Blog Tour + Giveaway The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

September 24, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 9 Comments

Title: The Tenth Girl

Author: Sara Faring

Publisher: Imprint

Release Date: September 24th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Horror, Mystery, Historical Fiction

Synopsis:

Simmering in Patagonian myth, The Tenth Girl is a gothic psychological thriller with a haunting twist.

At the very southern tip of South America looms an isolated finishing school. Legend has it that the land will curse those who settle there. But for Mavi—a bold Buenos Aires native fleeing the military regime that took her mother—it offers an escape to a new life as a young teacher to Argentina’s elite girls.

Mavi tries to embrace the strangeness of the imposing house—despite warnings not to roam at night, threats from an enigmatic young man, and rumors of mysterious Others. But one of Mavi’s ten students is missing, and when students and teachers alike begin to behave as if possessed, the forces haunting this unholy cliff will no longer be ignored.

One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

iTunes | Kobo | Google Books

Author Information

Born in Los Angeles, Sara Faring is a multi-lingual Argentine-American fascinated by literary puzzles. After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business. She currently resides in New York City.

Her first novel, The Tenth Girl, will be released by Macmillan/Imprint on September 24, 2019. Sara is represented by Sarah Bedingfield at Levine Greenberg Rostan Agency.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule

Check out the other amazing bloggers on this tour!

My Review

“Something in the atmosphere is wrong here, a something I can’t articulate— I only feel a discomfort in the hollow of my chest, the same one that tells you you are not alone when you want to be, or that you are entirely alone when you shouldn’t be.”

It’s that time of year where the leaves begin to change and Halloween is right around the corner. And it’s also the perfect time to read those dark and creepy thrilling reads. The Tenth Girl is definitely one of those books that qualifies as a perfect October read, and a book you don’t want to read in the dark, or probably alone.

I’ll be honest, this book is not for everyone. There’s gore and disturbing (yet oddly enthralling) scenes that are not for the faint of heart. But it’s such an atmospheric and sometimes terrifying read that it’s bound to give you goosebumps, and it’s going to be a book I will recommend to all of my horror-loving genre friends.

Faring does a fantastic job with character development and only releasing pieces of the plot little by little. I enjoyed the two point of views and how descriptive the scenes were. The descriptions gave me this constant eerie feeling, as if something wasn’t right. Which, of course, it wasn’t, especially for the main character. But my overall favorite thing about this book (besides that gorgeous cover and the little snippets of plot reveals on the cover) is by far the twist I never saw coming.

“Those I know who hide their fear best do so because they’re trying to hide it from themselves, knowing it could corrupt some piece of them if acknowledged.”

That ending, though. And that twist. All I can say is WOW. I usually see twists coming but this twist caught me so off guard that I was left open-mouthed and in shock. That twist was absolutely amazing and wonderfully brilliant; even if you don’t like reading horrors, I highly recommend reading this book just for the twist.

The eerie atmosphere and Gothic setting in this story is also what really made this book enjoyable for me. Faring describes this book beautifully and her writing is captivating, yet has this unnatural feeling to it, like as if giving the reader a fair warning that something bad is about to happen. Which, I gotta say, I really enjoyed. This is, overall, a perfect book for horror genre fans.

The Tenth Girl is dark and gritty and full of thrilling (yet spin-chilling) scenes and unique characters. If you love books with ghosts, a killer mystery, and a twist you won’t see coming, then I highly recommend reading The Tenth Girl. Your Gothic soul will thank you.

Giveaway

Prize: Win a copy of THE TENTH GIRL by Sara Faring (US Only)

Starts: 18^th September 2019

Ends: 2^nd October 2019

Thank you, Fantastic Flying Book Club, for having us on this wonderful blog tour!

Saturday Spotlight The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring

August 31, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks Leave a comment

Title: The Tenth Girl

Author: Sara Faring

Publisher: Imprint

Release Date: September 24, 2019

Page Count: 464 pages

Genres: Young Adult, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Historical

Summary:

Simmering in Patagonian myth, The Tenth Girl is a gothic psychological thriller with a haunting twist.

One of these spirits holds a secret that could unravel Mavi’s existence. In order to survive she must solve a cosmic mystery—and then fight for her life.

