Review: Heart So Broken and Fierce

* Book 2 in the Cursebreakers Trilogy *

The curse is broken in Emberfall, but the royal troubles are not over. Rumors swirl that Prince Rhen has a half brother. No one knows his identity, but rumors swirl that he has magical abilities. Prince Rhen's determined to locate his half-brother and kill him. He can't have magic ruin the kingdom - again.

Grey's been hiding since they destroyed Lilith. He's keeping his secret, the kingdom, and his brother safe.

But forces beyond their control pull them together. Grey must decide his future - no only for himself but for his band of followers.

My Thoughts: I really loved this book. The perspectives shifted from the first book, which took me by surprise. And it took me a few pages to get used to the idea, by then I was hooked and had to read immediately. I loved learning more about Grey. I loved his loyalty and his willingness to put the kingdom first. I admired him and his great big heart. I felt terrible for Lia Mara for her family situation, although I admired her strength and determination. I loved her moments with Grey and her sister. I loved seeing favorite characters. I loved the action and the plot twists that I didn't see coming. I can't wait to read what happens next!!!

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic and matches the first cover really well
Source: ARC from BEA 2019
Library Recommendation: This series is a must have series for your public libraries (as is the authors non-fantasy books).

Guest Post: Kalynn Bayron

Creating a Cinderella Retelling

Cinderella Is Dead is the story of 16-year-old Sophia Grimmins, a young girl living in the kingdom of Mersailles—this is the place where Cinderella lived and died 200 years before. Cinderella’s story has become the backbone of this society, and young women are expected to follow in her footsteps by attending the now mandatory, annual ball, to be chosen by prospective suitors. This kingdom has used Cinderella’s story to manipulate and control the women and girls who reside there. As Sophia is preparing to attend the ball she grapples with how this story doesn’t speak to who she is. She’s in love with her best friend, Erin, she doesn’t want to be married, and she watches the people around her fail to help her at every possible opportunity. The ball is a turning point for Sophia. She makes some decisions that put her on a collision course with Mersaille’s ruler, and in the process she uncovers some earth shattering truths about Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the fairy godmother.

There are versions of what would become Cinderella that date back hundreds, even thousands, of years. In preparation for writing my own retelling, I read the many stories that came before the version we’re now familiar with; the Brothers Grimm version from 1812, the Charles Perrault version from 1607, and the story of Ye Xian from around 850 AD first published in the Tang dynasty compilation Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang written around 850 by Duan Chengshi. Around the first century AD, the story of Rhodopis was popularized. It’s about a Greek woman living in Egypt whose sandal is carried off by a bird and dropped in the lap of the Pharaoh who then sets out to find the owner of the shoe. And there is a similar story recorded five centuries before, by Herodotus in his Histories. This version eludes to at least a part of the story being an account of a real life event. Through all of its iterations, over the passage of so many hundreds and hundreds of years, common threads can still be found, the most prominent being a young girl mistreated by other women in her own family is saved by a prince or king and lives happily ever after. 

One of the reasons I wrote this story was because I really enjoy a retelling that makes me rethink earlier versions of the tale. Wicked (more so the stage production than the novel) is one of my favorite retellings. It did so much more than simply rework The Wizard of Oz. It opened up the world around it and ultimately made me see the Wicked Witch in an entirely new light. She was a one dimensional villain in one story and something completely different in another. That’s what I wanted to do with Cinderella Is Dead. I wanted to approach this retelling in a way that would make readers question everything they thought they knew about the Cinderella story.



Cinderella is highly visible in the pantheon of children’s tales. That’s Cinderella’s castle at Disneyworld! Her blue dress and glass slippers are iconic. I wanted to retell a story that was instantly recognizable and deconstruct it in a way that centered the kinds of people who are nowhere to be found in the story itself, mainly Black, queer people. I wrote this story that explores not only how fairy tales have the power to personally affect who we become, but also allows us to see this fairytale world through the eyes of a young woman who is actively harmed by the societal norms the fairytale perpetuates. It’s a continuation of the story and a kind of expanding of that already established framework. Because this is a bit more of a reimagining than a retelling, I kept the entire Cinderella story intact but with the idea of it being a sacred, historical text and ultimately a piece of propaganda used to further the will of this kingdom’s rulers. When my main character Sophia is navigating this world there are callbacks to Cinderella herself, Prince Charming, the fairy Godmother, the ball, but as she begins to uncover the truth, we pull back and see the bigger picture—that all that glitters isn’t gold.

