magic or prayers can save them. War has been declared, and in the final battle, someone must make the ultimate sacrifice. Let the battle begin.

Rage of the Dragon King
(The Chronicles of Fallhollow #2)
by J. Keller Ford
Publication Date: October 24, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books

 

Available for Pre-order
Amazon

 
 

 

J. (Jenny) Keller Ford is a scribbler of speculative fiction and YA tales. As an Army brat, she traveled the world and wandered the halls of some of Germany’s most extraordinary castles in hopes of finding snarky dragons, chivalrous knights, and wondrous magic to permeate her imagination. What she found remains etched in her topsy-turvy mind and oozes out in sweeping tales of courage, sacrifice, honor and everlasting love.

When not torturing her keyboard or trying to silence the voices in her head, Jenny spends time collecting seashells, bowling, screaming on roller coasters and traveling. She is a mom to four magnificent and noble offspring and currently lives in paradise on the west coast of Florida with a menagerie of royal pets, and her own quirky knight who was brave enough to marry her.

Published works include The Passing of Millie Hudson, a paranormal short story that can be found in READING GLASSES. IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGON KING is her debut novel and the first installment in the Chronicles of Fallhollow Trilogy. Book 2 in the series is slated for Fall 2016.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

 

 

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic



Title: A Darker Shade of Magic
Author: V.E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Tor Books
Source: Purchased
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they’ll never see. It’s a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they’ll first need to stay alive.

Review:

I was hooked from the first page. This is the first book I’ve read from Victoria Schwab and she’s so amazing. I love her voice. It is very natural and easy to read.

The characters are very interesting. I loved Kell. He is conflicted at times, and it’s hard to know what he’s going to choose to do. I also loved Lila. She changes throughout the story and becomes a deeper character. The villains were also perfectly evil. Holland, Astrid, and Athos show up when you least expect it.

The setting of the story is amazingly detailed. I loved the different Londons. It’s a fantastic world, but also similar to the real London, so I could picture where things were. At the same time, there were so many unusual things in the world, that I had to imagine them for myself. This story would make a great movie!

I loved this book! I have no idea where the next book is going to go, so I’m excited to read it.

‘Waiting On’ Wednesday

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power!


The Lumberjanes graphic novels are so adorable! I have read a couple of them and I loved them. I was so excited when I saw they have a middle grade novel coming out. I was approved for it on NetGalley, so I will post my review when it is released!

What books are you waiting on this week?

Book Blitz: Carry Me Home

Carry Me Home
Jessica Therrien
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: September 26th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Thriller, Young Adult

“A riveting page-turner… Jessica Therrien broke my heart into a million pieces — and then put it back together again. This book will haunt and uplift readers long after they turn the last page.”

-KAT ROSS, best-selling author of The Midnight Sea

CARRY ME HOME is a fictional novel inspired by the true story of a teenage girl’s involvement in several Mexican gangs in San Jose and Los Angeles. The members of her crew call her, Guera, Spanish for “white girl” and it doesn’t take long for her to get lost in their world of guns and drugs.

* * *

Lucy and Ruth are country girls from a broken home. When they move to the city with their mother, leaving behind their family ranch and dead-beat father, Lucy unravels.

They run to their grandparents’ place, a trailer park mobile home in the barrio of San Jose. Lucy’s barrio friends have changed since her last visit. They’ve joined a gang called VC. They teach her to fight, to shank, to beat a person unconscious and play with guns. When things get too heavy, and lives are at stake, the three girls head for LA seeking a better life.

But trouble always follows Lucy. She befriends the wrong people, members of another gang, and every bad choice she makes drags the family into her dangerous world.

Told from three points of view, the story follows Lucy down the rabbit hole, along with her mother and sister as they sacrifice dreams and happiness, friendships and futures. Love is waiting for all of them in LA, but pursuing a life without Lucy could mean losing her forever.

Ultimately it’s their bond with each other that holds them together, in a true test of love, loss and survival.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

EXCERPT:

“You ready for this, Guera?” he asks.

It’s a test, Guera. Only thing I can say is you’re allowed to fight back. Take ‘em out with everything you got.

I’d heard of people being jumped into a gang before, maybe it was Rosa who told me about it. As the girls start to descend from their spots around the room, slowly closing in like encircling wolves, I know what’s about to happen.

The realization takes hold in my chest, a quick plunge of the heart into an icy lake of fear. I back away slowly out of instinct, ready to run, but there’s nowhere to go. The sound of their skittering feet is the first thing I hear before they come at me. Me against all of them. Me against Rose Tattoo and Cigarette Twins. Me against the jealous novias. Ten sets of eyes glinting with the thrill of a fight. I flinch and turn my back to avoid the fists, but they’re all around me. One of them catches me by the shoulders, holding me in place as the other girls hit the back of my skull. My head flies forward, chin to chest.

At first I don’t know whether to swing or cover. I reach up to protect myself, but there are too many points of contact. The rush of adrenaline is intense. It blocks the pain, but there is a fiery need in me to get away. I try and kick or punch, feeling one or two connect, but the girls are everywhere. An elbow slams against my temple. My head splits and my ears ring. I go down.

Every infinite minute of being the enemy feels like it’ll never end.

Someone’s shoe stomps my thigh. Others strike my ribs. I heave and gag until I can’t breathe. But that kind of terror turns me into a resilient kind of crazy. The kind of rabid-mad that is born of desperation. I scrape and flail until I’m on my feet, pulling hair and swinging my fists, making contact with whatever I can. I don’t realize I’m screaming until Toño calls them to a stop.

It ceases the moment the girls hear his voice, and I’m left there shaking and crazed, my breath dragging in and out of my lungs in a feverish effort to return to its normal rhythm. I pant and cry, as softly as I can, but it’s hard to deny my body the relief of all-out sobbing. My head hurts. My brain smashes against my skull with the pulse of too much pressure. I taste blood in my mouth, though no one has touched my face. Now that it’s over, the pain of it all rushes to the surface and makes me want to vomit. I feel like I could die.

Why am I here? Why am I doing this?

“She’s in,” Toño says, and the cheers of the group shock my senses and make me tense up.

They all rush me, and at first I’m terrified it’s about to start again, but instead they hug me and pat me on the shoulder all at once. Each hand on my back or squeeze around the shoulders rocks me with pain, but they’re so happy. Their laughter and cheering is contagious, it flows into me, filling me with a strange sense of pride and belonging. I can’t help my smile when I see their encouraging faces. I even start to laugh.

 

Author Bio:

Jessica Therrien is the author of the young adult series Children of the Gods. Book one in the series, Oppression, became a Barnes & Noble best-seller shortly after its release. Her trilogy has been translated and sold through major publishers around the world, such as Editions AdA (Canada), EditionsMilan (France), and SharpPoint Press (China).

Aside from her Children of the Gods series, Jessica is the author of a kid’s picture book called, The Loneliest Whale. Her award-winning stories can also be found in a published anthology of flash fiction.

Jessica currently lives in Irvine with her husband and two young sons. She is working on an a YA suspense thriller series and a middle grade fantasy series.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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