Review: The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees

Published: 12th March 2019 | Publisher: Delacorte | Cover Designer: Leo Nicholls | Source: Bought
Alyssa Wees' Website

The waking forest has secrets. To Rhea, it appears like a mirage, dark and dense, at the very edge of her backyard. But when she reaches out to touch it, the forest vanishes. She’s desperate to know more—until she finds a peculiar boy who offers to reveal its secrets. If she plays a game.

To the Witch, the forest is her home, where she sits on her throne of carved bone, waiting for dreaming children to beg her to grant their wishes. One night, a mysterious visitor arrives and asks her what she wishes for, but the Witch sends him away. And then the uninvited guest returns.

The strangers are just the beginning. Something is stirring in the forest, and when Rhea’s and the Witch’s paths collide, a truth more treacherous and deadly than either could ever imagine surfaces. But how much are they willing to risk to survive? From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features creepy hallucinations, anxiety, death, grief, visceral descriptions - of a dead body, and, separately, of the chest cavity.

Continue reading Review: The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees

Bloggers Get Real: Madi of TheBookNerdDiaries

Welcome to Bloggers Get Real! Inspired by CW of The Quiet Pond's The Pond Gets Loud series, Bloggers Get Real is a YA book bloggers spotlight interview series with the aim of celebrating and supporting YA book bloggers and the work we do, while also discussing the realities of book blogging, the YA community, and the various controversies that have sprung up. I feel it's important to keep these conversations going - our voices matter, what we do matters, and we should be heard.

I'm really excited to have be spotlighting Madi of TheBookNerdDiaries today!

Can you tell us a little about you and your blog?

I don’t remember the specific reason I started blogging, but five years ago I brought TheBookNerdDiaries to life. I mainly review YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi and YA Contemporary/Romance but I am also known to delve into some High Fantasy and New Adult.

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The Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag 2019

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Titles marked with an asterisk (*) were gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Seeing as we're now in July (how? HOW?!), today I'm taking part in The Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag! Not all of these questions are the original questions - I got rid of three, and added three questions Cait of Paper Fury created in her own tag. For all the original questions, head to Cait's post, where she has a handy list. And now, onwards!

How many books have you read?
At the end of June, I'd only read 29 books! Just 29! I'm not the fastest reader, but even so, that is really pretty low for me. But I've had several migraines which meant I couldn't read, and several books it took me forever to read because I just wasn't that interested. And I've also realised that now I schedule posts well in advance, blogging is actually cutting into my reading time. But I'm not going to let it bother me. I read at the rate that I read, and that's fine.

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My Most Anticipated Retellings From July - Dec 2019

My Most Anticipated YA Retellings From July - Dec 2019

This post contains affiliate links.

Titles marked with an asterisk (*) were gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Can you believe it's July already, and half the year has already gone? What is going on?! Time is moving so fast! But seeing as it's July, it's time to share my most anticipated retellings for the second half of 2019! There are a mix of genres and of age categories, but there's something for everyone!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power
Retelling of Lord of the Flies by William Golding - published 9th July 2019.

It's been eighteen months since the Raxter School for Girls was put under quarantine. Since the Tox hit and pulled Hetty's life out from under her.

It started slow. First the teachers died one by one. Then it began to infect the students, turning their bodies strange and foreign. Now, cut off from the rest of the world and left to fend for themselves on their island home, the girls don't dare wander outside the school's fence, where the Tox has made the woods wild and dangerous. They wait for the cure they were promised as the Tox seeps into everything.

But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means breaking quarantine and braving the horrors that lie beyond the fence. And when she does, Hetty learns that there's more to their story, to their life at Raxter, than she could have ever thought true. From Goodreads.

Goodreads

Continue reading My Most Anticipated Retellings From July - Dec 2019

Review: Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan (#Ad)

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

Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deirdre Sullivan

Published: 13th June 2019 | Publisher: Hot Key Books | Cover Illustrator: Elsa Klever | Source: Publisher
Deirdre Sullivan's Website

Everyone in Ballyfrann has a secret, and that is what binds them together…

Sixteen-year-old twins Madeline and Catlin move to a new life in Ballyfrann, a strange isolated town, a place where, for the last sixty years, teenage girls have gone missing in the surrounding mountains.

As distance grows between the twins - as Catlin falls in love, and Madeline begins to understand her own nascent witchcraft - Madeline discovers that Ballyfrann is a place full of predators. Not only foxes, owls and crows, but also supernatural beings who for many generations have congregated here to escape persecution. When Catlin falls into the gravest danger of all, Madeline must ask herself who she really is, and who she wants to be - or rather, who she might have to become to save her sister.

Dark and otherworldly, this is an enthralling story about the bond between sisters and the sacrifices we make for those we care about the most. For fans of Frances Hardinge and Laure Eve. From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: Anxiety, animal death, purposely injuring an animal, animal sacrifice, mentions of child grooming and paedophilia , homophobia (specifically against lesbians), gory, visceral descriptions of dead bodies and mortal injuries, abusive relationship, domestic violence, and murder.

