Blog Tour: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Good morning and happy Monday, book fans! I'm dusting off my blog to share my love for Sorcery of Thorns, Margaret Rogerson's latest novel with Simon & Schuster. I adored this book and hope you all will too!

About the Book:

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date: June 4, 2019

Rating: 5 stars

Source: ARC provided by the publisher

Official Summary:

From the New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens comes an imaginative fantasy about an apprentice at a magical library who must battle a powerful sorcerer to save her kingdom.

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

What I Liked:

Sorcery of Thorns is one of those books that has just as beautiful a story as its cover. I remember seeing the cover reveal post and thinking, wow, I'm entranced already. I loved Rogerson's debut novel, a standalone called An Enchantment of Ravens, so I had high expectations for this new standalone. I'm so happy to say that I loved this book!

The story follows Elisabeth, an orphan raised in one of the many Great Libraries, surrounded by grimoires and librarians. She has always known that she wanted to be among books for the rest of her life. But a curious and deadly set of events leads to her being thrown out of the Library and running for her life. She finds herself working together with a sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn, in order to expose a powerful sorcerer who is behind the sabotage, the destruction of grimoires, and impending end of the human world. 

One of the strongest aspects of this book is the writing style. I love Rogerson's writing. She has amazing prose and lovely descriptions, but she also sets the scene beautifully. She has a way of wrapping the story and the world-building around the reader, so you're immersed without consciously realizing it. I hadn't picked up a book in months, and wasn't quite in the mood for reading, but when I started reading this one, I didn't realize just how drawn in I was. I couldn't stop reading.

And of course, that's also attributed to the story itself. This book is about 500 pages but it doesn't feel like that, because the story is so intriguing. Once events start rolling, the action never stops. Get past the first two or three chapters and you'll be hooked (if you weren't already, from page one). 

Elisabeth is an easy character to love. She's quiet and inquisitive, but also fiery and decisive. She is an intelligent and has good instincts. Her foil is Nathaniel, who is charming and good-natured, with a sense of humor that hide great pain. I loved Nathaniel, for her charm, his selflessness, and his strength. And then there's Silas, a demon that has served Nathaniel and his family for years. Silas is a an interesting character; he is the family's demon, but he is Nathaniel's friend nonetheless. He is loyal and as kind as a demon could possibly be. I liked Silas and honestly could not see the story without him in it.

There's a little romance! No love triangle. Nathaniel and Elisabeth are an adorable pair that have a hard-earned, slow-burn romance. I am a fan!

This is a lovely fantasy standalone novel that I will definitely be reading again. It is one of the few books I've read this year, and it makes sense why it captured my attention. It's so well-written and a joy to read. There are high stakes but there are fun times, great characters, and a wonderful ending.

What I Did Not Like:

I can't think of anything specific that I didn't like. I really enjoyed this book!

Would I Recommend It:

If you love fantasy, and/or if you love standalone novels, this is one you should try. I am a huge fan of standalone novels because of the low commitment and less waiting (I'm terrible with series), so I will recommend standalones nine times out of ten. This is a really good one - and there's a HEA!

Rating: 

5 stars. I loved Sorcery of Thorns! I can't wait to see what Margaret Rogerson comes up with next. Hopefully another beautiful fantasy standalone with a gorgeous illustrated cover. I will freely admit that illustrated covers are an easy way to my heart!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

About the Author:

Margaret Rogerson is the author of the New York Times bestseller An Enchantment of Ravens and Sorcery of Thorns. She has a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Miami University. When not reading or writing she enjoys sketching, gaming, making pudding, and watching more documentaries than is socially acceptable (according to some). She lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, beside a garden full of hummingbirds and roses. Visit her at MargaretRogerson.com.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

Mood Board:

Blog Tour Schedule:

Monday, May 27 – Alexa Loves Books

Tuesday, May 28 – The Novel Knight

Wednesday, May 29 – Adventures of a Book Junkie

Thursday, May 30 – Awkwordly Emma

Friday, May 31 – Mel to the Any

Monday, June 3 – The Fox’s Hideaway

Tuesday, June 4 – The Starry-Eyed Revue

Wednesday, June 5 – The Bookish Beagle

Thursday, June 6 – Super Space Chick

Friday, June 7 – Flying Paperbacks

Monday, June 10 – Bookshelves & Paperbacks

Tuesday, June 11 – Nightly Reading

Wednesday, June 12 – Novel Heartbeat

Thursday, June 13 – Hammock of Books

Friday, June 14 – The Everlasting Library

Monday, June 17 – The Eater of Books!

Tuesday, June 18 – Beware of the Reader

Wednesday, June 19 – This Dark Material

Thursday, June 20 – That Artsy Reader Girl

Friday, June 21 – SimplyAlly Tea

Waiting on Wednesday (#321): The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.

For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

I loved Sky in the Deep! This new book by Adrienne Young is not related to Sky in the Deep, but I'm sure it will be just as amazing. I can't wait!

Reread Campaign: The Valiant by Lesley Livingston

Hello! Happy Thursday, fellow bibliovores. I'm excited to be a part of the re-read campaign for The Valiant, The Defiant, and The Triumphant. This trilogy by Lesley Livingston is coming to a close, so what better time to re-read (or read!) the first book. 

Check out The Valiant!

The Valiant by Lesley Livingston
Book One of The Valiant series

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: February 14, 2017

Summary (from Goodreads):

Lost to history, the story of the female gladiator has never been told. Until now.

Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed while defending their home from the armies of Julius Caesar.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in her father's war band. She never gets the chance.

Fallon is captured by ruthless brigands who sell her to an elite training school for female gladiators owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon's family might be her only hope of survival. 

Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, deadly fights in and out of the arena, and perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier and her sworn enemy.

A richly imagined fantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cinda Williams Chima, "The Valiant" recounts Fallon s gripping journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary gladiator and darling of the Roman empire."

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

Check out the series:

  

About the Author:

Lesley Livingston  is the author of Once Every Never, winner of the inaugural Copper Cylinder Award and shortlisted for the CLA Young Adult Book Award and the BC Stellar Book Award. She is also the author of the Wondrous Strange and Starling trilogies. She lives in Toronto.

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My Mood Board:

Have you read any of the books in this series? Are you excited about the conclusion? What are some of your favorite aspects of the series? (I personally am a huge fan of the romance!)

Blog Tour and Giveaway: The Antidote by Shelley Sackier

Happy Sunday! Welcome to the blog tour for The Antidote by Shelley Sackier. I'm so excited to interview the author and share more about the book!

Check out the tour schedule HERE!

Meet Shelley Sackier!

Alyssa: Hi Shelley! Let me start by saying that I am very excited about your book. Tell me how this book's idea came to be!  

Shelley: It’s a true pleasure to be here, Alyssa! And book idea-wise? Well, for as long as I can recall, I have been surrounded by witches. Not the wand casting, I’ll turn you into a toad type, rather hedge witches, soothsayers, astrologers, and herbalists. 

Whether family members or friends, there has always been a well-knit thread of strong women that tethered me to a past filled with their magical aptitudes, each of them working to convince me that I was like them: capable, potent, touched, but perhaps my own artful proficiency was still invisible to myself. 

I was drawn to their sorcerous personalities, curious about what they did—labeling the color of my aura, creating a star chart to portend the future, or prescribing a panacea of herbs and foods to heal, stimulate, or strengthen. 

But learning their ways was paradoxically forbidden by my mother. She rarely wished to speak about the strange practices of the women we steeped within, yet she went to them for aid. I was forced to find magic myself. Or it found me.

And as a writer, when ideas find you, they insist they become a story.

Alyssa: Were there specific reasons why you chose the character names that you did?

Shelley:  I am a total nut when it comes to names. In every single book I’ve ever written, it is probably one detail I dive into so deeply that I can find myself in a fathomless rabbit hole—and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it. 

Names are hugely important—their sounds, the meanings, their pronunciations (or worse, mispronunciations!), and most relevant, their power. They are a recipe for influence and for impressions, and oftentimes permission. By knowing someone’s name, you have accrued something vital about that individual. It is a weighty thing which also hold momentum. 

Within my stories, a name is as crucial as a painter having a full palette of pigments and a plethora of brushes. The names tell a story within my stories.

Alyssa: Which character did you not expect to fall in love with but ended up really loving?

Shelley: Spending the day with Kizzy would be one of the most memorable days ever. She’s a young witch of the realm, but a minor character. That girl stole my heart, as she is the kind of eclectic people I am magnetized toward and encourage all kids to be like. There is not one spot of “regular” on her, and that makes her so so interesting. Doesn’t care about conforming, but she’s filled with wonder and curiosity that simply spills right out of her unchecked.

Alyssa: What was something challenging about writing The Antidote?

