Book Promo · Books · New Releases · Release Blitz · The Parliament House Press

Release Day Blitz: The Reflections of Us (The Halves of Us, Book 2) by Sydney Paige Richardson

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Publisher: The Parliament House
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Book Title: The Reflections of Us
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Series: The Halves of Us, Book #2
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Author: Sydney Paige Richardson
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~*~ Release Day ~*~

Happy Tuesday and Happy Release Day for The Reflections of Us! This is book #2 in The Halves of Us Trilogy, described as an intense and exciting YA Fantasy Romance!

The Halves of Us Trilogy follows twin sisters Adie and Aura into their destined roles, Adie as the Ruler of Thindoral, and Aura as the destroyer of their world. As Adie begins to have disturbing premonitions of her twin bringing their planet to it’s demise, Aura must make a choice: to fall into the path the universe has paved for her, or to sacrifice herself in order to save those she loves?

~Click here to purchase on Amazon!~

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Book Synopsis for Book #2, The Reflections of Us

There will not be one, but two. The eldest will bring destruction upon her first breath. For by the sixteenth year she grew, the only salvation for Thindoral is death.

Sixteen years have passed since the fateful night the portal was opened. Adie has grown up on Earth, plagued with nightmares and knowing nothing of her home planet, Thindoral. That changes when she is confronted by a stranger called Auralee, who claims to be her twin sister. Her revelation thrusts Adie into a world overtaken by unimaginable evil, as she’s flooded with memories of a lifetime she never lived.

Aura has taken over Thindoral and controls the shapeshifting Sights, forcing those who survived into hiding. Darkness clouds Aura’s mind and fuels her thirst for vengeance. She has raised her younger self, Auralee, as her own. But Auralee has her own agenda, and if that means defying Aura, then so be it.

After making a deal with the enemy of her enemy, Adie faces off in a battle with Aura and realizes accepting her fate may be the only way to rebalance the worlds’ colliding timelines and save everything she holds dear. Yet Aura’s vow to make them all suffer a fate as wicked as her own now teeters as she discovers another force at play, one that she didn’t see coming. Even her own darkness cannot be trusted…

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Social Media Tags:
Instagram: @sydneypaigedecides , @theparliamentpress
Website: http://www.sydneypaigerichardson.com/
Twitter: @sydsayingthings , @Parliamentbooks
Facebook: Sydney Paige Richardson – Author The Parliament House

 

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Book Promo · Books · Cover Reveal · Reviews · The Parliament House Press · Upcoming Releases

Cover Reveal: Count the Rain by Kathryn Lee Martin

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Publisher: The Parliament House
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Book Title: Count the Rain
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Series: Snow Spark Saga, Book #4
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Author: Kathryn Lee Martin
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~*~ Cover Reveal ~*~

I have teamed up with the amazing Parliament House Press again to bring you this STUNNING cover reveal for Book 4 in the Snow Spark Saga series, Count the Rain!

The Snow Spark Saga series is a Young Adult Fantasy set in a Dystopian/Western world after the eruption of Yellowstone National Park. The world is divided into settlements, Hydra and Rondo, and follows main characters Tracker and Rags as they work as “rustlers” for Rondo by stealing goods and supplies from Hydra. The series follows Rags as she fights for survival and to keep her family together in a brutal and harsh new world.

~Click here to add this to your Goodreads Shelf!~

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Book Synopsis for Book #4, Count the Rain

Sixteen-year-old professional outlaw, Rags, never wanted to help save the world. But with the death of Hyperion and the salvation of the Kingdom at hand, she finds her newfound freedom to be more than she’s prepared for. That is, until a mysterious assassin targets her and the new leader of the Kingdom, Henrick Oreson, uttering two words: “Praise Antiquity.”

A ghost from the Kingdom’s past, Antiquity, poses a new threat. It’s rumored to be more advanced and is determined to take over in Hyperion’s stead. Forced to leave her family behind once again, Rags flees to Zephyr to protect them and the upcoming Council meeting that could make or break the Kingdom’s future. But with Antiquity coming for them, there are only two choices: go to the front lines and fight, or let the fragile new Kingdom fall.

