Review: FALLING BACK IN LOVE WITH BEING HUMAN by Kai Cheng Thom

 

Book Details

Title: Falling Back in Love with Being Human
Author: Kai Cheng Thom
Publisher: Dial Press
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genre(s): Nonfiction, LGBT, Poetry
Pages: 176
Bookshop Affiliate Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780593594988

Book Tour: THE FINAL CURSE OF OPHELIA CRAY review + 15 thoughts

Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to take part in this tour for The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray. I had been so jealous when my friend won a copy off of Goodreads so getting to take part in this tour was thrilling!!!

 

About The Book:

Title: The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray

Author: Christine Calella

Pub. Date: April 9, 2024

Find it: Goodreads

Storms and pirates are nothing compared to the evil within men’s hearts.

After a lifetime of abuse at the hands of superstitious townsfolk, Ophelia Young, a bastard child of the notorious pirate queen, is tired of paying for the sins of her mother. Despite playing by the rules her whole life, she’s earned nothing but spite and suspicion. So when a naval officer saves her from the jeering crowd at her mother’s hanging, Ophelia hatches a new hope of enlisting in the navy to escape her mother’s legacy and redeem her own reputation for good. But Ophelia soon discovers that a life at sea isn’t as honorable as she hoped.

Betsy Young is as different as she could be from her half-sister Ophelia. She’s a nervous homebody who wants to keep her family safe and longs to be in love. So naturally, she’s devastated when the son of their family’s business partner rejects her hand in marriage and her sister joins the navy. But when her father contracts a life-threatening illness as well, Betsy has to bring Ophelia home to save the family business.

Unfortunately for the Young sisters, Betsy trying to get Ophelia recalled reveals that Ophelia enlisted fraudulently under Betsy’s name, a secret which Ophelia struggles to keep from crewmates who would kill her if they knew she was the pirate queen’s daughter. To save Ophelia from the naval authorities, Betsy will have to board a ship during hurricane season and brave all the dangers of the sea to get them both home safe.

Content Warning: hanging, corporal punishments (whipping), strangulation

 

Review:

I was very excited to get to read wthis book. Every bit of the summary intrigued me and I was curious!!!

It did take me a bit to get invested in the book. That's just the way it is sometimes, not all things are instant clicks. But once I got invested, I was hooked. I needed to know more about these characters and what they were going through. What was their plans. All of that.

I loved Ophelia and Betsy. They were distinctive characters with some of the same traits, but enough personality that they didn't feel stale or like poor copies of each other. They were both really interesting to follow and I loved watching as they encoutnered some of the harsh realities of the paths that they had chosen.

The plot was an interesting one once it picked up steam. There seemed to always be something happening that kept the story chugging along. The action was exciting and the twists and turns were at times expected but were surprises at other times.

15 Reactions While Reading:

Okay...let's see where this is going.

I just really like how people talk in historical/fantasy type books. It just makes my brain happy.

Well...now I'm worried he's going to die.

Eh...f that dude.

I have trust issues with everyone right now haha

Go Betsy!

Love having a crew!

What's happening!?!?!?!?

Ooh tricksy!

10 Dangers of vanity perhaps?

Eww gross.

This is why I don't trust people.

Not expected, but not totally surprising either.

Ooh, that was a nice scene!

That's a nice ending!!

 

 

About Christine Calella:

When not writing, Christine Calella spends her spare time singing showtunes in the shower, drinking more chai lattes than is strictly necessary, and either over- or under-watering an unfortunate string of houseplants named after sitcom characters. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and she lives in New York City. As her romance alter ego, Madeline Bell, Christine also pens adult rom-coms with a bookish twist. For more information, check out the Books section, under the “By Madeline Bell” drop-down. You can find her on her Twitter, her website, Instagram, and Goodreads.

 

Book Tour: BLOOD CITY ROLLERS review + favorite quotes

I am bloody excited to be taking part in this fangtastic tour! All my thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to take part in this tour. Click here to check out the other hosts. I was absolutely batty for this book and it kept me glued. It was fun and exciting and I was loving every second of it.

 

About The Book:

Title: Blood City Rollers

Author: V. P. Anderson & Tatiana Hill (Artist)

Pub. Date: April 9, 2024

Publisher: Labyrinth Road

Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 192

Find it: Goodreads

Skates on. Fangs out. Let’s roll. This perfectly paranormal graphic novel about a 13-year-old ice skater who embraces the dark side and finds her light when she joins a vampire roller derby team is to die for. .

Ice-skater Mina is on a one-track path to Olympic gold and glory—that is, until she totally wipes out at her biggest competition, and is kinda-sorta-kidnapped by undead kids on roller skates. Sucked into the high stakes world of Paranormal Roller Derby, she finds herself "recruited" by a squad of vampires who need a human player to complete their team—just in time to save the league from losing it all.

Between learning to play derby well enough to kick butt on the track, crushing hard on the dreamy team captain, and navigating the spooky rules of the supernatural, how can Mina go from striving to be a ten alone, to becoming one of nine chaotic bodies forming a perfectly-imperfect team? Forget being the best. Will she be enough to help her new friends survive the season?

