Review: The Piper's Apprentice by Matthew Cody

Title: The Piper's Apprentice

Author: Matthew Cody

Series: The Secrets of the Pied Piper #3

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 24, 2017

Source: Publisher

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Well here we are.... with the third and final book in The Secrets of the Pied Piper series by Matthew Cody...

It has been a fun and wild ride.  The adventure was grand, the characters were (mostly loveable...dang villains!) and the story was a lot of fun.

The whole series is a take on the Pied Piper story.  You know the one....the Pied Piper comes in an plays his flute and all the rats follow him and leave the town.  Well in this one, the legend has it that the Pied Piper was angry at the town after he helped them, they didn't pay or something, so he came and took a bunch of their children away and never brought them back!

Then centuries later, our main characters, a set of siblings, find themselves neck deep in this legend.

As I already stated this book was a lot of fun.  It is the third installment to the series, so there isn't a lot that I can say that won't be a spoiler for some where in the story line for those that haven't read it yet.

But I can say that it is a continuation from where the 2nd book ended.  Not much time, if any has passed and the story does end in a way that is satisfying.  I will, however, miss these characters and this adventure.  I loved this creative world and the imagery it possessed.

Sorry, if this feels more like a review for the whole series rather than this book alone, but at this point, I can't really separate the books.  I enjoyed all of them, including the final one and did not find myself disappointed with it at all.

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Review: The Magician's Key by Matthew Cody

Title: The Magician's Key

Series: The Secrets of the Pied Piper #2

Author: Matthew Cody

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 8, 2016

Source: Publisher

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This series is just too much fun to pass on you guys!

The Magician's Key takes off where the first book in the series ended.  No pause in the story for us!  But I am definitely not complaining about that, it would have been weird if the author had left that gap.

That being said, if you haven't read book 1, but choose to read this review on book 2, you will most likely find yourself reading a spoiler or two for book 1.  You can find my review for book 1 right HERE though.

So in this story we still have our two main characters, but they are separated.  Max made it back to the regular world, but Carter is still hanging out on the Summer Isle.

Both have their separate adventures, but they tie in beautifully and it is very easy to follow the story even though it switches between the two and what each one is individually doing.

We also get to meet some new characters and get to know some of the old characters from book 1 even better.  It is quite a treat!

Carter is actually with the Pied Piper a good bit, so we really get to know him and some of his back story.  And Carter gets some great character development.

Max is the one who really ends up meeting most of the new faces that we come across in this story.  And, in my opinion, she probably has the harder adventure of the two.  She is the one who meets our newest villain in the story Vodnik.

We also get to learn more about the creatures that should be in the Summer Isle but are stranded back in the regular world not quite fitting it.

This book really brings the story even more to life than the first one did.  A great continuation to a wonderful adventure story!

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Title: The Bear and the Nightingale

Author: Katherine Arden

Series: Winternight Trilogy #1

Publisher: Del Ray

Publication Date: January 10, 2017

Source: Publisher

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I am going to be honest here.  This is yet another one of those books I picked up to read not knowing a dang thing about it.  I had the ARC and then I received the ARC for the 2nd book, and decided to move it way up my reading list.  I also kept hearing about it.  I was intrigued and wanted to find out why everyone was recommending the book.

The cover is really pretty too.

So it turned out this book is kind of a historical fantasy novel.  You have a girl who lives during the time period where a more Christian based religion is becoming popular in Russia and the old ways are being pushed out.  And it is the pushing out of the old ways that is the basis of the story and what causes a lot of things to happen.

Our main character, Vasilisa, is not a super pretty girl and she is a strange girl  She gets up to mischief a lot and has abilities that not many other have.  Her mother died giving birth to her and eventually her father remarried a women who did not want to be married in the first place.  This causes a lot of problems for Vasilisa...it is actually a huge factor in what happens in the story.

I am being very vague on purpose.  I don't really know how to describe what goes on in this book without giving away too much and accidentally giving you a spoiler.

But what I can tell you is this, this book reads like a fairy tale.  And it has a lot of fairy tale (especially Russian) fairy tale elements within the story.  It is actually quite a fun and magical read.  I enjoyed it a lot.

I did find that this book read a little slower for me, but it wasn't a bad thing per say.  It was like my brain was taking extra time to process and picture the story as I was reading it so that it got the elements down correctly.

