Blog Tour + Giveaway Mirror Bound by Monica Sanz

September 10, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 3 Comments

Title: Mirror Bound (The Witchling Academy #2)

Author: Monica Sanz

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Genre: YA Paranormal/Mystery & Suspense

Release Date: September 2019

Summary:

Conspirator. Failure. Murderer.

Seraphina Dovetail is used to being called all these things. As the seventh-born daughter to a witch, and the cause of her mother losing both her powers and her life, Sera has always felt isolated. Until Nikolai Barrington.

The young professor not only took an interest in Sera—he took her into his home, hired her for his moonlighting detective agency, and gave her the one thing she’d always dreamed of: a chance. Under Barrington’s tutelage, Sera can finally take the School of Continuing Magic entrance exam to become an inspector and find her family. Now if only she could stop her growing attraction to her maddening boss—which is about as easy as this fiery elementalist quitting setting things on fire.

But when ghosts start dragging Sera into possessions so deep she can barely escape, and then the souls of lost witches and wizards appear trapped in mirrors, these two opposites will have to work together to uncover a much deeper secret that could destroy the Witchling world…

Purchase links can be found HERE!

Check out the first book in The Witchling Academy series, Seventh Born!

About the Author

Monica Sanz has been writing from the moment she could string together a sentence. Her stories have come a long way from mysterious portals opening in the school cafeteria, transporting classmates to distant worlds. A classic by the name Wuthering Heights is responsible for that. She’s been lost to dark romances and brooding fictional men ever sense. Now she writes about grumpy professors, cursed ringmaster, tortured soul collectors, and the girls they fall in love with. Monica’s books have received many accolades on the social writing website Wattpad. She’s accumulated over six million reads, eighty thousand votes, and fifteen thousand comments since posting her books on the website. She is also a member of the Wattpad4, a group of writers who host weekly Twitter chats on the subjects of writing and publishing.

Author Links:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Tour Schedule

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My Review

Mirror Bound is the sequel to Seventh Born. If you have not read Seventh Born yet, you can check out my review here.

Mirror Bound is a great sequel with magical moments and mesmerizing characters. It’s a sequel that is just as good as the first book, if not better. Sera’s growth in this book is fantastic; she doesn’t just grow as a person, but also grows in using and understanding her magic. It was really nice to see that growth in her character.

Sera is not only struggling with her growing feelings for Barrington and acing her School of Continuing Magic exam, but she’s fighting to maintain control over her mind and body. Ghosts start possessing her and showing her dark and dangerous visions that make it nearly impossible for her to escape from. These possessions cause a slight rift in her real world, where she struggles to determine what’s real and what’s part of a vision. But even through it all, there’s one constant: Barrington.

The chemistry between Sera and Nikolai Barrington jumps off the page. It’s magnetic and emotional; they share a bond that creates a wonderful slow-burn romance; it’s a bond that has developed over time and feels so real. It’s definitely a bond that is one of my favorite slow-burn romances; I was internally yelling at Sera to make a move or for them to just get together.

The overall plot of this book is fantastic. Sera has to face ghosts and souls trapped in mirrors and the mysterious disappearance of seventh born children. There’s so much going on in this book, but it all works together so well and flows well throughout the whole story that nothing is too overwhelming. It all fits well together, and the character interactions only intensify and bring these scenes to life. The world building, like in Seventh Born, is beautiful; I could easily picture the world Sera lives in.

All in all, Mirror Bound is a delightful sequel. Monica Sanz hits it out of the park with this book; her writing is poetic and deep. I’m hoping there’s more in store for Sera and Nikolai (especially with their relationship, as I love these two characters so much).

Mirror Bound is out now, and if you have not read Seventh Born, I highly recommend!

Giveaway

Enter to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card or a paperback copy of Mirror Bound!

Blog Tour Organized By:

Thank you for having on us on this blog tour!

