30 May 2022

Am Reading - Isla to Island

Isla to Island
by Alexis Castellanos





What they say: This stunning wordless graphic novel follows a young girl in the 1960s who immigrates from Cuba to the United States and must redefine what home means to her.

Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people…but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe—and then it’s no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone. 

Nothing about Marisol’s new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home—not the language, school, or even her foster parents. But Marisol starts to realize that home isn’t always a place. And finding her way can be as simple as staying true to herself.

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29 May 2022

Am Reading - River

River - Warriors: A Starless Clan #1
by Erin Hunter





What they say: A dark age has given way to an era of peace in the five warrior Clans, and with it comes a promise of hope. As their leaders deliberate on unprecedented changes to the warrior code, three young warriors set their paws on the paths that will decide their futures.

In ThunderClan, warrior apprentice Flamepaw, a descendant of the legendary leader Firestar, struggles under the weight of his famous kin’s legacy, while young ShadowClan warrior Sunbeam has doubts of her own. But in RiverClan, medicine cat apprentice Frostpaw looks eagerly toward the horizon, awaiting the day she will be called upon to help her Clan—a day that may dawn sooner than she ever dreamed.

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28 May 2022

Am Reading - The Flames of Hope

The Flames of Hope - Wings of Fire series 
by Tui T. Sutherland





What they say: The #1 New York Times bestselling series is hotter than ever, and this thrilling conclusion to the Lost Continent Prophecy arc is a must-read!

In the last installment of the third arc of the Wings of Fire series, tensions are higher than ever as we prepare for a fight for the survival of all dragonkind!

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27 May 2022

Treehouse Tales - Coming Soon

Treehouse Tales: too SILLY to be told ... UNTIL NOW!
by Andy Griffiths





What they say: A lot of stuff happens in our ever-expanding treehouse.
Not everything gets into the books.
These are some other things that happened to us…

International author-illustrator superstar duo Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton are back, and this time they've cooked up a hilarious book of 13 standalone stories to complement their beloved chapter book series. Surreal, funny and supremely silly—all with the spirit of the Treehouse.

More info at GR
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25 May 2022

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Bright

Bright - Shine #2
by Jessica Jung





What they say: The sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller ShineCrazy Rich Asians meets Gossip Girl in this knockout series from Jessica Jung, K-pop legend, fashion icon, and founder of the international luxury brand, Blanc & Eclare.

Couture gowns, press parties, international travel. Rachel Kim is at the top of her game. Girls Forever is now the number-one K-pop group in the world, and her fame skyrockets after her viral airport styling attracts the attention of fashion’s biggest names. Her life’s a swirl of technicolor glamour and adoring fans. Rachel can’t imagine shining any brighter.

The only thing that’s missing is love—but Rachel’s determined to follow the rules. In her world, falling in love can cost you everything.

Enter Alex. When Rachel literally falls head over designer heels into his lap on a crowded metro, she’s tempted to give up her anti-love vows. Alex is more than just heart-stopping dimples and adorably quirky banter. He believes in Rachel’s future—both in music and in fashion.

But the higher you rise, the farther you have to fall. And when a shocking act of betrayal shatters her world, Rachel must finally listen to her heart.

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23 May 2022

Thursday - Coming Soon

Thursday
by Ann Bonwill





What they say: A true friend can help us through anything…

When a little girl learns about her parents’ divorce on a Thursday, it ruins her favorite day of the week. But her stuffed-unicorn friend steps in to help, taking her on adventures to cheer her up and staying by her side to comfort her when feelings are hard. Then, slowly, the little girl and her unicorn friend awaken to the natural world that surrounds them as life continues to shift and change…until the day that Thursday can become just Thursday again. Told with great sensitivity and beauty, this is a book of healing and hope for children experiencing divorce and a testament to the power of friendship in helping us to overcome life’s biggest obstacles.

