Tag: YA/MG Page 2 of 23

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Ailish Sinclair’s Ariel: Dancing on TV! This book has made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: Ariel: Dancing on TV by Ailish Sinclair
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 266 Pages
Publication Date: January 1, 2025

About the Book:

The night before Ariel, a sixteen-year-old girl with a deformed hand, starts at the most prestigious dance school in Scotland, her mother tries to kill her.

Torn from a life where she never fitted in, Ariel quickly becomes the focus of a reality TV show. In the castle school, she forms deep friendships and meets Alexander, the best looking boy she’s ever seen. Together, they unravel the mysteries of the castle’s shadows and confront the demons of Ariel’s past.

Can she rise above a lifetime of pain and embrace the possibilities of fame and love that beckon to her?

‘Ariel: Dancing on TV’ is a mesmerising tale of resilience and the pursuit of a brighter future against all odds.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Authors:

JAilish Sinclair trained as a dancer and taught dance for many years, before working in schools to help children with special needs. A short stint as a housekeeper in a castle fired her already keen interest in untold stories of the past and she sat down to research and write.

She now lives beside a loch with her husband and two children where she writes and dances (yes still, chronic medical conditions allowing, pah!) and eats rather too much chocolate.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ TikTok ~ Facebook ~ Bluesky

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2025 Semi-Finalist badge

Catch-Up Quick Takes—Books I Enjoyed Probably More Than I Should’ve

By HCNewton

On December 8, 2025

In Audiobook, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I don’t know what to say about these books—I’m not the target audience for these, and I’m not sure exactly why I tried any of them. But something about them caught my attention and I had a blast with them all. I don’t have a full post about any of them in me, but I have a few things to say. As usual, the point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

On Again, Awkward Again

by Erin Entrada Kelly & Kwame Mbalia, read by Jennifer Aquino & James Fouhey

DETAILS:
Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 6 hrs., 48 min.
Read Date: September 17-18, 2025

(the official blurb)
It delivers on the premise precisely. It’s sort of a variation on Rowell’s Elenor & Park, but done in a way that probably won’t get anyone annoyed by the depictions of the various ethnicities depicted.

Two geeky kids (in their own ways) who see beyond the geekiness to the great person (not ignoring it, but embracing it and the person exhibiting it). They’re drawn to each other, enjoy each other, and you can’t help but hope for a Happily Ever After (or at least a Happily-‘Til-Graduation).

The narration was great. I really loved the way they brought the characters to life.

3 Stars

I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

by Ann Aguirre, read by Faith Clark & Cary Hite

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication Date: June 17, 2025
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 10 hrs., 47 min. 
Read Date: July 31-August 5, 2025

(the official blurb)
I’ve read some pretty good UF by Aguirre, and some good SF by her, too (and would’ve finished the series if I hadn’t had trouble finding a book or two at the library). But they were pretty serious—so seeing a Rom-Com with her name on it intrigued me. A Rom-Com with this premise even more so. An alien stranded on Earth meets some friends in an online chat room, develops a crush for one of them, and then they arrange to meet at a con. She’s a bit of a geek, who has a pretty sizable crush on him. Things spark at the con, just as you expect and…

I really liked our female main character and their friends. The alien intrigued me—and I did like him, but I think the narrator kept me from liking him as much as I should’ve—which is odd, because I think he nailed the character.

The story ends up not being as predictable as you’d expect, but it’s sweet. The found-family part of it is terrific. The romance will win you over. There are two occasions that it gets too steamy for me—but I really am a prude about that kind of thing (especially in an audiobook where I can’t just skim a few paragraphs to get past it), and it’s really not that bad (I don’t think).

3 Stars

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science

by Kate McKinnon, read by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, Book #1
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 4 hr., 54 min.
Read Date: July 18-21, 2025

Secrets of the Purple Pearl

by Kate McKinnon, read by Kate McKinnon & Emily Lynne (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, Book #2
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date:  September 30, 2025
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 4 hrs., 42 min.
Read Date: October 3-9, 2025

(the official blurb of Book #1) and (the official blurb of Book #2)
Would I enjoy these in print? Yeah—especially the illustrations. But the performance by McKinnon & Lynne make these things you have to listen to. And likely re-listen to.

