#Review of Bloodcraft (The Cruentus Curse #2) by @AmalieHoward

    *2016 Silver IPPY Winner in YA Fiction!

All magic has its price, and no one knows that better than Victoria Warrick. Gifted with a centuries-old blood curse, Tori has finally learned to master her blood’s demands and has emerged triumphant with Christian Devereux, a vampire overlord, at her side.

But the worst is yet to come …

In the infamous City of Lights, home to both the Witch Clans and the Vampire Council, Tori enrolls at the exclusive Belles Fontaines school in Paris, where she is faced with a devastating choice: choose Christian and be an outcast, or choose the coven and secure her place with the witches.

When the fate of the supernatural world is targeted by a sinister new threat, Christian and Victoria must unite their two warring species to defeat it. Their bond will be tested, twisted, and sorely weakened, and Tori will find herself in uncharted territory—a dangerous place to be when her blood’s magic has its own dark agenda.

But to save them all, she may have no choice but to invoke its deadly power.


*NOTE: Bloodcraft is Upper YA / New Adult (for mature content–violence, sensuality & language)

#Review #Giveaway of The Lost Expedition (Poptropica #2) by Mitch Krpata, Kory Merritt, Jeff Kinney @abramskids

    Based on a concept by New York Times bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney comes Poptropica, a brand-new graphic-novel series by Mitch Krpata and Kory Merritt that takes readers on an adventure beyond the incredibly popular online role-playing world. In book two, The Lost Expedition, Oliver, Mya, and Jorge continue their search for home, with a few hilarious stops along the way. As the friends set sail for new sights, they find the evil Octavian is still hot on their trail, and he’s determined to get his hands on their magical map. To make matters worse, a mysterious organization is keen on expelling the three friends from Poptropica. As the pals travel, they find that each island is filled with its own unique brand of peril, and the mystery surrounding the map and Poptropica itself begins to unfold. Will our trio be able to once again outfox Octavian and discover the identity of this secret society?
 
Presented in vivid full-color comic book illustrations, The Lost Expedition is perfect for kids who love a sense of adventure while learning about history in a fun way. Book one in the series, The Mystery of the Map, received incredible praise. KirkusReviews said, “Bright, animated colors and zippy cartoonlike action make for an easily accessible first offering that provides just enough exposition to hook young readers and keep them seeking out subsequent adventures. A peppily paced adventure yarn sure to delight fans of the franchise, both old and new.” And Booklistraved, “Based on the online role-playing game developed by the ever-popular Jeff Kinney, this new adventure comic series gets off to a flying start . . . The lively art mirrors that on the website, featuring bold, colorful panels and characters with giant heads and expressive eyes. Fans of the online game will delight in reading a story about one of Poptropica’s many islands, and newcomers will have no trouble falling into this adventure.”

#Review of The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman

    In a hilarious tale reminiscent of T. H. White, a lost boy finds himself an unlikely apprentice to the very old, vaguely evil, mostly just grumpy Wizard Smallbone.

When twelve-year-old Nick runs away from his uncle’s in the middle of a blizzard, he stumbles onto a very opinionated bookstore. He also meets its guardian, the self-proclaimed Evil Wizard Smallbone, who calls Nick his apprentice and won’t let him leave, but won’t teach him magic, either. It’s a good thing the bookstore takes Nick’s magical education in hand, because Smallbone’s nemesis—the Evil Wizard Fidelou—and his pack of shape-shifting bikers are howling at the borders. Smallbone might call himself evil, but compared to Fidelou, he’s practically a puppy. And he can’t handle Fidelou alone. Wildly funny and cozily heartfelt, Delia Sherman’s latest is an eccentric fantasy adventure featuring dueling wizards, enchanted animals, and one stray boy with a surprising knack for magic. 

#Top10Books With a Dystopian Setting with @ilsajbick @garlickbooks @veschwab @Jkagawa @jodimeadows @authorlindsayc @amyewingbooks @robisonwells @aimee_carter

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They would love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post and, if you want to, add your name to the Linky widget on that day's posts (typically put up midnight EST on Tuesday) so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

See the site here and join! Click Here

#Giveaway of Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by @jeannineatkins @SimonKIDS

    A novel in verse about three girls in three different time periods who grew up to become groundbreaking scientists.

Maria Merian was sure that caterpillars were not wicked things born from mud, as most people of her time believed. Through careful observation she discovered the truth about metamorphosis and documented her findings in gorgeous paintings of the life cycles of insects.

More than a century later, Mary Anning helped her father collect stone sea creatures from the cliffs in southwest England. To him they were merely a source of income, but to Mary they held a stronger fascination. Intrepid and patient, she eventually discovered fossils that would change people’s vision of the past.

Across the ocean, Maria Mitchell helped her mapmaker father in the whaling village of Nantucket. At night they explored the starry sky through his telescope. Maria longed to discover a new comet—and after years of studying the night sky, she finally did.

#Review of Bloodspell (The Cruentus Curse #1) by @AmalieHoward

    The spell was simple...

Cruentus Protectum (Defend the Blood)

But what do you do if your blood is your enemy?

Victoria Warrick has always known she was different. An outcast at school, she is no stranger to adversity. But when she receives an old journal for her seventeenth birthday, nothing prepares her for the dark secrets it holds -- much less one that reveals she's a witch with unimaginable power.

What's more, when she meets the dazzling but enigmatic Christian Devereux, she has no idea how much her life is about to change. Enemies will hunt her. Friends will turn on her. The terrible curse that makes her blood run black will stop at nothing to control her. And Christian has a sinister secret of his own...

Without knowing whom to trust, can Victoria survive her blood's deadly desires? Or will she lose everything, including herself?

#Review of Song of the Deep by Brian Hastings @songofthedeep

    Twelve-year-old Merryn lives with her fisherman father in a little cottage by the sea. Each day, her father braves the tumultuous waves and returns home in time for dinner. One stormy evening, he doesn’t come back. Merryn has a vision that he’s been dragged underwater by a terrifying sea creature, and he needs her help. Determined to rescue him, Merryn builds a tiny submarine and embarks on a journey through the undersea worlds she’s only heard about in her father’s lullabies. As she faces the dangers and wonders of the world below the waves, she realizes that her father’s stories were all real.

Readers can also experience Merryn’s daring journey firsthand in the new Song of the Deep video game from acclaimed developer Insomniac Games. 

#BookTube with @readlikeanerd

  Each week well be sharing one video via Booktube!  We hope that you enjoy this meme! 
Please check out these channels and subscribe.  

#Review of Mermin, Book One: Out of Water (Mermin #1) by @joeyweiser @OniPress via @EndyOchita

    "MERMIN the MERMAN from MER!?" That's the question Pete and his friends ask after finding the fish-boy washed up on the beach! Mermin just escaped the undersea kingdom of Mer, and is ready to have some fun on dry land! But why would this aquatic kid be afraid to swim? Perhaps it has something to do with the fishy pursuers who have followed him from the depths below!

#Review #Giveaway of Unscripted Joss Byrd by @lygiaday @FierceReads

    Hollywood critics agree. Joss Byrd is "fiercely emotional," a young actress with "complete conviction," and a "powerhouse."

Joss Byrd is America's most celebrated young actress, but on the set of her latest project, a gritty indie film called The Locals, Joss's life is far from glamorous. While struggling with her mother's expectations, a crush on her movie brother, and a secret that could end her career, Joss must pull off a performance worthy of a star. When her renowned, charismatic director demands more than she is ready to deliver, Joss must go off-script to stay true to herself. 

#Review of The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron

    What isn't written, isn't remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

#Review #Giveaway of The Women in the Walls by @amylukavics @HarlequinTEEN via @EndyOchita

    Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family.  

When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

#Review of The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart by @LaurenDeStefano @BloomsburyPub

    Lionel is a wild boy, who doesn’t much like to be around other people. He’d rather be a purring cat or a wolf stalking the woods.

Marybeth is a nice girl. She doesn’t need to be told to comb her hair or brush her teeth, and she’s kind to everyone at the orphanage . . . Lionel most of all.

Different though they are, Lionel and Marybeth are best friends in a world that has forgotten about them. So when a mysterious blue spirit possesses Marybeth—and starts to take control—they know they must stop it before the real Marybeth fades away forever. 

#Review of Trainbots by @Miranda_Paul @littlebeebooks

    The Trainbots are drawing, sawing, and building to get Toybots ready for kids to play with. But it looks as if the Badbots are sneaking and scheming to sabotage the delivery! Luckily, the Trainbots use their engineering skills to outsmart the Badbots in this rhyming battle of good versus evil.

They are back! GoodWitch vs. BadWitch @WnP_Official

Your favorite dueling advice columnists Good Witch/Bad Witch have returned!

Witchy pair were reader favorites in our previous newWitch magazine, and now the dynamic duo is back with a regular presence on the PaganSquare blogosphere. 

Look for the common sense advice you have come to expect from Good Witch as well as Bad Witch's tart, sassy sense of humor (with an extra serving of whoop-ass as necessary.)