ARC Review: The Star-Touched Queen

Author: Roshani Chokshi
Series: No, but companion novel to come!
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Length: 354 Pages
Publication Date: April 26th, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: ARC 
Goodreads | Amazon

Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.

But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.

Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves.

The Star-Touched Queen is a lush, beautifully written and vividly imagined fantasy inspired by Indian mythology.

Meet the Newbies: Jenna Evans Welch

Meet the Newbies is a blog event dedicated to introducing you to the “newbie” published debut authors. In this event, expect to learn more about the authors, their books, and silly fun facts! Check out the full Meet the Newbies lineup here.

I absolutely love Italy, and Jenna's debut Love & Gelato is a contemporary which takes place in Tuscany. Romance AND gelato? This sounds like a book I'd definitely enjoy!

Author Most Likely To Figure Out A Way to Incorporate Her Love of Sugar Into a Novel

Nickname: Yenna

First Day of School: May 3, 2016

Homeroom: Simon Pulse

Grade: Contemporary YA

Extracurricular Activities: Reading voraciously, attempting (then failing) to write a "serious" novel, riding scooters, baking cupcakes, dancing, hiking

Favorite Class: English literature (of course), Biology, Italian

Favorite Quote/Motto: "If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." --Vincent Van Gogh

Mini Reviews: A Diversity of Genres

Author: Becky Wallace
Series: The Storyspinner #2
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Length: 320 Pages
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2016
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: eARC via Edelweiss (thanks Simon!)
Goodreads | Amazon

As the last of the royal line, Johanna is the only person who can heal a magical breach in the wall that separates her kingdom of Santarem from the land of the Keepers, legendary men and women who wield elemental magic. The barrier protects Santarem from those Keepers who might try to take power over mere humans…Keepers who are determined to stop Johanna and seize the wall’s power for themselves.

And they’re not the only ones. As the duchys of Santarem descend into war over the throne, Johanna relies more than ever on the advice of her handsome companion, Lord Rafael DeSilva. But Rafi is a duke too, and his people come first. As their friendship progresses into the beginnings of a tender relationship, Johanna must wonder: is Rafi looking out for her happiness, or does he want the throne for himself?

With war on the horizon, Johanna and Rafi dodge treacherous dukes and Keeper assassins as they race to through the countryside, determined to strengthen the wall before it’s too late…even if it means sacrificing their happiness for the sake of their world.

Meet the Newbies: Brittany Cavallaro

Meet the Newbies is a blog event dedicated to introducing you to the “newbie” published debut authors. In this event, expect to learn more about the authors, their books, and silly fun facts! Check out the full Meet the Newbies lineup here.

Brittany's debut, A Study in Charlotte, is such a fascinating retelling of Sherlock Holmes! I love the idea of this story surrounding Holmes and Watson's descendants. I flew through this book, and I can't wait for the next one. The mysteries are creepy, and the book is totally unpredictable. This is definitely a favorite 2016 release of mine!

Author Most Likely To Be Dancing To Taylor Swift In Her Car

Nickname: Bri

First Day of School: March 1, 2016

Homeroom: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins

Grade: YA

Extracurricular Activities:Lit Mag, Glee Club, That Weird Dinner Club Where We Cooked In Our Dorm's Basement Kitchen And Ate It On A Ping-Pong Table

Favorite Class: Detective Fiction (I've actually taught it!)

Favorite Quote/Motto: "Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried everything that does." -Jonathan Safran Foer

Review: Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here

Author: Anna Breslaw
Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Length: 288 Pages
Publication Date: April 19th, 2016
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: ARC via Publisher
Goodreads | Amazon

Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her weed-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.

When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. Scarlett never considers what might happen if they were to find out what she truly thinks about them...until a dramatic series of events exposes a very different reality than Scarlett's stories, forever transforming her approach to relationships—both online and off.

Meet the Newbies: Anna Breslaw

Meet the Newbies is a blog event dedicated to introducing you to the “newbie” published debut authors. In this event, expect to learn more about the authors, their books, and silly fun facts! Check out the full Meet the Newbies lineup here.

I really loved Anna's debut, Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here. It's such an honest portrayal of teen life and our insecurities, and the voice is so realistic. It's smart, fresh, and hilarious! I definitely recommend you pre-order this book.

Author Most Likely To Have A Panic Attack At Forever21

Nickname: The Indoor Kid
First Day of School: April 19, 2016
Homeroom: Razorbill/Penguin
Grade: Contemporary with a sci-fi story within the story
Extracurricular Activities: None, but manages to appear at any extracurricular after-school meeting with free pizza
Favorite Class: AP English Literature, Defense Against The Dark Arts (same thing).
Favorite Quote/Motto: "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” —Dorothy Parker