These are silly, silly, silly adventure novels about three sisters (orphaned and living with unpleasant and demanding relatives) who wind up at The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette because they can’t manage to stay in other schools without being disruptive (by being themselves, not by being disruptive). Sure, their aunt may not truly understand the nature of this school—but that works for the sister’s benefit.

Quibb introduces them to a world of pizza, self-expression, curiosity, mystery, danger—and the chance to save the world from mad scientists.

I cannot say enough good things about these books. The plots are insane, the texts are ridiculous, and the jokes are a great balance of silly enough for children but clever enough for adults. They’re perfect for young or young-at-heart readers (or people who want to be young-at-heart, you will be in that condition while reading them).

4 Stars

I Hope This Finds You Well

by Natalie Sue, read by Nasim Pedrad

DETAILS:
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Format: Unabridged Audiobooki
Length: 12 hrs., 3 min. 
Read Date: November 21-25, 2024

(the official blurb)
The entire setup for this book makes utterly no sense—and is likely technologically impossible. Suck it up, pretend it can happen. Once that’s done, you can bask in this feel-good, self-improvement story about love, people who shouldn’t interact anyone in public (without a lot of therapy), and friendship.

Jolene’s parents (and the mother’s social circle) are fantastic and add both comedy and heart.

Is the book predictable? Yes, but Natalie Sue may not time events/reveals the way you expect. Does the predictability matter? Nope. It’s the ride. And man, it was a fun one. Dynamite narration, too.

4 Stars

Back After This

by Linda Holmes

DETAILS:
Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 9 hrs .,12 min.
Read Date: April 30-May 2, 2025

(the official blurb)
I could copy the last paragraph for this one and be done (although I think Holmes times pretty much everything the way you’d expect). But it’s not just about the sweet love story.

Nor is it just about the fantastic dog character (but, yeah, that’s part of it).

It’s the personal/professional journey that Cecily takes and where she lands at the end that really sells this book for me.

3 Stars

A Few Scattered Thoughts on My Latest Reading of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

By HCNewton

On December 5, 2025

In C.S. Lewis, Fantasy, Fiction, Further Up and Further In

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

by C. S. Lewis , illustrated by Pauline Baynes

DETAILS:
Series: The Chronicles of Narnia, #3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: July 1, 1994
Format: Paperback
Length: 248 pg.
Read Date: December 2, 2025

I have a very distinct memory of the day I bought this book (well, my first copy, anyway). I was finished with a 1-2 week thing at a local liberal arts college one summer (I think it was after 4th grade–it might have been after 3rd), and my mother said we could look at the book store there. I got a textbook about the Supreme Court (yes, my 8 or 9 year-old-self had ambition–wasted, I should note) and this book. I could’ve picked any of the 7, but I’d watched parts of the cartoon version of Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a few months earlier, and wasn’t that interested in it. But his had a cool looking ship on the cover. So I went with it.

In the years since, it remained my most-read of the series (followed closely by Prince Caspian, with Wardrobe coming in third). And it’s the one I have the hardest time being objective about. I also didn’t take as many notes for this post as I read it. I just go swept up in the reading. Still, I do have a few things to say.

bullet

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.

Is possibly the best sentence Lewis ever wrote. It’s one of my all time favorites.
bullet The rest of the paragraph isn’t too shabby, either:

His parents called him Eustace Clarence and masters called him Scrubb. I can’t tell you how his friends spoke to him, for he had none. He didn’t call his Father and Mother “Father” and “Mother,” but Harold and Alberta. They were very up-to-date and advanced people. They were vegetarians, nonsmokers and teetotalers and wore a special kind of underclothes, In their house there was very little furniture and very few clothes on beds and the windows were always open.

bullet This book features my all-time favorite portal fantasy depiction of someone from “our world” going to another. This may come from it being the first that I remember. But I don’t think so.
bullet

[Lucy] spent a good deal of time sitting on the little bench in the stern playing chess with Reepicheep. It was amusing to see him lifting the pieces, which were far too big for him, with both paws and standing on tiptoes if he made a move near the center of the board. He was a good player and when he remembered what he was domg he usually won. But every now and then Lucy won because the Mouse did something quite ridiculous like sending a knight into the danger of a queen and castle combined. This happened because he had momentarily forgotten it was a game of chess and was thinking of a real battle and making the knight do what he would certainly have done in its place. For his mind was full of forlorn hopes, death-or-glory charges, and last stands.

