Book Blitz & Giveaway: Premonition by Leigh Walker

Premonition
Leigh Walker
Series: The Division #1
Publication date: July 19th 2017
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis: When Riley heads off to boarding school for a summer work-study program, she knows it’ll be demanding. What she doesn’t expect? To be thrust into an intense physical training program described as special, exclusive and worst of all–top-secret. She signed up for tuition assistance, not to be held in a secret government facility for boot camp…
Welcome to The Division, the government agency that’s so classified, most United States senators have never heard of it.
The Division wants Riley bad, but she can’t figure out why. Skeptical of what she’s being told, Riley’s determined to uncover the truth. Boot camp is intense, physically and mentally draining. The upside? One of her new teammates is the cutest boy ever. Watching Finn hit the gym wearing a tank top doesn’t suck–although sometimes his brooding attitude does. But when training forces Riley to confront her tragic past, even Finn’s big biceps aren’t enough to make her want to stay…
Beware: The Division isn’t something you just walk away from. You better run.
Riley realizes her capabilities and strengths are greater than she’d ever imagined. But she also learns she wasn’t just chosen for this special program…
She was made for it.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

INTERVIEW WITH LEIGH WALKER

Q: Wow, you’re interviewing yourself…how pompous!
Right? It’s to tell people more about the series, lol. Although I should admit that I normally talk to myself a lot, so this isn’t much of a departure.
Q: Tell us about “The Division” – it’s a bunch of teenagers with psychic powers, right? How did you get inspired?
Everyone on the team has psychic powers, yes. I was watching “Stranger Things” on Netflix and I WAS SO PSYCHED they were testing poor Eleven for psychic powers. But I was also like, YEEHAW! Because I LOVE psychic powers, and I can’t remember the last time I saw or read something that included them. I’ve always been obsessed by the concept, and there’s so many variations of powers, so many incarnations it can take… Anyway, after watching that show and having that reaction, I thought, other people must love this stuff, too, I can’t be the only one. So I wanted to give us all more!
Q: Tell us about the main character, Riley Payne.
Riley is a ‘normal’ girl dealing with a lot. Her father and sister died in a car accident and her mother started drinking heavily after it happened. She just wants to get out of her house and go to boarding school, but she gets more than she bargained for when she abruptly gets recruited into a secret agency…
Q: The ‘secret agency’ is The Division, correct?
Yes. It’s a secret cell of teenagers who were genetically engineered with psychic gifts. They work for the American government to combat domestic terrorism.
Riley thinks they’re nuts, of course. Until she unlocks her powers, then she’s blown away by what she can do.
Q: As the series goes on, you get into genetic engineering, fated love, eco-terrorism, loyalty, isolation, human nature, climate change…some pretty heavy themes. But would you describe the series as a difficult read?
I don’t think so, but certainly some parts were hard to write – like about Riley missing her dad and her sister. I still cry when I read those parts. And in the second book, an eco-terrorist is introduced, and some terrible things happen in the book. So yeah, there’s definitely a heaviness to some of what the characters are dealing with. But they’re teenagers, and their youth is sort of a tonic against everything they’re dealing with. They still care about their friends. They still want to hang out, tell stories, joke around. They are still very interested in falling in love. I think my writing style is naturally light and breezy, so it’s sort of a counterpoint to the storyline. If that makes sense, lol.
Q: What’s your favorite part of this series?
Riley and Finn’s relationship. They have so much on their plates, and they’re so young, but they genuinely care for each other in a way that makes me ache.
Q: What do you do when you’re not writing?
I have three large, unruly boys who like to play every sport and eat as much food as possible. When I’m not at my computer, I’m busy carting them around and grocery shopping. But I also love to relax with a great book or television show – I am currently completely obsessed with Riverdale, OMG!!!
Thanks for having me! Happy reading!!!

