Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery ~ Blog Tour | Review, A Funny Clip & Giveaway!!

Greetings readers!

Welcome to my stop of the OPEN MIC NIGHT AT WESTMINSTER CEMETERY Blog Tour!! I would like to thank the lovely people at Thomas Allen & Son for inviting me to be a part of the tour. This was a book I really enjoyed, and I am glad I get to share it with the rest of you!

Be sure to keep scrolling after my review for a chance to win a copy of the book!

OPEN MIC NIGHT AT WESTMINSTER CEMETERY
by Mary Amato

Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab (CAN: Thomas Allen & Son)
Pub Date: Sept 1st, 2018
Price: $24.99
ISBN: 9781512465310
Goodreads Link

When Lacy wakes up dead in Westminster Cemetery, final resting place of Edgar Allan Poe, she’s confused. It’s the job of Sam, a young soldier who died in 1865, to teach her the rules of the afterlife and to warn her about Suppression—a punishment worse than death. Lacy desperately wants to leave the cemetery and find out how she died, but every soul is obligated to perform a job. Given the task of providing entertainment, Lacy proposes an open mic, which becomes a chance for the cemetery’s residents to express themselves. But Lacy is in for another shock when surprising and long-buried truths begin to emerge.

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Buy It!

Chapters Indigo | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com

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REVIEW

This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I have never read anything like it. Everything about it was engrossing, from the characters to the plot to the poetry. And what makes it even better is that it’s perfect for the oncoming Halloween season!

What I Liked:

Characters:

I really enjoyed the characters in this book. They were so many personalities that made this novel/play so much more fun to read. The MC, Lacy, was quite the character! As a newly dead person to be buried in none other than Edgar Allen Poe’s cemetery, she has to come to turns with her death and her new “life” as a wandering soul. Of course her welcoming committee are not that prepared for her bold persona and modern ways since they all died before the 21st century. Lacy’s bravado and her love of poetry brought out the best and worst in the other souls. I liked her a lot. She was not flawless and had this bite to her that I loved!

Her secondary characters were quite lovely too. From Sam to Mrs. Steele to the famous poet himself who makes an appearance, they all tie quite nicely together and make for some good drama and fun! They all may be old and have more conservative views of the world but I loved that *most* of them embraced Lacy and her new, modern ways!

The Atmosphere:

It was perfect. It was cold, dusky and dark setting. The author paints it perfectly with the stage directions that she gives. The cemetery, like the book, although very dark was  full of life and yet so eerie. It always went along with the mood, when characters were distraught or even happy! I just loved the cemetery setting so much!

The Writing:

I have never read a novel play. I mean of course I have read plays, but never like this. It was a mix of the two. Where I would still get those descriptive paragraphs but the stage directions and dialogue were all formatted as how a play would be. The writing was smooth and very comical. The narrator, who we don’t actually know, sometimes interrupts the story which I enjoyed. It served to give a quick backstory, which was sometimes much needed.

The Plot:

The direction of the story was great. It’s not only Lacy’s journey to accepting her death, but the journey of each soul in the cemetery. The subplots were intertwined with the main story very well, I especially loved how they all finally came tied together through the open mic towards the end of the story. The story is easy to follow, fast to get through and quite entertaining. It not only discusses coming to terms with death, but it revolves heavily around forgiveness and learning to accept past mistakes. It held many beautiful messages which I loved.

I’m not the biggest expert on Edgar Allen Poe so I cannot say how much influence or how many references there were to his work! But his character was great!

There was some romance, which I was not too focused on, but it was cute. It definitely serves for the suspense element and our dear narrator likes to remind us of it often. The ship was still very much, very cute and I loved them.

The ending was beautiful.

What I Disliked:

I’m not exactly sure why this is not a five star read. I mean it did have its boring moments, and there was this part where I found it to be a little repetitive. I think I would have to knock off a star for that. I also feel like it could have been perhaps a little more twisty, some things were very predictable and I would have liked a bigger air of mystery.

