BLOG TOUR - OUT OF MY HEART BY SHARON M. DRAPER - MIDDLE GRADE FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]

Title: Out of My Heart 

Authors(s): Sharon M. Draper

Publication Date: November 9, 2021
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 352 pgs
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Purchase: Amazon - Kindle - Audible - B&N - BAM! - iBooks - Kobo - TBD - Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.  Please note the purchase links above are affiliate links.

Tour Schedule

Week One

11/8/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt

11/8/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review

11/9/2021 - bookblogarama - Excerpt

11/9/2021 - Little Red Reads - Review

11/10/2021 - Locks, Hooks and Books - Review

11/10/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review

11/11/2021 - Bri's Book Nook - Review

11/11/2021 - Sparetimereader - Review

11/12/2021 - More Books Please Blog - Review

11/12/2021 - OneMoreExclamation - Review

Week Two

11/15/2021 - Wilted Pages - Review

11/15/2021 - Don't Judge, Read - Excerpt

11/16/2021 - For the Love of KidLit - Excerpt

11/16/2021 - BookHounds YA - Review

11/17/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review

11/17/2021 - Two Points of Interest - Review

11/18/2021 - Not In Jersey - Review

11/18/2021 - @bookshelfmomma - Review

11/19/2021 - Once Upon a Twilight - Review

11/19/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review

The Summary

Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novel Out of My Mind.

Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older, and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for differently-abled kids like her, and she’s going to sleuth one out. A place where she can trek through a forest, fly on a zip line, and even ride on a horse! A place where maybe she really can finally make a real friend, make her own decisions, and even do things on her own—the dream!

By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the terror of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she really is.

Reviews:

"A deeply satisfying and worthy continuation of a beloved story." (Kirkus Reviews, STARRED September 15, 2021)

“Melody Brooks, a smart, determined 12-year-old diagnosed with cerebral palsy, returns in this sequel to 2010’s Out of My Mind. Longing for independence from her family and daily routines, she persuades her parents to let her attend Camp Green Glades, a summer camp for kids with disabilities in her home state of Ohio. With the help of her Jamaican American counselor Trinity and three cabinmates, Melody navigates new experiences—including zip-lining, horseback riding, and a first crush. Melody’s voice is as wryly funny as ever, and the supporting cast, which features kids and adults of various ethnicities and disabilities, treat her with respect and empathy… it’s impossible not to be charmed by the witty protagonist’s affirming, frequently ecstatic discovery of what it means to be part of a community that truly understands her.”

(Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* October 11, 2021)

(Goodreads)

My Review

I really hope that everyone has gotten to read Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, the first book in this duology, because while you can enjoy Out of My Heart without having read it, there is so much more to Melody that you need to know before you can appreciate the amazing, transformational experience she goes on at summer camp.

Quick recap to give context (this is the barest of bare minimum's so please read Out of My Mind to get everything): Melody has cerebral palsy, and she cannot communicate the way most people do because of that.  Also, due to this, many people in her life think she isn't intelligent; kids in her class, teachers, and even doctors!  But Melody has a photographic memory and is extremely intelligent.  Once she receives a "Medi-talker", a machine that can speak for her via text-to-speech, she has the means to communicate and show everyone just how smart she really is.

Out of My Heart takes place the summer after the school year explored in Out of My Mind, where Melody has gotten more and more confident in herself because she has the means to finally make herself heard.  With that comes a desire to explore the world outside of her norm, and do things other kids do: like summer camp.  She thinks there must be a camp for kids like her, and she sets off, with the help of her favorite librarian (yes for librarians!). Melody researches different options, and then makes her case to her parents.  Of course, she convinces them because Melody knows what's up!

What Draper does so beautifully in both books is delve into the emotionality of Melody.  The reader spends a lot of time, understandably, in Melody's head, and because of that, they get to see the complexity of each situation Melody has to face.  Melody is away from her whole support system for the first time, which can be nerve-wracking for a kid who isn't reliant on other people, let alone someone like Melody who needs help with a multitude of things.  But this never stops her from trying, even things that might be scary.  And that is the beautiful thing about Melody's spirit that Draper makes clear.  She isn't easily defeated.

