Blog Tour: The Turncoat's Gambit by Andrea Cremer

Title: The Turncoat's Gambit

Author: Andrea Cremer

Series: The Inventor's Secret #3

Publisher: Philomel Books

Publication Date: November 15, 2016

Source: Publisher

The Turncoat's Gambit is the third book in Andrea Cremer's The Inventor's Secret series.  In case you have not read the rest of the series and/or missed my reviews on the other two books you can find the review for book 1 HERE and for book 2 HERE.

This is a review for book three in a series.  There may be minor spoilers for the other two books.  Consider yourself warned.

Review: VIP - I'm With the Band by Jen Calonita

Title: I'm With the Band

Author: Jen Calonita

Series: VIP #1

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: December 1, 2015

Source: Publisher

Have you ever been absolutely in love with a boy band?  And then you discover you get to meet them because your mom is their new manager?!  Not only that, you get to go on a road tour with them!?

Well, that is exactly what happens to Mac in I'm With the Band.  As far as she is concerned she is Perfect Storms #1 fan.  Of course, drama happens and it is up to Mac to save the day!

Oh my goodness people, this book is so much fun!  I am well over the intended age range for this book (it is a middle grade novel), but I still found myself enjoying it and totally pulled into it.  Sometimes I even felt like I might be a 12 year old!

And when a book can totally make you forget your own age, that is when you know it is good!

Obviously with saying all of that, I thought that the characters were well done.  I felt like I was reading a 12 year old.  I could tell Mac was in love with the boy band and it reminded me very much of real 12 year olds in the same situation.  I'm pretty sure if you have a 12 year or so old in your life that is love with a boy band that they will not have any sort of problem relating to Mac.

Also, Mac is not all about being in love with the band.  She also has a very creative artsy side.  This is actually shown in quite a fun way too!  The story is told from Mac's perspective as she writes about the events in her journal/diary.  So her art work is doodled along the edges and also she has a comic that she writes that is pretty much her alter ego that gets shown and referred to a lot in the story.  It really is quite fun and really adds to the story.

Definitely a great and super fun read!  Perfect for 12ish year olds or for those who want to forget their actual age!

My Rating

4 Stars

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

The Picture Book Wall (#14)

Hi!

How has storytime been going?  It has actually been going better at our house!  My bug has been looking at her books a whole bunch (and has some obvious favorites) but she has finally started to bring them to us to read to her sometimes now too.  And she lets us read them!  She used to just turn the pages however she felt, but now sometimes she will let us read some of the words.  It is kind of nice and I really love that she is coming to books on her own.

In fact, book is one of the words she uses regularly!  It melts my heart a little bit when I hear her say it.  Of course, it sounds more like "boo" than "book" but I know what she means :)

Anyways, as always, I have a couple of picture book reviews for you!  I hope you find something that you can use for your own storytimes with your littles!

Title: If You Give a Mouse a Brownie

Author: Laura Numeroff

Illustrated: Felicia Bond

Series: If You Give... Books

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: October 18, 2016

Source: Purchased

Rating: 4 Stars

I absolutely love this series of books, so you can be sure that I was extremely excited when I learned a few months back that this one was going to be coming out.  I just knew I had to get it!  I was counting down the months and then the days until I could go out and pick it up.

And I am so glad I went and got it.

Like always, Mouse is up to his normal mischief.  Except this time we start it off by giving him a brownie.  Then of course he needs something else, and then something else, and then something else...until we come full circle and he finds himself needing another brownie.

Silly Mouse!  This new edition to the series is exactly what we have come to expect from Laura Numeroff when it comes to these books.  The art work is the same as it always has been, bright and fun.  The story follows the same route as all the others.  It is just a new adventure for our friend to share with our littles!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on a copy I purchased for myself.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Title: A Moon of My Own

Author: Jennifer Rustgi

Illustrator: Ashley White

Publisher: Dawn Publications

Publication Date: September 1, 2016

Source: Author
Rating: 3 Stars

This book is perfect for those with littles that like the night sky and the moon!  It is all about a little girl who thinks the moon must be meant just for her as it appears to follow her around.  She describes a lot of what the moon is doing and what she loves about it.

