So my readathons have been going well, I’m trying to combine them as much I can, for example, I got Humans as my prompt on Day 1 of Bookoplaton, and Humans were the main characters in Ghost Girl but the book also fulfilled my prompt for Ruin of Skye where I needed a book with supernatural characters. Anyway, I’m doing great with all the extra reading so far and can’t wait to start my next book.
Summary
Zee Puckett loves ghost stories. She just never expected to be living one.
It all starts with a dark and stormy night. When the skies clear, everything is different. People are missing. There’s a creepy new principal who seems to know everyone’s darkest dreams. And Zee is seeing frightening things: large, scary dogs that talk and maybe even . . . a ghost.
When she tells her classmates, only her best friend Elijah believes her. Worse, mean girl Nellie gives Zee a cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.
But whatever the storm washed up isn’t going away. Everyone’s most selfish wishes start coming true in creepy ways.
To fight for what’s right, Zee will have to embrace what makes her different and what makes her Ghost Girl. And all three of them—Zee, Elijah, and Nellie—will have to work together if they want to give their ghost story a happy ending.
Review
I’ve been meaning to read this book for a while and I wasn’t disappointed, Zee was a great protagonist. I knew I liked her from the moment she was up in the middle of the thunderstorm. She’s a great role model for every girl who has been cast out for not liking girly things or shunned for their interest in the macabre. The way the three main characters must face their fears at the end is a scary scenario even for adults.
And the villain is a unique blend of demon, ghost, and unknown creepy being. He’s especially creepy because you don’t know exactly what he is, and what his powers are, or how far they reach. The book is well-paced with many scary moments throughout that keep the reader interested and the plot going. Also, I really love the ending, I’d totally read another spooky book from the author.
So I’m trying to get back into writing my novel. So what I’m doing is some micro writing challenges here.
SpilltheVillianousTea
1LineWeds: Introduce Your Antagonist
Villian 1: It was time to finally see she didn’t silence everything around her. That had been a joke, a trick, a distraction. L could finally see now what she really was someone who could morph into anything and everything and she’d fooled her right up until it was too late.
Villian 2: She burned the brightest L had every seen she would have shielded her eyes or looked on in awe, that is if her burning hand currently didn’t have her by the throat.
ThursdayAesthetics
Villian 1: She loved climbing the walls of palace being above everyone just gave her a better view the view she’d have when that country girl was finally won over when this backwater was lost and won, when she was finally Queen.
Villian 2: She wasn’t like her sister she didn’t fear the water because she knew without a doubt it couldn’t hurt her she stood on the beach and shot her fire into the water steam opening a path for her. She stopped the shot her fire at the sand hitting it with more and more intensity until it turned to glass. She didn’t care what her mother said, they didn’t need peace with waring tribe, they had all the powers they needed, and she would show the little lightning witch she’d never threaten her people again.
#WriterFriendsChallenge
1. I’m a middle grade to YA fantasy writer not sure where I fit at the moment. I like writing about neurodiverse, witchy and LGBTQIA characters, oh and dragons and magic, and sometimes ghosts and mental health.
2. Put 10,000 words on my main project and 5,000 on my side project
#TheMoonStardustandSkyChallenge
I’m a middle grade and young adult fantasy novel writer who likes to write about fantasy and the spooky witchy stuff.
On my main series two book novel that could each be read as stand alones but work better together. On my side series a standalone.
#Seatember2021
L watched the ocean for a long moment every fiber of her soul wanting to dive back under those waves and choke the people who were responsible for what happened to her family. But as she watched the reds in the sunrise, she realized the world was on fire and it wasn’t just about her anymore. She dug her toes into the sand one last time, a promise she would return and face her demons before she turned away from sunrise when she stepped back into the jet and A asked where they were going she replied simply. “Back to the capital, we need to fix this.”
So I’m going to update what I’m reading every day since I get a new roll on Bookaplaton every day so today on Bookaplaton I got the prompt of a book with humans so I’m reading Ghost Girl which I bought yesterday because it was just too good not to read ASAP. I’m also reading Fellowship of the Ring for Magical Readathon’s first prompt. In addition to this I’m reading Goddess in the Machine because I just started it and am enjoying it.
So while I’m mostly a mood reader I thought I’d put up a few things I might read during the Orillium challenge.
The Novice Path-Read a book with a map
For this one I decided to back to an old one that I’ve been meaning to re-read. I plan to read the whole series but I’m starting with Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring.
