Serpent & Dove was as sweet as Lou's favorite cinnamon buns from Pan's Patisserie! Here I am in my stylish apron about to bake five delicious bright stars and serve them on the prettiest food platter you have ever seen and serve them to debut author Shelby Mahurin! It is always such a treat when I keep thinking about the characters and plot of a novel long after I close the book. Serpent & Dove took over my waking thoughts and even visited my dreams! When I had to put the book down I cursed the fact that life got in the way of such an appetizing and crave-worthy read! Bound as one to love, honor, or burn. It's been two years since Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, laying low and avoiding magic at all costs which turned her into a thief in East End living off whatever she could steal. In Cesarine witches like Lou are hunted, feared and burned by a group of holy men call Chasseurs who believe witches are evil. Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into a sticky situation: an impossible union—holy matrimony. Serpent & Dove is a tale filled with enemies-to-lovers, confronting prejudice, and devoted friendship. Love comes at a price and I was left incredibly vulnerable while reading this book. Readers are introduced to a tough, foul-mouthed, thieving cinnamon-bun-loving Lou and her character arc had steam coming out of my ears, a blush creeping up my cheeks, tears pooling in my eyes, and I laughed so hard I thought I'd stop breathing and die. The love story was messy and beautiful and completely my "effed up" cup of tea. For 500 pages, Shelby Mahurin was really able to unpack all of the tension and shape it into a gorgeous piece of art that I will never be able to get out of my head! I love the beauty of opposites and the way they compliment each other. Serpent & Dove is filled with a lot of contradictions which is what makes the love story so pure: it's perfect because of it's imperfections. I also enjoyed all of the revelations that helped the story come full circle. I'm always devastated when books are left open-ended with big "what-ifs" but Serpent & Dove left me feeling incredibly satisfied and eager for Blood & Honey set to release on September 1st, 2020. Like I mention previously, this book is 500 pages but it is so incredibly easy and entertaining to read. It was almost like Shelby Mahurin didn't want her readers to have to thing very hard or unpack the story with long drawn out lyrical sentences. It was straight and to the point and just exciting and wickedly entertaining! Bon Appetite, book loves! Enjoy Serpent & Dove and then come tell me your thoughts after! :) About the AuthorSHELBY MAHURIN grew up on a small farm in rural Indiana, where sticks became wands and cows became dragons. Her rampant imagination didn't fade with age, so she continues to play make-believe every day—with words now instead of cows. When not writing, Shelby watches the Office and obsesses over her Twitter feed. She still lives near that childhood farm with her very tall husband, semi-feral toddlers, two dogs, and one cat. Shelby's favorite books include A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and, of course, Harry Potter. Her second novel, BLOOD & HONEY, is expected to release from Harper Teen September 1st, 2020. Visit Shelby on Instagram (@shelbymahurin) and Twitter (@shelbymahurin) and say hello!
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If I possessed the power, I would make billions of stars in the night sky shower down around Jennifer Donnelly and her young adult novel These Shallow Graves instead of giving it a mere five-star rating. It deserves so much more praise than that. And rightly so. It is hard to categorize These Shallow Graves into one specific genre because it has so many sub-genres within itself. It is YA historical fiction and romance (you can tell she did a lot of research because of her bibliography at the end) with a mystery thriller holding it all together in one beautifully stitched binding. There are exciting themes within the pages that an avid reader looks for in their quest to escape reality for a little while. Jennifer Donnelly captivates her readers with a tale of romance, lethal secrets, loss, murder, wealth, betrayal, and a sense of identity—one of the most important themes found within literature. I fell into Jennifer Donnelly’s world in These Shallow Graves the way Alice plunged into the rabbit hole but instead of emerging in Wonderland, I found myself in Old Victorian New York. The author’s brilliant description and grasp of setting allowed me to picture what a marvelous grid New York City really is. It also helps that both front and back inside covers have a detailed map of the City of New York, its numerous street names labeled and displayed so we can trace Jo Montfort’s footsteps as she wanders through them in search for the truth of her father’s mysterious death and ultimately in search of herself. A reader assumes Jennifer Donnelly is enchanted by the City of New York the way she passes her passion for the city onto us with every typed word on the page. She is charmed enough with the city to live and write in Hudson Valley full-time. In her acknowledgments Donnelly writes, “And lastly, thank you to New York City, for making a writer of Jo Montfort. And of me.” Underneath that she quotes Moss Hart—a talented