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Showing posts with the label ARC

I'm a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni | A Slow-Paced Gay Romance Book Attempts To Be A High-Stakes Magical Fantasy

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You try magic once and it sticks to you like glitter glue . . . When Johnny and his best friend, Alison, pass their summer holidays dabbling in magic, they never expect it to have consequences. Sure, it’d be great if they could banish bullies or change their lives for the better, and what harm could come from lighting a few candles and chanting a few spells? When they cause an earthquake that shakes Chicago to its core, they draw the attention of the Marduk Institute, an age-old organization dedicated to fostering the talents of young wizards. Once there, Johnny and Alison are told they can never return to their previous lives, and must quickly adapt to a new world shimmering with monsters, fraternities, and cute boys like Hunter and Blake. But when they’re pulled into an epic, supernatural fight that could cost them both their lives, Johnny and Alison find strength they never knew they had as they battle for love, acceptance, and their own happy ending—all with the help of a little ma

The Thorn Queen by Elise Holland | Dull Middle-Grade Fantasy w/Life-Saving Lions

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Welcome to Glendoch! Hidden to most, this glacial world once crackled with alchemy. Now it waits for war—divided and bound by strict rules. So when twelve-year-old Meylyne falls from a tree onto Glendoch’s sickly prince, she must flee or face imprisonment in the Shadow-Cellars. The only way she may return home is with a cure for the prince’s peculiar disease. Convinced she will perish, Meylyne and her companions embark on their journey—and before they know it, they are knee-deep in a plot to sink Glendoch into shadow, like other worlds before it. Poisoned guardians, cursed wizards, and cunning witch-spirits bound into wands are just some of the dangers that dot the way of their travels. And behind it all is the Thorn Queen. Mysteriously magnetic (or murderously vengeful, depending on whose side you’re on), she is always one step ahead of them . . . Discussion: ⭐ DNF - 88% In short, The Thorn Queen  is a very slow book with not much action. Meylyne, the main character, is forced to trav

Book Review: A Beautiful Curse by Kenley Davidson | A Mean Frog Finds Love with a Nice Prince

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When a bumbling fairy godfather gifts a humble woodcutter’s fourth child with extraordinary beauty, she spends the next eighteen years trying to hide it—behind a book. Now, Elisette is ready to follow her dreams and become a scholar, but her admirers keep getting in the way of her ambitions. Ellie knows better than to rely on her fairy godfather, but she’s desperate enough to risk asking him for help. The trouble is, Mortimer isn’t feeling very helpful. In fact, he’s downright irritated…  After a bit of vengeful fairy magic, Ellie discovers that webbed feet and green skin are even harder to manage than beauty. No one cares what happens to a frog, except maybe quiet, unassuming Prince Cambren, who has enough troubles of his own.  Will Ellie find a way to break her curse and live happily ever after? Or will she spend the rest of her life eating flies and living in a pond at the back of the palace garden?  Discussion:  " Her fascination with words and books and learning simply d

Blog Tour, Book Review, & Giveaway: Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell | Honey and Love Are the Secret Cures to Everything

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Good morning everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Light and Air  by Mindy Nichols Wendell Blog Tour hosted by  Rockstar Book Tours . Below, you may peruse my thoughts from reading Light  and Air and an excerpt from the novel, as well as enter an exclusive giveaway via Rafflecopter! Originally, I was posting yesterday; however, like pancakes miss syrup and popcorn misses butter, cold winters miss rain which cry for frequent power outages. Thus, we move forward and fangirl about Halle and her story one more day!! About The Book: Title:  LIGHT AND AIR Author:  Mindy Nichols Wendell Pub. Date:  January 2, 2024 Publisher:  Holiday House Formats:  Hardcover, eBook Pages:  218 Find it:   Goodreads ,  https://books2read.com/LIGHT-AND-AIR   It's 1935, and tuberculosis is ravaging the nation. Everyone is afraid of this deadly respiratory illness. But what happens when you actually  have  it? When Halle and her mother both come down with TB, they

Book Review: The Plastic Magician (The Paper Magician Book #4) by Charlie N. Holmberg | A New Sequel to an Old Favorite to Ease My Ever Aching Heart

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Alvie Brechenmacher has arrived in London to begin her training in Polymaking—the magical discipline of bespelling plastic. Polymaking is the newest form of magic, and in a field where there is so much left to learn, every Polymaker dreams of making the next big discovery. Even though she is only an apprentice, Alvie is an inventor at heart, and she is determined to make as many discoveries—in as short a time frame—as she can. Luckily for her, she’s studying under the world-renowned magician Marion Praff, who is just as dedicated as Alvie is. Alvie’s enthusiasm reinvigorates her mentor’s work, and together they create a device that could forever change Polymaking—and the world. But when a rival learns of their plans, he conspires to steal their invention and take the credit for it himself. To thwart him, Alvie will need to think one step ahead. For in the high-stakes world of magical discovery, not everyone plays fair… Discussion:                                                

The Revolution of Jack Frost by K.M. Robinson | A Christmas Retelling That Is Unable to Thaw My Cold, Icy Heart?!

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No one inside the snow globe knows that Morozoko Industries is controlling their weather, testing them to form a stronger race that can survive the fall out from the bombs being dropped in the outside world—all they know is that they must survive the harsh Winter that lasts a month and use the few days of Spring, Summer, and Fall to gather enough supplies to survive. When the seasons start shifting, Genesis and her boyfriend, Jack, know something is going on. As their team begins to find technology that they don’t have access to inside their snow globe of a world, it begins to look more and more like one of their own is working against them. Genesis soon discovers Morozoko Industries is to blame, but when a foreign enemy tries to destroy their weather program to make sure their destructive life-altering bombs succeed in destroying the outside world, their only chance is to shut down the machine that is spinning out of control and save the lives of everyone inside the bunker--at any cos

Book Review: We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards | A Memoir for Gen Z But with Ghosts and Bad Memories

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Theo's always been impulsive. But telling Paige how he feels? He's obsessed over that decision. And it's time. Tonight. At the party on the riverbank, under the old walking bridge, site of so many tales of love and death. Paige has had a crush on Theo since they first met, but she knows her feelings are one-sided. She's trying to move on, to flirt. A party at the river is just what she needs. Except a fight breaks out, and when Paige tries to intervene--Theo's fist lands in her face. All Theo and Paige want to do is forget that fateful night. But strange events keep drawing them back to the bridge. Someone, something is determined to make them remember...and pay for what they each did. Discussion:                                                                                                                       ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ I love him. Then. Now. Always. In a movie, it would be enough to undo every bad thing. Out here in the real world, though, love isn't enough.  Hi

Book Review: The Grace Year by Kim Liggett | Can Logic Be Overtaken by Lies and Emotion? Ft. A Story of Love, Punishment, and Magic

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No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden. In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other. With sharp prose and gritty realism,  The Grace Year  examines the complex an