#BlogTour After the Rain by Natália Gomes

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour After the Rain by Natália Gomes.

About the Author

Natália Gomes has an MLitt in Scottish Literature & Creative Writing and an MEd in Education. Inspired by her experiences as a special education coordinator in a public school district in the US, Natália started writing fiction with a focus on mental health among young adults. Her debut novel Dear Charlie is endorsed by Amnesty International and was longlisted for the 2018 International Dublin Literary Award.

Natália currently lives in Scotland with her chocolate labrador Charlie, and is completing a PhD in English Studies. Follow @nd_gomes on Twitter, on Instagram, 

About the book

'We’re alive. So let’s start living.' - Two strangers - Jack was sporty and outgoing. Alice was bookish and introverted. Their lives were on completely different paths.

One life-changing tragedy - That is before the day they were in the wrong place at the wrong time: before the day their lives were torn apart in a bombing.

A hopeful new friendship - Struggling to cope with their new worlds, their unlikely new friendship helps them find hope. But can they help each other rebuild their lives and start again?

Review

Jack and Alice become part of each others lives and forever entwined when they are both part of the same tragedy. It's an event that changes both of them. Having to come to terms with the trauma, the pain and the guilt is a completely different journey for Alice and Jack.

The What If factor plays a role for the two of them. If they had gone their individual paths a few seconds earlier or one of them had gone in a different direction. What doesn't really occur to either of them is that any of these alternatives could also have equalled death.

It's not really about the two of them saving each other, although in a way they do that from time to time. It's really about recognising that there is a way forward for each of them individually, but only after they have recognised what they need to heal, cope and move on.

Kudos to Gomes for keeping it simple and not feeling the need to add to the scenario, for not making this into another YA love goes into the night romcom. No really - it would have spoilt the whole premise. Grief, fear and survivor's guilt should remain at the core of this story from start to finish. They do, which is why it is a good read.

Buy After the Rain at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎HQ Young Adult pub date 8 July 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre by Robin Talley

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre by Robin Talley.

About the Author

Robin Talley (she/her) is a queer author who grew up in southwest Virginia and now lives in Washington, D.C., with her wife and their kids. She did digital communications work for LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, educational equity, and other progressive causes for fifteen years before she turned to writing full-time, and is now the New York Times-bestselling author of six novels for teen readers: Music From Another World, Pulp, Our Own Private Universe, As I Descended, What We Left Behind, and Lies We Tell Ourselves.

Her books have won accolades including the Amnesty CILIP Honour and the Concorde Book Award, have been short-listed for the Lambda Literary Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and have appeared on the Junior Library Guild, Amelia Bloomer Project, Kids’ Indie Next, and ALA Rainbow lists. They’ve also been covered in media outlets including Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, Teen Vogue, NPR, Buzzfeed, Vulture, Huffington Post, Vice, and Bustle.

Her short stories have appeared in the young adult collections Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft, All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages, A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers and Other Badass Girls, and Feral Youth.

Follow @robin_talley on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit robintalley.com, Buy The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre

About the book

Melody McIntyre, stage manager extraordinaire, has a plan for everything.

What she doesn’t have? Success with love. Every time she falls for someone during a school performance, both the romance and the show end in catastrophe. So, Mel swears off any entanglements until their upcoming production of Les Mis is over.

Of course, Mel didn’t count on Odile Rose, rising star in the acting world, auditioning for the spring performance. And she definitely didn’t expect Odile to be sweet and funny, and care as much about the play’s success as Mel.

Which means that Melody McIntyre’s only plan now is trying desperately not to fall in love.

Review

First thoughts - goodness how extremely serious do they take their plays, musicals and world of theatre in general. Then multiply that by drama and teenage angst tenfold, add on years of superstition and the result is a bubbling mess of a stage manager called Melody.

Melody believes that curses determine the success or failure of the production she is in charge of. Some of the curses seem to be made up as they go along, such as deciding that Melody's love life has a negative impact on their show, hence her being forbidden from falling in love henceforth. Sounds a lot easier than it actually is, especially when love is closer to her than she thinks.

I took a step back from this after reading it and thought about the story in relation to other work by Talley, who has without a doubt been able to bring social commentary, racism, identity politics, civil rights, sexual identity and discrimination to the table for YA genre - in a way that is both hard-hitting, relatable and empowering. Her thought process is always to ensure something remains long after the read. I will never forget reading Lies We Tell Ourselves. There is a reason she is a critically acclaimed author.

With that in mind I wondered at the seeming simplicity and what appears to be a lot of teenage angst, drama and common YA unicorn fluff. What is it that lurks beneath the surface of the water as the reader bobs for the apple?  

Buy The Love Curse of Melody Mcintyre at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Young Adult; pub date 12 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. At Hive.co.uk. At Bookshop.org

#BlogTour Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody

 

Today is my turn on the BlogTour Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody. It is the third and final part in the Shadow Game series.

About the Author

Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After a double life as an accountant preparing taxes for multinational corporations, she now spends her free time brewing and fermenting foods much more easily obtained at her local grocery store. She lives in Boston, MA with a hoard of books guarded by the most vicious of feline companions, Jelly Bean.