Character wise, I found the priest to absolutely vile.  Katherine Arden wrote him pretty wonderfully.  Actually I think she wrote them all pretty well, but he sticks out the most.  Probably because every time he was mentioned I could feel my skin crawl with repulsion.

And I felt like I kind of learned a bit about Russian fairy tale and lore too, which is always an excellent thing to happen when you read.  Especially when you don't really realize it is happening.

I definitely enjoyed it and I am super happy I made it a priority read.  And I will be reading the rest of the series for sure!

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts are mine and mine alone.

Book Review: A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess

Title: A Poison Dark and Drowning

Author: Jessica Cluess

Series: Kingdom on Fire #2

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 19, 2017

Source: Blogging for Books

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Color me excited when I got a hold of a copy of A Poison Dark and Drowning to review!  I even made myself reread book one, A Shadow Bright and Burning (find my review HERE) before I let myself read it since it had been such a long time.

This being said, this is a 2nd book in a series....so there may be spoilers for book 1.  Consider yourself warned.



This book takes place not too long after the first book ends.  Henrietta is living with Blackwood at his estate as his guest/friend.  She is working to try to find a cure for Rook.  The world is still in ever worsening danger.  And the Ancients are demanding that the Sorcerers hand her over.

This book is definitely action packed.  And filled with a lot of twists and turns.  Some of which I expected and others surprised me.  And of course, new ones were brought up, and I have my suspicions on how they will turn out...

As far as character development goes in this story, I am kind of disappointed in how some of the guys have gone.  Actually I think I am disappointed in all of them.  Except Rook.  I still do not care about Rook.  Two books have gone by and I still could do without him.  He feels like a background character that isn't actually supposed to be a background character.  But he feels so flat compared to other characters.  Flat and boring.  And I really hope the other guys get redeemed in the third book.  I am really not happy with how either Magnus and Blackwood have developed/or failed to develop so far.

And the love square?  I am kind of really over that.  A triangle is bad enough...but a freaking square?  That is probably my biggest complaint with this series.  Our heroine just seems to be ready to go to which ever guy will flutter his pretty lashes in her direction.  She just keeps flipping and flopping all over the place with them.  I still have my preference as to which one I like the best, and I have them ranked.  But, I am very ready for her to decide and stop dragging that part on.

And we did get some new characters and new bits of the world explained to us.  All of which was pretty cool and interesting.  The weird feeling between Magicians, Sorcerers, and Witches has a bit more development.  We learn a lot more about the Ancients too.  A whole lot more!

It will be really interesting to see how book 3 goes for this series.  I love the characters and the world.  And I really want to see how they make it through their new challenges!

My Rating

4.5 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts are mine and mine alone.

Review: The Peddler's Road by Matthew Cody

Title: The Peddler's Road

Author: Matthew Cody

Series: The Secrets of the Pied Piper

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: October 27, 2015

Source: Publisher

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A retelling!  For a story I don't normally run into a retelling for!  So of course I had to give it a shot.

And boy am I glad I did!

This particular retelling, if you cannot tell from the title is of the Pied Piper story.  You know the one?  The one where the pied piper comes and plays his music and removes all the rats from the town.

Well in this one, once upon a time, he did do that...and then the village didn't pay the price that he asked, so he came and took all the children.  Minus one - that kid couldn't make it.  Or at least that is the story the town tells.  But everyone else just believes them to be fairy tales.

Then we come to more of a now time in history and there are two kids, Max and Carter, are in the town of the story with their dad (a person who researches fairytales) and things start happening.

First they see a strange person hiding out in the shadows.  Then they have their house flooded with rats....and then they find themselves in a strange place with all the children of Hamelin that were taken over 100 years ago!

Then from there the adventure starts.  They, obviously, want to find their way home.  And they want to help the kids find their way back too.

Of course, there are giant evil rats in the way.  And some wizards.  And some fairies....  And other creatures...

It is quite a fun story!  I really enjoyed it!  The adventure was actually quite fun, filled with little twists and turns.  The world was very creative too.  There were so many different types of "creatures" and "beings" that we encountered through the whole story.  You never really knew who would turn up next.  And the characters themselves were quite enjoyable.  They all had their distinct personalities, and I found myself enjoying the crass old wizard guy.

There are more books in this series, and yes I am totally going to read them!

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts are mine and mine alone.