Together with Henrick, new second-in-command Colton Caelan Fieldson, and Supporter leader Meridian, Rags must find a way to cripple Antiquity and prevent Zephyr from falling into the wrong hands. It won’t be easy when Antiquity has a weapon that could end the Kingdom in a single night. She’ll have to call upon everything she knows and the alliances she’s made to answer the one question that could mean the downfall of everything she’s fought for: are the needs of the many worth those of the few? Her choice will determine if the new Kingdom rises from the ashes… or returns to them.

 

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Social Media Tags:
Instagram: @rynsagequill , @theparliamentpress
Website: https://www.rynleewrites.com/
Twitter: @RynSageQuill , @Parliamentbooks
Facebook: Kathryn Lee Martin, Author The Parliament House

 

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Binding of Bindings · Book Promo · Books · Upcoming Releases

Binding of Bindings #16: My Top 10 Anticipated May Book Releases

We are coming to the end, my dear book stalkers and murderers.
The end of April Showers, or for some of you, the hopeful end of that never-ending April Snowfall.
But look UP my loves!
With the end of April, comes the start of MAY!
It’s going to be amazing.
GLORIOUS.
Positively, downright, breathtakingly FANTASTIC!
So saddle-up gorgeous, because I’m taking you with me!

 

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~* My 10 Anticipated May Book Releases *~

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1. The Life of Death by Lucy Booth

Release Date: May 2, 2019
Genre: Fantasy

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Let’s start this post out cheery, shall we?

The Life of Death is about the brooding beauty of bleak.

The soother of sordid slip-ups, sadness and silence.

It is Death, himself.

Or in this case, Death HERSELF.

As Elizabeth is awaiting her sentence to burn at the stake for being a witch, she is visited at her cell by a man who offers her a deal. One that will give her immortality and allow her to escape death, all she needs to do…is become Death itself. She accepts the offer, and begins her life escorting souls over the threshold.

But when she falls in love and tries to end her deal, she is tasked with giving the man who save her 5 lives in exchange for her own.

Sounds AWESOME, right?!

 

2. The Ember Blade (The Darkwater Legacy, Book 1) by Chris Wooding

Release Date: May 2, 2019
Genre: Adult/Fantasy

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An Epic Fantasy SURE to make you lose sight of reality!

The Ember Blade follows Aren on his quest to retrieve the Ember Blade in order to free his people from slavery. It is promised to be an adventurous and fast-paced thrill ride, and one that any lover of fantasy can get lost in.

It’s Lord of the Rings meets The Sword in the Stone…and honestly. who doesn’t want that?!

 

3. Nocturna (A Forgery of Magic, Book 1) by Maya Motayne

Release Date: May 7, 2019
Genre: YA/Fantasy

Nocturna

I mentioned Nocturna previously in my 12 Upcoming Book Releases Gifted By Publishers post two weeks ago, but shhhhh…

You want to hear this again.

It’s about a faceshifter named Finn who is tasked with an impossible mission, and a Prince who is looking for a way to bring his brother back from the dead. Their lives collide in chaos as they unleash a power that could bring the world to an end, unless they can stop it.

This is one I am REALLY looking forward to, and one that gives me tingly vibes of nostalgia to A Face Like Glass and Lysandra from Throne of Glass.

 

4. Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

Release Date: May 14, 2019
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Retelling

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Retellings make the world go ’round, ESPECIALLY Cinderella retellings!

We all know the tale of the mean, ugly and dim stepsisters…but come on guys.

Where’s the COMPASSION?!

Stepsister tells the story of Isabelle who has spent her entire life living in the shadow of Cinderella. She has tried to match the beauty and sweetness of Cinderella her entire life, only to chop away pieces of herself in order to become something of desire for others. Surrounded by those who value beauty above all, she feels pushed down and set aside. But when she gets the chance to change her life for the better, she is able to prove just how strong she really is.

