Yearly Archives:: 2016

Friday, March 11, 2016

Blog Tour: Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff – Review

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I received this book for free from Random House Children's Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Blog Tour: Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff – ReviewRed: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on April 12th 2016
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Retellings
Source: Random House Children's Books
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"Red is the most wonder-filled fairy tale of them all!”—Chris Grabenstein, New York Times Bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

Red is not afraid of the big bad wolf. She’s not afraid of anything . . . except magic.
But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is forced to confront her one weakness.

With the help of a blond, porridge-sampling nuisance called Goldie, Red goes on a quest to cure Granny. Her journey takes her through dwarves’ caverns to a haunted well and a beast’s castle. All the while, Red and Goldie are followed by a wolf and a huntsman—two mortal enemies who seek the girls’ help to defeat each other. And one of them just might have the magical solution Red is looking for. . . .

Liesl Shurtliff weaves a spellbinding tale, shining the spotlight on a beloved character from her award-winning debut, Rump. 

And don't miss Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk, "a delightful story of family, perseverance and courage"

RED Blog Tour Banner

 

Hello everyone!! I am honored to be participating in this huge blog tour for Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood. I adore fairy tales and I love retellings, so naturally I had to take part. This tour has been running for about a month and there is plenty more to come. You can refer to the tour schedule that will be at the end of this post. Don’t forget to check out the other stops for really great guest posts and fun things! For my post I am doing a review of this book.

This book was all sorts of fun. The characters were fantastic and the storyline was great. There was a bit of mystery to it as well as magic (of course), friendships, and adventure. This is Red Riding Hood like you have never read before and it was a delight to read. It had a lot of charm and heart and it’s a great read for both younger kids and adults.

Red is quite an interesting character. We learn a bit about her childhood before stepping into an adventure of a lifetime. Her grandmother is amazing at magic. She creates life and does such awesome things. She wishes that she could be as great as her. The only thing is, Red is scared of her magic and won’t use it. After almost killing her grandmother when she was younger (among other mishaps with her magic) she fears the ways that her magic can go wrong. When her grandmother gets sick she goes on a mission to try to find a way to help her. Along the way she faces many truths, makes some friends, and has to learn to not fear her own magic or that her grandmother may not always be around. She grows so much as a character and I loved watching her transformation.

Along the way she learns that the magical things that she is looking for to save her grandmother are not what they seem. Of course all of these powerful magic solutions come with a price, but is the price worth it to save someone that she loves? Not only are the magical items not what they seem, but either is anything else. Things she thinks to be true are not. Things she feared are the things that are the least likely to harm her, and the most unsuspecting people or things are what are the read dangers.

If you are looking for a great story of Red Riding Hood, this is the one. This book is rich with detail and an intriguing story that will keep you reading until the end. The friendships built and really finding herself were wonderful. Imaging all the places she goes and the creatures that she meets was so fun. This is a book that I will be reading with my daughter for sure. Being that it is a middle grade book, it is very clean and appropriate so it makes a great family book. It would be a great gift for anyone, including yourself. If this is your type of book, you should definitely read it. Even if it’s not your type of book you should because who doesn’t like fairy tales? Especially those with a fun twist.

 

Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the tour. The full tour schedule is below. Happy Reading!

 

RED: THE TRUE STORY OF LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Pre-Pub Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February, 1: Bookiemoji, Author Guest Post

Tuesday, February, 2: Seeing Double In Neverland, Review

Wednesday, February, 3: MundieMoms/Kids, Review

Thursday, February, 4: BookHounds, Author Interview

Friday, February, 5: The Lovely Books, Review

Saturday, February, 6: I’m Shelf-ish, Guest Post

Sunday, February, 7:  Kid Lit Frenzy, Review

Monday, February, 8: Mel’s Shelves, Review

Tuesday, February, 9: Once Upon A Twilight, Author Random Facts

Wednesday, February, 10: SciFiChick.com, Review

Thursday, February, 11: Swoony Boys Podcast, Review

Friday, February, 12: Bittersweet Enchantment, Review

Saturday, February, 13: WinterHaven Books, Review except 18

Sunday, February, 14: The Cover Contessa, Review

Monday, February, 15: Pandora’s Books, Review

Tuesday, February, 16: On Starships and Dragonwings, Review

Wednesday, February, 17: As They Grow Up, Review

Thursday, February, 18: Owl Always Be Reading, Review

Friday, February, 19: Such a Novel Idea, Playlist and Review

Saturday, February, 20: The Children’s Book Review, A Selfie and a Shelfie

Sunday, February, 21: The Mod Podge Bookshelf, Author Movie Cast

Monday, February, 22: Katie’s Clean Book Collection, Review

Tuesday, February, 23: Words We Heart, Review

Wednesday, February, 24: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, Author Guest Post