Review: Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer

Title: Spindle Fire

Author: Lexa Hillyer

Series: Spindle Fire #1

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: April 11, 2017

Source: Glasstown Entertainment

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Color me excited when I was asked if I wanted to review Spindle Fire.  If you are follower of my blog you already know how much I love a fairy tale retelling.  I only tell you all every single time I read one how much I love them.  If you are new here...well...be warned... I really like fairy tale retellings!

Spindle Fire is actually a retelling of Sleeping Beauty!  This story has seeds of the story that we know, but there are some considerable differences (yay!).

In this version Aurora cannot talk and she cannot feel pain.  Those traits have been tithed (traded) away from her thanks to her parents for other fairy gifts that they deemed more important for a princess to have.  And she has an older half sister named Isabelle.  Isabelle cannot see.  Her eyesight has also been tithed away by her parents.

The two have an amazing relationship despite them being so different.  Aurora is light and beautiful where Isabelle is dark.  Aurora finds solace in stories and Isabelle loves adventure.  Two sides of the same coin almost, but their love for each other transcends all.

This is actually where the regular Sleeping Beauty story comes into play.  Isabelle was going to be sent away to live in a convent once Aurora was married to a prince (originally supposed to be Prince Phillip) so Isabelle ran away with her friend Gil.  Aurora then chased after her sister... and one thing led to another and she pricked her finger on the ever famous spinning wheel that puts her to sleep.

Then things happen to both of them and the story unfolds.

The writing of Spindle Fire feels as though you are reading a fairy tale which only adds to its flavor.  It is almost musical in the way that it reads.  It instantly pulled me into the world and drowned me.  I loved it.  I had absolutely no problem imagining this story and the characters within.

I also loved that the story only had little seeds of the original fairy tale and then takes it on to its own new story.  There is enough there that you can tell where it has come from, but it is different enough that you don't feel like you are reading the same old story.

I also enjoyed the characters.  I actually cannot tell you which sister I liked the most.  They each have their own traits that made them their own.  They had things I liked and things I didn't, but that only made them more real in my mind.  I mean, who likes everything about anyone?  And I definitely felt that, especially Aurora, had some character growth and I can only hope to see even more of that in the next book.  I do think some of the side characters and their relationships with our main characters fell a little short though and felt some what forced at times.  However, the main characters definitely shined.

In short, I really enjoyed this retelling and thought it was done very well!

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on a digital copy provided by Glasstown Entertainment in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Book Review: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Title: The Invisible Library

Author: Genevieve Cogman

Series: The Invisible Library #1

Publisher: Ace, Reprint Edition

Publication Date: June 14, 2016

Source: Blogging for Books

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Oh my goodness this book.  I had heard things on and off about this series from the book world via the internet...and then one day I saw it was available on Blogging for Books.  So I snatched it right up.

Then I finally got to where I had time to read this book in my not so busy but some how it is still busy life.  I cracked opened the covers and started reading.  I was instantly hooked on the world

I will admit that it took me a little bit to be fully drawn into the story, but when I started it off, I was not in the best place mentally.  I blame this small problem wholly on this.  By the time I was done with the book, my mental status had much improved and I was LOVING this book.  ABSOLUTELY LOVING!

What we have here is not an alternate history book, not really.  It is an alternate reality book that happens to take place in our past.  It also has a touch of paranormal and steampunk.  Really right up my alley.  I should have read this much sooner.

So we have our main character Irene.  She gets charged by The Library to go find a book in a specific world.  The Library likes to collect books for various reasons and it sends its Librarians out to retrieve them.  Sometimes the retrieval is easy, other times it is not.  As you can guess this time was no so easy.

We meet a huge cast of characters and not all of them are human!  The world she is sent into has all sorts of creatures in it - vampires, fae, werewolves, humans, and more.  So much awesome!

My favorite character by far was Vale.  But I happen to love Sherlock Holmes and Vale is very reminiscent of him.  So don't mind me while I drool over him.  Kai, Irene's trainee was okay I guess.  But Vale was *yes*

The steampunk element was definitely there, but I do wish it had had a bit more.  As I love steampunk, but that is okay.  It didn't really diminish the story or the world for me.  I guess I am just greedy when it comes to wanting more of an element or something.

I am now a huge fan of these characters and look forward to making time to read the rest of the books in this series!

