REVIEW Mortal Heart (Alice Worth World #1) by Lisa Edmonds

Mortal Heart (Alice Worth World #1) 

by Lisa Edmonds
Rating: 4 Stars
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)
Publisher: City Owl Press

“A mortal heart may seem weak or fragile compared to what you’re used to, but it can withstand far more than you give it credit for. And a mortal heart offers more joy than any immortal life could ever experience.”

I’m a big fan of Lisa Edmond’s main Alice Worth series, so it was super exciting when she announced the release of a spin-off book based on side characters Ronan and Arkady. Mortal Heart, the first book in the Alice Worth World series, is a high-action, fast-paced urban fantasy and paranormal romance read. The book is ideally suited for fans of the main series, but the author does a good job of making it accessible to those unfamiliar with the main books.  

Ronan and Arkady by themselves were two of my favorite characters in the original books. However, once you put them together everything gets so much better. They make a great team, they have fantastic chemistry (it’s practically instantaneous), and they are both badasses who are coming into the relationship with a lot of skeletons in their closet. It’s interesting to contrast Alice and Sean’s relationship to Arkady and Ronan’s; Sean has to work for a long time (over the course of multiple books) to earn Alice’s trust and break through all of the walls that she’s built up. Ronan and Arkady’s relationship, on the other hand, progresses very quickly (the majority of the book takes place in the span of fewer than 12 hours), and they get fairly hot and heavy quite quickly. For those who have read the author’s previous books, it is about the same level of heat but a little more explicitly detailed. 

In addition to featuring Arkady and Ronan, the book also features cameos by other familiar faces from the original Alice Worth books. The world-building and character development Ms. Edmonds achieved in this book will surely help set the stage for Alice’s next adventure. If the author does another spin-off book not based on Arkady and Ronan, I’d love to see a story based on the witches! 

Overall, Mortal Heart was another entertaining book by Lisa Edmonds. I’m excited to read more books based on Ronan and Arkady’s storyline, and more of the main series books based on Alice and Sean’s story in the future. If you love fast-paced, high-action urban fantasy books, then this is a great addition to your to-be-read (TBR) list. As a bonus, at the time of writing this review, it was available to all Kindle Unlimited members to read for free. 

About the Book

A fallen angel sentenced to a mortal life on Earth.

A former soldier turned private investigator who’s been there, killed that.

The bad guys don't have a prayer...

Ronan, once the archangel Remiel, chose to fall from Heaven after breaking angelic law. For centuries, he used his skills to live and work among humans as a bounty hunter. A chance encounter with a mysterious mage named Alice Worth in the so-called Broken World forced him to violate angelic law once more, this time to save millions of lives. Now cut off from his angelic kin with his wings and power bound, Ronan is a man without a future, purpose, or reason to live.

Arkady Woodall left a dangerous job at the Vampire Court to return to the profession she loves most: private investigator. Now she’s Alice Worth’s business partner, and for the first time in years she’s calling her own shots. But now that she’s between cases, it’s the perfect time to find out more about Ronan, the enigmatic man who’d mysteriously shown up beaten and near death in Alice’s yard and then vanished again as soon as he’d recovered.

Knives, punches, and sparks fly when Ronan and Arkady cross paths at a roadside dive bar and stumble upon a kidnapping in progress. What starts as a simple rescue quickly turns into a deadly mystery that sends them on a wild and daring chase from the city’s most depraved depths to its highest and most luxurious penthouses, dodging bullets and black magic along the way. When their shared addiction to danger puts them on a collision course with a merciless and powerful enemy, Ronan and Arkady realize their only hope of success and survival is each other, but a devastating secret might spell doom for them both…

About the Author:

Lisa Edmonds was born and raised in Kansas. A graduate of Buhler High School, she studied English and forensic criminology at Wichita State University. After acquiring her Bachelor’s degree, she considered a career in law enforcement as a behavioral analyst before earning a Master's from Wichita State and then a Ph.D. in English from Texas A&M University.