And maybe I would have liked to see more from Mr. Poe himself. He didn’t need to outshine Lacy, he just needed a little more oomph to his character.

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Overall, I enjoyed this book. It has an excellent cast of characters, poetry that makes you nod your head, confessions that make give you all the feels and a stunning ending. It is a tale of heartbreak and forgiveness, but it still has its moments of comedy. I thought it was lovely!

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars!

Recommend: To all my poetry lovers and then some! Yes!

ABOUT MARY AMATO

Mary Amato is an award-winning children’s and YA book author, songwriter, and poet who lives in Maryland. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, and produced onstage.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Goodreads

MY FAVOURITE COMEDIC SKETCH

As part of the tour each blogger will post a clip of their favourite stand up or sketch to pay tribute to the dramatic arts element to the book. I love stand up and sketches! (Although not all are always appropriate for book blogs, if you know what I mean) But sometimes there are those gems that you have to share!

This sketch is a little old, but still  very relevant and not to mention HILARIOUS.

*cackling* I just can’t *wipes eyes from laughter*

GIVEAWAY!

Now it’s your chance to WIN the book!

One winner will receive 1 copy of Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery (HC) by Mary Amato.

Giveaway Details:

– Canada Only (full rules found in the T&C on Rafflecopter)

– Giveaway ends on Thursday Oct. 4 th at 11:59 pm EST

– Winner will be drawn randomly through Rafflecopter, contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize

ENTER HERE!!!

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Let me know what you think! Have you read this? Do you enjoy reading plays and/or poetry? Which are your favourite? 

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

A Possibility of Whales Blog Tour | Review, Author Guest Post & Giveaway!

Greetings readers!

I am so glad to be part of this Blog Tour for this incredible story. Pitched as a sort of modern day Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret. for today’s youth, I am proud to present:

A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers

Pub date: Mar. 13, 2018
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Available in Canada through Thomas Allen & Son
Goodreads – Add this book to your TBR!

Synopsis: The story of a girl who—thanks to her friends, her famous single dad, and an unexpected encounter with a whale—learns the true meaning of family.

Twelve-year-old Natalia Rose Baleine Gallagher loves possibilities: the possibility that she’ll see whales on the beach near her new home, the possibility that the trans­gender boy she just met will become her new best friend, the possibility that the paparazzi hounding her celebrity father won’t force them to move again. Most of all, Nat dreams of the possibility that her faraway mother misses her, loves her, and is just waiting for Nat to find her.

But how can Nat find her mother if she doesn’t even know who she is? She abandoned Nat as a baby, and Nat’s dad refuses to talk about it. Nat knows she shouldn’t need a mom, but she still feels like something is missing, and her questions lead her on a journey of self-discovery that will change her life forever.

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Buy It!

Indigo | Amazon

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My Review

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review!*

This was an absolute gem of a story. It was light, fun and heart-warming. It is a delightful coming of age–or rather–the beginnings of coming of age for two young people. (Because let’s be honest, it takes a long time to figure out who you are, where you are headed and how you plan on getting there). Put into today’s context with the timeless issues that all kid’s experience, this book is fantastic!

What I Liked:

Characters:

Nat: Nat was an incredibly fun, cute, and curious girl. Being the daughter of a famous actor is definitely not easy, but she does her best to get by. Like any kid, she is always asking questions and wondering. Who she is? Whom she came from? and Why is life this crazy mess sometimes?! I really enjoyed reading from her perspective of the world and the conclusions she makes. My favourite aspect about Nat, was definitely her affinity for languages and finding the words that express how she feels from whatever tongue that gets it right.

Harry: Harry was a really interesting and adorable character. You find his perspective ever few chapters or so and it really gives insight into what he is feeling. As a transgender boy he has to deal with a lot of the backlash that society gives him. He tries his best everyday to live the boy’s life he wants, even if it means fighting those who want to repress it everyday, including his own dad.