playwright, actor, and theatre director born in 1900s New York City—in his reflections of all the city has to offer: “The only credential the city asked was the boldness to dream. For those who did, it unlocked its gates and its treasures, not caring who they were or where they came from.” That is certainly an inspiring quote for a person who creates art and searches for a place where they are welcomed to do just that. Especially writers creating literature—the art of words. This novel was my substitute for food, sleep, and studying for finals. I was hooked from the first sentence but became obsessed with the book because of the last sentence of the first chapter: “You, on the other hand, wish to know things. And no one can forgive a girl for that.” This simple sentence of character development through dialogue is what made me instantly fall in love with Jennifer Donnelly’s main character, Jo Montfort, and the fact that we know right off the bat she will be a strong female lead and most importantly, cause trouble. As readers, we love trouble. The trouble Jo finds herself wrapped up in wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for her journalist mentality with her curiosity of why things are the way they are and if there is any way of changing them. Tsk, tsk. Upper-class ladies of Victorian New York are not meant to be poking their powdered noses in grisly matters, however Jo breaks her strict society’s gender expectations by roaming the streets at night with Eddie, a reporter at her father’s newspaper, in search of answers and the secrets she uncovers are hauntingly bone-chilling. Proceed with caution, dear reader. These Shallow Graves is a very fast-paced read. I devoured the way Jennifer Donnelly would start a chapter in the present, then use flashbacks of an event that happened earlier, only to return to the present and have another piece of information revealed through a cliff-hanger. She’s the master of suspense who compels the reader to continue on to the next chapter to find out what happens next. This is how all-nighters happen; how reality offers nothing worthy of breaking our connection with our imagination and a good book. I suggest you fill a cup of coffee, or two, for survival and set it next to you because you will be curled up on the couch with These Shallow Graves nestled in your lap all night long. Perhaps you will find yourself between the lines of this novel the way Jennifer Donnelly found the truly remarkable writer in herself. Unfortunately, the book will come to an end and you will have to return to reality but you will take the book with you—in loving memory. I Met Jennifer Donnelly!Jennifer Donnelly recently released her new novel Stepsister and I was able to meet her for the first time...EVER! Meeting your favorite author is such a surreal feeling and meeting her was everything and more. She gave an inspiring talk and made us feel beautiful and when she read the first chapter of Stepsister, I broke out into chills. These Shallow Graves reached my soul so being able to talk to Jen about Jo Montfort was a dream come true. I wish this pictures was clearer but the place the event was held had poor lighting. My experience is crystal clear though and I will never forget how wonderful a person Jennifer Donnelly is! :) About the AuthorJennifer Donnelly is the author of twelve novels Stepsister, Lost in a Book, These Shallow Graves, Sea Spell, Dark Tide, Rogue Wave, Deep Blue, Revolution, A Northern Light, The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and The Wild Rose - and Humble Pie, a picture book for children. She is a co-author of Fatal Throne, which explores the lives of King Henry VIII's six wives, for which she wrote the part of Anna of Cleves, Henry's fourth wife. She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History. In November 2015, Jennifer released the historical novel These Shallow Graves, which received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly and Shelf Awareness, and was named a Junior Library Guild Selection. Jennifer worked with Disney again in 2017, when she published Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book, an original story to accompany the blockbuster Beauty and the Beast film. Lost in a Book expands on the classic tale, exploring the growing friendship between Belle and the Beast as well as Belle's ordeal within the pages of Nevermore, a magical book from which she narrowly escapes. For more of Jennifer Donnelly, visit her website at www.jenniferdonnelly.com, follow her on Twitter @jenwritesbooks, Instagram @jenwritesbooks, and like her page on Facebook. It is a rare happening that I am able to read a whole book in one single day which clearly shows that Wren Handman's new YA Urban Fantasy novel, In Restless Dreams, is completely unputdownable and an incredibly fast read! I award this book four bright stars and I'm also blowing thousands of kisses at Parliament House Press for granting me a ARC in exchange for an honest review. Seriously, book loves, Parliament House Press is AMAZING & their authors are incredible so give them a follow to stay up to date on their hot new book releases in 2020. In Restless Dreams follows Sylvia Hartford who has to deal with a ton of problems like her mother’s attempted suicide, making friends in a rich prep school where she doesn’t belong, maneuvering