As far as the illustrations go, they are mostly of the night time sky.  The girl and anything that is supposed to appear before the sky is in black solid shapes, similar to how you see it on the cover.  While it seems rather simple, the sky is always very pretty and nice to look at - which was probably the point of it.  All in all, the illustrations are rather soothing.

However, that all being said, the story is actually a little simple and it is very quick read through.  It might be best as a bedtime story to help calm the littles down.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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

Title: Train

Author: Mike Vago

Illustrator: Matt Rockefeller

Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Source: Publisher

Rating: 4 Stars

Okay, this book isn't so much for the story as it is for the train.  What do I mean by that?  Well, you see, you can drive the train though the book!  It can travel through each page as you go along, even while flipping the page!

Pretty nifty if you ask me.

Other than the train, the story that is inside is rather simple, but the illustrations.  They are absolutely gorgeous and they are a great way to work on colors with your little!  Each page is just so vibrant and hosts a main color theme.  It is really quite nice to look at.

Your little may not even realize they are looking at a book and may think they are just playing, but that just makes this book even better.

Unless you have my kid.  She has figured out how to take the train out (don't worry you can get it back in).

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

Blog Tour: Double Eclipse by Melissa de la Cruz and Giveaway

Title: Double Eclipse

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Series: Summer on East End #2

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 8. 2016

Source: Publisher

Before we get started with reviewing Double Eclipse, I want to take a moment to remind you that it is the second book in the series.  The first book, Triple Moon, is a great read if you haven't read it yet.  You can check out my review for Triple Moon HERE.  This all being said, if this review may contain spoilers for the first book, but I will try to keep them to a minimum (really there probably aren't any at all).  Continue at your own risk.

Now to get this party started!

I really love this world that Melissa de la Cruz has created!  Double Eclipse is the 5th book written for this particular world and the 2nd with the teenage twins as the focus characters.  I have read all of them but the third book in the Witches of East End series (the adult series) and that is mostly just because I am usually absolutely horrible with finishing series up.  I don't like the stories to end, so they can't if I never finish!

So in Double Eclipse we have our twins Molly and Mardi, the twin Norse goddesses of Strength and Rage and daughters of the beloved and play boy Thor (or Troy if you want to go by his "mortal" name).  And while they learned their lesson in the first book and haven't gotten into much trouble in the past year, they are again spending their summer in East End with the cast of characters that we came to love in the Witches of East End series.  Yes, that is right, once again we get to see Freya and Ingrid and a few other familiar faces.  Sadly though, they are very much just back ground characters, but we still get to see them again and that is always nice.

In this book the girls discover who their mother is and from there things get all topsy turvy.  Molly keeps having a strange dream.  There are boys.  There are prophecies.  There are strange things happening.

Pretty much it is exactly what we have come to expect from Melissa de la Cruz when it comes to this world and all the crazy goings on that happen in East End.  And the twins have to figure out how to navigate it all.

So before I get into what I really liked about this book, I really need to get into the one thing that really really bothered me when reading this.  And I have no idea how it didn't bother me so much in the first one, as I know it was in that book as well....but there is just so much name dropping of rich super pricey items in this book.  It really started to get annoying.  I mean great...pricey cars, super expensive clothes, crazy expensive alcohol for underage teens (I know they are goddesses, but this is only their first incarnation! Can we get a responsible parent please?)...it was just sooooo much.  And it was all over the place.  I really could have done with a lot less of it.  I understand that they are rich girls and that they come from A LOT of money, but it doesn't need to be pointed out in such a way and over and over again.

Other than that though, I liked it.  As I said earlier I really like this world.  So much goes on in East End and the cast of characters is just awesome.  I love the whole concept behind East End and the Norse mythology that is built into the story - even if sometimes I find the mythology and stuff a bit hard to follow with how it is written.  There is just SO much!

And the characters.  While I like both Molly and Mardi, I definitely have a favorite twin.  I think it is probably hard not to.  While they are similar, they are still very different.  And this allows us, the readers, to be able to identify more with one or the other of them.  If you are curious, my favorite twin happens to be Mardi (my favorite sister from the Witches of East End was Ingrid if you are curious).

