Monday, January 30, 2023

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY starring... The Wicked Ones by Robin Benway

We're back again with another fabulous tour featuring a not-to-be-missed title you'll be chomping at the bit to read!  I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE WICKED ONES by Robin Benway BLOG TOUR hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my review, snag your chance to enter the giveaway, and then make your way to the other sites participating for more bookish fun. Ladies and gents, may I present...

 

THE WICKED ONES (Dark Ascension, 1)

by Robin Benway

Pub. Date: January 10, 2023

Publisher: Disney Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/THE-WICKED-ONES

"Blood is blood...and one way or another, we all bleed."

Drizella and Anastasia only know one thing for certain: they will never end up like their mother, Lady Tremaine. When their father left them as young girls, he took what was left of their family’s fortune and their mother’s dignity with him. A few years and one deceased stepfather later, the only version of Lady Tremaine that Drizella and Anastasia know is a bitter and cruel head of house. Anastasia and Drizella have promised themselves―and each other―that they'll be different. They'll find love, see the world, and never let their hearts go cold.

But both sisters are all too aware of what it can mean when cast into disfavor with their mother, and fueled by Lady Tremaine’s tendencies to pit the daughters against one another, Drizella and Anastasia are locked into a complicated waltz of tenuous sisterhood. On the cusp of the royal debut party―their one chance to impress the Prince and live up to their mother’s expectations―the sisters at last get a glimpse of what life could be like outside of Lady Tremaine’s intentions: Drizella discovering a love of science and Anastasia sparking a secret romance. But never underestimate the power a mother whose greatest talents lie in manipulation, and the sisters may learn that even the cruelest of hearts can spill blood.

This first book in the new Disney Villains Dark Ascension series by National Book Award-winning author Robin Benway explores the complex sibling rivalry between the two wicked stepsisters from Cinderella that turned them into the characters we know today.

 


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Alright, so first things first, this isn't exactly the Cinderella story you know, but rather a story that spins its own web, weaves its own magic,  while still retaining a few bits here and there to keep things vaguely familiar. Now, before you jump the gun, don't let that put you off in the least because it's truly memorable in its own accord! Just listen...

It's sort of the story of what turned the stepsisters from not-quite-meshing siblings to absolutely wicked.  It'll soften your heart to their plight... right up until the actual change (at least it did mine!)... and make it THAT much easier to understand them, if such a thing was formerly desired. The thing is...here, they weren't so bad to start out. If you hadn't guessed, it boils down to upbringing, and Lady Tremaine was not a force to mess with.  Again, we're brought into her inner circle (so to speak) to see bits of what made her the way she was, but the end to which she goes to in order to ensure her own happiness or comfort above all else is truly disturbing. At some point, you can't simpy blame your circumstances. Look at Ella! She certainly wasn't given the moon or stars once her father passed, and yet she found some amount of joy in her day. The girls try, and they almost reach that happy-ever-after ending, but for whom, how, and if it's successful, I'll have to leave you in the dark. Can't run around spoiling things, now can I?

Suffice it to say, this is a story fairytale fans won't want to miss! It's also the start of a new series with Disney Press, the DARK ASCENSION SERIES, that sounds VERY promising indeed! Step away from the fairytale and look beyond the fairy godmother assist to discover just how real a dream of the heart can be, when discovered or shattered! 


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About the author...

Robin Benway is a National Book Award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of eight novels for young adults, including Far From the Tree, Audrey, Wait!, the AKA series, and Emmy & Oliver. Her books have received numerous awards and recognition, including the PEN America Literary Award, the Blue Ribbon Award from the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, ALA’s Best Books for Young Adults, and ALA’s Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. In addition, her novels have received starred reviews from Bookpage, Kirkus, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly, and have been published in more than 25 countries. Her sixth novel, Far From the Tree, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the PEN America Award, and was named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, PBS, Entertainment Weekly, and the Boston Globe. In addition to her fictional work, her non-fiction work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Bustle, Elle, and more. Her latest book, A Year To the Day, was published on June 21, 2022, and her next book, The Wicked Ones, the origin story of Cinderella’s wicked stepsisters, will be released by Disney Books on January 10, 2023.

Robin grew up in Orange County, California, attended NYU, where she was a recipient of the Seth Barkas Prize for Creative Writing, and is a graduate of UCLA. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Hudson.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon  | BookBub

 


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Giveaway

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE WICKED ONES, US Only.

Ends February 4th, midnight EST.




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Special thanks to the Rockstar Book Tours team for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online store, or plan a trip to your local brick and mortar! Catch the rest of the tour for more!


Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/2/2022

Ohyouread

IG Post

1/3/2022

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt/IG Post

1/4/2022

YA Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

1/5/2022

OddandBookish

Review/IG Post

1/6/2022

Nerdophiles

Review/IG Post

1/7/2022

@more.books.yes.please

IG Review/TikTok Post

Week Two:

1/8/2022

Wanderingwitchreads

TikTok Review/IG Post

1/9/2022

Books With A Chance of Traveling

Review/IG Post

1/10/2022

travelersguidetobooks

IG Review

1/11/2022

Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Review/IG Post

1/12/2022

booksaremagictoo

Review/IG Post

1/13/2022

NeverKnotReading

IG Review

1/14/2022

Mindyourshelf

Review/IG Post

Week Three:

1/15/2022

The Momma Spot

Review/IG Post

1/16/2022

The Book View

Review/IG Post

1/17/2022

Library of Becca

Review/IG Post

1/18/2022

A Bookish Dream

Review/IG Post

1/19/2022

A Backwards Story

Review/IG Post

1/20/2022

onemused

IG Review

1/21/2022

@carlysunshinebooks

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic

Week Four:

1/22/2022

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic

1/23/2022

popthebutterfly

Review/IG Post

1/24/2022

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

1/25/2022

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

1/26/2022

Lisa Loves Literature

Review/IG Post

1/27/2022

Emily Ashlyn

IG Review/FB Post

1/28/2022

@enjoyingbooksagain

IG Review

Week Five:

1/29/2022

Momfluenster

IG Review/FB Post

1/30/2022

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

1/31/2022

@drew_ambitious_reading

IG Review/TikTok Post




Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!


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