She is currently an associate professor of English at a college in Texas, where she teaches a variety of writing and literature courses.

When not in the classroom, she shares a quiet country home with her husband Bill D’Amico and their cats, and enjoys writing, reading, traveling, spoiling her niece and nephew, and singing karaoke.

Author Photo Credit: Madison Hurley Photography in Hot Springs, AR

BLOG TOUR Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza by Laekan Zea Kemp

Hi friends! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza by Laekan Zea Kemp, organized by TBR and Beyond Tours. Check out the post, and makes sure to show the other tour hosts some love as well! The link to the schedule is below. 

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza Tour Schedule (TBR and Beyond Tours)

About the Book

Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Representation: Chicane, Mexican, Latinx

Fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, and Disney’s Encanto will be captivated by this fantastical novel about a girl who must learn to trust her ancestral powers when she comes face-to-face with the Mexican legend La Lechuza. 

Omega Morales’s family has been practicing magic for centuries in Noche Buena. But over the years, the town’s reputation for the supernatural is no longer one the people carry with pride. So Omega’s family keeps to themselves, and in private, they’re Empaths—diviners who can read and manipulate the emotions of people and objects around them. But Omega’s powers don’t quite work, and it leaves her feeling like an outsider in her own family.

When a witch with the power to transform herself into an owl—known in Mexican folklore as La Lechuza—shows up unannounced, Omega, her best friend Clau (who happens to be a ghost), and her cousin Carlitos must conduct a séance under a full moon in order to unravel the mystery of the legend.

Suddenly Omega’s magic begins to change, and the key to understanding her powers is more complicated than she thought. Omega will have to decide what’s more important—trusting the instincts of others or learning to trust in herself.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
 Indigo | IndieBound | 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

REVIEW of Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: ARC (Finished Copy Courtesy of Publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours)
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for young Readers

Laekan Zea Kemp’s middle grade debut novel Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is the perfect book for fans of Tehlor Kay Mejia’s Paola Santiago and the River of Tears and Kaela Rivera’s Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls. Filled with magic, adventure, figures out of folklore and legend, and a very lovable trio at the heart of the story, readers of all ages will connect with this book. 

On first look, Omega Morales seems like your average middle school girl. But the citizens of Noche Buena know that her family is different; specifically, that all of them have psychic talents to some degree. Things are rough for Omega though, because she’s still an anomaly in her family. She’s the only half-human, and as such her powers are weak (and unstable at best). When strange things start happening in town, she and her friends Clau and Carlitos must work together to unravel the mystery and save everyone. 

One of my favorite parts of reading books based on folklore and legend is the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and their history. La Lechuza was a relatively unknown figure to me, especially when compared to La Llorona and El Cucuy. It was fun to learn more about them, their background, and their shapeshifting powers (they are well known for appearing as an owl). Other figures like alebrijes and ghosts make an appearance in the book, and on a mundane level Omega’s family plays heavily into the story.  

The characters are the heart of the story. Omega’s always felt like the odd one out, and that plays heavily into the story. Clau’s ‘ghostliness’ also plays a role in the book, and Carlitos was a great addition to round out the trio. La Lechuza is, at first glance, the villain of the book and a ‘monster’ but she’s actually a very misunderstood figure. The same applies to Abby, Omega’s former friend who has turned to tormenting her in the wake of her grief (following the death of her mother a couple of months ago). 

Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza is an amazing debut, and I’m so excited to read more in this series. I loved the artwork interspersed throughout the book (courtesy of Vanessa Morales) that helped add depth to the story. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy fantasy tales inspired by myth and folklore, complete with ghostly sidekicks, magic, and a bit of adventure. 

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 tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza 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. 

