Wednesday 29 July 2020

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?

Wednesday 8 July 2020

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.

Wednesday 1 July 2020

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!