BLINK SUMMER READING TOUR - No Place Like Here Review

No Place Like Here by Christina June
Publisher: BLINK
Release date: May 21, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Retelling

Blurb

Ashlyn Zanotti has big plans for the summer. She’s just spent a year at boarding school and can’t wait to get home. But when Ashlyn’s father is arrested for tax evasion and her mother enters a rehab facility for “exhaustion,” a.k.a. depression, her life is turned upside down.

The cherry on top? Ashlyn’s father sends her to work with a cousin she doesn’t even know at a rustic team-building retreat center in the middle of nowhere. A self-proclaimed “indoor girl,” not even Ash’s habit of leaving breadcrumb quotes—inspirational sayings she scribbles everywhere—can help her cope.

With a dangerously careless camp manager doling out grunt work, an overbearing father trying to control her even from prison, and more than a little boy drama to struggle with, the summer is full of challenges. And Ashlyn must make the toughest decision of her life: keep quiet and follow her dad’s marching orders, or find the courage to finally stand up to her father to have any hope of finding her way back home.

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My Review:

Summer's nearly over but you can hang onto it a bit longer with this cute, fast-paced summer read that will give you all the feels.

While I found the pace of the storyline of Ashlyn's father's tax troubles a little unrealistic, I liked how strong Ashlyn was as a character. I love books in which the main characters are sent away to camp for the summer and this book was perfect, making you feel like you were right alongside Ashlyn. 

The part of this book I liked the most was Ashlyn's complicated, complex relationships with her family - not only with her parents but with her aunt, uncle, and cousin that she's getting to know for the first time. I don't have any cousins my age but reading this book made me wish I did. 

Overall this is a great sort of coming of age read about standing up for yourself, families, and a summer that changes everything. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟

3 of 5 Stars!

About the Author:

Christina June writes young adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation letters during her day job as a school counselor. She loves the little moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become – whether it’s her students or her characters. Christina is a voracious reader, loves to travel, and hopes to one day be bicoastal – the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and daughter.

She is the author of IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE, and the forthcoming NO PLACE LIKE HERE.

Connect with Christina June Online:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

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BLINK SUMMER READING TOUR - A Touch of Gold Review

A Touch Of Gold

by Annie Sullivan

YA Mythology, Retelling
August 14, 2019 by BLINK

Blurb:

            King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched intogold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father’s wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide.

            Kora spends her days locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed.

               Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora’s journey cost?

My Review:

COVER: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 This cover definitely lives up to it's title! It's gold and sparkly and even prettier in real life than the pictures give justice. It's perfect for the contents of the book and I love the title font!
Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟 “Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora's journey cost?" - This line of the blurb promises the reader an adventure... with a cost. As far as taglines go, it does tease the reader and make them want to know more, but is it enough?

Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 We have a not uncommon group of characters types in this book: the Main Character (Kora) who is cursed thanks to her father's greed and is seen as a monster by her people, a father who was driven mad with his greed and his guilt over what he did to his only daughter, a villain hiding in plain sight who uses smoke and mirrors to convince the MC that someone else is the true villain, several cute guys - one open, adventurous, and flirty; another broody and closed off but secretly caring, and a side character, in this case Kora's cousin, who throws a wrench in the story from time to time. I enjoyed the various characters, especially Kora who went from the cloistered princess to a girl ready to seize the adventure she's always dreamed of to save her father. 

Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Overall, I do like the world the author has created for her Midas retelling. 

Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I wasn't sure what to expect from this book other than the obvious, that this was a reimagining of the King Midas myth. The story pulled me in right away and I thought Midas's origins was a nice spin on the story as well as the backstory for Kora and the path to Midas's obsession and madness over his gold. As far as the plotting it was equal parts unique and familiar to other fairytale retellings I've read before with some of my favorite story elements: adventure, pirates, hate-to-love romance, and curses. If you're looking for a new retelling to add to your shelf A Touch of Gold is definitely worth checking out!

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟

4 of 5 Stars!

Grab your own copy of A Touch of Gold:

Goodreads –https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36575823-a-touch-of-gold#

Amazon –https://amzn.to/2KS9xYY

Barnes & Noble –https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-touch-of-gold-annie-sullivan/1127456128#/

Book Depository –https://www.bookdepository.com/Touch-of-Gold-Annie-Sullivan/9780310766353

IndieBound –https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=A+Touch+of+Gold

About the Author:

Annie Sullivan is a Young Adult author from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work has been featured in Curly Red Stories and Punchnels. She loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling and exploring new cultures. When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s teaching classes at the Indiana Writers Center and working as the Copy Specialist at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. publishing company, having also worked there in Editorial and Publicity roles. You can follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram (@annsulliva).

Links:

Twitter -https://twitter.com/annsulliva

Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/annsulliva/?hl=en

TOUR-WIDE GIVEAWAY

Prize:

5 BLINK Summer Reading Tour Book Bundles (A Touch of Gold, Meet the Sky, No Place Like Here, Pretty In Punxsutawney, and Swing by Kwame Alexander)

(USA)

Starts:7/22/19

Ends:8/9/19

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