ARC Review: Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson

Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson
Published: May 4th, 2021
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 416 
Series: N/A  
Source: Netgalley eARC 
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off meets Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist in this romp through the city that never sleeps from the New York Times bestselling author of Since You’ve Been Gone.

Two girls. One night. Zero phones.

Kat and Stevie—best friends, theater kids, polar opposites—have snuck away from the suburbs to spend a night in New York City. They have it all planned out. They’ll see a play, eat at the city’s hottest restaurant, and have the best. Night. Ever. What could go wrong?

Well. Kind of a lot?

They’re barely off the train before they’re dealing with destroyed phones, family drama, and unexpected Pomeranians. Over the next few hours, they’ll have to grapple with old flames, terrible theater, and unhelpful cab drivers. But there are also cute boys to kiss, parties to crash, dry cleaning to deliver (don’t ask), and the world’s best museum to explore.

Over the course of a wild night in the city that never sleeps, both Kat and Stevie will get a wake-up call about their friendship, their choices…and finally discover what they really want for their future.

That is, assuming they can make it to Grand Central before the clock strikes midnight.⠀

Morgan Matson’s Take Me Home Tonight was utterly charming. I absolutely loved the book’s message about expanding your horizons and trying new things. I think it’s a really common storyline for high school seniors to freak out about not knowing what they want to do and then “find” themselves, and it was refreshing to see the exact opposite happen in this book.

Stevie and Kat start out so sure of themselves and their world until it shatters around them. These two best friends realize how big the world truly is and how many opportunities they truly have available to them. This is such an important message to be sending, and it’s what I would go back and tell my younger self if I could. Maybe you love something you haven’t even considered yet. Before one thing becomes THE THING that pays all of your bills, try as many things as you can and find out what makes you happy. What makes you happy doesn’t have to be one thing, it can be lots of things, and just because you don’t think you can “make it” professionally doesn’t mean that you should cut whatever that is out of your life. You don’t have to be the best, you don’t have to do everything professionally, you just have to enjoy your hobbies and your free time.

Another component that made Take Me Home Tonight so special, was that it centered Stevie and Kat’s friendship and highlighted important platonic and familial relationships that they have and/or struggle with. It was especially endearing to watch Stevie navigate interacting with her step-siblings. Whether ‘traditional’ or ‘blended,’ families are complicated. Suddenly having three older siblings can be daunting and there are good and bad ways to cope with that change. Stevie isn’t perfect, well, really none of the characters are perfect, but their faults don’t define them. Their faults show them where they need to grow.

Lastly, The Teri Timeline, as I like to call it, was such an unexpected and fantastic twist and I can’t wait to be able to talk about it with others!

ARC Review: My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Published: June 22nd, 2021
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 0 (audiobook)
Series: Mary #1
Source: Netgalley eARC 
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?

Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀

Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But after the king meets a suspicious end, things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary's secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.⠀

This series as a concept had me so unbelievably excited. After completing a trilogy of historical Jane retellings, Hand, Ashton, and Meadows have set their sights on Marys. The very first, My Contrary Mary, is a Mary Queen of Scots retelling. Get ready to be transported to Renaissance France where Mary is a ward of the French Court!

The book's narration comes from several shifting POV's (primarily Mary), as well as some third-person narrator comments. The narrator's are really what makes this book so special. They are absolutely hilarious, providing a 'so-here-is-the-scoop' tone. They are terrible gossips, but charmingly witty at the same time. They are that friend in college/high school that you always turned to when you wanted to hear about the latest scandals without going through the effort of snooping things out for yourself. Before the book even properly started I was cry-laughing at the dedication: "For the people who feel like they have to be perfect; and for France. We're sorry for what we're about to do to your history, but it was your turn."

I found myself enjoying the return to the Eðian/Verity dynamic (shapeshifter/pure humans) as a metaphor for the disparity and tensions between Catholics and Protestants at the time. It is a cool way to reframe this time period, and was pretty genius!