The summer camp experience broadens Melody's horizons, and does show her how capable she is, and what joy she can get out of life.  It also brings a delightful cast of supporting characters, through the camp counselors and her fellow campers.  The camp, Camp Green Glades, is made to be accessible for kids with all sorts of disabilities, and Draper crafts those different experiences in a way that always shines a light on the fact that their lives aren't lesser because of these disabilities, just different.  I really appreciate that, because as Melody herself mentions, it isn't just kids who make her, and others like her, feel crummy about themselves, it's adults too.

This is a beautiful expansion on the original story.  So full of joy and strength, the reader won't help but cheer and cheer and cheer for Melody as she learns just how joyful and strong her soul is.  An important book to keep in libraries and classrooms, I really urge you to pick up Out of My Mind and Out of My Heart, to learn all about this very special character that Sharon M. Draper has introduced to the world!

Final Rating

About the Author

Katie Schneider Photography

Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. She has received the Coretta Scott King Award for both Copper Sun and Forged by Fire, and was awarded the Charlotte Huck Award for Stella by Starlight. Her novel Out of My Mind has won multiple awards and was a New York Times bestseller for over three years, and Blended has also been a New York Times bestseller. She taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. She now lives in Florida. Visit her at SharonDraper.com.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

Giveaway

2 winners will receive a finished copy of OUT OF MY HEART, US Only.

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BLOG TOUR - THE BEAR HOUSE BY MEAGHAN MCISAAC - MIDDLE GRADE FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]

Title: The Bear House (#1)

Authors(s): Meaghan McIsaac
Publication Date: October 5, 2021
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 368 pgs
Publisher: Holiday House
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Purchase: Amazon - Kindle - Audible - B&N - BAM! - iBooks - Kobo - TBD - Bookshop.org
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.  Please note the purchase links above are affiliate links.

Tour Schedule

Week One

10/18/2021 - Rockstar Book Tours - Kickoff Post

10/18/2021 - Log Cabin Library - Excerpt

10/19/2021 - BookHounds YA - Excerpt

10/19/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt

10/20/2021 - #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog - Review

10/20/2021 - The Bookwyrm's Den - Excerpt

10/21/2021 - Jazzy Book Reviews - Excerpt

10/21/2021 - Two Chicks on Books - Excerpt

10/22/2021 - Jaime's World - Review

10/22/2021 - Books a Plenty Book Reviews - Review

Week Two

10/25/2021 - Lifestyle of Me - Review

10/25/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review

10/26/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review

10/26/2021 - Little Red Reads - Review

10/27/2021 - Two Points of Interest - Review

10/27/2021 - Books and Zebras  - Review

10/28/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review

10/28/2021 - The Reading Wordsmith - Review

10/29/2021 - History from a Woman’s Perspective  - Review

10/29/2021 - Nonbinary Knight Reads and Reviews - Review

The Summary

In a gritty medieval world where the ruling houses are based on the constellations, betrayal, intrigue, and a king's murder force the royal sisters of the Bear House on the run!

Moody Aster and her spoiled sister Ursula are the daughters of Jasper Lourdes, Major of Bears and lord of all the realm. Rivals, both girls dream of becoming the Bear queen someday, although neither really deserve to, having no particular talent in... well, anything.

But when their Uncle Bram murders their father in a bid for the crown, the girls are forced onto the run, along with lowly Dev the Bearkeeper and the Lourdes's half-grown grizzly Alcor, symbol of their house. As a bitter struggle for the throne consumes the kingdom in civil war, the sisters must rely on Dev, the bear cub, and each other to survive--and find wells of courage, cunning, and skill they never knew they had.

Reviews

"Weaves intrigue and adventure. . . . An epic, complex narrative."—Publishers Weekly

 

"The stellar worldbuilding is both expansive and accessible, and the action never falters. . . . Thrilling adventure set in an enchanting world makes this an easy pick for high fantasy fans."—Kirkus Reviews

(Goodreads)

My Review

The Bear House by Meaghan McIsaac was one of the best fantasies I have read this year!  I was immediately captivated by the story, and devoured the book in two days.  You find yourself in a lush, exciting, and harrowing adventure, one you never want to stop.  And while this book seems self-contained, which I miss in a lot of fantasies lately, it is actually book one of a series.  Which means I get to revisit this world and I am so excited about that!

