Review: Chugging and the Fish Freaks of Farheath by Brent Michael Kelley

Goodreads Blurb

Chuggie, the permanently intoxicated embodiment of Drought, has run into a bit of trouble in the city of Farheath Harbor. He is on trial for crimes he didn’t commit, and a guilty verdict means his execution. What happened down at the Farheath Docks? Is Chuggie too drunk to defend himself in such a trial? Will he be able to defeat his executioner in the ultimate battle of wits? Find out in Chuggie and the Fish Freaks of Farheath!

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This is a short story that will keep everyone entertained. This is the first book I get to read from Brent. Chuggie is very funny and keeps his audience wanted more of his stories. I recommend this short read.

Author Biography

Brent Michael Kelley lives and writes in the Wisconsin Northwoods. He shares a home with such things as hairless dogs, a snake named Darth Batman, and the woman he married on Halloween. In addition to writing about his pal Chuggie, he likes writing story-poems, painting monsters, and making wine. Some say late at night, if you’re alone by a campfire, you can summon Brent by closing your eyes and saying his name eleven times. He insists this is not true and there’s no way it will work… yet.

Review: The School for Good and Evil: The Ever Never Handbook by Soman Chainani

Goodreads Blurb

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil! The greatest of heroes and villains have come through our classrooms before they ventured into the Endless Woods to find their stories . . . and now you will join their ranks.

Use this handbook as a guide to help you navigate through your years at school. Everything you need is inside: what to bring, what to wear, and most importantly, how to stay out of the Doom Room. Here, you’ll learn about your classes, meet your professors, and get an inside look at our first-year traditions like the Trial by Tale, the Circus of Talents, and the Snow Ball. And should you need advice, you won’t have to look far for role models: our most illustrious alumni are here to help—and from—

Evs and Nevs! Forget this official stuff—I’ll tell you everything you really need to know to survive and all the good stuff the teachers won’t tell you.. Plus, I have the secret scoop on Sophie, Agatha, and Tedros. . . . Meet me inside!—Hester

Experience the School for Good and Evil like never before with this must-have companion to the bestselling series. Glorious illustrations invite you to pore over maps, see characters for the first time, and get an inside look at what it’s like to be a student at the most enchanted school of all.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This was an interesting book. It was created to have the readers engage in what the requirements are for them to apply to the school for good and evil and the rules and regulations. It has letters, documents, pictures, rules, course descriptions, and other fun stuff about each school. It’s a great book for young readers. It almost feels like you’re reading Harry Potter when the students are being chosen for the appropriate school, depending on their talents. So which school are you applying for? Are you good or evil?

Author Biography

Soman Chainani’s debut series, THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, has sold more than 3.5 million copies, been translated into 31 languages across 6 continents, and will be a major motion picture from Netflix in 2022.

Each of the six books in the series — THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL, A WORLD WITHOUT PRINCES, THE LAST EVER AFTER, QUESTS FOR GLORY, A CRYSTAL OF TIME, and ONE TRUE KING — have debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list. Together the books have been on the print and extended lists for 41 weeks.

A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University’s MFA Film Program, Soman began his career as a screenwriter and director, with his films playing at over 150 film festivals around the world. He has been nominated for the Waterstone Prize for Children’s Literature, been named to the Out100, and also received the $100,000 Shasha Grant and the Sun Valley Writer’s Fellowship, both for debut writers.

Soman’s latest book, BEASTS & BEAUTY, is an instant New York Times Bestseller and will soon be published in 10 languages. It is his seventh New York Times bestseller in a row.

Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Goodreads Blurb

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It is a very interesting and weird story all in one. Some of the images were weird but were happy to know that most are original. I really enjoyed this book and loved the plot. It was something new to read and kept me wanting to read more. I was at the edge of my chair at the end of the book. I loved the book because the author added the pictures throughout the book and gave you a chance to make each character come to life. Can’t wait to read the continuation of this series.

Author Biography

Hi, I’m Ransom, and I like to tell stories. Sometimes I tell them with words, sometimes with pictures, often with both. I grew up on a farm on the Eastern shore of Maryland and also in a little house by the beach in Englewood, Florida where I got very tan and swam every day until I became half fish. I started writing stories when I was young, on an old typewriter that jammed and longhand on legal pads. When I was a little older I got a camera for Christmas and became obsessed with photography, and when I was a little older still my friends and I came into possession of a half-broken video camera and began to make our own movies, starring ourselves, using our bedrooms and backyards for sets. I have loved writing stories and taking photographs and making movies ever since, and have endeavored to do all three.