bullet In case it wasn’t clear from the get-go (and it absolutely was), Eustace swinging Reep around by his tail tells you everything you need to know about the lad–to paraphrase Linda Ronstadt, “He’s no good, he’s no good, he’s no good, Eustace, you’re no good.”
bullet In Chapter 6, “The Adventures of Eustace,” we’re told twice that reading the wrong books (or not reading the right books) keeps you from knowing anything about dragons. Fantasy readers, take heart!
bullet After Eustace is transformed into a dragon, say what you will about the kid, he figures out his situation far quicker than his cousins did theirs in Prince Caspian–and they’d read the right books!
bullet I will just never not love Chapter 6. Whether it’s just on the story front, or if you want to go deeper with an exploration of Sanctification…it doesn’t matter. This one chapter in the Chronicles stands out above all others.
bullet If you’d asked me who my favorite characters in the Chronicles were, Reepicheep would’ve been at the top of my list. But getting to read about him over these last two books reminded me just how much I enjoyed him.
bullet Aslan isn’t overthrowing malevolent kings or queens this time, he largely shows up for little things–a quick morality lesson here and there to keep his people in-line. It’s a different way to see him.
bullet That spellbook that Lucy browses is just cool. Hogwarts wishes it has something cool, Madam Pince would have so many people breaking into the restricted section to get a look at it.
bullet I will defend a lot of what Lewis does in this series–but only referring to Caspian’s eventual bride as “Ramadu’s daughter” is not one of those things. (or pretty much anything about their relationship–the last paragraph of the novel helps a little bit)
bullet Speaking of the last paragraph–nice parting shot at Eustace’s mother.
bullet This is probably the most blatant (pre: The Last Battle or maybe The Magician’s Nephew) time we are told that Aslan is known by a different name in our world. Lewis has apparently decided he should stop being subtle and make it clear who Aslan is to us. I don’t mind this a bit (even if I do have some third commandment-related questions)
bullet Really, we learn more about Aslan in this book than we do any other (with the possible exception of The Magician’s Nephew, I need to revisit that one before I know for sure).

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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A Few Scattered Thoughts on My Latest Reading of Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

By HCNewton

On November 26, 2025

In C.S. Lewis, Fantasy, Fiction, Further Up and Further In

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

Prince Caspian

by C. S. Lewis , illustrated by Pauline Baynes

DETAILS:
Series: The Chronicles of Narnia, #2
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: July 01, 1994
Format: Paperback
Length: 223 pg.
Read Date: November 8-10, 2025

If you need to know what this book is about, or anything about this series…seriously, just stop what you’re doing and pick up this book. I don’t mean to be a snob, or maybe I do, but something was missing from your childhood, and now is your time to fix it. I realize that there are many legitimate reasons for people not to have read this (more for some of the later books), and I’m not questioning the choices you or your parents made (actually, I guess I am). But I’m not going to try to talk about this book like I do most others.

If only because everything worth saying has been said by other, better, writers. Probably several times.

I’ve also read this too many times to count as a child—even through my college years, and at least once a decade since. I’ll probably pick up the pace of re-reading them so I can talk to the grandcritters about them, too.

But I feel the need to say something now, so here are a few things that jumped out at me during this read:

bullet The cover on the edition we bought for our kids is just bad. The art’s fine, but this is a silly scene to capture. It really makes me miss the version I had growing up.
bullet It’s so hard to be patient with the Pevensies as they suss out where and when they are.
bullet I enjoyed the way that Trumpkin stumbled while trying to recap Caspian’s story and then just had to start at the beginning. I think this was a pretty smart move for impatient readers–give them a little bit of our friends and then go back to tell Caspian’s story–if he’d started with Caspian and his Nurse, how many of us would’ve put the book down? This way we get the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, some excitement, then the long backstory, and we’re back into the action.
bullet I loved the way Reepicheep was introduced. NB: I love everything about Reepicheep, so I won’t note every example.
bullet It was good to see (and helped the single combat later on be believeable) the way that Narnia is slowly making the Pevensies back into who they were.
bullet

“Such a horrible idea has come into my head, Su.”
“What’s that?”
“Wouldn’t it be dreadful if some day in our won world, at home, men started going wild inside, like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you’d never know which were which?”
“We’ve got enough to bother about here and now in Narnia,” said the practical Susan, “without imagining things like that.”

