The Island Cover Reveal & Extract

I HAVE A COVER REVEAL FOR YOU GUYS!!! (No, I'm not back from my mini blog break or, RSM as we call it!). And the main reason I decided to do this is because the blurb for this sounds SO GOOD!!!

It's CL Taylor's newest YA novel, The Island, which was sold to me as Lost meets The Hunger Games. How intriguing, no? Now, before I show you the cover, let me show you the blurb for it, the one that sold me in going "Ok, I want to be involved in this!"

Lost meets The Hunger Games in the thrilling new young adult novel from C.L. Taylor, the Sunday Times and million-copy bestselling author.

It was supposed to be the perfect holiday: a week-long trip for six teenage friends on a remote tropical island. But when their guide dies of a stroke leaving them stranded, the trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare.

Because someone on the island knows each of the group’s worst fears. And one by one, they’re becoming a reality. 

Seven days in paradise. A deadly secret. 

Who will make it off the island alive?

You see? As soon as I read this, I went "YES!". Ok, ready for the cover? Ready?

Surprise Blog Break Alert

Well... this is unexpected. Not just to you, dear reader, but to me also.

Ok, let me start from the beginning and we can go from there.

Usually, I try and have two blog breaks a year. The first is usually round Easter so March/April and the second in October. I do try and take a few weeks off at the end of the year to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

But this year has been different. With COVID-19 and lockdown, I have been reading then blogging a lot more so I just went through my first usual blog break without much through. The plan, I decide, was when I was allowed to go back to work, I would take a few weeks off and try and get back into the rhymes of life again.

But, a few weeks ago, I found myself on the edge of a reading slump. After reading multiply stories that were always 2 or 3 stars, my brain was rebelling against the idea of reading. I was relistening to some old podcasts and my brain wasn't fully ready to read (though it did allow me to audiobook one of my favourite reads, Sabriel by Garth Nix). For the past few weeks, I have been binging the books from the  Old Kingdom (I should be finished with Goldenhand by the end of the month, fingers crossed!).

So, I have, slowly, walked away from my reading slump verge. But, at the same time this was happening, things were happening on Book Twitter (for a good few weeks, there was always something - and with good reason), which made me question my blogging or if I was still a member of book blogging, especially the YA book blogging community.

If you've followed the Pewter Wolf for a while, you know that I have been struggling on how long I should keep blogging for the past few years on and off, and with this and everything that has been happening, the idea of writing blog posts for the past few weeks makes me feel tired. I feel tired of the blog and every time I wanted to type a post, I just couldn't muster the energy to do it. Why should I when it felt like I was doing it for no reason?

Though, writing this has been quite helpful as now I'm giving myself the permission to take a blog break, I feel like now I could write posts. But I'm going to take time out and now worry about writing posts of books I read this month. Unless a book catches my eye and I need to talk to you guys badly about it.

So, yes, I am taking a small blog break and I'm not really going to write up my reviews/write-up of the stories I read/listen to this month and save them for next month like I normally do. I'm just going to titles that catch my eye and, when I come back at the end of the month/August/whenever, I can start afresh and anything that I do read this month, I will do a small write-up on my Goodreads or Twitter (so, yeah, now is the time to meet my social media and I am looking into joining other bookish social media such as BookSloth. Maybe... am still thinking this over... ) and I'm not going to pressure self to read x amount of books/audiobooks within a stupid timeframe like I normally do.

Maybe this is a time-out the Pewter Wolf and myself need. So, blog break time! I will be reading and I will be plotting...

So, till I return, stay safe, stay kind and stay fighting.

Queen of Coin and Whispers Extract Alert!

I HAVE AN EXTRACT FOR YOU GUYS!!!

Queen of Coin and Whispers is a debut from Helen Corcoran and I'm very excited to share this extract from you as this book screams everything that I want to read this year. It's fantasy and queer and it sounds perfect!

When idealistic Lia inherits her corrupt uncle's throne and his bankrupt kingdom, she brings in a new spymaster, Xania, who only took the job to avenge her father's murder. But as the two spend more time together, the more they fall for each other, which could ruin everything for both of them.

Am keeping this quite vague as I want you to read the extract!

