Lament {blog tour + book review!}

 Hello, my friends! Happy new year! It's been a bit since I've chatted with you, but today I have a super exciting blog tour to share! 

(Also, just to let you know, yes, I still have 2 parts of Silver Nights left to post. I haven't forgotten about it, things have just been kind of crazy around here xD)

Today, I'm reviewing one of my most anticipated books of the year, the sequel to Keen (which you can read my review of right here), the continuation of the story of a teenage banshee, this time as she travels the world of the faeries.

Let's jump on in! 

Lament

Author: Laura L. Zimmerman

Genre: Fantasy

Content: None

Main character: Caoine 

Synopsis: 

Half-fae banshee, Caoine, is devastated by the loss of her father, and graduation is just around the corner. Ignorant of an old enemy seeking revenge, she is whisked away to the Unseelie Realm where she learns someone dear to her is being held captive. She vows not to go home until he's free.
Then she finds out she's trapped, unable to return to the human realm.
In order to go home, she must set aside old prejudices and work with a nemesis to survive faerie tricks and fae creatures hungry for human blood. Only then will she discover the secret to her escape and her loved one's freedom.
Aided by an unlikely band of fae, she uncovers more about her banshee powers than she dreamed possible, even as the fae remind her just how human she really is.
She'll take the drama of high school over the pettiness of the fae any day.

Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon

What I Thought: 

Like I said, this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year.  That cover didn't hurt my excitement either, lol!  And since time is strange in these strange times, I ended up reading the whole thing in less than 24 hours and thoroughly enjoying my time with it. 

The concept of a teenage banshee was what originally drew me to the series, and continued to keep me hooked in this one.  Caoine's powers are fascinating, even more so as she learns to control them rather than fight them.  Also her character growth! was everything! I'm so proud!

I'm not going to say names because spoilers, but I am always a sucker for the bad boy who gets a second chance, and that trope was in full swing here.  There are a few things at the end that I'm gonna have to get over emotionally, but that just proves that Laura writes excellent characters. 

There is one thing that I have to say I wasn't a fan of - the friends were left behind.  Part of the reason I loved Keen so much was the friend group that was built around Caoine, and in this one we just... left them in the human world?  When I said I wanted adventures in the faerie realm I kinda thought we'd all go, you know?  But this book did introduce a new and fascinating supporting cast, plus setting up for what I assume will be the plot of the third one (which I'm very intrigued to learn more about!)

I can't forget to mention the worldbuilding because it's so cool!  The Unseelie Realm sounds like a place I'd love to explore in theory, but in all reality I'd probably die within moments of stepping into it.  I am a soft and squishy human, lol!  The different kinds of faeries were so cool, and I did love getting to know, at least a little, the new supporting cast. 

Overall, it was a lot of fun to be back with this story, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next one!  If you're a fan of banshees, or just fun adventures in faerie worlds, I recommend this series for sure! 

Overall Rating: 3.5 mysterious books out of 5

About the Author: 

Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mom to three daughters, and a doting wife to one husband. She lives in a suburb of the ultra-cool Charlotte, North Carolina. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing loudly, buying LuLaRoe and pretending to do yoga.
An avid coffee drinker, she gave up eating meat ten years ago and is a sucker for anything zombie related. She’s been married to her Mr. Darcy for 18 years and feels it’s her life goal to pass along her obsession with the Star Wars saga on to her offspring.
She loves to read sci-fi and fantasy for YA and MG, which in turn, bleeds through to her writing. (Watch your back: She occasionally writes horror, too!)

Connect with Laura: Her website ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Thanks again to Laura and to L2L2 Publishing for giving me the opportunity to participate in this awesome blog tour!  There are tons more awesome posts in store for this tour, so check out all the info at this link right here! 

If you could see any mythological creature put into a modern setting, which would you pick? 

~ Abby

Keen {blog tour + book review}

It's time again, my friends!  I return with another blog tour and as I'm typing this having come fresh from finishing this particular book, I can tell you, I'm excited.

