October 2020 – The Mind of a (Book) Dragon

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BROKEN WISH by Julie C. Dao Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book:

Title: BROKEN WISH

Author: Julie C. Dao

Pub. Date: October 6, 2020

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org, Purchase a SIGNED copy!

Sixteen-year-old Elva has a secret. She has visions and strange powers that she will do anything to hide. She knows the warnings about what happens to witches in their small village of Hanau. She’s heard the terrible things people say about the Witch of the North Woods, and the malicious hunts that follow.

But when Elva accidentally witnesses a devastating vision of the future, she decides she has to do everything she can to prevent it. Tapping into her powers for the first time, Elva discovers a magical mirror and its owner-none other than the Witch of the North Woods herself. As Elva learns more about her burgeoning magic, and the lines between hero and villain start to blur, she must find a way to right past wrongs before it’s too late.

The Mirror: Broken Wish marks the first book in an innovative four-book fairy-tale series written by Julie C. Dao, Dhonielle Clayton, Jennifer Cervantes, and L. L. McKinney, following one family over several generations, and the curse that plagues it.

“Broken Wish is the perfect dark Disney fairytale.” – The Disney Blog

“Julie C. Dao sets the bar high with Broken Wish, a stunning and skillful introduction to the world of The Mirror, Disney’s new fractured fairy-tale series written by four different authors that follows a family curse through the ages.” – Medium

“Fairy tales were literally the foundation of how I started writing my first full-length novel at the age of eight. So, it felt like coming full circle when Disney asked me to write the first book in this series, and I had a blast incorporating classic fairy tale themes with my own twist. Hanau, Germany is none other than the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm, and as a lover of dark fairy tales, I felt that there was no setting more perfect for me to explore. My book takes place during a time when rural villages would still have clung to superstition and prejudice, and that gave me an excellent springboard for this book about a woman who has never quite fit in and longs for love and friendship.” – Julie C. Dao on Broken Wish in Publishers Weekly

This was such an interesting read. I didn’t know much about the book going into it, but I was really impressed. I love Julie’s writing, and I’ve been following her since her debut. It’s a good book with a lot of mystery, and it seems like an excellent beginning for a series. I’m curious as to what will happen in the sequels. This story began with Agnes and Oskar, but for the majority of the book it follows Elva, their daughter. I really loved her spirit throughout the book. She’s a strong character who believes in herself, which inspires those around her. Her relationship with Mathilda is a beautiful mentor/mentee structure. Mathilda is so pricky, but that doesn’t stop Elva from prying down Mathilda’s doors. I couldn’t put the book down. It was a short book, and it was over too soon! I loved the setting and how it was woven into the tale. I felt like I was really there. I wanted to be in the North Woods feeling the breeze on my skin and smelling the trees. All in all, this was a great, quick read. It’s perfect for this fall/spooky season!

About Julie:

Julie C. Dao is the author of the acclaimed Rise of the Empress duology, including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, as well as the follow-up novel Song of the Crimson Flower. A proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York, she now lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes. Photo Credit: Melody Marshall

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of BROKEN WISH, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/1/2020	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt
10/2/2020	YABooksCentral	Excerpt

Week Two:

10/5/2020	Seeing Double In Neverland	Review
10/6/2020	Novel Novice	Excerpt
10/7/2020	The Book Nut : A Book Lovers Guide	Review
10/8/2020	Nays Pink Bookshelf	Review
10/9/2020	Rajiv’s Reviews	Review

Week Three:

10/12/2020	A Dream Within A Dream	Review
10/13/2020	The Bookwyrm’s Den	Review
10/14/2020	Smada’s Book Smack	Review
10/15/2020	Book Briefs	Review
10/16/2020	The Mind of a Book Dragon	Review

Week Four:

10/19/2020	Do You Dog-ear?	Review
10/20/2020	popthebutterfly	Review
10/21/2020	oddandbookish	Review
10/22/2020	Fictitious.fox	Review
10/23/2020	Momfluenster	Review

Week Five:

10/26/2020	What A Nerd Girl Says	Excerpt
10/27/2020	onemused	Review
10/28/2020	Gimme The Scoop Reviews	Review
10/29/2020	A Backwards Story	Review
10/30/2020	linathebookaddict	Review

Hi everyone, and welcome to the first day of the Caffeine Book Tours week-long tour for Spell Starter, the sequel to Elsie Chapman’s exciting Caster. As a host for this tour, I received an advanced reading copy courtesy of Caffeine Book Tours and Scholastic; huge thank you to both!

About the Book

Title: Spell Starter

Author: Elsie Chapman

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication date: 06 October 2020

Age group: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis:

The Sting meets Fight Club in this magical, action-packed sequel to Caster by Elsie Chapman.

Yes, Aza Wu now has magic back. But like all things in her life, it has come at a great cost. After the tournament, Aza is able to pay off her parents’ debt to Saint Willow. Unfortunately, the cost of the gathering spell she used to strip Finch of his magic has put her permanently in the employ of the gang leader. Aza has been doing little errands using real magic — collecting debts, putting the squeeze on new businesses in the district. But that had never been the plan. Saint Willow is nothing if not ambitious and having Aza as a fighter is much more lucrative than as a fixer. Especially if she can control the outcome. Aza is going to have to put it all on the line again to get out of this situation!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Goodreads

About the Author

Elsie Chapman grew up in Prince George, Canada, and has a degree in English literature from the University of British Columbia. She is the author of the YA novels Dualed, Divided, Along the Indigo, and Caster as well as the middle-grade novel All the Ways Home, and the coeditor of A Thousand Beginnings and Endings and Hungry Hearts. She currently lives in Tokyo, Japan, with her family.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Review

First, let’s talk about how awesome that cover is! I loved the first book’s cover, but the series re-design totally kills it. They really pop, and they still have Aza taking center stage in them. What I love most is the font and the colors.

If you loved Caster, Spell Starter is going to blow your freaking mind. I loved the way Lotusland was built and described in the first book, everything from the smells to the sights, it felt like I was there. You get even more of that in the second book as Aza takes on Saint Willow himself. I was pooping myself at the end of the first book, so thankfully we pick right up in the second one.

What I really enjoyed was the deeper dive Chapman took into Aza’s. I liked her in the first book, but I feel like I got to know her better and become her friend in Spell Starter. Her strength and power is terrifyingly amazing, and it was wonderful to see her grow and change with it. Of course, part of it is the danger of wielding magic that isn’t her own, but I think Chapman explores this question beautifully. Aza is a clever, well-written character, and I was rooting for her at every challenge.

All in all, I really loved the sequel. It furthers the narrative from the first book and thrusts you back into a rich city that is both vibrant and has a seedy underbelly that we first saw in Caster. This is a sequel you don’t want to miss this Tuesday!

Be sure to follow along and check out the rest of the posts today and this week on the tour schedule!

Happy reading,

Sophie 🙂

Month: October 2020

Blog Tour: Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao