Tag: Rockstar Book Tours

Book Tour: Forest of Souls- Lori M. Lee

Rating: 5 out of 5.
  • Author: Lori M. Lee
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • Publisher: Page Street Kids
  • Page Count: 400
  • Date Started: June 21st
  • Date Finished: June 25th
  • Spoilers? No

A Brief Description

Sirscha Ashwyn comes from nothing, but she’s intent on becoming something. After years of training to become the queen’s next royal spy, her plans are derailed when shamans attack and kill her best friend Saengo.

And then Sirscha, somehow, restores Saengo to life.

Unveiled as the first soulguide in living memory, Sirscha is summoned to the domain of the Spider King. For centuries, he has used his influence over the Dead Wood—an ancient forest possessed by souls—to enforce peace between the kingdoms. Now, with the trees growing wild and untamed, only a soulguide can restrain them. As war looms, Sirscha must master her newly awakened abilities before the trees shatter the brittle peace, or worse, claim Saengo, the friend she would die for.

Danger lurks within the roots of Forest of Souls, an epic, unrelenting tale of destiny and sisterhood, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Susan Dennard.

Find it: Goodreads || Amazon || Kindle || Audible || B&N || iBooks|| Kobo|| TBD || Bookshop.org

MY REVIEW

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the FOREST OF SOULS by Lori M. Lee Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

This was a book that was on my raider way before it was released. I remember being drawn to the beautiful cover and when I read the synopsis, I knew I was going to need to read it as soon as possible.

When I saw that Rockstar Book Tours accepted me to have a tour stop on the tour for FOS I got SUPER excited. I was lucky enough to get an eARC of this and I started reading it right away, and this book did not disappoint.

I loved this book from the beginning to the end. The pacing on it was phenomenal. There were the valleys of world building and set up along with the high peaks of action at all the right times. Speaking of, the action scenes in this book were AMAZING. They flowed just right and were awesome to read and imagine.

The world of Thiy was so well constructed, and felt real. I felt like I was reading about a real place. There was a lot of show and not much tell here. The Dead Wood, which gives me major Uprooted by Naomi Novik vibes, was spooky! It was certainly a new and different idea that was perfect executed. Every single kingdom and city had their own traditions, customs and beliefs that made them feel all the more real and fleshed out. Like I said, I felt like I was reading a story that took place somewhere real.

The characters were AMAZING. They all felt multidimensional, each with their own voices and personalities. They felt fleshed out, and real. You can tell that the author put a TON of work into character backgrounds. The internal dialogue of our main character, Sirscha was wonderful to read from. The dialogue that occurs between characters is also funny. There were moments where I would laugh out loud because Sirscha made a sarcastic remark that put the other character in their place. The friendship between Sirscha and Saengo was so pure and wonderful.

Next, the plot was great. Like I said before, the pacing here was great. There were a lot of unexpected turns but they came at the right time. The political intrigue was so cool and the motivations of the antagonists were not anticlimactic in any way and the villain felt like a real villain, not a caricature. I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you love fantasy, tales of friendship and standing for what is right. You can buy it at the links included above at your chosen retailer.

Oh, and the ending? How could the author do this to me? It was explosive and I cannot wait for the next entry to the series. I highly recommend it. Go read it now if you can!

Thank you Lori M. Lee, Page Street Publishing and Rockstar Book Tour for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book! If you want to support local bookstores use the bookshop.org link

Thanks for reading my review! Check out more info about the author of this amazing book, Lori M. Lee below, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

PS: Check out the other tour stops too! Give some fellow book bloggers some love!

~Cam

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lori M. Lee is the author of FOREST OF SOULS, first in the Shamanborn duology, as well as GATES OF THREAD AND STONE and THE INFINITE. She’s also a contributor to the anthologies A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS and COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES. She considers herself a unicorn aficionado, enjoys marathoning TV shows, and loves to write about magic, manipulation, and family.

Sign Up for Lori’s Newsletter!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr | Goodreads

Giveaway!

Link to Giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21112/?

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/22/2020BookHounds yaExcerpt
6/22/2020A Dream Within A DreamExcerpt
6/23/2020Confessions of a YA ReaderExcerpt
6/23/2020Lifestyle Of MeReview
6/24/2020Kait Plus BooksExcerpt
6/24/2020Discover ElysianReview
6/25/2020Sifa Elizabeth ReadsReview
6/25/2020History from a Woman’s PerspectiveReview
6/26/2020The Layaway DragonReview
6/26/2020cosmiclattesandbooksReview

Week Two:

6/29/2020Locks, Hooks and BooksReview
6/29/2020Smada’s Book SmackReview
6/30/2020Wonder StruckReview
6/30/2020A Bookish DreamReview
7/1/2020Bookwyrming ThoughtsReview
7/1/2020The Book DutchessesReview
7/2/2020Descendant of Poseidon ReadsReview
7/2/2020Careful_of_booksReview
7/3/2020Rajiv’s ReviewsReview
7/3/2020The Try EverythingReview

~Cam

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Book Tour: Paragon- Shauna Alderson

Rating: 4 out of 5.
  • Author: Shauna Alderson
  • Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Sci-fi
  • Publisher: Zimbell House Publishing
  • Page Count: 396
  • Date Started: June 15th
  • Date Finished: June 20th

A Brief Description

Now that high school is over, Randi just wants to live her quiet life in her little town, but it doesn’t feel right without her friends there. Ever the daredevils, they’ve gone to seek adventure in the capital city of Grandin, and Randi can’t help but feel left behind.

Not to mention that she definitely can’t stop thinking about that kiss she and Eddy shared before he left.

When Randi discovers a mysterious mark on her skin that matches an illustration in A Handbook on Paragonhood, she’s thrown into a world of powerful gods and ancient magic that she thought only existed in the myths. She’ll have to step out of her comfort zone-and into the dangerous streets of Grandin-to find a way to protect herself and the people she loves.

Randi’s not the only one with a secret, and she finds herself questioning who she can trust. Randi will have to wrestle with what it means to be a Paragon and how far she’s willing to go to do what’s right.

With the fate of the world on the line, can she live up to being one of the chosen?

Find it: Goodreads || Amazon || Kindle || B&N || iBooks || Kobo || TBD || Bookshop.org

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the PARAGON by Shauna Alderson Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

MY REVIEW

I struggled to get into this at first, but once I got about 25% into it though, I was hooked and reading it was quick and easy. I started to like the characters more and the plot was getting increasingly interesting. The premise was also pretty interesting. We have a world where there are Paragons, powerful gods with ancient magic. They are believed to be mythical, but are still hunted by Hunters. Randi, our main character is one of these Paragons. She needs to step out of her comfort zone so that she can protect herself and those that she loves. She needs answers, and she struggles to find who she can trust.

You are given a lot of information about the mythology of Paragonhood at first, almost too much to know what to do with at first, but once you get used to that, the pace improves. I actually enjoyed reading about the myths, and in the end, all of the information that is given in the beginning makes sense and is important. I especially loved the sci-fi twist.I always love speculative fiction that implements twists that are rooted in sci-fi.

The trope of a teen who finds herself with magic, on a quest to save the world, is a rather common one. I feel like it was well executed in Paragon. The magic was something I had not seen before. There were elements of it (i.e. the dreamscape, totems, and the eighth power) that were new and intriguing. It definitely made the story more interesting to read.

The setting was also pretty interesting. Here we have a world where even speaking about the myths of Paragons could get you a visit from the Hunters. The world is dangerous and there are strange things happening in the nearby shrines. The world felt real and it felt like there were high stakes.

The characters were all fleshed out. They all had their own secrets that led to new twists and turns that were unexpected and fresh. The group of friends had such a strong bond and each had their own voices that all worked well together, without all sounding exactly the same. Some of them frustrated me, especially with some of the choices they made, but that did not hamper my enjoyment of the book. Randi was an interesting character to read a perspective from. You can see a lot of growth from her character. She goes from being very insecure and unsure of herself to knowing what she wants and how to get it. I really liked to see her grow through the course of the novel.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves magical worlds or quest stories. I would also recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi twists or mythical tales of overcoming overwhelming adversity!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shauna Alderson is a Young Adult fantasy writer and author of PARAGON (Zimbell House, 2020). She began writing teen fantasy even before she was a teen. After she “grew up”, she completed creative writing courses (and a BA in Development Studies) at the University of Calgary. When not reading or writing, she can usually be found teaching ESL, composing on the piano, creating art, or volunteering abroad. She also enjoys dessert, Studio Ghibli films, and being the silliest person she knows. Connect with her on Twitter @AldersonShauna.

Photo by Laura Grace Photography

Website | Twitter | Instagram |  Goodreads | Amazon Author Page 

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Link to Giveaway: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21108/

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

6/15/2020Lone Tree ReadsExcerpt
6/16/2020BookHounds ya Interview
6/16/2020JaimeRockstarBookToursInstagram Stop
6/17/2020A Dream Within A DreamExcerpt
6/18/2020Rajiv’s ReviewsReview
6/18/2020Rajiv’s ReviewsInstagram Stop
6/19/2020Lifestyle Of MeReview

Week Two:

6/22/2020The Try EverythingReview
6/22/2020jenifer_reads Instagram Stop
6/23/2020Two Chicks on BooksInterview
6/24/2020Locks, Hooks and BooksReview
6/25/2020cosmiclattesandbooksReview
6/25/2020cosmiclattesandbooksInstagram Stop
6/26/2020Book BustleReview
6/26/2020Book BustleInstagram Stop

I want to thank Rockstar Book Tours and Shauna Alderson for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

~Cam