Sisters of Sword and Song Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Sisters of Sword and Song
Author: Rebecca Ross 
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: June 23, 2020 
Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis:

From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.

Sisters of Sword and Song is an amazing new young adult fantasy that fans of the genre are sure to adore. I knew I had to read this book as soon as I saw the description. I have to admit I had high hopes going in and I'm so glad to say that I was not disappointed in the least. This was one of my favorite YA fantasies so far this year. Honestly, there wasn't much that I didn't love about it. 

I loved the main story of the sisters - Eva and Halcyon. They haven't seen each other in years and yet their bond is solid and stronger than just about anything. Lately it seems like the genre has had sisters pitted against each other so it was a breath of fresh air for me. I loved getting to know both of the girls during the story. They were both easy to connect with right from the beginning for me. I thought they were very realistic and I enjoyed seeing all parts of them - the good and the bad - come out during the story. There are some great twists that I didn't see coming which I loved and I even enjoyed the romantic aspect even though I normally don't. The world building was fantastic and very well done. It was like ancient Greece and their mythology had come alive inside the pages in a way. I've always loved myths and folklore so that part of the story made it even more awesome in my opinion.

The one thing I had a small issue with was the writing style. This is a completely personal problem that I have. If you read my reviews, you know that I almost always prefer the first person POV because of the deep personal connection the reader gets to have with the narrator. Sadly the author chose to write this book in the third person so I didn't get that connection that I wanted. I did really love that the book is told from two different perspectives - Eva and Halcyon each tell their parts of the story which was great. Honestly, if this had been written in the first person, it would've been a five star without a doubt. Again - these are just my own person opinions and not every reader will feel the same as me. I very highly recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, mythology and folklore, romance, and strong sibling connections.

 
Rebecca Ross grew up in Georgia, where she continues to reside with her husband, lively dog and endless piles of books. She received her bachelor's degree in English from UGA. In the past she has worked at a Colorado dude ranch, as a school librarian, and as a live-time captionist for a college.

Win a copy of SISTERS OF SWORD AND SONG by Rebecca Ross + 4 myth cards (The Fall of Kirkos, Ari’s Shawl of Stars, The Entrapment of Pyrrhus, and Acantha’s Crown) [US Only]

Starts: June 17, 2020

Ends: July 1, 2020

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The Court of Miracles Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1)
Author: Kester Grant 
Genre: YA Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Retellings/Science Fiction
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: Knopf Children's

 

Synopsis:

Les Misérables meets Six of Crows in this page-turning adventure as a young thief finds herself going head to head with leaders of Paris's criminal underground in the wake of the French Revolution.

In the violent urban jungle of an alternate 1828 Paris, the French Revolution has failed and the city is divided between merciless royalty and nine underworld criminal guilds, known as the Court of Miracles. Eponine (Nina) Thénardier is a talented cat burglar and member of the Thieves Guild. Nina's life is midnight robberies, avoiding her father's fists, and watching over her naïve adopted sister, Cosette (Ettie). When Ettie attracts the eye of the Tiger--the ruthless lord of the Guild of Flesh--Nina is caught in a desperate race to keep the younger girl safe. Her vow takes her from the city's dark underbelly to the glittering court of Louis XVII. And it also forces Nina to make a terrible choice--protect Ettie and set off a brutal war between the guilds, or forever lose her sister to the Tiger.

The Court of Miracles is a spectacular first book in a new YA fantasy series that blends alternative history and retellings of classic tales. First off, I want to say that I never read reviews of a book before reading and reviewing it myself. I don't want to become biased over someone else's opinions. Another thing I try to ignore is when a book is compared to another novel or series or other authors in the genre. When I start a book, I want a clean slate - no expectations or hopes that it'll be like whatever novel it's being compared to. I want to read it and experience it for what it is and not what it's supposed to be or what some people are saying about it. I always try to go in with a completely open mind so I can fully experience the story for what it is.

That being said, I absolutely loved this book! I loved pretty much everything about this novel. I'm a huge Francophile, so when I saw that the setting was an alternate history of France circa the French Revolution - I was sold. I loved this world that the author created for Nina and the readers. There was so much happening all the time! I absolutely loved learning about this world - the alternate history it had, the different Guilds, the Court of Miracles - with all of it's own history and laws - and because it was set in France, the author uses places and little words and phrases in French throughout the story, which I absolutely adored.

