BLOG TOUR: The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields

Rockstar Book Tours is hosting a two week long tour for the newly released book by Breeana Shields.

Title: THE BONE CHARMER

Author: Breeana Shields

Pub. Date: May 21, 2019

Publisher: Page Street Kids

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 400

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

SUMMARY: "I was absolutely swept away by the world of The Bone Charmer." – Kendare Blake, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

In Saskia’s world, bones are the source of all power. They tell the future, reveal the past, and expose secrets in the present. Each village has a designated seer who performs readings for the townsfolk, and in Midwood, the Bone Charmer is Saskia’s mother.

On the day of her kenning—a special bone reading that determines the apprenticeships of all seventeen-year-olds—Saskia’s worst fears come true. She receives an assignment to train as a Bone Charmer, like her mother, and even worse, a match-making reading that pairs her with Bram—a boy who has suspicious tattoos that hint of violence.

Saskia knows her mother saw multiple paths for her, yet chose one she knew Saskia wouldn’t want. Their argument leads to a fracture in one of the bones. Broken bones are always bad luck, but this particular set of bones have been infused with extra magic, and so the break has devastating consequences—Saskia’s future has split as well. Now she will live her two potential paths simultaneously. Only one future can survive. And Saskia’s life is in danger in both.

REVIEW: This book to me is a magical Divergent. It is very similar to Divergent, where when you hit a certain age, you get a bone reading and that tells you what you will be doing for the rest of your life and if you are wealthy enough, you could get a matchmaking reading to see who your significant other will be.

We follow Saskia who is against becoming a bone charmer like her grandmother and mother. She asks her mother to allow her to follow her own path and to take into consideration what she requests. She has her reading which is called a kenning and Saskia does not get what she wants. The bones of her grandmother has been used and in her anger she grabs them and in the process, one breaks and that sets off some futuristic parallel world chain reaction.

Going into this book, I didn't read the synopsis. It tells you that there are two versions of Saskia's life. When I started reading the fourth chapter, I was confused at first because she had her reading and her path was set in motion. Then reading further, it  becomes clear that we are following a second path that was seen by Saskia's mother. It shocked me and I thought plot twist, until I read the synopsis. That is the only con I have with this book, and that the synopsis gave away a major detail.

Breeana Shields is an author of fantasy novels for teens including The Bone Charmer, Poison’s Kiss, and Poison’s Cage. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English.

When she’s not writing, Breeana loves reading, traveling, and playing board games with her extremely competitive family. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, her three children, and two adorable, but spoiled dogs.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a signed finished copy of THE BONE CHARMER, US Only.

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2937/

Week One:

5/21/2019- BookHounds YA- Excerpt

5/21/2019- Rhythmicbooktrovert- Review

5/22/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Review

5/22/2019- Jheartlovesbooks- Review

5/23/2019- The Pages In-Between- Review

5/23/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

5/24/2019- A Dream Within A Dream- Excerpt

                                           5/24/2019- Shelf-rated- Review                                                                                                                        

Week Two:

5/27/2019- Character Madness and Musings-Spotlight

5/27/2019- Lifestyle of Me- Review

5/28/2019- Some Books & Ramblings- Review

5/28/2019- Starlight-Reads- Review

5/29/2019- Eli to the nth- Review

5/29/2019- Book-Keeping- Review

5/30/2019- Jena Brown Writes- Review

5/30/2019- The Suburban Lifestyle- Review

5/31/2019- AURELIA LEO- Excerpt

5/31/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader-Excerpt

Week Three:

6/3/2019- Two Points of Interest- Review

6/3/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My second chance with Neil Gaiman and I enjoyed this one way better than The Ocean At the End of the Lane. I read this for my middle grade May challenge and I do classify this as a middle grade transition into young adult.

I love a good ghost story and I do believe in ghosts thanks to Ghost Adventures and I get the chills when I think about all the haunted locations that I have been to in Charleston and in Columbia.

We follow Bod from the time he is a baby to when he is 15. When he was a baby, his parents and older sister were murdered and he was supposed to be killed as well. He is a toddler and they are naturally curious and he walks out the front door and into this graveyard. Immediately his parents spirits ask the dead that are in the graveyard to help hide the baby because the murderer is trying to get into the graveyard.