She is the author of The Shadow Game series and more. Her middle grade debut, Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice, hits shelves March 30, 2021, and All of US Villains, co-written with Christine Lynn Herman, releases in September 2021.

Subscribe to Amanda's newsletter here, Follow @AmandaFoody on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Instagram, Visit amandafoody.com, Buy Queen of Volts

About the book

Return to the City of Sin, where the final game is about to begin…and winning will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

Only days after a corrupt election and brutal street war, one last bloodthirsty game has begun. The players? The twenty-two most powerful, notorious people in New Reynes.

After realizing they have no choice but to play, Enne Scordata and Levi Glaisyer are desperate to forge new alliances and bargain for their safety. But while Levi offers false smiles and an even falser peace to the city’s politicians, Enne must face a world where her true Mizer identity has been revealed…and any misstep could turn deadly.

Meanwhile, a far more dangerous opponent has appeared on the board, one plucked right from the most gruesome legends of New Reynes. As the game takes its final, vicious turn, Levi and Enne must decide once and for all whether to be partners or enemies.

Because in a game for survival, there are only losers…and monsters.

Review

This is the third book in The Shadow Game series and also unfortunately the conclusion to this fantastic Young Adult fantasy trilogy. I would absolutely recommend reading the other two in the series just to get the whole gist of it and experience the pleasure of the entire story.

It was interesting and also important given the age group this is marketed to for the author to take the time to insert scenes with certain characters engaging in discussions about toxic relationships. You can love each other till the cows come home or be attracted to each other like a bee to pollen, but when your relationship is toxic you eventually have to realise that being apart is sometimes the best for both of you. Looking at you Enne and Levi, and Bryce and Henry. When the toxicity becomes abusive, which it is because Bryce is a lost soul with a lack of compassion - Henry needs to just find the strength to sever those really tight ties.

The Shadow Game takes on an even sinister feel, and every time the players think they have played and won - there is actually no winning when it comes to this game, just saying - then a knife is twisted and the cards are reshuffled once more.

A few pages in I remembered why I love this series so much, and why I need to go back and re-read the first two in the series. I absolutely adore the complexity of this plot, the writing, the world-building, the depth of the characters and just in general the story overall. Also the way Foody took the opportunity to address certain tropes in the Young Adult genre.

This has a bit of a Caraval vibe and is most certainly one of those series that has slipped under the radar a little bit - underrated. Foody needs to be right up there with the best. Not quite sure why her talent for storytelling, weaving a plot and writing doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I'm hoping this isn't her last venture into this genre, perhaps an off-shoot of this series or a step up beyond young adult. Either way she is an author to keep an eye on.

Buy Queen of Volts (The Shadow Game #3) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Young Adult; pub date 1 Sept. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Waterstones.

Read my reviews of Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) and King of Fools (The Shadow Game #2) by Amanda Foody.

#BlogTour Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Today I am really pleased to take part in the BlogTour for Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. It is an exceptional dystopian tale with elements of urban fantasy woven into the intricate world-building and fascinating plot. Definitely an author to watch out for!

About the Author
Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After spending her childhood longing to attend Hogwarts, she now loves to write about immersive settings and characters grappling with insurmountable destinies. She holds a Masters in Accountancy from Villanova University, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from the College of William and Mary. Currently, she works as a tax accountant in Philadelphia, PA, surrounded by her many siblings and many books.

Daughter of the Burning City was her first novel. Her second, Ace Of Shades was released in April 2018.

Follow @AmandaFoody @HQStories @HQYoungAdult
Visit amandafoody.com
Buy Ace of Shades

About the book
Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

Review
Enne is thrown into the deep end of the big city dirty world of New Reynes when she sets out to search for her mother. Her search leads her to some surprising secrets about her own identity. All those years of being mediocre and sub-par at her inherited talents makes sense, because she isn't who she thinks she is or who her 'mother' told her she was.

Unfortunately her real identity not only makes her one of the most hated people in the city, it also makes her one of the most wanted. This would be enough trouble for any innocent in a cruel, harsh and ruthless environment, and should put her in a permanent state of fear, but something strange is happening to Enne. She feels herself rising to each challenge.

Instead of fear she feels a natural instinct to survive, instead of backing down she defends herself and attacks. Her natural born instinct and talents are slowly but surely taking over, which also means other people will start to realise the truth too.

This reminded me a wee bit of The Lies of Locke Lamora, in a big city gang sense, but with a focus on elemental magic and talents. The characters are strong, memorable and the plot is provocative and innovative. I really enjoyed it.

Foody combines a dystopian world with an element of urban fantasy, and she does it exceptionally well. I am also glad the author didn't feel the need to meld fantasy and dystopia with the en vogue teeny romance aspect we often see in the YA sub-genre. It is usually detrimental to an intricate fantasy with complex world-building. So kudos to Amanda Foody for steering clear of that particular overused storyline.

Amanda Foody is definitely an author to watch, an emerging talent on the YA scene and building quite a fan-base as we speak. I was intrigued by the reading of the blood in regards to genetically inherited talents, and the association of talents through both maternal and paternal name-giving. I am looking forward to King of Fools (Shadow Games #2). This series has a lot of potential.

Buy Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.