YA Review: AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Aurora Rising

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
May 7, 2019
473 pages

Plot: The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…

A cocky diplomat with a black belt in sarcasm
A sociopath scientist with a fondness for shooting her bunkmates
A smart-ass techwiz with the galaxy’s biggest chip on his shoulder
An alien warrior with anger management issues
A tomboy pilot who’s totally not into him, in case you were wondering

And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

Review:  Aurora Rising is like a mix between Guardians of the Galaxy and Valerian.  A group of military misfits and a girl out of time are thrown together to uncover a secret mission that went awry over 200 years ago.  As the sole survivor of a colony resettlement ship, Aurora is awoken 200 years into the future. She doesn’t understand why or how she survived or why the planet she was supposed to settle on has no records of ever being a colony.  Strange things happen to Aurora when she or her new friends are put in danger and you learn there is more to Aurora than meets the eye.  As the story progresses, you learn there is definitely a conspiracy going on in the story’s government/military.

The story is told in 6 different POVs, which makes it interesting and fun.  The dialogue is funny and you can’t help but like the characters as a team. Each character has a very distinct personality. There is some light romance between Aurora and one of the male team mates. I think it will be developed more in book 2.   If you like Science Fiction/Fantasy, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, or Valerian, then you will probably enjoy this one.

Rating:  4 Hearts!

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YA Review: OF CURSES AND KISSES by Sandhya Menon

 Of Curses and Kisses
by Sandhya Menon
Published by Simon Pulse
February 18, 2020
384 pages

Synopsis: For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?

His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…

As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.  (2021, Goodreads.com)

Review:  Of Curses and Kisses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in modern day.  It was a unique take on the much done retellings that have come out based on this fairytale.  The beast was Lord Grey Emerson, the son of a Duke, who was cursed long ago by the Rao family after their prized ruby was stolen by his ancestors.  Since he was young, Grey was convinced by his father that he would die on his 18th birthday due to the curse.  Because of that he isolates himself from having any meaningful relationships, friends or otherwise.  Princess Jaya Rao wants revenge on Grey Emerson because she believes he was behind the leaking of a scandal that involved her younger sister.  But, Jaya's plans for revenge go awry when she herself starts to fall for Grey.  The "rose petals" falling to count down the demise of the "beast" was portrayed by a ruby rose necklace Jaya wore.  The closer Grey's 18th birthday came, more and more ruby petals would fall off Jaya's necklace.  Drama ensues in this original retelling as family obligations, betrayal, and being true to yourself come to a head in Menon's new YA romance series. 

Overall, I enjoyed this as a retelling because it was unique and not what I was expecting.  However, I think Jaya and Grey's relationship needed a little more time together.  After being so adamant about not getting involved with the other, they fell for each other over a couple of weeks. Sometimes the story did drag a bit, and I found myself waiting for something more interesting to happen. The use the "F' word occurred quite a bit throughout the book and I'm not sure why but it just seemed unnecessary.  Other than that, the writing and storytelling was good and I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

  

Rating: 3.5 Hearts

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Lone Star Book Blitz: UNDER THE TEXAS MISTLETOE by Karen Witemeyer ****ENTER THE GIVEAWAY***

      

UNDER THE TEXAS MISTLETOE

by

KAREN WITEMEYER

Genre: Holiday Fiction / Christian Historical Romance / Novellas

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Date of Publication: August 31, 2021

Number of Pages: 304 pages 

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This historical romance novella collection presents "A Texas Christmas Carol," where a town's wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor, and the penetrating questions of three mysterious visitors. It also includes "An Archer Family Christmas." When the Archer clan gathers for the holiday, they encounter an unexpected request for help that will require all their effort and a Christmas miracle to see them through. In previously published "Gift of the Heart," a widow uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local resort owner. But the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love this Christmas.

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Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes.

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Non-Fiction Review: THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO GROWING GREAT VEGETABLES by Lorene Edwards Forkner

The Beginner's Guide to Growing Great Vegetables
by Lorene Edwards Forkner 

Published by Timber Press
March 16, 2021
224 pages
 

Overview: You can grow beautiful, healthy, delicious veggies and herbs right from the start—just follow the trustworthy advice found in The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables. Expert gardener Lorene Edwards Forkner shares all the information you need to create a thriving garden, from facts about soil and sun to tips on fertilizing, mulching, and watering. Regional planting charts show what to plant when, and a month-by-month planner takes you from January through December. Profiles of popular edibles explain exactly how to plant, care for, and harvest your bounty. Whether your garden grows in the ground, on a balcony, or in containers on a sunny patio, this is your guide to grow-your-own success. Your backyard bounty awaits!