Author Bio:
Leigh Walker lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. She has a degree in Journalism and a law degree. She's never been to the Naval Shipyard prison in Kittery, ME, but she's driven by it...and boy, is it creepy!

Leigh has lots of books planned for The Division Series. Sign up for her mailing list at www.leighwalkerbooks.com to be notified of the next release in the series! You can also find her on The Division's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/divisionbookseries/

Website / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Liar's Pact by Jacqueline Garlick

Liar’s Pact
Jacqueline Garlick
Publication date: October 17th 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis: What’s a Little Lie Among Friends?
A wild barn party. A disturbing sensation. A foolish prank. A near-fatal crash. Kyla Cooper wakes the next morning to find herself the center of an investigation, accused of triggering her estranged boyfriend’s attempted suicide.
Wrought with heartache and rocked by jealousy, she left the party early, haunted by formidable, telepathic-like visions of stolen kisses, speeding cars, twisting metal and breaking glass. Kyla now fears she may have ignored the warning signs of danger. Could the visions she was experiencing been a preview of what was to come?
Convinced what happened to her boyfriend is no accident, Kyla embarks on a dangerous journey to expose the truth. But the only one who knows what really happened, is her boyfriend Denver. And he’s trapped in a catatonic state unable to speak.
As Denver slips deeper and deeper into catatonia, Kyla rushes to embrace her newly-found powers in order to reach him, as all the while, a dangerous pact is forming, intent on making sure the truth is never unearthed. Navigating the landmine of the mean-girl cliques and runaway gossip that swirl the halls of her high school, Kyla’s fights against blame and time to free Denver from his catatonic prison, and expose the liars in their game.
Will Kyla’s power be enough to bring Denver back, or will the pact of liars get away with near-murder?

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:
Jacqueline likes gritty stories with beating hearts, dislikes wimpy heroines and whiny sidekicks, and loves a good tale about an irresistible underdog.
Don't you?
Lumière—a steampunk-fantasy, romance adventure—is the award-winning Book One in her young adult Illumination Paradox Series.
Jacqueline is a graduate of Ellen Hopkin’s Nevada Mentoring Program, and has also studied under James Scott Bell, Christopher Vogler and Don Maass, where she was the 2012 recipient of the Don Maass Break Out Novel Intensive Scholarship.
Jacqueline is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes pod casts, guest blogs, Skype interviews and speaking engagements, as well as comments and emails from her readers.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter / Newsletter

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Everlast Series by Juliana Haygert

Destiny Gift
Juliana Haygert
Series: The Everlast Series #1
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Synopsis: Her gift will bring light to a world of darkness…
In 2047, the world exists in permanent darkness. Nineteen-year-old Nadine, a student at NYU, works hard to better her family’s life in the harsh conditions. When she starts having strange visions of someone named Victor, she tries to ignore the flashes, afraid she might be going insane.
But when she bumps into a very real Victor, her entire world shifts. Her visions taking a turn for the worse, Nadine is bombarded with prophecies of eerie fates, unfamiliar gods, sharp-clawed demons… and instructions. Along with the reluctant Victor, she finds her path entwined with yet another man, Micah, who may be able to shed light on her dark revelations.
Directed down an unbelievable path of magic and mayhem, the three must unravel clues from the visions in order to restore an ancient creed. The chance to bring sunlight to the world again is in Nadine’s gift, but only if the evil forces behind the darkness don’t manage to stop her first.
If you like Urban Fantasy Romance with Post-Apocalyptic elements, you’ll love this action-packed story about destiny, self-discovery, and love. Destiny Gift will entice fans of Lauren Kate, Cassandra Clare, and Kim Harrison.