This is some of the best worldbuilding I have gotten to read in a middle grade book.  The complexity and extent of the religious system/ruling system in this book is unique.  Based on constellations, this world is guided by the "On-High", the stars who are believed to have created High Beasts to protect and rule over the world, with the animals residing in separate kingdoms within the overall Highen.  The greatest of them all in the Bear Highen is the Hemoth Bear kingdom, or Tawnshire.  Within the Bear Highen are 7 other kingdoms: Whitlock (White Bear), Felisbrook (Lynx), Dracogart (Shadow Dragon), Twigate (Blue Giraffe), Roarque (Lion), and Hundford (Starhound).  But while these are all individual kingdoms, they are ruled by the Major, the one chosen by the Hemoth Bear to be its partner.  There is much more to it then this, but that is part of the enjoyment of the story. 

The pace of this book is non-stop; it takes a couple of chapters to start, but once it does, hold on.  The current Major's kingdom is under attack.  His daughters, Ursula and Aster, both possible heirs to the throne, are in danger, escaping out of Tawnshire with the Apprentice Keeper Dev and the Hemoth bear cub, Alcor--not such a little bear.  Being both spoiled brats, the journey to protect their lives and their kingdom forces the princesses to grow, both in their spirit and in their skills.  There is a lot of intrigue along with the adventure, making this a fun twisty book in some respects.  There are small times of rest, but the danger is never over, so constant situations arise that need to be dealt with, all pushing the story to the conclusion.  With the pacing, you, as the reader, are pushed along just as quickly as the kids, but it never seems forced.

With the action being non-stop, it is also brutal in many aspects.  This world is mediaeval in presentation, so with that comes some very harsh realities.  The phrase "fight for your life" applies here, with characters in the book being murdered.  Not graphically depicted, but not shied away from either.  Also, the imperfections and evil of humans are explored, teaching lessons about morality, without being obvious or preachy.

As the book progresses, you also get to meet two princes from other kingdoms and their perspectives on what is happening in the realm.  This goes back to the worldbuilding, making the reader understand that there is so much more to explore here, as each kingdom is different.  Also, there are other Highens out there in the greater world, which add another layer to the situation completely.  This also expands the possibility of further stories within the book series as a whole, which is very exciting.

Overall, this one is perfect for the young reader who wants to read high fantasy, but are perhaps a little too young for adult fiction.  However, this book is definitely on par with those adult series, and I believe would be of interest to adult readers as well.  Beautifully crafted, The Bear House by Meaghan McIsaac is a wonderful start to an exciting series I can't wait to read more in!

Final Rating

Excerpt

AT THE START OF ALL THINGS, THERE WERE ONLY THE STARS.

Many different stars— light upon light upon light— but alone, they were not enough. 

To cure their loneliness, their light combined, and of them were born the High Beasts, each belonging to their own quadrant of heaven. 

To the skies of the South were born the High Fly, the Glimmer Snake, and more. And the stars of the South became known as the Waters. 

To the skies of the East and West were born the Dust Ram, the White Bull, the Star Twins, the Prism Scorpion, and more. These traveled together, one after the other, a ring of High Beasts in a never- ending loop. 

These stars became the Ring. 

To the skies of the North were born the White Bear, the Shadow Dragon, the Starhound, and more. But of them all, the stars loved the firstborn Bear best. And so the northern stars became the stars of the Great Bear. 

When from the earth, Man emerged from the darkness, looking to the sky for guidance, the stars stretched out their light and sent these beasts to lead him, bringing them into the flesh. 

And Man worshipped the stars, and he worshipped the beasts, and the beasts were sacred to him. 

Thus, beneath the heavenly sea of the Waters, the Highen of the Waters was born. 

Beneath the Ring’s milky skies grew the Highen of the Ring. 

And beneath the crisp, dark skies of the Great Bear, the mighty Bear Highen began. 

— THE WRITINGS OF BERN, On the Founding of Highens: The Fore,  Star Writ 

PROLOGUE

THE Shadow Dragons were screaming. Their cries rose out of the dark, echoing over the peak of Mount Draccus. 

Men had come for their eggs. 