So, before I hand you over to the extract, I just want to say thanks to Triona at O'Brien Press for asking if I wanted to be involved in this tour!

Now, if you want to say hi to Helen, pop over to her website at helencorcoran.com or go to Twitter and say hi to her at @hcor. And, after reading the extract below you crave more info, you can go to either obrien.ie!

Now, ONTO THE EXTRACT!

Self-Isolations Mini-Reads - A Taste of Honey & HeartStopper

Oh, the joy of thinking you are on a verge of a reading slump: you are never sure on how you feel about the book and if you should do a small write-up about the stories you have read. I’m probably going against my better judgement and I am going to do a two mini-reviews in one post. Which isn’t going to be a difficult thing to write as one ebook I read, I had a blast with and the other… not so much. 

Might as well get them out of the way now! 

• Title And Author: A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson
• Publisher: Tor
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 162 Pages

I had such high hopes for this. Such high hopes. I mean, LOOK AT THAT COVER! Yes, I did buy this because of the cover. Plus, part of the book’s blurb catch my eye and I went “YES!”. Aqib, fourth-cousin to the royal family and son of the Master of the Hunt, finds himself falling for a handsome Daluçan soldier named Lucrio. As the two start a star-crossed whirlwind of a romance, the two don’t know if their love cam survive all the hardships the world has planned to throw at them… 

Like I said earlier, I had such high hopes. An adult fantasy novella with a black queer romance at its heart? SIGN ME UP! And yet… and, sadly, yet, this didn’t work for me. There’s nothing wrong with this - the writing and world building were on point, though a tad confusing at times if you’re not on the ball. Plus, maybe it’s because I am on the verge of reading slump that I felt that this was a tad dense for my brain. But the main reason I went into this novella - the black queer romance - while there, often felt overshadowed by the writing and the world-building. 

Ok, so I had a tiny misfire as I judged a book by its cover (DON’T!), but I thought I would try something with kissing. So, when I saw an eBook version of Heartstopper: Volume 1 on my kindle for 99p, I “ooh”ed and “ahh”ed over it. I have read the webcomic for a few years now, but kept putting off buying the first volume. Not sure why, but I did. So, I got Volume One now (AT LAST!) and, oh, hang, I need to do the links/essential info! 

• Title And Author: Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman
• Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 288 Pages

Ok, with that out of the way, let’s chat graphic novel/webcomic! Charlie and Nick go to the same school, but have never met. Until they made to sit next to each other in class. The two become friends, and soon Charlie finds himself falling hard for Nick, though he’s sure he has got a chance with Nick. But Nick might be more interested in Charlie than either of them realise. 

This is wonderful, feel-good graphic novel. The art might not be as polished as other graphic novels, but this has a lot of heart and does wonders for representation within the LGBTQ+ community. Plus, if you follow the web-series, this series does tackle some issues with sensitivity and care, but this is very much setting up Nick and Charlie’s friendship and slowly growing romantic relationship and it’s wonderful! 

I had to jump onto the web-series once I had read the volume to double-check what happened next as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. But this was exactly what I needed after reading A Taste of Honey. 

Speaking of this, this might be my last bookish-review/write-up for a while as life is slowly trying to return to normal plus reading slump so going to give myself a few weeks off blogging my reading and my thoughts (though not for long. I just need to find my feet again and then, can hit the ground running again. And oooh, I have titles I want to read that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into!!!) 

Self-Isolation Read - Arctic Heat

• Title And Author: Arctic Heat by Annabeth Albert
• Publisher: Carina Press
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction
• Length: 368 Pages

ARGH! My NetGalley TBR has gotten SUPER out of hand! At the time of writing this, it’s over 100 and I know that a handful of them might not be my reading tastes now as they were requested several years back and if you have been on this reading/blogging journey with me the past few years, you would have seen my tastes change and me reading a few more genres more than others now compared to when I started. 

But I do have a set spot for romance of late. Sometimes, when the world becomes dark, you need a little sweetness, and romance seems to be my go to the past few weeks since lockdown/self-isolation. Plus, the past few weeks, I have felt on the verge of a reading slump so I hoped that this would save me up to a point. A gay romance set in the snowy mountains of Alaska? What more could I ask for?

