Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday #238: It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass and A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!











Follow me through Blogger and Bloglovin to reach this goal!






This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:





It Waits in the Forest

By: Sarah Dass

Expected Publication Date: May 14th, 2024

Buy on:   Amazon (Hardcover)
         

Unlike the other residents of the small Caribbean Island of St. Virgil, Selina DaSilva does not believe in magic. With a logical mind and a knack for botany, Selina used to dream of leaving the island to study Pharmacology—until a vicious, unsolved attack left her father dead and her mother in a coma.

Now her guilt over her mother’s condition keeps her tethered to the island, relegated to conning gullible tourists with useless talismans and phony protection rituals. But when one of those tourists ends up at the center of a string of strange murders, the truth that Selina has been denying can no longer be there is evil lurking in the forests that surround St. Virgil. Another thing that can’t be avoided? Selina’s ex-boyfriend Gabriel, newly employed at the local newspaper and eager to put his investigative skills to use.

Desperate to put an end to the killings and claim justice for Selina’s family, these two former lovers race to find answers. But evil bides its time. And as long-buried feelings and long-hidden secrets about Selina’s family’s past begin to reveal themselves, only one answer remains—and it waits in the forest.


Oooh!  A murder mystery on an island!  Sounds interesting!  Can't wait to read this book!






A Crane Among Wolves

By: June Hur

Expected Publication Date: May 14th, 2024

Buy on:   Amazon (Hardcover)
           Amazon (Kindle)



June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.

Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever



Oooh!  A tale of overthrowing tyranny!  Sounds cool!  Can't wait to read this book soon!




So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!



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Sunday, April 14, 2024

[ARC REVIEW] The Comic by G. Hingorani

 





Title:  The Comic

Author:  G. Hingorani

Genre:  Romance / Drama / Humor

Year Published: 2024

Number of Pages: 87 
pages

Date Read: 
4/14/2024

Publisher:   G. Hingorani

Source:   eARC (Publisher)

Content Rating:  Ages 16+ (Strong Language, Sexual Situations, Drug Use and themes of suicide)

Buy on:  Amazon 




I would like to thank the author G. Hingorani for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Wow…just wow…I am totally at a loss of words for this book…So, when I received a copy of the book “The Comic” by G. Hingorani, I was not expecting this book to suddenly have a massive shift in tone halfway through.

The book is about a famous comedian named Calvin “The Comic” Everswood and even though he puts on a funny façade whenever he is doing his stand-up gigs, he is secretly suffering in his life as he suffers from drug addiction and ended up pushing away all of his former friends.  Now, not only is Calvin dealing with his stand-up comedy shows, but he also tries to recover from his drug addiction, while trying to rekindle his relationship with his old friends.

Wow…just wow again…. When I started reading this book, I thought that this was going to be a humorous book about the life of a comedian.  Even though this book does have some humorous moments with Calvin’s stand-up act, the story suddenly becomes a tragedy once we are introduced to Calvin’s drug addiction and how it is ruining Calvin’s life.  G. Hingorani’s writing in this book is spectacular as it details the downward spiral of Calvin’s life, as he gets addicted to drugs and he ends up losing his friends because of it.  It really made this story extremely intense and sad to read through and I was always hoping for Calvin to try to turn his life around and become a better person.  I also like the fact that this book did a great job at detailing the dangers of drug addiction and how it can ruin your life.  I also loved the fact that G. Hingorani set up the book as a stage play as it made the book easier to read and it really made the story stand out to me.

This book does contain some strong and suggestive language that might be a bit uncomfortable for some people.

Overall, I really loved reading “The Comic!”  It is such a dark and sad book about the dangers of drug addiction that many people should definitely check out!


Wednesday, April 10, 2024

[ARC REVIEW] Sparky and Mya: The King Must Laugh by Godwin Temisa

 


Title:  Sparky and Mya: The King Must Laugh

Author:  Godwin Temisa

Genre:  Children's / Animals / Humor / Friendship / Royalty

Year Published: 2020

Date Read: 4/11/2024

Source:  eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 4+ (Nothing Objectionable)

Buy on:  Amazon 




I would like to thank author Godwin Temisa for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I received a copy of this cute little children’s book called “The King Must Laugh” by Godwin Temisa and man, was this book a joy to read!

 

The book starts off with a dog named Sparky, who enjoys making people laugh and his dream is to become a clown for the King of the land.  But unfortunately, Sparky ends up falling ill and he asks his friend, Mya the Cat, to go to the King and make him laugh in his place.  So, Mya goes to the King’s palace and tries to make the king laugh, but she keeps on messing up her routine.

 

Can Mya make the King laugh and will Sparky’s dream to become a clown come true?

 

Read this book to find out!

 

Wow!  This book was really enjoyable!  I loved the way that Godwin Temisa made this book so cute and heartwarming to read through.  I really loved the relationship between Sparky and Mya as they have a great friendship and I loved the fact that Mya was willing to help out Sparky, when Sparky got sick.  Another thing that I liked about this book was the artwork.  Godwin Temisa’s artwork was extremely unique, as the characters have odd and detailed designs and yet, those designs made the characters really stand out to me.  The artwork reminded me of those 90s cartoons, like “Duckman” and “Rugrats” that have unique designs to the characters and the artwork in this book made me feel nostalgic for those cartoons.

 

Overall, “The King Must Laugh” is a truly adorable and heartwarming book for anyone who loves reading books that deal with friendships.  I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.







Waiting on Wednesday #237: The One That Got Away With Murder by Trish Lundy and Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!











Follow me through Blogger and Bloglovin to reach this goal!






This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:





The One That Got Away With Murder

By: Trish Lundy

Expected Publication Date: April 16th, 2024

Buy on:   Amazon (Hardcover)
           Amazon (Kindle)

Be careful who you fall for...

Robbie and Trevor Cresmont have a body count—the killer kind. Handsome and privileged, the Crestmont brothers' have enough wealth to ensure they’ll never be found guilty of any wrongdoing, even if all of Happy Valley believes they're behind the deaths of their ex-girlfriends. First there was soccer star Victoria Moreno, Robbie’s ex, who mysteriously drowned at the family lake house. Then, a year later, Trevor’s girlfriend died of a suspicious overdose.

But the Crestmonts aren’t the only ones with secrets. Lauren O'Brian might be the new girl at school, but she's never been a good girl. With a dark past of her own, she's desperate for a fresh start. Except when she starts a no-strings-attached relationship with Robbie, her chance is put in jeopardy. During what’s meant to be their last weekend together, Lauren stumbles across shocking evidence that just might implicate Robbie.

With danger closing in, Lauren doesn't know who to trust. And after a third death rocks the town, she must decide whether to end things with Robbie or risk becoming another cautionary tale.

This is an edge-of-your-seat debut YA thriller about a teen who is forced to confront her past in order to catch a murderer before she ends up the next victim. Perfect for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.


Oooh!  A book about murder and forbidden romance!  I never seen a combo like this before.  Definitely worth checking out!







Kill Her Twice

By: Stacey Lee

Expected Publication Date: April 23rd, 2024

Buy on:   Amazon (Hardcover)
           Amazon (Kindle)



From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes a YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles’s Chinatown.

LOS ANGELES, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically everyone, especially the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it’s Lulu when they discover a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived after her fame skyrocketed.

The sisters suspect Lulu’s death is the result of foul play, but the police don’t seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to a cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.

Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly—no matter her fame and wealth—the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded murderer.

Oooh!  A murder mystery with a conspiracy in the background.  Sounds like an interesting read!






So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!



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