Purchase Links

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

INDIE BOUND

Please note: A Court of Coffee and Books receives a small commission for any purchases made through the links above. All commission earned goes toward supporting and maintaining this blog.

About the Author

Born in Los Angeles, Sara Faring is a multi-lingual Argentine-American fascinated by literary puzzles.

After working in investment banking at J.P. Morgan, she worked at Penguin Random House. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in International Studies and from the Wharton School in Business.

She currently resides in New York City. (Bio and photo provided from Goodreads)

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? 8/19/19

August 19, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 2 Comments

This week I’ll be finishing up a book that I started yesterday, a book that my friend got me at BEA, an arc the publisher sent me a few weeks back, and a surprise book.

What are you reading?

The Lost and the Scarred- T. Marie Alexander

ROX
When I was six, Wran Belmont found me buried in snow and gave me a place to live.

He became my best friend.

When I was fifteen, I gave him all of me—only for him to abandon me.

Now, he’s back and expecting the lost, scarred girl he’s left behind. I’m not that girl anymore. And while I may still have secrets, it will not be as easy for him to retrieve them this time around.

WRAN
When I was eleven, my father lost his job and became a pathetic excuse for a father. A few months later I found Roxanna Raine buried in snow, barely hanging on to life.

Her father was the reason mine was an alcoholic, and I thought about letting her freeze to death.

One look in her eyes and she became my kryptonite. I swore I would get my revenge, though, even if it was on the fair-skinned beauty.

When I was nineteen, I left Rox without an explanation—broken-hearted and even more lost.

Now, I’m back and I’ll do anything to make up for the stolen time.

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death- Caitlin Doughty

Best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers real questions from kids about death, dead bodies, and decomposition.

Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. What would happen to an astronaut’s body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral?

In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician’s knowledge of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five distinctive questions posed by her youngest fans. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying your body, whether you can preserve your best friend’s skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane. Beautifully illustrated by Dianné Ruz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? shows us that death is science and art, and only by asking questions can we begin to embrace it.

Hello Girls- Brittany Cavallaro & Emily Henry

Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.

Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.

The Year They Fell- David Kreizman

When a horrible tragedy unites five very different high school seniors, they discover the worst moment of your life can help determine who you really are in the powerful YA novel, The Year They Fell.

Josie, Jack, Archie, Harrison, and Dayana were inseparable as preschoolers. But that was before high school, before parties and football and getting into the right college. Now, as senior year approaches, they’re basically strangers to each other.

Until they’re pulled back together when their parents die in a plane crash. These former friends are suddenly on their own. And they’re the only people who can really understand how that feels.

To survive, the group must face the issues that drove them apart, reveal secrets they’ve kept since childhood, and discover who they’re meant to be. And in the face of public scrutiny, they’ll confront mysteries their parents left behind—betrayals that threaten to break the friendships apart again.

A new family is forged in this heartbreaking, funny, and surprising book from award-winning storyteller David Kreizman. It’s a deeply felt, complex journey into adulthood, exploring issues of grief, sexual assault, racism, and trauma.

Top Ten Tuesday 8/13/19

August 13, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 5 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This weeks topic is: Book Characters I’d Love to Be Besties With

Click on the title of each book to check out the synopsis on Goodreads.

Which characters made your list?

Review The Chain- Adrian McKinty

July 23, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks Leave a comment

You just dropped off your child at the bus stop. A panicked stranger calls your phone. Your child has been kidnapped, and the stranger explains that their child has also been kidnapped, by a completely different stranger. The only way to get your child back is to kidnap another child within 24 hours. Your child will be released only when the next victim’s parents kidnap yet another child, and most importantly, the stranger explains, if you don’t kidnap a child, or if the next parents don’t kidnap a child, your child will be murdered. You are now part of The Chain.

“The Egyptians lived in a god-and-demon-infested world. There are demons here too, but they are human beings.”

This is every parent’s worst nightmare. You think your child is safe and then you get that dreaded call that your child has been kidnapped. That made this book intense, terrifying, and I just couldn’t stop reading it. It was really addicting even though it was seriously f***ed up.