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22 May 2022

Edgewood - Am Reading

Edgewood
by Kristen Ciccarelli





What they say: No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

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21 May 2022

Book Spotlight - The Demon Tide

The Demon Tide - The Black Witch Chronicles #4
by Laurie Forest





What they say: Nothing can stop the demon tide....

Newly exposed as the Black Witch of Prophecy, Elloren Gardner Grey is on the run, not knowing if she'll find friends or foes. With her fastmate, Lukas Grey, either dead or in the hands of High Mage Marcus Vogel, Elloren knows the only chance of turning the tide of the coming war is to seek allies who will listen long enough not to kill her on sight.

In the Eastern Realm, Water Fae Tierney Calix and Elloren's brother Trystan have joined the Wyvernguard to prepare for Vogel's attack. But Trystan is fighting on two fronts, as the most despised and least trusted member of the guard. And Tierney's bond with Erthia's most powerful river has exposed a danger even more terrifying than the looming war.

The Black Witch is back, and the Prophecy is at hand. It's time to fight. But Vogel has one more earth-shattering revelation for them all.

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18 May 2022

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - A Forgery of Roses

A Forgery of Roses
by Jessica S. Olson






What they say: Myra Whitlock has a gift. One many would kill for.

She’s an artist whose portraits alter people’s real-life bodies, a talent she must hide from those who would kidnap, blackmail, and worse in order to control it. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. 

But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor's dead son. Desperate, Myra ventures to his legendary stone mansion. 

Once she arrives, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. Someone dangerous lurks within these glittering halls. Someone harboring a disturbing obsession with portrait magic. 

Myra cannot do the painting until she knows what really happened, so she turns to the governor’s older son, a captivating redheaded poet. Together, they delve into the family’s most shadowed affairs, racing to uncover the truth before the secret Myra spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

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15 May 2022

Where the Sky Lives - Am Reading

Where the Sky Lives
by Margaret Dilloway





What they say: From the author of Five Things About Ava Andrews comes a new middle grade standalone novel with STEM and activism themes. When the private preserve adjacent to Zion National Park is sold, Tuesday's park archeologist mother tells her they're moving, and twelve-year-old Tuesday’s search for closure may lead to unexpected answers.

When life doesn’t make sense, twelve-year-old amateur astronomer Tuesday Beals has always looked to the stars above Zion National Park, where she lives. Her beloved late uncle Ezra taught her astronomy, but now their special stargazing sites are all she has left of him, along with his ashes and a poem that may be a riddle.

Then a new housing development next door threatens to ruin the night skies and her favorite astronomy spots. Desperate to focus on something besides the growing uncle-sized chasm between her and her mother, the park archeologist, Tuesday takes up photography with her best friend, Carter, after they find an abandoned camera. With this new way of seeing the universe, she tries to solve her uncle’s riddle to save the land.

But one day, a photo reveals clues of an endangered animal—one that could halt construction. Will the discovery be enough to save the park and keep the rest of her world from falling apart?

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14 May 2022

New Release - I Kissed Shara Wheeler

I Kissed Shara Wheeler
by Casey McQuiston





What they say: Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.

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13 May 2022

Family of Liars - Am Reading

Family of Liars - We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart





What they say: The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. 
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. 
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family. 
They were always liars.

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11 May 2022

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - Book of Night

Book of Night
by Holly Black





What they say: In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

With sharp angles and prose, and a sinister bent, Holly Black is a master of shadow and story stitching. Remember while you read, light isn’t playing tricks in Book of Night, the people are.

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9 May 2022

Coming Soon - Together We Burn

Together We Burn
by Isabel Ibañez





What they say: Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.

An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don't want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.


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8 May 2022

Spotlight - Queen of the Tiles

Queen of the Tiles
by Hanna Alkaf






What they say: 

CATALYST
13 points
noun: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change

When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.

But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.

As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.

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7 May 2022

Coming Soon - Howl

Howl
by Shaun David Hutchinson






What they say: Virgil Knox was attacked by a monster.