Goodreads / Amazon

--

Soul Oath
Juliana Haygert
Series: The Everlast Series #2
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Synopsis: Her soul will restore life after death…
It’s been three months since the events that changed Nadine’s life, and she’s finally starting to put the pieces back in some semblance of order. But she knows this new normal cannot last. Until Victor and Micah find the scepters that will restore them to their true forms, their human bodies will require her healing touch. It’s only a matter of time before the men return to wreak havoc on her world again.
As if to prove her right, Victor shows up, a swarm of demons on his trail. After turning him away, Nadine is forced to flee to safety, unwilling plunged right back into the chaos of the mystical world. Despite her attempts to keep her family out of the battle, the unthinkable occurs, and her only hope lies in the oath she forces Micah to make.
Confronted by her greatest fear, Nadine finds a new motivation. Vengeance. And when seeking revenge, no risk is too great, including her own life.

Goodreads / Amazon

--

Cup of Life
Juliana Haygert
Series: The Everlast Series #2.5
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Synopsis: He will live forever, but his existence will mean nothing without her.
Not even a god can break a soul oath. Refusing to accept Nadine’s imminent death, Micah goes on a perilous journey to discover a way to change her terrible fate. A legend about a cup holds the key, but the price to get it may be more than he is willing to pay.
A short novella from Micah’s point of view about his attempt to use love’s light to break through death’s unforgiving darkness

Add on Goodreads

--

Everlasting Circle
Juliana Haygert
Series: The Everlast Series #3
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Synopsis: Her fight against darkness will only delay death…
With the last battle fast approaching, the time to gather allies for an army is running out. As are the number of days left in Nadine’s life.
Despite Micah’s insistence that they find a way to stop Nadine’s impeding death, she chooses to focus all her attention on strategies to win the war instead. With a new hero, a new god, and new abilities, she starts to believe they might actually have a chance to lift the never-ending veil of darkness. Until a betrayal throws a wrench into their carefully made plans, setting them back to square one.
Lost and angry, Nadine contemplates giving up, but her warrior spirit won’t allow her to admit defeat. Her time on this Earth might be ending, but she has too much to accomplish before she dies. Against all odds, Nadine will keep fighting to win the war… even if it takes until her very last breath.

Add on Goodreads

Author Bio:
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting--but equally gratifying--life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
Subscribe to Juliana's newsletter to stay up-to-date with new releases: http://eepurl.com/CKsmX

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Publication Date: October 3rd 2017
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

My Rating

2/5 stars

My Review

Wild Beauty was a really beautiful book, but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations.

The youngest generation of the Nomeolvides girls are all in love with the same woman. The problem with the Nomeolvides is that when a girl falls in love, the boys always disappear. When the girls give an offering to the land for the safety of girl they love, the land returns a mysterious boy. Fel can't remember anything, not even his name or the reason why he was in the ground in the first place. Estrella believes that he is the lover of one of her ancestors, so when Estrella starts falling in love with Fel, not only does she have to worry about his disappearance, but the wrath of her family.

This book started off very strong. It was really interesting in the beginning, mostly because it was so unique. A bunch of cousins living together under one roof, with three generations of Nomeolvides girls. I loved how the glbt community was introduced into this book, it had a very strong and mature description of everything, it was absolutely fantastic.

At a certain point in the book, a character named Reid comes in. The beginning of the book was really strong until Reid shows up, after this the book starts to slow down and it becomes so boring I had to force myself to keep reading. The middle of the book does not have a lot of action, it mainly focuses on the family, and their power over creating flowers out of nothing. While I like the idea behind this book and the magic powers in it, actually reading about it was kind of boring. 

The other reason I couldn't really get into this book, was because I just wasn't able to connect to any of the characters. Right from the beginning were introduced to the whole family, and its a lot to take in all at once. I found myself forgetting the names of most characters in this story, except for the main two characters and three others. I think this book really needed a family chart, just to see who is related to whom and how.

Overall, this book had a very strong beginning and end, but a terribly boring middle. The magic aspect of this book was interesting, but eventually got a bit boring. The romance and the two main characters were fairly good, but there were just too many characters to keep track of everyone and actually get attached to them. I would still recommend this book to people who like light action stories involving magic and romance.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

Waiting on Wednesday: Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Publication Date: September 26th 2017
Publisher: Macmillan
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves. 