Synopsis
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in
The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
The Lost Girl by Anne Ursu is one I’ve been meaning to read for forever but it just keeps passing me by.
Synopsis
When you’re an identical twin, your story always starts with someone else. For Iris, that means her story starts with Lark.
Iris has always been the grounded, capable, and rational one; Lark has been inventive, dreamy, and brilliant—and from their first moments in the world together, they’ve never left each other’s side. Everyone around them realized early on what the two sisters already knew: they had better outcomes when they were together.
When fifth grade arrives, however, it’s decided that Iris and Lark should be split into different classrooms, and something breaks in them both.
Iris is no longer so confident; Lark retreats into herself as she deals with challenges at school. And at the same time, something strange is happening in the city around them, things both great and small going missing without a trace.
As Iris begins to understand that anything can be lost in the blink of an eye, she decides it’s up to her to find a way to keep her sister safe.
This book came out and I actually meant to read it for this month but it’s perfect for this prompt.
Princess Toli may be heir to the throne, but she longs to be a fierce hunter and warrior. Alone in a frozen world, her queendom is at the mercy of the dragons that killed her father, and Toli is certain it’s only a matter of time before they come back to destroy what’s left of her family.
When the dragons rise and seize her mother, Toli will do anything to save her—even trust a young dragon who may be the only key to the Queen’s release.
With her sister and best friend at her side, Toli makes the treacherous journey across the vast ice barrens to Dragon Mountain, where long-held secrets await. Bear-cats are on their trail, and dragons stalk them, but the greatest danger might be a mystery buried in Toli’s past.
Ruin of the Skye-Read a book featuring ghosts or other supernatural elements.
The Ghost Girl is perfect for this prompt and I’ve also been meaning to read it forever.
Synopsis
Zee Puckett loves ghost stories. She just never expected to be living one.
It all starts with a dark and stormy night. When the skies clear, everything is different. People are missing. There’s a creepy new principal who seems to know everyone’s darkest dreams. And Zee is seeing frightening things: large, scary dogs that talk and maybe even . . . a ghost.
When she tells her classmates, only her best friend Elijah believes her. Worse, mean girl Nellie gives Zee a cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.
But whatever the storm washed up isn’t going away. Everyone’s most selfish wishes start coming true in creepy ways.
To fight for what’s right, Zee will have to embrace what makes her different and what makes her Ghost Girl. And all three of them—Zee, Elijah, and Nellie—will have to work together if they want to give their ghost story a happy ending.
I’m glad September has such great releases because I’m drawing from them for these challenges.
Synopsis
All Ginny Anderson wants from her summer is to sleep in, attend a mystery writing workshop, and spend time with her best friend. But when Ginny’s father—a respected restoration expert in Chicago—surprises the family with a month-long trip to Michigan, everything changes. They aren’t staying in a hotel like most families would. No, they’re staying in a mansion. A twenty-six room, century-old building surrounded by dense forest. Woodmoor Manor.
But unfortunately, the mansion has more problems than a little peeling wallpaper. Locals claim the surrounding woods are inhabited by mutated creatures with glowing eyes. And some say campers routinely disappear in the woods, never to be seen again.
As terrifying as it sounds, Ginny can’t shake the feeling that there’s something darker . . . another story she hasn’t been told. When the creaky floors and shadowy corners of the mansion seem to take on a life of their own, Ginny uncovers the wildest mystery of all: There’s more than one legend roaming Saugatuck, Michigan, and they definitely aren’t after campers.
There was only one book for this when I heard about the Orillium challenge. It’s a book I’ve been waiting a year for and loved the first in the series.
As a Striker, Talin was taught loyalty is life. Loyalty to the Shield who watches your back, to the Strikers who risk their lives on the battlefield, and most of all, to Mara, which was once the last nation free from the Karensa Federation’s tyranny.
But Mara has fallen. And its destruction has unleashed Talin’s worst nightmare.
With her friends scattered by combat and her mother held captive by the Premier, Talin is forced to betray her fellow Strikers and her adopted homeland. She has no choice but to become the Federation’s most deadly war machine as their newest Skyhunter.
Red is no stranger to the cruelty of the Federation or the torture within its Skyhunter labs, but he knows this isn’t the end for Mara – or Talin. The link between them may be weak, but it could be Talin and Red’s only hope to salvage their past and safeguard their future.
