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 The Evil Queen by Gena Showalter. The release date is June 25, 2019.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Welcome to the Forest of Good and Evil. A dream come true, and a living nightmare.
Evil isn’t born, it’s made. One thought and action at a time. Take a good look at what you’ve made.
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—and determined to change Fate itself—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 bits and pieces of the prophecy unfold, 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?
Title: Bright Burning Stars Author: A.K. Small Genre: Young Adult Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Source: Publisher via NetGalley, Thomas Allen & Son (book distributor) Format: Ebook, Paperback Release Date: May 21, 2019 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.
But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.
Review:
This story shows the dangers within the world of dance. It is a beautiful art form, but there can be hidden tragedies behind the scenes.
One of the girls had an eating disorder, because she has always been a little bigger than the other girls. The other girl gets into some complicated relationships which lead her to make dangerous decisions. Though they are friends, they are ultimately competing to become number one. They can only stay friends for so long, since only one will win.
I used to dance, so I enjoyed this story. I was never a professional dancer like these girls, but I could imagine some of the dances they were performing. This dance world was scary to read about, because it was so cutthroat. Their teachers encouraged the dangerous behaviour by putting the girls down and criticizing them all the time. It was heartbreaking to read.
I really enjoyed this story! It had a twist ending which I didn’t see coming!
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers and Thomas Allen & Son for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
Fireworks by Katie Cotugno
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett
About the Author:
A.K. Small was born in Paris. At five years old, she began studying classical dance with the legendary Max Bozzoni, then later with Daniel Franck and Monique Arabian at the famous Académie Chaptal. At thirteen, she moved to the United States where she danced with the Pacific Northwest Ballet for one summer in Seattle and with the Richmond Ballet Student Company for several years. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary and has an MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing, she spends time with her husband, her puppy, and her three daughters, and practices yoga. Bright Burning Stars is her first novel.
Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for letting me participate in this blog tour.
Have you read Bright Burning Stars? What did you think of it?
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 a Page to Screen Freebie. I’m listing my Favourite Page to Screen Adaptations, both TV and movies. Here’s my list:
1. The Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Love, Simon
3. Pretty Little Liars
4. The Princess Diaries
5. A Game of Thrones
6. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
7. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vol. 1: The Crucible
Title: Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) Author: Sarah Mlynowski Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Publisher: HarperTeen Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: June 7, 2011 Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Praised by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle as “hilarious, moving and flat-out fun,” and Kirkus as a “pitch-perfect rendering … of the teen experience,” Ten Things I Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) has captured the hearts of critics and readers alike. Fans of Sarah Dessen, E. Lockhart, and Maureen Johnson will love this hilarious and heartwarming tale of a girl on her own for the first time.
If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn’t jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe “opportunity” isn’t the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: “Lied to Our Parents”). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up “Skipping School” (#3), “Buying a Hot Tub” (#4), and, um, “Harboring a Fugitive” (#7) is a mystery to them.
To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn’t-have-done at a time.
Review:
This book surprised me. It wasn’t as light as other Sarah Mlynowski books I’ve read. There were some heavy topics in this high school story.
April moves in with her friend while her dad moves away to Cleveland during her junior year of high school. They got up to lots of trouble, since her friend’s mom was out of town as well. I can’t imagine moving in with friends because my parents moved out of town. Some parts of that storyline were sad, since both of April’s parents moved away from her, rather than keeping her with them.
There were different kinds of relationships explored in this novel. There were new secret romances that some people didn’t want to share. There were also affairs and cheating. Lots of people denied their feelings. I don’t want to give away exactly what happened, but it made for some serious scenes. It got kind of dark and depressing near the end, which I was not expecting.
This book wasn’t like other Sarah Mlynowski books, which usually have a cheerful theme. However, if you like teen romances, this would be a great book for you.
What to read next:
I See London, I See France by Sarah Mlynowski
Have you read Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have)? 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 Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Girl of the Southern Sea by Michelle Kadarusman.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
Title: We Contain Multitudes Author: Sarah Henstra Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: May 14, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universemeets I’ll Give You the Sun in an exhilarating and emotional novel about the growing relationship between two teen boys, told through the letters they write to one another.
Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam “Kurl” Kurlansky are partnered in English class, writing letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with homophobia, bullying, and devastating family secrets, Jonathan and Kurl struggle to overcome their conflicts and hold onto their relationship…and each other.
This rare and special novel celebrates love and life with engaging characters and stunning language, making it perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nina LaCour, and David Levithan.
Review:
I loved this story! I couldn’t put it down!
This story begins with Adam and Jonathan writing letters back and forth to each other as a school assignment, but it quickly blossoms into a friendship. I think this way of developing a relationship, which was basically orchestrated by the teacher, could be realistic. Sometimes teachers can see things in students that they can’t see themselves, so they can pair up students who would work well together. I’m curious to see the teacher’s perspective on their relationship and to know if she ever read their letters.
I loved the way that the letters told the story. The boys would recount things they did together. They often had a different perspective of events, so the letters weren’t repetitive. The letters would give two sides to the same story. This demonstrated the way that two people can see the same event in different ways.
This was an incredibly moving story.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What to read next:
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Have you read We Contain Multitudes? What did you think of it?
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 Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) by Sarah Mlynowski.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Praised by New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle as “hilarious, moving and flat-out fun,” and Kirkus as a “pitch-perfect rendering … of the teen experience,” Ten Things I Did (and Probably Shouldn’t Have) has captured the hearts of critics and readers alike. Fans of Sarah Dessen, E. Lockhart, and Maureen Johnson will love this hilarious and heartwarming tale of a girl on her own for the first time.
If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn’t jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe “opportunity” isn’t the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: “Lied to Our Parents”). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up “Skipping School” (#3), “Buying a Hot Tub” (#4), and, um, “Harboring a Fugitive” (#7) is a mystery to them.
To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn’t-have-done at a time.