On top of the comedy, the characters were so well developed. I truly felt for Mary and Francis, and even the side characters like Mary Livingston and Ari. Their actions and motivations felt real, and the stakes and betrayals in court were gutting. While of course this is a series of Marys, in a sense each book is also a stand alone, which I think is a boon to the work. Readers don't necessarily have to read The Lady Janies series to enjoy this latest work. Comedy and Historical Fiction blend together effortlessly in this gem of a book. Bonus points? Bonus points! On top of everything, I actually feel like I learned a lot reading this book. The plot was surprisingly historically accurate, if we overlook the whole fantasy shapeshifting element haha.

All in all, My Contrary Mary is a must-read, and I impatiently await the additions of Marie Curie and Mary Mallon to the new Mary series!

ARC Review: The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis

The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis
Published: February 23rd, 2021
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 0 (audiobook)
Series: The Initial Insult #1
Source: Netgalley eARC 
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the first book of a suspenseful YA duology, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis draws inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and masterfully delivers a dark, propulsive mystery in alternating points of view that unravels a friendship. . .forevermore. Perfect for fans of 'One of Us is Lying' and 'Truly Devious'!

Tress Montor's family used to mean something - until she didn't have a family anymore. When her parents disappeared seven years ago while driving her best friend home, Tress lost everything. The entire town shuns her now that she lives with her drunken, one-eyed grandfather at what locals refer to as the "White Trash Zoo".

Felicity Turnado has it all: looks, money, and a secret. One misstep could send her tumbling from the top of the social ladder, and she's worked hard to make everyone forget that she was with the Montors' the night they disappeared. Felicity has buried what she knows so deeply that she can't even remember what it is. . .only that she can't look at Tress without feeling shame and guilt.

But Tress has a plan. A Halloween costume party at an abandoned house provides the ideal situation for Tress to pry the truth from Felicity - brick by brick - as she slowly seals her former best friend into a coal chute. Tress will have her answers - or settle for revenge.

 

Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Published: September 24th, 2013
Publisher: Tor Books
Pages: 384 (paperback)
Series: Villains #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates--brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find--aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge--but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

 

Review: All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Published: October 10th, 2017
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 320 (hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: Bought
My Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

From bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater, a gripping tale of darkness, miracles, and family. Saints. Miracles. Family. Romance. Death. Redemption.

Here is a thing everyone wants: A miracle.

Here is a thing everyone fears:
What it takes to get one.

Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.

At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.

They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

 

Review: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
Published: December 4th
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 880 (hardcover) 
Series: The Dark Artifices #3 
Source: Bought 
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.

What if damnation is the price of true love?

Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks. 

Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.

ARC Review: I Had Such Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness

I Had Such Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness
Published: August 1, 2018
Publisher: Pantera Press
Pages: 288 (ebook) 
Series: Shades of Magic #1  
Source: NetGalley eARC 
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Charlie Parker dies, it effects everyone who knew him. Everyone, that is, expect for seventeen-year-old Hamish Day, the boy who lives on a cabbage farm and only has one friend. But Hamish soon finds himself pulled into the complicated lives of the people left behind. Among them is Annie Bower, the prettiest girl in school. As he uncovers startling truths about his peers, his perspectives on friendship, love, grief, and the tragic power of silence are forever altered.

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Published: February 24, 2015 
Publisher: Tor Books 
Pages: 398 (paperback) 
Series: Shades of Magic #1  
Source: Bought 
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. 

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Review: The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen
Published: June 5, 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 336 (hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a slave in the Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom... until she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father as they flee from their enemies across the vast Mongol Empire. On the run, with adversaries on all sides and an endless journey ahead, Jinghua hatches a scheme to use the Kipchaks' exile to return home, a plan that becomes increasingly fraught as her feelings for Khalaf evolve into a hopeless love.

Jinghua's already dicey prospects take a downward turn when Khalaf seeks to restore his kingdom by forging a marriage alliance with Turandokht, the daughter of the Great Khan. As beautiful as she is cunning, Turandokht requires all potential suitors to solve three impossible riddles to win her hand- and if they fail, they die.