While the fate of a broken world hangs in the balance, Talin and Red must reunite the Strikers and find their way back to each other in this smoldering sequel to Marie Lu’s Skyhunter
Orillium Academy Arc-Read a book with a school setting.
I’m already reading a series with a school setting so I’m just going to save myself some time and add the next book in that series for this when we finally get to Orillium.
The future has been saved, but at a cost: Fort Fitzgerald has been expelled from the Oppenheimer School, and some of Fort’s friends have been lost in time. But time is the one thing Fort, Rachel, and Jia don’t have, as they’ll soon be facing one of the eternal Old Ones, the Timeless One, for the fate of the world.
If they lose, the Old Ones will return, and humanity is doomed. If they win, the Old Ones will still return, and humanity is doomed. Because the Timeless One can see every possibility, and plan for it.
How can Fort and his friends defeat a creature like that? And what does this all have to do with the real-life Merlin, from King Arthur’s days?
These are the prompts for the path, I’m then adding on a few more for my Orillium character, I’m playing an urban female dwarf from Daerune. So I need a book in a city, a book set in a desert and one from an ongoing series.
For the the City Book I’m using
Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.
Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.
Before she knows what she’s doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.
Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime.
When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey.
With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.
I don’t have any idea for my ongoing series right now but hopefully that will come along soon. Let me know if you have any good middle grade ideas? Also how are you doing thinking about what you’ll read for the Orillium Readathon?
The other readathon I’m taking a part in is BookoplAthon it by #BeccasBookopoly. It essentially consists of playing a game of Monopoly but with book prompts titles and ideas. BookoplAthon is the much longer month-long version. However, the creator of the readathon also does this for herself every month. And there aremuch shorter 48-hour versions. Here is the introduction for the readathon.
Some people are making TBR’s but we all know how that goes around here don’t we? I’m a mood reader and I’ve just finally admitted it. As much as I love looking at the beautifully crafted TBRs where everyone knows exactly what they are going to read for which prompt. I’m just not that much of planner. Luckily this book has a way to play for mood readers too. You just roll two six sided dice then follow around the board deciding on books as you go.
The game also has cards like Chance and Community Chest, where you put your TBR titles and various prompts like read a fantasy? So if you land on either of those spaces on the board you have to pull a card and do what the card says.
Becca who is running the BookoplAthon suggests that you mix up prompts you love with prompts you might not be so interested in to keep the readathon interesting. I think I’m going to focus my prompts on clearing out my Scribd TBR as it has gotten preciptiously long. I’m going to try and avoid audio books as they tend to slow me down. Genre wise I want to focus more on fantasy as I’ve read a lot of contemporary this year, maybe along with some horror. Reading level will be mostly middle grade but I may throw in a YA book or two to shake things up.
I’m making my prompt cards tomorrow so that should be fun. I’m really excited for both my readathons in September. If you have any ideas for prompts please put them in the comments.
So I’m really excited about an upcoming readathon in September called the Magical Readathon, it’s the first part of a readathon where readers go on a journey to a magical school which they will start in a readathon next year.
You can hear more about the world made up for the readathon here in the introduction video.
For this readathon, you are just journeying to the academy but you can also start on some character creation if you are feeling up to it which I’m going to try to do.
The Prompts for the Journey are as follows-
The Novice Path-Read a book with a map
Ashthorn Tree-A book that keeps tempting you.
Mist of Solitude-Read a Standalone
Ruin of the Skye-Read a book featuring ghosts or other supernatural elements.
Obsidian Falls-Read a Thiller or a mystery book.
Tower of Rumination: A five-star prediction.
Orillium Academy Arc-Read a book with a school setting.
Character Creation
I’m also planning on trying to set up my character a little bit in September. I’m planning on playing a Urban dwarf from Daerune. Urban makes sense because Daerune has the most cities and is the most technologically advanced of the continents and dwavares are genies with technology, I’m going to be playing a female dwarf since they always the creator of the readathon made them really cool, and because they often get overlooked in fantasy.
So I’ll also be reading a book set in a city, a book set in a desert , and a book from an ongoing series.
I’ll put up a TBR closer to September but I’m really excited about this readathon! If I’m up to it I might do a second character maybe an elf. I’m just starting a new D&D campaign so this is really hitting at my roleplaying heart.
Plus this readathon is super well thought out and detailed between the different races and the backstory of the world I really can’t wait to see where it goes.
I promised you the Path or Pantheon TBR, I had a tough time choosing these books, some were easier than others, I thought I’d remind everyone of the path I chose:
Hestia-Fire on the cover/in the title.