And if you like that kids, let me tell you about some books I’ve written for grown-ups…
bullet I truly appreciate the way that Edmund sticks up for Lucy here contra-Peter and Susan when it comes to beliving her experiences. As annoyed as I am with Susuan, Peter actually thinking Lucy’s right, but weaseled away from it is far worse.
bullet The betrayal of Nikabrik and the way he talks about Dwarfs sounds like Mr. Beaver’s prejudice. I’m glad we have Trumpkin, our DLF, and others to show him wrong.
bullet While dictating his letter, I rather enjoyed Peter (who surely looked like a punk kid) getting picky about the spelling used by a noted scholar.
bullet Trufflehunter’s insistence that animals don’t change, their beliefs are rock-solid, unlike flighty humans/human-esque people is striking. That has to be an impact of Eve–but where do Dwarfs come from then?
bullet

The first house they came to was a school: a girls’ school, where a lot of Narnian girls, with their hair done very tight and ugly tight collars round their necks and thick tickly stockings on their legs, were having a history lesson. The sort of “History” that was taught in Narnia under Miraz’s rule was duller than the truest history you ever read and less true than the most exciting adventure story.

That last sentence is such a good one.
bullet

…all the-Talking Beasts surged round-the Lion, with purrs and grunts and squeaks and whinnies of delight, fawning on him with their: tails, rubbing against him, touching him reverently with their noses and going to. and fro under his body and between his legs. If you have ever seen a little cat loving a big dog whom it knows and trusts, you will have a pretty good picture of their behavior.

That last sentence is such a good one, too.
bullet We just don’t get enough time from Caspian’s victory to the end of the book. There wasn’t a lot of denouement in the first volume, either. But this felt too rushed.
bullet That last line–which is simply not good–makes me think of the last line of an 80s TV show. Someone makes a dumb joke while the entire cast is sitting together, they all laugh too hard at it and the picture freezes before the credits roll.

This is the first of 3 Caspian novels–putting him on a level with Lucy and Edmund for appearances. There’s not a lot of deep theology here, just Aslan’s protection of the land with direct intervention when called for–with Old Narnia’s royals along for the ride (somewhat literally). I liked the different way the children were pulled into Narnia–I really like young Caspian here–and everything else. It’s just a fun read.

BBNYA SEMI-FINALIST SPOTLIGHT: I Was an Alien Fashion Model by Ivy Hamid

By HCNewton

On November 26, 2025

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Ivy Hamid’s I Was an Alien Fashion Model! This book has made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: I Was an Alien Fashion Model by Ivy Hamid
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Age Category: Middle Grade
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook
Length: 285 Pages
Publication Date: November 10, 2024

About the Book:

Kat Habib is the butt of every fat joke at Franklin Park Middle School. She’s longing to escape, and her wish is granted in the weirdest way—she is accidentally abducted by an alien fashion house. Instantly hailed as an exotic beauty by the spiderlike aliens (who appreciate a good posterior), she becomes their inspiration for a new clothing line for the “Path of Glory,” a sector-wide fashion competition. Surrounded by eccentric aliens and caught up in the whirl of galactic social media, shy Kat is just trying to keep her head down until she can get back to Earth. Unfortunately for Kat, the universe has other plans…

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Ivy Hamid is a writer of middle-grade fantasy who lives in Richmond, Virginia. She was an artsy kid who studied art history when she grew up, and has worked in and around museums ever since. After doing time in New York, slightly to the south of Sing Sing, she moved down to the real South. Ivy belongs to the James River Writers, the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an awesome critique group called the Richmond Fantasy Collective. “I Was an Alien Fashion Model” is her first novel.