You think your life is going good. You have a daughter you love unconditionally, you’ve had some great news about your health, and you just got a job that will change your life. And then you get a call that makes your life crash to the ground. Your daughter has been kidnapped and if you don’t follow every direction perfectly, you’ll break the chain and your daughter will die.

The panicked stranger tells you the rules. You have a short period of time to transfer a lot of money in bitcoins to an account on the dark web and then you have to complete the horrifying second part. You must kidnap another kid and relay those same terms to them. You have to pick someone that won’t go to the cops and break that chain. Any little slip will cause a chain reaction in children being murdered.

Now you must become a part of the chain to get your family back. Would you be strong enough to keep the chain intact? Or will you break that chain and cause chaos to your family and lots of others?

This book was completely insane. I didn’t know much about it until a friend mentioned it to me and I was instantly sold. It was morbid and made your skin crawl but there was something about it that I became obsessed with. The mystery was strong and it takes a bit to figure it out but once you do it is shocking.

The Chain is not for the faint of heart. This will be that book that haunts your dreams and makes you hug your children a little closer. It was unique and you won’t be able to put it down. It’s definitely an amazing read in dark sort of way but a must-read.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 7/15/19

July 15, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 2 Comments

This week I’m going to read two books that I’ve had in my collection for years and one that I was approved for on Netgalley.

What are you reading this week?

Enchant- Micalea Smeltzer

Mara Pryce never imagined that her life was anything but normal and then a strange gray-eyed young man appears at her graduation. When he vanishes without a trace, she’s convinced he’s a figment of her imagination. Then he appears again and shatters her whole world.

Mara is an enchanter, part of an ancient line of Wiccan power, and a war is raging—one of good and evil—between the Enchanted and the Iniquitous.

The Iniquitous want her dead and it’s Theodore’s job as her protector to keep her safe.

When Mara and Theodore arrive at a safe house, where Mara will remain hidden while learning about her powers, they find that the real threat might be a little closer to home than they want to believe.

The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy- Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson’s memoir about growing up geeky and finally finding his place in comedy, faith, and life.

For nine seasons Rainn Wilson played Dwight Schrute, everyone’s favorite work nemesis and beet farmer. Viewers of The Office fell in love with the character and grew to love the actor who played him even more. Rainn founded a website and media company, SoulPancake, that eventually became a bestselling book of the same name. He also started a hilarious Twitter feed (sample tweet: “I’m not on Facebook” is the new “I don’t even own a TV”) that now has more than four million followers.

Now, he’s ready to tell his own story and explain how he came up with his incredibly unique sense of humor and perspective on life. He explains how he grew up “bone-numbingly nerdy before there was even a modicum of cool attached to the word.” The Bassoon King chronicles his journey from nerd to drama geek (“the highest rung on the vast, pimply ladder of high school losers”), his years of mild debauchery and struggles as a young actor in New York, his many adventures and insights about The Office, and finally, Wilson’s achievement of success and satisfaction, both in his career and spiritually, reconnecting with the artistic and creative values of the Bahá’í faith he grew up in.

The Chain- Adrian McKinty

Happy Reading!

Top Ten Books According to Stacy January-June 2019

July 3, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 8 Comments

It’s July and time is flying by. Since half of the year is over, I decided to show you my top ten favorite books from January- June of 2019. And these are all books that I have read this year. Some have been released for a while but I just made it to the party. And as always, there were too many great books this year so far and it killed me to narrow it down to ten.

Which books made your list?

Please note: A Court of Coffee and Books receives a small commission for any purchases made through the links below, except Book Depository. All commission earned goes toward supporting this blog.

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Rules For Vanishing- Kate Alice Marshall

44584457 In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister–at all costs.

Once a year, the path appears in the forest and Lucy Gallows beckons. Who is brave enough to find her–and who won’t make it out of the woods?