CW: Bullying, Grief

About the Author

Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. Her debut novel, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet was a 2021 Pura Belpré Honor Recipient. In addition to writing she’s also the creator and host of the Author Pep Talks podcast, as well as a contributor to the Las Musas podcast. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicane grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

BLOG TOUR Ghostcloud by Michael Mann

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

About The Book:

Title: GHOSTCLOUD

Author: Michael Mann

Pub. Date: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Peachtree

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, 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

A riveting, magical escapade about finding friendship and the courage to set yourself free against all odds.

Kidnapped and forced to shovel coal underground, in a half-bombed power station, 12-year-old Luke Smith-Sharma keeps his head down and hopes he can earn his freedom from the evil Tabitha Margate. Then one day he discovers he can see things that others can’t. Ghostly things. A ghostly girl named Alma, who can bend the shape of clouds to her will and rides them through the night sky. With Alma’s help, Luke discovers his own innate powers and uncovers the terrible truth of why Tabatha is kidnapping children and forcing them to shovel coal. Desperate to escape, Luke teams up with Alma, his best friend Ravi, and the new girl Jess. Can Luke and his friends get away before they each become victims of a cruel and sinister scheme?
 
Debut author Michael Mann delivers a wildly imaginative middle-grade fantasy set in a smoke-stained world that’s sure to entertain readers who are eager for an adventure with paranormal superpowers.

REVIEW of Ghostcloud by Michael Mann
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: ARC (Courtesy of Publisher and Rockstar Book Tours)

Michael Mann’s debut novel Ghostcloud is an action-packed new science fiction fantasy read for middle-grade audiences. Set in a far-off dystopian version of London unlike the one we know now, children are kidnapped off the streets and forced to shovel coal. Luke Smith-Sharma is one such child, kidnapped two years ago (and unable to see the sun since). When the cruel overseer punishes him, he is sent to the sewers (a fate few return from) and encounters a ghost girl named Alma. Together, they must fight to free the other children and save the day before it’s too late.

The action starts from the very first page. Readers are brought into a scene with hundreds of children shoveling coal, not knowing why or exactly what’s happening. We are also introduced to the villainous Tabatha Margate - not much else is known about her character except that she hates children and runs the operation. Still, everyone fears her and dreads her visits. In particular, she reminded me of Mrs. Trunchbull’s character from Roald Dahl’s Matilda. 

I loved the worldbuilding for Ghostcloud. Mr. Mann blends the past and the present well, describing how Luke and Alma’s world has been devastated by climate change. More modern landmarks like the London Olympic Stadium are referenced, and seemingly in ruins. Gas masks are the norm, buildings are sealed against smog, they preach the “coexistence” of people and pollution, and a point of pride for the government was the lack of smog-related deaths for the last hundred years. It sounds like an awful place to live, and I don’t envy anyone there. While this is undoubtedly a dystopian world (with some science fiction hints here and there), there is also an element of fantasy and paranormal blended in. 

As the name of the book might suggest, Ghostcloud features a ghost at the center of the story. Luke meets Alma in the power plant, and she reveals some hidden secrets about his history. I can’t say much more without risking spoilers, but I loved all the ghostly aspects of the story (and it makes the book a perfect read for the autumn season as we head toward Halloween).  

While the plot is undoubtedly action-packed and exciting, the author touches on a notably less fun topic in the book. Child exploitation and trafficking is a real thing, and it deserves more attention. A lot of the story revolves around the kidnapping and forced imprisonment of children, and how Luke is fighting for his freedom (and a chance to see the sun and his family again). There was a lot of care put into this aspect of the book - it educates without lecturing the readers. I imagine that comes from the author’s position as a primary school teacher. As a reader myself, it was horrifying to envision the conditions the children were working in, and I was rooting for Luke, Ravi, Jess, and the other children to break free from the start.

Ghostcloud had a fantastic ending, and I’m excited to read what comes next in the series. If you like lighthearted fantasy stories with elements of science fiction, dystopia, and the paranormal, then this would be a great choice to add to your to-be-read (TBR) list. 

