Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer Synopsis

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old, he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then, a stunning opportunity presents iself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. 

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help solving? 

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How sis he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

Review

This series was one of the best I've read in a long time! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

I fell in love with Laini Taylor after reading the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. I actually re-read the series this year, which is something that I hardly ever do. I can count on one hand the number of series that I have read more than once. I know this series will soon be added to that list, though. I already want to re-read it, and I just finished it a couple of hours ago!

I listened to most of the series as audiobooks, and these were by far the best audiobooks I've ever listened to! The narrator, Steve West, did an AMAZING job of bringing the characters to life.

Also, I must point out - I love the way he pronounces "belly!" I know that sounds weird, but I guarantee you will agree if you listen!

The only complaint I have about these books is that there is not another one in the series! As far as I know, Laini Taylor intended this to be a duology. However, she did end Muse of Nightmares in a way that would allow her to add more to the story. Can we all please beg her to write a third book?

If you haven't read this series, you should totally do go read it right now!

I will leave you with some awesome artwork of characters from the book that I found online.

Also, you can click here to take a quiz that will determine which Gosspawn you are!

I 💓 little Minya! 

Nocturna (A Forgery of Magic #1) by Maya Motayne

Set in a Latinx-inspired world, a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed. 

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her... and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks. 

As a talented faceshifter, it's been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that's exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she's forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan's royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can't help but feel that he will never live up to his brother's legacy.

Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn and Alfie's fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power-which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan's fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts.

Review

I have been reading quite the multicultural mix lately. Over the past few months, I've read books inspired by Russian fairytales, books based on Russian history (Romanov), books based on African culture (Children and Smoke and Bone and Binti - review coming soon). Plus, Mirage was based on Moroccan culture (how cool is that?).

I've been thinking that reading books that are based on or incorporate aspects from different cultures would make for a fun reading challenge. What do you think?

Of course, reading all of these other books that incorporate aspects from different cultures, I was super excited when I heard about this book. I have never read a YA fantasy book that was based on Latin culture. There are some that incorporate small aspects, but none with main characters or the main plot focusing on Hispanic culture.

One thing that I wish was different about this book was how they portrayed Alfie's drinking problem. Not many YA Fantasy books give any indication about the realities of substance abuse and how hard quitting can be. This book portrayed it as sheer will power that allowed him to stop drinking. While this was fine for the story, I wish that more YA fantasy books would give a more realistic glance at how prevalent substance abuse issues are and how hard quitting is, and that it cannot often be done by will power alone and usually requires seeking help. Prism Cloud, by Jeff Wheeler, was one book that did a good job at giving a glimpse at how hard it can be to stop using drugs, and most importantly, the character did not do it alone.

Can you tell that I am doing my counseling internship at a substance abuse treatment facility?

However, I do feel that although books like this are complete fiction, portraying characters a little more realistically when it comes to things like substance abuse might help someone struggling with something similar. For example, if someone with a drinking problem reads this book and cannot quit drinking by just using their will power, they may see that as a failure, think they cannot do it, and not try again another way or reach out for help.

I will get off my soapbox now, and don't let my little rant take away from the fact that I loved this book! I loved the magic. I loved the cultural aspects, but most of all, I loved the characters!

I especially 💓💓💓 Finn!

This book did an excellent job of introducing us to the characters and made us start to love them. I hope the next book allows us to get to know them better, watch them grow, and love them even more!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. 

Winging It (Destiny Rules #1) by Lisa Gail Green Book Blitz & $20 Amazon GiftCard Giveaway

Winging It
Lisa Gail Green
(Destiny Rules, #1)
Publication date: March 30th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Zach discovers his mom is a fairy godmother. But what’s really freaking him out is the fact that he’s a fairy too. Now that his mom’s been injured, he must finish her assignments before the next full moon or they’re both grounded, meaning no wings, no wands, and no position in the Organization of Destiny Fulfillment (ODF). Sure it would suck to lose his newfound powers, but Zach quickly learns there’s far more at stake. Failure also means messing up the lives of the people he’s supposed to help.
Forever.
Between a fairy-trainee who happens to be the girl he’s been in love with since fifth grade, a boss he doesn’t trust, and a gremlin physics teacher that wants to eat him, Zach’s pretty sure even a magic wand can’t bail him out.
Winging It has been a featured book on WATTPAD and here are just a few of the comments from readers:
“ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! BRAVO BRAVO! I sincerely, really loved this book. What was funny is I went out on a wing from werewolf and tried out fantasy and I love it. Your book inspires me to read more fantasy. Excellent story telling.”
“Amazing, absolutely amazing. What a beautiful ending.”
“I love this ending! It leaves just enough loose ends that imagination can fill in the gaps. Whatever happens next, I’m glad I somehow found this amazing book!”
“This was one of the best books I’ve ever read please make a sequel!!”
“I really enjoyed the book! And i spent like two whole days reading it.. i couldnt put it down at all XD
And like everyone else if like to read a sequel… soo….SEQUEL!!”

