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Cover Reveal – The Great Forest by Valinora Troy

It’s my great pleasure to be a part of the cover reveal for The Great Forest (Lucky Diamond #3) by Valinora Troy. I’ve read the first two books of the series (The Lucky Diamond & Revenge of Queen Rose) and can wholeheartedly recommend them for fans of classic, middle grade fantasty, so I’m excited to see what book 3 brings! Find out more for yourself below and big congrats to Valinora Troy!

The Great Forest

“Everything here hates you. The trees long to consume you, the ground to swallow you, the plants to poison you, and as for the creatures who live here… Your only chance of survival is to do exactly as I say. Clear?”

Twins Cathy and Alan are thrilled to be asked by the king of the Diamonds to enter the Great Forest on their eleventh birthday to complete the cleansing of the land. After all, Queen Rose is dead and all darkness gone from the trees. But when their home is attacked by a horde of vicious boars, and Alan and Cathy unwillingly taken to the Great Forest, the twins realise that evil remains there. Now they are faced with a terrible choice: escape from their captors and take their chances at survival, or find out who is waiting for them in the centre of the forest, and why?

Cathy and Alan are about to face the deadliest battle of their lives, against the forest, the monsters, … and each other.

The exciting conclusion to The Lucky Diamond trilogy

About the author

Valinora Troy has been writing since she was a child. Her first story popped into her head when she was 5 or 6, about a little girl who found a magic diamond. Recently she completed a M.A. in Creative Writing, specialising in Children & Young Adult fiction. Her short stories for adults have appeared in numerous venues. She has also served as a panellist for the CYBILS award, visits schools and libraries, and occasionally run writing classes for talented young authors. She hails from Blackrock, Co Louth, Ireland, and after living in Dublin for a number of years, recently returned to Louth to live in a magical writing cottage. Find out more at Valinora Troy – Children’s Fantasy Writer

Cover Art by Phan Duy

The Great Forest will be published on 21st June 2023. The ebook is currently available here for pre-order at a special price of .99 cent/.99 pence!

As always, thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Soulmate Equation

Loved this one! Totally sucked me in. The voice is fun and light, and I loved the main characters, Jess and River. Their romance unfolds naturally, and the premise of the science-based matchmaking company added with the fake-dating trope was so fun. I saw the twist coming from a mile away, but it does pose an interesting question that got me thinking and the ending was capital-A Adorable. I liked (but not loved) some of Christina Lauren’s other books (like the Unhoneymooners and Josh & Hazel) but this has by far been my favorite, and had me scrambling for more books by her. 100% recommend to anyone looking for a cute romcom, and I’m SO here for a movie adaption – just saying.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am HERE for a good romance, and that last scene? SO friggen cute.

Thanks for reading!

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Book Review – Revenge of Queen Rose


Another fun middle-grade adventure with the same elements that made the first one so enjoyable. There’s adventure, magic, a fantastical world, and quite a few twists and turns to keep the characters on their toes. I did miss the journey element from the first book, but I liked continuing to get to know the large cast and seeing all of their adventures weave together through their different POVs.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

I love me a good, classic middle-grade adventure.

Thanks for reading!

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Audiobook Review – Something Wilder

 So after loving The Soulmate Equation, I jumped for more Christina Lauren audiobooks at the library. This second-chance romance didn’t really do it for me though. The characters were cute, but the circumstances of their initial parting were very convenient. Everything just felt a little to cliché for me, and I feel like the big reveal at the end wasn’t as satisfying as I would’ve liked. Overall, a decent listen to pass the time, and if you enjoy western adventure vibes in your romances, you might want to give this one a try, but it felt like there wasn’t a whole lot that set this one apart.

⭐⭐⭐½

I love me a good trope… but this one was too cliche for me.

Thanks for reading!

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Audiobook Review – The Box in the Woods

It’s been a while since I’ve read the Truly Devious trilogy, but I remember liking it (except maybe one thing… but I can’t remember what it was—oh well) so when I saw the audiobook pop up in the library, I picked it up. And for the first 50% I was so thrilled with it! Stevie is fun, Nate is my favorite EVER, the writing is voicey and FANTASTIC, and I love the way the present and past intertwine to build the mystery of the cold case.

Then at around 75% I remembered EXACTLY what I didn’t like about the first trilogy, and his name is DAVID. Ugh. While I don’t exactly hate David, I hate how Stevie acts when she’s around him, and honestly I think they make each other worse. The conflict between them seemed a little manufactured, and then I feel like we really didn’t have a resolution to their relationship plotline. Blah.

