Rockstar Book Tour: Beastly Beauty

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BEASTLY BEAUTY  by Jennifer Donnelly Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 About the Book:

Title: BEASTLY BEAUTY

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Pub. Date: May 7, 2024

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/BEASTLY-BEAUTY

*"A dreamy, sublimely written tale." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

From New York Times bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly comes a revolutionary, gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast that will forever change how you think about beauty, power, and what it really means to follow your heart.

What makes a girl "beastly?" Is it having too much ambition? Being too proud? Taking up too much space? Or is it just wanting something, anything, too badly?

That's the problem Arabella faces when she makes her debut in society. Her parents want her to be sweet and compliant so she can marry well, but try as she might, Arabella can't extinguish the fire burning inside her -- the source of her deepest wishes, her wildest dreams.

When an attempt to suppress her emotions tragically backfires, a mysterious figure punishes Arabella with a curse, dooming her and everyone she cares about, trapping them in the castle. As the years pass, Arabella abandons hope. The curse is her fault -- after all, there's nothing more "beastly" than a girl who expresses her anger -- and the only way to break it is to find a boy who loves her for her true self: a cruel task for a girl who's been told she's impossible to love.

When a handsome thief named Beau makes his way into the castle, the captive servants are thrilled, convinced he is the one to break the curse. But Beau -- spooked by the castle's strange and forbidding ladies-in-waiting, and by the malevolent presence that stalks its corridors at night -- only wants to escape. He learned long ago that love is only an illusion. If Beau and Arabella have any hope of breaking the curse, they must learn to trust their wounded hearts, and realize that the cruelest prisons of all are the ones we build for ourselves.

  My Thoughts: I do love Jennifer Donnelly's books. This was a different twist on the Beauty and the Beast story. I admit, I took me a little bit to get into it. I really liked the architecture moments. This was a really clever book. I do wish there had been a list of names because my brain doesn't work like that. There were lots of twists that I didn't see coming. The descriptions of the book were fantastic.  I loved how this book talked about female emotions and how powerful they are. I loved the message of this book - and the ending. 

About Jennifer:

Jennifer Donnelly is the author of A Northern Light, which was awarded a Printz Honor and a Carnegie Medal; Revolution (named a Best Book by Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and the Chicago Public Library, and nominated for a Carnegie Medal); the Deep Blue series; and many other books for young readers, including Lost in a Book, which spent more than 20 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. She lives in New York's Hudson Valley.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon

Meet Jennifer! 

Giveaway Details: 

1 winner will receive a finished copy of BEASTLY BEAUTY, US Only.

Ends June 4^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Tour:

Week Three:

5/19/2024	Triquetra Reviews	Review/IG Post
5/20/2024	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
5/21/2024	@bookish_aly_cat	IG Review/TikTok Post
5/21/2024	@dreaminginpages	IG Review
5/22/2024	nerdophiles	Review
5/23/2024	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
5/23/2024	YA Book Nerd	Review/IG Post
5/24/2024	@jaimes_mystical_library	IG Review
5/25/2024	@celiamcmahonreads	IG Review

On Your Radar: Stepsister (23)

Title: Stepsister

Author:  Jennifer Donnelly

Publisher:  Scholastic

Publication Date: May 14, 2019

Why it Should be on Your Radar:

* Sisters

* Fairy Tale Reimagined

* Question of Destiny/Fate

* Question of Beauty

* Action

* Strong female character

* Forgiveness

* Determination

* Feminist Read

* Accepting Yourself

* Jennifer Donnelly

** Arc sent for review

Mini Review: Sea Spell

 * Final book in the Waterfire Saga*

The six mermaids need more time before the final battle with Orfeo. With everything against them, they're going to have oi make a stand and hope that everything falls into place. Their world and their lives depend upon it.

The Good:
The struggles
The triumphs
The twists and turns of the plot
The friendships
The betrayals
The action and danger

The Bad:
It's over BUT dare I say there might be a spin off series? One can only hope

Final Thoughts:
An excellent ending to a super fun series about good vs evil, mermaids, friendship, family, and love. Perfect for both public and school libraries.

Books I'm Dying to Read: June Edition

Now that the weather is starting to turn more Spring like, I'm excited for the big publishing months. I can't wait to read summer romances and books about the beach, road trips, and ice cream. 

Kids:

Middle Grade:

YA:

Adult:

Mini Review: Dark Tide

 * Book 3 in the Waterfire Saga * 

The six mermaids are still trying to save the world, but the danger gets greater with every passing moment. We learn their secrets, uncover news from their past, and hope that they can actually save the world.

The Good:
I love learning Astrid's secret and how it changed the mission
I loved the romance plots
I loved the danger and the action
I loved the help from the rest of the world (not in on the evil plot)
I loved learning more about their characters and their past
I loved seeing the mermaids become more self confident
That ending!!

The Bad:
The Book is over (but there's two months until book 4 (the final book) comes out)

Final Thoughts: This series is fantastic: super fun, strong female characters, friendship, romance, and saving the world. What more could you want?

I Read YA: Upcoming YA Books

A few YA upcoming books that I'm really excited about: