19 December, 2017

[Review] Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

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Series: Serafina #1
Release Date: 14 July, 2015
Publisher: DisneyHyperion
Genre: Middle Grade/Historical Fiction (1800s)/Mystery
ISBN:  9781101917091
Edition: Audiobook
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review Written: 28 October, 2017
Summary: “Never go into the forest, for there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul.” Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of Biltmore Estate. There’s plenty to explore in Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s vast and opulent home, but she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate’s maintenance man, have lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember. She has learned to prowl through the darkened corridors at night, to sneak and hide, using the mansion’s hidden doors and secret passageways. But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows the clues to follow. A terrifying man in a black cloak stalks Biltmore’s corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of Biltmore’s owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak’s true identity before all of the children vanish one by one. Serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear, where she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must not only face her darkest enemy, but delve into the strange mystery of her own identity.

See more at Robert Beatty's Website.

12 December, 2017

[Review] The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

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Series: Their Bright Ascendency #1
Release Date: 3 October, 2017
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Fantasy/LGBT/Asian Fantasy?
ISBN: 9780765392534
Edition: Advanced Reader Copy
Rating: ★★☆
Review Written: 28 October, 2017
Summary: Even gods can be slain…. The Hokkaran empire has conquered every land within their bold reach―but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now, their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests. Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons. This is the story of an infamous Qorin warrior, Barsalayaa Shefali, a spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, and a power that can reach through time and space to save a land from a truly insidious evil.

See more at Ms. Rivera's Website.

05 December, 2017

[Review] Nettle King by Katherine Harbour



Series: Night and Nothing #3
Release Date: 19 April, 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal/Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
ISBN:  9780062286789
Edition: Audiobook
Rating: ★☆
Review Written: 28 October, 2017 
Summary: When her beloved Jack disappears, Finn vows to find him—even if it means a daring odyssey into the land of the dead. But saving Jack comes at a terrible price: a dangerous fissure has opened, giving the dead access to the true world.

The lines between worlds are more blurred than ever. Finn’s sister, Lily, recently returned from the Ghostlands, seems to bear no scars from her time there. But then their friend Moth returns from Sombrus, the magical house once owned by Seth Lot, bearing shocking news. Something evil—a fearsome creature bearing a striking resemblance to Jack—has escaped Sombrus and is now stalking Fair Hollow, killing everyone it encounters, transforming them into terrifying Jacks and Jills and recruiting the Unseelie.

It will not stop until it gets what it wants . . .

Finn.

See more at HarperCollins's website.