And the story was very interesting.  It kept me wondering.  I couldn't quite figure it out even though I thought I should be able to.  It was like it was right there in my face the whole time.  Of course I had some suspicions, but nothing I really wanted to call out.  I just couldn't be sure.

A great addition to this world, I cannot wait for the next!

My Rating

4 Stars

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This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Giveaway

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Enter for a chance to win one of five (5) hardcover copies of Double Eclipse by Melissa de la Cruz (ARV: $18.99).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 9:00 AM Eastern Time on November 7, 2016 and 11:59 PM on November 18, 2016.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about November 21, 2016. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.


Follow the Tour

11/7: Clockwork Bibliophile (Spotlight)

11/8: Once Upon a Twilight (Q&A)

11/9: Reading is Better with Cupcakes (Review)

11/10: The Reading Nook (Q&A)

11/11: In Wonderland (Book Look)

11/14: Brittany’s Book Rambles (Spotlight)

11/15: Here’s to Happy Endings (Review)

11/16: Live to Read (Guest Post)

11/17: Buttermybooks (Review)

11/18: Curling Up with a Good Book (Review)

Review: Doodletopia - Fairies by Christopher Hart

Title: Doodletopia - Fairies: Draw, Design, and Color Your Own Super-Magical and Beautiful Fairies

Author: Christopher Hart

Series: Doodletopia

Publisher: Watson-Guptill

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Source: Blogging for Books

I don't know if you remember or not (or you may have missed it entirely) but not too long ago I wrote up a review for Christopher Hart's Doodletopia - Manga.  You can find my review for that title HERE by the way.  And with how much I liked the manga book and how much I love fairies, I just had to get this one and check it out.

So at first glance, this book is about what I expected after having seen and read through Hart's other book in this series.  It is set up similarly with ways to draw fairies - wing styles, facial expressions, clothes, etc.  Essentially everything you need to create some fairies of your own.

What I did not expect though, and I probably should have based on the artwork on the cover alone, is that these fairies are still kind of in the anime/manga style.  Which is ok.  It is great to know how to draw fairies in this style, but I think I was wanting to learn how to draw them more in the stylings of Amy Brown and other similar artists.  You know, where the fairies seem a bit more...real and not so much cartoon.

I do like that this book gives you plenty of space to try out drawing what they are teaching you inside of it.  However, I am the type of person, that despite being given that space, will still use paper from outside the book to practice and draw on.  I just cannot bring myself to draw in books, even when they tell me to!

All in all, I really enjoy this book and there is quite a bit in it for me to learn which I appreciate.  I wish it weren't all so cartoony, but maybe I will find another book some day to teach me how to draw fairies differently.  For now though, this is a good start.

My Rating

4 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

This review is based on a title provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Blog Tour: The Homecoming by Stacie Ramey

Title: The Homecoming

Author: Stacie Ramey

Series: Companion novel to The Sister Pact

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: November 1, 2016

Source: Publisher

If you are wanting to read a book that is filled with some hard hitting topics you will be wanting to pick up The Homecoming.  It has quite a few - suicide, abuse, family issues, drugs...  Really, there is quite a bit.  And that all being said...there are definitely some trigger warnings for The Homecoming!

The Homecoming is about John.  And John is one really messed up teen.  He has been sent back to live with his mom and his two siblings after messing up big time and getting arrested for drugs while living with his dad and uncle.

But the drugs and alcohol issues aren't all there is to John.  First of all, he is haunted by the suicide of his girlfriend that happened a year before.  Second, he has issues with his parents, especially his mom.  And third, he has unresolved issues that sprung up around the accident that handicapped his older brother when he was around 7 or so years old.  His brother, who now seems to be hitting and fighting back more and more - which is another thing that doesn't sit well with John.

As you can tell, John has a lot of issues.

Really, sometimes this book felt like it had too many issues for just one solo novel to contain and deal with adequately.  And I don't think it necessarily did deal with them all fairly.  The novel reads very quickly and I only felt like it just barely brushed upon a lot of the problems that John has.  Almost as if it was trying to give him too many problems.  Fewer problems with a more in depth approach of examining them and fully exploring them would have been better in my opinion.  That, or making this a series and not so much of a stand alone story.