It’s been exactly one year since Sara’s sister, Becca, disappeared, and high school life has far from settled back to normal. With her sister gone, Sara doesn’t know whether her former friends no longer like her…or are scared of her, and the days of eating alone at lunch have started to blend together. When a mysterious text message invites Sara and her estranged friends to “play the game” and find local ghost legend Lucy Gallows, Sara is sure this is the only way to find Becca–before she’s lost forever. And even though she’s hardly spoken with them for a year, Sara finds herself deep in the darkness of the forest, her friends–and their cameras–following her down the path. Together, they will have to draw on all of their strengths to survive. The road is rarely forgiving, and no one will be the same on the other side.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

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A Curse So Dark and Lonely- Brigid Kemmerer

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

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Red, White & Royal Blue- Casey McQuinston

41150487. sy475 A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

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Lie With Me- Philippe Besson

The award-winning, bestselling French novel by Philippe Besson about an affair between two teenage boys in 1984 France, translated with subtle beauty and haunting lyricism by the iconic and internationally acclaimed actress/writer Molly Ringwald.

We drive at high speed along back roads, through woods, vineyards, and oat fields. The bike smells like gasoline and makes a lot of noise, and sometimes I’m frightened when the wheels slip on the gravel on the dirt road, but the only thing that matters is that I’m holding on to him, that I’m holding on to him outside.

Just outside a hotel in Bordeaux, Philippe chances upon a young man who bears a striking resemblance to his first love. What follows is a look back at the relationship he’s never forgotten, a hidden affair with a gorgeous boy named Thomas during their last year of high school. Without ever acknowledging they know each other in the halls, they steal time to meet in secret, carrying on a passionate, world-altering affair.

Dazzlingly rendered in English by Ringwald in her first-ever translation, Besson’s powerfully moving coming-of-age story captures the eroticism and tenderness of first love—and the heartbreaking passage of time.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

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We Set The Dark on Fire- Tehlor Kay Mejia

In this daring and romantic fantasy debut perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Latinx authors Zoraida Córdova and Anna-Marie McLemore, society wife-in-training Dani has a great awakening after being recruited by rebel spies and falling for her biggest rival.

At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children. Both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class.

Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her pedigree is a lie. She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society.

And school couldn’t prepare her for the difficult choices she must make after graduation, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio.

Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or will she give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

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Last Things- Jacqueline West

When strange things start happening to local music idol Anders Thorson, everyone blames his number-one-fan, Thea. But is she out to hurt him? Or protect him?

High school senior Anders Thorson is unusually gifted. His band, Last Things, is legendary in their northern Minnesota hometown. With guitar skills that would amaze even if he weren’t only eighteen, Anders is the focus of head-turning admiration. And Thea Malcom, a newcomer to the insular town, is one of his admirers. Thea seems to turn up everywhere Anders goes: gigs at the local coffeehouse, guitar lessons, even in the woods near Anders’s home. When strange things start happening to Anders—including the disappearance of his beloved cat, then his sort-of girlfriend, and, somehow, his musical talent—blame immediately falls on Thea. But is she trying to hurt him? Or save him? Can he trust a girl who doesn’t seem to know the difference between dreams and reality? And how much are they both willing to compromise to get what they want?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

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Verity- Colleen Hoover

43225180. sy475 Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity’s recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

Stolen Time- Danielle Rollins

“Endearing, exciting, and very clever, Danielle Rollins’ Stolen Time is the kind of time-travel story I’m always on the lookout for. I know I can’t really speak for him, but I feel like Doc Brown would be onboard with this one.”—Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

“The hauntingly evocative prose seduced me, the compellingly nuanced characters captivated me, and the twisting storyline ensnared my thoughts in an infinite spiral that refused to release me until the final word.”—Romina Russell, New York Times bestselling author of the Zodiac series

Seattle, 1913

Dorothy spent her life learning the art of the con. But after meeting a stranger and stowing away on his peculiar aircraft, she wakes up in a chilling version of the world she left behind—and for the first time in her life, realizes she’s in way over her head.

New Seattle, 2077

If there was ever a girl who was trouble, it was one who snuck on board Ash’s time machine wearing a wedding gown—and the last thing he needs is trouble if he wants to prevent his terrifying visions of the future from coming true.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

The Fever King- Victoria Lee

40778250 In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale- Lauren Myracle

When fourteen-year-old Selina Kyle, aka the future Catwoman, becomes homeless, she must confront questions of who she is and who she will become.

She rejects human cruelty, but sometimes it seems as though brute force is the only way to “win.” And if Selina is to survive on the streets, she must be tough. Can she find her humanity and reconcile toughness with her desire for community … and love?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository | Indie Bound

stacy