Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers: TOR Publishing Group

Showing posts with label TOR Publishing Group. Show all posts

Thursday, June 25, 2026

WE BURNED SO BRIGHT by TJ Klune - REVIEW!

🌕 This feature was a long time coming... but so worth the wait.

It's a novella that snuck onto the scene April of this year via TOR PublishingGroup. It's the latest from author TJ Klune, and if you've read any of their other works, I'm told this will be a must read... but I've not read their other works. In fact, I've heard of them, have a title or two on my wishlist, but I've not taken the chance on one just yet. Why? Simple...lack of time, commitments, and mindset (still struggling, but I'm here), but when this one arrived in my mailbox (thank you TOR team!), something about it struck me, and I knew I had to take a chance. I'm so glad I did.

WE BURNED SO BRIGHT is one of those stories that you know the basic ending, but it's all about how it arrives, and what happens along the way. The trip that we take with Rodney and Don not only let's us slowly get to know them, but become a part of the journey as much as anything else that occurs. I was locked in from the beginning, and, while I had no idea where we were going, why we were going there, or just how close we'd come to seeing so many of the facets that make us human, there was no way I was turning away.

From new age hippies and free love to crossroads that no one should have to face alone even if the end of times IS coming, futures that while somewhat certain are anything but to histories that need baring to redeem hidden selves, there is so much poured into this short tale that you won't easily find your way out, nor will you want to.

Check it out for yourself (publisher's site)... I'd love to hear what you think!

Monday, September 2, 2024

AWARENESS TOUR: Kelcie Murphy and the Race for the Reaper's Key by Erika Lewis - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Happy September, everyone!

Here's hoping it's cooling off in your neck of the woods, whereas Mother Nature didn't get the memo for the temperature drop down here. Still sitting "pretty" at 90+ with no signs of changing just yet. (sigh) Anywho, the temperature won't put a damper on my excitement today because we're participating in an AWARENESS TOUR currently going on with The Children's Book Review. It stars a fabulous Middle Grade Fantasy series by author Erika Lewis that is just about to celebrate the third and final book release in a little over a week, so what better time to either get reacquainted or introduced, right? Right! Ladies and gents, let's check out the 'ABOUT' of today's featured series...

The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts

Erika Lewis

A 2023 Teacher Favorites Winner (6th-8th Grade) for the Children's Book Council

Brimming with Celtic mythology, action, and danger, Erika Lewis's Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts introduces readers to a new kind of magical school and a warrior who must choose with which side of an epic battle her destiny will lie.

The Otherworld is at war. The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts trains warriors. And Kelcie Murphy―a foster child raised in the human world―is dying to attend.

A place at AUA means meeting Scáthach, the legendary trainer of Celtic heroes. It means learning to fight with a sword. It means harnessing her hidden powers and―most importantly―finding out who her parents are, and why they abandoned her in Boston Harbor eight years ago.

When Kelcie tests into the school, she learns that she’s a Saiga, one of the most ancient beings in the Otherworld. Secretive, shunned, and possessed of imposing elemental powers, the Saiga are also kin to the Otherworld's most infamous traitor.

But Kelcie is a survivor, and she’ll do whatever it takes to find her parents and her place in their world. Even if that means making a few enemies.

Amazon | Bookshop.org | Barnes and Noble

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Sounds great, right?

Yep, that's the boat I was in too, but while it is a series, my focus is actually on the forthcoming title, and, might I be so bold as to say, the most exciting one yet!

The first book in a series is always memorable because it introduces you to everything...the world, the characters, the history, and the plot. It drags you in and gets you involved. The second is there to keep you wanting more, while connecting the beginning with that still craved for end. The third, and in this case final installment, is there to bring it all together for an epic ending to remember, and this one does just that. All the while the tension has been building. We've followed the mystery about Kelcie's lineage and powers, dreaded the big bad that's out to destroy the world and her along with it, and wondered just how she'd make it out of the next bit of trouble in one piece. Now, knowing what we know, supposing what we've supposed, and drawing conclusions where we were invited to...we finally get to see if everything we may have guessed plays out. There are monsters and war, unstoppable evil and a potential apocalypse in the works, not to mention unexpected revelations and new things worth questioning. Do I want to spoil the surprise for you? NO WAY! But, I will say that while I was right about a few things, my head was turned completely by a few others, and once you start this one, you'll be quickly turning pages until you reach the memorable end.

Will you be kept on the edge of your seat? You bet! Will you have pins and needles of nervousness to manage? Most definitely. Will things turn out just the way you hoped? Perhaps...but, you'll have to read it to be certain, and yes, while technically you can jump in at this stage of the series, I always say the more the merrier, so if you're up to adding a trio to your TBR, I'd start at the best place of all...THE BEGINNING!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erika Lewis is the author of the Kelcie Murphy Series from Starscape, The Color of Dragons from HarperTeen, Game of Shadows from Tor Books, Firebrand from Legendary Comics, and more, many of which have been published around the world.

She grew up in Virginia before going off to Tennessee for school. While at Vanderbilt University, studying Math and Theatre, she spent a semester abroad, visiting haunted ruins and magical forests that would forever spark her imagination and leave behind an insatiable need to travel.

An internship at CNN led to exciting years working in television, developing scripted and reality shows for various studios and networks. Then, one day, Erika knew it was time for her to write on her own, to build fantastical worlds that stayed with her after every return from a trip, and also to play her part in inspiring the next generation of readers and writers.

For more information, visit erikalewis.com

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The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts: Book Giveaway

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Special thanks to Bianca of The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this title to you and for the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) This post is sponsored by Erika Lewis. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view. For more information on this author, her other works, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links above. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

TOUR SCHEDULE

Sunday, September 1, 2024

The Children’s Book Review

Book Review of Kelcie Murphy and the Race for the Reaper’s Key

Monday, September 2, 2024

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Book Review of Kelcie Murphy and the Race for the Reaper’s Key

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Me Two Books

Author Interview with Erika Lewis

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Country Mamas With Kids