Blog Tour Review: The Dark Lord Clementine

Title: The Dark Lord Clementine
Author: Sarah Jean Horwitz
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The new face of big evil is a little . . . small.

Dastardly deeds aren’t exactly the first things that come to mind when one hears the name “Clementine,” but as the sole heir of the infamous Dark Lord Elithor, twelve-year-old Clementine Morcerous has been groomed since birth to be the best (worst?) Evil Overlord she can be. But everything changes the day the Dark Lord Elithor is cursed by a mysterious rival.

Now, Clementine must not only search for a way to break the curse, but also take on the full responsibilities of the Dark Lord. As Clementine forms her first friendships, discovers more about her own magic than she ever dared to explore, and is called upon to break her father’s code of good and evil, she starts to question the very life she’s been fighting for. What if the Dark Lord Clementine doesn’t want to be dark after all?

Review:

This story was a great dark, middle grade fantasy.

There were multiple characters followed in this story, though it was mostly about Clementine. There were a couple of adults who were featured, such as Darka, a unicorn hunter. Each part was in third-person, which showed what the characters were doing and their motivations. I loved that there were adult characters in this book too, not just kids.

One of the main themes in this story was that everyone makes mistakes. That doesn’t mean they need to be punished for it forever. I think all of the characters made some kind of mistake, and they each reacted to them differently. Some wanted revenge, like Darka, and others punished people for it, like the Dark Lord. In the end, everyone makes mistakes and it doesn’t mean they are a bad person.

I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to Read Next:

The Wingsnatchers (Carmer and Grit #1) by Sarah Jean Horwits

The Flight of Swans by Sarah McGuire

About the Author:

Sarah Jean Horwitz is the author of the middle grade fantasy series CARMER AND GRIT and the upcoming THE DARK LORD CLEMENTINE. Sarah grew up next door to a cemetery and down the street from an abandoned fairytale theme park, which probably explains a lot. She currently lives near Boston, MA.

Thank you to Algonquin Young Readers for letting me participate in this blog tour.

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – October 2

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 Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey by Various Authors. The expected publication date is November 12, 2019.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This anthology features stories based on the movie Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Halrey Quinn) Harley Quinn, Black Canary, the Huntress Renee Montoya and Cassandra Cain.

Set after the events of Suicide Squad, the film follows Harley Quinn as she joins forces with Black Canary, the Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save Cassandra Cain from Gotham City crime lord Black Mask. This book will spotlight stories featuring each of these badass Ladies of DC.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

Title: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
Author: Mariko Tamaki, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel
Publisher: First Second Books
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There’s just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend.

Reeling from her latest break up, Freddy’s best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it’s really Laura Dean that’s the problem. Maybe it’s Freddy, who is rapidly losing her friends, including Doodle, who needs her now more than ever. Fortunately for Freddy, there are new friends, and the insight of advice columnists like Anna Vice to help her through being a teenager in love.

Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.

Review:

This book was a break up story, rather than a love story. Laura Dean kept breaking up with Frederica, but Fred still loved her. Every time Laura decided she wanted to be with Fred, Fred would accept her. However, when Fred spent all her time thinking about Laura, she was neglecting her friends when they needed her most.

There were some tough issues that were in this book. Fred was in an unhealthy relationship, but it was difficult for her to get out of it. It was obvious from the beginning that Laura wasn’t a great person, but Fred loved her. I kept rooting for Fred to figure it out and move on. There was also another character who had an abortion. This could be a trigger warning for some readers.

I loved the art in this book. The images were in black, white, and some light pink. It was a simple design to go with this heavy story.

This was a great story!

What to read next:

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki

Kiss Number 8 by Colleen A.F. Venable, Ellen T. Crenshaw

Have you read Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Book Titles With Numbers in Them

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 Titles With Numbers in Them. As an added challenge, I decided to choose books that have the numbers from 1 to 10. Here’s my list:

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

3. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

4. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

5. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Mike Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis

6. Six Goodbyes We Never Said by Candace Ganger

7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

8. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

9. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

10. Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

What’s your list of Books with Numbers in them?

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Review: Cupid’s Match (Cupid’s Match #1)

Title: Cupid’s Match (Cupid’s Match #1)
Author: Lauren Palphreyman
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

He’s mythologically hot, a little bit wicked, and almost 100% immortal. And he’ll hit you right in the heart . . . 

“Miss Black, we have a big problem.”