the advances of a dangerous but insanely attractive boy at her school and it definitely doesn't help that she learns she is the long-awaited Phantasmer, a human who can change the fabric of Fairy simply by believing in a new story. To add more drama to Sylvia's bowl of cheerios...two warring Courts, the Seelie and Unseelie, both attempt to use her for their own ambitious queens, Queen Mab and Queen Titania who seek to destroy each other. And it doesn’t help matters that the fairies begging for her help (Knight and Stranger) are both attractive young men–with their own agendas. I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure story found in In Restless Dreams. I'm always in awe of Urban Fantasy because I believe it is challenging to write but Wren Handman had beautifully vivid depictions of Fairy blurring together with our real world and it was extremely well-done! Painted murals on a brick building on the Upper East Side of New York City were doorways into Fairy and the Shadow world and I actually felt as though I were there. The reason I didn't give In Restless Dreams 5 stars is because two questions kept nagging me over and over and they went unanswered throughout the book. The first question that berated me incessantly was: "How and why was Sylvia Hartford chosen to become the next Phantasmer?" There is a passage in the text where Sylvia asks "Why me?" and the Knight responds "Honestly, it's entirely luck that let me find you. And entirely you that makes you special." And to be fair Sylvia does say that his statement needs more explaining but as he goes on it's really just about what a Phantasmer is and what the past Phantasmers did to change Fairy in the past, but Sylvia's unique importance and her origin as the Phantasmer is breezed past and not really mentioned. The other question that distracted me often was: "Why in the world would Sylvia even WANT to help Fairy by changing the Seelie and Unseelie Courts?" I guess one can assume it was because of her attraction to both the Fae males, Knight and Stranger, but there is even a point in the novel where she wants nothing to do with their versions since they're on different sides and totally biased and so she goes off on her own to hear what the Commoners and people of Fairy have to say about their current state of livelihood (something that isn't solved because she's unable to communicate with the people of Fairy due to a language barrier). I just didn't understand what gave Sylvia the motivation to put herself in danger for a place she never knew about or didn't explicitly have any real ties to. Overall, I highly recommend In Restless Dreams if you loved Gossip Girl, Lev Grossman's The Magicians, and Holly Black's The Folk of the Air series because if you love those books this one was especially created with you in mind!! In Restless Dreams will be released on January 28, 2020 from The Parliament House Press. About the AuthorWREN HANDMAN is an author, playwright, and stage manager who lives in Vancouver, BC. She received her BFA in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria and her MFA in Theatre and Playwriting at UBC. Her short stories have been published in literary magazines such as "Crow Toes Quarterly" and anthologies such as "Revolutions of the Undertones" and "Voice From the Planet". Her plays have won critical acclaim at the Victoria International Fringe Festival (Best New Play) and the Theatre in the Raw New Play Contest. Check out Wren Handman's Website wrenhandman.com! Follow Wren on Instagram (@singsthewren), Twitter (@wrenhandman), and on Facebook (@wrenhandmanwriter) to keep up with all of her upcoming books, and her daily shenanigans. LOOK AT THIS COVER, BOOK LOVES!!! What do you think? I'm so grateful I get to know, chat, and work with fabulous USA Today Bestselling Author, Lichelle Slater!! I beta read her second book in the Forgotten Kingdoms series, The Siren Princess, and I'm just head over heels for her fairy-tale retellings!! • ~|| THE BEAT PRINCESS SYNOPSIS ||~ Do not be deceived by looks alone, or the truth of your heart has been shone. • Traipsing about the kingdom in the form of a wof-beast alongside a boy I despise was not how I planned spending the week after the autumn celebration. But when I woke to find myself transformed and everyone in my castle frozen into furniture, I couldn't avoid getting help. • Of course, in exchange for helping me, Gerard wants the autumn stone. • I'm terrified, but can't show it. With magic outlawed in Arington, I have no idea how to break this enchantment or save myself, and if Gerard knew I cried when he wasn't looking, he would see me as nothing but weak. • I never expected to develop feelings for him. He's a beast with nothing to lose and not a care in the world, and when the choice comes for me to save him or save myself, the choice is clear. • Or is it? • You'll devour this tale of facing your fears and trusting in others, and you may just discover there's more to a person than how they look. Check out the other books in the Forgotten Kingdom series!!! Make sure you follow Lichelle on Instagram @lichelleslater_author and join her Facebook Group, Lichelle's Book Wyrms here.
PREORDER a copy of The Beast Princess right now!! I'm so excited for this book and I know you all will LOVE it. |
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