 

Review:

This was a really fun read! I love queer books and graphic novels and roller derby, so this was an easy home run for me. It was fun and exciting and I loved the idea of an underground supernatural roller derby.

I really liked the characters in this book. Despite there being a lot of them and not enough details (to my liking) about all of them, none of them felt forced in. They just were there and they felt like the sort of people who would fit in well with the group.

The group was mildly chaotic and I adored it so much. There was enough drama to keep the book going without feeling forced, but the side characters also gave a sense of humor that kept everything chill.

I loved the artwork in this book. The lines were clean and the characters had distinctive appearances so I didn't get them confused. The colors were gorgeous and I thought they did a great job at being dark for the supernatural side without being too dark.

This was honestly amazing and I am super excited for the next book, should there be more!

Favorite Quotes:

"I was gonna say super mad."

"Okay...so. Vampires. Roller-skating vampires."

"You know what, I AM suddenly in the mood to hit things with projectiles."

"Must...process...oxygen."

"I've got your creepy little pet."

 

 

About V. P. Anderson:

Veronica Park (VP) Anderson(she/they) is a neurodivergent, queer, feminist millennial writer with a resume that Victor Frankenstein would disown for being “a bit much.” V’s previous job titles include: award- winning community theater actor, professional lecturer on cruise ships, indie film producer, literary agent, and creative project manager; however, “writer” is the title that always fits. V plays competitive flat track roller derby as “Scarlet Five” #55 and prefers the pivot role, aka “surprise jamming.” Born in Alaska and raised in Oregon, she currently lives with her partner in Upstate NY and has two cats named Skeletor and Bo-Catan. You can find her on her Twitter, their website, and Goodreads.

About Tatiana Hill:

Tatiana Hill (she/her) is a Black and Latina illustrator by day and roller skater by night. Her art journey began simultaneously with her growing love for anime and culminated in a BA in Animation. Receiving an award for Best Art Direction in her end of the year showcase, she would later apply her skill set in color and design to her illustration career. As a member of the Los Angeles roller skate community, Tatiana enjoys participating in a space that celebrates diversity and found family. Her love for this community led to her illustrating The Roller World Tarot Deck and eventually Blood City Rollers, her debut graphic novel as an illustrator. You can find her on her website and Goodreads.

 

Review: HOW TO FIND A MISSING GIRL by Victoria Wlosok

 

Book Details

Title: How to Find a Missing Girl
Author: Victoria Wlosok
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Genre(s): Young Adult, LGBT, Mystery
Pages: 320
Bookshop Affiliate Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780316511506

Blog Tour: OTHERWORLDLY by F.T. Lukens

I am beyond thrilled to be hosting a spot on the OTHERWORLDLY by F.T. Lukens Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. I've been looking forward to reading this one for a while so I am just pumped to be able to share my thoughts on the book. Make sure to check out my post and enter the giveaway down below!

 

About The Book:

Title: OTHERWORLDLY

Author: F.T. Lukens

Pub. Date: April 2, 2024

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/OTHERWORLDLY

A skeptic and a supernatural being make a crossroads deal to achieve their own ends only to get more than they bargained for in this lively young adult romantic adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This Is Ever After.

Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.

Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.

Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they definitely don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.

 

★ “Hints of both Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the CW television show Supernatural flavor this tale in Lukens’ hallmark fashion. Notably, in a genre that has recently favored older readers, this story is accessible to teens of all ages. Its broad appeal, engaging pacing, and quest-like plot structure (which features cameos from deities inspired by Greek mythology) create a transition point for younger teens comfortable with Rick Riordan Presents … This beautifully struck balance couples with a unique perspective on genre canon to create a light but nuanced story that will be a joy for teens.”– Booklist, starred review

 

“Lukens impresses with this romantic adventure starring a skeptic and an excitable liminal being … Lukens’s signature blend of complex yet accessible mythology, queer-normative worldbuilding, and high emotional stakes makes for a compulsively readable tale.”– Publishers Weekly

“An irresistible elixir of romance and suspense.”– Kirkus Reviews

 

“A nice touch of Midwestern spookiness underlines a tale of classic crossroads bargains, first (and maybe lasting) love, thinly veiled climate anxiety, and chosen family. The mythic and the realistic are well balanced, and the relationships between characters will win over even the most grudging of romantics. Prickly Ellery and fun-loving Knox are an adorable grumpy-sunshine pair, and Ellery’s chaotic cousin and her girlfriend, plus some supernatural figures, round out the background to their world-bridging romance. Largely angst-free, wryly funny, and emotionally satisfying, this novel is tailor-made for a Netflix adaptation.”– BCCB

 

 

Review:

I was super excited to get to read this book. I'll admit that the cover had me hooked, I just really liked the look of it! I quite enjoyed the story too, which made me happy.

I will admit that it took me a bit to get into the story, but during that time I was struggling to focus on all books so that made sense. Once I was a bit deeper into the story, it flowed really well. I was interested and drawn into the story. I wanted to see what was going to happen next.