My Rating

4.5 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for a review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Blog Tour: The Hawkweed Legacy by Irena Brignull

Title: The Hawkweed Legacy

Author: Irena Brignull

Series: The Hawkweed Prophecy #2

Publisher: Weinstein Books

Publication Date: August 15, 2017

Source: Publisher/Irish Banana Blog Tours

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Today the book I have to talk to you about is The Hawkweed Legacy by Irena Brignull.  It is the second book in the The Hawkweed Prophecy series.

This review will contain some spoilers for book one.  If you have not read book one, you may not want to proceed with reading my review.  Consider yourself warned.

This book has a myriad of characters but the one that sticks out the most is Poppy.  We learned in the previous book that Poppy grew up as a chaff (a normal human) when she is not one.  She is, in fact, a witch.  Now, in this book Poppy has left the clan and is trying to figure out her life.

The other characters from book 1 also reappear in book 2, along with some new faces.  We have Ember, who having grown up as a witch, is now in the chaff world.  She is trying to navigate it the best that she can.  And there is definitely more Leo.  Love sick Leo.

I have to say that the love triangle thing, like with the first book, still got on my nerves a little bit.  Maybe it is because I read the first book so close to the 2nd (I don't usually read series books so close together) that I am actually still stuck on my issues with that from the first one and it is just a carry over effect.  But there were too many bits of it that irked me.

However, aside from the triangle, I enjoyed the story.  Once again Irena Brignull writes wonderfully descriptive passages that just pull you into the story.  While reading, I just could not help but imagine the world and feel as though I was there along side them.

Beautiful, descriptive, and an enthralling read.  I definitely recommend it.

My Rating

4 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Follow the Rest of the Tour!

8/21: Two Chicks on Books - Q&A

8/22: Wandering Bark Books - Guest Post

8/23: In Wonderland - Review

8/24: A Binding Attraction - Top 10

8/25: Miranda's Book Blog - Guest Post

8/26: Reading Is Better With Cupcakes - Review

8/27: The Irish Banana Review - Fast 5

8/28: books are love - Q&A

8/29: A Backwards Story - Review

8/30: Rants and Raves of a Bibliophile - Top 10

8/31: Live To Read - Review

9/1: Just Commonly - Review

9/2: Quartzfeather - Review

9/3: Lori's Little House of Reviews - Review

9/4: Never Too Many To Read - Bookish Collage

Review: The Hawkweed Prophecy by Irena Brignull

Title: The Hawkweed Prophecy

Author: Irena Brignull

Series: The Hawkweed Series #1

Publisher: Weinstein Books

Publication Date: September 6, 2016

Source: Publisher/Irish Banana Blog Tours

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Imagine if you grew up in a place where you didn't feel like you fit in.  It didn't matter how hard you tried, it just never worked.  You were always the odd duck.  The weird one.  The one who just wasn't..."right."

That is how it is for both of your main female characters, Poppy and Ember.

Poppy has grown up in the "normal" world.  No magic exists.  However, she can make things happen.  It doesn't matter if she means it to or not.  She may just lose her temper.  And the cats.  The cats follow her every where.  Unfortunately for Poppy this has strained her relationship with her parents. Her mother is even in an institution because of her daughters....oddness.

And Ember.  She is a sweet innocent girl who has grown up in a caravan of women.  And in her world magic is very much real.  The women can make things happen.  However, Ember can't.  No matter how hard she tries, she cannot cast a spell or make things happen.  Making the poor girl an outcast.

One day the girls meet and they become friends and the story unwinds from there.

There is a boy in this story.  His name is Leo.  And if you like instant love and triangles, you will like the relationship stuff that goes on.  It is very much insta-love.  See the boy, fall for the boy, and oh my goodness no one could possibly be better than this boy!

It is really kind of annoying.  And in my opinion, the down fall of this book.

When the book wasn't dealing with the insta-love triangle thing it had a pretty good story arc.  And the way it was written was great!  I kept finding myself pulled in.  Things were described so vividly.  I found myself impressed more than once with how Irena Brignull wrote various scenes.

I also have to say that I didn't really like Poppy very much.  She started kind of growing on me towards the end, but I think that was because she finally started to show some sort of growth.  Other wise I found her one dimensional and very full of her self (and very stuck on that insta-love).  I definitely liked Ember more.

All in all, a good book.  It was slow at times and then at other times it's pace picked up.  I must warn you though that there is animal cruelty.  If you would like to know more about that specifically, you can feel free to contact me!

My Rating

3 Stars

This review is based on a copy provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.

