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Cover Reveal: Strayblood by E.E. Rawls

Nov21

Heyyy, blogosphere! Long time no post — whoops!

I’ve been pretty actively posting on Bookstagram but the blogging side of things has definitely had to slide a bit due to life. Maybe one of these days I’ll get back to it!

Anyway, I exist (kinda) and I’m excited to share a cover reveal today for Strayblood!

Strayblood is the sequel to Strayborn, which I reviewed awhile back and loved. It was such an exciting Middle Grade Fantasy, academy-type story, so vivid and full of amazing characters. ❤

So I’m super excited about the sequel releasing December 1st!

Scroll on down for the cover reveal and all the info and links. 😀

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Strayblood (Draev Guardians #2)

Book Blurb

“I am the rescuer of the weak. The hope of those who have none. And the executioner of vempar kind. I am the White Ghost—and your worst nightmare.”

With the events of the Festival Duel over, Cyrus wants to focus on training her Ability with metal. But trouble soon comes in the form of a shapeshifter: the White Ghost, who’s determined to exterminate all vempar kind, and he’s seeking the power of the Swan Princess in order to carry out his plan.

Seriously, why can’t people just leave Cyrus alone? She doesn’t want to be the Swan, some reborn hero from legend! She just wants to be with her friends and train to become a Draev Guardian. Is that too much to ask for?

Apparently, it is. The Oracle, who happens to be a faeryn child, can lead the Ghost right to her—and the Impure Nights, as well. Harlow must keep the Oracle safe, but with the Academy’s yearly Hunters Race coming up, things get even more complicated. The Scourgeblood in Aken’s veins is awakening, and to face the powerful shapeshifter, Cyrus’s fellow Draevs-in-training may have to pay the ultimate price…

Pre-Order Links

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

Releases December 1st!

Would you like to help spread the word about the release? Join the Book Release Shout-Out HERE.

If you’re new to the world of Draev Guardians, check out the links to book #1 below:

AMAZON  | B&N | BOOK-DEPOSITORY | INDIEBOUND | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP

Author Bio

E.E. Rawls is the product of a traveling family, who even lived in Italy for 6 years. She loves exploring the unknown, whether it be in a forest, inside a forgotten castle, or within the pages of a book. She runs on coffee, cuddly cats and the beauty of nature to keep the story wheels of her mind turning, as she writes stories that will both entertain and inspire, creating worlds that one can explore and quickly become lost within… Be careful you don’t lose your way.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Thanks for reading!

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Madness Solver in Wonderland Cover Reveal!

May1

Y’all, I’m so excited to be sharing the cover reveal for a Wonderland retelling duology by E.E. Rawls! I loved her books Strayborn and Beast of the Night (click the titles to check out my reviews for those), so I can only imagine how neat this one’s going to be — and the cover is AMAZING!!! I could stare at it all day!

Read on for all the info!

Book Blurb:

Teenage Madnes Hatter wants more to life than what his island hometown has to offer—and he definitely doesn’t want a boring future in hat-making, like his parents. But he sure doesn’t expect a well-dressed cat named Cheshire to suddenly pop into his life and make everything worse—giving him the power of the Madness Solver and making him the guardian and peacekeeper between Wonderland and Earth.

What the heck? When he said he wanted more to life, this wasn’t what he meant! Now, he’s the only one who can see Wonderland creatures as they walk the streets, and when there’s trouble, it’s his job to solve it. His friends, Alice and Harrey, think he’s going crazy.

But when a problem arises with the portals linking Wonderland to Earth, an old mystery is brought to light—the case of the death of the previous Madness Solver. Will Madnes meet the same fate, with the guardian power sapping away at his life? Wonderland’s ruler, the Red King, has cast a dangerous spell, and an ancient evil is rising. Madnes may not have long to save his friends and both worlds before it’s too late…

Book Links

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

Book Tour Opportunity

The Book Release Tour begins June 1st! If you would like to help promote this book on your social media or blog, please sign up HERE.