Website ~ Instagram

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

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A Few Scattered Thoughts on My Latest Reading of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

By HCNewton

On November 12, 2025

In C.S. Lewis, Fantasy, Fiction, Further Up and Further In

Further Up and Further In A Year with C.S.Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C. S. Lewis , illustrated by Pauline Baynes

DETAILS:
Series: The Chronicles of Narnia, #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: July 01, 1994
Format: Paperback
Length: 189 pg.
Read Date: November 8-10, 2025

If only because everything worth saying has been said by other, better, writers. Probably several times.

But I feel the need to say something now, so here are a few things that jumped out at me during this read:

bullet On the second page of the story, Susan is already trying to act older than she is (which is really the problem that will recur in The Last Battle, people getting worked up about the makeup really miss the boat). Yes, it’s understandable—and maybe even necessary—at this point for her to do so. But it’s a trait that will define her.
bullet I could use another 3 or so chapters about the Professor’s house. Maybe even a book or two. As Lewis writes:

The house of the Professor’s—which even he knew so little about—was so old and famous that people form all over England used to come and ask permission to see over it. It was the sort of house that is mentioned in guide books and even in histories; and well it might be, for all manner of stories were told about it, some of them even stranger than the one I am telling you now.

bullet There is something just so…right…about Baynes’ illustrations. I can’t imagine this series without them (one of the many reasons I’ve avoided picture book retellings).
bullet Lewis stays on-brand by having the Professor bring out a version of the trilemma suited for the question of Lucy’s honesty.
bullet The way the children react just to the sound of Aslan’s name the first time. That’s a great touch.
bullet

This was bad grammar of course, but that is how beavers talk when they are excited; I mean, in Narnia—in our world they susually don’t talk at all.

bullet Mr. Beaver’s comment about not trusting things that look human but aren’t is an odd bit of prejudice. It’s nice to see it quickly shown to be false by the giant Rumblebuffin, unless by size alone, giants don’t look human. Still, I want to make a point to watch out for that idea later on in the series.
bullet I don’t care how many times I’ve read it, Aslan’s walk to the Stone Table is hard to read.
bullet The de-statued lion’s reaction to Aslan including him in the “us lions” group has brought a smile to my face every time I encounter it. Probably for different reasons, but it always works.
bullet I find it interesting that no one other than the adult Pevensies talk in that stuffy, faux-Medieval way throughout the series (maybe A Horse and His Boy will prove me wrong).
bullet The closing paragraphs suggest that the Pevensies are possibly going to encounter many other children who’ve been in Narnia. I wish we’d gotten more evidence of that throughout the books—especially in The Last Battle.

This isn’t a perfect novel—nor a perfect Christian allegory. But I can’t be critical about it, not even a little. I just love this book. (and it’s not even my favorite in the series!)

BBNYA SEMI-FINALIST SPOTLIGHT: Strangers in Our Heads by Bri Eberhart

By HCNewton

On November 6, 2025

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Bri Eberhart’s Strangers in Our Heads! So, this book has made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: Strangers in Our Heads by Bri Eberhart
Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy
Age Category: Young Adult
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook
Length: 350 Pages
Publication Date: November 6, 2023

About the Book:

Gemma, a seventeen-year-old orphan and empath, wants nothing more than to be normal. But after her older sister is killed in a hit-and-run, she discovers she can drain the energy out of any living thing. Fearing she might hurt someone with the faintest touch, Gemma flees from her foster home—guided by a boy she’s dreamed about for years but doesn’t believe is real.

Meanwhile, Theo, the eighteen-year-old astral-projecting leader of a ragtag group of magical misfits, is doing everything he can to protect his found family after he failed to keep his little sister alive. From rummaging through dumpsters for food, stealing from convenience stores, and throwing punches in illegal fighting rings for extra cash, there’s nothing he won’t do to keep the crew safe from the Authorities who are hunting kids like them.

When Gemma shows up in Theo’s world, their dreams become a shocking reality. The problem is that neither thought the other truly existed. Now they have to learn how to trust each other in person, as much as they had in their fantasies, if they want their secrets to remain hidden. What’s worse, Theo didn’t guide her there. Instead, a vengeful entity hell-bent on stealing Gemma’s powers did. She and Theo must work through their grief to banish him or risk losing each other for good. But doing so won’t be easy when kids with powers are being hunted by something far, far worse than a ghost.

