A Mortal Song by Megan Crewe ~ Blog Tour + Review

Magic, lies, and spirits intertwine in Megan Crewe's A Mortal Song.

Can you guys believe it?! A Mortal Song is finally on shelves both physical and virtual across the world! Soon bookworms everywhere will get to accompany Megan Crewe's heroine Sora through spirit kingdoms and modern day cities in an epic adventure.



Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours and author Megan Crewe I was lucky enough to be a part of this amazing blog tour and to review what was truly a whirlwind of a novel. Keep reading for my thoughts on the book, a sneak peek or two, and a truly fangirl-worthy giveaway filled with Japanese media and treats!

For the full tour schedule with a list of all blog tour stops see here.

Midnight Sky by Amy Braun ~ Book Blitz

Buried secrets are about to rise to the surface.



Today is all about celebrating author Amy Braun's latest sci-fi steampunk treat, Midnight Sky! Midnight Sky is the second novel in the epic steampunk horror Dark Sky series, and is the sequel to Crimson Sky.

Prepare for secrets buried in the past to be uncovered, and choices to be made that will affect not only the lives of desperate characters, but of their world as a whole...

Read on for more info, excerpts from the book, and a fantastic giveaway!

Steep For 5-10 Minutes ~ The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders Review

Who doesn't love a good sleuth?

A well-written sleuth can elevate a book from 'a book you read' to 'a book you will re-read time and time again and possibly recommend to your entire family'.

Detectives bring charm, wit, amazing cognitive skills, and powerful tools of observation to the table. They dig below the surface layer of the story and bring to light plotlines and secrets that can turn the whole tale upside down. 

Sherlock Holmes may be a household name...

...but Mrs Laetitia Rodd may soon steal his crown (or at least grab one of her own!). As soon as I read the synopsis for The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders online, I couldn't wait to discover how Ms. Saunders planned to take the female detective role and advance it further through the character of Mrs Rodd. 

And thanks to the awesome people over at Allen & Unwin I received a copy of this intriguing novel to read and review.

(Shout out to the awesome magic of Instagram filters! Just look how shadowy and moody these pics of the book look. Especially with that candle that I totally use on a daily basis and that I did not just take out purely for the purpose of these photos *cough*)

Read on for more info + my thoughts on the book!

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco ~ Blog Tour

My obsession with historical fiction runs deep.

I could honestly read historical fiction 24/7, seven days a week, all year long!

There's always so much complexity - historical background information layered with vivid retellings, colourful characters, and a little touch of storytelling magic here and there. Reading a well-written historical fiction novel is always a memorable experience.

Ready your daggers for a whole new historical YA treat!

If you haven't heard of the lovely Kerri Maniscalco, or her debut novel Stalking Jack the Ripper, then you're either:

(A) Stuck in the 19th century

(B) Having tea with a bunch of lords and ladies

(C) Or clearly living under a very large, very wifi-resistant rock!

Stalking Jack the Ripper is set to be one of the best YA novels of 2016 and I'm super honoured and excited to be a member of its street team The Knights of Whitechapel! And as a part of our blog tour for SJTR, each member of the Knights is putting together a post to celebrate the upcoming release of this incredible novel on September 20th 2016.

Read on for more info on the book + some fun extras...!

Lazy Day Reads ~ 5 Picks To Get You Started

Lazy days are golden.

They're a time for soothing cups of tea, warm pastries, and catching up on Netflix or you could totally go outside but I'm an anti=social bookworm so I'll just stay on my couch!

Lazy days are also the perfect time to make a dent in your TBR pile/piles/mountains of mayhem.

But what if you're just...not in the mood?

We're not always ready to dig into the latest popular novel that may take hours (or even days) to read. Perhaps you're not ready to commit to starting a new series, or maybe you still haven't recovered emotionally from the last cliffhanger book you read!



Either way, sometimes what you just need is a light, quick read to keep you company.

And that's where my Lazy Day Reads list comes in!

To help you start your relax-a-thon, I have handpicked five (or so) great reads that are:

(A) Enjoyable
(B) Well-written
(C) Have no/limited heartbreak involved for you and your fangirl/fanboy heart

And the best part? They're also quick and easy to get into and finish.