Author Bio

The product of a traveling family, who even lived in Italy for 6 years, Rawls loves to explore the unknown, whether it be in a forest, inside a forgotten castle, or within the pages of a book. She runs on coffee, cuddly cats and the beauty of nature to keep the story wheels of her mind turning as she crafts tales that will both entertain and inspire, creating worlds one can explore and quickly become lost within. Beware, you might not find your way back out again. Visit her online at:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Eeep! Doesn’t it sound so fun? And isn’t that cover amazing?? Any Wonderland fans out there? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Truesilver Cover Reveal + Giveaway!

Apr22

Guyssss! I’m so excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for Truesilver by DJ Edwardson! You may know DJ as the co-founder for the Silmaril Awards blog event and as the author of The Last Motley. I’m thrilled about his new fantasy novel and its stunning cover!

Read on for all the details on the cover reveal, giveaway, and ARC opportunity for upcoming YA fantasy book TRUESILVER by DJ Edwardson!

I was honored to be a copyeditor for this amazing book and I absolutely adore it! It’s just the sort of fantasy adventure I grew up loving and it even reminds me of Lloyd Alexander books, with a dash of Tolkien and humor. It’s so, so good and I can’t wait to get it onto my shelf and for others to get to read it!

Releasing June 1! Kindle preorders will be up May 18.

PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY (limited to continental U.S.)

DJ Edwardson is giving away a paperback copy of Truesilver to one person (limited to continental U.S.) who comments on the cover reveal posts from across all the places where the cover is posted (websites, Instagram, Facebook). The winner will receive a signed paperback copy of Truesilver.

Each site commented on counts as one entry, so commenting on multiple posts will increase your chances of winning!

Follow the hashtag #TruesilverCover on Instagram or Facebook, or check out the author’s official cover reveal blog post to check out the various posts!

(And, yes, commenting on this post here counts too. ;))

Ditigial ARCs

Are you a reviewer who likes the sound of the book and can review it by June 1st? The author is offering digital ARC Advance Reviewer Copies HERE.

About Truesilver

A young man stained by his father’s failure. A sword of ancient power. A legend rises.

Kion Bray can’t accept that his father was a coward. Bullied for his dad’s actions in the last war, the seventeen-year-old shepherd is determined to restore his family honor. And the only way to do it is to win the village’s annual sword-fighting contest.

Lacking experience, Kion fears he might only bring more embarrassment upon those he loves. And with his biggest tormentor awaiting him in the competition and a dark army mobilizing to the north, his quest for redemption may come to a swift and painful end.

Can a simple shepherd learn to master his blade before his hopes and his people are crushed?

Read the first book in the epic Swordspeaker Saga fantasy series. If you like gargantuan quests, towering bravery, and coming-of-age tales, then you’ll love DJ Edwardson’s razor-sharp story.

About the author

DJ Edwardson is the Grace Award nominated author of several books and shorter works. He traveled a lot when he was younger. Now he’s busy crafting exotic destinations of his own. Although he has written both Science Fiction and Fantasy novels, he likes to say he writes in the “genre of imagination”.

He has a degree in English from Cornell College where his emphasis was on the works of Shakespeare. He’s tried his hand at both acting and directing in the theater, but these days is happiest with a pen in hand. He lives in Tennessee with his wife and three children amidst an ever-growing library of wonderful books.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter

And there you are! Isn’t it a stunning cover? I can’t stop staring at it! Does the story sound intriguing? Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win. 🙂 Thanks for reading!

Audiobook Tour: Minstrel’s Call Fantasy Series!

Apr20
(photo by me)

🎧📚 Audiobook Tour! 📚🎧

I posted about this on Instagram as well but wanted to share it here also today!

I’m SO excited to be sharing about this amazing fantasy series which I ADORE and is now available in audiobook form!

Y’all, I love this epic fantasy series by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt so much! I’ve read the Minstrel’s Song saga twice (well, three of them; need to find time for a reread of the last one!).

It has DRAGONS and other fantastical creatures, quests and amazing characters, humor and song . . . It has everything!

It also features two of my favorite characters of all time, Brant the warrior and Kiernan Kane the minstrel! They’re amazing. That is all. 😍

LINKS

If you want to read my reviews of the books, check those out by clicking the covers below!