He grows up in the graveyard and learns from the dead. He has his "parents" who adopted him, the Owens, who were never able to have children. He also gains a guardian as well. Silas is some sort of poltergeist or shadow person. He and Bod have the freedom of the graveyard which means they can go to any part that they like and also leave. Silas beings food, clothing and books for Bod.

I really enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book and it was sometimes confusing but that is what happens with me and magical realism. I decided that is I didn't like this one, I would not read any more Neil Gaiman, but I really liked this one, so I am going to be reading another book of his in the near future... I just don't know which one yet.

Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

I had no plan to read this, this month. But it was at my library and there were a bunch of holds on it ad I decided to read it. I absolutely enjoyed it. It made me laugh ALOT!! It made me breathless, scared, sad, angry, and happy. I loved reading about her childhood and how her parents raised her and her older brother. I loved the family dynamic that she described with her grandparents and cousins and I used to have that same family bond before my great grandparents passed away.

I gave this book a five star and it took me almost two weeks to read it. It wasn't boring, it was just the font was small and I was taking everything in. I have always loved Michelle Obama when she was first lady. She just had a natural grace about her and she is just so damn classy and street smart.

When I had my kids, I vowed to be half the mother she is to her children and feed my kids healthy foods and not junk and sugary stuff. I also felt exhausted reading about her years on the campaign trail and she definitely put her emotions and feelings into those sentences.

I hope she writes another book.

DO I HAVE THAT BOOK TAG

May TBR

So, May is almost over and I realized that I never posted my TBR on here. I chose to do a themed TBR again this month and it is Middle Grade May. Now, the majority of the books I have read this month have NOT been middle grade. I have read one or two middle grade books off my TBR so far but you won't find out which ones until my wrap up post next week.

BLOG TOUR: Tinker Active Workbooks: First Grade Science

Rockstar Book Tours is hosting a two week blog tour for Tinker Active workbooks designed for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade and they cover Math, English and Science.

Title: TINKERACTIVE WORKBOOKS

Author: Various Authors & Illustrators

Pub. Date: May 14, 2019

Publisher: Odd Dot

Formats: Paperback

Pages: Differs per workbook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD

Tinker, make, and engineer to learn through play! With TinkerActive Workbooks, learning leaps off the page and into the real world. Start with interactive and entertaining exercises that cover the essential kindergarten, 1st Grade, & 2nd Grade, math, science, and problem-solving skills. Then, apply what you’ve learned in exciting hands-on tinkering, making, and engineering activities that utilize only common household materials. Plus, the charming cast of characters, the MotMots, guide kids through every new concept with cheer and humor. Once you've completed the workbook, unbox a collectible magnet hidden in the back cover!

Vetted by award-winning educators, TinkerActive Workbooks are designed for all learners. They build your child’s fundamental math & science skills AND inspire them to try new things, discover new skills, and imagine new possibilities.

REVIEW: I am a homeschooling mom and my youngest is in 1st grade. She is a very visual learner and when we got this workbook in the mail to review, I gave it to her and she immediately started flipping through it and wanted to fill out the pages. It is easy to follow and very fun while being educational.

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive their choice of one of the TINKERACTIVE WORKBOOKS, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2938/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/20/2019- Lifestyle of Me- Review- 1st Grade

5/21/2019- The suburban lifestyle- Review- 2nd Grade

5/22/2019- The Pages In-Between- Review- Kindergarten

5/23/2019- Do You Dog-ear?- Review- Kindergarten

5/24/2019- ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ- Review- Kindergarten

Week Two:

5/27/2019- 100 Pages A Day- Review- 1st Grade

5/28/2019- Wonder Struck- Review- 2nd Grade

5/29/2019- BookHounds- Review- 1st Grade

5/30/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Spotlight- All Workbooks

5/31/2019- Little Red Reads- Review- 2nd Grade

OWLCRATE: December 2018, January 2019

I am a MAJOR slacker when it comes to this blog anymore. I actually hate how I am neglecting and it's only going to be on the back burner in the far corner because my life is about to change. I actually have no idea how anything is going to stay the same. But, I am still going to be taking pictures of our Owlcrate boxes because I love looking back and the Instagram photo challenges and the chance to win. I have won a photo challenge 3 times and that means three free boxes.

DECEMBER 2018: Let It Snow

This box is by far mine and Adalyn's favorite to date. She is obsessed with the mug and wants to drink out of it every day and also the socks are totally cute and I wish they had an adult size. We have read the book and it was good.