I can already tell this isn’t going to be some fluffy Disney retelling. It’s a story of empowerment, self-love and learning to stop trying so DAMN hard to please other people.

I am SO on board.

 

 5. The Living God (Book 1) by Kaytalin Platt

Release Date: May 12, 2019
Genre: YA/Fantasy

The living God

Two magesSaran, a Princess with the ability to manipulate time, and Keleir, a fire mage whose body is the host for a demon and who is foretold to be The Living God. Their two lives become intertwined, and are brought together by fate. But the eventual end of the world is near if Keleir does indeed fulfill the prophecy and become a living God

The Living God has some pretty great reviews up right now, and I am getting really excited to read it. It sounds like a super exciting fantasy that definitely sounds unique.

 

6. The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Release Date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery

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This Historical Fiction/Mystery is a story of suppression, love, social norms and of course…murder.

Set in 1826, Frannie Langton is being tried for the murder of her former employers whom she worked as a maid for. In a world where she is thrust down for her race and classification, Frannie recounts her story of what really happened.

From the reviews I have read so far, this story sounds like it is going to be a sorrowful mystery that will grab your attention!

7. The Bone Charmer by Breeana Shields

Release Date: May 21, 2019
Genre: YA/Fantasy

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In Saskia’s world, there are multiple types of bone magic, and one’s she desires more than others. But when Saskia is assigned to train as a Bone Charmer, which is the same as her mother, and a love reading matches her with an undesirable boy, she is split between a life she wishes for and a life she is foretold to have.

I found the premise for this story to be really interesting, and am hoping it has a dark and gritty feeling to it. I love a bit of magic, so hopefully this will turn out to be a winner!

Plus, I am getting completely lost in that COVER!

 

8. The Missing Season by Gillian French

Release Date: May 21, 2019
Genre: YA/Mystery

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When Clara moves to the broken-down town of Pender, all anyone ever seems to talk about is the Mumbler – a monster that lives in the marshes and steals children on Halloween night. As Clara becomes attracted to a group of misfits who are love to weave the frightening tale, Clara knows that it is all just imaginary. Isn’t it?

I feel like this story can go a MILLION different ways, and I am so curious to see where French takes this story.

Is there actually a monster? Is one of the kids going around killing people?? Does it have NOTHING to do with the Mumbler?!

Time will tell.

 

9. Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilagariff and Georgia Hardstark

Release Date: May 14, 2019
Genre: Nonfiction/Crime/Autobiography

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This isn’t a crime novel, it’s a self-help book.

The authors, Karen and Georgia, have a well-known podcast called My Favorite Murder where the two women discuss murders and relate it to everyday life.

Confused? So was I.

Basically this book, and their podcast, is about staying alive and how to do it flawlessly. The authors share personal stories and experiences that range from depression and eating disorders, to how to live happily and be the best version of yourself.

If you’ve heard the podcast, I know you’re 100% ready for this. But if you haven’t, I suggest jumping in and enjoying the comical musings of these two ladies who are OBSESSED with murders.

 

10. The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Release Date: May 28, 2019
Genre: YA/Sci-fi

The Kingdom

Robots and a high-tech world straight out of a video game.

SWOON!

The Kingdom is basically a virtual theme park similar to Ready Player One (hopefully you have read the book or seen the movie) where there are virtual creatures, extravagant buildings and you can do anything you want.

Ana is a robot princess, one of seven Fantasists who are created to bring your dreams to fruition. Though human emotions and feelings aren’t made up in Ana’s code, she suddenly falls for a guy named Owen. But when Owen is found murdered, Ana is blamed and put on trial.

If you are a gamer like me, then you are probably doing a happy dance for the release of this book. It’s my favorite fantasy elements mixed with gaming, strange creatures, a mystery and the never-ending psychological question of “what makes a human, human?”.

ALL. Wrapped up. Into one. Giant. Sci-fi fest.

SO stoked!