In a cruel, contemporary world, can a handful of teens rely on one another to beat the odds?

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Bri Eberhart (she/her) is a speculative fiction writer who lives near Buffalo, NY, with her husband and cat. She has a BA in cultural studies with a concentration in creative writing and literature from SUNY Empire State and works as an editorial assistant for an online marketing website.

Strangers in Our Heads is her debut release. Its sequel, Strangers in Our Hearts, is out now. Her short stories have also been published in multiple online magazines.
.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ TikTok

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award 2025 Semi-Finalist badge

BBNYA SEMI-FINALIST SPOTLIGHT: The Chalice of Fortune by Sarah L. Barnett

By HCNewton

On November 3, 2025

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for by Sarah L. Barnett’s The Chalice of Fortune! So, this book has made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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Book Details:

Title: The Chalice of Fortune by Sarah L. Barnett
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Age Category: Young Adult
Format: Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 263 Pages
Publication Date: September 7, 2024

About the Book:

The Chalice of Fortune is a young adult fantasy adventure set in the 1940’s English countryside during World War II. A fast-paced, high-stakes tale, notoriously difficult to put down, The Chalice of Fortune features ancient riddles, an historic castle (with secret passages), an unlikely (but awesome) heroine, her cousin and their mates, all battling the German war-machine and the ticking of the clock. Can they solve the riddles in time to save the life of someone she loves? Only time will tell.

But did we mention the ghost… ?

The Chalice of Fortune has been announced as the 2025 winner of the Purple Dragonfly Book Award Contest in the audiobook category.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

Sarah is a commercial lawyer in Melbourne as well as a writer, and a single mum to two teenagers and two cats. Her writing has been published in The Victorian Writer magazine and she’s been interviewed on ABC radio and featured in articles in Graziher magazine and Public Accountant Magazine. An experienced public speaker, Sarah has delivered numerous author talks and was featured as a guest speaker at the Melbourne Business School.

Website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ TikTok ~ LinkedIn

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

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Front Desk by Kelly Yang: An MG Novel about an American Dream

By HCNewton

On October 31, 2025

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, YA/MG/Children's Books

Front Desk

by Kelly Yang

DETAILS:
Series: Front Desk, #1 
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: June 25, 2019
Format: Hardcover
Length: 286 pg.
Read Date: October 28, 2025

My parents told me America was this amazing place where we could live in a house with a dog, do whatever we want, and eat hamburgers till we were red in the face. So far the only part we’ve achieved is the hamburger part, but I was still holding out hope. And the hamburgers here are pretty good.

What’s Front Desk About?

I’m not sure where I got the idea—I thought I read it somewhere, but I can’t find it, but I want to say the year is 1993*, and Mia Tan and her parents have been in the U.S. for some time now—having left their family, friends, and lives back in China. Now in Anaheim, they’ve stumbled into a decent job—her parents will manage a motel not that far from Disneyland and they’ll get a place to live, in addition to what the owner has agreed to pay.

(we’ll ignore the way he changes that agreement unilaterally and without warning).

Despite only being ten, Mia starts working the front desk—and really enjoys it—when she’s not in school. She meets and befriends a group of “weeklies” (those who live in the motel). Basically, she’s enjoying life. Until she has to go to school—she can’t bring herself to tell anyone where her family lives, what she does when she’s not in school, etc.

The novel is about Mia becoming comfortable in the U.S., helping her family stabilize themselves in their work, and connecting with a community around them. This comes from the way her parents help immigrants (of multiple nationalities), the weeklies, and other connections she makes by being her irrepressible self.

* The technology used throughout the book fits, for what it’s worth.

The MG-Ness of It

This is very clearly an MG novel—other than the protagonist, the characters are rarely more than an inch deep. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like them—you just have to know going in that they’re going to have the depth of Candace Flynn.

With few exceptions (and those are very clear), these characters are supportive, encouraging, and wise—except for when they need to do something unwise/foolish for plot reasons.

It’s fine—it’s to be expected for the target audience, really. But I’ve been on a streak of some pretty deep reads lately, and it felt really light to me.

