Crossed: Cover Reveal

Crossed

Keeper Witches 0.5

by Kristy Centeno

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Bryn McCaskey lived by simple rules: kill demons, never use magic against
school bullies, and avoid running her mouth in front of her Grams.

It all seemed easy enough to follow.

Until Rhyzel Connor rolled into her life.

Suddenly everything she thought she knew about demons is put to the test as
she finds herself teaming up with the most unusual of teammates to
save a fellow witch from a hit.

Only problem is she doesn’t know how trustworthy Rhyzel is.

When magic is involved a good outcome isn’t always guaranteed and Bryn
will have to put her neck on the line to get to the bottom of the
well, even if it means unmasking Rhyzel and everything he stands for
in an attempt to solve the biggest mystery she’s ever come across.

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Kristy Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night,
with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing
stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived
from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her
female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at
nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.

Kristy currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids, a quartet of
noisy parakeets, and a spoiled puppy. When she’s not working or
writing, she juggles her free time between raising a handful of
minions and pursuing other career goals.

Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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The roar of an engine speeding in our direction drew the Snotty Four’s attention away from me and to a piece of black and green hunk of metal on two wheels headed right for us. Karen and Natasha squealed as the front tire of a beautiful Yamaha motorcycle sped toward them. They jumped to the side, leaving Marianne, Jill, and me in its destructive path.
Marianne and Jill released their iron grip on me and quickly hightailed it after their besties, rushing to the parking lot of the abandoned restaurant to my left as the motorcycle screeched to a stop a mere three feet from my right foot. I had a mini heart attack, but instead of running for cover, I stood frozen to the spot as if my shoes had been superglued to the sidewalk.
I brought my gaze up to the rider, unsure if I should thank him or curse at him. Who the hell drove their motorcycle off the road and right in the direction of five teenagers? No one. Not unless they were crazy, drunk, or stupid. Or all three. There were a lot of psychos out there nowadays.
“Hey, jerk!” Karen yelled at the stranger, who failed to acknowledge her.
Instead, he lifted the helmet off his head and directed a set of green eyes at me. His hair was the color of copper and contrasted against his pale skin. He was very attractive, there was no denying that, but something about him instantly put me on alert.
For starters, no normal person had specks of red in their irises along with their natural color. Second, he gave out an interesting vibe. Like he was surrounded by some inner force that, although invisible, I could still sense.

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Until next time, enjoy your shelves 🙂
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Ten Little Figs: Mummy & Me Review

Ten Little Figs
Written by Rhian Williams
Illustrated by Nathaniel Eckstrom
Age Range: from 3 years
Picture book from Walker Books Australia
Review copy thanks to Walker books
Release Date: April 1, 2020
Click to view at Walker Books

A child counts down the figs on the backyard fig tree, as each one is snatched away by a different Australian animal, in this ode to Australia’s natural landscape.

Ten little figs are on my tree. I love figs and they’re all for me. Ten Little Figs is a joyful rhyming picture book about a child keeping careful watch of the figs on the fig tree in his backyard. With his dog by his side, he counts down the number of figs as they are taken by various hungry Australian animals (flying fox, finches, green ants and others) until only one fig is left. Who will get that very last fig? Luckily Dad comes to the rescue and surprises his little one with the very last fig.


I sat down with my three and six-year-old to read Ten Little Figs. The story kept Mr 3 and Mr 6 in one place long enough to read the story from start to finish – Always a sign of a quality children’s book. When I asked them if they enjoyed the story, they both replied yes with smiles on their faces. Mr 3 then started bouncing up and down singing out AGAIN, AGAIN.

Ten Little Figs tells the tale of the native Australian sandpaper fig tree and its delicious bounty. It entertains by telling and showing all the native animals that feast from it.

The artwork is beautiful, the images appear bright and open, but they are also packed with detail and it was fun to watch my boys discovering all the details, pointing out what the puppy was doing and the different creatures hiding in the images.