Review: The Beginner's Guide to Growing Great Vegetables by Lorene Edwards Forkner is a very informative book that will help you growing your own vegetables in no time! The book is organized into three sections: Getting Started, Get Planting, and Edibles A-Z.  In Getting Started, Forkner covers gardening zones and the basics of gardening.  In Get Planting, she outlines everything you need to do by each month of the year by your growing zones.  In Edibles A-Z, you get a lot of information on vegetables and herbs and the best way to plant and harvest them.  

Forkner covers a lot in her book that will be very helpful to anyone who has trouble growing their own vegetables. No land?  No problem!  This book also covers growing from your balcony! A very easy to follow guide book with colorful pictures that is perfect for novice gardeners!  Recommended for anyone who needs that visual and step and by step guide to growing plants.  

Rating: 4 Hearts!

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Non-Fiction Review: TEEN WRITER'S GUIDE: YOUR ROADMAP TO WRITING by Jennifer Jenkins

Teen Writer's Guide: Your Roadmap to Writing
by Jennifer Jenkins

Published by Owl Hollow Press

March 24, 2020

171 pages

Overview: Imagine you had a road map for writing the book you’ve always dreamed of writing—a step-by-step guide from testing your story ideas, to visualizing your characters’ types and voices, to building a world that comes to life, to navigating the publishing industry, and going the distance to reach your writing goals.

As co-founder of Teen Author Boot Camp, one of the nation’s largest writing conferences specifically for teens, and Young Adult author, Jennifer Jenkins has helped thousands of teens travel the world of writing. Teen Writer’s Guide: Your Road Map to Writing is the culmination of years of research and teaching, providing a detailed road map to writing your own story and steering through the detours and pit stops along the way. Perfect for teen writers, their teachers, and anyone who has an interest in breaking down the craft of writing in fun and manageable ways, this book is sure to take you to your final destination—and help you enjoy the journey along the way! 

Review:  Teen Writer's Guide: Your Roadmap to writing by Jennifer Jenkins is a great resource for beginning writers of any age to learn the basic principles of how to write a story.  The book includes an example at the beginning of each chapter with a writing sample from Jenkins.  Afterwards, she explains an aspect of the writing process she mentions and gives you some things to consider.  The writing prompts were very useful to help come back to the main aspects of the chapter. I especially liked Chapter Four's focus on plotting.

Jenkins provides a lot of information in this book that beginning writers will need to know before they start writing their own stories.  She also shows potential writing snags that writers may run into and how to avoid them. Multiple topics are covered such as characters, POV, world building, dialog, plotting, editing, getting published and so much more. She even includes a chart that aligns her questions to common core standards for educators who teach writing. 

Overall, this is an excellent resource for all writers who are trying to learn the craft of writing their own stories.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about writing a book or who is currently writing a book but needs direction.  A great addition to your home or school library.  

Rating:  4.5 Hearts!

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Lone Star Blog Tour: ONCE UPON A CAMEL by Kathi Appelt ***REVIEW & GIVEAWAY***

ONCE UPON A CAMEL

by Kathi Appelt

Categories: Middle Grade Fiction / Historical / Friendship / Ages 8-12
Publisher: Atheneum / Caitlyn Dlouhy Books 
Pub Date: September 7, 2021
Pages: 336 pages

***Scroll down for the Giveaway!***

Zada is a camel with a treasure trove of stories to tell. She’s won camel races for the royal Pasha of Smyrna, crossed treacherous oceans to new land, led army missions with her best camel friend by her side, and outsmarted a far too pompous mountain lion.

But those stories were from before. Now, Zada wanders the desert as the last camel in Texas. But she’s not alone. Two tiny kestrel chicks are nestled in the fluff of fur between her ears—kee-killy-keeing for their missing parents—and a dust storm the size of a mountain is taking Zada on one more grand adventure. And it could lead to this achy old camel’s most brilliant story yet.

 

CLICK TO PURCHASE
Simon and Schuster ~ Bookshop.org

Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt is an adorable story about a camel name Zada who (in her very old age), uses her gift of storytelling to help comfort and save two baby kestrels who were separated from their parents.  Zada, whose adventure began in Symrna, Turkey and ends in West Texas, takes us on two adventures.  The first is her current journey of saving these two baby birds in the present day, and the second is how she and her best friend Asiye (two racing camels in the Turkish desert), became pack camels for the US Army in Texas.  Through her storytelling, Zada keeps the baby kestrels distracted from the fact that they have lost their parents and don't know if they will ever see them again. It takes all of Zada's strength (literally) and love to make it through her most difficult adventure yet.

I loved how Appelt tells a story within a story.  Going back and forth from Zada's youth to present day.  Weaving her adventures for the baby kestrels in her care, all the while educating the reader on how camels came to Texas in the first place.  There are many facts about places, animals, and events in history that Appelt intertwines in her storytelling.  From the habits and anatomy of camels to how camel caravans helped transport goods from central Texas to southern California.  Appelt infuses facts and history into her story that creates a dual experience of fact and fiction.  I also enjoyed how the use of Turkish and French sayings were incorporated throughout the book. It gave authenticity to the setting and backgrounds of the characters.  The beautiful charcoal illustrations by Eric Rohmann gives life to Zada's story and helps the reader visualize the characters and experience the most important moments of her adventures.

Once Upon a Camel is a beautiful tale about life, friendship, and family.  A heartwarming tale for readers of all ages!  A must have your home or school library! 

5 Stars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kathi Appelt is the author of the Newbery Honoree, National Book Award finalist, and bestselling The Underneath as well as the National Book Award Finalist The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, Maybe a Fox (with Alison McGhee), Keeper, and many picture books including Counting Crows and Mogie, the Heart of the House. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband and five gifted and talented cats.  

Website ║ Facebook ║ Instagram

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Lone Star Blog Tour: UNDER THE BAYOU MOON by Valerie Fraser Luesse ***Read an Excerpt & Enter the Giveaway!***

UNDER THE BAYOU MOON

by

Valerie Fraser Luesse

Categories: Fiction / Christian / Historical

Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: August 3, 2021

Number of Pages: 352

***Scroll down for the giveaway!***

When Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country in 1949, she knows her life will change--but she could never imagine just how dramatically.

Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their unique culture, most of the residents come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher, and she's soon teaching just about everyone, despite opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. Yet it's the lessons Ellie herself will learn--from new friends, a captivating Cajun fisherman, and even a legendary white alligator haunting the bayou--that will make all the difference.

Take a step away from the familiar and enter the shadowy waters of bayou country for a story of risk, resilience, and romance.

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PROLOGUE FROM

UNDER THE BAYOU MOON

BY VALERIE FRASER LUESSE

Prologue

1947

    Raphe Broussard was just a boy when he first saw it—glimpsed it, at least. Mostly hidden in the saw grass and canes, it had temporarily left the tip of its long alabaster tail exposed in the sunlight—a rare mistake. The streak of white offered only a hint of what lay hidden, the promise of what might be revealed. Raphe had watched silently, reverently almost, as the tail thrashed back and forth just once before disappearing into the green, leaving him to wonder if he had truly seen it at all. He told no one.

    Over the years, Raphe would return to that secluded spot whenever his mind was troubled, as it was now. He had a choice to make, and it was weighing on him that day as he paddled deep into the bayou, gliding across remote but familiar waters where the pines and cypress trees towered above. They cast this solitary pool in perpetual shade as if a veil had been tossed over the sun, not blocking its hot rays entirely but reducing them to a warm softness. The water was glassy, carpeted around the edges with water hyacinth and duckweed. Floating here on still waters, in a pirogue carved out of a cypress tree by his grandfather, Raphe could quiet his mind and think. He could come to a decision about a thing.

Should he give up his freedom and become a father to his orphaned nephew, or listen to that preacher? Most of the evangelicals who had come into the Atchafalaya Basin seemed well-meaning enough, but there was a particularly strident one, Brother Lester, who had somehow gotten wind of Raphe’s plight and urged him to give Remy, his blood kin, to a “good Christian family”—strangers. The child needed a mother and father, the preacher said. A single young man like Raphe—Cajun, Catholic, and therefore prone to drink—would surely be a bad influence.

    Raphe imagined himself as a young father with no wife, limiting his own possibilities while praying he didn’t make some horrible mistake that ruined his nephew’s life. And then he pictured a choice he found completely unbearable—trying to live with the expression on Remy’s face, the one that would haunt Raphe forever if he let strangers take the boy away.

    That heartbreaking image—of a child realizing he had been abandoned by the one person he trusted most—was burning Raphe’s brain when the alligator appeared. It came out of the cattails at the water’s edge and silently glided in. What a sight! The alligator had to be twelve feet long and pure white except for a single swirl of pigment trailing down its back like curled ribbon. It passed so fearlessly close to Raphe that he could see the piercing sparkle of its blue eyes. On the far bank, it climbed onto a fallen tree in dappled light, taking in as much sun as its pale skin could tolerate.