Release Week Book Blitz Breakout by A. M. Rose

June 6, 2019ACourtofCoffeeandBooks Leave a comment

Title: Breakout

Author: A. M. Rose

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

Release Date: June 3rd 2019

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Summary:

Six days.

That’s the amount of time until Lezah’s execution.

She’ll die never knowing what got her locked up in that godforsaken prison in the first place. Her only chance of survival is to escape. Except the monitoring bracelet that digs into her wrist, the roaming AI, and the implant in her neck make freedom close to impossible.

Her best chance is to team up with the four other inmates who are determined to break out, even if one of them is beyond gorgeous, annoying—oh, and in for murder. But he has a secret of his own. One that could break Lezah if she finds out, but could also set him free.

Figuring out how to work with him and the rest of this mismatched group of criminals is the only way Lezah will survive to see the outside world again.

But nothing in this prison is as it seems. And no one.

Purchase links can be found HERE!

Breakout Teaser

Heavy footsteps echo through the hall. From the corner of my eye, two AIRS appear, bigger than the humans they were built to resemble. Artificial Intelligent Roaming Security marching our way means only one thing. Someone’s time is up, and I just pray it isn’t mine. They’re all hard steel where a soft mesh “skin” should be, with inhuman faces that are cold and unforgiving. As if it couldn’t get any worse, these two are larger than any I’ve seen. Something about their mechanical forms appears more menacing than ever. AIRS are the only model of WALTER I’ve ever been afraid of. A drop of sweat slides down my temple, but I know better than to brush it away.

My chin trembles with the rumble in the floor from their heavy frames. They stop at my right, in front of Twelve and Thirty-three, the girls who share the room next to mine. Twelve’s knees shake so hard her bright red hair vibrates. A puddle forms around Thirty-three’s feet.

No one moves.

Or blinks.

Or breathes.

An eternity later, they grab Twelve and spin her around. With a loud crack, her cheek slams into cold concrete; red swells against her pale skin. Tears pour from her blue eyes and slide down her freckled cheeks. She looks as scared as I feel, but I have no right to. She’s the one with blood pooling at the corner of her mouth, with big, scary AIRS assaulting her.

“No!” someone down the line yells.

“Don’t. Stop. You’re hurting me,” Twelve begs, but the AIRS don’t respond. One digs their hand into her pocket and yanks out a fork.

Someone gasps and jerks back, then pays the price for it with an electrical shock from their metal wristband.

“That’s not mine. I swear. I didn’t take it.” Twelve’s voice cuts through me like broken glass. That’s basically what she is now. That’s what they’ll do to her—break her into a thousand shards. She’s already as good as dead. It doesn’t matter what number is on her bracelet, or however many days of her sentence she had left, her expiration date is now.

About the Author

A.M. Rose is the author of Road to Eugenica, and Breakout (formerly titled Not Innocent) is the writer of young adult novels, drinker of too much coffee (with way too much coconut creamer), and lover of all carbohydrates.

Currently, she lives in Houston, TX with her three boys (yes, her husband is in that count) and three cats. When she isn’t writing, she is an avid reader, critiquer, (is that even a word?) and trampoline enthusiast.

She is a graduate from San Diego State University with a BA in Communication and a minor in underwater basket weaving. (Okay, maybe not the basket weaving part.)

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Book Blitz Organized By:

Blog Tour Star-Crossed – Pintip Dunn

October 8, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 1 Comment

Title: Star-Crossed
Author: Pintip Dunn
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: October 2nd 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Summary:

In a world where nutrition can be transferred via a pill, and society is split into Eaters and Non-Eaters, seventeen-year-old Princess Vela has a grave dilemma. Her father, the king, is dying, and only a transplant of organs from a healthy Non-Eater boy will save him.

Vela is tasked with choosing a boy fit to die for the king, which is impossible enough. But then Carr, the boy she’s loved all her life, emerges as the best candidate in the Bittersweet Trials. And he’s determined to win, because by doing so, he can save the life of his Non-Eater sister.

