Hiii, world! Welcome to my review for the second book in the Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles, from brilliant Katie Hamstead: Myths of Mish! I CRAZY LOVED the first book in the series, Princess of Tyrone, so I was really excited to read the next volume =D I received my copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review and here we go! Thanks ❤
Hansel and Gretel Herrscher survived the witch in the woods, but the experience has made Hansel paranoid for the past ten years. He sees dark magic at every turn. When Gretel has a marriage arranged to a much older man, and Hansel discovers he’s about to be sent halfway across the galaxy, he knows something sinister is afoot.
Wilhelmine Nordon has plenty of experience with Hansel’s quirkier side. So when she catches him and Gretel running away in the middle of the night, she follows to keep them from getting killed. The siblings have never left the capital of Mish on their own, so they need a babysitter. Except when she’s discovered, Hansel gives her his usual cold shoulder, and Gretel secretly begs her to take them back.
The problem is, Hansel’s paranoia turns out to be well founded, and they’re all being hunted.
Hi, guys! Hope you are all prepared to talk about one of the most expected books for March: The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco! ❤ Since I first glimpsed this book, I just knew I HAD to read it and I did, which means time for a review!
I received my review copy from the publisher through The Fantastic Flying Book Club in exchange for an honest review during FFBC’s tour for this book. Thank you all once again!!
The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer.
Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.
Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.
Hi, there! Welcome to a very fangirl review involving mermaids! ❤ Of course I’m talking about Emerge, first book in the Mer Chronicles series from Tobi Easton, the new mermaid pearl in the bookish realm! (You saw what I did there, haha!) Chapter by Chapter organized this cool release day for the book and I’ve received my copy from Month9Books in exchange for an honest review, so I united both posts into only one, haha! Let’s do this!! ❤
from my Instagram!
Lia is literally a fish out of the water. Being a teenager is complicated, but being a teenager that is also a mermaid – and one that has never lived on the sea – is way worse. She can’t even confess to her high school crush, Clay Ericson, and tell him how handsome his smile is, as he is a human. Never mind the fact that her parents want her to fit into the human world, Lia still is forbidden to date one.
For one year, Lia was in control of her emotions. She put distance between herself and Clay, focused on studying and keeping her legs firmly on the ground – literally. She wasn’t happy, but wasn’t unhappy either, as this is just how things are for her race since the disaster with The Little Mermaid. Yup, that one.
Until Mel becomes the new girl and an octopus on Clay, with her hands and body all over him. It’s beyond painful for Lia to watch them together, but there is nothing she can do to compete with a human girl… Which Mel totally isn’t.
Over Lia’s dead body that she will allow another mermaid to play with Clay’s feelings.
The war is on.
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
First things first: OMG EMERGE IS SO GOOD I LOVED IT SO MUCH I CAN’T STOP FANGIRLING ABOUT IT AND I APOLOGIZE TO MY OFFLINE FRIENDS FOR BEING UNSUFERABLE TODAY BUT I CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT EMERGE! It was such an amazing and heartwarming book! Without any doubt, Emerge is one of the best YA books that I’ve read! Also, it officially stole the position of best mermaid book that I’ve already read, but unfortunately there wasn’t many participants on that contest (I’ve only read three mermaid books besides Emerge, that was my fourth. A SHAME, I KNOW!). Tobi did a marvelous job and I have so many technical questions that I wish I could talk to Caspian! And date him. And live in Emerge’s universe forever. *sigh* FIVE STARS!
And yes, this is going to be one of those fangirling all over reviews.
The narrative style was first person from Lia’s point of view all the time and I can’t express how much surprised I am with myself that I liked Lia so much. Even when she screwed up! I’ll talk more about her personality in a bit, but I really would love to congratulate Easton on making me love her female YA protagonist, as this is hard to happen, haha! Also, the writing style was very good. The reader feels like Lia is their own consciousness and that she is theirs. It’s so easy to just close my eyes and picture myself standing beside her as things go on. She managed to be observant and focused all at once. Lia takes all her surroundings without forgetting that she’s on a mission, having a conversation or just relaxing. Characters like Lia and writers like Easton are the ones that transform writing and reading in acts of magic.