 

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I’d love to hear what books you guys are excited to read in May, and what ones I didn’t mention in this list!

Let me know!!

As always, take care and stay witchy! ❤

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Book Promo · Book Reviews · Books · Netgalley · New Releases · Reviews

Book Review: Killing November (Book 1) by Adriana Mather

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Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Random House Children’s, via NetGalley for an honest review.  

Genre: YA/Mystery/Thriller

Plot: It’s a school completely off the grid, hidden by dense forest and surrounded by traps. There’s no electricity, no internet, and an eye-for-an-eye punishment system. Classes include everything from Knife-Throwing and Poisons to the Art of Deception and Historical Analysis. And all of the students are children of the world’s most elite strategists—training to become assassins, counselors, spies, and master impersonators. Into this world walks November Adley, who quickly discovers that friends are few in a school where personal revelations are discouraged and competition is everything. When another student is murdered, all eyes turn to November, who must figure out exactly how she fits into the school’s bizarre strategy games before she is found guilty of the crime…or becomes the killer’s next victim.

Opinion:

You know those books you come across that sound AMAZING, like they will be an EXACT fit for you, and are already praised and LOVED by EVERYONE?

And then you start reading it, all giddy and excited for what’s to come…

…but then you get about 60 pages in and are just kind of like…

Yeah.

Killing November.

November assumed she had a normal upbringing, that was until she arrived at Academy Absconditi. Here, the students aren’t animated with conversation, worried about calculus tests and pining over who will ask them to homecoming. Their movements are deliberate, and they are masters at mind games and killing. So why would November’s father leave her in a place like this? Where the teachers enact an “eye for an eye” punishment system,  family secrets are to be kept hidden for one’s safety and students keep turning up dead? Surrounded by people who assume she is weaving a clever game of innocence and daftness, November is thrust into a world she can barely navigate, all the while trying to learn the secrets of her family and who she is.

Killing November is a YA Mystery dripping in deceit, manipulation, darkness and brutality.

I witnessed all these themes and more while reading.

But in the end, all I was REALLY left feeling,

was indifference.

It started out great. November describes being named after a maple tree, how her father describes her as “too trusting”, and having awakened in dungeon-like room with little idea how she arrived there. Who wouldn’t be intrigued? As I started reading more, I learned that November is just like most of us readers – not entirely proficient in the art of deceiving and killing people via poisons, a bow and arrow or a set of freshly sharpened knives.

Woe is us for our normalcy.

She knows nothing of Strategia – an ancient secret society of spies and assassins, has barely heard a whisper about the Families of the Strategia who are responsible for pulling the strings behind MAJOR historical events throughout history, and has no idea how she fits into any of it. So as the story started picking up and November was thrust into her new lessons, I started noticing a constant theme of wishy-washiness with this character.

For most of the story, November is running around like a confused goose saying and doing the wrong things. I don’t blame the poor girl either, this school sounds like a nuthouse. But when November is given a task in lessons to steal a scarf off another player in the dark, or throw knives at targets…she becomes arrogant and cocky and just magically knows what she is doing.

Look, I love a confident character who has witty comments and a snarky attitude.

I know that she had a little training in these areas as a child.

But when the main character acts like a deer in headlights for 80% of the book, and has a few random and brief moments of god-awful one-liners boasting her perfection, it’s a turn-off.  After the first instance of this, and the multiple continuances of her silly demeanor and confusing personality after, I became increasingly checked out.

I almost DNF’d this book about 15 times, but kept at it because so many other readers were telling me how much they loved it. So I forced myself to keep reading…and reading…and…reading. In the end, they were right in some cases. It DID get better. But it wasn’t amazing and unforgettable.

It was just okay.

I really wish I could have fell in love with this story more, because the suspense was there. The mystery and grittiness were shouting through the pages, but I just couldn’t connect with November or any of the other characters for that matter.  The romance element was lacking in that it felt shoved together rather than formed naturally, and the friendship between Layla and November felt stiff. I just wasn’t invested in this read at all, and for that I am truly dismayed.