Shelley:  The hardest part about writing any book is always muscle aches and loss of sleep. When right in the thick of a story, when the faucet head is fully opened and the narration just doesn’t seem to slow, you find yourself hunched over your keyboard, muscles seizing from inactivity—or just the activity of the tapity tap tapping—and when too physically exhausted to stay at your desk any longer, you finally give up the ghost and fall to bed. Except your brain says, Nuh uh. There’s way too much goin on up here. We’re going to keep churning.

And The Antidote provided this difficulty with the speed and weight of a freight train, as normally I can take years to write a book, but this one was quick—as in like the amount of time it takes to make a sandwich.

Alyssa: What’s your favorite line or scene from this book? With as little spoiler-y content as possible, of course!  

Shelley: The battle scene! As many a great story is want to have one of those. And as a writer, whose primary focus is choosing the most precise and perfect words to direct the narrative arc and allow the story to blossom in its unfolding, this scene was all about action. 

It begged the necessity to create sentences that would drive the story forward with anxiety and passion, with dread and with turmoil. Words that hold fervor, that create a sense of frenzied need in the reader. I cannot tell you how much fun it was to try to manipulate (in a good way, of course!) a reader’s emotions to reach a peak of rousing engagement and then slide them back to a place of satiated comfort.

One usually only gets one good solid battle scene, and therefore, you’ve got to give it your all.

Alyssa: Do you have plans for writing more books in this world? Direct sequel, or maybe a companion novel?

Shelley: I’d give my left lung to write either, as the world of The Antidote is just spinning with tales that are bouncing around within the walls of my head. And they just won’t be quiet. I’m starting to jot down all the bits and pieces, as otherwise, I get no peace, no sleep, and can’t even string a sentence together after an extended period of time with all his happening. Best to just let all those characters have their way and speak their minds. And then … you are ready, should you be asked to the task!

Alyssa: Thank you so much for joining me, Shelley! Best of luck with future projects. =) 

Shelley: It’s been an absolute pleasure, Alyssa. I hope your readers note just how rich and dense your website is—there’s so much to feast on here! Cheers!

About the Author:

Shelley Sackier grew up in a small farming community in Northern Wisconsin continually searching for ways to grow warm. Realizing she would never be able to enjoy ice cream like real people should, she left the state and lived the blissful life of a traveling musician. Discovering her stories needed more space than two verses a bridge and a chorus could provide, she began storytelling in earnest. And then in Virginia. Which is where she lives now and continues to write.

Her first novel, DEAR OPL (Sourcebooks 2015), is a tale about a snarky, overweight thirteen-year-old, who suffers from loss everywhere in her life except on her body.

Her next novel, The Freemason's Daughter (HarperCollins, 2017) is a story about a 16 yr old Scottish girl living in 1715 who's raised entirely by six burly Scotsman--and they're all smugglers. The Antidote (HarperCollins February 2019) is a YA novel about magic and medicine, and the witches who wield them both.

To learn more about Shelley, visit shelleysackier.com where she blogs weekly about living on a small farm atop a mountain in the Blue Ridge and how it’s easiest to handle most of it with homegrown food, a breathless adoration for tractors, and a large dose of single malt scotch.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

About the Book:

The Antidote by Shelley Sackier

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Official Summary:

Magic is not allowed, under any circumstances — even if it could save someone’s life. Instead, there are herbal remedies and traditional techniques that have been painstakingly recorded in lieu of using the mystical arts. Fee knows this, so she keeps her magic a secret.

Except her best friend, Xavi, is deathly ill. He’s also the crown prince. Saving him is important, not only for her, but for the entire kingdom.

Fee’s desperation to save her friend means she can barely contain the magic inside her. And after the tiniest of slips, Fee is thrust into a dark and secretive world that is as alluring as it is dangerous.

If she gives in, it could mean she can save Xavi. But it also means that those who wish to snuff out magic might just snuff her out in the process.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

The Giveaway:

Win (1) physical copy of The Antidote by Shelley Sackier (US Only)

Giveaway Starts:January 28th, 2019

Giveaway Ends:February 11th, 2019

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swoon Thursday (#313): Pan by Gina L. Maxwell

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Pan by Gina L. Maxwell!

"You've always been so hard on this poo lip of yours," I whisper, soothing it with the pad of my thumb.

Her breathing is shallow, and her gaze drops to my mouth, right where I want it. Dipping my head, I hover just out of reach, teasing my lips over hers, until her eyes flutter shut, and I know she wants this just as much as I do.

