Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!
What books are you most excited for this week?
Title: The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #1)
Author: Gena Showalter
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: June 25, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★
WELCOME TO THE FOREST OF GOOD AND EVIL.
A DREAM COME TRUE…AND A LIVING NIGHTMARE.Far, far away, in the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm and fairy tales are real. Except, fairy tales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past—they are prophecies of the future.
Raised in the mortal realm, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a real-life fairy-tale princess—until she manifests an ability to commune with mirrors.
Look. See… What will one peek hurt?
Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.
With powers beyond her imagination or control, Everly returns to the land of her birth. There, she meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed. As the prophecy unfolds, Everly faces one betrayal after another, and giving in to her dark side proves more tempting every day. Can she resist, or will she become the queen—and villain—she was born to be?
The battle between good and evil is on.
Everly Morrow has lived her whole life in the mortal world with her sister and mother. One day, she begins to see something in the mirror, which is her special magical ability. Everly is actually from a fairy tale world, Enchantia, where she is fated to play a role in the fairy tale of Snow White and the Evil Queen. Everly has to travel to Enchantia to fulfill her part in the prophecy, but no one knows which role they are supposed to play. They have to figure out who will be Snow White, Prince Charming, and the Evil Queen.
This was an exciting twist on the fairy tale adaptation. It wasn’t clear which character was playing which role in the Snow White fairy tale. At different parts of the story, any of the characters could be either Snow White, the Huntsman, Prince Charming, or the Evil Queen. This was a clever way to keep the reader guessing until the end.
This story was a little long and complicated at times. It got confusing when the roles in the Snow White kept changing, though it kept me wondering who was going to eventually fulfill each role. Some of the scenes were repetitive, such as when they traveled in the forest. The same things kept happening to the characters in the forest, like being chased by different creatures and bathing in the lake. I think some of these parts could have been condensed to make the story more fast paced.
I really enjoyed this fairy tale story. I’m excited to read the next one!
Thank you HarperCollins Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read The Evil Queen? 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!
This weekend I finished The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #1) by Gena Showalter.
I’m currently reading The Wrong Mr. Darcy by Evelyn Lozada with Holly Lörincz.
Next I will be reading Smash It! by Francina Simone.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:
I did 9 weekly blogging memes:
How was your week? What did you guys read?
The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.
This Sunday I’m reading The Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #1) by Gena Showalter.
WELCOME TO THE FOREST OF GOOD AND EVIL.
A DREAM COME TRUE…AND A LIVING NIGHTMARE.Far, far away, in the realm of Enchantia, creatures of legend still exist, magic is the norm and fairy tales are real. Except, fairy tales aren’t based on myths and legends of the past—they are prophecies of the future.
Raised in the mortal realm, Everly Morrow has no idea she’s a real-life fairy-tale princess—until she manifests an ability to commune with mirrors.
Look. See… What will one peek hurt?
Soon, a horrifying truth is revealed. She is fated to be Snow White’s greatest enemy, the Evil Queen.
With powers beyond her imagination or control, Everly returns to the land of her birth. There, she meets Roth Charmaine, the supposed Prince Charming. Their attraction is undeniable, but their relationship is doomed. As the prophecy unfolds, Everly faces one betrayal after another, and giving in to her dark side proves more tempting every day. Can she resist, or will she become the queen—and villain—she was born to be?
The battle between good and evil is on.
What book are you in bed with today?
This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Good Role Models, but I decided to do Books About Fashion (going off the word “model” in the prompt). Here’s my list:
(All book covers from Goodreads)
Did you make a Six for Sunday list?
Title: The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga #1)
Author: David A. Robertson
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 8, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.
Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home — until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Askí, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything — including them.
Morgan and Eli are Indigenous foster children who live in the same foster house in Winnipeg. Eli has just moved in, and even though Morgan moved in two months before, she doesn’t feel comfortable yet because she hasn’t ever had a comfortable long term home. Their foster parents try to make the children feel more at home by bringing in Indigenous traditions, but it only pushes them away further. One night, Morgan and Eli sneak up to the attic and discover a portal into Misewa, a land with talking animals. Misewa has become barren, with a winter that has lasted years. Morgan and Eli have to help their new friend, Ochek the fisher, bring the green time back to their land while also learning about their Indigenous heritage.