Quintin Wyvern crouched in the shadows of a rocky outcrop, watching the retrieval party approach the nests. The young prince had promised his father he would stay in the castle by his ailing mother’s bedside. An outbreak of firelung had taken hold of the Kingdom of Dracogart, and Mother was just one of many fighting to survive. But that night, when the dragons began wailing, Lady Wyvern had squeezed Quintin’s hand. 

“Go,” she told him, her breath ragged from the sickness. “Go and witness their sacrifice.” 

And so Quintin left her. He had followed hidden paths so as not to be seen, the mountain’s breath thick and fetid and burning his lungs. 

From his vantage point behind an outcrop of obsidian, Quintin saw the lights of the city of Dracogart below, saw the men in impressive armor walking up the main road, their horses sidestepping with nerves. 

The mother dragons hissed at their approach, plumes of smoke billowing from their gaping mouths in warning. Only three eggs had been laid that year, each one a precious gift from the stars. They would take a further two years to hatch. 

One of them would never get that chance. 

There was a chirrup at his back, and Quintin startled. He turned and saw a Shadow Dragon, a juvenile female, crouched on the stones above him. She blinked at him, her yellow eyes anxious. 

Umbra. 

Quintin pressed a finger to his lips and turned back to watch the soldiers. 

The mother dragons paced, encircling their nests. The light of the men’s torches danced and glinted off their dark, stony scales. 

Quintin knew they would not give up an egg without a fight. 

Shadow Dragons did not abide the laws of men. 

And yet the law demanded an egg all the same. Word had reached Dracogart a week ago from the Major: the Kingdom of the Shadow Dragon must surrender one egg. And that egg would pay for the firelung cure that could only be found in the land of their enemies, the Ring Highen. 

“We can’t!” his mother had said, fuming, when she had still been well enough to stand. “There has to be another way!” 

Chancellor Furia, King Wyvern’s most trusted advisor, had agreed— even though Furia and Queen Wyvern rarely agreed on anything. “Sire, it is too sinful even to think of.” 

The eggs of the Shadow Dragon were sacred. Blessings from the holy stars themselves. How could Dracogart allow anyone to take what had been given by the stars? 

“The Major was chosen to be Major because he is favored by the stars,” King Wyvern told them. “If the Major believes this is the way to save our people, then we must trust that he is right.” 

Save the people, yes . And more importantly now,  thought Quintin, save Mother.  Her condition was worsening by the hour. 

But still, he felt a nervousness in his gut. What if Father was wrong to allow this? 

Umbra chirruped again, as if she could read his thoughts. 

Quintin looked beyond Dracogart’s rocky valley, over which the mountain’s shadow fell— Father was out there, somewhere, hunting with his mount Draco, the largest dragon alive, the dragon- king of the Shadow Dragons. When the Major’s men had left the castle for the mountain path to retrieve the egg, Father had left with Draco— the king of dragons would be angry to hear his wives so distressed, he’d said. 

But Quintin knew the truth. Seeing the Major’s men take an egg from the Shadow Dragons’ nest was too painful for even his father to bear. 

There were shouts from the men in armor, and when Quintin looked, one had approached the edge of the nest. The man held a spear, its tip fitted with a fat, dripping hearth weasel— as if a treat would be enough to trade a dragon for her child. 

One of the mother dragons slunk toward him, a threatening hiss venting from her smoking maw. The fins at the edge of her jaw fluttered. She was eager to crunch bone.

 

“Courage, men!”  shouted someone. “Hold!”  cried another. And still more were roaring orders as the man in armor inched closer to the dragon. 

Quintin held his breath. The young soldier stepped across the line on the ground where the rock had been scorched by dragon breath— the threshold of the nest. 

“Too close,” Quintin whispered. 

The mother dragons reared up, all of them screaming in unison, black wings flapping. The foremost dragon lunged, her powerful jaws snapping with a thunderous clap just short of the young man’s belly. 

The dragons’ screams built on one another, the noise folding onto itself, lifting with a ferocious desperation. They were screaming for Draco. 

Draco, whose size and power would protect them all. 

Draco, their king. 

Quintin’s eyes burned with tears. Draco was with his father. 

Draco would not save them. 

And then a roar exploded from somewhere below the mountain. 

It was so loud and resonant, it was as if the earth itself had opened up. 

Draco? 

No. This roar was earthbound. Not of the sky. 