JANUARY 2019: Weather The Storm

This is one of the boxes that had an amazing photo challenge and I won the prompt and got a free box for February.

BLOG TOUR: The Brilliance of Fireflies by Leslie Hauser

Thanks to Rockstar Book Tours for allowing me to host a spot for this new young adult novel.

Title: THE BRILLIANCE OF FIREFLIES

Author: Leslie Hauser

Pub. Date: May 21, 2019

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 310

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

Summary: Emma Loukas had a typical teenage life. Until she didn’t. After choosing to stay home instead of accompanying her family to a minor league baseball game, Emma is not present when a suicide bomber detonates an explosive device at the entrance to the stadium just as her family arrives. In the months that follow, grief therapy and the gloomy looks from friends and her extended family do nothing but drag Emma further down into the rubble left behind by that deadly April afternoon.

To escape the sad reality of her new life, Emma heads out to California to spend her senior year with her grandmother. Getting away from her former life is the only way to survive. It doesn’t take long, though, for Emma to experience Grandma Connie’s dementia, and it’s more than a seventeen-year-old is capable of handling on her own. Now Emma fears she has just made her bad situation worse, and she begins to wonder if it’s even worth trying to survive.

But when the family mementos on the dresser catch her eye, Emma feels a bit of light turn on inside her. Maybe the way to make sense of her new life is to live the lives her mom, dad, and brother no longer can. So she sets out to achieve each of their dreams. It won’t be easy, but it’s all Emma has left, and in the process, she just may find out who she’s supposed to be.

Review: This was a cute sad story about Emma, a girl who is suffering survivor's guilt. She lost her parents and brother in a bombing attack at a minor league baseball game. She is being watched by her aunt and uncle, but she decides to go stay with her grandmother in California to live out her parent's and brother's dreams.

She makes this major moving decision on the chance of fireflies. When she gets to California, she gets a job at an animal shelter to pay tribute to her father. In memory of her mother, she joins the cross country team at her new high school and signs up for a half marathon. For her brother, she decides to apply to Ohio State University. Her big goal to make their dreams come true, is to take a trip to her familial roots in Corfu, Greece.

I have noticed a theme with recent releases and that is more mental health rep and terrorist attacks.

I am a YA writer and middle school teacher. I have a B.A. in English from UCLA and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration. I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently reside in Los Angeles, California, with my dog Mr. Darcy.

When I’m not living in fictional worlds inside my head, I run all sorts of distances, torture my body at CrossFit, and DVR entirely too many television shows. I dream of one day returning to the Midwest to live on a farm. Or perhaps owning a cookie delivery service.

I am the author of CHASING EVELINE and THE BRILLIANCE OF FIREFLIES.

Website |Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of THE BRILLIANCE OF FIREFLIES, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2933/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/13/2019- Wonder Struck- Review

5/14/2019- Lifestyle of Me- Review

5/15/2019- Struck by Stories- Review

5/16/2019- Lone Tree Reviews- Review

5/17/2019- Starlight Reads- Review

Week Two:

5/20/2019- PopTheButterfly Reads- Review

5/21/2019- Pacific Northwest Bookworm- Review

5/22/2019- thesuburbanlifestyle- Review

5/23/2019- BookHounds- Excerpt

5/24/2019- JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder- Review

Review: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

I am in love with this book. I don't know what it is about it, but I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. Right off the bat with are with Jem and he is my favorite character. I usually stay away from books set in Victorian era London because I can't get into it. Although there were a few times where there was scenes where something was proper or a guy and a girl wanting to start a relationship and they need to be chaperoned. UGH.

Jem is just a sweetheart who deserves all the love in the world and I am happy that Tessa actually chose him and didn't break things off for Will. Will grew on me a little bit, but he is still the same arrogant and cocky bastard from the first. I did laugh at his jokes about Benedict Lightwood, and I loved learning more about the "curse" and his family.

That bitch Jessamine got what she deserves, and I cannot wait to see her die in Clcokwork Princess. I was spoiled and I was a little upset with that tidbit going into this book, but I just want her to go rot in hell for being a spy. Also, when her ring broke while she was scratching into to the and it was fake, I laughed so loud.

I can't wait to see more about Charlotte and Henry and how their marriage will work out and what is going to happen with Sophie and Gideon.