"I've been dying to do this from the moment you stepped into my shop."

Then I claim her lips like I once claimed her heart - fully, almost desperately.

- eARC, 24%

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I'm currently reading this book and OMG I love it already. Pan is so yummy! This book is officially available, so you can read it for yourself now!

Release Day Blitz: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Happy Tuesday! Today is the publication day of Only A Breath Apart, Katie McGarry's latest YA contemporary novel. See below for more details, and an exclusive excerpt!

You can see a previous excerpt HERE!

About the Book:

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: January 22, 2019

Official Summary:

Jesse dreams of working the land that’s been in his family forever. But he’s cursed to lose everything he loves most.

Scarlett is desperate to escape her “charmed” life. But leaving a small town is easier said than done.

Despite their history of heartbreak, when Jesse sees a way they can work together to each get what they want, Scarlett can’t say no.Each midnight meeting between Jesse and Scarlett will push them to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

About the Author:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


The Excerpt:

~SCARLETT~

A scraping of a chair, a tray full of food and I glance over with my practiced smile in welcome. It’s not Camila, Evangeline, or anyone else from the group. It’s green eyes, red hair, a familiar mischievous smile that used to be reserved only for me, and my blood pounds with excitement as if someone lit a sparkler in my chest. Then I frown because I’m not supposed to feel this way. Not with him. Not with anyone.

Jesse Lachlin winks at me as he sits across from me like no time has passed from when we climbed trees together. “What’s up, Tink?”

Another thrill runs through me but then my muscles tighten. Stupid, antiquated reaction belonging to a dead past. “What are you doing here?”

Jesse pops a fry into his mouth, chews, then picks up another as if he has no intention of answering. I scan the cafeteria. Several people are watching us, curious as to why Jesse Lachlin is sitting with me, or is event at lunch, or even at school.

From the lunch line, Camila’s and Evangeline’s eyes are bugging out of their heads.

What is going on? Camila mouths.

I raise my eyebrows to inform her I have no idea. Jesse digs into his corn with his fork and that’s crossing a line. “Maybe you didn’t hear me, but I asked what you’re doing here.”

He lifts his eyes to meet mine and there’s a glimmer in them that causes my lips to flatten. Fantastic. He’s here to make my life a living hell.

“It seems obvious,” he says.

If he remembers anything about me, he should recall I was never known for my patience and that he should be speaking, and speaking soon. “Just answer the question.”

“I’m eating lunch.”

I honest to God groan in frustration. “There’s no room at the inn.”

He surveys the table, takes in the empty seats, my books, and then gives me a good look. A slow look. As if he’s trying to memorize every inch he’s drinking in. My cheeks redden because that somehow feels a little too intimate for lunch. Feels a little too intimate for someone I’m no longer friends with. It feels too intimate if we were friends.

I glance away, but I sense him still staring at me. God help me, I want to stare back.

Swoon Thursday (#311): Stain by A.G. Howard

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Stain by A.G. Howard!

He bowed his head to kiss her - his mouth coaxing hers to open slightly - engaging her in a gentle, slow dance of lips and tongue. When he pulled back with a tantalizing smile on his stubbled chin, she quivered in anticipation of more. His ascent started again, though this time much faster.

- ARC, page 513

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

This is a cute swoon! This book publishes next week - so if you're going to preorder, do it soon! You can get all kinds of neat goodies if you preorder. Don't miss out!

Details can be found HERE.

Waiting on Wednesday (#315): Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Publication Date: June 25, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

When his dad is caught embezzling funds from half the town, Rob goes from popular lacrosse player to social pariah. Even worse, his father’s failed suicide attempt leaves Rob and his mother responsible for his care.

Everyone thinks of Maegan as a typical overachiever, but she has a secret of her own after the pressure got to her last year. And when her sister comes home from college pregnant, keeping it from her parents might be more than she can handle.

When Rob and Maegan are paired together for a calculus project, they’re both reluctant to let anyone through the walls they’ve built. But when Maegan learns of Rob’s plan to fix the damage caused by his father, it could ruin more than their fragile new friendship...

This captivating, heartfelt novel asks the question: Is it okay to do something wrong for the right reasons?

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

I love Brigid's books! I'm not usually a fan of YA contemporary, but I'll always make an exception for Brigid's books. =)

Excerpt Reveal: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Hello, fellow bookworms! Today I get to share an exclusive excerpt from Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry. This book publishes in two weeks and you don't want to miss it!