Quintin heard Umbra screech and skitter away, scurrying back to her family, back into a nest farther up the mountain. She was only a little dragon, after all, even if she was Draco’s daughter. 

The mother dragons’ mood shifted, their hissing and smoking replaced by a quiet, nervous chirping, tiny sparks spitting from the sides of their mouths. Quintin had never seen Shadow Dragons look like that— tails wrapped close to their sides, bellies pressed low to the ground, all huddled close together. They were frightened. Frightened of what was making its way up the mountain road. 

A bear. 

A bear unlike any Quintin had ever seen before. 

The hulking beast stood heads above the horses, her girth so wide it took up the entire path. Her long, grizzled fur looked like fire, a bright amber color that gleamed in the torchlight. Her jaws looked powerful enough to crush iron, her paws big enough to shake the earth. There was no mistaking it— a Hemoth Bear. 

She was Mizar. The mightiest creature in all of the Bear Highen.

 

And beside her stood a man, just as hulking and grizzled as she. 

The Bear Major himself: Jasper Lourdes. 

They approached the nest, the dragons clustered together in a quaking mass. Mizar the Hemoth chuffed and snorted, her massive footfalls causing the very earth to shake. 

Quintin watched as the Major placed a hand on the Hemoth’s flank and the bear stopped. The Major continued to approach and, without hesitation, stepped over the nest’s threshold. The dragons did not make a sound. He picked his way over rocks and boulders until he was standing above an egg, its black shell speckled with pinpricks of warm light. 

One of the mothers, the one who had snapped at the soldier, whined with alarm, and the Hemoth roared again, dislodging rock and stone from the mountainside and sending it tumbling down. 

Quintin threw his hands over his head to protect himself from the stony shower; dust powdered his shoulders. 

When the rumble faded to nothing, the dragons were silent again. 

Major Jasper Lourdes bent down to the egg and took it gently in his hands. 

Quintin longed to know how it felt. Warm, he imagined. Like the stones that lined the hearth fires in the castle. 

Finally, delicately, the High King of the Bear Highen fit the egg into the crook of his arm, as if cradling a baby, and bowed to the frightened flock of dragons. 

And just as suddenly as they’d arrived, the Major and the Hemoth left, disappearing down the mountain road with the Major’s soldiers following behind. 

Quintin was alone with the Shadow Dragons, trembling with his awe of the Hemoth Bear, and with fear and sadness for the egg the men had taken with them— the Shadow Dragon that would never be. 

About the Author

Meaghan McIsaac is the author of several books for young readers, including The Boys of Fire and Ash, which was shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award; and Movers, which was a Shining Willow Finalist for the Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards. Meaghan lives in Toronto, Ontario with her two dogs.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE BEAR HOUSE, US Only.

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BLOG TOUR - CURSE OF THE SPECTER QUEEN BY JENNY ELDER MOKE - YA FICTION [REVIEW + GIVEAWAY]

Title: Curse of the Specter Queen

Authors(s): Jenny Elder Moke
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Edition: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 352 pgs
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Buy: Amazon - Kindle - Audible - 

iBooks - Kobo - The Book Depository - 

Bookshop.org - Barnes & Noble

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the publisher as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tour Schedule