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Bloggers Get Real: Mel of Book Reviews From Canada

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Welcome to Bloggers Get Real! Inspired by CW of The Quiet Pond's The Pond Gets Loud series, Bloggers Get Real is a YA book bloggers spotlight interview series with the aim of celebrating and supporting YA book bloggers and the work we do, while also discussing the realities of book blogging, the YA community, and the various controversies that have sprung up. I feel it's important to keep these conversations going - our voices matter, what we do matters, and we should be heard.

I'm really excited to have be spotlighting Mel of Book Reviews From Canada today!

Can you tell us a little about you and your blog?

I had started a few blogs previously to starting the one I’m currently running (including a Tumblr blog which is literally the worst website to run a book blog on). I always fell into the trap that is NetGalley and requested far too much, got overwhelmed and gave up. This time around, I decided pretty suddenly one day in October to sign up for a Wordpress Account and actually commit to blogging. One of the best ways I’ve found to do this is to have a continuous running list of all the books I have to read/review with the dates they need to be read and keep track of them that way. I’m fairly new at book blogging as I started my blog in October 2018.

My favourite genres are Young Adult Fantasy, contemporary and classic literature and my favourite authors are Cassandra Clare, Becky Albertalli, Jane Austen and Shakespeare. I will pick up any books with bisexual characters automatically because as I identify as bisexual myself, I like seeing my identity represented in literature.

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Books I'll Probably Never Read Book Tag

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Titles marked with an asterisk (*) were gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Today, I'm taking part int he Books I'll Probably Never Read Book Tag, which I stole from Kate of Reading Through Infinity - check out her answers here.

I'm thinking that while this is going to be fun, it might also make me feel a little guilty? We'll see, I guess! Onwards!

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Blog Tour: My Personal Response to Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

My Personal Response to Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

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I received an eProof of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the paperback release of Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, and I'm going to give you something different. This book meant more to me than I can ever really put into words, but I'm going to try in the form of a letter to Natasha. This is quite an emotional post that had me crying while writing it, so be warned.

Trigger Warnings: This post discusses rape and sexual assault.

Continue reading Blog Tour: My Personal Response to Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Review: Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

Published: 2nd April 2019 | Publisher: Titan Books | Cover Designer: Julia Lloyd | Source: Bought
Sarah Maria Griffin on Twitter

The house at the end of the lane burned down, and Rita Frost and her teenage ward, Bevan, were never seen again. The townspeople never learned what happened. Only Mae and her brother Rossa know the truth; they spent two summers with Rita and Bevan, two of the strangest summers of their lives...
Because nothing in that house was as it seemed: a cat who was more than a cat, and a dark power called Sweet James that lurked behind the wallpaper, enthralling Bevan with whispers of neon magic and escape.
And in the summer heat, Mae became equally as enthralled with Bevan. Desperately in the grips of first love, she'd give the other girl anything. A dangerous offer when all that Sweet James desired was a taste of new flesh... From Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features a house fire, sexual manipulation, fantasy addiction, mentions of Magdelen laundries, mentions of death in childbirth.

Continue reading Review: Other Words for Smoke by Sarah Maria Griffin

Bloggers Get Real: Beth of BooksNest

Welcome to Bloggers Get Real! Inspired by CW of The Quiet Pond's The Pond Gets Loud series, Bloggers Get Real is a YA book bloggers spotlight interview series with the aim of celebrating and supporting YA book bloggers and the work we do, while also discussing the realities of book blogging, the YA community, and the various controversies that have sprung up. I feel it's important to keep these conversations going - our voices matter, what we do matters, and we should be heard.

I'm really excited to have be spotlighting Beth of BooksNest today!

Can you tell us a little about you and your blog?

I started blogging back in 2016, reflectively it was probably a way of dealing with leaving university and needing to fill a hole in my life. I also loved reading other people’s blogs and after starting my Bookstagram account earlier that year, it felt like the right path to take. I was always interested in writing my own blog, but I would never settle on the topic, books seemed a perfect fit once I found the confidence to go for it!

Continue reading Bloggers Get Real: Beth of BooksNest

My Nominations for the Third Annual 2019 Book Blogger Awards

May over on Forever and Everly is hosting the Third Annual 2019 Book Blogger Awards, originally created by Joce of Write Through the Night. I didn't know about the awards the previous two years, but it's such a fantastic idea, and I can't not nominate my faves!

Fortunately we're allowed three nominations per category, otherwise I'd be in big trouble with some categories, trying to choose just one. There are a number of categories I've not nominated in simply because I just couldn't choose just three. There are a few who I just adore, and I can't not nominate at least a couple of times for different categories. So here are my nominations!

Continue reading My Nominations for the Third Annual 2019 Book Blogger Awards

The Why I am Weird Tag

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Thanks to Delly of Delly Bird, I've been tagged in the blog tag she herself created - the Why I am Weird tag. The aim of this tag is to get to know the bloggers behind the blog a little better.