On the plus side—there’s no nuance to either the depictions of the xenophobia or racism or to the reactions to it. Yang kept that nice and clear—you help people no matter who they are? You get the white hat. You show prejudice against immigrants, Asians, Hispanics, and/or African Americans? You get the black hat—and very likely are forced to eat your just desserts. And honestly? That’s a relief—I needed something with that kind of clarity.

So, what did I think about Front Desk?

Sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to have an American mom. Just for a day. I could eat all the chocolate chip cookies I wanted because American moms on TV were always baking them. Or making casseroles. Or organizing birthday parties with themes.

I’ll tell you what they were not doing. They weren’t pestering their kids to do more math.

Although the novel is clear about problems in America—particularly when it comes to economics, xenophobia, and racism. But it loves Americans and American ideals, and while it gets shaken—Mia and her parents cling to some version of the American dream. It’s enough to give a cynic hope.

Speaking of hope—the book is full of it. Not all of it is grounded—but, I’m not sure I care. Mia’s hope and optimism are contagious. You see it in the way she sets about everything she does, the way she changes others, and the way those who have been changed start thinking and doing. Again, it’s only the black hats who seem impervious to this—although they are sometimes compelled to change their actions.

It’s sweet. It’s hopeful. It’s cheerful. It is honest about the flaws (and there are more than a few) of the protagonist/narrator, but it shows how she perseveres in light of them—and grows.

It’s really hard to find things to complain about, so I won’t. Pick it up—if not for yourself, at least for the MG reader in your life (assuming you’re fortunate to be blessed with one).

3 Stars

BBNYA SEMI-FINALIST SPOTLIGHT: The Pandora’s Box by L.S. Franco

By HCNewton

On October 24, 2025

In Book Tour, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for by L.S. Franco’ The Pandora’s Box! So, this book has made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.

BBNYA:

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

Pilcrow

Book Details:

Title: The Pandora’s Box by L.S. Franco
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Age Category: Young Adult
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook
Length: 256 Pages
Publication Date: February 23, 2023

About the Book:

A throne that cost his mother’s life.
A prophecy buried through seven worlds.
Magic, myth, and darkness.

When Liam Hale receives a cryptic message on his 14th birthday, he is left with one choice: fulfill the mission his mother started. For that, he needs to embrace his demigod roots, learn his powers, and get initiated into the magical community.

As dark forces grow, shattering the balance between good and evil, Liam must find The Pandora’s Box, hidden in the depths of the Eerie Forest, protected by the sinister Erlking.

Accompanied by a fiercely loyal non-magical friend, a mage apprentice, and two bickering witch-twins, they embark on missions, decoding secrets, and stealing an ancient artifact under the protection of the great centaur Chiron.

But the deeper they go, the harder it is to get out alive.

Book Links:

Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph

About the Author:

L.S. Franco is a Best-Selling Author, Literary Award Winner, proud member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), and member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). She is also a Friends of Worldcon member, supporting the global sci-fi and fantasy community through its most iconic convention.

As a Chief of Strategy, Franco brings sharp structural thinking and visionary planning to her storytelling—crafting intricate plots, complex systems of magic and governance, and expansive multiverse timelines that unfold with purpose and precision.

Franco is known for crafting cinematic, character-driven fantasy set in richly layered multiverses, where magic isn’t just power—it’s system, consequence, and philosophy. Her storytelling blends fast-paced, emotionally raw scenes with a strategic, world-spanning structure that challenges the mind and stirs the soul. Often described as systemic fantasy, her work tackles spiritual warfare, societal collapse, and moral reckoning, all while anchoring the reader in deeply human (and often heartbreaking) character arcs. Her signature style weaves together visual spectacle, intellectual depth, and emotional weight—creating stories that don’t just entertain, but transform.

Born in Niterói, Brazil, she was raised on classic tales, world folklore, and mythology. Her decades as a tabletop RPG game master refined her instinct for improvisation, immersive worldbuilding, and multi-perspective narratives. Her love for psychotherapy and constant study of human behavior breathe emotional depth and psychological realism into her characters.

Now based in the United States, Franco writes with a purpose: to craft stories that linger. Written for her son but meant for all readers, she believes imagination isn’t an escape—it’s a compass. One that can light the way through even the darkest paths.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

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