Finding yourself:

Throughout the book, Nat is sort of struggling with her past and her future to come. She is harbouring a lot of feelings for her mysterious mother (whom she does not know) and with her 13th birthday on the horizon she feels that she will somehow mess up puberty without a mom. Not to mention the #struggles of having a super famous dad that is hunted by the paparazzi.

Family:

This book expresses three fundamental notions on families: No one family is perfect. Everyone is a mess sometimes. But being surrounded by the people you love and who love you is one of the best things ever. Whether you are rich, poor, famous or ordinary, families are tough, important and they come in all shapes and sizes. This book does a superb job of showing that off!

What I Disliked:

I enjoyed the book for the most part. I just felt that at times the book could lag and sometimes nothing was really going on. It was a little slow in getting the ball rolling, but I really enjoyed those final chapters!

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Overall, it was a cute and quick read. It definitely does pull on the heart strings with those tender moments and then there are the scenes that just make you laugh. It is a fantastic read, I don’t know how else to put it!

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Recommend: Yep yep! A perfect read to relate to today’s youth.

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Meet the Author:

Karen Rivers’s books have been nominated for a wide range of literary awards and have been published in multiple languages. When she’s not writing, reading, or visiting schools, she can usually be found hiking in the forest that flourishes behind her tiny old house in Victoria, British Columbia, where she lives with her two kids, two dogs, and two birds. Find her online at karenrivers.com and on Twitter: @karenrivers.

Find Karen Online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

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Guest Post:

A post about taking all the threads and weaving them together, the “what if” questions that all come together to make this book, and why I was asking them.

Every book starts out with a question: “What if?”

Here is how I wrote A POSSIBILITY OF WHALES.

What if I were to write a puberty book, as a nod to ARE YOU THERE GOD, IT’S ME MARGARET? (My first thought was “a yellow bathing suit”, which I included, as it’s a singular detail that I still remembered, thirty-five years after I read the book.)

What if I were to set it in 2018? (It had to be now, not then. Things, while the same, are also now so different.)

What if my main character had a single parent? (I’m a single parent. This is something I think about a lot: at what cost to my kids, even though it’s “better” for the obvious reasons, do they yearn for something that’s missing?)

What if that single parent was a man, not a woman? (I’m always interested in a different perspective, plus I needed my main character to be a girl and it became interesting when I thought about how hard it would be to be a single dad around the time of his daughter’s puberty.)

What if she had questions she didn’t want to ask him about puberty, that she didn’t want to voice at all? (Didn’t we all, no matter how open our parents were to talking about it? Weren’t there things we didn’t even want to put voice to?)

What if she didn’t have a mother, just a blank space where the role of mother was suddenly needing to be filled? (Nat is searching, searching for herself and for connection. What greater connection than a mother?)

What if she started seeking people in her life to fill that role, without realizing she was doing it? (What if this began with a “prank” call? A pretense?)

What if her dad was really famous? (Fame is so interesting, I think. Such a high price the famous pay for their fame, in terms of never being left alone, being followed, never far from a camera’s spying lens.)

What if her connections outside of Nat + Dad were pretty limited?

What if one of those connections, a best friend, betrayed her? (This is the cost of Nat’s dad’s fame, for Nat. A direct price that she pays for something that is not her doing.)

What if her new best friend also was dealing with something that felt insurmountable sometimes? (Does she connect with him because although different, he is also yearning to be seen as just who he is?)

And, of course, what if I added whales?

In many ways, this book came about exactly like that, stacking one “what if” on top of the other in a Jenga-like structure in my mind. I played with this one in my imagination for a very long time before I wrote it down, and when I did, it unfolded almost like a movie. I absolutely loved thinking about the questions, learning about the characters, and then answering all the what ifs in this book. Writing it was an absolute joy. I hope it means as much to its readers as it means to me. ❤

 

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Tourwide Giveaway!