Review: As Old as Time by Liz Braswell

Title: As Old as Time

Author: Liz Braswell

Series: A Twisted Tale #3

Publisher: Disney Press

Publication Date: September 6, 2016

Source: Library

I am a sucker for retellings of popular fairy tales.  I realize that I probably tell you guys this every single time I read a retelling of any story, but just in case you are new to reading my blog I thought I would share that bit of information about myself again.

I was pretty excited to finally get my hands on As Old As Time, as it is a retelling of the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.  I really wanted to see what Liz Braswell did with the story and how she transformed it.

So while if you have seen the Beauty and the Beast animated Disney movie, you will be some what aware of the basic plot of this book.  Belle (Beauty) ends up a prisoner of the Beasts castle which is under a spell that will become permanent if he can not learn to love someone else and earn their love in return by his 21st birthday.

Where this book differs though is that there is more back story for Belle's mother and father and the town that had originally surrounded the castle.  So we learn more about the history and how the Beast and his castle ended up under the curse (which in this case was put on them by Belle's mother - this is not a spoiler as it is something written clearly in the blurb of the book).

So what did I think of this book?  Well for the first half I found myself really enjoying the back story of Belle's mother and father and the town surrounding the castle.  Unfortunately, when we were actually with Belle (the story goes back and forth a little) there were so many instances of the book being word for word of the movie and I just didn't really enjoy that.  I realize that it probably helps some people be able to make the connection from the book to the original Disney movie version, but I wanted more differences.  I didn't want to read the movie.

It did start veering off at the second half of the book.  There were still some instances of the book sounding almost exactly as the movie, but by that point I was over it and had accepted that there were going to be points of this in existence.

This book also tends to go a little darker than the original version, and I really liked that.  I think Liz Braswell has a talent for dark writing.  There were definitely some creepy points where I was pulled in and really into it.  And I totally applaud her on those scenes.  They were most definitely NOT in the movie.

So, while there were some misses for me there were most definitely some hits too.  I do hope she keeps writing these!

My Rating

3 Stars

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This review is based on a copy that I borrowed from my public library.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blog Tour: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

Title: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter

Author: Theodora Goss

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Saga Press

Publication Date: June 20, 2017

Source: Publisher

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When I heard about The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter I must admit that my mind was totally blown.  It just sounded so good!

Why did it sound good?  Well you see, The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter ties together quite a few classics.   There is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Frankenstein, Rappaccini's Daughter, and Sherlock Holmes as the main story tie ins.  However, as you read through the story you will find even more!  Theodora Goss is a genius!  Putting all these stories together?  Pure brilliance.

This story isn't about the main characters of those stories though.  Aside from Sherlock Holmes and Watson being in The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter, characters it revolves around are the daughters of the villains from the other mentioned stories.

In this story we start off with Mary.  Mary is the daughter of Dr. Jekyll.  She has just lost her mother and her father died when she was 7.  She has little to no money left and doesn't quite know what to do.  Then she remembers that years ago Mr. Hyde was wanted for a murder and never captured.  She sets off to try to find Mr. Hyde so that she can claim the reward money so that she won't have to worry so much.

And from there the story goes!  And it goes so well!  It is so fun and exciting!

I must say that I don't really feel like Sherlock Holmes and Watson were really themselves, but Theodora Gloss is not their creator.  She did give it an admirable shot though.

As far as for all the daughters?  I liked them all well enough.  I didn't like Diana all that much though. I personally felt like her character wasn't quite as well done as the rest of them.  She was too predictable in her behaviors and responses.  But then maybe that means she was really well done considering who her father is!

Also, this book is written kind of like we are reading it as it is being written.  Ever so occasionally dialogue between the characters pops up between bits of the story.  They are either squabbling, pointing out that something was missed/wrong, or stressing the point of something just told to us.  Sometimes I found this to be pretty interesting and a really neat way to get to know the characters a little better while other times I found it confusing or annoying.  It definitely was a different way to write it though.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter and hope for more adventures!

My Rating

4.5 Stars

This review is based on an eARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts are mine and mine alone.