Of course, no one in Merritt believes him. Not even after he stumbled into the busy town center, bleeding, battered, and bruised, for everyone to see. He’d been drinking, they said. He was hanging out where he wasn’t supposed to, they said. It must’ve been a bear, or a badger, or a gator—definitely no monster.

Virgil doesn’t think it was any of those things. He’s positive it was a monster. But being the new kid in a town where everybody knows everybody is hard enough as it is without being the kid who’s afraid of monsters, so he tries to keep a low profile.

Except he knows the monster is still out there. And if he isn’t careful, Virgil’s afraid it’ll come back to finish him off, or worse—that he’ll become one himself.

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6 May 2022

Gone Dark - Am Reading

Gone Dark
by Amanda Panitch





What they say: When seventeen-year-old Zara escaped her father’s backwoods survivalist compound five years ago, she traded crossbows and skinning hides for electricity and video games…and tried to forget the tragedy that drove her away.

Until a malware attack on the United States electrical grids cuts off the entire country’s power.

In the wake of the disaster and the chaos that ensues, Zara is forced to call upon skills she thought she’d never use again—and her best bet to survive is to go back to the home she left behind. Drawing upon a resilience she didn’t know she had, Zara leads a growing group of friends on an epic journey across a crumbling country back to her father’s compound, where their only hope for salvation lies.

But with every step she takes, Zara wonders if she truly has what it takes to face her father and the secrets of her past, or if she’d be better off hiding in the dark.

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4 May 2022

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - This May End Badly

This May End Badly
by Samantha Markum





What they say: Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.

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2 May 2022

Review - Twice Hexed

Twice Hexed
by Julia Tuffs





What they say: Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Sex Education - Jessie Jones has just discovered she's a witch, but she still has to deal with the patriarchy. A feisty, funny YA series about discovering your place ... and your power.

After a summer of surfing, sunbathing and fine-tuning her new witchy skills, Jessie starts Year 11 feeling hopeful. She feels like her life-ducks are finally in a row - and at school, she has her sisterhood of Summer, Libby and Tabitha supporting her. Callum Henderson and his toxic masculinity minions have eased off enough for it the girls to feel like they can breathe again, so this year should be a breeze, right?

Wrong.

New year, new troubles.

Mysterious new girl Sloane has just arrived ... and did she mention she's a witch?

Twice the powers, twice the problems...


I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: I enjoyed the first book in the series, Hexed, so was excited to read Twice Hexed to see what happened next to Jessie and her friends. 

The story is picks up some time after the events of Hexed and Jessie is trying to find her feet as a young but powerful witch and navigate the difficult world of being a teenager who is still relatively new to town. Oh the drama!

When new arrival Sloane reveals to Jessie that she is also a witch, Jessie finds herself drawn deeper into the world of witchcraft. Jessie is tempted to use her powers for personal gain and revenge. Will she give in to temptation? 

I appreciated how the story explores the intense pressure of exams put on teenagers, whilst struggling with social rules and teenage drama. 

Jessie certainly goes through her share of ups and downs in this story. There were times when I wanted to shout at her and others when I wanted to give her a hug. The secondary characters are a hoot. I enjoyed seeing the group of friends pulling together and growing as young women together.

Twice Hexed is a fun and enjoyable story about the troubles of being a modern teenager, with the added twist of a bit of magic.

4 Stars in my Sky!

More info over at GR.
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1 May 2022

Spotlight - The Polar Bear Explorers' Club

The Polar Bear Explorers' Club
by Alex Bell





What they say: It sounded like a respectable and worthy enough death for an explorer - tumbling from an ice bridge to be impaled upon a mammoth tusk - but Stella really, really didn't want that to happen, just the same.

Join Stella Starflake Pearl and her three fellow explorers as they trek across the snowy Icelands and come face-to-face with frost fairies, snow queens, outlaw hideouts, unicorns, pygmy dinosaurs and carnivorous cabbages . . .

When Stella and three other junior explorers get separated from their expedition can they cross the frozen wilderness and live to tell the tale?

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