Jinghua has kept her own counsel well, but with Khalaf’s kingdom—and his very life—on the line, she must reconcile the hard truth of her past with her love for a boy who has no idea what she’s capable of ... even if it means losing him to the girl who’d sooner take his life than his heart.

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Published: September 29, 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 491 (paperback)
Series: Six of Crows #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.

Nikki's Book Boyfriends!

I have so many book boyfriends that I can't always keep track of them!

Since Valentine's day is today and Erika's done this in the past, I thought I'd share my own top book boyfriends that I would want to be my valentine for Valentine's day. So here are my guys in no particular order:

Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I absolutely loved Peeta in The Hunger Games trilogy because he's so sweet and caring towards Katniss. He's strong and learned to protect himself, but he doesn't impose upon Katniss and totally respects her. His complicated tracker jacking just created ALL the feels.

Tobias from Divergent by Veronica Roth

Tobias is easily one of my Top Book Boyfriends. He's a total badass and everybody knows it. He's got a tough guy front that Tris has to break away (a favorite trope of mine) and the tragic backstory to top it all off.

Patch from Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

This wasn't exactly a favorite series of mine, but I absolutely loved Patch! What can I say, I like a sweet guy, but a bad boy is even better. He's a frickin amazing badass fallen angel, what more can I ask for??

Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

He is definitely the OG book boyfriend. Percy has been with me since 4th grade! While I could fill up my Book Boyfriend list with literally every guy from Rick Riordan's books, I've gone with the original sass-master himself. I just can't get enough of the messy black hair and the sea green eyes!

Uriah from Divergent by Veronica Roth

Uriah was my absolute favorite character in Divergent (It was originally Will but then Uriah got way more 'screen-time' as it were). He is just so adorable and wholesome and I am SO GLAD he and Tris became friends. There is so much humor in this series and a good portion of it comes from him!

Ash from The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Ash is 98% the ONLY reason I read this series the whole way through. The other 2% was Grimalkin the cat. His devotion and love for Meghan was so pure even though I really never grew to like her. She annoys the heck out of me- she is so frustratingly oblivious. But, I cared about her because ASH cared about her. There was so many emotional and touching moments in this series because of him. He's a keeper all right! Each book in this series get progressively better which is not something I think is normally the case, and I think it's because the side characters like my book boyfriend get so much development and time to shine.

Ziri from Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

He was so sweet and self-sacrificing. He gave up his beautiful Karin body to pretend to be a scary brute all to protect Kaoru. Heart-renching really.

Now that I'm going over them, I've realized a lot of my book boyfriends are from older books!

Who are your book boyfriends?

Leave me some new Book Boyfriend recommendations in the comments!

It's been awhile...

It's been a few months since my last post now and I can honestly say that I didn't plan to stop posting, but a lot stuff in my life happened all at once. I took books to school thinking that I would read them, but they stayed in my desk for these past few months and that's mainly why I haven't been posting on here. I've also been really absent from Goodreads and a bunch of my other social media. I really wasn't expecting that to happen, but the past few months have been extremely difficult for me. I wasn't in the best mental state and it's not perfect, but it's much better now. It's really hard when you have zero interest in something that you know you love and when you add to the fact that I already have to do so much reading for my classes, well I only had so much energy to put effort into something.

I'm hoping this year I can get my life back on track and get back to reading more often. Hopefully I'll get back to posting reviews and discussions, but I'm not sure when that's going to start up again. Thanks to those of you that commented and still check back every once in awhile. It makes thinking about getting back into blogging and reviewing easier. If I don't post some reviews during the school year, my goal is to do something over the summer. I know that's awhile away, but putting pressure on myself to do something when I'm already stressed about school and other things probably isn't in my best interest.

Hope everyone's 2018 is better and that it brings lots of good new books!