Review: Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Publication Date: September 26th 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: Time flies when you're plundering history.

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past. 

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

My Rating

4/5 stars

My Review

Usually I'm not a huge fan of time travel books, but this one is definitely the exception. Invictus was an action packed novel with an amazing group of characters. 

Everyone knows the McCarthy name. Far's mother is a famous time-travelling recorder, and Far is following right in her footsteps. When Far enters his final exam, he immediately fails. He knows deep down in his heart that someone sabotaged his exam, but there is no way to prove it. The only way Far can become a captain now, is if he joins the blackmarket business.

This book had a slow beginning, which is the biggest reason why I ended up giving this book a four star rating. It was really hard to get into the book, especially in the beginning when you're just getting to know the characters. After the initial beginning, once the crew of Invictus starts going on their missions and you get to see the whole squad together, the book really starts to pick up and it gets interesting. I could not put the book down.

I absolutely fell in love with this plot. I'm a huge history buff, and seeing the characters travel to places and times that were really important in history. They travel to places like the Titanic before it sinks, Libraries in Egypt, and rescue painting before they were destroyed in World War II. The idea behind the story is just absolutely fantastic, I love the world that Ryan created.

Surprisingly, I loved all the main characters in this book. Everyone was so different, yet they all had something about them that made me fall in love with their character. Far was very egotistical at first, I thought that I wouldn't end up liking his character, but later on in the book you get to see the side of him where he shows you just how much he cares about the Invictus family and how he would do anything to save them. I loved Imogen and Gram right from the beginning, she is absolutely hilarious and has such wonderful and positive attitude, and he is just really smart, but also just a well rounded character. I wasn't huge fan of Priya at first, mostly because she was really quiet, but we see her character development later on in the book, and she definitely ended up growing on me. Elliot was the big mystery, she definitely made the book a lot more interesting, her storyline definitely became one of my favourites.

What I loved most about this book, was the two sets of romances present. We get the cute "I like you, but I'm too scared to tell you" romance between Imogen and Gram, and the "we've already been in a relationship for a while, but we need to work on it" type of romance with Far and Priya. Both romances were wonderful, but I'm so happy that the author chose to incorporate both into the story. If he just used Far and Priya's romance it would have been too boring, and on the other hand if he just had Imogen and Gram's romance it would have been a bit cliche and boring. Having both romances present just had the perfect balance. Well done.

One thing I didn't really understand, was the use of new words instead of swear words. The author chose to use words like Hash, or hashing instead of the typical swear words we use in the english language. This didn't exactly make sense to me, I think the young adult audience could handle light swearing, or if he didn't want to use real swear words why not just not incorporate it into the book.

Overall, this book was absolutely wonderful. If you love time travel, history or science fiction then definitely pick up a copy of this book, I guarantee you will love it.

Happy Reading,
Aneta 

Book Blitz & Giveaway: Achilles by Greg Boose

Series: The Deep Sky Saga #1
Publication Date: September 26th 2017
Publisher: Diversion Publishing 
Genre: YA, Science Fiction 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD ~ Website ~ B&N ~ Kobo

Synopsis: Lost meets The 100 in this action-packed YA science fiction series-starter. The year is 2221, and humans have colonized an earthlike planet called Thetis in the Silver Foot Galaxy. After a tragic accident kills off dozens of teenage colonists, Thetis's leaders are desperate to repopulate. So the Mayflower 2, a state-of-the-art spaceship, sets off across the universe to bring 177 new recruits to the colony. 
For Jonah Lincoln, an orphaned teen who's bounced between foster homes and spent time on the streets of Cleveland, the voyage is a chance to reinvent himself, to be strong and independent and brave the way he could never be on Earth. But his dreams go up in smoke when their ship crash-lands, killing half the passengers and leaving the rest stranded--not on Thetis, but on its cruel and unpeopled moon, Achilles.
Between its bloodthirsty alien life forms and its distance from their intended location, Achilles is far from an ideal resting place. The situation is already dire, but when all of the adults suddenly disappear, leaving the teenage passengers to fend for themselves, Jonah doubts they'll survive at all, much less reach Thetis. Especially when it appears Achilles isn't as uninhabited as they were led to believe. 