The words have a lovely sing-song rhyme to them and flow easily off the tongue, making this book a delight to read out loud.

Things children might sneakily learn while enjoying the tale; Australian animal identification, Australian sandpaper fig tree identification, and a better understanding of some of the benefits to wildlife of green spaces.

Ten Little Figs celebrates native Australian plants and wildlife and all the things one can discover in one’s own backyard.

 

About the author
Ten Little Figs is by newcomer Rhiân Williams. She is an ardent explorer of the natural world and is passionate about stories and children’s books. She lives in country NSW.

About the illustrator
Nathaniel Eckstrom is an illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. He has worked on a number of children’s picture books including Stubborn Stanley, The Hole Idea, Roadtrip and The Dress-Box. DUCK!, written by Meg McKinlay, was his first book with Walker Books. His second is Ten Little Figs, written by Rhian Williams.

Thanks for visiting sarahfairbairn.com 🙂
Until next time, enjoy your shelves 🙂

The Golden Slate: Review

36326764. sy475 Battledoors: The Golden Slate
by Brian Wilkinson
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publication: April 3rd 2018
Publisher: Blue Moon Publishers
Source: Review copy from the publisher – Thank You
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Rating: ✵ ✵ ✵

Life constantly seems to be wavering between really good and really bad for Owen, a lonely sixteen-year-old still reeling from the unexpected death of his mother and a fresh move to Toronto. After ducking into an old bookstore to escape high school bullies, Owen discovers that he can travel to a parallel, twisted version of the city with a magical tablet called a Battledoor, where he encounters new allies, bizarre creatures, and the ultimate antagonist who will stop at nothing to procure the magical Golden Slate for himself.

Forced to work together with friends and enemies in order to return home, Owen is faced with a series of choices that will prompt him to find courage he never knew he had, explore the possibility of romance, and try to find a way to let go of his painful past and move on. But is Owen ready to finally take control, and become the protagonist of his own story?

Find Brian on his Website | Twitter | Instagram 


I first started reading this book in January 2018 when I received an eARC to read and review. I gave up reading it the first time around because I couldn’t stand the character of James. I really liked the sound of the book and the main character Owen was a sweetheart, so rather than just DNF the book, I put it back on my TBR to try again at a later time – In my head, I was thinking later in the year (2018). Oops, here we are over two years later. BUT It was worth the wait as I ended up enjoying the book enough to be tempted to purchase the second book to see how things turn out for Owen and his friends.

When we first meet 16-year-old Owen he is emotionally exhausted and lonely, fed up with the hustle and bustle of his new city and the bullying at his new school. Owen spends most of his days trying to blend in and be invisible, while morning the loss of his mother. More characters join the story quite early on, with love interest Emily and her friend Bea, and bullies James and Lucas. After only a few chapters the teens are all thrown into the chaos of another world together. Que giants wanting to boil them in brews, evil fairies wanting to eat their skins and helpful strangers who appear to straight out of the eighteen-hundreds.

This book gives off major Never-Ending Story and Jumanji vibes and that part I loved. For the most part, it read as an MG adventure book, but then there were moments (mainly surrounding James) that were darker and sat more in YA territory.
I will say that the character of James is a psychopath that needs medical intervention and I found that the moments focusing on him detracted from my enjoyment. I think the author was trying for a Draco Malfoy moment, but the thing with Malfoy is that he’s not truly evil. James just came off as a serial killer in the making.

Battledoors #1, The Golden Slate, for the most part is world-building and getting to know the characters, which I did find enjoyable to read. We don’t meet the antagonist, the big bad guy, until later in the story – Then the story ends on a cliffhanger. And you need to go out and grab Battledoors #2, The Black Spyre, just to see what the outcome is. Argh, Cliffhangers!!
I think this book is best suited to younger YA readers who are into adventure stories but be prepared that they might be requesting the second book immediately after finishing the first.