And I think that leads to my next issue.  I never really felt an in depth connection to John or any character really.  Everyone felt only surface deep.  There were so many problems going on with so many different people and I wanted to be able to feel them with them, but I just couldn't.  And then there were the side characters that didn't have much of a role at all...and they all felt the same.

And as for all the issues and problems John faced throughout this story, and he faced quite a few, I found myself having problems with his dependency of drugs and alcohol.  Every time something go tough all he wanted to do was smoke and drink.  It was all he could think of.  However, never did anyone outside of him mention anything about his problem.  Not his therapist, not his parents...NO ONE.  To me it screamed addict, but for whatever reason this was never ever brought up.  Almost as though it wasn't important.  And that really bothered me.

But all this being said, it isn't a bad story and it is a very decent read.  I enjoyed it well enough.  And like I said earlier, it is actually a pretty quick read.  I need to read The Sister Pact - the companion novel - to see how John is mentioned in that story and find out more about the suicide of his girlfriend.

My Rating

3 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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

Blog Tour: The Diabolic by S.J Kincaid

Title: The Diabolic

Author: S.J. Kincaid

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: November 1, 2016

Source: Author/Publisher

S.J. Kincaid happens to be one of my most favorite authors, so you can bet that when I saw there was going to be a blog tour that I jumped at the chance and hoped with everything that I had that I was going to get chosen to participate.

Obviously, I did.  And I was so excited!  But also a little worried.

Why was I worried?  Well for the blog tour, I was told my part of it would be to write a review.  And what if I ended up not liking the book?  What if I hyped it up too much in my own mind that there was no way that it was going to live up to my standards?  So many "what ifs"...

So I sat down and started to read it.

And I kept reading.

I didn't want to stop!

All my "what ifs" were totally pointless!  Thank goodness!  S.J. Kincaid managed to live up to my expectations once again!

True to S.J. Kincaid's typical genre of choice, we have another science fiction novel.  It is set in the future, out in outer space.  The whole thing is actually pretty cool and really well thought out.

The world we are dealing with in The Diabolic almost seems as though it has taken a step backwards.  At one point in time everyone was into science and technology, but then something happened and it made a lot of people believe more in a religion than the science.  So they stopped working on improving science and technology.  They only used what they already had.

This means things break down and get worn out and can't get fixed.  Kind of a serious problem when you are up in outer space living in giant space ship like things that are old and falling apart.

But the big guy in charge doesn't care.  He doesn't want people to work on science and technology any more and will do very evil things to them if they try.

Then there is Nemesis.  She is a Diabolic.  She has been created and genetically engineered to be a protector.  She is programmed to keep one person safe at all costs.  She is not a human.  She has no soul.

And Nemesis finds herself mixed up in all this and in a very dangerous situation.

OMG.  SO FREAKING GOOD.

Really!  I loved the whole thing.  Everything was just so great.  I loved the character development and all of the relationships.  I loved the world and the way that it was built up.  I loved the whole concept behind the book.

Ugh.  I just loved it ok?

I should also let you know that there are some triggers in this book!  If you want to know know more about the triggers please feel free to contact me :)

What I don't love?  Is that it is a stand alone.  That is right.  S.J. Kincaid is NOT going to write more books about these characters.  It is done.  Complete.  Over.  I don't have to be happy about it, but it is her decision so I will just have to deal with it.

Do yourself a favor - get this book and read it immediately!

My Rating

5 Stars

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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

GIVEAWAY

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Check Out the Whole Tour!

Week 1:

10/24: YA Bibliophile - Review

10/25: Swoony Boys Podcast - Character Interview

10/26: Reader Rising - Review

10/27: What Sarah Read - Mood Board

10/28: The Irish Banana Review - Top 10 

Week 2:

10/31: No BS Book Reviews - Q&A

11/1: In Wonderland - Review

11/2: Who RU Blog - Novel Secrets

11/3: Lili's Reflections - Review

11/4: Reading Is Better with Cupcakes - Review