Tag: first impression

BBNYA 2022 Finalist First Impressions: Cursed in Love by Zoe Ashwood

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Hello, reader!

It’s time for another blog tour for one of the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) 2022 finalists! Today, I’ll be talking about our 6the place finisher which is one I heard a lot about during the competition. Cursed in Love by Zoe Ashwood is part paranormal romance, part adventure story and all enticing!

But, before I go on, let me tell you more about this award. BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.  If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

And, now, let me tell you more about this book!

  • Title: Cursed in Love
  • Author: Zoe Ashwood
  • Publisher: Self-published
  • Publication date: June 23rd, 2021
  • Length: 340 pages
  • Genre: Paranormal Romance
  • Age group: Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: For a list of potential content and trigger warnings, check out this book’s page on BookTriggerWarnings.com

Book Links

B&N::Amazon::Goodreads

I’ll do anything to protect my family, even con my way into the most dangerous treasure hunt in the magical world.

With three men by my side, I embark on a mission to save my father and siblings from the same horrible illness that took my mother.

I need a guide into the Egyptian desert, and my ex is the best man for the job…even though he’s an irritatingly sexy vampire.

The strongest curse breaker I know just happens to be my best friend, who I’ve been crushing on for years.

And to finish off our team, a mysterious stranger I can’t stop thinking about is also our fiercest competitor.

We can only win the game if we trust each other completely. No secrets, no pretense, no lies.

But not everyone plays by the same rules. And if I’m not careful, that might cost me my heart…or my life.

Cursed in Love is the first book in the finished paranormal RH trilogy that will take you on a magical adventure around the world. Curl up and enjoy this steamy romance in which the heroine doesn’t have to choose between her three heroes – she gets to have them all.

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Blog Tour First Impressions: Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen

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Hello, reader!

It’s time, once again, for another blog tour post. This time, it’s for one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen is the thrilling sequel to Skin of the Sea, a book filled with stunning descriptions and Black mermaids. You can read my full review for that here. I was completely enraptured with the first book in this series, so you can imagine my excitement when I got to be on the tour for the sequel! Unfortunately, a pretty nasty head cold has slowed my reading to a near stop, but I still wanted to be able to shout about this book because what I’ve read so far has been incredible.

Fair warning: If you haven’t read Skin of the Sea, you might want to avoid reading further as there might be spoilers.

Before I get more into my stop, though, there are people I need to thank. First, all the wonderful people at TBR & Beyond Tours for giving me a spot! Second, to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC so that I could participate and (eventually) review the book! All opinions contained within this tour stop and my inevitable review are my own. One last but very important thing, make sure y’all check out the other incredible bloggers and bookstagrammers that will be participating in the Soul of the Deep tour! You can find the full schedule here.

Now, let’s dive in!

  • Title: Soul of the Deep
  • Author: Natasha Bowen
  • Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
  • Publication date: September 27th, 2022
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Young Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: Depictions of violence, enslavement, and death

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Indigo::Amazon::
Goodreads

The highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller Skin of the Sea, in which the world must pay the price for one mermaid’s choice, and a dark force reverberates across realms. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and those eagerly anticipating the live-action film adaptation of The Little Mermaid.

One life.
One choice.
One sacrifice.

To save those closest to her, Simi traded away everything: her freedom, her family, and the boy she loves. Now she is sworn to serve a new god, watching over the Land of the Dead at the bottom of the ocean.

But when signs of demons begin to appear, it’s clear there are deeper consequences of Simi’s trade. These demons spell the world’s ruin . . . and because of Simi, they now have a way into the human realm.

With the fate of the world at stake, Simi must break her promise and team up with a scheming trickster of a god. And if they succeed, perhaps Simi can also unbreak her heart along the way, and find herself again.

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Blog Tour First Impressions: With Fire In Their Blood by Kat Delacorte

kerrimcbooknerd3 Comments

Hello, reader!

I’m excited to be bringing you another blog tour stop hosted by The Write Reads today! In today’s post, I’ll be talking about an upcoming young adult fantasy that has a healthy dose of gothic vibes: With Fire In Their Blood by Kat Delacorte! This book drew me in with it’s gorgeous cover, but the eerie, spooky atmosphere is what is keeping me reading.

But before I tell you more about my first impressions, I want to thank Dave @ The Write Reads and all of the crew for giving me a spot on this tour! I also want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a free e-ARC in exchange for my participation and eventual review! It is, as always, much appreciated.

Now, let’s get to the post!

  • Title: With Fire In Their Blood
  • Author: Kat Delacorte
  • Publication date: September 1st, 2022
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Age group: Young Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: Suicide, parent death, war, fighting, grief

Book Links

TBD::Amazon::Goodreads

‘Startingly original… Readers will be lured into this tumultuous world of warring families, forbidden power, and heart-searing romance’ – Lyndall Clipstone (Lakesedge, Forestfall) 

From the word-of-mouth fantasy sensation Kat Delacorte – the standout debut star of 2022 YA Lit Con (YALC) – comes the first instalment in a new YA fantasy duology. 

Packed to the brim with bisexual and queer representation, With Fire in Their Blood is a simmering supernatural romance set in the crumbling Italian city of Castello, where mafia clans make the rules, dark magic pulses the streets and the sins of the past threaten to consume the present. . . 

When sixteen-year-old Lilly arrives in Castello, she isn’t impressed.
A secluded town in the Italian mountains is not where she saw her last years of high school playing out. 