Follow the Tour

 Week 1:

6/26: TV, Books, & More ... Oh My! - Top 10 Secret Societies

6/27: Resch Reads and Reviews - Makeup Looks

6/28: Wandering Bark Books - Guest Post

6/29: In Wonderland - Q&A

6/30: Avid Reader - Review 

Week 2:

7/3: Books Are Love - Q&A

7/4: Reading Is Better With Cupcakes - Review

7/5: Just Commonly - Review

7/6: Miranda's Book Blog - Guest Post

7/7: The Book Return - Review

Blog Tour: Reign of Serpents by Eleanor Herman

Title: Reign of Serpents

Author: Eleanor Herman

Series: Blood of Gods and Royals #3

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Publication Date: June 27, 2017

Source: Publisher

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

I don't know about you guys, but I am totally stoked for Reign of Serpents by Eleanor Herman!  I have read all of the books (except for the latest novella and Reign of Serpents) and have enjoyed each one of them.  In case you missed them you can find my review for Legacy of Kings HERE, Empire of Dust HERE, and for Voice of Gods HERE.

However, today I am not here to share with you my review of this book.  I am actually here because I had the pleasure of asking Eleanor Herman some questions and she answered!  Talk about a fan girl moment when I received this opportunity!

So without further ado I give you my Q&A with Eleanor Herman!

1) What inspired you to write the Blood of Gods and Royals series?

No one had written YA novels on Alexander the Great. And because so little is known of his teen years, that gave my imagination a lot of room!

2) What is your all-time favorite point of time in history?

The ancient Mediterranean world fascinates me. It was a sophisticated world, with gorgeous buildings, well-built roads, a great deal of shipping and trade, fine artwork and jewelry-making, entertainment, and literature. And people bathed frequently, unlike in later centuries where they thought bathing would kill them and must have stunk to high heaven. I am a great fan of bathing.

3) You have traveled a lot for research, which place has been your favorite so far?

I absolutely adore Italy. It’s a giant layer-cake of civilizations, one smack on top of the other. People live in houses eight hundred years old, and in the basement are ancient tombs and temples. But I also love Greece, Lebanon, and Jordan. When I go to places this old, I have the strange feeling that I am absorbing energy from all the people who have ever been there. I get an odd buzzing sensation that makes me dizzy. And happy. I can just touch an ancient wall, and thousands of human stories flow through me, connecting me to the story of all mankind.

4). There is a lot of magic in the Blood of Gods and Royals series, how/where/why did that come about? 

Magic was very real to all ancient societies and still is to many tribal ones thriving today. I have spent time in African villages learning about it, and believe me, things happen there that our Western minds have a hard time understanding. In order to write about my characters’ experiences with Snake Blood and Earth Blood, I drew on the connection I think we all have with other life forms and the earth itself. As Kat says when she becomes the whale in Reign of Serpents, We are one. I believe this is true, and that is the real magic.

5) Who is your favorite of your characters?

That is like asking a mother of many children which is her favorite child. While I love all my characters, I have a particular fondness for the bad girl, Cynane. I love her defiant pain at being female in a man’s world. I love her fierce strength. I especially enjoyed writing the scenes in Reign of Serpents where she has married the crazy king and trying to keep him happy while plotting to kill him.

6) Who is your favorite author?

Clearly, J.K. Rowling! I also love the ancient Roman murder mystery series of Marcus Didius Falco by Lindsay Davis. Action-packed, very funny at times, and you feel that you have been there.

7) Which book in the series has been the hardest for you to write? Why?

The first book in the series, Legacy of Kings, was hardest to write for two reasons. It was my first novel, and I learned that writing fiction is much more complex than writing non-fiction, which is simply stringing facts together in an engaging way. Also, I had to learn who my many characters were, how their personalities differed. It took some time for them to really talk to me, to take over their chapters. I had a much easier time in Empire of Dust and Reign of Serpents. Now I am writing the fourth and final in the series: Dawn of Heroes. The challenge here is to show how they have grown and changed over the course of the series. They started off as kids. Now, though it’s only a year later, they are wiser and more experienced. They are adults.

8) What are your plans for after Reign of Serpents?

I have all kinds of ideas! Historical fiction, naturally! And I just finished a non-fiction book called The Royal Art of Poison, which looks at poisonings at royal courts centuries ago. That was a load of fun to research and write. I will come out in May 2018.

Book Blitz: The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter by Theodora Goss

Title: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter

Author: Theodora Goss

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Saga Press

Publication Date: June 20, 2017

Source: Publisher

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss.  I personally think the blurb sounds crazy interesting, and thought I would share it's existence with you.  

You can actually expect to see a review of this book up on the blog within the next few weeks!  I'm pretty excited to read it!