Review: The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Goodreads Blurb

Jake Livingston is one of the only Black kids at St. Clair Prep, one of the others being his infinitely more popular older brother. It’s hard enough fitting in but to make matters worse and definitely more complicated, Jake can see the dead. In fact he sees the dead around him all the time. Most are harmless. Stuck in their death loops as they relive their deaths over and over again, they don’t interact often with people. But then Jake meets Sawyer. A troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school last year before taking his own life. Now a powerful, vengeful ghost, he has plans for his afterlife–plans that include Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about ghosts and the rules to life itself go out the window as Sawyer begins haunting him and bodies turn up in his neighborhood. High school soon becomes a survival game–one Jake is not sure he’s going to win.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

It is a young adult horror story that involves a teenager who can see ghosts and who becomes a target of the ghost of Sawyer Doon, a student who shot students in his high school. The story mentions topics such as identity, race, racism, and LGBTQIA+. Jake is the only black student at St. Clair Prep. Making friends and feeling accepted at the school is hard for him. The teachers and students make racist comments and treat him differently. I think the author added some significant elements that would spook anyone. He also added some mystery to the book by having Jake try to figure out why he kept seeing Sawyer and what it was he wanted from him. The hatred within Sawyer was not going to win. Jake realized he had people who truly cared about him for who he was. It’s a spooky story that will keep you on edge.

Author Biography

Ryan Douglass is an author from Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling YA horror novel, The Taking of Jake Livingston, and the poetry book Boy in Jeopardy.

Cover Reveal: The Heretic by Nathan R. Allen

Blurb

Carved into the side of a cliff, the city of Avinyón stands on the edge of the ocean. Wealth, power, and control flow into the capital of the empire from its conquests. But for those at the bottom of the city, the only thing that flows their way is a never-ending fight for survival… and crashing salt water.

In a world powered by runes, where magic and technology fuse, Damian is about to graduate from the empire’s premier university. His thesis, poised to revolutionize the understanding of runes, is his ticket to a better life and saving his brother from the deadly military draft.

The Heretic unfolds conflict between sovereignty and revolution, combat and creativity, discovery and deceit.

Buy Links

Cover Reveal: Illusion of Stars by Sarah Marie Page

BOOK DETAILS:

Illusion of Stars
by Sarah Marie Page
Publication date: July 16, 2024
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

She’s stealing more than secrets.

As the royal physician of a tiny, windswept island, Isabel spends her days trying to keep the queen from dying and the mad king from streaking naked down the halls. But when her best friend is found murdered on the beaches, her world is ripped apart. Desperate for answers, she discovers a stash of letters that reveal a terrifying truth: the neighboring kingdom of Volgaard possesses a kingdom-shattering weapon and is poised to conquer everything in its path.

Seeking vengeance, Isabel infiltrates the enemy. Her mission? Woo Erik Lothgarson, the general’s steamy, illusion-magic wielding son, and steal the dangerous weapon. She can bring Volgaard to its knees—if she isn’t caught.

But as Isabel dances along the knife edge of deception, the lines between truth and fiction blur, and she must wrestle her quest for vengeance against her undeniable attraction to the enemy.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205890289-illusion-of-stars

Pre-order:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3x15cgH

AUTHOR BIO:

I’m Sarah, an award-winning author who writes fluffy fantasy. I live in Phoenix, Arizona with my equally fluffy cat (starting to see a pattern here?) And fine, I have a husband too.

He’s not fluffy.

My debut novel, ILLUSION OF STARS, comes out July 2024. I’m currently working on the (untitled) ILLUSION OF STARS sequel and SERPENT GREEN, VENOM BLUE. I also have a witchy manuscript that lives in a trunk under the bed.

We don’t talk about that.

My work has been featured in Y Magazine, The Advocate, The Crow’s Quill, and Hippocampus Magazine (among others) and I’ve been a guest on a ton of podcasts like The Outspoken Artist, Bookish Flights, Books are Magical and the Author’s Alcove.

If I got some pity laughs out of you, I suggest signing up for my newsletter where I will make you pity laugh some more.

I’m also a frequent flier on Instagram, so if you still can’t get enough of me, you can also follow me there.

Author links:

https://www.sarahpagestories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sarahpagestories/

Tweets by sarahmclifford

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/48017983.Sarah_Marie_Page

Review: A Charming Voodoo by Tonya Kappes

Goodreads Blurb

Bubble. . . bubble. . .
Whispering Falls is abuzz with the new
housing development and new shops
popping up all over the magical
village right before the annual All
Hallow’s Eve celebration.

