Re-Read Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

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Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Published: 27th March 2014 | Publisher: HarperVoyager | Source: Bought
Robin Hobb’s Website

The kingdom of the Six Duchies is on the brink of civil war when news breaks that the crown prince has fathered a bastard son and is shamed into abdication. The child's name is Fitz, and he is despised.

Raised in the castle stables, only the company of the king's fool, the ragged children of the lower city, and his unusual affinity with animals provide Fitz with any comfort.

To be useful to the crown, Fitz is trained as an assassin; and to use the traditional magic of the Farseer family. But his tutor, allied to another political faction, is determined to discredit, even kill him. Fitz must survive: for he may be destined to save the kingdom. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features child abuse, drug use/addiction, regerence to rape, abuse, misogyny, violence against women, animal cruelty/animal death, references to suicide, suicidal ideation, child abuse, ableist language, eference to paefophilia, and regerence to abuse of the disabled.

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Review: Family of Liars by E. Lockhart (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Hot Key Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Family of Liars by E. Lockhart

Published: 4th May 2022 | Publisher: Hot Key Books | Source: Publisher
E. Lockhart’s Website

The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come.

A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts.
A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.
A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy.
A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.

Welcome back to the Sinclair family.
They were always liars. From Goodreads.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads


My other reviews of We Were Liars Series:
We Were Liars (Book 1)

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling We Were Liars. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features forced cosmetic surgery, drug addiction to medication, implied alcoholism, attempted rape, implied homophobia, infant death, and drowning.

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Review: The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

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The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

Published: 9th May 2019 | Publisher: Little Island Books | Source: Bought
Meg Grehan on Twitter

Stevie is eleven and loves reading and sea-creatures. She lives with her mum, and she's been best friends with Andrew since forever. Stevie's mum teases her that someday they'll get married, but Stevie knows that won't ever happen.

There's a girl at school that she likes more. A lot more. Actually, she's a bit confused about how much she likes her. It's nothing like the way she likes Andrew. It makes her fizz inside. That's a new feeling, one she doesn't understand.

Stevie needs to find out if girls can like girls - love them, even - but it's hard to get any information, and she's too shy to ask out loud about it. But maybe she can find an answer in a book. With the help of a librarian, Stevie finds stories of girls loving girls, and builds up her courage to share the truth with her mum.

Written in accessible verse 'chapters' and in a warm and reassuring style, The Deepest Breath will be of special relevance to young girls who are starting to realise that they are attracted to other girls, but it is also a story for any young reader with an open mind who wants to understand how people's emotions affect their lives. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features anxiety and panic attacks.

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Review: Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Titan Books for the purposes of providing an honest review.

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Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Published: 26th April 2022 | Publisher: Titan Books | Source: Publisher
T. Kingfisher’s Website

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra—the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself. Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning. On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last. From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features dementia, childbirth, references to miscarriage, references to abortion, reference to death during childbirth, infant death, references to cannibalism, violence against women, domestic violence and abuse, uxoricide, and references to suicide.

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Blog Tour: Truth Be Told by Sue Divin

I'm really excited to have YA author Sue Divin stop by the blog today for my stop on the Truth Be Told* blog tour. Sue is here a guest post on writing YA voices and about post-peace deal Northern Ireland in YA fiction.

I’m always drawn to the wilder, edgier characters first. Their voices come much easier. In Guard Your Heart^, that was Aidan. In Truth Be Told, it was Tara. I just love the rough diamonds. Once I find their voice, they just run off onto the page and take on a life of their own. Sometimes when I’m still trying to ‘find’ a unique voice for them, I experiment with their characters in flash fiction or short stories.

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No Posts Due to Covid

Hi all, I just wanted to let you know there won't be any posts for a little while due to having covid. So I'm waiting to write reviews and the next post in my Guide to Book Blogging series until I'm better. Thanks for understanding.

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Guide to Book Blogging: Writing a Review Policy

Following on from my last posts for Guide to Book Blogging series - Getting Started Part 1 Setting Up Your Blog and Part 2 Creating Content and Engagement - this is the next installment in the series; Writing a Review Policy.

So you've been blogging for a while now, have a variety of reviews and various discussion posts and other content, are receiving steady traffic and have decent stats across your blog and social media, you're almost ready to try testing the waters to see if publishers will consider sending you ARCs. But before you do that, you need a review policy.

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