Here is a little about the book:

ABOUT THE STRANGE CASE OF THE ALCHEMIST'S DAUGHTER:

How do I explain how amazing this book is? TSCotAD features found families, monster girls, snarky meta, and Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson all wrapped up in an incredible Victorian Era bow. Brianna took this book to London with her and devoured it. Hopefully you’ll love it just as much as she does!

Based on some of literature’s horror and science fiction classics, this is the story of a remarkable group of women who come together to solve the mystery of a series of gruesome murders—and the bigger mystery of their own origins.

Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents’ death, is curious about the secrets of her father’s mysterious past. One clue in particular hints that Edward Hyde, her father’s former friend and a murderer, may be nearby, and there is a reward for information leading to his capture…a reward that would solve all of her immediate financial woes.

But her hunt leads her to Hyde’s daughter, Diana, a feral child left to be raised by nuns. With the assistance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Mary continues her search for the elusive Hyde, and soon befriends more women, all of whom have been created through terrifying experimentation: Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein.

When their investigations lead them to the discovery of a secret society of immoral and power-crazed scientists, the horrors of their past return. Now it is up to the monsters to finally triumph over the monstrous. 

Blog Tour: Dragons Love Tacos 2 by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri - How to Properly Eat a Taco

Hi everyone!

In honor of the fabulous picture book Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel I am here to help you learn to properly eat a taco.

I'm guessing you had no idea that there was a proper way to eat a taco huh?  Well, if you were to ask the dragons, they would tell you that the proper way to eat one is to abstain from adding any salsa to the taco.

I don't necessarily agree with the dragons on that, but there are others out there that might...

I guess what I am really saying here is...

There are a lot of ways to properly eat a taco!

However, we will cover some of the basics.

The first step to proper taco eating:

The taco shell.

For this step you must choose if you want a hard (crunchy) or soft taco!  This may be the most vital of the steps.  There are people out there that may try to tell you that one is better than the other, but the most important in this step is choosing what is right for you!

The second step to proper taco eating:

Filling up the taco

For this step you must choose what goes into your taco.  I mean, I guess if you want to eat an empty taco shell that is your decision and all, but usually there are some good things you can choose to put in there.  There are quite a few meat options you can go with: pork, beef, steak, and chicken being some of the obvious ones.  You don't eat meat?  Then you might put some potato or some yummy avocado in there.  Then there are the extras: cheese, lettuce, tomato, and salsa (unless you are a dragon!) that you may opt to put in your taco shell.

The third step to proper taco eating:

Open your mouth and take a bit out of your taco.

This is by far the most important step to eating a taco.  You aren't eating one if you are only looking at it sitting there on your plate.  Pick that taco up and take a bite!  Chew the amazing goodness up and then swallow!  Rinse and repeat until the taco is done.

Congratulations you now know how to properly eat a taco!

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter for a chance to be one (1) grand prize winner and receive a set of Dragons Love Tacos and Dragons Love Tacos 2 (ARV: $17.99 each), or to be one (1) of five (5) second place winners to receive Dragons Love Tacos 2 (ARC: $17.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on May 1, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 29, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about June 2, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

Follow the rest of the tour!

Week One:

May 1 – In Wonderland – Jane Austen Taco Hunt

May 2 – The Children’s Book Review – Review

May 3 – A Homeschool Mom – Tacos in the Renaissance

May 4 – Inspiration Laboratories – Tacos in Space

May 5 – Ali’s Book Nook – Dragon Paper Doll Activity

Week Two:

May 8 – The Book Nut – Tacos in Ancient Greece

May 9 – A Story A Day – Tacos During the Civil War

May 10 – Pirates n’ Pixie Dust – Taco Pirates

May 11 – Margie’s Must Reads – Review

May 12 – My Little Poppies

Week Three:

May 15 – Super Mommy to the Rescue

May 16 – As They Grow Up

May 17 – YA Book Nerd

May 18 – Swoony Boys Podcast – Review & Mini Swoon

May 19 – The Plot Bunny – A Dragons Love Tacos Playlist

Week Four:

May 22 – Reading is Better with Cupcakes – How to Properly Eat a Taco

May 23 – No BS Book Reviews

May 24 – Mundie Kids –Time Travelling with a Dragon Checklist

May 25 – The Book Shire

May 26 – Artsy Momma

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy of this title in exchange for this blog post.  Any and all opinions are mine and mine alone.  #PRHpartner