Blog Tour: ‘Bright Burning Stars’ by A.K. Small (Excerpt)

The standalone young adult novel Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small hits shelves next Tuesday, May 21, but we’re celebrating a little early with a sneak peak at the contemporary ballet drama!

Set at a prestigious ballet school in Paris, Bright Burning Stars is a lushly written boarding school drama about two best friends who will do whatever it takes to win “the Prize” … even if it means losing each other on their way to the top.

Ready to learn more about Small’s debut novel? Keep reading for an excerpt from the very first chapter, and pre-order a copy today!

Spoilers: we gave this one a five on Goodreads, so you’re in for a treat.

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s March 2019 Book Haul

Hot Off the Proverbial Presses: October 17, 2017

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s March 2017 Book Haul

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s December 2016 Wrap Up

Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (★★★★☆½)

The backstabbing ballerina duology that began with Tiny Pretty Things has come to a close. Who will score prestigious spots with the American Ballet Company, and what will they do to get them? Get ready for more drama, even more questionable choices and plenty of bad YA parenting.

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke (★★★☆☆½)

I didn’t know what to expect from Wink Poppy Midnight, but the beyond gorgeous cover gave me high hopes. Unfortunately, while Tucholke writes magical realism beautifully, the plot was severely lacking, and there were several points in the story I couldn’t help but wonder: where is this even going?

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes (★★★☆☆½)

As far as Alice in Wonderland adaptations go, Queen of Hearts is a less than perfect attempt at a Wonderland prequel. Totally lacking the whimsy of its original source material, Queen of Hearts suffers from unlikable one-dimensional characters, a human Cheshire Cat (WHY!?!) and a rambling plot.

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s December 2016 Bookstagram Wrap Up

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Best book cover of 2016 or best book cover of 2016?

A post shared by Cassie-la (@yrchmonger) on Dec 5, 2016 at 7:33pm PST

It’s that time again! Bookstagram time!

Also known as Instabook, Bookstagram is a book community on Instagram where you can see photos of all things bookish.

Head below the jump to see my final Bookstagram photos of 2016.

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s October 2016 Wrap Up

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (★★★★☆½)

I can understand why people feel lukewarm toward The Grownup. Aside from the ridiculous price point, we were promised a ghost story and we weren’t given a ghost story — not exactly. Instead, what we got was a well-written psychological story with one hell of a twist. And I for one can’t really complain about that.

Penpal by Dathan Auerbach (★★★☆☆)

This creepypasta turned novel could have been great. Unfortunately, a non-linear narrative, way too many descriptive elements and all the filler made what could have been a superbly creepy horror story way less creepy. While I ultimately liked it and some of its chilling turns, Penpal has plenty of falts. Still curious? Read the shorter online version — which makes way more sense structurally — instead.

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (★★★★☆½)

In this modern day exorcism story, a teenage girl and her family become the subjects of a reality television show called The Possession. Named for a Bad Religion song, and partially inspired by The Yellow Wallpaper — with a dash of We Have Always Lived in the Castle thrown in — A Head Full of Ghosts will leave you with more questions than answers.

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s October 2016 Bookstagram Wrap Up

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Witch, please! ———— #bookstagram #instabook #currentlyreading #witches #bookcover #spineswithwines #thegraces #📖 #laureeve #lilbookishoctober #bookchallenge #octoberchallenge

A post shared by Cassie-la (@yrchmonger) on Oct 24, 2016 at 6:19pm PDT

Enjoy looking at books as much as reading them?

Welcome to the world of Bookstagram/Instabook, a special corner of Instagram where bibliophiles come together to share bookish photos.

This month was the most wonderful time of the year: October! Meaning: time to read and photograph all the spooky books.

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s July 2016 Book Haul

My Year in Reading: Cassie-la’s June 2016 Bookstagram Wrap Up

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A post shared by Cassie-la (@yrchmonger)

Love ogling books as much as you love reading books?

I’d like to introduce you to Bookstagram (AKA Instabook),which is essentially the tag where book lovers share all their book themed photos, from book covers to book spines.

Unfortunately, June didn’t have the most amazing tags, but hopefully that will change in July — fingers crossed!