3-stars

 

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Binding of Bindings · Book Promo · Books · JKS Communications · Reviews

Binding of Bindings #15: 10 Male Authors You Need To Know About

Binding of Bindings #15 isn’t just for the gallant, creative and amazing male authors out there!
Apparently, it’s also for a TON of Science Fiction stories that will make your head SPIN!
The ladies had their turn, now it’s time for the MEN!!

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~ 10 Male Authors You NEED To Know About~

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1. Michael Duda (M. Duda)

 

Michael Duda.

The author with the ability to reach into your mind, flip your thoughts sideways and upways, and then leave you lying there questioning your entire existence.

He’s an author of a collection of Shadow Books: A Cat Will Play, Bedtime for Seneca and Deny the Father. Each book contains three to five short stories, and each one will hurt your heart, your morals, or both. Some are creepy an show the negative side of human nature, and some show the beauty in life.

He has become one of my favorite authors because he can take such a simple interaction between characters, and turn it into one dripping with a thousand different meanings.

His latest release was Stars in the Winter Sky (see my review here) and it was, as usual, a delicate and wistful story. It follows two women as they travel into the woods to find the Winter Revelers, a supposed group of people who mysteriously perished.

If short stories aren’t your thing, it doesn’t matter. Read these books.

 

2. Evan Ronan

 

Evan Ronan has a special place in my book heart.

He is the VERY FIRST author to send me a book for review, and it was the first in his series, The Unearthed. The series follows Eddie McCloskey and his team of local ghost hunters as they travel around the country investigating claims of paranormal activity. The series can get quite dark, scary and gritty – so definitely for an older audience.

The series has 7 books in total, and they are so addicting. So I suggest just buying them all at once 😉

Otherworld is Ronan’s first attempt at a YA Fantasy story…and he killed it! It is a hugely imaginative and creative story filled with giant Venus flytraps and talking trash bins. It is guaranteed to make every reader feel like a kid again.

 

3. Arnulfo Cantarero

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Emotions is a Sci-fi/Fantasy about an extraterrestrial being who is born to human parents to live a life as a human, in order to better understand human emotions. The reader follows Jason Ariaz as he grows and navigates a world he has trouble understanding. With the assistance of his implanted thinking computer, Jason is able to better understand the feelings of humans and hopefully feel them himself one day.

This is the first book in a series, and hopefully the next one will be releasing soon. It is a really interesting and unique idea for a story, and one that immediately grabbed my attention.

This author just knows how to think outside of the box!

 

4. Cory Barclay

 

Another HUGELY talented author is Cory Barclay.

He has historical fiction DOWN, but where he really shines is his plot development and his amazingly dynamic characters.

His Of Witches and Werewolves series is a little Fantasy, a little Mystery/Horror and you guessed it, a Historical Fiction. It’s set in 1588 in Germany, and is based loosely on actual events that went on for about 20 years of the “Werewolf of Bedburg“. It jumps between various characters who are affected by the gruesome murders taking place in the countryside, and the series goes on to weave a haunting and disturbing tale of treachery.

This series started my Historical Fiction obsession, and it will always be one of my favorites due to his multitude of themes.

(See my review for book 1 here)

 

5. Doug Goodman

 

For all you adventure seekers who love a science fiction twist, Doug Goodman has you covered!

Goodman’s Zombie Dog series follows main character Angie Graves, who trains dogs to work with law enforcement to sniff out anything from guns to bodies. But when Angie and her dog come across a cadaver with a giant wasp attached to it’s skull, she changes up her line of work as a zombie tracker. After finding a half-dead and brutally beaten dog on the side of the road, Angie brings him back to health and begins training him to track the zombies that are taking over Colorado.

I am currently reading the last book in the series, and I am reading as slow as I can so this adventurous tale doesn’t end.

Goodman uses his real-life experience as a former search and rescue worker and love for the outdoors for his inspiration into this series, and you can REALLY tell that he knows what he’s talking about. His writing is superb, detailed and the reader will get lost in his story.