I’d been meaning to read this when I got it as arc. Time however got away from me and, it still looks like a great book though and I happy to have a specific reason to read it. Maybe I’ll finally learn not to request too many books for on Netgalley lol.
The Firebird Song
The Kingdom of Lyrica was once warm and thriving, kept safe by the Firebird, whose feather and song was a blessing of peace and prosperity. But the Firebird disappeared, and Lyrica is now terrorized by the evil Spectress who wields her powers from within a volcano. All that remains is a mysterious message scrawled on the castle wall in the Queen’s own hand: Wind. Woman. Thief.
Young Prewitt has only known time without the Firebird, a life of constant cold, as his village is afraid to tempt the volcano monsters with even the feeblest fire. But he has heard whispers that the kingdom’s princess survived the attack . . . and he is certain that if he can find her, together they can save Lyrica.
Princess Calliope has no memories beyond living on her barge on the underground lake. But as she nears her twelfth birthday, she is certain there is more to life than the walls of a cave. When Prewitt finds her, he realizes that she is the missing princess: the only hope for Lyrica. Determined to decipher the meaning of her mother’s strange message and find the Firebird, Calliope and Prewitt set off on a quest that puts them in more danger than either of them ever anticipated.
I’ve been a fan of this series since book one and it has strong family ties so it’s perfect for this prompt. These books have been full of mystery, family and super fun riddles, and though I’m sorry to see the series end I can’t wait to read the conclusion.
Summary
As book three of the Greystone Secrets series opens, the Greystone kids have their mother back from the evil alternate world, and so does their friend Natalie. But no one believes the danger is past.
Then mysterious coins begin falling from unexpected places. They are inscribed with codes that look just like what the Greystones’ father was working on before he died. And with the right touch, those symbols transform into words: PLEASE LISTEN. And FIND US, SEE US, HELP US. . . .
The coins are messengers, telling the Greystones and their allies that their friends in the alternate world are under attack—and that the cruel, mind-controlling forces are now invading the better world, too.
After another spinning, sliding journey across worlds, the Greystone kids must solve mysteries that have haunted them since the beginning: what happened when the Gustanos were kidnapped, what created the alternate world, and how a group of mismatched kids can triumph once and for all against an evil force that seems to have total control.
I hadn’t heard of the author of the book, but was going out for a rare visit to a doctor to pick up some books and spotted it and it sounded interesting. Now I’m glad I have a specific opportunity to read it.
Summary
Elin’s family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom’s army. So when some of the creatures mysteriously die, Elin’s mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath, she manages to send her daughter to safety.
Alone and far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can communicate with both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great power, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no escaping the terrible battles to come?
The sister book to Midsummer’s Mayhem. This series of books are Shakespeare-inspired retellings with food, fun, and mystery.
Much Ado About Baseball
Twelve-year-old Trish can solve tough math problems and throw a mean fastball. But because of her mom’s new job, she’s now facing a summer trying to make friends all over again in a new town. That isn’t an easy thing to do, and her mom is too busy to notice how miserable she is.
But at her first baseball practice, Trish realizes one of her teammates is Ben, the sixth-grade math prodigy she beat in the spring Math Puzzler Championships. Everyone around them seems to think that with their math talent and love of baseball, it’s only logical that Trish and Ben become friends, but Ben makes it clear he still hasn’t gotten over that loss and can’t stand her. To make matters worse, their team can’t win a single game. But then they meet Rob, an older kid who smacks home runs without breaking a sweat. Rob tells them about his family’s store, which sells unusual snacks that will make them better ballplayers. Trish is dubious, but she’s willing to try almost anything to help the team.
When a mysterious booklet of math puzzles claiming to reveal the “ultimate answer” arrives in her mailbox, Trish and Ben start to get closer and solve the puzzles together. Ben starts getting hits, and their team becomes unstoppable. Trish is happy to keep riding the wave of good luck . . . until they get to a puzzle they can’t solve, with tragic consequences. Can they find the answer to this ultimate puzzle, or will they strike out when it counts the most?
I love any of the books Molly Knox Ostertag puts out so it was no surprise this one was on my list. It looks beautiful so I’m ready for beauty as well as great content.
