Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

If you’ve been itching to get your hands on Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, now is the perfect time! Released on July 9th, 2019, Spin the Dawn is not only the Indigo Teen Staff Pick of the Month for August, but it is also a stunning read!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review. 

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she’ll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There’s just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job. Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia’s task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise. And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor’s reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He was released in North America on April 9, 2019, and promised to be full of twists and treachery. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He is also the Teen Staff Pick of the Month for Indigo Books and Music Inc., so I was certainly quite excited to pick it up – I’ve never been disappointed by an Indigo SPOTM before!

Thank-you to Indigo Book and Music Inc. for providing me with a finished copy of Descendant of the Crane by Joan He in exchange for an honest review. 

Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own. Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago. Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high? In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

HCC #FrenzyPresents Spring Preview (2019-02-24)

This past Sunday (i.e.yesterday) I had the privilege – and pleasure – of attending the Harper Collins Canada #FrenzyPresents Spring Preview event in Toronto, Ontario. While I have previously been invited to this event, I have never been able to actually attend, so it was quite an exciting event for me! Not only did I get an in-depth preview of so many fantastic upcoming YA releases, but I also had the chance to meet several of my fellow Canadian Book Bloggers, which was simply heartwarming. Truly, my heart is so full.

HCC Frenzy also gifted all the attendees a fantastic Swag Bag, which was put together in partnership with Indigo Books & Music Inc., Owlcrate, Tealish, Da Bomb Bath Co., Sweet Artisan Candies, David’s Tea, and Golden Ticket Candy! Honestly, this Swag Bag was loaded to the brim with goodies, including 3 Advance Review Copies, including:

• If You Can’t Beat the Odds Change the Game Pillowcase (Owlcrate)
• Delicious Detox Tea (Tealish)
• Blueberry Cheesecake Bath Bomb (Da Bomb Bath Co.)
• Black Cherry Artisan Candies (Sweet Artisan Candies)
• Salted Caramel Chews (Golden Ticket Candy)
• The Evil Queen (Sampler) by Gena Showalter

I also received 3 ARCs in my Swag Bag – The Meaning of Birds by Jaye Robin Brown (Release Date: April 16, 2019), Nocturna by Maya Motayne (Release Date: May 7, 2019), and Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds (Release Date: March 5, 2019).

Finally, a word to all my fellow bloggers (Canadian or not) – when I started this blog (and by extension my Bookstagram and Bookish Twitter accounts), I truly had no idea where this journey would take me. Because even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had found my thing, and I had found my people. This community has grown to mean the world to me, and meeting so many of my fellow Canadian Book Bloggers at the #FrenzyPresents event yesterday was like a dream. I am still floating on a high – because I simply cannot believe where this journey has taken me, and can’t wait to see where it will take me next.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Released in North America on January 8, 2019, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a hilarious contemporary realistic YA debut novel about a rather cynical Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the clichés and joys of the American high school experience—including falling in love.

What’s more? The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is so awesome that it was selected as the Indigo Teen Staff Pick of the Month for January 2019! You can check out the The Field Guide to the North American Teenager and other Indigo Teen SPOTM’s on Indigo‘s website.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of he Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review. 

Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Austin, Texas. Plunked into a new high school and sweating a ridiculous amount from the oppressive Texas heat, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs. Yet, against all odds, those labels soon become actual people to Norris. Be it loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris, or Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. Not to mention Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who might, in fact, be a real love interest in the making. He even starts playing actual hockey with these Texans. But the night of the prom, Norris screws everything up royally. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realizes it might be time to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions and start living his life—along with the people who have found their way into his heart.