The winner will receive: 1 signed hardcover copy of A Possibility of Whales by Karen Rivers
Details & Rules:
–  Canada Only (full rules found in the T&C on Rafflecopter)
–  Giveaway ends Mon. Mar. 19th @ 12AM EST
–  Winner will be drawn randomly through Rafflecopter, contacted via email and will have 24 hours to claim their prize

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you all enjoyed my stop on the tour! Thank you so much Thomas Allen & Sons for inviting me to participate and thank you Karen Rivers for writing such an amazing post!

Be sure to catch the rest of the tour!

Visit Jill’s Book Blog tomorrow to see her stop and follow along with the rest of the tour!

Let me know what you think! What is your favourite coming into age story? What story as a kid really inspired you?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

Between the Blade and the Heart Blog Tour | Review, Excerpt, & Giveaway!

Greetings readers!

This is my first blog tour and I am very excited about it! I had the wonderful opportunity to read a new release, and share with you some fun treats, including an excerpt and a giveaway!

Between the Blade and the Heart by Amanda Hocking

When the fate of the world is at stake
Loyalties will be tested

Game of Thrones meets Blade Runner in this commanding new YA fantasy inspired by Norse Mythology from New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking.

As one of Odin’s Valkyries, Malin’s greatest responsibility is to slay immortals and return them to the underworld. But when she unearths a secret that could unravel the balance of all she knows, Malin along with her best friend and her ex-girlfriend must decide where their loyalties lie. And if helping the blue-eyed boy Asher enact his revenge is worth the risk—to the world and her heart.

Buy It!:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |Books-a-Million |IndieBound | Powells

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Review

What I Liked:

Characters: 

Malin: Malin was an interesting character to follow. She was born to kill immortals as her job and she’s trained her whole life for it. Raised by a mother who really did not come off as “motherly”, Malin grew up to be thick skinned. She was definitely flawed, I’ll tell you that. Tough, angry and would-not-take-any-kind-of-BS are just a few ways to describe her. Her biggest flaw was believing she could not fall in love, just feel surface emotions which evidently led to many problems in the rest of the story!

Other characters like Malin’s best friend Oona, her ex-girlfriend Quinn and her new ally Asher brought in fun, quirky and intense moments to the story. They guided and supported Malin on her journey to revenge and you know, “save the world!” My personal favourite was Oona, she was the human of the group with no real physical strength to fight, but she had really amazing sorceress powers that I would love to find out more about!

Norse Mythology: I love all kinds of mythology and Norse Mythology is one I would really like to know more about. Although this book does not focus too much on the mainstream gods that most people know of, this book dives deep into the creatures and other immortals of the Norse. Hocking did a great job of introducing all these types of immortals and describing how they would come to influence Malin’s journey. Plus, I love that the names of creatures, weapons and immortals are written in an old Norse language, which gives it a little more authenticity!

Pace: It was fast, it was head first into the battle and there was never really a dull moment. After things would begin to calm down another event would come up making me just continue to read and read and read!

What I Disliked:

The Love Triangle: This is not your typical triangle because it’s not centered on two straight relationships. Malin is bisexual, so contending for heart is her gorgeous and ferocious ex-girlfriend Quinn and the New Guy with stunning blue eyes, and yep you guessed it, very muscular build, Asher. So while this triangle was more interesting than others….I still could have done without it! It added a whole lot of angst where there was no need and the romance tended to overshadow some more important things like fighting the evil monsters!

Confusing World: So I think this is really my fault, but this setting was not exactly what I was expecting. It is set in our world, but the Norse gods, creatures, and immortals live “peacefully” among humans and some schools are focused on teaching Norse history and magic and fighting and……yeah. I was just really confused about whether the world in the book was like the world today, or if it was set in another dimension or…I don’t really know…..

