About the Book:

Title: The Nature of Witches 

Author: Rachel Griffin 

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: June 1, 2021 

Pages: 362

Genre: YA Fantasy 

Synopsis:

Practical Magic meets Twister in this debut contemporary fantasy standalone about heartbreaking power, the terror of our collapsing atmosphere, and the ways we unknowingly change our fate.

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season.

In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It’s wild and volatile, and the price of her magic―losing the ones she loves―is too high, despite the need to control the increasingly dangerous weather.

In Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster. Fires burn, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference.

In Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch training her. As her magic grows, so do her feelings, until she’s terrified Sang will be the next one she loses.

In Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness, her duty and the people she loves…before she loses Sang, her magic, and thrusts the world into chaos.

Review:

*I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Great debut from author, Rachel Griffin! This book was not only about witches, but it also had a sweet romance, and spoke about some environmental issues in this fictional world.

Every witch in this book, no matter their gender, have their powers based in one season: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. The main character, Clara is an Everwitch, meaning that she has the power of all four seasons and can use them throughout the year. As an Everwitch, Clara is very powerful but she is afraid to wield her power, as she feels that she can’t control it. She wants to help the world that’s been damaged by climate change, but she’s afraid she’ll hurt the ones that she loves. Losing her loved ones has been too high of a price to pay.

In the Autumn she wants nothing to do with her magic. In the Winter, the world is on the precipice of disaster and Clara realizes she may be the only one who can help. In the Spring, she falls for Sang, the witch who is training her and helping her figure out her powers. As her magic grows, so do her feelings for Sang, and she’s terrified that she will lose him next. In the Summer, Clara must choose between her power and her happiness. 

Great for lovers of angsty romance and witchy reads! Be sure to check this one out. 

About the Author:

Rachel Griffin writes young adult novels inspired by the magic of the world around her. She is the author of the upcoming The Nature of Witches, releasing from Sourcebooks Fire on June 1, 2021, with a second standalone novel to follow in 2022.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel has a deep love of nature, from the mountains to the ocean and all the towering evergreens in between. She adores moody skies and thunderstorms, and hopes more vampires settle down in her beloved state of Washington.

On her path to writing novels, Rachel graduated from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Science in diagnostic ultrasound. She worked in healthcare for five years and taught ultrasound at her alma mater before making the switch to a small startup. She has been mentoring in Pitch Wars since 2017 and now writes full-time from her home in the Seattle area.

When she isn’t writing, you can find her wandering the PNW, reading by the fire, or drinking copious amounts of coffee and tea. She lives with her husband, small dog, and growing collection of houseplants.

Rachel is represented by Elana Roth Parker of the Laura Dail Literary Agency. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @TimesNewRachel.

About the Book:

Title: Truthwitch

Author: Susan Dennard

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release Date: January 5, 2016

Pages: 416

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis:

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she’s a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden – lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult’s true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls’ heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Review:

Finally started this series as a buddy read with a good friend! It’s been sitting on my shelves staring at me for a long time, lol. This was my first book by Susan Dennard, and I really enjoyed it! It is a fast paced story, with friendship as the focus. I like the magic system and the world-building in this one as well.

Truthwitch is a story about Safi and Iseult, Threadsisters, who often find themselves in trouble. They wind up clashing with a Guildmaster and his merciless Bloodwitch bodyguard, and find themselves on the run.

Safi needs to avoid capture as she’s a rare Truthwitch, who can tell truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so she has had to keep it hidden her whole life, so no one would use it in the struggle between the empires. Iseult’s powers are even hidden from herself.

Safi winds up meeting Prince Merik by happenstance in court, and he reluctantly becomes their ally. They find that Merik’s help may not slow down the Bloodwitch, who is hot on their tails. Safi and Iseult long for freedom, but there are lots of things happening in the empire that are beyond their control. War is coming, treaties are being broken, and a magical contagion is spreading across the land. The girls find themselves forced to take a stand, and fight.

If you enjoy fantasy, I recommend this one!

About the Author:

Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. With a masters degree in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor.

She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Witchlands series as well as the Something Strange & Deadly series. When not writing, she can be found slaying darkspawn on her Xbox or earning bruises at the dojo.

You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest.

I’m so excited to reveal the new cover of Natalie Murray’s YA Fantasy Emmie and the Tudor King! 

Thank you so much to Midnight Tide Publishing for letting me participate in the reveal.

About the Book:

Title: Emmie & The Tudor King 

Author: Natalie Murray

Publisher: Midnight Tide Publishing 

Release Date: March 31, 2021

Genres: Young adult, historical, romance

Synopsis:

One moment, Emmie is writing her high school history paper; the next, she’s sitting with a gorgeous 16th-century king who vacillates from kissing her to ordering her execution.

Able to travel back to her own time, but intensely drawn to King Nick and the mysterious death of his sister, Emmie finds herself solving the murder of a young princess and unraveling court secrets while trying to keep her head on her shoulders, literally.

With everything to lose, Emmie finds herself facing her biggest battle of all: How to cheat the path of history and keep her irresistible king, or lose him—and her heart—forever.

Buy link – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YF1MG8N

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43783633

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Natalie Murray is the author of EMMIE AND THE TUDOR KING (June 11, 2019) and EMMIE AND THE TUDOR QUEEN (August 25, 2020). A fast-paced YA time-slip romance, the Emmie and the Tudor King trilogy follows an American high school girl to a reimagined Tudor England, where she meets a doomed, but utterly dreamy, Tudor king. Emmie and the Tudor King has already received acclaim from Foreword Reviews, YA Books Central, and popular YA authors Brigid Kemmerer (A Curse So Dark and Lonely) and CJ Flood (Infinite Sky), among others. You can visit Natalie at nataliemurrayauthor.com.

