Showing posts with label TBR and Beyond Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TBR and Beyond Tours. Show all posts

Friday, August 27, 2021

TBR and Beyond Tours - Burden Falls

 


TITLE: Burden Falls
AUTHOR: Kat Ellis
PUBLISHER: Dial Books
PUBLISHING DATE: August 24, 2021
PAGES: 304
SOURCE: ARC


FROM GOODREADS:
Riverdale meets Stephen King in the terrifying new thriller from the author of Harrow Lake. 
The town of Burden Falls drips with superstition, from rumors of its cursed waterfall to Dead-Eyed Sadie, the disturbing specter who haunts it. Ava Thorn grew up right beside the falls, and since a horrific accident killed her parents a year ago, she's been plagued by nightmares in which Sadie comes calling—nightmares so chilling, Ava feels as if she’ll never wake up. But when someone close to Ava is brutally murdered and she’s the primary suspect, she begins to wonder if the stories might be more than legends—and if the ghost haunting her dreams might be terrifyingly real. Whatever secrets Burden Falls is hiding, there's a killer on the loose . . . with a vendetta against the Thorns. 

When I saw the Riverdale comparison I just knew I had to read this book.  While there's no Jughead, there are plenty of other characters to keep things interesting.  So to shake things up, I'm just sharing with you 15 Reactions I Had While Reading This Book.  You'll just have to read it to see how they play into the plot!

  1. Is a year really long enough for a body to knit itself whole?
  2. I want to see a tree full of ghost apples - how pretty!
  3. Aha!  THAT explained the cover.
  4. Ava needs a new car, but its so funny she praises Lucifer whenever it starts on the first try.
  5. Pepperoni never did me wrong either.
  6. THE FLYS!!! I can't believe the author referenced The Flys (runs off singing "Got you where I want you."
  7. Because of COVID the town started holding outdoor celebrations of important events called Danse Macabres.  What a great idea.
  8. Much respect to Daphne's Dimple Theory - I agree.
  9. Dead-Eyed Sadie is one spooky urban legend.
  10. Every phone needs a claw-back function to retract texts.
  11. That dog better not die!
  12. DON'T GO IN THE CELLAR!!!!
  13. I too have a thing for shark movies Ava :)
  14. Nerdy vampires - nice visual.
  15. What an intense ending!
RATING: 5 PAWS





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Kat Ellis is the author of young adult novels Harrow Lake, Purge, Breaker, and Blackfin Sky, as well as a novella within the Three Strikes collection titled The Twins of Blackfin. 

Kat studied English with Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, then spent several years working in local government communications and IT. 

When she is not writing, Kat can usually be found exploring ruins and cemeteries with her camera. She is an active blogger, instagrammer and tweeter, and is represented by Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency.




Author Links:

Website: http://www.katelliswrites.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/el_kat

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katelliswrites/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7169579.Kat_Ellis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatEllisWrites


CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE TOUR HERE:

https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2021/07/16/tour-schedule-burden-falls-by-kat-ellis/

 



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Wednesday, April 21, 2021

TBR and Beyond Tours - Sugar and Spite

 


TITLE: Sugar and Spite
AUTHOR: Gail D. Villaneuva
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
PUBLISHING DATE: April 20, 2021
PAGES: 208
SOURCE: ARC


FROM GOODREADS: 

Jolina can’t take Claudine’s bullying any longer! 
The taunts and teasing are too much. Though Jolina is still learning her grandfather’s arbularyo magic and isn’t supposed to use any on her own, she sneaks into his potions lab to get her revenge. There she creates a batch of gayuma, a powerful love potion. 
And it works! The love potion conquers Claudine’s hateful nature. In fact, Claudine doesn’t just stop bullying Jolina—now she wants to be Jolina’s BFF, and does everything and anything Jolina asks. 
But magic comes with a cost, and bad intentions beget bad returns. Controlling another person’s ability to love—or hate—will certainly have consequences. The magic demands payment, and it is about to come for Jolina in the form of a terrible storm…
Magic and reality mingle in this brilliant new middle-grade novel about true friendship that asks whether it’s ever okay to take away someone’s free will.


MY THOUGHTS:  This is such an adorable MG novel and I can think of tons of people, both young and old, who might enjoy it.  Jolina and her family moved to help her grandfather following her grandmother's death.  Her father now runs the family restaurant and her mother gets a job in an up-scale ocean front resort.  Jolina spends her time between hanging out with her best canine pal Kidlat, her grandfather and school.  Her grandfather is teaching her arbularyo magic but Jolina can't quite get the hang of it.  When she sneaks and uses it to make the town's bully Claudine like her, will it work out the way she planned or have unintended consequences?

This book was super sweet.  I loved the family relationships, the pets and how important a role they play, and message it sends about friendship, being different, and bullying.  In fact, let me break it down.

THE TOP 5 REASON YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!

1.  Kidlat - he's super adorable and the bond between him and Jolina is priceless.

2.  You'll learn something - I had so much fun learning about Filipino culture from the food, the locale and the healing magic.