Divided for generations by a brutal clan-family war, the two halves of Castello are kept from destroying each other by the mysterious General, a leader determined to maintain order and ‘purity’. . . whatever the cost. 

Lilly falls in with the rebellious Liza, brooding Nico and sensitive Christian, and sparks begin to fly. But in a city where love can lead to ruin, Lilly isn’t sure she can trust anyone — not even herself. 

And then she accidentally breaks Castello’s most important rule: when the General’s men come to test your blood, you’d better not be anything more than human… 

Perfect for lovers of Chloe Gong, Renée Ahdieh and V.E. Schwab, With Fire in Their Blood is quality YA storytelling at its best by an exciting new voice in YA fantasy.

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First Lines Friday #17

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?  If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy Friday! I can’t tell you how excited I am that it’s finally the end of the week. It’s been super busy at work and ya girl is T I R E D. But now I can look forward to two days to just relax and garden and read. Ugh, it sounds fantastic.

But! That’s neither here nor there. Right now, it’s time for First Lines Friday! Today, I’m featuring a book that I’d been curious about for awhile and was happy to snag a copy from my library recently. I’ve been seeing it all over the bookish internet and my curiosity has just grown! I’m currently in the middle of it and it’s definitely living up to the hype. So now it’s time to share the first few lines and a few hints and see if I can get you hooked, as well.

The Line(s):

“Something wants to eat you,” called Almost Brilliant from her perch in a nearby tree, “and I shall not be sorry if it does.”
Chiming bells. Chih rolled to their feet, glancing around the perimeter and squinting at the jangling string of bells that surrounded the small campsite. For a moment, they were back at the abbey in Singing Hills, late for another round of prayers, chores, and lessons, but Singing Hills did not smell of ghosts and damp pine boughs. Singing Hills did not make the hairs on Chih’s arms rise up in alarm or their heart lurch with panic.”

The Hints:

This is a fantasy novella that was released last year.

It’s the first book in a series of fantasy novellas.

It’s set in an empire reminiscent of imperial China.

The Reveal:

Click the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page

Goodreads Synopsis

“A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.

Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor’s lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She’s a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.”

Did those first few lines capture your attention? Did they make you want to read the rest of the story? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

First Lines Friday #16

kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?  If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

It’s time once again for First Lines Friday! I’m especially excited it’s Friday because I’m off this weekend, woo! It’s been a busy week and I’m looking forward to some down time. But, first, let’s get to my favorite bookish meme! This week, I’ve chosen a book that I’m really excited to get into. I’m buddy reading it with a group of my bookish friends and it’s also on my Trope-ical Readathon TBR (look for that post coming soon!).

Let’s get to those first few lines, though, before I completely give away what it is, lol.

The Line(s):

“The golden bell above my doorframe bobs twice. I roll my shoulders against the needling ache that settles at the base of my neck whenever that damn thing sounds. After nearly a decade of hearing it, I’ve come to despise the bell’s shrill, tinny clang almost as much as the message it carries: A patron is coming.”

The Hints:

This is a dark retelling of Sleeping Beauty…

… from the perspective of the evil sorceress…

… and it’s sapphic!!

The Reveal:

Click the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page

Goodreads Synopsis

“A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this darkly magical retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale.

Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss.

You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily-ever-after.

Utter nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either.

Until I met her.

Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though it was a power like mine that was responsible for her curse.

But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps, together, we could forge a new world.

Nonsense again.

Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I—

I am the villain.”

Did those first few lines capture your attention? Did they make you want to read the rest of the story? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!

First Impression: What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Hello, reader!

Today, I’m bringing you a post I haven’t done before… a first impression! This is for the blog tour for What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson, a YA thriller that promises some dark twists and turns. This tour is being hosted by The Write Reads, so I must thank Dave and the publisher, Penguin, for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my participation with this tour. Though I’ll just be giving you my initial thoughts on this book in this post, I’ll have a few review up at the beginning of April. Keep your eyes out for that if this post piques your interest!

Synopsis

“When everything you love is in danger, how long can you keep running to survive?

Life can be brutal
Winter in Idaho. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones.

Jack knew it
Jack Dahl has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d die for. Their mother is gone, and their funds are quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison.

So did I
Ava lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one.

Did I feel the flutter of wings when Jack and I met? Did I sense the coming tornado?
But now Ava wants to break the rules – to let Jack in and open her heart. Then she discovers that Jack and her father are stalking the same money, and suddenly Ava is faced with a terrible choice: remain silent or speak out and help the brothers survive.

Looking back, I think I did . . .

Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff and Daniel Woodrell, What Beauty There Is an unforgettable debut novel that is as compulsive as it is beautiful, and unflinchingly explores the power of determination, survival and love.

‘Beautifully written and superbly constructed, Anderson pulls you onto a chilling footpath of love and loss and keeps you there until you’ve read every last word’ Ruta Sepetys, bestselling author of Between Shades of Grey“

Book Details

  • Author: What Beauty There Is
  • Series: What Beauty There Is #1
  • Publisher: Penguin
  • Publication date: April 8th, 2021
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Age group: Young Adult
  • Content/Trigger Warnings: Please check out the page for this book on BookTriggerWarnings.com to see a full list of content and trigger warnings.

Book Links

Bookshop::TBD::B&N::Amazon::
Goodreads

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