August 2017 (+ August Flights of Fantasy Linky)

It feels like I time traveled in August, because the days between the first and last of this month are all a blur of fun times, anime binges, reading a ton of great books and  the last few weeks of summer. My birthday month has certainly been a lot of fun, and I'm really happy with everything I…

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Choose Your Own Adventure • Jane, Unlimited

Jane is feeling a little lost in life after the loss of her beloved Aunt Magnolia, professor, deep sea photographer and her mother figure. When an old acquaintance – Kiran Thrash - randomly runs into her and invites her to attend a gala at her family’s island mansion Tu Reviens, Jane finds herself…

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TYRR #5: The War That Saved My Life

Hurrah, we are on to sharing our thoughts on our fifth TYRR read for the year! (By the way, we decided to skip the three books we had planned for June, July and August. While we're both still interested in checking them out one day, we wanted to make sure to get back on schedule the only way w…

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Macky Reads Guardians of the Gryphon's Claw

So, our story opens up on twelve year old Sam London having all too vivid dreams about a real life, honest-to-goodness gryphon. From there, it’s one big reveal after another as we uncover the events documented by the Department of Mythical Wildlife that have to do with a threat so large it could e…

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There Are Monsters in the Sea • Eliza and Her Monsters

I love, love, love  when I go into a story knowing the bare minimum, and end up falling in love with it. Eliza and Her Monsters , if you haven't already guessed, turned out to be one such read for me this year.  It's about a girl named Eliza Mirk, who is shy and solitary in real life, but wh…

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YA Sci-Fi Arthouse Fodder: Macky Reads Zero Repeat Forever

Alien invasion? Check. Gritty modern late-teen drama set against the backdrop of a post invasion-hell scenario? Got 'em in spades. But not in the  I Am Number Four  finale kind of way. Zero Repeat Forever  was heavy and bordering the darker side of science fiction.  The whole time I was reading i…

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TTYL, BFF • I Hate Everyone But You

Ava and Gen are best friends heading off to their first semesters at their separate colleges, Ava remaining behind on the West Coast while Gen starts fresh on the East Coast. They keep in touch via email and text, and from friendship shenanigans, school woes, romantic entanglements, mental health …

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That One Summer • The Names They Gave Us

Lucy Hansson’s life appears to be on track: a great relationship with her parents, a steady boyfriend and a comfortable ‘job’ helping at their church and their summer Bible camp. But then her mom’s cancer reappears, the first of a series of chaotic changes in Lucy’s life. When her parents decide t…

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Five Tips for Convention Season

I'm really excited that convention season is just around the corner for Macky & I! After attending both Boston Comic Con and New York Comic Con last year , as well as having attended BookCon earlier this year, we're both really looking forward to attending New York Comic Con for the sec…

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Of Family Secrets and Daring Adventures: Macky Reads Eye of the North by Sinead O'Connor

Picture the scene: a young girl finds out her scientist parents (people who have shabbily kept their manor filled with dangerous specimens) have been “killed” and must now be spirited away to France for her safety no questions asked. On the way, little Emmeline Widget meets equally little stowaway…

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Got the Magic in Me • The Last Magician

In The Last Magician , magic is nearly extinct in modern-day New York, forcing any Mageus - those with magical abilities - to hide who they are and lurk in the shadows. The only way that this bleak future can be changed for the Mageus is if Esta, a talented thief with a knack for pilfering items fr…

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Because Middle Grade Sleuthing: Macky Reads Shadow of a Pug

SO MUCH LOVE for Shadow of a Pug . This book is the real deal. We’re talking elementary school flashback, and thus, a reminder that kids really do have real problems. And no, I don’t mean just the type of problems like "Will that person ever like me?" or "What will my schoolmates thi…

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Science, Magic & The Power of Friendship • The Someday Suitcase

I really, really liked The Someday Suitcase , friends. While I certainly expected as much since I've read and enjoyed every single novel (young adult and  middle grade) by Corey Ann Haydu, I wasn't prepared for how much this story would move me by the time I hit the end of it.  The Someday Su…

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Secrets & Subterfuge, Ahoy! • Daughter of the Pirate King

Are you into adventures on the high seas and pirate shenanigans? If you answered yes, Daughter of the Pirate King is a young adult fantasy novel that you must check out. It’s the tale of teen pirate captain Alosa, who deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies to infiltrate their sh…

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Table for Two #8: Milk and Cream Cereal Bar

I'm really excited that Rachel of Hello, Chelly and I have teamed up once more to bring you a brand spanking new collaboration that involves two of my favorite things - New York City and food. We're proud to introduce Table for Two, where the two of us will be highlighting restaurants and …

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Of Survival and Hope: Macky Reads Choices

I’m wiping tears at midnight, heart full and stomach grumbly (nothing like a good emotional read to make one want to have cookies). Reading the last page of Choices was just pure joy. When I’d asked Smith Publicity for a copy of the book after they so kindly offered me th chance to review it, I di…

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You Cannot Be Caged • A Court of Wings and Ruin

It seems like a Herculean task to try and talk about why I loved A Court of Wings and Ruin . That’s nothing new to any of you who have been reading my blog for the past few years, as I have continued to find it difficult to express my love for Sarah J. Maas novels with every successive one that she…

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