The Girl From the Sea
Fifteen-year-old Morgan has a secret: She can’t wait to escape the perfect little island where she lives. She’s desperate to finish high school and escape her sad divorced mom, her volatile little brother, and worst of all, her great group of friends…who don’t understand Morgan at all. Because really, Morgan’s biggest secret is that she has a lot of secrets, including the one about wanting to kiss another girl. Then one night, Morgan is saved from drowning by a mysterious girl named Keltie. The two become friends and suddenly life on the island doesn’t seem so stifling anymore. But Keltie has some secrets of her own. And as the girls start to fall in love, everything they’re each trying to hide will find its way to the surface…whether Morgan is ready or not.
So that’s my list for the Path or Pantheon Challenge. Wish me luck with the challenge and if you are taking part share what Path or Pantheon you are joining .
Hello you all, I didn’t mean to be a day late with this blog post I was ironically working on other blog posts. I’ve got a few projects going, none of which I can talk about at the moment just know I’m working in concert with a few people and the blog is going to be cooler because of it.
Next week I go to my appoinment to see if I can walk, it was supposed to be this week, but my dad breaking his tibia got in the way. I’m beyond thrilled at the possiblity of being able to walk a little bit, after being on the couch for two months I’m just done. DONE. Today is the 2nd month anniversery of breaking my foot so I’m totally and truly done.
I finished 2 books this week Give and Take by Elly Swartz and The Comeback by E.L Shen. I’m still a little under my goal for this month so I’m going to try and read more this upcoming week.
Anyway this last week was kind of stressful, that’s why I haven’t done much and you haven’t seen much activity on the blog but I’ve got a lot in the works for this coming week so look forward to more content and fun!
Here some of my noteable posts from this week
I enjoyed this book on childhood hoarding by Elly Swartz. You can find my review here
I also particularly enjoyed working on this post about Food in Books you can find it here.
I’m also still working on the Trope-ical Readation Challenge. I’ve finished one of the prompts so far, I know I’m not that far along but it’s giving me some momentum to read and that’s just what I needed, I’m looking forward to continuing to find reading challenges after March.
Hope you all have a good week! If you are interested in anything just shoot me a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Now I can’t promise I’ll read all of these but it’ll be my goal.
Boarding School Trope
The Revenge of Magic
Thirteen years ago, books of magic were discovered in various sites around the world alongside the bones of dragons. Only those born after “Discovery Day” have the power to use the magic.
Now, on a vacation to Washington, DC, Fort Fitzgerald’s father is lost when a giant creature bursts through the earth, attacking the city. Fort is devastated, until an opportunity for justice arrives six months later, when a man named Dr. Opps invites Fort to a government-run school, the Oppenheimer School, to learn magic from those same books.
But life’s no easier at the school, where secrets abound. What does Jia, Fort’s tutor, know about the attacks? Why does Rachel, master of destructive magic, think Fort is out to destroy the school? And why is Fort seeing memories of an expelled girl every time he goes to sleep? If Fort doesn’t find out what’s hiding within the Oppenheimer School, more attacks will come, and this time, nothing will stop them!
James Riley currently lives in Northern Virginia with his four cats and is trying to get a book out every six months.
When the new girl in school joins a group of teen witches, she and her friends must team up with a rival coven to take down a mysterious killer.New girl and secret witch Iris just wants to get through her first day of school without a panic attack. The last thing she expects is to be taken in by a coven of three witches: soft-spoken Greta, thoughtful and musical Ridley, and fiery and spirited Binx. They may be the first witches Iris has met IRL, but their coven is not alone in their small northwestern town. The Triad is the other coven at their school. When the Triad’s not using spells to punish their exes or break up happy couples for fun, they practice dark magic. The two covens have a rivalry stretching all the way back to junior high. When tragedy strikes and one of their own is murdered, the rival covens must band together to find out who is responsible before it’s too late. Someone’s anti-witch ideology has turned deadly . . . and one of them is next.
Written by the Paige McKenzie who has previously done the Sunshine Girl series, along with Nancy Ohlin, who was born in Tokyo and has colaborated with many other famous authors. The art work/cover art is done by Sweeny Boo.
It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions.
Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean?
Day’s debut novel, I Can Make This Promise, was a best book of the year from Kirkus, School Library Journal, NPR, and the Chicago Public Library, as well as a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book, and an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. She live in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
The New Kid in Town Trope: Read a genre you don’t usua lly read (romance)
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre
Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.
What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.
Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.
Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.
Robin Talley (she/her) is a queer author who grew up in southwest Virginia and now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their rambunctious kiddos. She worked for progressive causes for fifteen year but now writes full time.