The plot was very good. Simple, but good. There were minor twists during it, but nothing that blows the mind away. Since day one of Mel in our tails [haha], I knew she was trouble and she indeed was trouble until the very end. I really liked to see how Easton developed the story, the romance and the characters’ relationships. There is no instalove, as Lia and Clay have known each other for one year before the book starts, and there is no amorous triangle, as we know how deep Caspian’s feelings for Lia are and she makes a point of leaving him forever friendzoned (and now I decided that this is a word. I’m a rebel lol). And have I mentioned how much I loved Easton’s construction of the Mer world?
I did, I loved it and I need more! When can I get another book? 😀
Now, the characters.
Have I mentioned how awesome is Lia?? SHE IS FABULOUS! Seriously. She’s perfect in all her imperfection, besides being a strong and dutiful protagonist – two rare things in female main characters in YA. She puts her family well-being above her own just as much as a teenager can manage and she sticks with what she believes, but also loves to learn new things and see new places. She can be both dutiful and a freedom lover. HOW DID YOU MANAGED THAT, EASTON?!
And then there are her males. The childhood best friend and my future husband, Caspian, and the not-so-far-from-actually-being charmed prince, Clay. Clay is human and Lia knows they can’t be together, that they don’t have a future for many reasons, but the previous year holds many events that made inevitable for Lia to fall for Clay despite everything. Clay is the really good boy that acts like he’s bad type, which I personally also find very hot, haha! But who really enchanted me was Caspian, who also was mer. He is so amazingly intelligent and handsome and a merman and we have so much in common! (Many of my offline friends will tell you that I am actually a mermaid in disguise, as I have a strong bound with the sea and the water element overall since I’m a child, haha! Funny thing is that I’m a Leo, hmmm… Caspian and I are bound to be a thing!
Lia’s sisters are also a handful! Em is the strict one, the twins are the wild ones and Lia is the balance. She’s not that strict and not that wild, haha! I felt like I belonged so hard in her family that now I want to go and live with them! 😦
Now, my favorite part ok, not really, but I loved it a lot: Lia’s cousin, Amy. She lives Above with Lia’s family and she has a sweet and cute secret that I actually squealed when was revealed, haha!
I can’t say more due spoilers, but believe me: the small things will surprise you in Emerge.
Oh, and can I just tell how sweet was the romance between Lia and Clay? IT WAS SO SWOON AND SHIP WORTHING! I loved to see them together and am really satisfied with how things turned out to be, haha!
Overall, if you love mermaids, YA, strong females and a book swoon worthy, you need to read Emerge now! FORGET THAT I HAVE A BLOG AND THAT INTERNET EXISTS ALTOGETHER UNTIL YOU ARE FINISHED AND THEN, PLEASE COME BACK AND FANGIRL WITH ME ABOUT IT!!! ❤
Thanks so much for reading! *–* Bellow, you can check the usual information that I bring you on release blitzes: where to find Emerge, more about Tobi Easton, the mermaid goddess also known as the author, and info on a fun giveaway 🙂
You can find Emerge in HARCOVER (!!!!), paperback and ebook formats *–*
Tobie Easton was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she’s grown from a little girl who dreamed about magic to a twenty-something who writes about it. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California, Tobie hosts book clubs for tweens and teens. She and her very kissable husband enjoy traveling the globe and fostering packs of rescue puppies. Learn more about Tobie and her upcoming books at her website.
Gather here, fellow addicted to giveaways like myself! There will be six lucky winners total and there are three distinct prizes:
INTERNATIONAL PRIZES:
Three lucky international winners will take home each a digital copy of Emerge
US ONLY PRIZES:
One lucky winner will receive an Amazon Fire Tablet;
Another lucky winner will receive Emerge stickers and bookmarks, one set of mermaid flash tattoos, a seashell necklace, and a signed paperback of Emerge;
No matter which prizes you aim to win, there’s only one link for the giveaway and it is this one: GIVEAWAY! Good luck and I hope you my lovely friends are among the winners! Sorry for not giving further instruction, but I’m not responsible for the giveaway – I just spread the word like the good addicted that I am 🙂
That’s it, thanks so much for reading! And thanks to Month9Books once again for my review copy, I loved Emerge ❤
ps: Here are my other read and reviewed mermaid books so far 🙂
CHURCH, M. A. – Beneath the Surface (review here!) [5 stars, m/m]
MURPHY, Derek – Shearwater, Part One (review here!) [4 stars, YA]
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 