The Map Shop

  Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z publishing house. See the end of this post for more information. Again, but Better is the debut novel of Christine Riccio, Published by Wednesday Books and available on shelves on May 7th. Riccio is known as polandbananasBOOKS on youtube. She is a well-known booktuber and a member of the BOOKSPLOSION crew. This is her first published book. Again, but Better is a New Adult/YA contemporary romance. This book follows Shane, a twenty-year-old premed student who has decided she is doing college wrong so she will go study abroad in London for a semester. One problem is she is going to study writing, not premed. Problem number two is her overbearing and controlling parents don't know. Trying to break out of her antisocial habits, she goes out of her way to interact with her flatmates and then develops a crush on one of the boys, Pilot. They flirt back and forth throughout the semester, go on trips across Eur...

  Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I'm an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the bottom of this post for more information. Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen is the first in a new YA series being published by Tor Teen. This book will become available on May 7th, 2019. Jensen is also the author of the Malediction Trilogy and The Bridge Kingdom series.  Dark Shores is a fantasy based on Ancient Rome and the Aztec Empire (possibly, it's unclear which culture inspired this second empire so I have to guess on this part based on location and some little cultural hints that I could be getting completely wrong). There are some trigger warnings for torture, murder, war. Dark Shores follows Teriana, a seventeen year old second mate of a seafaring, merchant society called the Maarin, and Marcus, the Legatus of the Thirty-Seventh Legion who is known for his strategies in battle as well as his ruthlessness as they are threatened and blackmailed by a power hungry se...

  Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the link at the end of this post for more details. The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston is the second book in the Once Upon a Con series, though this can also be considered a stand-alone. Poston also wrote Geekerella. It was published by Quirk Books in the beginning of April. This is a YA contemporary romance retelling of the Prince and the Pauper tale with LGBTQ+ characters. The Princess and the Fangirl takes place at a con where Jessica Stone, actress playing a princess in a rebooted sci-fi series is just trying to survive the interviews and panels at the con as she is trolled online for her character in the series while also trying to get out of playing the character in a sequel. At the same time, Imogen Lovelace, a fangirl who grew up in cons, is trying to convince the production company to revive Stone's character so she can have a better story arc. The two girls me...

 Special thanks to NetGalley for a copy. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See the bottom of this post for more information. Wicked Saints is the first in the Something Dark and Holy series by Emily Duncan. She has her worked published in Crows on Heartstrings: An Anthology of Doomed Love Stories but Wicked Saints is her first novel. Published by Wednesday Books, it was released on April 2nd. Wicked Saints follows Nadya, a girl who can speak to the gods and use their power, as she teams up with two refugees and a boy who everyone calls a monster in order to end a three centuries-long holy war by assassinating the enemy king. Meanwhile, the High Prince Serefine is called home from the war to choose a wife and possibly die. This book is marketed as an instant New York Times bestseller, and is often described as a Six of Crows type story. This book . . . frustrated me. I liked most of the characters, the concept was good, and the idea of the blood magic an...

#notsponsored I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. For more information, see the bottom of this post. Special thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book. The Vampire of Maple Town is by Kane McLoughlin and published by Ever After Press in 2018). It is a fairytale, coming of age, romance for young adults, though I believe some middle school readers would enjoy it as well. The story follows Charlie, a young vampire who was turned as a kid, as he slips away from his adoptive vampire father in order to explore the nearby town of Maple. There, he meets Sally, the local beauty that all the men fall for and their romance begins. But an old deal with some demon twins will force him to kill someone in Maple Town and he has no control over who or how or why. Meanwhile, his friend Scat is creating a blood blade to hunt down the world's vampires. When his romance with Sally starts to faulter and his cruel deed is done, Charlie must find a way to make amends or es...

  #notsponsored.  I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. See link below. The Color of Heaven was written by Kim Dong Hwa and published by First Second in 2009. It was previously published in 2003. This is the beautiful conclusion to his coming-of-age manhwa trilogy, The Color of Earth. Note there is some sexual content in this volume. Compared to the first two volumes, Color of Heaven is a bit slower in story. Duksam leaves the village after burning his master's fields in revenge of the old man trying to buy Ehwa's marriage when he knew Duksam wanted to marry her. Afterwards, both Ehwa and her mother spend most of the book waiting for their men to return. There is a lot of talk about waiting and longing, and a woman's curse is "planting love in our hearts." We also see pieces of other people's relationships. Ehwa's friend, Bongsoon, is having sexual relations with one of the village boys, Dongchul, complete with euphemisms. We also see...

  #notsponsored. I am an affiliate with Z Publishing House. If you're interested in reading the works of emerging writers, please see the link at the end of this post. Blissful Land volume one is written by Ichimon Izumi and published by Kodansha Comics (2018). From what I can find, Izumi is a new manga artist and author with only two title (Blissful Land volumes one and two) credits. Little is known about the author.  I was given the opportunity to read a digital copy of Blissful Land volume one (thank you Kodansha Comics! Thank you NetGalley!). The opinions below are my own. Blissful Land takes place in 18 th century Tibet when Khang Zhipa, a thirteen-year-old doctor in training, arrives home to discover the bride his parents have arranged for him to marry. While the wedding is still a few months away, his bride—Moshi Rati—begins living with him and his family. She is not from their village and has learned their language but is still learning their local...