Yoriens Hand - Cover Reveal Medium

The Series

  • King’s Warrior
  • Second Son (prequel)
  • Yorien’s Hand
  • Minstrel’s Call

(Also, for the record, I read Yorien’s Hand first. XD So, chronologically, I read them backward — Yorien’s Hand, King’s Warrior, Second Son — except for Minstrel’s Call which one should definitely read last. ;))

(photo by Jenelle Schmidt)

About the Minstrel’s Song series by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

From time immemorial a world has endured the struggles of the mighty. Creatures of myth have been hidden away for centuries waiting to take their place. But will they be conquerors or protectors?

The Minstrel’s Song chronicles the story of heroes pitting their will and strength against the hidden, personal, and ancient foes seeking to dominate a world poised for a new era.

About Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

Jenelle first fell in love with stories through her father’s voice reading books aloud each night. A relentless opener-of-doors in hopes of someday finding a passage to Narnia, it was only natural that she soon began making up fantastical realms of her own. Jenelle currently resides in the wintry tundra of Wisconsin —which she maintains is almost as good as Narnia — with her knight-in-shining armor and their four hobbits. When she is not writing, she homeschools said hobbits and helps them along on their daily adventures… which she says makes her a wizard.

Thanks for reading! Do you like audiobooks? Let me know in a comment below!

You may also enjoy:

Come Marching Home by Hazel West (Blog Tour!)

Oct16

Hey guys! I’m so excited to join in on the blog tour for Hazel West’s new book, COME MARCHING HOME, which released this week!

I am looking forward to reading this one — I always love Hazel’s books! (The Modern Tales of Na Fianna urban fantasy Irish series, and futuristic London novel The New Emperor’s Concerto from earlier this year, are some of my favorite books.) And the idea of a WWI-ish fantasy novel is so intriguing!

Read on to find more about the book, check out the rest of the tour, and read an excerpt!

Come Marching Home (cover design: C.B. Cook)

About the Book

Title: Come Marching Home

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: After being away for over a year, Alfonse Keller has returned from the trenches on Teuton’s western front, fighting in the war that’s broken out against the Steppes. He should feel relieved now that’s he’s back in his own village in the care of his brother Ernst, but he’s not. It seems like nothing has changed except for him, like he’s a traveler from a different world.

When Alfonse left to join the army, he was a natural magician making a name for himself, but after a tragic incident resulting in the death of his friend, and his own crippling injury, he no longer has the ability to use magic.

Suffering from constant nightmares and revisited trauma, Alfonse can’t get the trenches out of his head. Ernst tries to help, but he doesn’t really understand either. How can he, when Alfonse doesn’t really understand himself? He feels like a phantom, standing on the outskirts of a life he’ll never live again.

As Ernst tries to do everything he can for his brother, he can’t help but feel like Alfonse is slipping away, that maybe part of him never left the trenches at all. But how can he save his brother when Alf refuses to let anyone in?

Release Date: October 13th

Book Links

Author Links

Preorder Goodies

Preorder goodies!

If you order Come Marching Home by the end of October (extended even though it released on the 13th), you can email the receipt of your purchase to sirwilliamssquire@gmail.com with your address and Hazel will send you a goodie pack!

Goodies:

  • A bookmark
  • A sticker with art by H.S.J. Williams @h.s.j._williams
  • A playlist curated by Hazel
  • (And if you order the paperback, you will also get a signed bookplate)

Tour Schedule

Today’s the last day of the tour but you can see the rest of the posts if you drop by the official blog tour post on Hazel’s blog, HERE.

Excerpt

The tables were mostly filled with the soldiers, all in plain clothes like Alfonse and Franz, glad to be out of the mud-caked uniforms. They were all talking amongst each other, casting dark glances at the bar, where a riot of giggles erupted. Alfonse and Franz stopped and stared at the cluster of girls that had formed around the one figure in a steel blue tunic, ribbons adorning his chest and his familiar voice cutting above the feminine titters, obviously purposefully loud so that everyone in the pub could hear.

“And so there I stood, facing down three Steppish soldiers with only a pistol in one hand and my trench shovel in the other. My company had been pinned down by the enemy and we couldn’t let them get across enemy lines, so I had my men throw grenades to herd them toward us, smoke them out like pheasant! And that was when I led the charge. I’ll spare you ladies the details, of course, but needless to say, we won the day.”

