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 Wings of Ebony (Wings of Ebony #1) by J. Elle.
Goodreads Synopsis:
“Make a way out of no way” is just the way of life for Rue. But when her mother is shot dead on her doorstep, life for her and her younger sister changes forever. Rue’s taken from her neighborhood by the father she never knew, forced to leave her little sister behind, and whisked away to Ghizon—a hidden island of magic wielders.
Rue is the only half-god, half-human there, where leaders protect their magical powers at all costs and thrive on human suffering. Miserable and desperate to see her sister on the anniversary of their mother’s death, Rue breaks Ghizon’s sacred Do Not Leave Law and returns to Houston, only to discover that Black kids are being forced into crime and violence. And her sister, Tasha, is in danger of falling sway to the very forces that claimed their mother’s life.
Worse still, evidence mounts that the evil plaguing East Row is the same one that lurks in Ghizon—an evil that will stop at nothing until it has stolen everything from her and everyone she loves. Rue must embrace her true identity and wield the full magnitude of her ancestors’ power to save her neighborhood before the gods burn it to the ground.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
Title: Shark Summer Author: Ira Marcks Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: May 25, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
When a Hollywood film crew arrives on Martha’s Vineyard with a mechanical shark and a youth film contest boasting a huge cash prize, disgraced pitcher Gayle “Blue Streak” Briar sees a chance to turn a bad season into the best summer ever.
After recruiting aspiring cinematographer Elijah Jones and moody director Maddie Grey, Gayle and her crew set out to uncover the truth of the island’s own phantom shark and win the prize money. But these unlikely friends are about to discover what happens when you turn your camera toward the bad things lurking below the surface.
Review:
Gayle Briar was the pitcher on her softball team until she broke her arm. Now, her mother has moved them to Martha’s Vineyard because her mom has fond memories of spending the summers there when she was a kid. Their plan to open an ice cream stand is put on hold when her mom has to get a higher paying job to pay for Gayle’s hospital bills. Gayle explores the island and watches the filming of a shark movie. Gayle ends up finding Elijah, a young eager filmmaker, and Maddie, a local girl with a ghost story. The three of them make a shark film to enter into a film competition, but they end up uncovering an ancient island secret.
This is the perfect summer read. Gayle had moved to Martha’s Vineyard, but since it was her first time spending the summer there, it was like she was on a vacation and learning about the island for the first time. Elijah was just in town for the season and Maddie had lived there all her life, but she was bullied by the local children. They were each outsiders in some way. The three of them made a good group to discover the island secrets.
I love it when characters explore an ancient ghost story! Those stores about ghosts and hidden histories fascinated me as a kid. Maddie knew a ghost story and they used it as inspiration to make their film. What Gayle and Elijah didn’t know was that the ghost story was part of a deeper secret on the island. This secret reveal at the end of the story tied everything in together, and made the story feel complete.
Shark Summer is a fun middle grade graphic novel for the summer!
Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Just Pretend by Tori Sharp
Secrets of Camp Whatever, Vol. 1 by Chris Grine
Have you read Shark Summer? What did you think of it?
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 Instamom by Chantel Guertin. The expected publication date is June 29, 2021.
Goodreads Synopsis:
From bestselling author, beauty expert and TV personality Chantel Guertin, an intelligent yet swoon-worthy rom-com about modern relationships, modern choices, and redefining–not to mention rebranding–your dreams. When a proudly #childfree forever influencer seriously falls for a smart and sexy single dad, will his parental status be the ultimate #dealbreaker? Or will her world–and her brand on the ‘gram–be turned upside down?
It’s the influencer’s golden rule: know your niche. Kit Kidding has found hers on Instagram, where she gets paid to promote brands and share expertly curated posts about her fun, fabulous, child-free life. Kit likes kids just fine, but she passionately believes that women who choose not to become mothers shouldn’t have to face guilt. Or judgement. Or really hot chefs who turn out to be single dads.