BUT! Everything else was still excellent. So while I won’t be picking up book 5 (because, ew, David) I’ll definitely be looking into what Maureen Johnson writes next, and I’d still recommend this to fans of the first three books (especially if you don’t mind David.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐¼

Omg. Stevie. Girl. You can do better.

Thanks for reading!

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Audiobook Review – Defy the Night

I’m not going to lie. I was scared to read this book, because I don’t trust sequels. I loved Defy the Night SO much, I was so scared the sequel wouldn’t live up to it. But, it did NOT disappoint. Tessa and Corrick are back and facing new troubles in both the kingdom and their relationship that flow well from the first book and make a lot of sense. The new adventure takes us onto a ship (which I love) with a dashing captain (who I also love), and intrigue and twists to spare. The only two things that fell a little flat for me were the third POV (which I won’t spoil) and I did wish that Tessa had more of a stronger role in this book. I felt like she played more of a supporting/pawn role here than in the first book, but I think it’s set up perfectly for her to come into her own big time in book 3. I also loved the narration of the audiobook—couldn’t put it down—and look forward to the third!

⭐⭐⭐⭐¾

Yay for sequels that deliver!

Thanks for reading!

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Audiobook Review – Book Lovers

Dannnnnng. This was a good friggen book.

Okay. THIS BOOK. This was another one that I came into with big expectations. The hype has been CRAZY, and I loved Beach Read (though not People We Meet on Vacation, so this was an Emily Henry tiebreaker for me.)

And boy, did she deliver. The characters are likable and relatable, they had great chemistry, the concept is fun, and the twists fit perfectly like missing puzzle pieces. One thing I love about this book and Beach Read is that while it is, at its core, a romance, it goes so much deeper than just the relationship and I love the growth her characters undergo in her novels. Her writing is beautiful as she peels back the onion layers of her characters, and I am so here for every word. Also the audiobook narration is fantastic. There is some steam and language so if you’re not into that, beware, but otherwise, I’m recommending this one to all romance fans, and I’ll definitely be picking up Emily Henry’s next book, whatever it is.

My favorite read of the year so far. Five glittering stars.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Eeeee! This one made me so happy!

Thanks for reading!

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Book Review – World Departed

I loved Fleming’s Until the End of the World series so I was totally ready to jump back into another novel from this universe. And I have to say, one thing Fleming does AMAZINGLY well is the redemption arc. Seriously, she gets me every time, and I love it. Rose, Clara and Tom were all great, but Craig’s POV kind of fell flat for me here, and while I always felt like Until the End of the World moved really fast, this one seemed to drag on, and I don’t feel like the danger and tension were quite as tense as in the original series. While I probably won’t pick up the sequel, I think I’ll still try out Mordacious, the other series in this universe. Still, if you’re a fan of Until the End of the World, I’d definitely give it a look. More apocalypse zombie fun, just maybe a bit on the slower side.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love me some zombie books.

Thanks for reading!

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Audiobook Review – The Dead Romantics

Okay, so I feel like this book has been crazy hyped, and I loved Ashley Poston’s Geekerella so it’s important to know I came in with some INTENSE expectations. Which were… mostly met. This book is basically like Just Like Heaven (romcom with Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon—if you haven’t seen it, you should) meets The Adams Family. While the story was charming, the writing is fun, and the characters were likable, the chemistry between them just wasn’t quite there for me, and I knew immediately what the twist was. Still a really solid read I would recommend to all romcom fans out there, but I’m not sure it quite lives up to the super intense hype.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Aw it’s just so cozy!

Thanks for reading!

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Audiobook Review – Marigolds for Malice

Marigolds for Malice has many of the same charms as the first two books, but in this one it seems to come off a little more forced or formulaic. It’s still a cozy and charming mystery with feel-good vibes, cute characters, and a sprinkle of magic, but I didn’t find the case or the stakes quite as high here for Elliana. I think probably most of the problem lies in that the love interest is back, and he seems very… lukewarm. Like, it actually occurred to me that the characters could amicably part ways, and I’d be totally fine with it. Still, though, after reading a few gritty thrillers, this one was a pleasant listen, and I’d still recommend to fans of the first two.

⭐⭐⭐½

C’mon, Ritter, you need to step up your game.

Thanks for reading!