Thursday, March 28, 2024

Rockstar Book Tours presents... OTHERWORLDLY by F.T. Lukens - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the OTHERWORLDLY by F.T. Lukens Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway before you check it the rest of the tour!

 

OTHERWORLDLY
by  F.T. Lukens

Pub. Date: April 2, 2024

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/OTHERWORLDLY

A skeptic and a supernatural being make a crossroads deal to achieve their own ends only to get more than they bargained for in this lively young adult romantic adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of Spell Bound and So This Is Ever After.

Seventeen-year-old Ellery is a non-believer in a region where people swear the supernatural is real. Sure, they’ve been stuck in a five-year winter, but there’s got to be a scientific explanation. If goddesses were real, they wouldn’t abandon their charges like this, leaving farmers like Ellery’s family to scrape by.

Knox is a familiar from the Other World, a magical assistant sent to help humans who have made crossroads bargains. But it’s been years since he heard from his queen, and Knox is getting nervous about what he might find once he returns home. When the crossroads demons come to collect Knox, he panics and runs. A chance encounter down an alley finds Ellery coming to Knox’s rescue, successfully fending off his would-be abductors.

Ellery can’t quite believe what they’ve seen. And they definitely don’t believe the nonsense this unnervingly attractive guy spews about his paranormal origins. But Knox needs to make a deal with a human who can tether him to this realm, and Ellery needs to figure out how to stop this winter to help their family. Once their bargain is struck, there’s no backing out, and the growing connection between the two might just change everything.

 

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 “Hints of both Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the CW television show Supernatural flavor this tale in Lukens’ hallmark fashion. Notably, in a genre that has recently favored older readers, this story is accessible to teens of all ages. Its broad appeal, engaging pacing, and quest-like plot structure (which features cameos from deities inspired by Greek mythology) create a transition point for younger teens comfortable with Rick Riordan Presents … This beautifully struck balance couples with a unique perspective on genre canon to create a light but nuanced story that will be a joy for teens.”– Booklist, starred review

 

“Lukens impresses with this romantic adventure starring a skeptic and an excitable liminal being … Lukens’s signature blend of complex yet accessible mythology, queer-normative worldbuilding, and high emotional stakes makes for a compulsively readable tale.”– Publishers Weekly

“An irresistible elixir of romance and suspense.”– Kirkus Reviews

 

“A nice touch of Midwestern spookiness underlines a tale of classic crossroads bargains, first (and maybe lasting) love, thinly veiled climate anxiety, and chosen family. The mythic and the realistic are well balanced, and the relationships between characters will win over even the most grudging of romantics. Prickly Ellery and fun-loving Knox are an adorable grumpy-sunshine pair, and Ellery’s chaotic cousin and her girlfriend, plus some supernatural figures, round out the background to their world-bridging romance. Largely angst-free, wryly funny, and emotionally satisfying, this novel is tailor-made for a Netflix adaptation.”– BCCB

 


 

I love the connections in this one, and even the broken paths some of them seem to follow. Ellery has a family, but lives apart from those immediately theirs for difference of opinions, or rather lost faith. They still keep in touch (sometimes), send money back to support the farm during this ten year winter (which is not always used as intended), and hold to a shred of hope, no matter how small, that one day things will return to normal. Knox is an unexpected, yet happy distraction, for both the rekindling of beliefs left behind as well as the eye candy. Hey, the world doesn't go round on persistence alone! 😉 Anyway, they come to need one another more than either ever imagined possible, and as they work towards an end that'll meet both their needs, the question remains... what about them? A ten year winter is detrimental to the environment and the livelihood of their town, but what about the heart?

If you're a Young Adult Fantasy fan, this book needs to be on your must read list...as well as the author's other works! For the story, for the characters, for the inclusiveness that is a common theme, the books welcome readers of all backgrounds, and identities, to enjoy a grand adventure through the pages. 

 


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About the author...


F.T. Lukens (they/them) is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After and In Deeper Waters (2022 ALA Rainbow Booklist; Junior Library Guild Selection) as well as other science fiction and fantasy works. Their contemporary fantasy novel The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic was a 2017 Cybils Award finalist in YA Speculative Fiction and the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Winner for YA fiction and won the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

F.T. Lukens will be celebrating the launch of OTHERWORLDLY at Malaprop’s (Asheville, NC) on April 2 at 6:00pm ET. They will be joined in conversation by author Beth Revis. RSVP to attend (for free!) in-person or virtually here.


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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of OTHERWORLDLY, US Only.

Ends April 9th, midnight EST.




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Special thanks to Rockstar Book Tours 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 this horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more..

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

3/25/2024

YA Books Central

Excerpt/IG Post

3/25/2024

Never Hollowed by The Stare

Excerpt

3/26/2024

Comic Book Yeti

Excerpt/IG Post

3/26/2024

@darkfantasyreviews

Excerpt

3/27/2024

Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

3/27/2024

jlreadstoperpetuity

IG Post

3/28/2024

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

3/28/2024

Karma Zee Readz

Review/IG Post

3/29/2024

Nonbinary Knight Reads

Review/IG Post

3/29/2024

The Book Critic

Review/IG Post

Week Two:

4/1/2024

Ilovebooksandstuffblog

Review/IG Post

4/1/2024

onemused

IG Post

4/2/2024

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

4/2/2024

@lexijava

IG Review

4/3/2024

More Books Please blog

Review/IG Post

4/3/2024

A Bookish Dream

Review/IG Post

4/4/2024

A Backwards Story

Review/IG Post

4/4/2024

nerdophiles

Review/IG Post

4/5/2024

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

4/5/2024

G’s Reading Spree

IG Review



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


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