Thank you to the author Michael Mann, the publisher Peachtree, Jaime at Rockstar Book Tours, and Edelweiss for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in this tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Ghostcloud 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 Michael Mann:

Michael’s first writing success was for a poem about potatoes - in a competition run by a Yorkshire school catering company. As a ‘reward’, he had to shake hands with a giant potato mascot in front of his entire school. It would be many years before he dared write again.

These days, Michael is a teacher by day, dad by night, and mostly writes when he should be sleeping. He owes the idea for his middle grade novel, Ghostcloud, to his coal-mining grandad and a lifelong love of cloudspotting. He’s half-Indian and passionate about diversity in children’s literature, and loves books that keeps kids turning the page.

He has a first-class degree in anthropology, lives in East London with his (very patient) partner and their (less patient) toddler, and can be found playing board games when he’s not busy losing his wallet. Michael was an Undiscovered Voices 2020 finalist, and his debut middle grade novel Ghostcloud will publish with Hachette in October 2021.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of GHOSTCLOUD, US Only.

Ends October 4th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/19/2022	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
9/19/2022	laura's bookish corner	Review/IG Post
9/20/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
9/20/2022	Beers Books Boos	Review/IG Post
9/21/2022	More Books Please blog	Review/IG Post
9/21/2022	@jael_and_jenessa_reads	Review/IG Post
9/22/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
9/22/2022	Lisa-Queen of Random	Excerpt/IG Post
9/23/2022	@ablueboxfullofbooks	IG Review
9/23/2022	onemused	IG Spotlight

Week Two:

9/26/2022	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post
9/26/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
9/27/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
9/27/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
9/28/2022	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review/IG Post
9/28/2022	@jacleomik33	IG Review
9/29/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
9/29/2022	Laurenreads._	IG Review
9/30/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
9/30/2022	One More Exclamation	Review/IG Post

BLOG TOUR Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentino

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the RAISING THE HORSEMAN by Serena Valentino Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book

Title: RAISING THE HORSEMAN

Author: Serena Valentino

Pub. Date: September 6, 2022

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 304

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org, Book Depository

*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

From the New York Times best-selling author of Disney’s Villains series comes a ghostly new stand-alone novel that reimagines The Legend of Sleepy Hollow through the eyes of a modern teen.

The two-hundredth anniversary of the Headless Horseman's legendary haunting of Sleepy Hollow is approaching, but Kat van Tassel wants nothing to do with the town's superstitious celebrations. As a descendant of the original Katrina van Tassel, Kat knows she’s expected to fulfill her ancestor’s legacy by someday marrying her longtime boyfriend and running the prestigious family estate. But Kat dreams of a life outside Sleepy Hollow.
 
Then Kat meets Isadora, a new girl in town who challenges Kat to reexamine those expectations, opens her eyes to the possibility that ghosts are real, and makes her question who she truly wants to be . . . and be with.
 
When Kat is given the original Katrina’s diary, a new legend begins to take shape, one that weaves together the past and the present in eerie ways. Can Kat uncover a two-hundred-year-old secret, and trace its shocking reverberations in her own life, in time to protect what she truly loves?
 
Fans of Serena Valentino will delight in this supernatural coming-of-age tale that finally gives the women of Sleepy Hollow a chance to tell their side of the story.

Review:

“A sweet retelling of a spooky classic.”―Kirkus Reviews

REVIEW of Raising the Horseman by Serena Valentino
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Format: eARC (Courtesy of Publisher and Rockstar Book Tours)
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

You may know the tale of Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones, but have you heard the story from the perspective of Katrina van Tassel? A retelling of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and the tale of the Headless Horseman, Serena Valentino’s Raising the Horseman is a standalone young adult novel that tells the story from the perspective of Katrina’s descendant Kat. 

Katrina “Kat” van Tassel is the many times great-granddaughter of the original Katrina van Tassel (with every female in her family being named after the first Katrina). Much to her dismay, her home of Sleepy Hollow is quite entranced by the legend of the Headless Horseman and seemingly obsessed with antiquated traditions. Unfortunately for Kat, who does not believe in anything paranormal or occult, it's the two hundredth anniversary of his original ride and things are not quite as they seem. Will the horseman ride again, or is it all just a bunch of hocus pocus made up to attract tourists? 

