Hi all! I'm pleased to be hosting a spot on the blog tour organized by TBR and Beyond Tours for Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela. Be sure to show the other tour host's pages some love as well - the link to the tour schedule is below.
Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom by Nina Varela Tour Schedule (TBR and Beyond Tours)
About the Book
Release Date: February 14, 2023
Representation: Queer, Lesbian, Anxiety
A thrilling fantasy adventure from acclaimed author Nina Varela that explores friendship and queer identity, perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers and Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo series!
When Juniper Harvey’s family moves to the middle of nowhere in Florida, her entire life is uprooted. As if that’s not bad enough, she keeps having dreams about an ancient-looking temple, a terrifying attack, and a mysterious girl who turns into an ivory statue. One night after a disastrous school dance, Juniper draws a portrait of the girl from her dreams and thinks, I wish you were here. The next morning, she wakes up to find the girl in her room…pointing a sword at her throat!
The unexpected visitor reveals herself as Galatea, a princess from a magical other world. One problem—her crown is missing, and she needs it in order to return home. Now, it’s up to Juniper to help find the crown, all while navigating a helpless crush on her new companion. And things go from bad to worse when a sinister force starts chasing after the crown too.
Packed with adventure and driven by a pitch-perfect voice, this middle grade debut from Nina Varela is about one tween forging new friendships, fighting nightmarish monsters, and importantly, figuring out who she is and who she ultimately wishes to be.
Content Warning: Violence (involving swords), blood, physical combat; Brief mentions of animal suffering; Discussions of anxiety, panic attacks
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | IndieBound
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: ARC (Courtesy of Publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours)
I had previously read author Nina Varela’s Crier’s War series, so it was super exciting to learn that she was releasing a new middle-grade fantasy book. While Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom takes a bit to get into, it's a super fun, heartwarming, almost borderline cozy fantasy perfect for young readers. I really appreciated the great worldbuilding, the supportive cast of characters, and the queer representation for readers who really need to see themselves reflected in books.
Juniper Harvey, or “June” is a middle schooler (somewhere around 12?) who's been struggling recently with her family’s move and finding friends at her new school. with recent dreams about a mysterious girl, she at times feels like she’s going a bit crazy until said girl (enter Princess Galatea of Kypros) shows up in her life asking for her help. The adventure that follows is fast paced and enjoyable, and I really liked how the author captured the experience of struggling with your self identity at that age. Juniper in particular struggles because she’s starting to realize that she’s queer, but she has a lot of support which I loved seeing. In particular, there was a cute moment with her mom in the car where she expresses her support no matter who she loves - “So? You can have a crush on whoever you want. Well as long as they’re cute. And nice. They have to be cute and nice. You got that, Junebug?”
The worldbuilding in this book was also a nice touch. It’s not super complicated where younger readers might get confused, but it's engaging and has some very amusing whimsical touches (ala nightmare spirits in the form of flying sheep). The author does hint at a slightly larger pantheon of gods present in Galatea’s world but only three really come into play in this book. The prophecy that looms over the course of the story was a bit predictable, but I also recognize I’m an older reader coming at the story from a different perspective and it wouldn’t be as much fo an issue for someone younger.
Overall, this was a great read and I’m sad it took me so long to get into it. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed books like B.B. Alston’s Amari and the Night Brothers or Rick Riordan’s The Trials of Apollo series. It’s unclear whether or not this book will be continued into a series, but I hope it will be as I’d love to learn more about the different gods in Galatea’s realm. Either way, I think the author did a good job putting the ending of the book together such that it leaves the door open but readers feel like they have closure with the characters.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Little Brown Books for Young Readers, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the blog tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed Juniper Harvey and the Vanishing Kingdom. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
About the Author
Nina Varela was born in New Orleans and raised in Durham, North Carolina, where she spent most of her childhood running around in the woods. These days, Nina lives in Los Angeles with her tiny, ill-behaved dog. She writes stories about queer kids, magic, and the magic of queer kids. You can find Nina on twitter (@ninavarelas) or at http://www.ninavarela.com.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
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