Year: 2019

Blog Tour Review: White Stag (Permafrost #1)

Title: White Stag
Author: Kara Barbieri
Genre: Young Adult, Middle Grade
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The first book in a brutally stunning series where a young girl finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.

As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.

Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.

Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling. 

Review:

This story was a little slow to start, but once I got into it, I flew through it. I found the goblins to be very unusual creatures in this book. I always think of them as ugly little creatures, but they were more human-like and beautiful in this story. They were more like how elves and vampires are usually described.

The hunt was very exciting in the story. The goblins must compete in the hunt to kill the white stag, making the one who kills it the next Goblin King. There are two main competitors, who are the two most powerful goblins. Janneke and Soren had to battle some other strange creatures throughout the hunt.

I loved the ending, which had a little twist that I suspected was going to happen. I can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the series!

What to read next:

Wintersong (Wintersong #1) by S. Jae-Jones

The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle

About the Author:

Kara Barbieri is a writer living in the tiny town of Hayward, Wisconsin. An avid   fantasy fan, she began writing White Stag at eighteen and posting it to Wattpad soon after under the name of ‘Pandean’. When she’s not writing, you can find her marathoning Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reviving gothic fashion, and jamming to synthpop.

Follow Kara:

Twitter – @PandeanPanic

Buy the book – http://wednesdaybooks.com/galaxies-and-kingdom/white-stag/

Thank you to Wednesday Books for letting me participate in this blog tour.

TBR Thursday – January 10

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 Pride by Ibi Zoboi.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Pride and Prejudice gets remixed in this smart, funny, gorgeous retelling of the classic, starring all characters of color, from Ibi Zoboi, National Book Award finalist and author of American Street.

Zuri Benitez has pride. Brooklyn pride, family pride, and pride in her Afro-Latino roots. But pride might not be enough to save her rapidly gentrifying neighborhood from becoming unrecognizable.

When the wealthy Darcy family moves in across the street, Zuri wants nothing to do with their two teenage sons, even as her older sister, Janae, starts to fall for the charming Ainsley. She especially can’t stand the judgmental and arrogant Darius. Yet as Zuri and Darius are forced to find common ground, their initial dislike shifts into an unexpected understanding.

But with four wild sisters pulling her in different directions, cute boy Warren vying for her attention, and college applications hovering on the horizon, Zuri fights to find her place in Bushwick’s changing landscape, or lose it all.

In a timely update of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, critically acclaimed author Ibi Zoboi skillfully balances cultural identity, class, and gentrification against the heady magic of first love in her vibrant reimagining of this beloved classic. 

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

Review: All’s Faire in Middle School

Title: All’s Faire in Middle School
Author: Victoria Jamieson
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Dial Books
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The author of Roller Girl is back with a graphic novel about starting middle school, surviving your embarrassing family, and the Renaissance Faire.

Eleven-year-old Imogene (Impy) has grown up with two parents working at the Renaissance Faire, and she’s eager to begin her own training as a squire. First, though, she’ll need to prove her bravery. Luckily Impy has just the quest in mind–she’ll go to public school after a life of being homeschooled! But it’s not easy to act like a noble knight-in-training in middle school. Impy falls in with a group of girls who seem really nice (until they don’t) and starts to be embarrassed of her thrift shop apparel, her family’s unusual lifestyle, and their small, messy apartment. Impy has always thought of herself as a heroic knight, but when she does something really mean in order to fit in, she begins to wonder whether she might be more of a dragon after all. 

Review:

This is a great story about fitting in.

It can be difficult to find your place in middle school, but it’s even harder when you’ve been homeschooled all of your life. Imogene grew up at the renaissance fair where her family works, but she decides she wants go to public school for middle school. She faces problems that she has never encountered before.

Imogene wants to fit in with the other kids in her class, but she has a very different family life from theirs. The popular girls won’t let her associate with the one other student who goes to the renaissance fair. Imogene has to deal with all of the typical problems of peer pressure and pressure to get good grades, while hiding the truth about her family’s background.

The renaissance fair looks like so much fun! This is a great story with a medieval twist.

What to read next:

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

El Deafo by Cece Bell

Have you read All’s Faire in Middle School? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – January 9

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 An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. The release date is January 8, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. 

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Top 5 Wednesday – New 2019 Series I’m Hyped About

This meme is hosted by Lainey from Thoughts on Tomes. The Goodreads Group for Top 5 Wednesday can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Hyped 2019 Releases You Don’t Care About, but I couldn’t think of any. I looked at some lists of 2019 books for ideas, but I ended up finding MORE I wanted to read, so I had to change the prompt to New 2019 Series I’m Hyped About:

1. King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo

2. Crescent City (Crescent City #1) by Sarah
J. Maas

3. Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by
Leigh Bardugo

4. White Stag (Permafrost #1) by Kara Barbieri

5. The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renée Ahdieh

What new series are you hyped for in 2019?

Review: The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Title: The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Author: Ben Philippe
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 8, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Austin, Texas. Plunked into a new high school and sweating a ridiculous amount from the oppressive Texas heat, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs.

Yet, against all odds, those labels soon become actual people to Norris. Be it loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris, or Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. Not to mention Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who might, in fact, be a real love interest in the making. He even starts playing actual hockey with these Texans.

But the night of the prom, Norris screws everything up royally. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realizes it might be time to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions and start living his life—along with the people who have found their way into his heart.

Review:

I really enjoyed this book! It was funny and entertaining.

I was laughing within the first couple of pages of the story. There were lots of references to pop culture, such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Friends, which were subtle but so funny! They weren’t always explained, which made them more exciting when I discovered one, because it was like an inside joke with the book.

I could totally relate to Norris’s experience as a Canadian going to a warm climate and having trouble adjusting to the hot temperatures. Montreal is even colder than Toronto, and though I haven’t ever been to Texas, I can imagine how hot it would be. I love the heat, so I don’t think I would mind, but I wouldn’t like sweating through multiple shirts a day.

Though the story was a lot of fun, it became quite serious towards the end, including a run-in with the police. I would love to see what happens with these characters in a sequel!

What to read next:

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Have you read The Field Guide to the North American Teenager? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Most Anticipated Books for the First Half of 2019

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Most Anticipated Books for the First Half of 2019. This book is quite similar to my Winter TBR from last week. Here’s my list:

1. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

2. Romanov by Nadine Brandes

3. King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

4. The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

5. The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes

6. An Affair of Poisons by Addie Thorley

7. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

8. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody, Joanne Rendell

9. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

10. Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

(All photos taken from Goodreads)

Review: Two Can Keep a Secret

Title: Two Can Keep a Secret
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 8, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery’s never been there, but she’s heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it’s hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone’s declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she’s in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous–and most people aren’t good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it’s safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

Review:

I was so excited to read this book when I first heard about it. It didn’t disappoint!

I couldn’t put this book down. It was such a page-turner! There were so many pieces of the puzzle that kept popping up. I figured out who did it halfway through the story, when I heard one of the clues. I was still excited to read the ending.

The last 50 pages or so were so fast paced. I kept holding my breath just waiting to see what would happen next. The final lines of the story gave me chills!

I loved this book! I can’t wait to read everything Karen M. McManus writes in the future!

What to read next:

One of Us Is Lying by
Karen M. McManus

The Window by Amelia Brunskill

Have you read Two Can Keep a Secret? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – January 7

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading White Stag (Permafrost #1) by Kara Barbieri.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) by Laura Sebastian.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – January 6

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 8 weekly blogging memes:

I also posted two additional posts:

How was your week? What did you guys read?