Thursday, February, 25: Confessions of a Readaholic, Review

Friday, February, 26: Bookish Antics, Review

Saturday, February, 27: Bumbles and Fairy-Tales, Review

Sunday, February, 28: Valerie’s Reviews, Review

Monday, February, 29: Lili’s Reflections, Review

Tuesday, March, 1: To Read, or Not To Read, Review

Wednesday, March 2: Stories & Sweeties, Review

Thursday, March 3: Cafinated Reads, Review

Friday, March 4: The Book Monsters, Review

Saturday, March 5: Twinning for Books, Review

Sunday, March 6: Curling Up With A Good Book, Review

Monday, March 7: The Compulsive Reader, Review

Tuesday, March 8: The Reading Nook Reviews, Review

Wednesday, March 9: Resch Reads and Reviews, Review

Thursday, March 10: Beauty and the Bookshelf, Review

Friday, March 11: Xpresso Reads, Review

Saturday, March 12: Diamond’s Reads, Review

Sunday, March 13: Blissful Book Reviews, Review

Monday, March 14: Vi3tbabe, Review

Tuesday, March 15: The Book Cellar, Review

Epic Cover Battles #: US vs UK Edition

Posted by on 03/06/2016 • 17 Comments

One of my favorite things to do is compare covers and occasionally bitch and moan about how I wish I owned a certain edition of a book because it is prettier in my opinion. So, I decided I wanted to do a cover feature where covers ‘battle’ against each other and you guys can pick which cover you like better! This feature is inspired by the Cover Fever feature done at The Readers Den.

Let the Games Begin…

Fresh Batch (March 6th – 12th)

Fresh Batch (March 6th – 12th)

Posted by on 03/05/2016 • 2 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Steep and Thorny Way Cat Winters Publication date: March 8th 2016by Amulet Books

Goodreads Purchase

A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.

1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by…

Fresh Batch (Feb 28th – Mar 5th)

Fresh Batch (Feb 28th – Mar 5th)

Posted by on 02/27/2016 • 4 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

A Study in Charlotte Brittany Cavallaro Series: Charlotte Holmes #1 Publication date: March 1st 2016by Katherine Tegen Books

Goodreads Purchase

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from…

Review: After the Woods by Kim Savage

Posted by on 02/26/2016 • 2 Comments

My feelings about After the Woods are complex. I think it is a great novel on the whole but there are also bits about it that bothered me. Either way, if you are looking for a psychological thriller with a potentially unreliable narrator, After the Woods is for you.

The reason why I am not completely ready to say I loved this book though is that I am not satisfied (I’ll never be satisfied.)  There are so many questions left unanswered by the end of the novel. It feels unfinished, like there is more of the story to be had. Not necessarily in terms of plot but in terms of character development and understanding the motives. Also what actually happened in the woods.

Don’t get me wrong, I love books…

Fresh Batch (February 21st – 27th)

Fresh Batch (February 21st – 27th)

Posted by on 02/20/2016 • 4 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Forbidden Wish Jessica Khoury Publication date: February 23rd 2016by Razorbill

Goodreads Purchase

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world…

When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years — a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes.

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be…

Religion in Books and Why I Am Not Always Okay With It

Posted by on 02/17/2016 • 18 Comments

Religion in books makes me uncomfortable. There, I said it. It’s not because I have anything against religion, it’s just that in a lot of my experiences, books that are based on some sort of religious myth tend to draw heavily from Christian mythology and that’s really where I start feeling uncomfortable. It’s not that these myths cannot be done well but in a lot of my experiences what ends up happening is that all other religions become excluded from this world found on one kind of myth and as a reader who isn’t Christian or really aware of many of these myths, I am excluded from the novel.

I realize this isn’t unintentionally done but this brings us back to the issue of diversity in literature. BECAUSE DIVERSITY. Religious…

Fresh Batch (February 14th – 20th)

Fresh Batch (February 14th – 20th)

Posted by on 02/13/2016 • 2 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Girl from Everywhere Heidi Heilig Series: The Girl from Everywhere #1 Publication date: February 16th 2016by Greenwillow Books

Goodreads Purchase

It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times – although a map will only take you somewhere once….