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Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was fun, fast, adventurous, perhaps a tad angst-y, but we are dealing with young adults here! XD I look forward to the sequel, which I think will dive even deeper into the mythology and history of the gods and the worlds they inhabit!

Rating: 3.75 / 5 stars

Recommend: Looking for a new kind of mythology to get into, then try this one for a start!

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Giveaway!

One lucky winner will get one finished, paperback copy of Between the Blade and the Heart!

This is only open to my lovely US friends (sorry, my other lovely friends!) Please fill out the rafflecopter form below if you are interested! This giveaway will run for a week! You have lots of chances to enter, so enter! Enter! Enter!

Enter Here

The winner will have 48 hours to respond to me with their information or I will choose another winner! Please note: I will need your consent to share your mailing address with the publisher to get the book to you! 

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Author Info…

Author Bio:

Amanda Hocking is the author of over twenty young adult novels, including the New York Times bestselling Trylle Trilogy and Kanin Chronicles. Her love of pop culture and all things paranormal influence her writing. She spends her time in Minnesota, taking care of her menagerie of pets and working on her next book.

 

Social Links:

Author Website: http://www.worldofamandahocking.com/

Twitter: @Amanda_Hocking

Facebook: @AmandaHockingFans

Author Blog

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And some final fun….

Excerpt!

ONE

The air reeked of fermented fish and rotten fruit, thanks to the overflowing dumpster from the restaurant behind us. The polluted alley felt narrow and claustrophobic, sandwiched between skyscrapers.

In the city, it was never quiet or peaceful, even at three in the morning. There were more than thirty million humans and supernatural beings coexisting, living on top of each other. It was the only life I’d ever really known, but the noise of the congestion grated on me tonight.

My eyes were locked on the flickering neon lights of the gambling parlor across the street. The u in Shibuya had gone out, so the sign flashed SHIB YA at me.

The sword sheathed at my side felt heavy, and my body felt restless and electric. I couldn’t keep from fidgeting and cracked my knuckles.

“He’ll be here soon,” my mother, Marlow, assured me. She leaned back against the brick wall beside me, casually eating large jackfruit seeds from a brown paper sack. Always bring a snack on a stakeout was one of her first lessons, but I was far too nervous and excited to eat.

The thick cowl of her frayed black sweater had been pulled up like a hood, covering her cropped blond hair from the icy mist that fell on us. Her tall leather boots only went to her calf, thanks to her long legs. Her style tended to be monochromatic—black on black on black—aside from the shock of dark red lipstick.

My mother was only a few years shy of her fiftieth birthday, with almost thirty years of experience working as a Valkyrie, and she was still as strong and vital as ever. On her hip, her sword Mördare glowed a dull red through its sheath.

The sword of the Valkyries was one that appeared as if it had been broken in half—its blade only a foot long before stopping at a sharp angle. Mördare’s blade was several thousand years old, forged in fires to look like red glass that would glow when the time was nigh.

My sword was called Sigrún, a present on my eighteenth birthday from Marlow. It was a bit shorter than Mördare, with a thicker blade, so it appeared stubby and fat. The handle was black utilitarian, a replacement that my mom had had custom-made from an army supply store, to match her own.

The ancient blade appeared almost black, but as it grew closer to its target, it would glow a vibrant purple. For the past hour that we’d been waiting on our stakeout, Sigrún had been glowing dully on my hip.

The mist grew heavier, soaking my long black hair. I kept the left side of my head shaved, parting my hair over to the right, and my scalp should’ve been freezing from the cold, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t feel anything.

It had begun—the instinct of the Valkyrie, pushing aside my humanity to become a weapon. When the Valkyrie in me took over, I was little more than a scythe for the Grim Reaper of the gods.

“He’s coming,” Marlow said behind me, but I already knew.

The world fell into hyperfocus, and I could see every droplet of rain as it splashed toward the ground. Every sound echoed through me, from the bird flapping its wings a block away, to the club door as it groaned open.