ARC Review: Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Top Ten by Katie Cotugno
Published: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 320 (Paperback ARC) 
Source: HarperCollins
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of friends. Introverted, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ryan is a star hockey player who can get any girl he wants—and does, frequently. But against all odds, they became not only friends, but each other’s favorite person. Now, as they face high school graduation, they can’t help but take a moment to reminisce and, in their signature tradition, make a top ten list—counting down the top ten moments of their friendship: 




10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met.
9. Then there was our awkward phase.
8. When you were in love with me but never told me…
7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life.
6. Through terrible fights…
5. And emotional makeups.
4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken.
3. …but at times, you were also the one breaking it.
2. Above all, you helped me make sense of the world.
1. Now, as we head off to college—how am I possibly going to live without you?

Cringe Worthy YA Tropes

Thoughts for Thursday is a discussion post mainly about book related things. It isn't every week, but we try to do it as often as possible.

If you've read any YA book, you've probably come across some tropes. I feel like it's unavoidable, but some of them are so overused and quite frankly a pet peeve of mine. It's pretty safe to say that if a book has some of these tropes that make me cringe, it's not going to be a favorite. It's not always going to automatically make me dislike the book though, because there might be some saving grace to the story or character that makes me still really enjoy it.

"I'm not like other girls"

This one has to be one of my least favorite tropes and for some reason it's one that I run into way too often. Personally, I don't think authors should be sending the message that the only way a girl can be powerful, is if they hate on other girls and "girly" things like dresses and makeup. I can't count the number of times that a female main character that's portrayed as badass has looked down on another female character for wearing feminine clothes and makeup. You do not have to be more masculine to be badass! As a kid, because the books I read had characters that thought that, I refused to wear dresses and thought that girls who wear makeup are too girly because the characters I idolized were super ~special~ and not like other girls. Thank god I realized how wrong I was, but it just kind of cements the fact for me that this should never be a popular trope.

Couldn't find original source

The evil popular girl that's out to steal the main character's love interest and ruin her life

This is so popular in YA books and I just don't get it. Why does the popular girl have to be evil? Why does it have to be girls against girls? Why can't girls be friends in YA books? I just have so many questions about this. It's just such a stereotype that the popular girl is a stuck up bitch that's going to steal away a guy. I have never felt that this was a good plot because I don't really get how you can steal a person away like that if the person is actually into you. Maybe it's because I don't have experience with that happening, but like I don't get it.

Love triangles - a.k.a "I can't decide which guy is hotter, but will ultimately go for the guy that is dark and mysterious"

Awhile back I did a whole discussion on love triangles. Sometimes I don't mind them, but most of the time they're just frustrating and completely unnecessary. A lot of the time they're thrown in to add some drama to the relationship and make it seem like the main character doesn't know what he or she wants. It's so over done and not done well enough for me to actually like it most of the time, so this is definitely going to be something that makes me cringe.

Source

Trying to be "hip" with stuff like: lol teens rlly txt like this

I don't see this very often (thank god), but when I do it just confuses me so much, especially when I was a teenager. I never texted like this, my friends never texted like this, maybe like one person, but none of us liked it. Sure there's certain things I'll abbreviate like omg or lol, but that's pretty much it. I don't get why authors think teens text like they don't know how to write. It's just kind of annoying.

"I just met you and I'm in love"

I honestly find insta love way more annoying than love triangles. I can't get invested in a couple if there isn't a build up the relationship. Why would I want to root for a couple that doesn't have a believable romance? It just feels like they're in lust or something, but love always gets thrown around when it should really just be like a crush or they're in like (is that a thing?). I don't know about you, but if I'm dating someone I'm not in love with them before I start dating them, I just really like them.

Source

No female friends a.k.a "I'm so much better than other girls part 2"

This goes along with the "I'm not like other girls" and also with some of the stuff I was saying for the evil popular girl trope. I find it incredibly weird that most books don't have any female friendships. The female main character almost always has male friends, but no close female friendships and they're usually not very kind to other girls. Why? What is the reasoning for this? I DON'T GET IT! I feel like it's really important to show close female friendships because girls should be supporting girls, not tearing them down.

What are some tropes in YA that you hate?