Will MacGregor is aggravating, sexy, persistent, averse to social media, and definitely a bad idea. As soon as Kit learns his parenting status, she vows to put their scorching one-night stand behind her and move on. But Will and Kit are thrown together on an Instagram campaign, and the more time she spends with him–and his whip-smart, eight-year-old daughter, Addie–the more difficult it is to stay away, much less sustain what Will so cleverly calls her Resting Beach Face. Kit’s picture-perfect career path is suddenly clashing with the possibility of a different future–messy, complicated, and real. Which life does she truly want? Will she have to re-invent herself? And will love still be waiting by the time she figures it out?
Title: The Witch King Author: H.E. Edgmon Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT Publisher: Inkyard Press Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: June 1, 2021 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
To save a fae kingdom, a trans witch must face his traumatic past and the royal fiancé he left behind. This debut YA fantasy will leave you spellbound.
Wyatt would give anything to forget where he came from—but a kingdom demands its king.
In Asalin, fae rule and witches like Wyatt Croft…don’t. Wyatt’s betrothal to his best friend, fae prince Emyr North, was supposed to change that. But when Wyatt lost control of his magic one devastating night, he fled to the human world.
Now a coldly distant Emyr has hunted him down. Despite transgender Wyatt’s newfound identity and troubling past, Emyr has no intention of dissolving their engagement. In fact, he claims they must marry now or risk losing the throne. Jaded, Wyatt strikes a deal with the enemy, hoping to escape Asalin forever. But as he gets to know Emyr, Wyatt realizes the boy he once loved may still exist. And as the witches face worsening conditions, he must decide once and for all what’s more important—his people or his freedom.
Review:
Wyatt is a witch who ran away from his home and his marriage contract with a fae prince. The prince, Emyr, finds Wyatt in Texas, where Wyatt has found his transgender identity. Emyr has to bring Wyatt back to their kingdom, Asalin, so they can get married and fulfill their blood contract. However, Wyatt has bad memories of Asalin and doesn’t want to return. He will do anything to get out of this marriage. Wyatt is forced to travel to Asalin with his human best friend Briar, where he discovers Emyr may still be the boy he used to love. Tensions run high between the witches and the fae, leading Wyatt and Emyr to make life changing decisions.
This is the YA fantasy book I’ve been waiting for! I loved that the main character was transgender. Wyatt’s gender identity was an aspect of his personality but not his entire character. There were many moments where Wyatt commented on when someone treated him respectfully or not. Some of the ignorant and mean characters misgendered him or used his deadname (former name). He felt respected and acknowledged by characters who used his correct pronouns, even to refer to moments in the past. These were informative scenes that taught me about being transgender.
In this fantasy world, witches are non-fae children born to fae parents. Since they are considered outsiders in their family, they are ostracized from society and are often abandoned as children. Wyatt compared being a witch in that world to being queer in the real world. Wyatt had experienced being a witch and being queer. This metaphor of the witches and fae compared to being queer was a refreshing take in a fantasy novel.
The Witch King is a fabulous, diverse fantasy! I highly recommend it!
Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Infinity Son by Adam Silvera
Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve
About the author:
H.E. EDGMON H.E. Edgmon was born in the deep south but has had many homes, dropped out of school to do gay stuff, and is at least a little feral.
In both their writing and daily life, they aim to center the voices of Indigenous people, trans people, and survivors of trauma. It is always their goal to make fascists uncomfortable.
They have an eccentric little family of their own design, several very sensitive pets, and a lot of opinions. They can most often be found on Twitter @heedgmon.
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 Book Quotes with X Theme, so I decided to do My Favourite Book Quotes. Here’s my list:
1.
“Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.” – Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess
2.
“Even in the Future the Story Begins with Once Upon a Time.” – Marissa Meyer, Cinder
3.
“… broken isn’t the same as unfixable.” – Marissa Meyer, Winter
4.
“I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.” – V.E. Schwab, A Darker Shade of Magic
5.
“Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives–or to find strength in a very long one.” – V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
6.
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.” – V.E. Schwab, Vicious
7.
“No mourners. No funerals.” – Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
8.
“Memories were beastly little creatures, after all—they rose with the faintest whiff of nourishment.” – Chloe Gong, These Violent Delights
9.
“Libraries were full of ideas—perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.” – Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass
10.
“To the stars who listen—and the dreams that are answered.” – Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Mist and Fury
What’s your list of quotes on your Top Ten Tuesday?
Title: Strong Like the Sea Author: Wendy S. Swore Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Publisher: Shadow Mountain Source: Publisher Format: Paperback arc Release Date: May 25, 2021 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Featuring a secret ocean code with a hidden message for YOU to decipher!
Even though twelve-year-old Alexis was born in Hawaii, she won’t surf or swim with her friends—not since the ocean and its hidden creatures swept her out to sea. Instead, she grabs her best detective hat and decodes her mom’s latest challenge
Alex’s mom works in counterintelligence and leaves codes, ciphers, and puzzles behind for Alex to solve, always with a “treasure” at the end. It’s a brilliant game between them, and Alex loves figuring out her mom’s puzzles—especially the tricky ones—but when an emergency at sea puts her mom in possible danger, solving the next one suddenly feels far more urgent.
Friends help as Alex races to decipher each clue before time runs out, but when the trail leads to grumpy old Uncle, his enormous dog Sarge, and a sea turtle unlike any other, the challenge changes into something bigger than any before. With storms on the horizon and lives on the line, Alex must face her fears to solve Mom’s challenge and save those she loves. With her ohana to help, she must be strong like the sea.
Review:
Twelve-year-old Alexis was born in Hawaii but she’s scared of the water. Her mom travels with the navy, and she leaves codes and puzzles for Alexis to solve while she’s gone. Alexis has to solve her most difficult puzzle yet. She needs help to solve it, including from her grumpy Uncle. Before she can finish it, her mom goes missing. This becomes Alexis’s most important challenge, as she races to finish it to make her mom proud.
I would have loved this book when I was a kid. I loved puzzles and mystery stories. Alexis had many different types of puzzles to solve, including treasure hunts and codes. These sounded so fun, and may spark an interest in puzzles for young readers.
I loved the island setting. I haven’t been to Hawaii but I definitely want to go after reading this story. There were many Hawaiian terms used throughout the story, but they were either explained in the context of the sentence or in the glossary at the end. Food was an important part of the story as well. Most of it sounded really delicious, except for the stinky fruit they used to make a healing tea. I loved learning about Hawaiian culture in this story.
Strong Like the Sea is a great middle grade novel!
Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva
Hurricane Season by Nicole Melleby
Have you read Strong Like the Sea? What did you think of it?
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 Strong Like the Sea by Wendy S. Swore.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
This month, I was chosen by the Once Upon a Book Club VIP Program to receive a box to review. I was sent the Miss Meteor box from September 2020!
This book subscription is special because there are gifts that you open while you’re reading. Each gift corresponds to something that is mentioned on a page in the book. When you get to the pages with a corresponding gift, there is a sticky note reminding you to open your gift. This makes the reading experience so fun!
This is the book with the four gifts. The book was Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore. It’s a fun YA Sci-fi story. My review for Miss Meteor can be found here.
Now here are the gifts that went along with the book:
The first gift was a pink spatula.
The second gift was a mini cornhole game.
The third gift was a beautiful lace mantilla, or shawl. This will be a perfect light cover up in the summer.
The last gift was a purple iron-on patch that says “Meteor Tours.”
This was another beautiful box from Once Upon a Book Club!
If you’d like to purchase something from Once Upon a Book Club use my discount code Jemmett10 to get 10% off anything on the site!
Thank you Once Upon a Book Club for providing a subscription box in exchange for a review.
Do you get any subscription boxes? Which ones are your favourite?