Thanks for visiting sarahfairbairn.com 🙂
Until next time, enjoy your shelves 🙂

Esme’s Gift: #LoveOzYA Review

51631189. sx318 sy475 Esme’s Gift (Esme Series #2) by Elizabeth Foster
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publication: November 30th 2019
Publisher: Odyssey Books
Source: Review copy from Author – Thank you Elizabeth
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

In the enchanted world of Aeolia, fifteen-year-old Esme Silver is faced with her hardest task yet. She must master her unruly Gift – the power to observe the past – and uncover the secrets she needs to save her mother, Ariane.

In between attending school in the beguiling canal city of Esperance, Esme and her friends – old and new – travel far and wide across Aeolia, gathering the ingredients for a potent magical elixir.

Their journey takes them to volcanic isles, sunken ruins and snowy eyries, spectacular places fraught with danger, where they must confront their deepest fears and find hope in the darkest of places. Esme’s Gift, the second instalment in the Esme trilogy, is an enthralling fantasy adventure for readers 12 years and over.

Elizabeth’s Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 


Esme’s Gift follows 16-year-old Esme as she and her friends travel around Aeolia tracking down ingredients for a magical elixir to try and save her mother. We see Esme’s gift (magical ability) develop further and she her learn to control it just in time. Esme and her friends all must use their varied gifts to figure out the correct ingredients for the elixir, collect them and outsmart the bad guy.
There was even more dragon riding in this the second book and who doesn’t love a story that involves dragons and the characters getting to ride them!!

The founders of Aeolia were refugees from Ancient Greece and the stories architectural backdrop reflects this bit of Foster’s world-building. The world of Aeolia is familiar enough for the reader to feel at home, yet unique enough to keep you entertained. As with the first book, the writing followed well, was well-paced and easy to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed journeying with Esme and her friends again. I found this book to be like a good long hug from an old friend. It lifted my spirits immensely.

Esme’s Gift is a well-rounded fantasy tale with a satisfying ending, and yet enough is left untold to keep you looking forward to the next installment. – We still need to catch Mare and find out what happened to Seth!

Esme’s Gift is a story of friendship, a story of love, a story of never giving up and never losing hope.

I would recommend the Esme series to any #LoveOzYA aficionados and lovers of YA fantasy like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and The Medoran Chronicles.

Click HERE for my review of the first book in the Esme’s Series, Esme’s Wish.

Thanks for visiting sarahfairbairn.com 🙂
Until next time, enjoy your shelves 🙂

February Reading Round up

Reads this month: Candy Hearts, The heart of Space, Runaways: that was yesterday, The Witch Boy, The Hidden Witch, Mindful Parenting, The Boys of Summer, Panic and Frenzy.

Fave Feb read: The Witch Boy and The Hidden Which by Molly Knox Ostertag. I am loving this cute n’ queer witchtastic MG graphic novel series and am keen to get my hands on the third book.

 

Challenge Reads:

#AusYABloggers Fun In The Sun prompt: #LoveOzYA book, The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan.

#TBRtrim20 New: The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag.

#TBRtrim20 Old: The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan.

Reviews Written:

Candy Hearts by Erin McLellan | ★ 4/5 | Queer, Erotic Romance | VIEW.

The Heart of Space by Cendrine Marrouat | ★ 3/5 | Poetry | VIEW.

There is still time to jump on board with the challenges I’m doing this year > > >

Reading Challenge One: If you are after an easy, fun, social and super chill reading challenge for next year, then take a look at the #AusYABloggers 2020 Reading Challenge There are prizes up for grabs and you only have to read a book a month, that fits that months theme to qualify.

Reading Challenge Two: If you want to slash your TBR and are an Instagram user then #TBRtrim20 could be for you. This one also has prizes up for grabs and you can totally do both challenges at the same time, I will be! Even doing both you are only committing yourself to read a minimum of three books a month – obviously, you can read MORE if you are able/want to.

Thanks for visiting sarahfairbairn.com 🙂
Until next time, enjoy your shelves 🙂