June 2024 – Page 2 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Princess of Prophecy

Title: Princess of Prophecy
Author: Alexander Thomas
Genre: Fantasy, Humour
Publisher: Self-published
Source: Author
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 19, 2023
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A soothsayer promises timeless romance to anyone that defeats an invincible sorcerer king three times. Would you mess with a prophecy like that?

You might, if it messed with you first.

Princess Maryan flees an arranged marriage and takes up the challenge of the prophecy. In her way stand ravaging hordes of the undead, ignorant politicians, and her own conniving parents. She tries to recruit great warriors to her cause, but she’s stuck with a bankrupt knight, a magic-less mage, and an ex-barbarian.

Yet when battle is joined, even the unluckiest of failures can become heroes. And that’s convenient, since the survival of many kingdoms are at stake, and this is one prophecy that no one should trust.

Review:

Princess Maryan’s parents want her to get married, but the suitors they’ve chosen for her are awful. The main suitor is a vampire who likes to lock people in cages and hang them up in trees. When Maryan hears a prophecy about defeating the Lich King, she runs away from a potential marriage on a long journey. She meets many colourful characters along the way, such as an unfashionable barbarian, a knight with a sword that doesn’t work, and a mayor who is in denial about the dangers his town is facing.

This was such a funny, satirical adventure story. I laughed out loud so many times. I really liked the references to modern culture in this fantasy world, such as an artist who was an “influencer” and sent sketches to the town square for people to “like” and comment on. I highly recommend this story for fans of funny fantasy!

Princess of Prophecy is a fun and hilarious fantasy!

Thank you Alexander Thomas and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign.

Have you read Princess of Prophecy? What did you think of it?

Happy Pub Day – June 4

Happy Pub Day to these authors!

Penny’s Day on the Farm by Eugenie Gloria Wong, Juliana Castro (illustrator)

Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris

Malicia by Steven Dos Santos

Now, Conjurers by Freddie Kölsch

Thank you Eugenie Gloria Wong, Bookinfluencers.com, Wednesday Books, and Manda Group for providing copies of these books!

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Penny’s Day on the Farm

Title: Penny’s Day on the Farm
Author: Eugenie Gloria Wong, Juliana Castro (illustrator)
Genre: Children’s, Picture Book
Publisher: Hasmark Publishing
Source: Author
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 4, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Are you looking for a captivating picture book that instills confidence in your child and models how to make friends?
Look no further than Penny’s Day on the Farm by author Eugenie Gloria Wong.

This rhyming picture book follows Penny, a little girl with a room full of stuffed animals who are her friends. On the evening before her first day of school, the words on a mysterious note whisk her away into a magical realm where animals talk and unexpected friendships blossom.

With a newfound friend by her side, Penny navigates how to reach out to others through teamwork, kindness, and embracing new experiences. She discovers the magic ingredient that makes friends flock to her and learns that moments of adventure can begin with a simple wish … and an open heart.

Penny’s Day on the Farm is filled with heartwarming and humorous illustrations by Juliana Castro. This book is from the series The Adventures of Pierre and Penny LePockets, which strives to teach children life lessons and build their self-esteem through fantastical adventure stories.

Review:

Penny is excited for her first day of school tomorrow. Before she goes to sleep, she finds a note with a spell that transports her to a farm. She meets all kinds of animals on the farm, and teaches a group of pigs how to play soccer. After making friends with animals on the farm, Penny is ready to make new friends at school.

This was such a fun picture book! I liked that it showed how easy it was for Penny to make friends with animals, so then she can use those skills to make friends with kids on her first day of school. I loved the illustrations! They were vibrant and colourful. I would have loved reading this book when I was a kid.

Penny’s Day on the Farm is a beautiful picture book!

Thank you Eugenie Wong and Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a paid campaign!

Have you read Penny’s Day on the Farm? What did you think of it?

Review: Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie

Title: Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie
Author: Jackie Lau
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A charming rom-com about a young woman’s desperate attempts to fend off her meddling mother…only to find that maybe mother does know best.

Mark Chan this. Mark Chan that.

Writer and barista Emily Hung is tired of hearing about the great Mark Chan, the son of her parents’ friends. You’d think he single-handedly stopped climate change and ended child poverty from the way her mother raves about him. But in reality, he’s just a boring, sweater-vest-wearing engineer, and when they’re forced together at Emily’s sister’s wedding, it’s obvious he thinks he’s too good for her.

But now that Emily is her family’s last single daughter, her mother is fixated on getting her married and she has her sights on Mark. There’s only one solution, clearly : convince Mark to be in a fake relationship with her long enough to put an end to her mom’s meddling. He reluctantly agrees.

Unfortunately, lying isn’t enough. Family friends keep popping up at their supposed dates—including a bubble tea shop and cake-decorating class—so they’ll have to spend more time together to make their relationship look real. With each fake date, though, Emily realizes that Mark’s not quite what she assumed and maybe that argyle sweater isn’t so ugly after all…

Review:

Emily Hung is the only one out of five sisters who is single. She’s a published author who also works as a barista, so she doesn’t have time to date. At her sister’s wedding, her mom tries to set her up with Mark Chan. Her mom is constantly talking about what a great guy Mark is, which automatically turns Emily off him. When her mom sets her up on a date with Mark, Emily decides to have a fake relationship with Mark to get her mom off her back. However, when her family friends start appearing during their fake dates, Emily realizes they have to start going on real dates to prove to her mom that the relationship is real. As Emily starts to enjoy their dates, she starts to realize that the guy her mom picked out for her may be a better match than she thought.

I loved this story! I found Emily to be such a relatable character as a writer. Her comments and references to the publishing world were so accurate and often funny. I loved the relationship between Emily and Mark. Their “third-act-breakup” wasn’t too intense, which made the ending light and fun. It had such a heartwarming ending!

Love, Lies, and Cherry Pies is a fun rom com!

Thank you Atria Books for providing a copy of this book.

Have you read Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie? What did you think of it?