Book Review: Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige

Growing up, Aquaman was also considered the superhero of "why?" Not powerful, plays in water, can swim really fast -- who cares. But through the power of excellent storytelling and Jason Momoa -- Aquaman is now a badass superhero. But what about another favorite undersea royalty? That is where Danielle Paige comes in with this exciting young adult graphic novel titled Mera: Tidebreaker! This graphic novel is set to released on April 2, 2019.

Here is the book description: Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by the other no-so-lost land under the sea, Atlantis. Her father, his court and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown....When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control over her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry--the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera's side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution? An astonishing graphic novel that explores duty, love, heroism and freedom, all through the eyes of readers' favorite undersea royalty. From New York Times best-selling author Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die) and artist Stephen Byrne comes a Mera and Aquaman origin story that explores Mera's first steps on land, and her first steps as a hero or villain, forcing her to choose to follow her heart or her mission to kill.

Mera Tidebreaker is an origin story of sorts that goes beyond the story that we know and into the world of Mera and how she became the woman that she is; which I think every young adult woman should read and learn about since it is a very strong female lead. Fans of teen thriller/romance will find this book good enough to sink their teeth into and will enjoy the pace of the text and storyline and the illustrations follow the story all the way up to its exciting climax and ending. I will say this -- for myself it doesn’t seem connected much to the story of the new Aquaman movie, unless Arthur is supposed to have turned into much more of a bad boy in between, so the timing and universe disconnect might confuse some, but do not let that bother you too much. This book is very enjoyable and if you have read other work from Danielle Paige before, you will surely like this story.

Book Review: Immoral Code by Lillian Clark

I have started to receive intel on what books are coming out in 2019 and this book, Immoral Code by Lillian Clark, is definitely on my radar! Thanks to wonderful people at NetGalley -- I was able to get my hands on this beauty before everyone else and I must tell you -- if you enjoy mystery, espionage, computer coding, empowerment, and modern retellings of classic fairy tales; well this book is for you! The book is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and it is slated to be released on February 19, 2019.

Here is the book description: Ocean's 8 meets The Breakfast Club in this fast-paced, multi-perspective story about five teens determined to hack into one billionaire absentee father's company to steal tuition money.

For Nari, aka Narioka Diane, aka hacker digital alter ego "d0l0s," it's college and then a career at "one of the big ones," like Google or Apple. Keagan, her sweet, sensitive boyfriend, is happy to follow her wherever she may lead. Reese is an ace/aro visual artist with plans to travel the world. Santiago is off to Stanford on a diving scholarship, with very real Olympic hopes. And Bellamy? Physics genius Bellamy is admitted to MIT--but the student loan she'd been counting on is denied when it turns out her estranged father--one Robert Foster--is loaded.
Nari isn't about to let her friend's dreams be squashed by a deadbeat billionaire, so she hatches a plan to steal just enough from Foster to allow Bellamy to achieve her goals. Fast-paced and banter-filled, Lillian Clark's debut is a hilarious and thought-provoking Robin Hood story for the 21st century.

Book Review: Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval

I am coming up on the end of the year and I will admit I have been in a reading slump. I have plenty to read on my To Be Read pile, do not get me wrong, but I have not felt the urge to read. With going back to work and getting things back in order in my life and navigating being single as well as taking care of my parents -- life has been one hectic chaotic ride. Then I check my email and as per usual -- Net Galley has a book that just jumps out to me and had to be read in one sitting. Say hello to Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval.

This book was released on November 20, 2018. Here is the book description: Mila is a solitary teenager ready to put another boring summer vacation behind her until she meets Agnes, an adventurous girl who turns out to be a ghost. And not just a regular ghost, but one carrying the essence of an ancient fallen king and a mouth full of teeth that used to be his guardian warriors. Three-time Eisner Award-nominated writer/artist Tony Sandoval presents a wondrous world of secret places and dreamlike magic hidden in the everyday corners of our sleeping imagination.