Storytelling is fluid. It’s constantly evolving, stories are constantly changing. Even a story’s origins can change through retelling. Things become canon that weren’t before. Other elements are cast aside in favor of new ideas. I think that’s what I’m trying to do—changing stories in a way that allows me and my readers to have access to them in a way we didn’t before. 

Wow - I love this. And I really can't wait to read this story! 

Plus, it's perfect for the summer reading theme this year of Imagine Your Story. 

About the Book:
Title: Cinderella is Dead
Author: Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.


About the Author:
Kalynn Bayron is an author and classically trained vocalist. She grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. When she’s not writing you can find her listening to Ella Fitzgerald on loop, attending the theater, watching scary movies, and spending time with her kids. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas with her family.

Review: Map from Here to There

Paige's getting ready for her senior year in high school. She had a great time in New York City during her screenwriting course. She met great people, enjoyed living in the city, and has lots of thoughts about her future. Now she's back home waiting for Max to return from Italy while she works at the movie theater.

As senior year moves on, Paige's anxiety worsens. She's struggling to make the huge decision about college - knowing that she's talking about the rest of her life. When Max talks about applying to colleges in the same city, she freaks out. She doesn't want to be responsible for his future too.

As high school starts being about the last chances, Paige realizes that she wants everything to stay the same. She's not ready to say goodbye. She's not ready to make the big choices. Her worries and anxiety put strains on her relationships. Can she stop overthinking ever decision and start living in the moment?

My Thoughts: Another great read from Emery Lord. I was so happy to have more about these characters. I loved spending more time with these characters. I loved the writing. There were so many sentences that I re-read because they struck a chord with me. I felt terrible for Paige as she attempted to deal with her anxiety. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything was going to be ok. I loved her moments in the theater and her love for screenwriting. Big moments happen during senior year of high school and they capture big emotions.


Cover Thoughts: Adorable
Source: BEA Arc 201
Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your school and public libraries - especially for the moments about college. 

Review: Past Perfect Life

Ally's not sure anything significant has happened to her - at least anything she can write about for her college applications. Everything in her life has been normal. She stressed about her college applications and when they're rejected because of her social security number, that's when everything crumbles around her.

Ally's not who she thinks she is and now the whole world is going to know. Her quiet perfect life is unraveled and nothing can ever bring it back. What will she do?

My Thoughts: Past Perfect Life is this generation's Face on the Milk Carton. I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down. I had to find out what happened. I loved the small Wisconsin town where Ally grew up. I loved her moments with her father - their rituals and traditions. I loved the small town community and how they looked out for each other. I loved her best friend and her family. My heart broke for Ally as she navigated through all the drama and untangling her past to create a future. I love how she stood up for herself. Of course I loved the romance.

Cover Thoughts: Perfect
Source: Signed ARC at BEA
Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your school and public library

Review: Call It What You Want To

When Maegan and Rob are forced to pair up for a school assignment, both of them wish they could back out. Both of them are social outcasts - Maegan because she was caught cheating on the SATs and Rob because his father's a criminal. Many people think he helped his father steal money - or at the very least he knew about it.

With nothing left to lose, they start talking. And it helps. But they both still have secrets, secrets that could ruin this delicate friendship.

My Thoughts: I love all her books, and this one was hard to put down. I loved seeing a relationship bloom between the cop's daughter and the criminal's son. I liked unraveling the family secrets. I loved how Maegan and her sister became close - how they broke down the walls of secrets. My heart broke for both Maegan and Rob and for all they were going through. I loved Owen. I'd love to see him in a future book as the main character. I really liked the big question of this book - the question about mistakes and doing some wrong for the right reasons. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: ARC sent for review
Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your library. 

Mini Review: Kingdom of Ash

The final book in the Throne of Glass series.

Without spoilers, I'll try to share my emotions.

I love Sarah J Maas books and this one was no different. I read it in three days, but I had to take breaks because it was INTENSE!

Of course I cried at least once all three days - one the last day I cried like a baby.

One of the things I love about these books is the relationships - the friendships and the romance. And what people will do to save those they love.

I also love the plot twists and the moment I never saw coming - which happened frequently in this series.

While I'm sad that the series is over, it ended perfectly.