Some call it a monster, laying waste to the villagers and their homes. Some say it is an invulnerable demon summoned from the deepest abysses of the Immortal Realm. Many soldiers from the royal guard are sent out to hunt it down. Not one has ever returned.
When Asterin Faelenhart, Princess of Axaria and heir to the throne, discovers that she may hold the key to defeating the mysterious demon terrorizing her kingdom, she vows not to rest until the beast is slain. With the help of her friends and the powers she wields—though has yet to fully understand—Asterin sets out to complete a single task. The task that countless trained soldiers have failed.
To kill it.
But as they hunt for the demon, they unearth a plot to assassinate the princess herself instead. Asterin and her companions begin to wonder how much of their lives have been lies, especially when they realize that the center of the web of deceit might very well be themselves. With no one else to turn to, they are forced to decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice to protect the only world they have ever known.
That is … if the demon doesn’t get to them first.
An accomplished pianist as well as author Coco Ma is doing astonding work for someone her age.
Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn’t, she’ll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it’s a simple enough test:
One: Help your town, do good all around. Two: Live there for one moon, don’t leave too soon. Three: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.
The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.
When she lands in the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she’s worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her “semi-magical fixes” repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva’s bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she’s grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.
Julie Abe is the author of the EVA EVERGREEN, SEMI-MAGICAL WITCH middle grade fantasy series. She has lived in Silicon Valley, spent many humid summers in Japan, and currently basks in the sunshine of Southern California with never enough books or tea, where she creates stories about magical adventures.
Twisted facts and bent truths take center stage in this sequel to Verify, which #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins calls “a thought-provoking tale of intrigue, beautifully crafted.”
Meri Buckley has lost everything. She lost her mother to a fight much bigger than herself. Her father to grief, fear, and denial. And the truth—to an overbearing government that insists that censorship and secrecy is the only path to peace.
But though Meri and her band of truth-seeking Stewards did lose the first battle in their quest to enlighten the public, they have not yet lost the war.
Meri can start the revolution she seeks, if the powerful figures who profit from the status quo don’t find her—and kill her first.
Joelle has performed in opera and musical theater productions across Chicagoland. She now teaches private voice lessons and is the author of the New York Times best selling The Testing Triology. Her YA books have appeared on the Indie Next List, on the YALSA Top 10 books for 2014 as well as the YALSA Quick Picks for reluctant readers.
Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: There’s a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.
In a kingdom filled with magic, Jiho Park and his family are an anomaly—magic doesn’t affect them.
Jiho comes from a long line of forest rangers who protect the Kidahara—an ancient and mysterious wood that is home to powerful supernatural creatures. But Jiho wants nothing to do with the dangerous forest.
Five years ago, his father walked into the Kidahara and disappeared. Just like the young Princess Koko, the only daughter of the kingdom’s royal family. Jiho knows better than anyone else the horrors that live deep in the magical forest and how those who go in never come back.
Now the forest is in danger from foreign forces that want to destroy it, and a long-forgotten evil that’s been lurking deep in the Kidahara for centuries finally begins to awaken. Can a magic-less boy, a fierce bandit leader, and a lost princess join forces and save their worlds before it’s too late?
Eleven-year-old Ava Andrews has a Technicolor interior with a gray shell. On the inside, she bubbles with ideas and plans. On the outside, everyone except her best friend, Zelia, thinks she doesn’t talk or, worse, is stuck-up. What nobody knows is that Ava has invisible disabilities: anxiety and a heart condition.
Ava hopes middle school will be a fresh start, but when Zelia moves across the country and Ava’s Nana Linda pushes her to speak up about social issues, she withdraws further. So Ava is shocked when her writing abilities impress her classmates and they invite her to join their improv group, making up stories onstage. Determined to prove she can control her anxiety, she joins—and discovers a whole new side of herself, and what it means to be on a team.
But as Ava’s self-confidence blossoms, her relationship with Zelia strains, and she learns that it isn’t enough just to raise your voice—it’s how and why you use it that matters.
I know that’s not all the promts but I’m sure I’ll find the rest and some may change along the way. But I’m looking forward to having a readthon again it makes me feel more like reading. Since I’m Team Sci-Fi/Fantasy we have a few extra tropes for our team. I’m not sure about one of them yet but know for sure about the other.
Team Trope:Secret World Trope
Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations Book 1)
Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.
So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.
Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.
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