After 12 year old Sam loses her mother, her faith in magic has diminished. She accompanies her father on another one of his excursions to find a mythical creature that everyone is familiar with. This mythical creature is in trouble because of her dad’s best friend. It’s up to Sam to protect it at all costs. While she tries to help this creature she learns of these great magical powers she possesses, but she needs to learn self-control while using these powers.
‘Ash’ is a amazing young adult/middle grade book with a strong female lead. It was fast paced (not in a bad way) story and Feldman sure knows how to write a incredible story. The backstories are very interesting as well and added just the perfect touch to the story. Let’s not forget that the mythology and folklore made its presence in the book and that made me happy. Huge thanks to Feldman for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
** spoiler alert ** “I’d leave this house the first chance I got, but not by chasing after a boy, including my brother. I’d do it on my own terms, following my own dreams, not someone else’s”. -Camila (Furia)
Let’s just start off by saying that this book was everything and more. It was a tale of strength, of a girl pushing against all odds, and a girl chasing her dreams no matter what. Futbol is Camila’s life and she’s determined to become a huge star and eventually make it to the states. There is many obstacles in Camile’s way however. She has to worry about her parents finding out that she plays futbol, she has to worry about measuring up to her brother’s standards and she has to worry about her abusive father. Set in the country of Argentina, Camile has to be careful, there’s just so much sexism towards women who don’t except their roles in society. But, Camile doesn’t care. She’s fiery and her personality shines throughout the book. I really was looking forward to seeing her succeed and eventually for her mother to also be happy. Living with Camile’s abusive father has really killed the spirit of her mother. It was a stressful household and life for Camile and everyone involved. But, eventually in the end Camile and her mothers relationship starts to patch up and their bond is unbreakable.
Camile isn’t the only facing adversity. There’s a lot going on with her teammates as well, especially one whose little sister goes missing. In Camile’s town there’s girls that are going missing everyday, and their bodies are coming up. This creates major chaos and instills fear in everyone, especially Camile’s mother whose always worried about Camile as is. These poor girls’s never had a chance at life. Their stories floating in the air as non-exist. Mendez does a great job of sprinkling some politics in there but, not a lot to steer away from the main story itself. It really makes you think of what is truly going on in the country of Argentina.
I really enjoyed this story, and I can proudly say it’s one of the best books I have read this year. Mendez has a way with her writing that really pulls you in and makes you apart of the story. The relationship between Diego and Camile is just enough not to take away from the premises of the story which is Camile’s passion of playing futbol and becoming a star that all little girls and women can look up to. While abuse was mentioned throughout the book and wasn’t really shown as much as it was talked about, please be aware there’s two instances of abuse in the book. One of which is animal abuse. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can purchase ‘Furia’ in hardcover, audiobook, and kindle format here. You can also follow the author at their social media platforms:
Afi lives in a small town in Ghana. Her and her mother have lived in poverty for a while, depending on the help of her extended family especially Aunty, who is a major money maker in their town. Aunty wants Afi to wed her son Eli, but of course there’s a catch, Afi is to wed Eli because he’s in love with another woman his family doesn’t approve of (shocking). Afi’s job here…to try and make Eli fall in love with her, but he’s not cracking so easily; he’s standing his ground. This book started off with a bang. Afi was a firecracker with good intentions in her heart. She basically sits around trying to adapt to her rather new and lavish lifestyle. All while waiting for her new “husband” to come and at least meet her you know? She’s done all she can to make her marriage work, especially since she actuations;lly starts to fall in love with Eli. So will Afi finally get to conquer Eli’s heart and live happily ever after?
I enjoyed this book a lot. I love reading books set in other countries, it really gives you an inside look at how things normally are for them; refreshing to see. Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin for providing me with a physical copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can purchase ‘His Only Wife’ in hardcover, audiobook, and kindle format here. You can also follow the author at their social media platforms:
We can all agree that 2020 has been one of the worst years of our lives. In these unprecedented times full of uncertainty there’s nothing quite like getting lost in the pages of a book. Jennifer haunt did any amazing job with created this book along with a plethora of authors who are feeling the harsh times during COVID. Social distancing and the shutdown of virtually everything has made it difficult for everyone, especially writers, authors, and bookstores. Jennifer came up with the concept of reaching out to authors to donate a writing piece about their COVID experiences to fundraise for indie booksellers. Within hours, dozens of authors were on board to help.
Through the words of these amazing writers you got to experience what it was like having COVID, when your “Lungs felt like cement”, discussing a pandemic, talking about the isolation that came with social distancing, hiding behind a mask, helping others by delivering their groceries to them for the fear of them being high risked, watching a person going through grief because they can’t be there because of social distancing, and many other stories, poems, and interviews. I absolutely loved the concept of this book. I myself am high risk and have been home for over 150 days, especially since my job seems to continue testing positive. At least I still have the comfort of my books. I really enjoyed this book and the cause supported. In the print book there’s 68 stories, and in the e-book there’s 22. Whenever I get a chance I’m definitely getting the physical copy. Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When ‘No one is Watching’ is a fantastic glimpse into the important issues that has been impacting this country for years, but more importantly that still continues in 2020. If you feel uncomfortable reading it…well you should. Perhaps it will be a wakeup call to all of you that are privileged.
The novel centers around gentrification in brooklyn. Something that a majority of NY is going through, but none have been more impacted than Brooklyn. Sydney’s neighbors are all moving to the suburbs and she has worked on starting her own walking tour to educate people on what truly happened to black people back in the day. She’s sick of all the b.s. being fed to people. A medical research center is being built in her neighborhood and things are starting to get weirder and weirder. So many things are questionable for Sydney. What’s going on? Is she losing her mind? What can she do to fix all this?