Now, some of you may know, I'm very Irish in heritage.  (I'm very American in terms of where I was born and raised, but there's a lot of Irish blood in this girl.)  I take Irish dance, potatoes are my favorite food, I have red bits in my hair, and I'm sooooo fascinated by Irish folklore.  And one of my favorite Irish legends is that of the banshee.  Don't ask me why, I couldn't tell you.  But anything and everything banshee has always intrigued me, so when I heard there was going to be a contemporary book about a teenage banshee?



Color me instantly intrigued.  And then Laura, the fabulous author of the aforementioned book about a teenage banshee, ask for participants in this blog tour.  To which I heartily said "ME PLEASE!"

Anyway, let's stop with the blabbering and get into the review.

Keen



Author: Laura L. Zimmerman
Genre: Contemporary fantasy
Content: Uh... there's a lot of death? But I feel like that should be assumed, lol.
Main Character: Caoine (pronounced Cane)

Synopsis:
You must walk the darkness to find the light.
Half-faerie Caoine has no control over the banshee lament she sings each night, predicting the death of others. A senior in a brand new high school, she expects the same response she's received at every other school: judgment from fellow students over her unusual eyes and unnaturally white skin and hair. However, when Caoine arrives at West Lincoln High, for the first time in her life she finds friends. Real friends.
But being a teenager is never easy, especially when the star soccer player, Oliver, sets his sights on her. Allowing him to get close means revealing her curse to the human world. She can't let that happen.
Life spins further out of control when her lament comes out during the day, those whose death she predicts die right in front of her, and a dark faerie known only as the Unseelie prince blames Caoine by leaving her the creepiest notes ever. Her curse is not supposed to work like that.
In a race against time, Caoine must uncover the Unseelie prince's identity and stop a spell before it unleashes hell on earth, all while trying to control her banshee song and finding a place among her peers.
Senior year just got real.

Add on Goodreads ~ Purchase on Amazon

What I Thought:

AH. MY EMOTIONS.
This was so good! And so cool!
It's a fantasy, it's a friendship/coming-of-age type of story, and in a lot of ways, it's a murder mystery too.  Which all comes together to make a story that I loved a lot.
Caoine is a fascinating protagonist.  The way Laura wrote her "curse" was so cool and yet creepy and it was perfection. She truly struggles inwardly through the whole book, but not enough to where it becomes annoying.  I was rooting for her the entire time.
And the supporting cast?  Incredible.  Aubree and Seamus and Catherine and Oliver (who is the BEST) were all amazing friends to Caione and so there for her and encouraging and GAH. Positive friendships are what I LIVE FOR in books!  Also Oliver is so swoon-worthy and perfect and I adore him with my whole heart. (He and Caoine together are just the cutest *melts*)
I'm not going to spoil anything, but I saw the villain reveal coming, which is something I personally love being able to do.  But there's a twist at the end I did not see coming which made me tear up a little, I'm not gonna lie.  This book had two misty-eyed, "oh dang" moments for me, which are always great.  And painful.  But great.  And that lesson of how even when things don't end the way you think they should, there can still be hope?  Amazing and absolutely perfect.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  It's definitely one that's going to stick with me for a long time.  It was original, it was awesome, and now that I know there's a sequel coming, I can't wait to see what waits for these characters next (will we go to the faerie realm? because that would be amazing)

Overall Rating: 4.5 mysterious notes out of 5

About the Author:
Laura L. Zimmerman is a homeschooling mom to three daughters, and a doting wife to one husband. She lives in a suburb of the ultra-cool Charlotte, North Carolina. Besides writing, she is passionate about loving Jesus, singing loudly, buying LuLaRoe and pretending to do yoga.
An avid coffee drinker, she gave up eating meat ten years ago and is a sucker for anything zombie related. She’s been married to her Mr. Darcy for 18 years and feels it’s her life goal to pass along her obsession with the Star Wars saga on to her offspring.
She loves to read sci-fi and fantasy for YA and MG, which in turn, bleeds through to her writing. (Watch your back: She occasionally writes horror, too!)

Connect with Laura: Her website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter

A shout-out and congratulations to Laura on her new release and for letting me read it!!  I can't wait to see what's in store next.

Do you have an inexplicable mythological fave?  What mythical creature would you like to see retold in a modern setting?  Let me know in a comment below!

~ Abby