Eleazar Bélanger stumbled out, his heavy feet clomping in the puddles. He was chubby and short, barely over four feet tall, and he would’ve appeared to be an average middle-aged man if it wasn’t for the two knobby horns that stuck out on either side of his forehead. Graying tufts of black hair stuck out from under a bright red cap, and as he walked ahead, he had a noticeable limp favoring his right leg.

He was a Trasgu, a troublemaking goblin, and his appearance belied the strength and cunning that lurked within him. He was over three hundred years old, and today would be the day he died.

I waited in the shadows of the alley for him to cross the street. A coughing fit caused him to double over, and he braced himself against the brick wall.

I approached him quietly—this all went easier when they didn’t have time to prepare. He took off his hat to use it to wipe the snot from his nose, and when he looked up at me, his green eyes flashed with understanding.

“It’s you,” Eleazar said in a weak, craggy voice. We’d never met, and I doubt he’d ever seen me before, but he recognized me, the way they all did when their time was up.

“Eleazar Bélanger, you have been chosen to die,” I said, reciting my script, the words automatic and cold on my lips. “It is my duty to return you to the darkness from whence you came.”

“No, wait!” He held up his pudgy hands at me. “I have money. I can pay you. We can work this out.”

“This is not my decision to make,” I said as I pulled the sword from my sheath.

His eyes widened as he realized I couldn’t be bargained with. For a moment I thought he might just accept his fate, but they rarely did. He bowed his head and ran at me like a goat. He was stronger than he looked and caused me to stumble back a step, but he didn’t have anywhere to go.

My mother stood blocking the mouth of the alley, in case I needed her. Eleazar tried to run toward the other end, but his leg slowed him, and I easily overtook him. Using the handle of my sword, I cracked him on the back of the skull, and he fell to the ground on his knees.

Sigrún glowed brightly, with light shining out from it and causing the air to glow purple around us. Eleazar mumbled a prayer to the Vanir gods. I held the sword with both hands, and I struck it across his neck, decapitating him.

And then, finally, the electricity that had filled my body, making my muscles quiver and my bones ache, left me, and I breathed in deeply. The corpse of an immortal goblin lay in a puddle at my feet, and I felt nothing but relief.

“It was a good return,” my mother said, and put her hand on my shoulder. “You did well, Malin.”

Copyright © 2018 by Amanda Hocking in Between the Blade and the Heart and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Griffin.

Let me know what you think! What is a mythology you would like to read more about? Are you interested in picking this one up? The sequel is coming in March so it is not too long a wait to read the finale!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Kingdom of Oceana Review & International Giveaway!

Greetings readers!

I have a special post for you today! A review and giveaway! YAY! We all know that giveaways are probably the most fun things to enter because hello, free books. Emphasis on the free!

Today I will be reviewing The Kingdom of Oceana by Mitchell Charles. It is an adventure story with elements of Hawaiian culture and polynesian legends. It is a super fast read and you will have a chance to win a copy at the end of this post!

The Kingdom of Oceana by Mitchell Charles

SURFER SHARK TAMER FIRE WALKER EXPLORER TEENAGER HERO

Five Centuries Ago, On the Island Now Called Hawaii, There was a Kingdom Filled with Adventure, Beauty, and Magic. When 16-year-old Prince Ailani and his brother Nahoa trespass on a forbidden burial ground and uncover an ancient tiki mask, they unleash a thousand-year-old curse that threatens to destroy their tropical paradise. As warring factions collide for control of Oceana, it sparks an age-old conflict between rival sorcerers that threatens to erupt-just like Mauna Kea, the towering volcano. With the help of his ancestral spirit animals, his shape shifting sidekick, and a beautiful princess, Prince Ailani must overcome his own insecurities, a lifetime of sibling rivalry, and a plague of cursed sea creatures brought forth by the tiki’s spell. Can peace be restored to the kingdom? Can Prince Ailani claim his rightful place as the future king of Oceana? ONLY ONE CAN RULE.