3. I ADORED the relationship between Jolina and her grandfather.

4.  It teaches a very important lesson about acceptance and bullying.

5.  It has such a fun and colorful cover!

So there you have it.  I do have to say there is an animal death in this book and you guys know how that effects me.  But other than that, Sugar and Spite is a fantastic read.

RATING: 4 PAWS



CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR THE REST OF THE TOUR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gail D. Villanueva is a Filipino author born and based in the Philippines. She’s also a web designer and an entrepreneur. She loves pineapple pizza, seafood, and chocolate, but not in a single dish together (eww). Gail and her husband live in the outskirts of Manila with their dogs, ducks, turtles, cats, and one friendly but lonesome chicken. Her debut novel MY FATE ACCORDING TO THE BUTTERFLY (Scholastic, 2019) was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, an Amazon Best Book of the Month Editor’s Pick, and a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. Gail’s next book, SUGAR AND SPITE, will be published by Scholastic in Spring 2021. Learn more at www.gaildvillanueva.com.

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

TBR and Beyond Tours - The Bitterwine Oath

 

TITLE: The Bitterwine Oath
AUTHOR: Hannah West
GENRE: Young ADult
PUBLISHER: Holiday House
PUBLISHING DATE: December 1, 2020

SYNOPSIS: Every fifty years, a cult claims twelve men to murder in a small Texas town. Can one girl end the cycle of violence - and save the boy who broke her heart?

San Solano, Texas is a quaint town known for its charm, hospitality, and history of murder. Twice now, twelve men have been brutally killed, and no one knows who did it. A shadowy witch? A copy-cat killer? Or a man-hating murderess? Eighteen-year-old Natalie Colter is sure that the rumors about her great-great-grandmother's cult of wronged women are just gossip, but that doesn't stop the true crime writers and dark tourism bloggers from capitalizing on the town's reputation. It's an urban legend that's hard to ignore, and it gets harder when Nat learns that the sisterhood is real, and magical. And they want her to join.

The more Nat learns of the Wardens' supernatural history, the more she wonders about the real culprits behind the town's ritualistic murders. Are the Wardens protecting San Solano from even darker forces? As the anniversary of the murders draws near, the town grows restless. Residents start getting "claimed" as this year's planned victims, including Levi Langford, the boy whose kiss haunted Nat for a year.

Nat knows that no one is safe. Can she and the sisterhood stop the true evil from claiming their town? 

MY THOUGHTS: When I saw mention of a cult, I knew that I would eventually be picking this book up to read.  And boy, am I glad I did so sooner rather than later.

Natalie is a descendant of an ancient cult who years ago was associated with witchcraft and the ritualistic murders of twelve young men.  Every 50 years, the massacre cycles around and this year just happens to be the summer before Nat leaves for college.  Wanting nothing to do with the group called the Wardens, even though she discovers her best friend is already a member, Nat tries to deny her heritage.  However, eventually she learns that all is not what is seems and she may have sacrifice her future to save those she loves.

I loved how West combined the elements of witchcraft, feminism, modern times and historical fiction together is a Southern setting.  Nat is a great character who really seems to be struggling with the normal expectation and experiences of a woman about to leave home for the first time to attend college.  I also enjoyed the friendships in this book because they weren't perfect.  People disagreed and weren't always on the same page and seriously, isn't that real life?  The book was eerie and mysterious and I couldn't wait to get to the end.  I will say that yes, this is a YA book and there is a romantic component.  Yet West did not go the typical "insta-love" way and provided us with a couple with a history unearthing their true feelings.

If you enjoy books featuring witches and cults, this is the book for you.  I'm so glad I picked it up and West is an author I will have my eye on in the future.

RATING: 4 PAWS



BOOK LINKS:


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hannah West is the author of young adult books including The Nissera Chronicles series and The Bitterwine Oath. ​She’s been writing fantasy since kindergarten, when she penned her first tale about a princess who ran away and lived at the top of a flagpole with two loaves of bread. But it wasn’t until she studied abroad in Orléans, France during college that the premise for her first novel materialized. The fairy tale castles, the snowy winter days, and a Disney princess pencil that arrived in a care package from her parents provided the inspiration that allowed her to wrangle all her untold and unfinished stories into a novel.

Hannah current lives in the Dallas area with her husband and their two rambunctious rescue dogs.


AUTHOR LINKS:

And below you will find the link to a playlist inspired by this novel!


RHIANNON - Fleetwood Mac
COOL FOR THE SUMMER - Demi Lovato
HARD TO FORGET - Sam Hunt
SEASON OF THE WITCH - Lana del Ray
BABY DID A BAD BAD THING - Chris Isaak
RAIN ON ME - Lady Gaga
SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - America
HAPPIER - Marshmello
GRAVEYARD - Halsey
IF I WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND - Prince
HOW SOON IS NOW? - The Smiths
HALLUCINOGENICS - Matt Maeson





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