Lila Black doesn’t believe in matchmaking, let alone soul mates. So then why is she constantly being hassled by the Cupids Matchmaking Service? But this gilded, cherub-bedecked dating agency isn’t exactly what it seems . . . and it’s about to turn Lila’s entire world upside down. 

It turns out that Cupids Matchmaking is the real deal. As in, it’s run by actual cupids—who don’t look at all like they do in the paintings—and they have a serious problem with Lila’s “match.” Because this guy shouldn’t be in the system. He shouldn’t have a match. And while he’s irresistibly hot, he’s also incredibly dangerous. Because Lila’s true love match is Cupid. The original bad boy of love. And he wants her. 

Now Lila’s once-normal teenaged world has exploded into a mythological nightmare overrun by crime-lord sirens, wrathful cupid hit men, magic arrows that cause no end of trouble, and a mischievous, not-so-angelic love god she can’t seem to stop herself from falling for . . . 

Adored by 50 million readers on Wattpad, Lauren Palphreyman’s smash-hit book is now in print for the first time. 

Review:

This story was a cute combination of mythology and a contemporary romance.

The world building of the Cupid matchmaking service became very developed by the end of the story. The beginning was more contemporary, as the characters were introduced. There were some other mythological figures who made an appearance by the end, which I loved.

There were a lot of cheesy references in the first half of the book. The names of places in the town Forever Falls included the Love Shack and Romeo’s. There was a street named after Juliet, to go along with Romeo. I also found it a little confusing that all of the Cupids had names that started with “C.” It made it easier to tell who was a Cupid, but I kept getting the names mixed up.

Despite the sickly sweet references, this was a fun story!

Thank you Wattpad Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Valentine’s Day (Cupid’s Match #2) by Lauren Palphreyman

Have you read Cupid’s Match? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – September 30

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 Cupid’s Match by Lauren Palphreyman.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Cursed by Thomas Wheeler, Frank Miller.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Dark Lord Clementine by Sarah Jean Horwitz.

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

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – September 29

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

I’m also hosting a giveaway for The (Other) F Word, which you can find here:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Cupid’s Match

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 Cupid’s Match by Lauren Palphreyman.

Goodreads Synopsis:

He’s mythologically hot, a little bit wicked, and almost 100% immortal. And he’ll hit you right in the heart . . . 

“Miss Black, we have a big problem.”

Lila Black doesn’t believe in matchmaking, let alone soul mates. So then why is she constantly being hassled by the Cupids Matchmaking Service? But this gilded, cherub-bedecked dating agency isn’t exactly what it seems . . . and it’s about to turn Lila’s entire world upside down. 

It turns out that Cupids Matchmaking is the real deal. As in, it’s run by actual cupids—who don’t look at all like they do in the paintings—and they have a serious problem with Lila’s “match.” Because this guy shouldn’t be in the system. He shouldn’t have a match. And while he’s irresistibly hot, he’s also incredibly dangerous. Because Lila’s true love match is Cupid. The original bad boy of love. And he wants her. 

Now Lila’s once-normal teenaged world has exploded into a mythological nightmare overrun by crime-lord sirens, wrathful cupid hit men, magic arrows that cause no end of trouble, and a mischievous, not-so-angelic love god she can’t seem to stop herself from falling for . . . 

Adored by 50 million readers on Wattpad, Lauren Palphreyman’s smash-hit book is now in print for the first time.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Books I Read at School

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 Yellow Books. Here’s my list:

1. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

2. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

4. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

5. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

6. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Books You Read in School?

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Review: Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2)

Title: Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2)
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Owlcrate Jr. Box
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass’s parents are filming their TV show about the world’s most haunted cities. Sure, it’s fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there’s true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter — and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she’s unleashed could haunt the city forever.

Review:

I’ve loved paranormal stories since I was a kid. This series reminds me of The Mediator series by Meg Cabot, which is one of my all time favourites! It has a similar storyline, with a girl who has a best friend who’s a ghost, but for a middle grade audience.

One of the best parts of these books is that it teaches kids about different cities. Cassidy and her parents went to Edinburgh in the first book, which is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. In this book, they went to Paris. I went to Paris 10 years ago and I was constantly reminded of that trip while reading this story! We went to many of the tourist attractions also featured in this book, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but not the Catacombs. The Catacombs sound fascinating, but I don’t know if I’m brave enough to go there!

This is a great story! I can’t wait to see where Cassidy Blake travels next!

What to read next:

Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

Have you read Tunnel of Bones? What did you think of it?