About the Book:

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: January 22, 2019

Official Summary:

Jesse dreams of working the land that’s been in his family forever. But he’s cursed to lose everything he loves most.

Scarlett is desperate to escape her “charmed” life. But leaving a small town is easier said than done.

Despite their history of heartbreak, when Jesse sees a way they can work together to each get what they want, Scarlett can’t say no.Each midnight meeting between Jesse and Scarlett will push them to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

About the Author:

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The Excerpt:

SCARLETT

I’m defying my parents by attending a funeral. Reckless and adventurous teenage behavior, I know. Most seventeen-year-olds lie to their parents so they can go on a date with a forbidden boy or attend a party where there will be questionable behavior. Me? I’m outright lying to my dad, and it’s because Jesse Lachlin’s grandmother died.

The entire way here I’ve questioned my sanity, but I don’t know how I’d live with myself if I stayed home. Jesse Lachlin used to be my childhood best friend. We were inseparable. We had the type of friendship people strive to have, and then, a few years ago, he cut me so deeply that I still bleed. But ten-year-old me would have never abandoned a hurting Jesse. So today I’m not only honoring the memory of Jesse’s grandmother, but also the memory of our dead friendship.

On my way to the funeral, the high grass of the field swats at my legs, but I don’t mind the sting. I love walking barefoot in grass, I love the smell of the earth and I love that brief feeling of freedom open spaces can provide.

It’s the dog days of August. The type of hot that starts when the sun rises and makes you sweat through your clothes within minutes. While my skin and palms are on fire, the pads of my feet are cool against the dirt. The heat is unwelcome, but the sky is deep blue and the sun is bright, and for that, I can be grateful.

Walking out of the field, I stop short of crossing the one-lane road to slip on the flats that dangle from my fingertips. My mother would be mortified if she knew I was entering a church in a cotton daisy-print sundress. It’s not one of the dresses with stiff fabric and impossible back zippers she would have picked for me at an overpriced department store. It’s the type that’s machine-washable and breathable. The type of dress Jesse’s grandmother would have given her stamp of approval.

I can practically hear my mother heavily sigh and mumble my name, Scarlett, as if it were her personal, private curse word. Mom believes there’s a certain way to dress and behave, and I’m breaking all sorts of her rules today. Watch out, world. I’m officially rebellious.

I smile to myself because I’m the opposite of rebellious. For the last few years, I’ve followed every rule. I’m the teacher’s pet and the girl with straight A’s. I’m the poster child of perfection, and have earned every snarky ice princess comment Jesse’s friends whisper about me in the school hallways because he and I no longer speak.

There are only six cars in the parking lot of the white church, and that makes me frown. I thought more people would have wanted to attend. Jesse’s mud-covered pickup is there, and so is an unnaturally clean black Mercedes that belongs to his uncle. This ought to be interesting. Jesse and his uncle have a mutual hate for each other that runs deeper than any root of any tree.

Movement to my right and I slowly turn my head. Shivers run down my spine at the sight of Glory Gardner. Even though I’m seventeen and too old for ghost stories, I still can’t shake the ones regarding this woman. Girls would whisper over lunch boxes that Glory was a witch. As I grew older, I understood that witch meant con artist. She claims she can read palms, tarot cards and “sees” spirits from beyond the dead. All for a glorious fee.

She’s a beautiful woman—long dirty blond hair that’s untamed, even in a bun, and she has an eclectic taste in clothing. Today she wears a white peasant shirt and a flowing skirt made of material that shimmers in the sun.

Glory watches me like I watch her, with morbid curiosity. I knew her as a child, back when Jesse and I ran wild in the fields near her home, but we haven’t talked in years.

She stands under the shade of a towering weeping willow. There are lots of those trees around here. Mom says it’s because there is too much water in the ground. I say it’s because the people in this town have cried too many tears. Mom doesn’t like my answer.

I tilt my head toward the church, an unspoken question if Glory will be joining me. She shakes her head no. I’m not shocked. According to rumors, Glory will go up in flames if she enters the house of God. But who knows? Maybe I will, too.

The church is one of those picturesque, historical, one-room school buildings squeezed between a cornfield on one side and a hay field on the other. A huge steeple with a bell attempts to reach the heavens, but like anything created by a human, it falls tragically short.

The foreboding wooden door makes no noise as I open it, and I’m able to slip in without a huge, squeaking announcement. Orange light filters in through the dark stained glass windows, and its struggling beams reveal millions of dancing particles of dust.