The story is told in two points of view; Kat's perspective in the present and in the past through the original Katrina's journal entries. The author does an excellent job of weaving the two timelines into one cohesive narrative. From what I can tell, Katrina’s diary entries offer a majority of the worldbuilding (giving the backstory surrounding the horseman) while the plot moves along in the present day. I did notice that Katrina's diary entries switch from being written in the form of a diary entry to being more narrative in style, so that was a bit weird but didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the read too much. It was a bit disconcerting that the original Katrina insisted all of her descendants have the same name as her (given how much she resented not having a choice) but don’t fret because there is a reason for it that’s revealed later in the book. 

Given that this is a retelling, the author was bound to make some changes and one of the changes Ms. Valentino introduced was the character of Isadora Crow. Isadora Crow was an interesting genderbent interpretation of Ichabod Crane's character, retaining many his positive qualities while also breathing fresh life into the character and the town of Sleepy Hollow. Once Isadora comes to town, she shakes up Kat’s world and gives her the nudge she needed to choose what she wants in life (rather than what everyone else wants for her). In particular, I appreciated how Isadora made it possible for Kat to recognize Blake’s gaslighting and manipulation and ultimately break free from that toxic relationship. 

Overall, this was an entertaining and spooky read. It’s perfect for those who enjoy retellings, and a great choice for the upcoming autumn season. As a note for those  who might be curious, there is enough detail provided in the book that you don’t have to be familiar with the source material to be able to understand what’s going on. 

Thank you to the author, the publisher Disney-Hyperion, and Jaime at Rockstar Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary review copy as part of my participation in this tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review Raising the Horseman 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. 

CW: Gaslighting, Toxic Relationships

About Serena Valentino:

Serena Valentino has been weaving tales that combine mythos and guile for the past decade. She has earned critical acclaim in both the comic and horror domains, where she is known for her unique style of storytelling, bringing her readers into exquisitely frightening worlds filled with terror, beauty, and extraordinary protagonists. The books in her best-selling Villains series are best enjoyed when read in the following order: Fairest of All, The Beast Within, Poor Unfortunate Soul, Mistress of All Evil, Mother Knows Best, Odd Sisters, Evil Thing, Cold Hearted, and Never Never. She is also the author of the Villains graphic novels Evil Thing and Fairest of All.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of RAISING THE HORSEMAN, US Only.

Ends October 7^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/1/2022	Celia's Reads	Review/IG Post
9/2/2022	booksaremagictoo	Review/IG Post
9/3/2022	Nonbinary Knight Reads	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

9/4/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
9/5/2022	@ReaderOfTheWrittenWord	IG Review
9/6/2022	Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog	Review/IG Post
9/7/2022	Book-Keeping	Review/IG Post
9/8/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
9/9/2022	A Dream Within A Dream	Review/IG Post
9/10/2022	@lexijava	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

9/11/2022	Laurenreads._	IG Review
9/12/2022	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
9/13/2022	Forthenovellovers	Review
9/14/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
9/15/2022	Epic Book Society	Review/IG Post
9/16/2022	@booksrn_rashi	Review/IG Post
9/17/2022	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

9/18/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
9/19/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
9/20/2022	Novel Novice	IG Spotlight
9/21/2022	@ReadsReaders	YouTube Review/IG Post
9/22/2022	@enjoyingbooksagain	IG Review
9/23/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
9/24/2022	Momfluenster	IG Review/FB Post

Week Five:

9/25/2022	PopTheButterfly Reads	Review/IG Post
9/26/2022	@drew_ambitious_reading	IG Review/TikTok Post
9/27/2022	@thebookishfoxwitch	IG Review
9/28/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
9/29/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review/IG Post
9/30/2022	onemused	IG Review