I have never read a book set in ancient/modern Hawaii or a book that has content with Hawaiian influence. It was definitely new to me, but I love exploring new cultures in books so I was very excited to read it! This book was very colourful and adventurous. It was a lot of fun to read!

What I Liked

Characters:

Ailani was a fun character to follow. He was the second prince, so he always thought that he would amount to nothing. Which we all know isn’t true, if this whole book is about him. He goes on a grand adventure, seeking his spirit animal and trying to discover the kind of person he wants to be and the kind of traditions discovers. It is very clear that he is doubtful and unsure of himself, but he is also heroic and intuitive. I wish his character were explored a little more, but overall he was interesting to follow.

Nahao. I just liked to hate him. Honestly he is such a rat.

Kolothe, the monkey! He stole my heart and was literally only in the book for a hot minute! I just love animal companions!

There were several other characters, but none of them made a long lasting impression on me. Except maybe the Kahuna because he had all the magic!

 The World: Oceana was a very colourful and intriguing setting. There were many descriptions of beaches and caves. There were beautiful descriptions of animals and plants that thrived in the land. The imagery of landscapes and terrain left a good beachy effect on me. Boy, I wish I was in Hawaii!

The Traditions & Folklore: A lot of the journeys that Ailani goes through are derived from ancients myths and legends. In this book, animals have minds of their own. They are able to communicate with the people and help guide them on their spiritual journeys. There are also uses of curses and legends of old kings that wreak havoc on the islands. The myths are interesting and they keep you in tune with the ancient Hawaiian setting. Ailani also goes on spiritual journeys to find the power and self-worth he needs to meet his destiny. I thought it was very beautiful how Charles brought these elements to the story as they are a true part of the culture.

The Use of Hawaiian Words: I am like 95% sure they are in Hawaiian. Anyways, a lot of different words were infused into the characters dialogue and I loved it! Sometimes the words get used so often that you do not have to look at the footnote to understand what is being said. I now know that kohala is whale and kaimoni means demon! It is fun when you get to read the true language that is being spoken by the characters and it adds a little authenticity to them.

What I Disliked

The Romance: It’s not that I didn’t ship the ship. It’s just that this book could have done without it. I feel that Momi was just introduced into the novel to be Ailani’s love interest because she had no grander purpose. This romance just should not have been included.

The Lack of Good Character Structure: As mentioned a lot of the characters just didn’t stick and I feel it is because they weren’t fully developed. I needed to know more about them or spend more time with them to truly understand and grow an appreciation for them.

Slow Beginning & Bumpy Waters: Things do not really seem to pick up until the second half of the novel and after that the action never ends. It’s just bad event, after bad event, after bad event. I think the flow of the story overall was disturbed by having all the intense scenes condensed together.

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Overall, I still really enjoyed the book. It was fun, it was fast. It was also very educational and I extended my vocabulary with those two Hawaiian words! (I know bug my sisters by saying kohala every five seconds…even if I have no need to!) The ending did leave promise for a sequel, but I think the author is going to leave it up to us, the readers, to decide what happens after Ailani’s adventure.

Rating: 3.75 / 5 stars (really close to a 4, but I’m a character-kind-of-girl!)

Recommend: Yes! For those of you looking to explore new kinds of ancient myths, why not try Hawaii?

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Giveaway Time!

For a chance to win an audiobook of The Kingdom of Oceana fill in the raffle copter link below!

*This giveaway is Open Internationally!
*No giveaway accounts
*The winner will have 48hrs to respond to my email
*It will run until July 17th!

Raffle Copter Link!

May the odds be ever in your favour!

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Thanks for reading (and entering!) Let me know what kind of ancient myths you love to read about as I would love to know. Fun fact about Rendz: I love Egyptian mythology and want more YA based on it!!

Note: I know next to nothing about Egyptian mythology, but it always interests me!

Happy reading!

~ Rendz