Gabbie's bookish thoughts

  ** Be warned that while I shall do my best to keep this as spoiler free as possible, potential spoilers for the previous two books may slip through the cracks, so proceed at your own risk!  Plot: The daring and dramatic conclusion to Kat Dunn's epic C18th French Revolution trilogy 'with lashings of lust, love, sacrifice, betrayal and horror'. Robespierre is dead. The Reign of Terror is over. As Royalist strength grows, the Duc de L'Aubespine plots a coup that will consign the revolution to history. With Olympe in his clutches, he believes nothing can stop him. But he's reckoned without the intrepid Battalion of the Dead! Reunited in Paris, Ada is poised for action - but if she plays her hand too soon, everything she's sacrificed to gain his trust will be lost. Meanwhile, an unlikely alliance with an old enemy might be Camille's only option to save Olympe and stop the duc in his tracks. The glittering and macabre bals des victimes and the eerie catacombs ma...

  I was lucky enough to be part of the blog tour for the first book in the series , Dangerous Remedy , last year and it's fair to say these characters have been, as is their way, living rentfree in my mind ever since. Not only was the first book such a fantastic read, it ended on a cliffhanger promising many more adventures to come, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on the second installment in this series. Thus, I shall share with you all things Monstrous Design  so that you can join in my excitement! Synopsis:  Following the thrills and spills of Dangerous Remedy, the Battalion of the Dead return in a dazzling new adventure, set amid the opulence and squalour of 18th-century London and Paris. 1794, London: Camille and Al are desperately hunting Olympe's kidnapper. From the glamorous excesses of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens to the city's seedy underbelly, they are caught in a dangerous game of lies and deceit. And a terrible new enemy lies in wait with designs more m...

  A P hở Love Story  by Loan Le Synopsis:  If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal. If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant. For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition. But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity ...

― About Paper Lanterns     Paper Lanterns is a new literary journal, founded in 2020 by Grace Kelley, Ruth Ennis, and  Amy O’Sullivan, to be published four times a year. Acting as a platform to promote the voices  of young people in Ireland and across the world , this journal provides new and exciting content for a teen and young adult audience . It is also perfect for enthusiasts of teen and YA literature, from teachers and librarians, to parents and youth workers. The journal is divided into three sections. Our  literature, from teachers and librarians, to parents and youth workers.      The journal is divided into three sections. Our Creative Writing section showcases work from talented teens, as well as work from adult writers of teen and YA literature, tied in with beautiful artwork and photography. The  talented teens, as well as work from adult writers of teen and YA literature, tied in with  beautiful artwork and photography...

YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN BY LEAH JOHNSON ★★★★★ CW: anxiety, panic attacks, mentions of death of a loved one, illness of loved one, homophobia (challenged) & outing    Synopsis:      Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.       But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.   ...

(artwork "la gente es colorida" by Allie Rafferty, designed by Fiachra Johnston)) I have been excitedly watching from the sidelines as the wonderful team of Paper Lanterns  turned this very exciting idea into a reality and put together a literary journal dedicated to teen & YA lit and the people celebrating it. From original creative writing pieces to interviews and reviews, Paper Lanterns  promised many things.  I'm delighted to tell you that I was lucky enough to get an early look at their first issue and it achieved all the things it aimed to; reading through it, I couldn't help but be reminded why I love the community built around this type of literature so much, the kind of talent and passion of those part of it. It also reminded me just how smart, talented and interesting the teens that these stories are for are themselves and the kind of fantastic work they can put into the world when given the chance (with the addition of equally fantastic words comi...

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23566912-spare-and-found-parts?ac=1&from_search=true Rating:  5/5 Plot:  Set in a futuristic,post-apocalyptic and slightly steam-punky version of Dublin, Spare and found parts  is a modern Franenstein retelling with a twist. The story follows our young heroine, Nell, part girl and part machine, as she tries to change the world once more by changing her life to begin with and creating something never seen before. Equally depicts the search for companionship and the search for breakthrough. Thoughts: I quite honestly am at a loss of words when it comes to expressing my love for this book in a way that would do it justice ever so slightly. First off, I must admit that I found it unbelievable that this is Sarah's 1st published novel.Though I know she's done a fair share of nonfiction in the past,I do believe this is her first actual novel,which my brain simply cannot compute.This does not rea...