With Malice by Eileen Cook ~ Review

Everybody loves a good vacation.

I mean...what's not to love?! Whether you're soaking up the sun by crystal-blue waters, or breathing in the fresh mountain air, there's something so peaceful about finding time to relax and to learn more about yourself and the world around you.

But not all vacations go according to plan.

In the case of With Malice by Eileen Cook, sometimes the vacation of a lifetime can become tense...deadly even! And thanks to the wonderful people over at Allen & Unwin I didn't even have to pack a suitcase in order to be transported into a thrilling mystery that had me on the edge of my seat.

Also I'm so in love with this cover. I mean just look at the gorgeous postage stamp. Posing the book next to a pair of black gloves was very Pretty Little Liars of me, I know!

Want to learn more about this addictive read? Read on for more info - including my thoughts on the book + a sneak peek!

Aussie YA Blog Hop 2016 ~ My #LoveOzYA Recommendations & Highlights

It's time for the Aussie YA Blog Hop!

This week, the Aussie YA Bloggers Group is sharing the #LoveOzYA love across the blogosphere by sharing our favourite Aussie YA reads. It's a chance to shine a spotlight on the diverse and incredible range of Aussie YA books and authors - re-living old favourites and helping you guys find new ones!

A big thank you to Jeann over at Happy Indulgence, as well as her fellow mods Genie in a Book, Loony Literate, Thoughts by J and My Life in Books for hosting this fun challenge (make sure you visit their blogs as well for more awesome Aussie YA recs).

Also don't forget to join the Twitter chat on Sunday 14 August at 6pm on #AusYABlogChat and @AusYABloggers!

The Flame Never Dies (The Stars Never Rise #2) by Rachel Vincent ~ Pre-Release Blitz

Just ten days to go...!



I am super excited to be a part of this Rockstar Book Tours pre-release blitz to help spread the word that The Flame Never Dies, the second book in Rachel Vincent’s The Stars Never Rise series, is releasing on August 16th.

For those that are already caught up on this series, the wait is (almost) finally over! For those that haven’t yet met Nina Kane or discovered the dark and dangerous world she lives in, there’s still time to catch up - and a really sweet deal (details below) that will make you want to move this series to the top of your ever-growing reading pile.

Scroll down to learn more about The Flame Never Dies and The Stars Never Rise, the author, Rachel Vincent, and to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed hardback set of these two amazing books!

And for even more peeks at the fab content being shared throughout the blitz - shareable quotation graphics, excerpts and an interview - look for other blogger participants now through August 15th on social media #TheFlameNeverDies.

Without further ado, let's get blitzing!

Beyond The Book Reviews ~ August's Blogger of the Month

Hey everyone! This isn't an official blog post/review, but I just wanted to let you know that the lovely blogger Library Luv recently interviewed me for her Blogger of the Month segment for August! 

I had so much fun doing this interview and I just wanted to express how honoured I am to have been featured on Library Luv's incredible blog. We got to chat about auto-buy authors, our mutual adoration of the Splintered series, and 2016 must reads.

You can read the full interview here.

And while you're there be sure to check out the rest of her blog (her reviews are always a joy to read and she has some great author interviews as well!). A massive thank you to Library Luv for featuring me on the BotM Spotlight and for her constant support and friendship :)

Let's Get Listing ~ Books That Would Be Better With Assassins

Books with badass assassins are everything.

Whether it's Celaena in the Throne of Glass series with her tortured past and unparalleled skills, or the secretive ladies of the convent of St. Mortain from the His Fair Assassin series...male or female, good or bad, an assassin is always a winning addition to any book.

Actually *frowns* now that I think about it, it'd be nice if more books had assassins in them. It's a shame that some books missed out on all the mayhem and mischief an assassin could have brought to them.

So...what if we experimented?

What if I took some popular YA storylines and added a bit of danger, intrigue, and - of course - death? Let's see what happens when you drop an assassin or two into a world that isn't their own. And who knows what kind of magic may occur?!

It's time to get listing and see if which popular books could do with an assassin makeover!

And for those of you who (like me!) love to read about assassins, Goodreads has a lovely long list filled to the brim with great assassin reads here. Enjoy!