Refusing to accept losing the boy she loves, Vela bends the rules and cheats. But when someone begins to sabotage the Trials, Vela must reevaluate her own integrity—and learn the true sacrifice of becoming a ruler.

Purchase links can be found here: https://entangledpublishing.com/star-crossed.html

About the Author

Pintip Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. She graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B., and received her J.D. at Yale Law School.

Pintip’s novel FORGET TOMORROW won the 2016 RWA RITA® for Best First Book, and SEIZE TODAY won the 2018 RITA for Best Young Adult Romance. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the Tome Society It list; and the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award. Her other titles include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, THE DARKEST LIE, GIRL ON THE VERGE, and the upcoming STAR-CROSSED and MALICE.

My Review

Star-Crossed takes readers to a new and unique world, where there are two different kinds of people: the Aegis and the colonists. Aegis have the ability to ingest more food than the colonists due to genetic modifications that take sixty years of their life. With that genetic modification, Aegis are able to feed everyone with nutrition pills. This itself is a unique concept. I’ve read a decent amount of YA Sci-Fi, but none had this concept where people give up sixty years of their life to feed their nation with pills. Not to mention the colonists have never tried real food. Imagine having a life where you take a nutrition pill and never know the taste of real food. It sounds quite horrible, in my opinion (both options do).

The author knows how to weave a fantastical world together. There’s enough detail to bring the story to life and make the readers feel like they are part of that world. What I found nice was that the story did not focus on heaving world building, but rather what happened to the characters. Princess Vela is the heart of the story, and the plot brings her story together wonderfully. As the reader, expect plot twists and a killer on the loose. I was able to figure out some of the plot twists, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the ones I did not figure out. In no way does this story feel like it just ends or it cuts to the chase too fast; it’s perfectly paced.

Pintip Dunn does a wonderful job with character building and differentiation. Each character has their own personality and a strong relationship with Princess Vela. Princess Vela and her sister, Princess Blanca, are so exceptionally different, and it’s fascinating to see how each tackles their assignment for who will be the next successor. Vela handles her assignment with heart and demonstrates a type of leadership she never knew she had; whereas Blanca is more headstrong and listens to the facts instead of her heart. Vela’s relationship with Astana is heartwarming and like any friendship; their friendship reminded me of the one I have with my best friend, and how I would do anything for her, just like Vela. And then there is Carr, the boy Vela has always loved. I saw the love they both had for each other, and that love only increased as the Trials continued.

Overall, I really enjoyed Star-Crossed. I liked how it was realistic enough in the sense that Princess Vela knew there were things she could not change, and things she could. Pintip blends Sci-Fi, mystery, and romance well to weave together a beautiful story. This was the first book I’ve read by Pintip Dunn, and I plan on definitely reading more by her. Star-Crossed is out now!

Recommended for readers who love sc-fi, unique plots, a little mystery, and a budding romance.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

GIVEAWAY:

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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Keeper of the Bees – Meg Kassel

September 11, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks Leave a comment

Title: Keeper of the Bees
Author: Meg Kassel
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: September 4th 2018
Publisher: Entangled Teen
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:

“Beauty and the beast like you’ve never imagined!” —New York Times bestselling author Pintip Dunn

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

Purchase Links: https://entangledpublishing.com/keeper-of-the-bees.html

About the Author

Meg Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young adults. A graduate of Parson’s School of Design, she’s been creating stories, whether with visuals or words, since childhood. Meg is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods with her husband and daughter. As a fan of ’80s cartoons, Netflix series, and ancient mythology, she has always been fascinated and inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. She is the 2016 RWA Golden Heart® winner in YA and a double 2018 RITA® finalist for her debut novel, Black Bird of the Gallows.
Website: http://megkassel.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/megkassel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seemegwrite/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/megkasselauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8353652.Meg_Kassel

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Meg-Kassel/e/B0756Q8N2L/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1524085261&sr=1-1

My Review

“They’re watching, wondering what game I’m playing. But this is no game.”