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Slipping in a puddle under the broken water fountain should teach me to stop gawking at Jenna Macintyre, but I know it won’t. I fell for her when we were ten, and in the six years since, I’ve continued to fall. And stutter. And make an ass out of myself in general.
“Good one, Zachy,” she says, leaning down so that her golden hair swings in my face. She flicks my shoulder, sending shivers down all my nerve endings, straightens up, and heads off toward whatever her next class is. If I had any guts at all I’d call her on all the humiliating things she’s ever said to me, but I don’t. Instead, I wonder if she moves that way on purpose.
Her gaggle of wannabes follow in her wake, blocking the view. Their laughter bounces back down the hall even after I hear the door close behind them.
It’s only after the final bell rings that I realize I should probably breathe if I want to avoid passing out and drowning in an inch of water. So, I shake myself and stand up, leaning on Emmet. I almost forgot he was there. I groan when I feel the heavy material of my soaked jeans clinging to my legs. Nice.
“Loitering now I see, Mr. Slater.” My sixth period Physics teacher’s voice nearly makes me slip again.
“But-” I start.
“Save it for someone who cares. Get to your next class or I’ll be happy to send you to detention.” Mr. Crown slides his Coke bottle glasses up the bridge of his nose and curls his thin upper lip in distaste.
“I had an accident,” I say in a rush.
He raises his eyebrows, taking in my pants, and heat floods my face.
“Not that kind of accident. I slipped in the hall because of the broken fountain.” I ought to threaten to sue.
“That’s what happens when you run in the hallways.”
Is he serious? I draw my hands down over my face, trying to collect myself. “Fine. I’m going,” I say, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.
“Watch that attitude.” He slams the door to his room, and I flip him off before turning back to Emmet, the only other person left in the now deserted hall.
“Take good notes,” I say. “I’m out of here.”
“Thank God,” Emmet says. “I thought you were going to actually go to class like that for a minute.”

Author Bio:
Lisa Gail Green writes paranormal and fantasy because she loves to bring life to the stories in her head. WINGING IT, Book 1 of her new YA fantasy series, Destiny Rules, is NOW available. Sign up for her newsletter for more deals and info at LisaGailGreen.com. Oh -- and she would most definitely have a werewolf for a pet if she weren't allergic.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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The Rule of Many (The Rule of One #2) by Ashley & Leslie Saunders Blog Tour & Giveaway

The Rule of Many

Ashley & Leslie Saunders

(The Rule of One #2)

Published by: Skyscape

Publication date: May 7th 2019

Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Born to a death sentence in a near-future America, rebellious sisters herald a revolution—if they can survive.

Twins Ava and Mira Goodwin defy the Rule of One simply by existing. The single-child law, ruthlessly enforced by Texas’s Governor Roth, has made the sisters famous fugitives and inspirations for the resurgent rebellion known as the Common.

But the relentless governor and his implacable Texas State Guard threaten that fragile hope, as Roth consolidates his power in a bid for ultimate authority.

As Ava and Mira relinquish the relative safety of their Canadian haven to stand against Roth, new allies arise: Owen, a gifted young programmer, impulsively abandons his comfortable life in a moment of compassion, while Zee, an abused labor camp escapee, finds new purpose in resistance.

The four will converge on Dallas for a reckoning with Roth, with nothing less than their destinies—and the promise of a future free from oppression—on the line.

Disobedience means death. But a life worth living demands rebellion.

Goodreads / Amazon

Author Bio:

Hailing from the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, Ashley Saunders and Leslie Saunders are award-winning filmmakers and twin sisters who honed their love of storytelling at The University of Texas at Austin. While researching The Rule of One, they fell in love with America’s national parks, traveling the path of Ava and Mira. The sisters can currently be found with their Boston terriers in sunny Los Angeles, exploring hiking trails and drinking entirely too much yerba mate.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Review

This book was AH-MAY-ZING! I LOVED it!!! 

I was planning to post about The Rule of One, but all I was worried about after finishing it was seeing what happened next, so instead of writing a review, I immediately started reading this book. 

These books were AWESOME! I would have read the first book in a day, if I didn't have to adult so much (ugh). I still zoomed through it in like 2 days. 

Until I read this book, I did not realize how long it has been since I last read a dystopian book. For a while, that's all I read, but lately, I've been reading mostly YA Fantasy. This was a great book to get back into the genre!

I didn't realize that this book was written by twins until after I got done reading both books and started writing this review. That makes it so much cooler! 

I don't have anything negative at all to say about this book! It was awesome, and you should go read it right now!

The only thing that I am upset about is that book #3 is not out yet, and I don't know how long I will have to wait for it. It is not listed on GoodReads or their website, so it will probably be a while. I will definitely be watching for it, though!

Thank you to the Saunders twins, the publishers, and Xpresso Blog Tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour!

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Romanov by Nadine Brandes

The history books say I died. 

They don't know the half of it.

Anastasia "Nastya" Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family's only salvation.

But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them... and he's hunted Romanov before.
Nastya's only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn't act like the average Boleshevik. Nastya's never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn't frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She things he might even like her...

That is, until she's on one side of a firing squad... and he's on the other.

Review

I loved all the different books that have come out lately that are based on Russain folktales! This one is a "magical retelling" of Anastasia Romanov's story.

Also, this book is by the same author that wrote Fawkes, and I've been wanting to read that for a while now!

This book starts after Anastasia's father abdicated his throne and his family was exiled.

I had a really strong feeling of deja vu while reading this book, and I still have not been able to figure out why. I only had a little knowledge of Anastasia's story (much of which I learned from the Disney movie ).

I liked this book, but I felt it could have been done better. Some of the reviews on GoodReads point to inaccuracies in some of the historical aspects, which did not bother me while reading the book because I did not know about most of them. However, if I had known more about the real history of the Romanov family, some of this probably would have irked me.

Since I didn't know much about the history of the Romanov family, I wish that a little more of the history had been included. At the beginning of the book, the family is already in exile. It doesn't explain why Anastasia's father abdicated his throne or why they were exiled.

The first half of the book is all about the family's experience in exile, how they were treated, and how they lived during that time, with little bits of fantasy and magic, and of course, fictitious romantic relationships. The second half could almost be a separate book with how different it is. It is full of fantasy and magic.

I love the morals and the lessons behind the story, and of course, I loved the magic!

If you are looking for a quick, fun read, I recommend this book. If you do not know anything at all about the Romanov family, you might want to do a quick Google search or read the Wikipedia article before reading this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.