This story reminded me of the Chronicles Narnia, but with Indigenous roots. The land that they travel to has talking animals who walk on two legs and speak Cree. This story had some creative aspects because Morgan is a writer and Eli is an artist. It is through Eli’s drawing that they find the mysterious land. As a writer, I liked how these creative arts connected that world with ours.
Though Morgan is from an Indigenous background, she doesn’t know their traditions. She has been in foster care for as long as she can remember, so she doesn’t feel a connection to her heritage. When her foster parents bring in Indigenous food and moccasins for her to wear in an attempt to get closer to her, it pushes her further away because she doesn’t have that connection to her heritage. This reminded me of the residential schools in Canada. Years ago, Indigenous children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools to remove their traditions and cultural history. The way that Morgan didn’t know her own background reminded me of that because she had also been removed from her family and heritage. However, this wasn’t quite as devastating for Morgan as it was for the children who were sent to residential schools because she was able to learn some of her Indigenous heritage on their trip to Misewa.
This is a beautiful middle grade story. I can’t wait to read the next one!
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have you read The Barren Grounds? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted Devouring Books. This week’s prompt is Science Fiction Books I Want to Read. Here’s my list:
(All book covers from Goodreads)
If you’d like to do this list too, consider yourself tagged!
Did you make a Top 5 Saturday list?
Title: The Queen’s Secret: A Novel of England’s World War II Queen
Author: Karen Harper
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: May 19, 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
If you love Jennifer Robson or The Crown you will love New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper’s novel about Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
1939. As the wife of the King George VI and the mother of the future queen, Elizabeth—“the queen mother”—shows a warm, smiling face to the world. But it’s no surprise that Hitler himself calls her the “Most Dangerous Woman in Europe.” For behind that soft voice and kindly demeanor is a will of steel.
Two years earlier, George was thrust onto the throne when his brother Edward abdicated, determined to marry his divorced, American mistress Mrs. Simpson. Vowing to do whatever it takes to make her husband’s reign a success, Elizabeth endears herself to the British people, and prevents the former king and his brazen bride from ever again setting foot in Buckingham Palace.
Elizabeth holds many powerful cards, she’s also hiding damaging secrets about her past and her provenance that could prove to be her undoing.
In this riveting novel of royal secrets and intrigue, Karen Harper lifts the veil on one of the world’s most fascinating families, and how its “secret weapon” of a matriarch maneuvered her way through one of the most dangerous chapters of the century.
Queen Elizabeth is married to King George VI. Together they have to strategize with Winston Churchill about how to defeat Hitler in WWII. But Elizabeth is keeping many secrets that could damage her reputation if they were discovered. Elizabeth holds her breath while hoping her darkest secrets are never revealed.
This was an exciting story. The royals had to deal with the war happening around them as well as their personal problems. King George missed his brother, who had been exiled after abdicating the throne. Elizabeth was concerned about her daughter falling for a young navy officer, Philip. Elizabeth was also keeping her own secrets from everyone else, which would cause many problems if they were revealed.
There were many different secrets that the Queen was keeping. Some of them were believable, but others were so extreme that I had a hard time believing could be true. As I often do when I read historical fiction, I had to google characters to figure out what really happened. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but these were scandalous secrets that would have affected her life if they were true and they were exposed. The Queen’s secrets made the story intense, but they were so scandalous that they didn’t seem realistic.
I enjoyed this royal historical story!
Have you read The Queen’s Secret? What did you think of it?
This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda’s Voice.
The Rules are:
I chose The Queen’s Secret: A Novel of England’s World War II Queen by Karen Harper.
Here is my line from page 56 in my copy:
“It was good to see our own children enjoying themselves so. Both Lilibet and Margot had pink cheeks, had been laughing, and were out of breath from pretending to fight a duel with each other wielding two of Queen Mary’s old walking sticks like sabers, whacking away.”
Did you make a post for the Friday 56?
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