Keeper of the Bees is a wonderful follow-up to one of my favorite books of 2017, Black Bird of the Gallows. It follows the life of a beekeeper, Dresden, who locates to a new town and meets an interesting girl, a girl unlike any other. A girl with a surprising backstory.

Once again, Meg Kassel has written a beautiful book. Keeper of the Bees is just as good as its predecessor, if not better. Her writing is spectacular and enchanting; every description, every scene, had beautiful prose. The world Meg has created is incredible and will capture your attention from the very first line. Black Bird of the Gallows sets the stage for this world, and Keeper of the Bees follows up wonderfully. Told in a dual perspective of Dresden and Essie, you won’t want to put this book down. I devoured this beauty in a little over a day because it’s just that good.

“I blink down at her, then realize I had forgotten how my face is a mess of changing features. For a few precious moments, I was just here with her. Not a monster. Not a killer.”

The aspect of the beekeepers is unique and quite interesting. They are immortal beings that have a horde of bees in their body that have to listen to these bees when they want to sting someone. And the stings are lethal, if not deadly. It makes people grow violent and sets them on a dangerous rampage. And when a person is killed from a bee sting, the beekeeper takes the form of their face. As in, the beekeeper’s face is constantly shifting to those of the people his/her bees have killed. And it’s a feature Dresden has come to hate, as he no longer remembers his own features.

Dresden is one of the most interesting characters I have read. He has many conflicts that a beekeeper usually never has to deal with. And his conflicts only increase when he comes across a girl his bees desperately want to sting. The only catch: he doesn’t want to sting her. Dresden is instantly drawn to her and her interesting quirks. For one, she has the ability to see Dresden, like actually see him, as most humans cannot see his shifting features. With her interesting backstory, Dresden can’t seem to stay away from her, especially when he learns a surprising fact about her family. And especially when he starts to feel things he never thought a beekeeper could feel.

“This will destroy you. The Strawman’s voice threads through the chaos of my mind. I’ve been destroyed many times, I think in return.”

Essie is also another captivating character. She has what people believe to be a family cruse, as no treatment has been proven to work on what doctors call her “sickness.” Essie sees things that should not be there, which is why she at first believes Dresden is a figment of her imagination. But when he turns out not to be, she becomes enthralled in his world. Mental health is a constant topic in this book, but it’s talked about in a way that doesn’t scorn or degrade mental illness. Keeper of the Bees captures how people with mental illness are treated and it’s sad at how true it really is. But even so, I love how this book openly displays the truth with mental health.

The relationship between these two characters will easily become a favorite for many readers. They are both experiencing something new and fragile, and it’s something amazing to see unfold. Seeing their relationship reminded me of Beauty of the Beast, which is one of my all-time favorite love stories.

All in all, Meg Kassel has outdone herself with Keeper of the Bees. She has created a uniquely breathtaking world and so many lovable characters. I can’t wait to see what is in store next (hopefully more from this world!)

All quotes are from the advanced reader copy and may not be in the final book. Thank you Entangled Teen for the advanced reader copy and YA Book Tours for the amazing blog tour!

Enter the Keeper of the Bees Giveaway!

Blog Tour Organized By:

~Blog Tour~ Seventh Born by Monica Sanz

September 5, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 2 Comments

Book: Seventh Born

Author: Monica Sanz

Genre: YA Paranormal/Mystery & Suspense

Release Date: September 4th 2018

Publisher: Entangled Teen

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary:

Abomination. Curse. Murderer. All names hurled at eighteen-year-old Seraphina Dovetail. As the seventh-born daughter to a witch, she’s the cause of her mother losing her powers and, in turn, her life.

Abandoned as a child, Sera dreams of becoming an inspector and finding her family. To do that, she must be referred into the Advanced Studies Program at the Aetherium’s Witchling Academy. Her birth order, quick temper, and tendency to set things on fire, however, have left her an outcast with failing marks…and just what Professor Nikolai Barrington is looking for.