About the Author

The fourth of six kids, Greg Boose grew up on a large produce farm in northeast Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree from Miami University, and then later received his M.F.A. at Minnesota State University Moorhead where he focused on screenwriting and fiction.

Greg is the former Los Angeles and Chicago Editor for BlackBook Magazine, and his work has appeared on/in many magazines and websites, popping up in culture and news publications like Chicago Public Radio, The Believer, The Huffington Post, Time Out Chicago, Chicago Reader, and NFL.com; writing silly shit for humor sites like McSweeney's, Cracked.com, Yankee Pot Roast, Monkeybicycle, The Nervous Breakdown, Feathertale, and Opium; and working hard on writing TV pilots, humor shorts, and plays. His one-act play "Everybody Else's Fault" was performed by Bakersfield Community Theater in 2010, but he was too broke to travel and see it live.

When he’s not writing or reading, he enjoys skateboarding, boxing, tennis, following the Cleveland Browns and Cavaliers, collecting turtle skulls, and testing to see if people read everything closely.

He lives in Santa Monica with his two young daughters. 

Giveaway

Enter below for a chance to win one of three Advanced Reader Copies of Achilles by Greg Boose. Contest is open to US addresses only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. With this amazing meme, you can check out which books I've gotten this past week.

From Book Tour

The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz
When the music stops, the dance begins.

Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.

But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.

Bought

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined. 

What did you guys get this week? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper #2
Publication Date: September 19th 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: In this hotly anticipated sequel to the haunting #1 bestseller Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

My Rating

5/5 stars

My Review

Hunting Prince Dracula was absolutely stunning. I loved this book so much, it was just as good as the first one, if not better. I’m already dying to read the next book.

After the death of her brother and the haunting past of the Jack the Ripper case, Audrey Rose cant shake the feeling that she’s being watched. It doesn’t help that now shes living in Dracula’s castle where she has to battle for a spot to attend one of the best medical schools. When a new murderer starts killing students and villagers, and draining them of blood, everyone believes that Dracula has come back to life and is taking his revenge. Could Prince Dracula be immortal, or is someone murdering people in his name.

I forgot how much I adore Audrey Rose. I love her strong personality, she’s not afraid to be a feminist in a time where it was quite scandalous for a woman to act this way, but that doesn’t stop her. She tells people exactly how it is, she won’t let a man undermine her and she is not afraid to outsmart anyone in her class. Honestly I wish that Audrey Rose was a real person, because I would love to be best friends with her.

Her romance with Thomas is as wonderful as ever. This book definitely didn’t have second book syndrome, and their romance was basically the same as from the first book, but slowly moving forward.

The thing I love most about this series is the fact that it always manages to surprise me. I have so many guesses to who the killer really is, but the author always manages to lead me away form the true killer and think “No way it could be this person,” I love it. I’m always pleasantly surprised at how the mystery turns out. 

Overall, I love this series so much. I highly recommend it to everyone, whether you love contemporary, fantasy, or mystery this will be a series you love. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

