Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small!
Please see about the book below and enter the giveaway!
Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Synopsis:
Best friends Marine Duval and Kate Sanders have trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School since childhood, where they’ve formed an inseparable bond forged by respective family tragedies and a fierce love for dance. When the body of a student is found in the dorms just before the start of their final year, Marine and Kate begin to ask themselves what they would do to win the ultimate prize: to be the one girl selected to join the Opera’s prestigious corps de ballet. Would they die? Cheat? Seduce the most talented boy in the school, dubbed the Demigod, hoping his magic would make them shine, too? Neither girl is sure.But then Kate gets closer to the Demigod, even as Marine has begun to capture his heart. And as selection day draws near, the competition—for the prize, for the Demigod—becomes fiercer, and Marine and Kate realize they have everything to lose, including each other.
A.K. Small is thrilled for her debut novel, BRIGHT BURNING STARS, to come out May 21,2019 through publisher Algonquin Young Readers. Her talent for writing and passion for classical ballet fuse together in this novel and earned A.K.Small the honor of an Entertainment Weekly review.
In addition to BRIGHT BURNING STARS, A.K. Small spends time on short stories. Her short story, Anthrocon, 2017 was just nominated for a Pushcart prize by the Bellevue Literary Review. Other stories such as the Flour Baby and The Interior Designer were also nominated or runner-up to prizes.
She also ran a column titled, "A French Girl's View Du Monde" at Barrelhouse Magazine.
A.K. Small graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2009 with an MFA in fiction. When she's not reading her favorite authors (Rainbow Rowell, Angie Thomas, Anna Gavalda, Jandy Nelson, Ann Hood, Sue Miller, Anais Nin, Tayari Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Wright, and J.R.R. Tolkien, to name a few!), she's studying her favorite dancers: Sylvie Guillem, Noella Pontois, Marie-Agnes Gillot, and Aurelie Dupont.
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Death By The River by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor!
Death By The River by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor Publication Date: October 2, 2018 by Vesuvian Books Synopsis:
Some truths are better kept secret.
Some secrets are better off dead.
Along the banks of the Bogue Falaya River, sits the abandoned St. Francis Seminary. Beneath a canopy of oaks, blocked from prying eyes, the teens of St. Benedict High gather here on Fridays. The rest of the week belongs to school and family—but weekends belong to the river.
And the river belongs to Beau Devereaux.
The only child of a powerful family, Beau can do no wrong. Handsome. Charming. Intelligent. The star quarterback of the football team. The “prince” of St. Benedict is the ultimate catch.
He is also a psychopath.
A dirty family secret buried for years, Beau’s evil grows unchecked. In the shadows of the ruined St. Francis Abbey, he commits unspeakable acts on his victims and ensures their silence with threats and intimidation. Senior year, Beau sets his sights on his girlfriend’s headstrong twin sister, Leslie, who hates him. Everything he wants but cannot have, she will be his ultimate prize.
As the victim toll mounts, it becomes crystal clear that someone has to stop Beau Devereaux.
And that someone will pay with their life.
WARNING: Readers of Death by the River will encounter situations of violence and sexual abuse which could be upsetting.
"Rare is the story that simmers and rises to a boil so naturally and constantly that the reader manages to be repeatedly shocked ... a full-speed rollercoaster that doesn't slow down until the final page. Employing an evocative setting, powerfully defined characters, and taking along hard look at the darker side of human desire, this novel will catch your breath and hold it until the very end. RECOMMENDED" ―Michael Radon, US Review
"While the authors have written a chilling story here, there's more to Death by the River than thrills. It's actually a fascinating study into the effects of good and bad parenting on children. Do it badly and parents, children and society as a whole pay the consequences. This book is not just an exciting read; it's a sobering one." ―Viga Boland, Retired high school English teacher and Author of No Tears for my Father: Viga's true story of incest
"While the story follows compelling characters, it also plunges readers into an intriguing setting. It is ironical that the horrors are taking place along the river that runs so close to a seminary, an establishment that should evoke a powerful sense of God and reverence for life. The characters are sophisticated and readers will learn to honestly hate the villain of the story -- he is well imagined and developed with skill. In a subtle way, the authors allow his crooked mind to reveal itself. Like most serial killers, he is a charmer and an intelligent young man, but beneath the cool surface is a cauldron of simmering evil. Weis and Astor have written a riveting crime tale with strong psychological underpinnings. Death by the River is ingeniously plotted, written in gorgeous prose, and featuring a strong conflict that propels the narrative forward. The suspense intensifies as the story moves on, with the reader always feeling as though something awful could happen at any moment, and this feeling grows in intensity until the explosive climax. A real thriller!" ―Romuald Dzemo, Readers' Favorite
"A suspense-filled thriller steeped in equal parts atmosphere, insanity, and revenge." ―Mary Ting, Award-Winning Author of ISAN: International Sensory Assassin Network
"Weis and Astor have created something so dark, edgy, and gritty, it will stay with you long after you close the book." ―Julieanne Lynch, Dragon Award Finalist: Horror (2018)
"... a crime thriller that pulls readers into the twisted mind of the protagonist and holds them engaged till the exhilarating finish. The writing is flawless ... Death by the River is psychologically engaging, emotionally rich, and utterly absorbing." ―Christian Sia
About the Authors
Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, CRRN, ONC, PhD, is a multi award-winning author of over twenty-five novels, a screenwriter, ICU Nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured animals. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans. Weis writes paranormal, suspense, thrillers, horror, crime fiction, and romance.
