Welcome to my stop on the book blitz for Cardboard Castles by K. L. Young! Even though I don't normally participate in book blitzes, I couldn't pass on the chance to share about this introspectively dark fantasy debut. The premise reminds me a little bit of the dangerous whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, with the promise of transport to a magical world, but also with the added complexity of real life. I am super interested to see how Young combines reality and fantasy, and the very real dangers of both, in her first book! Cardboard Castles
By K. L. Young Published on May 17, 2018 404 pages Graye Castle Press Young Adult, Fantasy
"I am my father's daughter, and I am terrified of that fact." Seventeen-year-old Josilyn is the city’s rumored Cardboard Princess. Living in a crumbling cardboard castle under the park bridge and struggling to care for her mentally ill father, Josilyn’s life has been anything but regal since her mother’s death. But when a former friend discovers Josilyn's secret and leads Child Protective Services directly to her, her father’s visions of dragons and dark knights become the least of Josilyn’s problems. Now separated from her father and terrified for his safety, Josilyn begins to see the world of his imagination for the first time, forcing her to consider the possibility that he’s not insane, and that someone may be desperate to see her father dead—and her in chains. In a stunning twist of reality, survival may not be a matter of sanity, but who to trust, and who to kill.
There are two special deals going on right now with Cardboard Castles: 1. The ebook is on sale for only $2.99 through July. 2. A portion of all sales from the book are being donated to Chattanooga's Community Kitchen, which serves the author’s city homeless population.
Twitter is scary. Twitter is overwhelming. Twitter is relentless. Twitter is also the reason I am so involved in the book blogging community. Twitter is my lifeline to the bookish community outside of my blog. Twitter is a source of humor, insight, creativity and amazing people. (There is also quite the opposite lurking in the depths of Twitter, but for the sake of sanity and optimism, I am focusing on the bright side). For me, scrolling through Twitter doesn't feel like a waste of time (unlike Pinterest, Facebook, and sometimes Instagram) because I am always inspired by all of the amazing people on my feed. It is also really easy to find ways to interact with other book lovers and forge relationships. Over the past five years, I feel as if I have been becoming more and more involved in the community. Since it is definitely not because of an increase in skill, I am going to attribute it to the rise of social media, especially Twitter. While those 240 characters can be used to anger, ridicule, and dramatize, you can also put a lot of love, friendship, and support in so few words. However, there is a steep learning curve that I am still trying to climb. A fair amount of my social media skills were learned through experimentation and trial and error, but most of what I know is from the other amazing people on Twitter. So, I am breaking down why I follow the people I do and impart some knowledge with my impeccable taste.
Top Ten Tuesday is a list-based meme hosted by the amazing Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. If the meme sounds familiar, it was formerly hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Apparently, 2018 is halfway over. On the plus side, this means summer and more books. On the minus side, I have all of the crushing anxiety of the unfinished goals that I need to complete by the end of the year. Anyway, I am staying on the plus side today by looking forward to some of the amazing books that I am (probably) going to read this summer. This is by no means an exhaustive list. My TBR is a monster that I can hardly maintain, let alone limit to only 10 books. In an attempt to regain control (or at least the facade of it), I am limiting my goal to these ten books that I am determined to read before the end of summer. Basically, if I could only read ten books this summer, these would be it. Hopefully, that will not end up being the case, but I would still be happy if I only got to these stories.
I split the list between already published books that I have waited extremely too long to read (yes, I know that it is ridiculous that I have not read them but please forgive me) and soon-to-be published books that dominated my radar.
Update: I now realize that I have done the TTT for 6/19. I apologize sincerely but I hope you still enjoy my recommendations!
Young Adult, Fantasy This book was provided to me by YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. I swear on my bookshelf that this has not affected my opinion of the book.
Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly. Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles. Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him – every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him – until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The Prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat. So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all. Winner takes the loser’s heart.