The tall, brooding, yet exceedingly handsome young professor makes her a proposition: become his assistant and he’ll give her the referral she needs. Sera is quickly thrust into a world where witches are being kidnapped, bodies are raised from the dead, and someone is burning seventhborns alive. As Sera and Barrington grow ever closer, she’ll discover that some secrets are best left buried…and fire isn’t the only thing that makes a witch burn.

Purchase links can be found HERE!

About the Author

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

My Review

*I received an uncorrected copy of Seventh Born from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes in this review are based on the uncorrected proof and may not be in the final book.*

Seventh Born is a book I initially wanted to read based on the cover (isn’t that cover GORGEOUS?!). But then I read the summary and I knew this was a book I was going to like. Turns out, Seventh Born is a book I ended up loving.

Her whole life, Sera has been told she is nothing but an abomination and that her life will amount to nothing. But she’s determined to live the life she wants and to not be everything she has always been told. Sera wants to be an Inspector, a witch of high ranking, a rank that very few seventh-borns ever reach. And though people at school degrade her and aim to emotionally torture her, she tries to not let that affect her (though there are moments where her fiery anger gets the best of her).

“Her hand tightened on the doorknob, a fierce ache in her heart. She yearned to locate her family, but now there were monsters to find. There would always be monsters to find.”

I really enjoyed the complexity of Sera as the main character. She has a troubled past that still haunts her. She has a family she wants to find. And she has a life she wants to live, even though all odds are against her. She overall is a very complex character, who has magic that’s quite fiery and sometimes unstable. Seeing her navigate through this new chapter in her life, even when her past comes to light, she’s still a strong and brave character, one I feel I would befriend almost instantly.

One of the main reasons Seventh Born hooked me from the beginning was the beautiful writing. Monica Sanz did a wonderful job combining the many aspects needed to bring this book to life: mystery, suspense, magic, tension, and more. Though there was a lack of world building (which I hope to see more of in the second book), it was made up for in suspense and tension. The plot does come together nicely, but, like all great plots in the first book, it doesn’t tie together in a nice bow. Questions remain unanswered that will leave you guessing until book two comes out. If anything, the plot only thickens and leaves a ton open for the series.

“I’ll admit, I’m as confounded by your abilities as you are, but you’re in luck that I’m quite fond of mysteries and that I’m a rather magnificent magician.”

But I have to admit, I instantly fell in love with Professor Barrington. Professor Barrington is the type of character people would deem mysterious and intriguing. He has a life he hides from most and emotions he would prefer to keep hidden. So it was a complete surprise to Sera when he offered her a referral for her program in exchange for her assistance in solving a string of murders. Over the course of the book, Sera sees multiple sides of him, which makes him all the more intriguing. Barrington is an overall great character that adds to the suspense and tension and, of course, the magic. He’s one of those book boyfriends that would keep you entranced. And he sure does in Seventh Born. I can’t wait to see what Barrington brings to book two!

I finished this book in two days, and I can’t wait to read the sequel. I’m ready for more Barrington, suspense, and romantic tension. I can’t get enough of that wonderfully moody professor! Seventh Born is in stores now, so get your copy today!

Enter the Seventh Born Giveaway Here!

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YA Bound Book Tours

Blog Tour + Giveaway Mirror Bound by Monica Sanz

Check out the first book in The Witchling Academy series, Seventh Born!

About the Author

Tour Schedule

My Review

Giveaway

Blog Tour Organized By:

Release Week Book Blitz Breakout by A. M. Rose

Breakout Teaser

About the Author

Book Blitz Organized By:

Blog Tour Star-Crossed – Pintip Dunn

About the Author

My Review

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

GIVEAWAY:

Blog Tour Organized by:

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Keeper of the Bees – Meg Kassel

My Review

Enter the Keeper of the Bees Giveaway!

~Blog Tour~ Seventh Born by Monica Sanz

Purchase links can be found HERE!

My Review

Enter the Seventh Born Giveaway Here!