I really enjoyed this book. This is Alyssa Cole’s first thriller and she killed it. I love how much Cole educated you on the history of Brooklyn, just spitting facts. I will admit that a lot of these things I didn’t even learn about in school and that’s sad as hell. I definitely recommend this book to everyone. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for a copy of this book for an honest review.
Happy Book Birthday to Alyssa Cole today! You can purchase ‘When No One is Watching’ in paperback, audiobook, and ebook format here. You can also follow the author at their social media platforms:
Wylodine (Wil) lives in Appalachian Ohio where she’s left to tend to her mom’s marijuana farm (imagine inheriting a marijuana farm?) after she up and leaves with her boyfriend. Wil is looking forward to Spring, as is everyone, but for the past two years snow is all everyone’s been seeing. Things are looking pretty scarce. Will goes into town and is faced with an even scarier situation and a major crisis happening.
There’s lines in town for basic necessities, schools are closed because of the lack of funds for heating, food is impossible to find, and food supplies are down. There’s seems to be no hope for humanity or the wildlife. Everyone is off to find warmer weather. Wil decides to up and leave herself with all the needs for the marijuana farm. Along the way to California she encounters questionable characters on her way there whom are pretty desperate and taking violent measures themselves to survive.
‘Road out of Winter’ is a fantastic dystopian novel, honestly more people should be talking about it. The writing was superb, all the little details made the book so interesting. A definite eye opening story that shows what choices people will make to save their own kind, and the relationships one makes when put in the same situation. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Mira Books for a copy of this book in exchange for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Road out of Winter comes out September 1, 2020 in Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook format and can be pre-ordered here.
You can also connect with Alison Stine at her social media:
‘The Last Story of Mina Lee’ is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you finished reading it. A mother/daughter story always tugs at my heart strings. When Margot calls her mother while on a road trip to L.A. and she doesn’t pick up, she immediately feels like something is wrong, and she’s not wrong. The story is told from two perspectives, Margot and her mother (Mina). Margot feels there’s more to the story of her mother’s mysterious death. Her curiosity and grief lead her to start investigating what went wrong.
This story is amazing and shows the struggle of being in immigrant in the United States, falling in love with the wrong person and where it leads to, and also the struggle between a mother/daughter relationship. I love books that show people’s struggles that have arrived to a new country (not in a bad way), because we’re all human and have to adapt. Just like myself and countless others. Thank to Harlequin Blog Tours, Park Row Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can purchase ‘The Last Story of Mina Lee’, (which comes out September 1, 2020) here -Kindle, Hardcover, and Audiobook available for pre-order.
You can also find the author at her social media platforms:
Here to Stay is my first novel from Adriana Herrera. It was really cute and different from what I’ve been reading lately. Julia is a New Yorker by all standards, but for the last year she’s been living in hot Texas after she moved for her boyfriend’s job. Shortly after the bf up’s and leaves her for his ex and Adirana’s world comes crumbling down. She enjoys her job, but she doesn’t know how to feel now that she’s been told that her company may be on the chopping block. The person to make that decision is the ever so handsome Rocco, who she can’t seem to stop thinking about. Rocco also feels the same way, but both of them know that they shouldn’t be feeling like this. It just won’t work, but pretty soon they both give into their desires and the flame burning between them only intensifies. Especially after Adriana starts a group for relocated New Yorkers.
The family trope in this book was amazing. There’s nothing better than reading about families whose bond is so strong. It makes me happy while reading. I wouldn’t mind seeing some backstories from everyone because it’s just that interesting. The chemistry between Rocco and Adriana made the writing so much better and dynamic. Herrera did a great job and I wouldn’t mind reading more form her. Huge thanks to NetGalley, Carina Press, and Harlequin Blog Tours for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“Some girls grow up to be the kind of women who fall for men like their fathers. Some girls grow up to be just like them” -Jaquira Diaz
Ordinary Girls is a gut wrenching memoir from Jaquira Diaz. Growing up in Puerto Rico in poverty, along with a schizophrenic mother, drug dealer father, and a sick brother was no easy feat. She knows what it’s like to struggle and be lost without a way. As a young girl she spent her time in the streets hanging out with the wild crowd, and getting into trouble. She had no-one that cared for her or her well being, except for her grandmother, but even with that she couldn’t completely trust that she would always be there for her. Half the time her mother prostituted herself for her guilty pleasures.
Jaquira and her family moved to Miami to see if being in a different area would somehow make life a bit better, but life was just the same if not worse. Consistently moving around, Jaquira turned alcohol, sex, drugs, and other things that were normal in her life. She also was in and out of jail. Her life was bound to stay a continuous disaster if things didn’t change quickly. Diaz felt lost without no support. School was never her forte either so she didn’t even have that either. So how did a young girl with such a horrible life make it to her passion as a writer? You have to find out for yourself.
This was such a great memoir. I’m so glad Diaz was able to take some control of her life and used it towards her writing. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m very excited to be working with Liza James and Wildfire Marketing Solutions to bring you a teaser of her stand alone novel :’ Vibe’. Please be aware there’s trigger warnings for this book that include: rape, drugs, violence, and explicit sexual depictions.
Blurb:
Aura This wasn’t the life I was meant to live. No, I should be working on solidifying my ladder of ascension. No matter what the cost or what I had to give up. No matter what they made me do. Their little wildflower, that’s who I am. Quiet, meek, gullible. Until I met the one person who changed all of it and became something more. She’s my filthiest secret. And one I intend on taking to the grave.
Ruby Another night at the club I work at—Pandora’s Box. Another dance, another tease, another round of shots and callously thrown dollar bills. Until her. Until the energy shifted and one moment became the only thing that mattered. Because she changed everything, claiming my attention and making it hers. My dangerous little mistake, my favorite enticing regret.