Lucas Astor, Lucas Astor is from New York, has resided in Central America and the Middle East, and traveled through Europe. He lives a very private, virtually reclusive lifestyle, preferring to spend time with a close-knit group of friends than be in the spotlight. He is an author and poet with a penchant for telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world, but right next door behind a smiling face.
Weis and Astor’s first collaboration was the multi-award-winning Magnus Blackwell Series.
I knew I wanted to read this book after I read the synopsis. It just seemed like a story I would find interesting, and I was not let down. This book was dark and chilling, and definitely held my interest. The story contains disturbing situations that at times were uncomfortable to read about (content warning for rape and violence), and even though this book is set in high school, it contains adult subject matter, and some very intense moments.
The story is told from several points of view: Beau Devereaux, who seems like a handsome and wonderful guy on the outside, the star quarterback and caring boyfriend, but he really is a cunning psychopath intent on harming others; Dawn, who is Beau's caring girlfriend, taken with his charm and intellect, but unaware of his true nature; and Leslie, who is Dawn's sister and Beau's deadly obsession.
Beau was definitely a character that I despised. He was pompous, sadistic, and cruel, and I really did not like reading from his point of view. Leslie was a strong character, who saw the true nature of Beau, unlike her naive sister. Dawn was a very insecure character who would cling to Beau, afraid to lose him, even though she had doubts about their relationship. These were all very different characters and it was interesting to read from each of their perspectives.
There are twists in this book that I didn't see coming and I was shocked by the ending. This was a really chilling story and I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a thrilling and engrossing read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
*I received a copy of this book for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the authors, Vesuvian Books, and Jean Book Nerd.
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Giveaway
--Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter
The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck Publication Date: September 11, 2018 by Delacorte Press
Synopsis:
Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.
Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.
Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.
"[Houck] offers a fresh spin on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow...with some genuine surprises in store." —Kirkus
"A wild and seductive adventure...a must-have for YA collections." —SLJ
New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.
Vickie has always lived a quiet, ordinary life in an equally quiet and ordinary small town. Yet one fateful night a child turns up dead in the woods behind her house in a ritualistic slaughter. Vickie and her family are suddenly thrown into a national spotlight. But as the investigation unfolds, she begins to realize her family isn’t so ordinary after all. Evil is inching closer to those she holds dear and Vickie isn’t sure who she can ultimately trust.
S. E. Green (aka Shannon Greenland) is the award winning author of the thriller, KILLER INSTINCT, the spy series, THE SPECIALISTS, and the romances, THE SUMMER MY LIFE BEGAN and SHADOW OF A GIRL. She lives off the coast of Florida with her very grouchy dog. ULTIMATE SACRIFICE is her debut YA horror, due out October 2017.
I’ve always been an average, ordinary girl, born to an equally ordinary family. Mom is an elementary teacher, and Dad and Uncle Jerry are partners in a home improvement business. I go to church once a week at First Baptist. I run track. PaPaw used to be a child psychiatrist and now he’s retired and enjoying his goat farm that I help with when I get a chance. Aside from my numerous freckles, there is nothing unique about me.
Yes, average and ordinary . . . until now.
Travis pulls his old Chevy truck into the student parking lot at County High. It’s Monday morning, just twenty four hours since Michelle was found in our woods.
“You okay?” I ask Travis. “Because Dad was right. We don’t have to be here today.” When Dad told us that this morning, I was completely on board with the idea, but both of my brothers wanted to come, so here we are.
“It’s better than being at home,” Kevin mumbles before wedging open the passenger door and heading across the rows of vehicles to join a few of his ninth grade friends.
Travis doesn’t respond at all. He simply turns the ignition off, opens his own door, and is out and walking toward the student entrance, leaving me sitting in the center of the bench seat alone. Of the three of us kids, he is usually the most talkative. Perhaps that’s why his complete and utter silence unsettles me so.
“Hey, you coming in or what?”
I glance up to see Honey, Travis’s girlfriend, smiling at me through the open door. I like Honey, always have. Everything about her is sweet—her name, her smile, her personality. She and Travis have been together since we were all freshmen. They are “the” couple. So in love.
She gives Travis’s retreating back a quick glance. “He called me last night and told me all about it.”
“Did he? Good. Because he hasn’t said a word to me. To any of us.” I slide across the seat and jump down, and together, we start across the parking lot.
“How’s your family doing?” she asks.
“Awful. Dad was up all night sitting on our porch with a shot gun. Mom was nervously pacing. Kevin and Travis were in their rooms. I was in mine. All of us are just scared, I guess. I mean, my God, whoever killed Michelle is out there, you know?”
Honey shakes her head. “That poor little girl.”
“I know,” I whisper as morbid thoughts start to swirl in my head again. “I hate that Travis found her.”
She squeezes my arm. “Me, too. Just be there for him. That’s all any of us can do.”
I open the door to the student entrance and to a hallway crammed with people. No one says a word as everyone stands, all eyes upward to the flat screen monitor that has local news playing. Honey and I wedge our way in and turn to see what is holding everyone’s attention. It’s footage of our property, and the words along the bottom read:
