Wednesday, October 27, 2021

My Weekly Pull [191] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [166]

 

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Daredevil #35 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto
Moon Knight #4 by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Steve McNiven
House of Slaughter #1 by James Tynion IV, Tate Brombal, Chris Shehan, Werther Dell Edera

Once & Future #21 by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

Jacob's comics for the week!

Hellboy Silver Lantern Club #1 by Christopher Mitten, Ben Stenbeck
Transformers Beast Wars #9 by Erik Burnham, Josh Burcham
Transformers Shattered Glass #3 by Danny Lore, Guidi Guidi, Alex Milne
Transformers #36 by Brian Ruckley, Anna Malkova 
Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's currently hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta 
Expected publication: March 1st 2022 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A stunning YA fantasy inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, this gripping debut introduces us to a lineage of seers defiantly resisting the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed—perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir.

Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end—an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep. As violent change shakes Indir’s world to its core, she is forced to make an impossible choice: fight for her home or fight to survive.

Saya is a seer, but not a Dreamer—she has never been formally trained. Her mother exploits her daughter’s gift, passing it off as her own as they travel from village to village, never staying in one place too long. Almost as if they’re running from something. Almost as if they’re being hunted. When Saya loses the necklace she’s worn since birth, she discovers that seeing isn’t her only gift—and begins to suspect that everything she knows about her life has been a carefully-constructed lie. As she comes to distrust the only family she’s ever known, Saya will do what she’s never done before, go where she’s never been, and risk it all in the search of answers.

With a detailed, supernaturally-charged setting and topical themes of patriarchal power and female strength, Lizz Huerta's
The Lost Dreamer brings an ancient world to life, mirroring the challenges of our modern one.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

My Weekly Pull [190] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [165]

 

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

No comics for me this week!

Comics for Jacob and the kids!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #122 by Sophie Campbell, Jodie Nishijima, Kevin Eastman
My Little Pony Generations #1 by Casey Gilly, Michela Cacciatore, Amy Mebberson 
Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's currently hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Golden Boys (Golden Boys, #1) by Phil Stamper
Expected publication: February 8th 2022 by Bloomsbury YA

Synopsis (via Goodreads): National bestselling author Phil Stamper crafts the perfect summer friendship story, starring four queer boys with big hearts and even bigger dreams.

Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath are best friends, bonded in their small rural town by their queerness, their good grades, and their big dreams. They are about to embark on the summer before senior year of high school, where each is going on a new, big adventure. Reese is attending a design school in Paris. Gabriel is going to Boston to volunteer with a environmental nonprofit. Sal is interning on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator. And Heath is stuck going to Daytona Beach to help out at his aunt’s beachfront arcade.

What will this summer of new experiences and world-expanding travel mean for each of them—and for their friendship?

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

My Weekly Pull [189] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [164]

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Mamo #4 by Sas Milledge
Miles Morales Spider-Man #31 by Saladin Ahmed, Christopher Allen, Taurin Clarke

Jacob's comics for the week!

Transformers King Grimlock #3 by Steve Orlando, Agustin Padilla, Bryan Lee
Transformers Wreckers Tread & Circuits #1 by David Mariotte, Jack Lawrence
Ordinary Gods #4 by Kyle Higgins, Felipe Watanabe
Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's currently hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes
Expected publication: January 4th 2022 by Bloomsbury YA

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From lauded writer David Valdes, a sharp and funny YA novel that's Back to the Future with a twist, as a gay teen travels back to his parents' era to save a closeted classmate's life.

All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” school still doesn't allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis's parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He's determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).

When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he's going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the '80s isn't the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis's estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.

In a story that's fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted queer character that readers won't soon forget.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Perfect for readers of The Hazel Wood and The Night Circus, this lush and layered story about magic and the captivating power of dreams is delivered with acclaimed author Rebecca Ross’s signature exquisite style.

A curse plagues the realm of Azenor—during each new moon, magic flows from the nearby mountain and brings nightmares to life. Only magicians, who serve as territory wardens, stand between people and their worst dreams.

Clementine Madigan is ready to take over as the warden of her small town, but when two magicians challenge her, she is unwittingly drawn into a century-old conflict. She seeks revenge, but as she secretly gets closer to Phelan, one of the handsome young magicians, secrets begin to rise. Clementine must unite with her rival to fight the realm’s curse, which seems to be haunting her every turn.



I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Dreams Lie Beneath
is one of the best books I've read in ages. The narrator was a synthetic voice for the purpose of listening to and reviewing an early version of the audiobook, so I can only imagine how good the finished and final version will be. It says a lot about story when you can lose yourself completely in what's happening despite a slightly robotic voice doing all of the reading. There's no inflection or change in cadence, yet I still thoroughly enjoyed the story Rebecca Ross created.

Clementine is a wonderful character that is driven (initially) by revenge and anger. She holds on to her wounded pride and uses her feelings to get even with those that have wronged her. She chose to avenge herself - and her father - instead of sulking away and reinventing her life somewhere new. Clem goes to extreme lengths to see her plan fulfilled, and I'm not sure I would have had the same gumption had I been in her shoes. 

As the reader, we don't know what's really happening throughout the story until Clem learns or discovers something. We know what she knows, and I thought the pacing was really well done and kept me engaged the entire time. I loved the history of the nightmares and wardens; the eerie card game and secrets kept locked away. The magic, the world-building and the characters made Dreams Lie Beneath a truly evocative experience that I didn't want to end.  

I also really enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance that changed and evolved over the course of the book. Phelan was giving off major Mr. Darcy vibes, especially when Clem takes down his hair. ๐Ÿ˜ณ A slow-burn romance at its best. Would I have liked a little more romance? Always. However, I did think their relationship was well written and realistic. I really hope there's a second book that features them and what their lives look like a few years later. 

My one small complaint would be Clem's family. I wish they had played a more prominent role in the story, but I can also understand why the author kept them at a distance. This was Clementine's book - and she definitely stole the show - but she also needed autonomy and space to see her plan come to fruition. I normally dislike when the bulk of a story is based on secrets and lies, but the deceptions were what made this book so interesting. I didn't always know who to trust, and that made me question and second-guess everyone Clem encountered.

Fighting nightmares on the new moon, enacting revenge for yourself and your family, falling for someone unexpectedly, and all of the magic and history made Dreams Lie Beneath a book you definitely want to look for. 

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

My Weekly Pull [188] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [163]

 
My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Champions #10 by Danny Lore, Luciano Vecchio

Jacob's comics for the week!

Deadpool Black, White & Blood #3 by Various, Kev Walker
Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's currently hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Skin of the Sea (Skin of the Sea, #1) by Natasha Bowen
Expected publication: November 2nd 2021 by Random House Books for Young Readers

Synopsis (via Goodreads): An unforgettable fantasy debut inspired by West African mythology, this is Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid, in which a mermaid takes on the gods themselves.

A way to survive.
A way to serve.
A way to save.

Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata--a mermaid--collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home.

But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi does the unthinkable--she saves his life, going against an ancient decree. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy it.

To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There's the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. . . .

Danger lurks at every turn, and as Simi draws closer, she must brave vengeful gods, treacherous lands, and legendary creatures. Because if she doesn't, then she risks not only the fate of all Mami Wata, but also the world as she knows it.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!