About the Book:

Title: The Girl with the Whispering Shadow

Author: D.E. Night

Publisher: Stories Untold LLC

Release Date: January 23, 2019

Pages: 384

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy 

Synopsis:

Even a secret town cannot protect Ivy from a mysterious darkness…

Only hours after Ivy Lovely discovers that she is the fulfillment of the Moonsday promise, she is whisked away from her beloved school to Belzebuthe, a secret town for only those with magical blood.

Ivy sets out on a mission to uncover the second facet of the Kindred Stone while eluding the Dark Queen’s wrath. But even when she’s supposed to be safe, something is shadowing Ivy. She will need all her natural-born magic and more as she battles to find the rest of the Kindred Stone and return to the Halls of Ivy.

Before it’s too late…

Review:

*I received this book from Stories Untold LLC in exchange for an honest review*

I am enjoying this series so much! It’s a fun, magical adventure that draws you right in.

The Girl with the Whispering Shadow starts off right where book one in the Croswald series ended. Ivy has just finished year one at the Halls of Ivy after narrowly escaping the Dark Queen’s attack. She is sent to Belzebuthe, a hidden, secret town for those with magical blood. Bezebuthe is the only place that can keep Ivy safe and away from the clutches of the Dark Queen. With the help of Fyn and some new friends she makes in Belzebuthe, she sets out on her mission to find the next piece of the Kindred Stone. While Ivy is supposed to be safe in Belzebuthe, something seems to keep shadowing her. She must embrace her natural-born magic and her courage as she battles to find the rest of the stone and return to the Halls of Ivy, in this action packed sequel!

I absolutely loved the town of Belzebuthe! It was winter there, even though it was summer for everyone else. It’s filled with matellers, the keepers of the quills, and the scrivenists. Ivy meets some amazing new friends, including her employers, Hodge and Podge, two dwarf brothers who are absolutely hysterical. Ivy even gets to attend some Quogo matches there, which were quite fun to read about. She also learns more about her past, and Fyn’s past as well. I really enjoyed learning more about Ivy’s world and her magic. The author really did a great job of expanding upon everything we learned in the first book.

If you haven’t checked out this series yet, I highly recommend it! Can’t wait to read book three.

About the Author:

Be sure to check out the author’s website www.denight.com     for all the latest info! 

About the Book:

Title: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Publisher: Blue Box Press

Release Date: September 1, 2020

Pages: 637

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Synopsis:

Review:

I LOVED From Blood and Ash SO much, so I was super excited to start A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire. I always get a little bit nervous reading a sequel, as it’s usually not as good as the first book. This was a sequel that was even better than the first book! I don’t think that’s happened for me since ACOMAF. So, if you enjoyed the first book, you’re definitely going to want to pick this one up ASAP.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire begins right where FBAA left off. Everything Poppy has believed in, including the man she was falling for, has been a lie. The people she is surrounded by see her as this symbol of a horrible Kingdom, and she’s not even sure she knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. She does know that The Dark One is dangerous and that he wants her to fight him, and that she doesn’t mind doing at all. He may have taken her, but he can’t ever have her. She is hurt, angry, and confused, and must face the betrayal. She does so with so much bravery and courage.

Casteel is a man of many masks. His lies are seductive, and his truths are sensual. Poppy knows better than to give him her trust. He needs her alive and well to achieve his goals. However, he’s the only one who can help her get what she wants, to find her brother, Ian. She finds that she must learn to work with him, instead of against him. As they begin to work together, Poppy begins to become a part of Casteel’s plans. These plans force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself.

There has been unrest, talk of war, and lots of secrets, and Poppy finds herself at the heart of it all.

If you like action and adventure, betrayal, twists and turns, romance, and friendship, you will love this sequel!

About the Author:

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

About the Book:

Title: The Raven Boys

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Pages: 409

Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal

Synopsis:

Review:

I loved Maggie’s Shiver series, which I read awhile back, so I was excited to read The Raven Boys! I don’t know what’s taken me so long, but I finally bit the bullet and started the series with a friend. It did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this one, as it was quite different than anything I’ve read in awhile. It was a bit of a thrill, and I am excited to start the next book in the series soon!

Every year, Blue Sargent and her psychic mother head to the old church where the soon-to-be-dead walk past. Blue never sees them, until this year when a boy comes out of the dark and speaks right to her.

His name is Gansey, and he’s a rich student from Algionby, the private school in town. Blue tends to shy away from the boys at this school, also known as the Raven Boys. The boys usually mean trouble. Blue finds herself drawn to Gansey despite everything. He’s handsome, rich, and good to his friends, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. He’s on a mysterious quest with three other Raven Boys, Adam, Ronan and Noah. Blue begins to become intrigued.

For as long as Blue can remember, she has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never really thought about it, or that it would be a problem, until she gets swept up in the adventure with the Raven Boys.

If you like books with supernatural elements and mystery, I think you will enjoy this book. I really liked the uniqueness of it.

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater’s life decisions have been formed by a desire to leave a mark, resulting in spray-painted cars, sharpie-covered computer printers, ink-splattered walls, and stories told in books, in magazines, and on stages. Maggie Stiefvater lives in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.