Legendary Beings: Spectacular Water Spirits

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Legendary Beings is a series in which I'll talk about beings from folklore, mythology and legends that I haven't read about yet, and the books I discover that feature them.

This time, I'm looking at specific stories of water spirits/nymphs or similar. Regular readers will know I'm a huge fan of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, and all of the following creatures/characters I discovered through reading Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid: From Fairy-tale to National Monument by Christopher Bo Bramsen, which I bought when in Copenhagen, Denmark last year. They are all so fascinating, and I loved reading the little we're told about them in the book, but would absolutely love to read retellings of these these legends/folktales/stories.

Review: Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto (#Ad)

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

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Published: 25th April 2019 | Publisher: Ink Road | Source: Publisher
Nicki Pau Preto's Website

In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.

Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.

Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And, meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders' return and intends to destroy them once and for all.

Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love's incredible power to save or to destroy. Throughout is interspersed the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider Queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister's hands. From Goodreads.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features a girl disguising herself as a boy, emotional abuse, a form of slavery, animal death, graphic description of someone being killed, a battle, and death.

On Authors Reacting & Responding to Negative Reviews

I am mad. I am so, so angry. I am sick to death of the way some authors treat bloggers/reviewers. Sick to death. I am absolutely fuming. Because when will it end?

Back in January, the hurt and upset over how we're treated led to me writing Why Authors Should Respect and Appreciate Book Bloggers. Why? Because it was announced that author Kathleen Hale was having a book published about when she stalked a reviewer who gave her a negative review. Because E. K. Johnston showed her lack of respect for bloggers when she tweeted that when, at signings, bloggers ask her not to personalise ARCs, she writes, "This is an ARC. I hope you didn't buy it." Because author and book blogger behind LGBTQ Reads, Dahlia Adler tweeted about authors not promoting blog content they've requested/were involved in. But that hasn't been the last of it. Authors have been throwing their toys out of the pram because of negative reviews.

Once Upon a Retelling: No Place Like Here by Christina June

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Welcome to Once Upon a Retelling! I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I'm really interested in hearing about authors' own love of the original stories, and what inspired them to retell those stories. And so Once Upon a Retelling was born, a feature in which I interview authors about their versions of well-loved tales.

Today, I'm really excited to have Christina June stopping by the blog to discuss her Hansel & Gretel retelling, No Place Like Here.

Can you tell us a little about No Place Like Here? What kind of a retelling of Hansel & Gretel is it?

NO PLACE LIKE HERE is what I’d call a contemporary novel inspired by Hansel & Gretl. While it’s not a strict retelling, readers will be able to recognize many of the familiar elements of the story transformed in clever ways. My books are also companions, so while they can certainly be read as stand-alones, it’s also fun to read them all and see how favorites pop back up.

Blog Tour Review: Kingsbane by Claire Legrand (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free by Sourcebooks Fire via Midas PR for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Kingsbane by Claire Legrand

Published: 21st May 2019 | Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Claire Legrand's Website

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller Furyborn, two queens, separated by a thousand years, connected by secrets and lies, must continue their fight amid deadly plots and unthinkable betrayals that will test their strength—and their hearts.

Rielle Dardenne has been anointed Sun Queen, but her trials are far from over. The Gate keeping the angels at bay is falling. To repair it, Rielle must collect the seven hidden castings of the saints. Meanwhile, to help her prince and love Audric protect Celdaria, Rielle must spy on the angel Corien—but his promises of freedom and power may prove too tempting to resist.

Centuries later, Eliana Ferracora grapples with her new reality: She is the Sun Queen, humanity's long-awaited savior. But fear of corruption—fear of becoming another Rielle—keeps Eliana's power dangerous and unpredictable. Hunted by all, racing against time to save her dying friend Navi, Eliana must decide how to wear a crown she never wanted—by embracing her mother's power, or rejecting it forever. From Goodreads.

My other reviews of the Empirium Trilogy:
Furyborn (#Ad)

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. 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 gory descriptions, a panic attack, someone being drugged against their will, kidnap, murder, some explicit sex, sexual assault, and abusive manipulation (possibly grooming).

International YA Translated into English

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One of my reading goals this year is to read more novels from other countries translated into English. I have only know of a few, and have read even less; The Red Abbey Chronicles by Maria Turtschaninoff (translated from Swedish by Annie Prime), The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier (translated from German by Anthea Bell), The Prince of Mist by Carlos Carlos Ruiz Zafón (translated from Spanish by ‎Lucia Graves), and No Heroes by Anna Seidl (translated from German by Siobhán Parkinson), so it's something I want to do better with.