Owen Han has a new leash of life. Surviving cancer and going through his bucket list, volunteering alongside park rangers and fulfilling his childhood dreams of snowy winters and rustic life. Shy ranger Quill doesn’t want to deal with newbie volunteers. And flirty Owen looks like he wouldn’t survive a week, let alone the winter. But as the two spend time together, their work relationship turns romantic, but can their relationship survive the harsh winter?

Midnight's Twins Blog Tour - Not At Midnight...

BLOG TOUR TIME! Two in one month! You guys must be in shock!

I am thrilled to be today's stop in the Midnight Twins tour, the first book in a new urban fantasy trilogy written by debut author, Holly Race!

Fern has uncovered a mirror world of ours, where Dreamers can walk in this enchanted, mysterious world know as Annwn. But Annwn is full with as much danger as it does with wonders. For this, Annwn and its Dreamers are protected by an ancient order known as the Knights.

But when Fern's twin, Ollie, is chosen to join the Knight, Fern will do whatever it takes to prove herself worth to join.

But as Fern tries, she does that Annwn, in this dream mirror of her London, is fragile. It's threatened by terrifying and vicious nightmares. Nightmares that are getting harder to defeat. Something dark is happening, and Fern slowly realises that something dark and insidious is lurking in our sleep. Because if you can influence someone's dreams, you can control their thoughts...

This sounds nuts, and so up my street! So, as soon as I was asked to be involved in this tour, I had to get involved! And I am thrilled that Holly found time to write a small guest post for this tour! I know she must be writing the second book in this trilogy so to have this is wonderful!

Before I hand it over to the guest post, I want to thank Holly for finding time to write this post and for Faye & Hot Key Books for asking me to be involved in this tour. If you want more info on Midnight Twins, check out Hot Key Books! Or, if you wanna say hi to Holly, she's on Twitter as @Ecarylloh!

Now, over to Holly!

Fall Out Blog Tour Time

BLOG TOUR TIME! And it's a good'un, I promise!

I am thrilled to be a stop on Fall Out, C.G. Moore debut novel! I read this a few months back during self-isolation (review for that is here) and I devoured this book, so it was a no-brainer when I was asked to be involved in this tour!

When Cal comes out to his family, he didn't expect the reaction to be so explosive. He didn't expect his mum to cut herself and be rushed to the hospital, nor for his father to attack him on the hospital ward. But the fall out of his family is nothing compared to the fall out it comes from his friends, bullies and school.

As Cal is pushed closer and closer to his limit, can he rely on his family and friends to save him from having a meltdown or has he cut himself off too far from them, or himself, to save him?

Now, before I hand it over to C.G to chat about writing while listening to music and some song choices he listened to while writing Fall Out, I want to thank C.G. for finding time to write this post for this tour and for Hazel at UCLan Publishing for chatting to me about this tour!

If you wanna chat to C.G, you can visit him on Twitter at @YAfictionados! Now, over to you, C.G., and get your headphones on!

Self-Isolation Read - Meet Cute Club

• Title And Author: Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon
• Publisher: Self-Published
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted
• Length: 186 Pages

I was very lucky to have been gifted some books and ebooks from Amazon Wishlist thread on Twitter due to COVID-19 self-isolation and days feeling very low about this world situation back in March/April (though the situation now… like I said a while back, can we cancel 2020?). And I decided that I would like to read some over the summer. So, after reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and feeling very meh about it and the world/weather at the moment, I felt I needed something light and fluffy before I go onto my next real read of the first book in the Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stroud. So, the ebook gifted by Faye from A Daydreamer’s Thoughts called to me and so, I started Meet Cute Club. 

Jordan Collins doesn’t need a man. Why would he? He’s happy reading the next release of his favourite romance novelist and his romance book club. But members are slowly leaving and so, when a new employee from his local bookshop, Rex, wants to join, Jordan can’t exactly say no. Even though the first and only time they met, Rex made fun of his “grandma” reads and Rex got under Jordan’s skin in a way no one has before. 

As the two begin to team up and save the Meet Cute Club, both Jordan and Rex realise that they judged each other wrong - What’s the saying? Never judge a book by its cover? - and the two fall for each other. But they both know real life isn’t a romantic novel and not everyone will get a happy ever after. So, will they?