Now I will say this -- I have not read anything by Tony Sandoval so I was excited to learn about a new author. I am also kind of disappointed that this book did not come out during Halloween as it is a stunningly illustrated ,beautifully creepy story but I think creepiness and all things Halloween is a all year thing so for that, I will let it slide. The artwork is simply beautiful; definitely dark which is an aesthetic I do enjoy and speaks to my big gothic heart. The story can be confusing at times and you need to re-read some points but that is all the fun of this story. Super weird, super gorgeous. This book will become part of my bookshelf. If you are a fan of Coraline by Neil Gaiman, you will love this book!

Book Review: Shakespeare's Sonnets, Retold: Classic Love Poems with a Modern Twist by William Shakespeare and James Anthony

Ahhhh the Bard. His words are still studied and read today and it makes my big literary heart happy. When I received this galley -- my heart jumped for joy as I feel everyone should read Shakespeare as well as classic literature. While I love the poetic language of Shakespeare, it's nice to have a modern translation side-by-side with it; that way you get both the poetry and the meaning. I can understand the trepidation of reading the original work as his words can be hard to understand so when modern retellings are brought forth into the world -- people should scoop them up. I studied Shakespeare while in college and while it is rare that a remake or a retelling will be better than original; the use of current language in this book makes the Sonnets much easier to read and understand. This was a great read and I could see this text being used in classrooms and for teaching tools, especially in mine. Thank you James Anthony and Penguin First To Read for giving me the gift of this book!

Here is the book description. This book is set to be released on November 13, 2018 to major and independent booksellers. James Anthony has long enjoyed poetry with a strict adherence to beat, rhythm, and rhyming patterns, which he likens to the very best pop songs. This drew him to the rewarding 14-line structure of Shakespeare’s sonnets, yet he often found their abstract language frustratingly unintelligible. One day, out of curiosity, he rewrote Sonnet 18—Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day—line-by-line, in the strict five-beat iambic pentameter and rhyming patterns of the original, but in a contemporary language a modern reader could easily understand. The meaning and sentiment—difficult to spot, initially—came to life, revealing new intricacies in the workings of Shakespeare's heart.And so, James embarked on a full-time, year-long project to rewrite all 154 of the Bard's eternal verses creating SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS, RETOLD. This collection of masterful reinterpretations brilliantly demystifies and breathes new life into Shakespeare's work, demonstrating the continued resonance of a playwright whose popularity remains over 400 years after his death. Now, the passion, heartbreak, deception, reconciliation, and mortality of Shakespeare’s originals can be understood by all, without the need to cross reference to an enjoyment-sapping study-guide. Coming with a foreword by Stephen Fry, this is a stunning collection of beautiful love poems made new.

Book Review: Choosing Me -- Love Letters from a Poet by Bill Weber

I am pleasantly surprised at the power of Instagram. It has brought forth to me some amazing people -- two life coaches, vivacious bookworms like myself, and inspiring authors. As most of you know I am going through a period of growth that is filled with positivity and that energy has manifested in my Instagram account.

When I was contacted by Bill Weber about his book Choosing Me -- Love Letters from a Poet, I felt this calling. I had to read this book. I had to HAVE this book. An opportunity arose for me to read it before everyone else. The universe is giving me all of this great energy and positivity and is sharing it with the world. This book is available for pre-order on Amazon and it goes on sale to the general public on December 1, 2018.

Here is the book description: Every time we make love is another opportunity to recognize how the spiritual principles of Yin and Yang represent themselves through the design of our bodies and the pleasures of the experience. It is another opportunity to experience the joy of transcending the illusion of duality, and another step along the spiritual journey of awakening to the true nature of our being. Making love is a physical expression of the interplay of Yin and Yang energy, , a joyous celebration of the human body, a sensual fountain of pleasures, a regenerating process of sacred energetic potential, and a hint of the joy of the heaven of enlightenment. Savor the sacredness of the being you are with. Savor the intimacy of the connection. Savor the ebb and flow of energy. Savor every sensation. Savor the sacredness.

Now I will admit -- when I started to read this book it made me blush a lot due to the content. There is an element of eroticism in these poems. I will admit -- the genre of eroticism/romance I normally do not read. I am happy and grateful that this book took me out of my comfort zone of reading. I am also happy and grateful that there are people out there who yearn to keep the spark of love alive in their relationships. It is the ultimate life force and my main priority is feeling good as much as I can. So when I started reading this book I felt happy. I felt good. That is what it is all about. It was also refreshing to see a man step out of his comfort zone of romance. His words just flow onto the page creating a myriad of images in my head; filling my soul with warmth. Plus the fact that this man is essentially honoring women, in particular his partner, it is a glorious sight to read and makes me wish to have a man in my life who is so expressive with his words.