This is definitely not all the cringe worthy tropes I can think of, so there might be a part 2 coming soon!

Erika's Month in Review: August 2017

In case you missed it, the past month is recapped, along with book hauls, and life happenings.

Life Happenings

 This week is my first week of classes and the past few weeks have been so busy that I haven't much time to read. I have a feeling that with school work coming up, most of my reading is going to be textbooks, not books. I am pretty excited for my criminology class this semester, so hopefully that textbook won't be too boring.

I was spending a lot of time with my boyfriend this August before he goes back to school in China. I never thought I'd be the kind of person to want all the mushy romance stuff (I avoid romance books almost always and I've never been a huge fan of chick flicks), but honestly it's so nice with the right person. It's definitely pretty rough at least for the first few weeks, especially before we work out times we're both awake and around.

Currently Reading

Nyxia (The Nyxia Triad #1) by Scott Reintgen

I haven't had a whole lot of time to read this, but I'm hoping I'll get to it this weekend. So far it's interesting, but I honestly haven't read that much of it yet.

My Posts This Month

• Review: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
• Review: Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab  
• ARC Review: Body Parts by Jessica Kapp
• Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
• ARC Review: When I Cast Your Shadow by Sarah Porter
• ARC Review: Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
• Latest Addiction: Lipsticks
• ARC Review: Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Coming Soon

• ARC Review: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
• Thoughts for Thursday: Cringe Worthy YA Tropes

Book Haul

I'm pretty sure I didn't get any new books this month, except for textbooks and GRE practice books, but those are pretty boring so I'm not gonna list them. 

How was your month?

Book Blitz: Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

I am so excited that ZERO REPEAT FOREVER by Gabrielle Prendergast is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Gabrielle Prendergast, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed hardcover of the book courtesy of Gabrielle and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast

Published: August 29, 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Pages: 496

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, Audible, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

He has no voice, or name, only a rank, Eighth. He doesn’t know the details of the mission, only the directives that hum in his mind.

Dart the humans. Leave them where they fall.

His job is to protect his Offside. Let her do the shooting.

Until a human kills her…

Sixteen year-old Raven is at summer camp when the terrifying armored Nahx invade, annihilating entire cities, taking control of the Earth. Isolated in the wilderness, Raven and her friends have only a fragment of instruction from the human resistance.

Shelter in place.

Which seems like good advice at first. Stay put. Await rescue. Raven doesn’t like feeling helpless but what choice does she have?

Then a Nahx kills her boyfriend.

Thrown together in a violent, unfamiliar world, Eighth and Raven should feel only hate and fear. But when Raven is injured, and Eighth deserts his unit, their survival comes to depend on trusting each other… 

Book Trailer:

About Gabrielle: 

Gabrielle is a writer, teacher and designer living in Vancouver, Canada.  You can read about her books here. She is represented by Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

In 2014 she was the Writer in Residence at Vancouver Public Library. In 2015 she was nominated for the BC Book Prizes and chosen to tour the province to promote BC Books. In 2017 Gabrielle took part in the TD Canada Children’s Book Week Tour. She has also been nominated for the White Pine Awardand the CLA Award.

Gabrielle won the Westchester Award for Audacious. Audacious was included in CBC’s list of 100 YA Books That Make You Proud to be Canadian. A poem from Capricious was chosen for the 2014 Poetry in Transit Program. Pandas on the East Side was chosen as an Ontario Library Association Best Bet for Junior Fiction in 2016. It was also nominated/shortlisted for the Chocolate Lily Award, The Red Cedar Award, the Diamond Willow Award and the Myrca Award.

Website |  Twitter | Facebook | Intstagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

(1) winner will receive a signed finished copy of ZERO REPEAT FOREVER, US Only & Canada.

(3) winners will receive signed postcards and bookmarks ZERO REPEAT FOREVER, US Only & Canada.

Ends on September 19th at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Releases: August 27-September 2

Keeping you up to date on the latest releases, so you never miss when your most anticipated book comes out.

Release of the Week

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .

Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.

Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

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