 

6. Jonathan Ballagh

 

Another Sci-fi series for your inner child to drool over.

The Quantum Door and The Quantum Ghost or books 1 and 2 in The Quantum Worlds series, but can definitely be read separately if desired.

The Quantum Door follows young brothers Brady and Felix as they stumble upon a door to another world where A.I.’s have taken over, and are slowly crumbling the world into nothing short of danger. The Quantum Ghost goes back to the same world where A.I.’s and “Elder Minds” rule, but follows a young girl named Remi Cobb.

Jonathan Ballagh is an expert at Science Fiction writing. He can easily transport the reader into another dimension that feels both exciting and frightening, while keeping the reader completely enthralled throughout.

This author is the reason for my love of Science Fiction now, and if you just read his books, you will know why.

 

7. Peter Brunton

The Stolen Child

I reviewed The Stolen Child back in 2015, and was BLOWN AWAY by Peter Brunton and his writing.

This book, is beyond AMAZING.

As I said in my review: “This book has literally robbed me of my acceptance of living in this ordinary world we call reality, and thinking that it was enough for me to escape into made up stories once and awhile. “

It’s THAT good.

The Stolen Child is a YA Fantasy set partly in London, and partly in a place called the Borderlands where flying ships and a floating Utopian society resides. It flips between two young female characters who live in different parts of the world, but are pulled together by strange events that happened before their births.

It is a WILD, magical and action-packed ride and I am f*****g shocked that it doesn’t have more review on Goodreads. This author is a born story-teller. His writing is flawless, his story building is vivid and creative, and I just can’t get enough of this book!

 

8. Mark C. King

 

I have had the IMMENSE pleasure of working with Mark C. King in all four of these books as an Alpha reader through his editing process, and was even written into Whispers of Bedlam Asylum.

I was made into a woman in an insane asylum.

Fitting? You know it.

The first three books are in the Sigmund Shaw series, which is a Sci-Fi Steampunk adventure collection. It follows Sigmund Shaw who has a penchant for breaking the law, but naturally only for good! The series is filled with gadgets, motorized carriages, and some rather sinister happenings.

The Book Reapers is set in England in 1891, where Naomi Gladwyn is sent to live in a work house after the mysterious death of her parents. It is a curious and riveting tale of a group known as the Book Reapers, who are a secret society who work to protect the world from the emotions that books can bring out in a person.

Mark is an amazing writer and one who has grown and improved so much over the years. I definitely recommend giving his books a try!

 

9. Robert Pence

 

Robert Pence is a fantastic writer of young Middle Grade books filled with mystery and SO much imagination!

One Deed Dude follows Otis who is cursed to only do one good deed a day after accidentally killing a gypsy boy-scout. Enraged by the accident, the mother of the gypsy boy-scout curses Otis to only be able to perform one good deed a day or else suffer terrible living nightmares.

Thump Squash is the tale of a creature who kidnaps children and chops off their feet. After the disappearance of eleven-year-old Billy, his friends go on the hunt to find Thump Squash and get billy back.

Both stories are delightfully spooky and unique for their strange plots, but ones that are WAY too good to pass up. Robert Pence is a witty writer who gives his young characters thoughtful and incredible voices.

 

10. Gary McPherson

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I was just introduced to Gary McPherson by JKS Communications when they sent me this book for review, and I was pleasantly surprised with his writing and story.

So much, that he has been given the honor of making it on this weeks book list! 😉

Joshua and the Shadow of Death is the first in the fictional Berserker series. It is the story of a childhood development psychologist that diagnosed two young boys with Berserker syndrome, a condition that causes the person to fly into a blind rage, and how he guides one of the boys through adulthood. After the father of one of the boys is found dead, the obvious suspect is his son who has been known to become quite angry and violent.

The reader is taken on a “who-done-it” ride, while also getting some interesting insight into the psychology of children.

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As usual, stay witchy!

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