“Oh, Captain, you must have been so frightened!” one of the girls gasped, touching his arm gently.

“Of course, only a fool would not be frightened,” Klaus told her teasingly. “The key is to not show it. That way you can still inspire courage in the men.”

“Oh, you’re so brave, Captain Klaus,” another girl said.

Alfonse saw red. Everything shut down and he felt himself walking forward before he knew what he was doing. Franz reached out and grabbed his shoulder, calling to him, but he shook his friend off.

“‘Inspire courage’—is that what you did, Captain?” Alfonse spoke loud enough to be heard over the eruption of female giggles. The whole pub fell silent, the girls turning to glare at him, Franz and Hewitt watching tensely, and the soldiers straightening up and looking on with interest, murmurs running through them.

Klaus just sat there, his face darkening, before he smoothed his expression. “Sergeant Major Keller. I didn’t realize this was your village.”

“No, I’m sure you didn’t,” Alfonse said. “You barely remembered any of the men who fought under you. And you’re right, this is my village, this is my local pub, and I’m not going to tolerate you telling fake war stories in here among a bunch of soldiers who know better.”

A louder murmur arose from the occupants. “You want to know how the story really went?” Alfonse demanded, unable to stop. It felt good and he found he didn’t care about any consequences right now. “We routed the enemy, there was mud, blood, and death. The captain didn’t show up until the rest of us men had secured the Steppish soldiers and a boy had lost his life. Never in all my time in the trenches, did I ever see Captain Klaus pick up a shovel. He was too busy sitting on his high horse to be down in the mud with the rest of us.”

“How dare you?” Klaus said, pushing through the women to get to him. “I’m your superior!”

“Last I checked, we’re not on the front anymore,” Alfonse said.

And there we are! Doesn’t it sound intriguing? Thanks for reading! 🙂

More reviews for books by this author:

bloodtiescoverfront copy
earthlykingcoverpic2-copy

Songflight Blog Tour!

Aug18

Greetings, friends of the page!

Work and lack of internet have kept me absent from blogging (and reading) for too long, but today I’m really excited to be spotlighting this book as part of the blogtour!

Songflight by Michelle M. Bruhn is releasing this Friday (August 21) and it sounds amazing!

I’m hoping to post a review here after I read the book — I can’t wait! — but for now, read all about it and check out the other tour stops! ^_^ And how about this cover! :O

About the Book

Songflight (The Dragon Singer Chronicles, book 1)

To end an unjust war, a slayer’s daughter must learn the ways of the dragons and find the confidence to lead despite her speech impediment.

Alísa is the daughter of a slayer chief, born into war against the evil of the dragons. Her speech impediment stole her confidence, and her empathic connection to dragons stole the respect of her clan. But when her growing psychic connection reveals one dragon’s capacity for good, she must choose: stay with her family in comfortable but condemning silence, or follow the dragon claiming to know her true purpose.

Preorder

Preorder Goodies

About the Author

Michelle M. Bruhn is a YA fantasy author whose stories focus on outcasts, hard questions, and hope. She is passionate about seeing through others’ eyes and helping others to do the same, especially through characters with diverse life experiences. She finds joy in understanding others, knows far too much about personality theories, and binge-watches TED Talks on a regular basis. She spends the rest of her free time making and listening to music, walking, reading, and snuggling with her cats.

Links

August 15: 

M.H. Elrich—Author Interview

August 16: 

Rachel A. Greco—Author Interview

Laura A. Grace—Character Interview (Alísa)

August 17: 

H.S.J. Williams—Author Interview

August 18: 

Deborah O’Carroll—Spotlight (you are here!)

August 19 (20 AU): 

Jane Maree—Character Interview (Graydonn)

August 20: 

Olivia Neale—Review

August 21 (RELEASE DAY!):

Claire M. Banschbach—Author Interview

Aaahh, how cool does this book sound? It’s been on my want-to-read list for way too long and I can’t wait to dive in when life slows down a bit! I’m always up for a dragon story — how about you? (Now excuse me while I stare at that cover for the next five hundred years.) Thanks for reading! 🙂