Cover Reveal: Deadly Sweet by Lola Dodge

Deadly Sweet
Lola Dodge
Series: Spellwork Syndicate #1
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: January 16th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis: For fans of Hex Hall, The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars!
Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spellbooks in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Too bad one wants witchcraft on their campus. Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with rejection letter after rejection letter.
Desperate to escape her dead-end future, Anise contacts the long-lost relative she’s not supposed to know about. Great Aunt Agatha owns the only magic bakery in the US, and she suddenly needs a new apprentice. Anise is so excited she books it to New Mexico without thinking to ask what happened to the last girl.
The Spellwork Syndicate rules the local witches in Taos, but as “accidents” turn into full-out attacks on Anise’s life, their promises to keep her safe are less and less reassuring. Her cranky bodyguard is doing his best, but it’s hard to fight back when she has no idea who’s the enemy. Or why she became their target.
If Anise can’t find and stop whoever wants her dead, she’ll be more toasted than a crème brûlée.
Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Author Bio:
Lola Dodge is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University--and hasn't stopped moving since. When she's not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can't melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Series: The Folk of the Air #1
Publication Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Fantasy 
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ TBD

Synopsis: Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Book Tour & Review: Fate of the Stars by Arwen Paris

Fate of the Stars
Arwen Paris
Publication date: September 1st 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis: When the fate of the world rests upon you…
Allison Delaney wants to spend her senior year healing from the loss of her father, to leave the shadows of his death and her junior year break-down behind. A Labor Day beach party seems like a good place to start…but there’s more danger lurking than anyone could imagine. Death is coming to Earth if the pods of infectious creatures aren’t stopped. But only one human can help…
To live or die is no longer a choice.
Eenoki is a protector of life but must have a sentient host to fight the invasion. A teenage girl would not be the best choice, but out of desperation Eenoki invades Allison’s mind and body, granting her unnatural abilities and strengths – and helping her escape certain death when the first wave of pods land.
As destruction rains down on Earth’s population, Allison realizes to save everyone, she must make the ultimate choice: Reject her human side and bond with Eenoki to become the Earth’s Priestess – or be killed along with the rest of humanity.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

My Rating

3/5 stars

My Review

Fate of the Stars is an epic story of an alien invasion and an unlikely heroine. 

Allison is a loner, and ever more so after the death of her father. With a mother who choses to ignore her, and a best friend who's just entered a new relationship, Allison is completely alone, that is until an alien spirit named Eenoki inhabits her body. When an evil race of aliens come down to Earth and start killing it's inhabitants, Eenoki and Allison may be the only ones to stop it. 

I really enjoyed reading from Allison's point of view. While she may not be the smartest character, she is definitely very determined and the character development she goes through in the book is truly amazing. In the beginning of the book we see that Allison is very shy and socially awkward. She doesn't like people very much and would rather be in her room alone than face any of her problems. After the descent of the aliens, we see Allison step out of her shell, she finally starts opening up about her emotions and becomes a stronger and more determined character, mostly due to Eenoki's help. Overall, she was a wonderful main character.

I wasn't a huge fan of any of the side characters. The ones we see the most are her best friend, her mother and her best friend's boyfriend. They were all interesting and unique in their own way, but none of them stood out or really impressed me.

The one aspect of the book that I wasn't super fond of was the storyline and how it played out. While I absolutely loved the beginning, especially with the beginning of the descent, I found the middle of the story to be repetitive and a tad boring. While I don't want to spoil too much of the story, I will say that the middle revolves around Allison going somewhere, and then running away, and then returning to that same place, only to run away again. It was a lot of back and forth, and while I can see why the author chose to write it this way, it became boring quite quickly because it didn't feel like the main character was accomplishing anything. Also this didn't help with the world building of the story, as we only get to see a very limited number of spaces.

Overall, while it had a few flaws, I think the idea behind this book is brilliant and the main character is absolutely fantastic. I can't wait to continue reading this series and see what will happen next.

Author Bio:
Arwen Paris is the author of young adult fiction. Her debut YA Sci-fi Urban Fantasy novel FATE OF THE STARS releases September 1, 2017. The actions packed pages of her novels are filled with characters that are forced to face fears they never expected. When she's not writing, you can see posts of her (too many) vacations that keep her sane. Arwen lives in Washington, has a big crazy family & after the day job, she writes Fiction For the Fearless - #F3Fanatic

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway