I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the FRACTURED PATH by J.C. Cervantes Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: J.C. Cervantes
Pub. Date: August 2, 2022
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 384
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org
*Please note - this post contains affiliate links, from which we may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase
Can dreams come true when you're living with a family curse?
1965—San Francisco, California
The 1960s are bursting with music and movement and love in San Francisco,
perfect for a budding artist like Blake. Unfortunately, the art world is not
welcoming to people of her gender or her multi-racial heritage, making it tough
to land an internship that could put her on the map. That, plus the fact that
Blake’s family has been notoriously riddled with bad luck, makes her feel like
she can’t catch a break. Things only get worse when Blake starts to have
ominous, confusing visions that grow stronger and more frequent, prompting
Blake’s aunt and uncle to tell her about a long-lost family heirloom that could
be the key to everything
Fueled by the ambiguous clues in her visions, Blake sets out on a journey
through the city to retrieve her ancestors’ legendary mirror. But Blake is not
the only one looking for it. Soon she must attempt to unleash her own dormant
powers . . . or else risk all she holds dear.
Fractured Path is the third book in the YA fairy-tale quartet,
following one family—and the curse that plagues it—over several generations.
Haven’t read the first 2 books in THE MIRROR
QUARTET? Get them now!
Check out my review of the first book in The Mirror Quartet, Broken Wish, here!
Check out my review of the second book in The Mirror Quartet, Shattered Midnight, here!
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: August 2, 2022
PLEASE NOTE: While this review is free of spoilers for Fractured Path, there may be some minor spoilers for Broken Wish and Shattered Midnight. If you have not read the first two books in the series, please proceed with caution!
“Magic is often fractured, unpracticed in the hands of those who haven’t had proper training.”
In the first two books of the Mirror series, readers were treated to stories taking place in 1800s Germany and 1920s New Orleans. Now, with J.C. Cervantes’ Fractured Path we skip another generation and move to 1960s San Francisco. Blake is the granddaughter of Zora (the protagonist of Shattered Midnight), and her life is starting to be affected by magic (and the curse) now too. As her birthday approaches, she starts to have dreams (bordering on nightmares), and she and her family believe those dreams are the key to understanding the mystery of her family’s past. Will she be able to fix things, or will she be the latest family member to succumb to the curse’s power?
This book is slightly different than the first two, as now instead of having the two separate bloodlines they have been combined. One thing I really appreciated in Fractured Path that wasn’t really present in Broken Wish or Shattered Midnight is the presence of adult figures in Blake’s life who are ready and willing to help her figure things out. Elva’s parents refused to acknowledge her power in Broken Wish, and we all know how that turned out. Zora did embrace the musical aspect of her gift, and that led her to Phillip, but after the heartbreak at the end of Shattered Midnight, she refuses to use it ever again (in the misguided belief that it will spare her family more pain). Now, Blake has a more watered-down version of magic than other members of her family (like her mother and grandmother) but when the curse comes into play her aunt and uncles are more than willing to help as much as they can. I loved that, and I think if Zora or Elva had someone like that in their lives things would have turned out much differently.
I’m still incredibly impressed by how well the authors have maintained a sense of continuity throughout the books. I can only imagine how many calls and planning sessions and drafts were necessary to make that happen. Each author has expanded upon the worldbuilding of the series, and J.C. Cervantes did a great job with her piece of things. If you like the worldbuilding in her Storm Runner series, then I feel you’ll like what she did with this book.
My one (minor) issue with this book is that it didn’t deliver the same vibe and atmospheric feel as the others did. Maybe it’s just a personal opinion because San Francisco doesn’t equate to as many ideas or concepts as New Orleans (music, great food, racial segregation in the 1920s) or Germany (Brothers Grimm, older more superstitious culture, prevalence of religious ideas and power) do, but that was a difference I noticed between the three books.
Once again, Disney delivered yet another fantastic installment to the Mirror series. With how Fractured Path ended, I’m eager to get my hands on L.L. McKinney’s Splintered Magic to figure out how the story (and hopefully the curse) will end for the family after so many years. While you could technically read these books individually as standalone novels, I recommend reading them in order for the most in-depth and satisfying reading experience.
Thank you to the author, Disney Books, and Jaime at Rockstar Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary review copy. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Fractured Path immensely! Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
About J. C. Cervantes:
J. C.
Cervantes (www.jccervantes.com) is the New York Times best-selling
author of The Storm Runner, which Booklist called
"a rip-roaring adventure" in a starred review. Her first novel, Tortilla
Sun, was a 2010 New Voices pick by the American Booksellers
Association and was named to Bank Street's 2011 Best Book List. Jen grew up in
San Diego and was fascinated by stories about Maya gods and magic. Follow her
on Facebook, Twitter: @jencerv, and Instagram: #authorjcervantes.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Bookbub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a finished copy of FRACTURED PATH, US Only.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
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7/1/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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7/2/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
Week Two:
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7/3/2022 |
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7/4/2022 |
Excerpt |
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7/5/2022 |
Excerpt |
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7/6/2022 |
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7/7/2022 |
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7/8/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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7/9/2022 |
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Week Three:
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7/10/2022 |
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7/11/2022 |
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7/12/2022 |
IG Review |
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7/13/2022 |
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7/14/2022 |
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7/15/2022 |
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7/16/2022 |
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Week Four:
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7/17/2022 |
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7/18/2022 |
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7/19/2022 |
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7/20/2022 |
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7/21/2022 |
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7/22/2022 |
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7/23/2022 |
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Week Five:
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7/24/2022 |
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7/25/2022 |
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7/26/2022 |
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7/27/2022 |
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7/28/2022 |
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7/29/2022 |
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7/30/2022 |
Review |
Week Six:
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7/31/2022 |
Review/IG Post/TikTok Post |
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