Raphe had never put much stock in the swamp legends that the old-timers recounted again and again around campfires. He loved the tales about the white alligator, but they were just entertainment, nothing more. Still, he was comforted by the notion that this enigmatic denizen of the bayou was keeping watch while he wrestled with Remy’s fate and his own conscience.

    As he sat silently in his pirogue, the massive white head slowly turned, almost in his direction but not quite. In the filtered light, Raphe could see one side of the alligator’s face, one of those sapphire eyes. Only a few seconds passed before it turned back, gliding slowly across the tree and silently disappearing into the canes.

    Fishermen and hunters along the river called the alligator L’esprit Blanc, French for what the Indians had named it—“The White Spirit.” It was strange—all of them knew about L’esprit Blanc, repeating stories they had heard for years, but all those who claimed to have actually seen it were taken by the storm. All except Raphe. While his neighbors speculated about the high price such a rare hide would fetch—if it truly existed—Raphe found it impossible to believe that anyone who laid eyes on something so extraordinary could bring himself to kill it. Still, he kept his sightings to himself.

Raphe looked up at a darkening sky. Rain was coming. He sat in his boat, listening to the wind stir the trees overhead and watching ripples begin to roll across the mirrored surface of the water. His choice was clear.

    He would never tell a soul where to hunt the white alligator. And he would never send Remy away. Some things belonged right where they were.

CONTINUE READING STARTING 8/8/21 ON FORGOTTEN WINDS BLOG

Valerie Fraser Luesse is the bestselling author of Missing Isaac, Almost Home, and The Key to Everything, as well as an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse received the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society for her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana. A graduate of Auburn University and Baylor University, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave.

  

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& Flavors of the Bayou seasonings gift box. 

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8/3/21	Notable Quotable	All the Ups and Downs
8/3/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
8/4/21	Author Interview	The Book's Delight
8/4/21	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
8/5/21	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
8/6/21	Review	Tangled in Text
8/7/21	Excerpt	Stories Under Starlight
8/8/21	Excerpt	Forgotten Winds
8/9/21	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
8/10/21	Top Five	Chapter Break Book Blog
8/11/21	Review	Jennie Reads
8/12/21	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen
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Lone Star Blog Tour: THE NATURE OF SMALL BIRDS by Susie Finkbeiner ***AUTHOR INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY***

THE NATURE OF SMALL BIRDS
BY SUSIE FINKBEINER

Publisher: Revell
Pub Date: July 6, 2021
Pages: 368 pages
Categories: Fiction / Christian / General

***Scroll for Giveaway!***

In 1975, three thousand children were airlifted out of Saigon to be adopted into Western homes. When Mindy, one of those children, announces her plans to return to Vietnam to find her birth mother, her loving adopted family is suddenly thrown back to the events surrounding her unconventional arrival in their lives. 

Though her father supports Mindy's desire to meet her family of origin, he struggles privately with an unsettling fear that he'll lose the daughter he's poured his heart into. Mindy's mother undergoes the emotional rollercoaster inherent in the adoption of a child from a war-torn country, discovering the joy hidden amid the difficulties. And Mindy's sister helps her sort through relics that whisper of the effect the trauma of war has had on their family--but also speak of the beauty of overcoming. 

Told through three strong voices in three compelling timelines, The Nature of Small Birds is a hopeful story that explores the meaning of family far beyond genetic code. 

"Susie Finkbeiner has such an inviting and distinctive voice as a writer that you'll gladly follow it--and follow her--to any setting."--Valerie Fraser Luesse, Christy Award-winning author of Under the Bayou Moon

PURCHASE LINKS: 

Baker Books | Amazon | ChristianBooks.com
Other Revell Books Affiliates

“What happened to the kids?”

In this video, author Susie Finkbeiner shares the stories that led to her writing her stories.

Susie Finkbeiner is the CBA bestselling author of All Manner of Things, which was selected as a 2020 Michigan Notable Book, and Stories That Bind Us, as well as A Cup of Dust, A Trail of Crumbs, and A Song of Home. She serves on the Fiction Readers Summit planning committee, volunteers her time at Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and speaks at retreats and women's events across the country. Susie and her husband have three children and live in West Michigan. 

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Copy of The Nature of Small Birds

+ Puzzle + $10 Starbucks Gift Card.

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7/13/21	Author Video	All the Ups and Downs
7/13/21	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
7/14/21	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
7/14/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
7/15/21	Review	Julia Picks 1
7/16/21	Review	Missus Gonzo
7/17/21	Top Ten	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
7/18/21	Video Guest Post	Stories Under Starlight
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