Nina was a fantastic main character and I connected with her right from the beginning of the book. She has to basically change her entire life overnight in order to survive. She's brave, smart, fierce, loyal to her friends and those she loves, and determined to do what she believes is right. She has her flaws like everyone else but I thought it just made her all the more realistic and believable. I loved seeing her character change and grow throughout the story - there are some tough decisions, big obstacles, and serious changes that happen, and I loved seeing her make her way through it all as I cheered for her the whole way. The secondary characters were rounded and pretty believable and I enjoyed getting to know them.

The plot is detailed and intricate with lots of things going on. I don't do any kinds of spoilers in my reviews, so I won't go into the story line very much. If you read the description, you can get a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. The writing was incredibly well done with a quick pace that kept me on my toes and had me reading as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. I ended up getting sucked into Nina's world and read the whole book in a single sitting in a few hours. Finally, I have to talk about the writing style. This is a huge deal and can literally make or break a book for me. If you read my other reviews, you know that I almost always prefer the first person point of view because of the deeper connection it allows between the reader and the narrator. I was so incredibly happy that the author chose to write the story in the first person from Nina's perspective. It made all the difference for me personally and definitely had a big impact on how much I enjoyed the book. I loved getting to know everything about Nina - her hopes and dreams, fears and doubts, memories, innermost thoughts and feelings, and everything in between. By the end of the book, I felt like I had known her forever and had just experienced everything that happened in the story right along with her. All of these things added up to an amazing read that I thoroughly loved and will definitely be re-reading soon. I'm so happy that this is just the first book in the series! I can't wait to see where the author will take us next. I very highly recommend this book for fans of YA fantasy, historical fiction, historical fantasy, alternate history, retellings, and readers who have a love of France and its culture.

 

 

Kester Grant is a British-Mauritian writer of color. She was born in London, grew up between the UK, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the tropical island paradise of Mauritius. As a wanton nomad she and her husband are unsure which country they currently reside in but they can generally be found surrounded by their fiendish pack of cats and dogs.

Win a copy of THE COURT OF MIRACLES by Kester Grant (US Only)

Starts: June 2, 2020

Ends: June 16, 2020

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A Song of Wraiths and Ruin Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1)
Author: Roseanne A. Brown
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Synopsis:

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic...requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

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A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is the magical first book in a new young adult fantasy duology that readers are sure to love. There wasn't much I didn't like about this book. I loved getting to know our main characters - Karina and Malik - and I thought they were both incredibly realistic and I connected with each of them right from the beginning of the story. They both have strengths and weaknesses, and definitely flaws (all of which we get to see throughout the book) but they only make them more real. One thing I really loved was that the story is told from both Karina and Malik's perspectives in alternating chapters. I liked seeing things happen from both sides and how each of the characters dealt with everything. The only thing I didn't really care for was the writing style the author chose. The story is told in the third person point of view, which I rarely like when reading. I almost always prefer the first person POV for several reasons and if you've read any of my other reviews you'll know this has a big impact on my reading experience. If the book had been done in the first person, I feel that this would've been an easy five star read for me. Although I didn't get the deep connection that I love with the characters, I really enjoyed the alternating viewpoints.

The plot was intriguing and had a lot of things going on. There's action and adventure, magic (yay!), and even romance. It has just about something for everyone and it weaves together the different genres effortlessly to create a wonderfully crafted story. I felt like I was right beside both characters the entire time, experiencing everything with them - which is something I always love when reading. I can't go into much detail about the story line itself because I don't do spoilers and I wouldn't want to give anything away accidentally. The story itself is layered and touches on universal topics that every reader can identify with. These are lessons that everyone can learn from and the author weaves them seamlessly into the story itself. I'm so glad that this is only the first book in the duology because I definitely want more of these characters and I'm dying to see where the next book will take us. I very highly recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, magic, action and adventure, mythology, folklore, and romance. 

Roseanne “Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. Writing was her first love, and she knew from a young age that she wanted to use the power of writing—creative and otherwise—to connect the different cultures she called home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her journalistic work has been featured by Voice of America among other outlets.

On the publishing side of things, she has worked as an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing. Rosie was a 2017 Pitch Wars mentee and 2018 Pitch Wars mentor. Never content to stay in any one place for too long, Rosie currently teaches in Japan, where in her free time she can usually be found exploring the local mountains, explaining memes to her students, or thinking about Star Wars.

Win an ASOWAR bookplate, bookmark, two trading cards, and access to the exclusive short story (INT)

Starts: June 2, 2020

Ends: June 16, 2020

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