Week One

6/1/2021 - Fire and Ice - Excerpt

6/2/2021 - Lisa Loves Literature - Review

6/3/2021 - YA Books Central - Excerpt

6/4/2021 - Jazzy Book Reviews - Excerpt

6/5/2021 - Rajiv's Reviews - Review

Week Two

6/6/2021 - The Reading Wordsmith - Review

6/7/2021 - Kait Plus Books - Excerpt

6/8/2021 - A Court of Coffee and Books - Review

6/9/2021 - The Bookwyrm's Den - Review

6/10/2021 - Stuck in the Stacks - Review

6/11/2021 - Do You Dog-ear? - Review

6/12/2021 - Christen Krumm - Review

Week Three

6/13/2021 - What A Nerd Girl Says - Review

6/14/2021 - Nay's Pink Bookshelf - Review

6/15/2021 - Thindbooks Blog - Review

6/16/2021 - History from a Woman’s Perspective - Review

6/17/2021 - Emelie's Books - Review

6/18/2021 - Eli to the nth - Review

6/19/2021 - @fictitious.fox - Review

Week Four

6/20/2021 - Books Are Magic Too - Review

6/21/2021 - Star-Crossed Book Blog - Review

6/22/2021 - Book-Keeping - Review

6/23/2021 - The Momma Spot - Review

6/24/2021 - The Book View - Review

6/25/2021 - Momfluenster - Review

6/26/2021 - onemused - Review

Week Five

6/27/2021 - Book Briefs - Review

6/28/2021 - Always Me - Review

6/29/2021 - The Book Review Crew - Review

6/30/2021 - celiamcmahonreads - Review

The Summary

A female Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider when Samantha Knox receives a mysterious field diary and finds herself thrust into a treacherous plot. After stealing a car and jumping on a train, chased by a group of dangerous pursuers, Sam finds out what’s so special about this book: it contains a cipher that leads to a cursed jade statue that could put an end to all mankind.

MAY THE HAZEL BRING YOU WISDOM AND THE ASPEN GUIDE AND PROTECT YOU...

Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn't return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam's peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose - to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, to bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex cipher - one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the tree of life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world?

Indiana Jones gets a refresh with this female-driven mystery adventure, set in the 1920s, full of ciphers, ancient relics, and heart-stopping action - the first in a brand-new series!

Advance praise for CURSE OF THE SPECTER QUEEN:

"Pure fun from start to finish. Curse of the Specter Queen is a delightful historical romp, riddled with cryptic puzzles, hints of romance, and an adventurous cast of characters. An ideal escape for fans of curses, magic, and mystery."—Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Caravel series

“This lush, high-stakes, adventure tale has it all—a rollicking plot, a sweet slow burn of a romance, and a heroine on an epic journey filled with ciphers, curses, and twists that kept me guessing at every turn. A delightful read from start to finish, Curse of the Specter Queen is one of my new favorites.”—Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortals 

“Apocalyptic curses, blood-chilling demons, and a centuries-old treasure hunt with a brilliant bookish heroine. Curse of the Spector Queen had me feverishly turning pages until I finally arrived at the epic conclusion.”—Livia Blackburne, New York Times best-selling author of Rosemarked and Midnight Thief

(Goodreads)

Excerpt

Chapter One

Sam let the first door chime go unanswered, occupied as she was with the stack of delicate books cradled in her arms. The second chime earned a grunt of displeasure from her as she scanned the shelves for the first edition of John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding she had repaired last week. She spotted it, tucked safely between Kant and Machiavelli. The third chime rang so insistently that she tipped the book forward too hard and it dropped to the floor with an ominous crack.

“Oh dear,” she said, crouching down to retrieve the book. “Mr. Locke, I apologize. And I swear to you if it’s the butcher’s boys again, I will take the broad side of his cleaver to their rear ends myself.”

The spine appeared unmarred, which was more than Sam could say for her disposition as she stacked the book on top of the others and jostled to a standing position. She tottered to the front of the shop and set them down on the desk. In the window stood the rounded figure of Clement’s postman, his face pressed to the glass and obscuring the gold lettering across the door. She checked off each book on her inventory list, letting him freeze in the early January snows of rural Illinois, before crossing to the door and unlocking it. A blast of cold drove it open like an unwanted guest.

“Yes, Georgie, what is it you need?” she asked, shivering back from the chill.

“Got your mail,” Georgie huffed, bustling past her to drop his sack on the desk. He trod in drifts of snow across her pristine carpet and she swept the more offensive piles back out the door as she swung it shut.

“That’s why I had the package drop put in, Georgie,” Sam said.

“So you can leave them in a protected box without them getting soaked by the melting snow you’re tracking in.”

“It’s colder than a brass toilet seat in the arctic out there,” Georgie replied, leaning against his mailbag like he planned to stay. He peered into the stacks behind Sam. “It’s toasty in here, though. Must be nice for you, being tucked up in this place all day.”

“We keep the temperature stable for the books,” Sam said, her patient tone fraying at the edges. She had plenty to do before her long walk home in that same snow, and she couldn’t do it as long as Georgie was here chewing the cud. “Extreme heat and cold damage the leather. You said you had my mail?”

“Oh, sure.” Georgie ducked his head into the thick canvas sack. “Couple of these are too big, wouldn’t fit through the slot.”