However, I didn't really know of many, so I reached out to the YA community for recommendations, and I was absolutely inundated! There were so many awesome sounding books recommended to me not to share with you all. So if you want to broaden your reading horizons and branch out into some YA in translations, 25 YA novels in translation to your TBR.

Once Upon a Retelling: Beauty Sleep by Kathryn Evans

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Welcome to Once Upon a Retelling! I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I'm really interested in hearing about authors' own love of the original stories, and what inspired them to retell those stories. And so Once Upon a Retelling was born, a feature in which I interview authors about their versions of well-loved tales.

I'm really excited to have Kathryn Evans stopping by the blog today to discuss her YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty Sleep, as part of her blog tour.

Can you tell us a little about Beauty Sleep? What kind of a retelling of Sleeping Beauty is it?

It’s ‘Inspired by’ I think. I was brought up on fairy tales and I think I just absorbed them. If you’re an author, the stories that are woven into your childhood all feed into the writer you become. I call it book soup.

Review: Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly (#Ad)

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

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Published: 14th May 2019 | Publisher: Hot Key Books | Source: Publisher
Jennifer Donnelly's Website

'In an ancient city by the sea, three sisters - a maiden, a mother, and a crone - are drawing maps by candlelight. Sombre, with piercing grey eyes, they are the three Fates, and every map is a human life . . .'

Stepsister takes up where Cinderella's tale ends. We meet Isabelle, the younger of Cinderella's two stepsisters. Ella is considered beautiful; stepsister Isabelle is not. Isabelle is fearless, brave, and strong-willed. She fences better than any boy, and takes her stallion over jumps that grown men fear to attempt. It doesn't matter, though; these qualities are not valued in a girl. Others have determined what is beautiful, and Isabelle does not fit their definition. Isabelle must face down the demons that drove her cruel treatment of Ella, challenge her own fate and maybe even redefine the very notion of beauty . . .

Cinderella is about a girl who was bullied; Stepsister is about the bully. We all root for the victims, we want to see them triumph. But what about the bullies? Is there hope for them? Can a mean girl change? Can she find her own happily ever after? From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: This book features discussion of considering suicide, threat of sexual assault, dead bodies, and war.

Books I Want to Reread - Fantasy Edition

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

Rereads. I absolutely love them. But being a book blogger, with an ever growing TBR, I don't reread as much as I would like. Most years, I manage to fit in a reread of one series, but I don't get to reread everything. Plus there's the guilt of not read the books I already have, and worrying about what to post on my blog, as most of the time, the books have already been reviewed.

The 'I Should Have Read That 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'll be taking part in the 'I Should Have Read That Book' tag, which was created by Beth of Book Nest. I wasn't technically tagged for this, but Kate of Reading Through Infinity finished her tag saying she tags anyone who wants to take part, so here we are - thanks, Kate!

Review: That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Hodder Children's Book via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

That's Not What Happened by Kody Keplinger

Published: 28th August 2019 | Publisher: Hodder Children's Books | Source: Publisher.
Kody Keplinger's Website

It's been three years since the Virgil County High School shooting. Three years since my best friend, Sarah, was killed in a bathroom stall. Everyone knows Sarah's story.

But it's not true.

I know because I was there when she died. This might be my last chance to set the record straight... but I'm not the only survivor with a story to tell about what did - and didn't - happen that day.

And the fake Sarah story is important to a lot of people, people who don't take kindly to what I'm trying to do. The more I learn, the less certain I am about what's worse: the guilt of staying silent or the consequences of speaking up... From Goodreads.

Trigger Warnings: This book features a school shooting, blood, panic attacks, discussion of trauma, and alcoholism.

Once Upon a Retelling: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

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Welcome to Once Upon a Retelling! I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I'm really interested in hearing about authors' own love of the original stories, and what inspired them to retell those stories. And so Once Upon a Retelling was born, a feature in which I interview authors about their versions of well-loved tales.

I am so excited to have Natalie Haynes stopping by the blog today to discuss her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships.

Can you tell us a little about A Thousand Ships? What kind of a retelling of the Trojan War is it?

Well, it’s retelling the war from the perspectives of the women involved in the war – it goes forwards and backwards in time from the Fall of Troy (thanks to the Trojan Horse…), and follows the consequences of the war in one timeline and the causation of the war in the other timeline. We see the goddesses, women, demigoddesses, wives, daughters, etc. of the men whose stories we’re used to reading. Often these stories did exist in the ancient world but have been lost, so I decided to reimagine them for the 21st century.