If you are a fan of poetry, romance, love, eroticism, and feeling good as much as you possible can -- GET THIS BOOK. I highly recommend.

Book Review: This Is a Whoopsie! by Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley

As most people are aware -- my career is in education. I am constantly on the look out for inspiring childrens books that I can bring into the classroom; age appropriate content with a real life connection and how my students can relate to the story. Currently I am working in Kindergarten so building that foundation of literacy as well as social development is crucial at such a young age. When I saw this book available on Net Galley I immediately jumped on it. I mean, how can you say no to a cute moose on the cover? This book was released on October 16, 2018 and is by the same author of This is a Taco, which features a cameo of Taco.

Here is the book description: This is supposed to be a book about all the different things moose can do, like leaping and jumping and being really tall. But maybe Whoopsie isn't the right moose for the job. You might want to pick a different moose for this book. Maybe instead we can do a book about falling down a lot? Yeah! Whoopsie would be great at that.This hilarious book about a clumsy moose shows that sometimes being a little different can make one great story.

What I loved about this book is the message it provides -- finding what you are good at when you are constantly aware of what you are not good at. It is perfect to have that reflection and introspection but also knowing to not dwell in the negative self talk. It has a great message that we all make mistakes and that we learn from them. Plus the fact that I am a klutz myself, I was quick to identify with Whoopsie, which is also crucial with children's education -- if they can relate to the character in the story, the message and lesson will be learned. I also loved the facts about the animal known as the moose thrown in. Furthermore as I read this book I had a smile on my face. How can you not enjoy a book that makes you laugh? Finally the illustrations are clever and bring the reader in with a sense of feeling involved.

I absolutely adored and loved this book. It is really adorable and it is highly recommended for both the classroom and for home.

Book Review -- What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

This book. Oh my goodness this book.

I have never read anything by either Becky Albertalli or Adam Silvera before. I have heard such great things about both authors and I am always down to experience new authors. I read mostly paranormal/fantasy/horror/thrillers as well as young adult and this book, which isn't due out until October 9, 2018, (thank you to Epic Reads at Harper Collins Publishers for the ARC) is such a page turner I could not put it down. I really loved this book! Filled with so many ups and downs and twists and turns -- I have never been so emotionally invested in a book before. It is heartwarming, humorous, awkward, and inspiring. I virtually had to force myself to put it down when necessary and could not wait to pick it up again. If you are a lover of Adam and/or Becky’s work, you won’t want to miss their debut project together.

Book description: ARTHUR is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it. BEN thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things. But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them . . . ?
Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited. But what if they can’t nail a first date even after three do-overs? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work and Ben doesn’t try hard enough? What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play? But what if it is? What if it’s us?

I loved the set up of their story – not only the charm having a “missed connection” to find each other later, but also the hilarity of their terrible, terrible dates. We have all had those terrible dates before and it was so refreshing and relatable to see on the page. Ben and Arthur have a very unique love story that I feel is absolutely worth reading. I also loved the fact that I was able to get annoyed/angry with both main characters so frequently. I LOVE characters who’s reactions make me mad while also enabling me to see their viewpoint and fully understand their reactions. There were many times where I would throw the book in anger, let out an "awwww" at a cute moment, and just feel all of the emotions. Both characters are easy to love, yet remain flawed; and you are not rooting for one over the other. You want to see this relationship work somehow. The only critique/problem I have is with the ending. Granted, its reality but gosh darn it a girl loves some cheese!

To let you know -- there are the subjects of cheating, homophobia, racism, and panic attacks in this book. If any of this are triggers for you -- you have been warned. Overall, I really loved my time reading this as it was a step out of comfort zone of reading. If you are someone who is excited for this story, I don’t feel you will be disappointed. I would definitely recommend to everyone who loves a young adult diverse contemporary romance novel.