Cures and trouble. . .
June Heal’s intuition
is on high alert and she just can’t shake
that something bad is about to happen.

Magic stirs . . .
June finds Violet Draper standing over a dead body
In the new pumpkin patch hours before it’s supposed
to open for hayrides.

And trouble doubles . . .
Once again, June has to put her sleuthing skills to work
and figure out who the real killer is before the new
citizens pack up and move right back out of town.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This is another awesome addition to this series. June is my favorite character. She has intuitions and always puts herself in danger, but that never stops her from finding the murderer. I loved how she always gets a new charm from Mr. Prince Charming. The cover for this book is one of my favorites. Was happy to see that more shops have opened up. Made the story more fun with new characters. I’m looking forward to June’s next adventure.

Author Biography

Tonya Kappes has written more than 180 southern cozy mysteries, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today . Best known for stories charged with southern charm, emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband in northern Kentucky. Now that her four boys have flown out of the nest, Tonya writes full-time in her camper!

You can find her all over social media and at Tonyakappes.com .

Review: Pinocula by Obert Skye

Goodreads Blurb

For Rob Burnside, things are going pretty well. His friends are behaving, school isn’t too bad, his family’s getting along, and Janae, the girl of his dreams, occasionally notices him. Yep, life’s okay—until the lying starts.

Meet Pinocula, the new creature from Rob’s closet. He is a liar and a jokester and is determined to drive Rob crazy. Obert Skye doesn’t let his fans down in this hilarious installment in The Creature from My Closet series, which started with Wonkenstein and Potterwookiee.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I totally loved that the book was printed in purple letters. It has the cutest illustrations, which made the story come to life. I enjoyed every minute. Rob is very fun and weird at the same time. He has a closest that releases weird creatures to his world. The creatures, of course, love to run around the world exploring Rob’s life. Pinocula was such a great character that was very unique and inventive. Great book for young children to enjoy.

Author Biography

Obert Skye read his first book at age two. He wrote his first story at age four. And he was nearly trampled by a herd of water buffalo at age six. For a short time, he lived on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where he spent time as a candy-taster. Several years ago, Obert Skye says, he discovered the existence of Foo. Publishing his story as a fictional series was not Obert’s first choice. Nevertheless he is content that the “history” is being told.

Hobbies and other interests: Collecting old maps, water polo, roller coasters.

Cover Reveal: The Vermilion Ribbon by Hayley Price

The Vermilion Ribbon by Hayley Price

Cover Reveal: 15th May

Publication Date: 1st June

Genre: Romance | Fantasy | LGBT

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Blurb

A garment maker’s daughter becomes an ice-cold killer stalked by her own doubts, grief, and guilt.

Corelle’s simple life becomes indistinguishable from her nightmares after a chance meeting with a woman who becomes her lover. A dark, violent history casts a shadow over their relationship, and Corelle is drawn down a path of death and self-loathing. Betrayed to the authorities, she makes a choice that will haunt her for the rest of her days.

Corelle flees south, pursued by men who wish her dead, but fate does not release her from its grip. A rainy night brings a woman with a sinister connection to Corelle’s past, one from whom unpalatable truths must be hidden. Inevitably, the two women’s histories collide, portentous decisions are made, and Corelle’s pursuers draw ever nearer.

The Vermilion Ribbon is book one of The Vermilion Saga, a secondary-world sapphic low fantasy series with sprinklings of other genres such as romance, mystery, and adventure that add to its complexity.

Content Advisory: Non-consensual sex (SA), LGBT, violence, death, suicide ideation

Pre-order Link

https://geni.us/TheVermilionRibbon

Happy Publication Day: Second Soul by Corwin Michaels

Blurb

Alvar has been plagued by Dreamons since time immemorial. They stalk the night, in the mist between realms, to twist the dreams of mankind into nightmares and feast upon the primal emotions that dwell deep within. Thirty years ago, a desperate battle was fought and barely won, ushering in the first era of peace Alvar has ever known. The cost was high, but peace is worth any price…as long as it’s real.

In a cozy cottage deep in the forests of Delrythia, Callum prepares to leave for the university to study magic and join the Second Souls, men and women who risk their lives to touch the currents of magic. But when he overhears a stranger whisper orders to his parents with an offer of a silver knife, his world is turned upside down and he runs away from home, leaving everything behind.

A strange magic blossoms within him, one that ties him to a secret cult, to walking nightmares, and the Dreamon Realm itself. Callum must learn to trust again and find his own family while coming to terms with the power he wields.

Buy Links

Amazon US

Amazon UK