"Why I am Weird!" Tag rules

• List ten weird things about yourself, your life or silly habits that you wouldn’t normally share.
• Tag up to ten people so you can get to know them better.
• Link back to the person who tagged you & the creator
• Comment on the posts of people you tagged!

Before I start, I just want to preface this by saying that these aren't things about myself that I think are weird, necessarily, but that other people do/might. So some you might think aren't weird at all, but I've had that reaction before, so they've been listed! And also, these are things I wouldn't normally share on my book blog, because I don't really talk much about myself - not necessarily things I wouldn't share in general. Because I think I'm pretty boring overall, and making this list was hard! Ok, onwards!

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Review: The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (#Ad)

I was sent this proof as a giveaway prize by the author for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Published: 29th January 2019 | Publisher: Scholastic US | Source: Won from author
Sabina Khan's Website

Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali tries her hardest to live up to her conservative Muslim parents’ expectations, but lately she’s finding that harder and harder to do. She rolls her eyes instead of screaming when they blatantly favor her brother and she dresses conservatively at home, saving her crop tops and makeup for parties her parents don’t know about. Luckily, only a few more months stand between her carefully monitored life in Seattle and her new life at Caltech, where she can pursue her dream of becoming an engineer.

But when her parents catch her kissing her girlfriend Ariana, all of Rukhsana’s plans fall apart. Her parents are devastated; being gay may as well be a death sentence in the Bengali community. They immediately whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh, where she is thrown headfirst into a world of arranged marriages and tradition. Only through reading her grandmother’s old diary is Rukhsana able to gain some much needed perspective.

Rukhsana realizes she must find the courage to fight for her love, but can she do so without losing everyone and everything in her life? From Goodreads

I won this proof in a giveaway on Twitter hosted by the author.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features colourism, homophobia, homophobic violence, discussion of forced marriage, imprisonment, drugging, a hunger strike, excorcism, a child bride, paedophilia, incest, rape, child abuse, domestic abuse, and murder of a gay person.

Continue reading Review: The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (#Ad)

Bloggers Get Real: Aly of Of Wonderland

Welcome to Bloggers Get Real! Inspired by CW of The Quiet Pond's The Pond Gets Loud series, Bloggers Get Real is a YA book bloggers spotlight interview series with the aim of celebrating and supporting YA book bloggers and the work we do, while also discussing the realities of book blogging, the YA community, and the various controversies that have sprung up. I feel it's important to keep these conversations going - our voices matter, what we do matters, and we should be heard.

I'm so excited to be kicking off Bloggers Get Real with the very first interview, with Aly of Of Wonderland!

Can you tell us a little about you and your blog?

Hi! I’m Aly, I blog at Of Wonderland and I’ve been in the blogging "business" for five years. I prefer fantasy and sci-fi, but I have a huge soft spot for thrillers and mysteries. Some of my favourite authors range from Tana French and Gillian Flynn to Sarah J Maas, Meagan Spooner and Jay Kristoff. I always grab for high fantasy and fairytale retellings without question -- my favourite kind of bookish delights.

Continue reading Bloggers Get Real: Aly of Of Wonderland

An Apology to the Muslim Community and People of Colour for My Harmful Review

This post is an acknowledgement and an apology, as I have realised earlier this week, I posted a harmful review.

Yesterday, Vicky of Vicky Who Reads shared a thread on Twitter about how awful reviews of books featuring people of colour about pain that say the stories aren't painful enough. This immediately made me think of my review on Internment by Samira Ahmed, which I then re-read, and realised it's harmful.

Continue reading An Apology to the Muslim Community and People of Colour for My Harmful Review

Time Saving Hacks for Book Bloggers

Book blogging is a lot of work. It takes a hell of a lot of time and effort to come up with engaging content and thoughtful reviews. But having been a book blogger for ten years now, there have been a few things I've learnt over the years that help cut out some of the time. It may only be a few minutes, but those minutes add up. So I thought I'd share with you a few hacks that may help you, too.

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Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Atom via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Internment by Samira Ahmed

Published: 19th March 2019 | Publisher: Atom | Cover Designer:  | Source: NetGalley
Samira Ahmed's Website

Rebellions are built on hope.

Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens.

With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp's Director and his guards.

Heart-racing and emotional, Internment challenges readers to fight complicit silence that exists in our society today. From Goodreads

Trigger Warnings: This book features racism, Islamophobia, imprisonment, violence, violence against women, death, discussion of torture, discussion of internment camps - specifically Manzanar internment camp and Nazi concentration camps, and discussion of the Holocaust.

Review edited on 5th July 2019. My original review was harmful, due to discussing inconsistencies that had me questioning why there wasn't more pain for the Muslim charcters of colour. You can read my acknowledgement of my mistake and apology here. For transparency, you can find a screen cap of the original wording here.

Continue reading Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed (#Ad)