I do think I felt a bit disconnected to the characters. There wasn't really a reason behind it, I just wasn't drawn to them. I enjoyed the story and seeing where it would go next but I was kind of "eh" on the characters specifically.

This was a fun read and I definitely want to try it again to see if I might have just not been in the right headspace for the characters. But it was a fun read! I enjoyed it!

 

 

About F.T. Lukens:

F.T. Lukens (they/them) is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After and In Deeper Waters (2022 ALA Rainbow Booklist; Junior Library Guild Selection) as well as other science fiction and fantasy works. Their contemporary fantasy novel The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic was a 2017 Cybils Award finalist in YA Speculative Fiction and the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Winner for YA fiction and won the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

F.T. Lukens will be celebrating the launch of OTHERWORLDLY at Malaprop’s (Asheville, NC) on April 2 at 6:00pm ET. They will be joined in conversation by author Beth Revis. RSVP to attend (for free!) in-person or virtually here.

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of OTHERWORLDLY, US Only.

Ends April 9th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/25/2024	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
3/25/2024	Never Hollowed by The Stare	Excerpt
3/26/2024	Comic Book Yeti	Excerpt/IG Post
3/26/2024	@darkfantasyreviews	Excerpt
3/27/2024	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
3/27/2024	jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Post
3/28/2024	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
3/28/2024	Karma Zee Readz	Review/IG Post
3/29/2024	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review/IG Post
3/29/2024	The Book Critic	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

4/1/2024	Ilovebooksandstuffblog	Review/IG Post
4/1/2024	onemused	IG Post
4/2/2024	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
4/2/2024	@lexijava	IG Review
4/3/2024	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
4/3/2024	A Bookish Dream	Review/IG Post
4/4/2024	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
4/4/2024	nerdophiles	Review/IG Post
4/5/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
4/5/2024	G’s Reading Spree	IG Review

Book Tour: THE GIRL, THE RING, & THE BASEBALL BAT review

 

Book Details

Title: The Girl, The Ring, & The Baseball Bat
Author: Camille Gomera-Tavarez
Publisher: Levine Querido
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 390

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Rating: 3

Review: 
Thank you so much to Hear Our Voices tour for allowing me to take part in the tour for this book. If you want to check out the tour schedule and follow the other hosts, you can click the banner at the top or click here.

I'm not too sure what it was that drew me to this book, but something compelled me to read it. It was hard at first because I struggled a lot to get into the book. I don't know if the writing didn't click with me or if it was because I just wasn't in the mood for a book like this at the time. Either way it was a struggle for a while. Eventually I did find a rhythm and I began to enjoy the writing style of the author, if nothing else.

Our main characters in this book are Rosie, Caro, and Zeke. I quite enjoyed them as characters. They all felt well-developed and authentic. They felt like people you would expect to meet in real life, in good and bad ways. Even though this book has some magical aspects of it, the characters and plots never felt out-of-place or like it was trying to be something that it wasn't. It wasn't trying to be a full-fledged fantasy book, it was just a contemporary book with some magic in it.

I always try to be honest in my reviews, even when I'm taking part in a tour. That said, this book was kinda just "eh" to me. It wasn't a bad book, there were several parts of it that I found myself really enjoying. But there were also parts of it that I didn't enjoy. I also struggled with the voices at times because it was just...not something I always enjoy in a book. It's hit-or-miss and this time it just happened to be a miss. I was also a bit taken aback by the cursing in the book. Cursing isn't something I'm against, I've got a mouth like a sailor at times, but it's also not something I often see used in excess in books. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Interview with Tori Anne Martin, author of THIS SPELLS DISASTER

 

Hey all! A little late with this interview but I'm very excited about it! Today's interviewee is Tori Anne Martin, author of This Spells Disaster. I read and thoroughly enjoyed that magical book, so I loved getting to pick her mind about the book. We talked about Tori's writing process, her favorite scene in the book, and some of her favorite tropes in novels. Hope you enjoy! As always links to follow Tori and buy her book will be at the end of the interview.

Review: SO LET THEM BURN by Kamilah Cole

 

Book Details

Title: So Let Them Burn
Author: Kamilah Cole
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Genre(s): Young Adult, LGBT, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 400
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780316534635

Review: TO CAGE A GOD by Elizabeth May

 

Book Details

Title: To Cage a God
Author: Elizabeth May
Publisher: DAW Books
Publication Date: February 20, 2024
Genre(s): Adult, LGBT, Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 384
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780756418816

Interview with Christen Randall, author of upcoming YA romance THE NO-GIRLFRIEND RULE

 

Today I am beyond excited to present to you my interview with Christen Randall. Christen's debut book, The No-Girlfriend Rule is releasing on March 5, 2024! I personally loved this book when I read it! It made me want to get involved in a TTRPG. The No-Girlfriend Rule is a queer romance between a teen and the bard she meets when she joins an all-female game of Secrets & Sorcery.