On the altar, there’s no casket, but there is an urn. My heart dips—Suzanne is dead. I used to wish she were my grandmother, and many times, she treated me as if I belonged to her. Suzanne was the epitome of love, and the world feels colder now that she’s gone.

Choosing a spot in the back, I drop into a pew, and as I scan the church my stomach churns. How is it possible that this place is so barren?

Besides the Funeral Brigade, or the FB, as I like to refer to them, there aren’t many people here. The FB are the older group of woman who attend every funeral in our small town even if they didn’t know the person. Attending funerals isn’t my idea of fun, but who am I to judge?

The FB sit directly behind the one person the town believes to be the lone sane member of the Lachlin family, probably because he isn’t blood related—Jesse’s uncle.

On the left side of the church is Jesse. Only Jesse. And that causes a painful pang in my chest. Where are his stinking friends? The anarchists in training who follow Jesse wherever he goes? Where is the rest of the town? Yes, Suzanne was polarizing, but still, where is any respect?

Quietly, so I don’t draw attention to myself, I slip from the right set of pews to the left. Someone should be on Jesse’s side, and it’s sad it has to be me.

A door at the front of the church opens, and the pastor walks out from the addition the church build on as a small office ten years ago. I would have thought any pastor assigned to this place would be as ancient as this church. Sort of like an Indiana Jones Knights Templar scenario where he lives forever as long as he stays inside. But no, he’s the youngest pastor from the main, newer church in town. His name is Pastor Hughes, and he’s a thirty-something black man with a fit build who is just cute enough that he should be starring in a movie.

The pastor looks up, and he flinches as if startled. I peek over my shoulder then sigh. Clearly, he’s surprised to see me. Flipping fantastic.

His reaction, and the fact he won’t stop staring, causes every person to turn their heads. Lovely. I’ve had dreams like this where I enter a room and become the center of attention. Only in my dreams it’s at school, it’s my classmates and I’m naked, but still, this is disconcerting.

Eventually, the FB and Jesse’s uncle return their attention to the front, but Jesse doesn’t. He rests his arm on the back of the pew, and it’s hard to ignore that he’s made me his sole focus, but I do my best to act as if I don’t notice.

To help, I concentrate on what my mom taught me as a child—to make sure the skirt of my dress is tucked appropriately so that my thighs don’t show. I then fold my hands in my lap and straighten to a book-on-head posture. I can be the ice princess people claim me to be.

Five pews separate me and Jesse, and it’s not nearly enough. My cheeks burn under his continued inspection. Jesse has done this a handful of times since our freshman year. Glance at me as if I’m someone worth looking at, someone worth laughing with a little too loud and smiling with a little too much. Then he remembers who I am and snaps his gaze to someone else.

But he’s not looking away now.

Character Reveal: Stain by A.G. Howard

Happy Monday, bibliovores! Today is a reveal day! You're about to get an exclusive first look at a certain swoony crown prince from Stain by A.G. Howard. 

Meet Vesper!

Here's a little bit of info about Vesper:

Cursed by sunlight, Vesper must find his other half & marry the real Eldorian princess to save his life and heal his kingdom. You will be able to "meet" him in a little over a week! Stain publishes on January 15th. If you preorder a copy of Stain, you'll receive some amazing goodies:

Alice the Absent short story

rose enamel pin

signed bookplate

Details can be found HERE.

About the Book:

Stain by A.G. Howard

Publisher: Abrams/Amulet Books

Publication Date: January 15, 2019

Summary (from Goodreads):

A high-fantasy gothic fairytale inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea.

Once upon a nightmare, her fairy tale begins...

After Lyra—a princess incapable of speech or sound—is cast out of her kingdom of daylight by her wicked aunt, a witch saves her life, steals her memories, and raises her in an enchanted forest ... disguised as a boy known only as Stain. Meanwhile, in Lyra's rival kingdom, the prince of thorns and night is dying, and the only way for him to break his curse is to wed the princess of daylight, for she is his true equal. As Lyra rediscovers her identity, an impostor princess prepares to steal her betrothed prince and her crown. To win back her kingdom, save the prince, and make peace with the land of the night, Lyra must be loud enough to be heard without a voice, and strong enough to pass a series of tests—ultimately proving she’s everything a traditional princess is not. 

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Just throwing this out there - B&N has an Exclusive Edition available for preorder!