Sam was sure his bell ringing had far more to do with the warm interior of the shop than with any oversize packages, but it was too late for that. Here he was already, invading her space and upending the careful equilibrium she maintained. He didn’t care that there was the rest of the inventory list to get to, plus the packages to prepare and send to Mr. Peltingham in London and Mr. Burnham in Oslo, never mind the repairs to the copy of Medieval Remedies for Cistercian Monks they had received at the shop last week. She didn’t have time for Georgie Heath and the trail of muddy snow he dragged everywhere.

He pulled a small collection of boxes from his sack—none of them, as Sam suspected, too large for the mail slot—with an exotic array of stamps across the front. Sam’s heart rate picked up when she spotted Mr. Studen’s scrawled handwriting. He always had the best finds in Paris. She grabbed her letter opener and sliced through the thick paper.

“Books,” Georgie said, in the same tone his father used when talking about the neighbor’s marauding hogs. “Always books, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Sam said with a happy little sigh, extracting Mr. Studen’s letter along with his latest find. “We are a bookshop, Georgie.”

Oh, clever Mr. Studen. She smiled at the first few lines of introduction, a jumble of letters and pictographic marks. He’d sent her another cryptogram, with a small note dashed at the top that read I’m sure to stump you this time.

He wasn’t, but she appreciated the challenge.

Georgie gave a snort. “I don’t know what we need with a bookshop here in Clement, anyhow. We’ve already got a library.”

“A collection of old family bibles does not count as a library,” Sam said, reaching for a pencil and paper. It looked to be a straightforward monoalphabetic cipher despite the distraction of the pictographic marks, but she didn’t want to underestimate Mr. Studen so quickly.

Georgie shrugged. “I was happy enough to give that stuff up the second I walked out of Mrs. Iris’s schoolroom for good.”

“Madame Iris,” Sam corrected.

“Madame,” Georgie said in a gross mockery of the French madame’s accent. “Pa says a book is only good for propping open a door or knocking a fella out.”

“Well I would expect no less from the man who led a town-wide protest when Mr. Steeling hired a Frenchwoman to teach at the schoolhouse,” Sam murmured, making a list of the most frequent letter appearances and the most common letter groupings in the cipher. Georgie craned his neck around, squinting at Mr. Studen’s neat handwriting.

“What is that?” he asked. “Some kind of gibberish?”

“It’s a cipher,” Sam said. “A code. It’s meant to keep a message hidden.”

My Review

I love a great adventure book, and this one has many things I love: books, romance, and friendship.  A great combo when put together and led by a gutsy, sharp-witted, and resourceful heroine.  And Curse of the Specter Queen has it all in spades.

Sam, our heroine, is immediately likable, and the reader will want to go anywhere and everywhere with her. She uses her knowledge and her strength of character to lead her friends on a epic treasure hunt fraught with danger.  Joanna and Bennett are also great characters, bringing the humor and romance individually And what Jenny Elder Moke does so well with this gang of intrepid venturers is putting them in intense situations on their way to unravel the mystery set before them.

This mix of plot- and character-driven story pushes the reader to devour each chapter, especially with all the cliff-hangers.  I do love a good cliff-hanger.  And the world-building was fantastic.  There are puzzles to solve and magic to see all within the context of actual historic events.  The magic was a surprising touch, but done with a deft hand so it doesn't feel out of place within the more realistic scenes.

Overall, Curse of the Specter Queen is a high-speed puzzle of a book. An amazing start to a new series, Jenny Elder Moke delivers with her sophomore book, and I can't wait to read the next Samantha Knox story!

Final Rating

About the Author

Jenny Elder Moke writes young adult fiction in an attempt to recapture the shining infinity of youth. She worked for several years at an independent publisher in Austin, TX before realizing she would rather write the manuscripts than read them. She is a member of the Texas Writer’s League and has studied children’s writing with Liz Garton Scanlon. She was a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Fiction Podcast Competition in 2017 for her podcast script, Target. When she is not writing, she’s gathering story ideas from her daily adventures with her two irredeemable rapscallions and honing her ninja skills as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Jenny lives in Denver, CO with her husband and two children.

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Giveaway

3 winners will receive a finished copy of CURSE OF THE SPECTER QUEEN, US Only.

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