Sadie's Spotlight

November 29, 2021February 18, 2023

Spotlight & Excerpt: Forestborn + Giveaway

On tour with Prism Book Tours

Forestborn

(Forestborn, #1)

By Elayne Audrey Becker

Young Adult Fantasy

Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages

August 31, 2021 by Tor Teen

A young, orphaned shapeshifter in a world that fears magic must risk everything if she hopes to save her only friend in Elayne Audrey Becker’s Forestborn, first in a new fantasy series with a timeless feel.

TO BE BORN OF THE FOREST IS A GIFT AND A CURSE.

Rora is a shifter, as magical as all those born in the wilderness―and as feared. She uses her abilities to spy for the king, traveling under different guises and listening for signs of trouble.

When a magical illness surfaces across the kingdom, Rora uncovers a devastating truth: Finley, the young prince and her best friend, has caught it, too. His only hope is stardust, the rarest of magical elements, found deep in the wilderness where Rora grew up―and to which she swore never to return.

But for her only friend, Rora will face her past and brave the dark, magical wood, journeying with her brother and the obstinate, older prince who insists on coming. Together, they must survive sentient forests and creatures unknown, battling an ever-changing landscape while escaping human pursuers who want them dead. With illness gripping the kingdom and war on the horizon, Finley’s is not the only life that hangs in the balance.

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Excerpt

Finley’s eyes are glazing over, far too fast, the pupils dilating as if he’s concussed. He shakes his head, holds out a hand, clutches mine when I step close to steady him. “I think—”

“Finley!” I cry, catching him when his knees suddenly give way. I’m dismayed at how easy it is to support his weight, considering he’s only one year younger than me. Or two, or three. It’s all a guess, really. “Fin, talk to me,” I say, my heart flinging itself wildly against my ribcage as I watch his eyes lose focus once more. His hand loosens its grip on mine, and both of us sink to the forest floor.

“Let him go,” I beg, bending over the body gone rigid, the heaving chest, the quivering, waxen skin. Alarm bells are screaming through my head, loud as the clocktower tolling the hour, and with them, the tingling in my core returns. Threads of numbness engulf my limbs. Fur along my back, then feathers all over—my body torn between the urge to hide or to flee, far away from this scene I never saw coming. “Please. Not him, too.”

I ignore the gathering sounds of creaking, groaning wood overhead with a vengeance. Tears are welling in my eyes, but I blink them away and shake my head, refusing to let them fall. Refusing because this day of truth has always been tainted by lies, so what’s one more to add to the tally? In the darkening wood, I set each one before me, all of the lies I reach for when the nightmares, the dirty looks, the hidden scars and endless self-loathing begin to drag me under—that my mother loved me before she left me, that my brother and I are not a curse, that I can be good and selfless and worthy of love in spite of the things I’ve done. I assemble them all, then set one more on the shelf: that my best friend, my only true friend aside from Helos, isn’t dying.

But the trees around me, leaves and branches straining against their holds, limbs pointing to Finley like a circle of swords—the trees all tell a different story.

Other Books in the Series

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About the Author

ELAYNE AUDREY BECKER (she/her) is a storyteller with a passion for history, myth, mountains, and magic. She holds a B.A. from Vassar College and a master of science from the University of Aberdeen, and she has worked as an editor at a New York publisher. Born and raised in Georgia, she grew up with a lake and woods as her backyard, spending long days outside and visiting national parks with her family. Forestborn is her first book.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule
(Posts go live on the day they’re scheduled.)

November 28th: Launch

November 29th: Elayne Audrey Becker – Forestborn

November 30th: Michelle Diener – The Turncoat King

December 1st: Jes Drew – Agents Adam and Eve

December 2nd: Sharon Hinck – Windward Shore

December 3rd: Kara Linaburg – The Broken Prince

December 4th: Cathy McCrumb – Recorder

December 5th: Sandra Fernandez Rhoads – Realms of Light

December 6th: Chawna Schroeder – The Vault Between Spaces

December 7th: Melissa Wright – Beneath Stone and Sacrifice

December 8th: Kristen Young – Elite

December 9th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $50 (USD) Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 13, 2021

ENTER HERE

December 15, 2020December 14, 2020

Grand Finale Wrap-Up: Fantasy & Sci-Fi For Christmas

On tour with Prism Book Tours

We hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into these fantasy and sci-fi books and grabbed some for yourself or as gifts for other fantasy lovers! If you missed any of the stops, you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below. And don’t forget to enter the giveaway…

November 29th: Launch

November 30th: R.J. Anderson – Swift

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

The shadows were growing longer, the sun slipping toward the horizon. If Ivy didn’t get home soon, Cicely would come looking for her. Reluctantly she got to her feet, and started back toward the Delve.

A dark shape flashed by, and instinctively she whirled toward it. A little bird with wings like a bent bow, body tapering smoothly to a two-pronged fork of a tail. It swooped over the valley, moving so fast that Ivy’s eyes barely had time to focus before it was out of sight.

December 1st: Ralene Burke – Armor of Aletheia

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Karina sat down on a rock at the edge of the Continental River. She was tired. And sore. And now this. “What do we do?”

Tristan squatted by the riverbank, staring at the other side. He tilted his face toward the mid-afternoon sun. “River’s shallow enough here to cross without a bridge.”

“But the water’s freezing!”

December 2nd: Michelle Diener – Breakaway

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Leo Gaudier walked a dangerous path.

Sofie didn’t pretend that wasn’t part of what attracted her to him in the first place. She was all for sticking it to the Core Corporations. All for it with bells on.

And it didn’t hurt that she’d really liked the look of him since they’d met.

There’d been a little catch in her heart, a little hitch in her breath. A trembling, like fear or excitement. She’d never been affected like that before.

December 3rd: Sandra Fernandez Rhoads – Mortal Sight

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Flipping through a few pages, I imagine John Milton standing with quiet authority, patiently waiting for me to pick up on the meaning, the same way my old English teacher would do when I’d stare out the window. I stop on a page where I’ve circled and highlighted the verses:

Shine inward and the mind through all her powers
Irradiate; there plant eyes; all mist from thence
Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell
Of things invisible to mortal sight.

December 4th: J.M. Hackman – Burn

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Disappointment wrapped its fingers around my throat. I struggled to take one breath, then another. Baldwin was the same every day. Seeing the flash of clarity disappear in his eyes was crushing. Would he ever get truly better? And did I stay with him out of love or guilt? Probably both. If Baldwin didn’t recognize me, what did that do to our relationship? I couldn’t imagine what his parents were going through.

A woman’s voice slipped through my dark mood. “It’s been a long time, but it’s good to be back for a visit.”

December 5th: Sharon Hinck – Forsaken Island

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Across a sweep of waves, the new world called to me. The tangleroot shore of Meriel’s rim rocked beneath my bare feet, daring me to leave the island’s safety and venture to the smudge on the horizon. Sea breezes tickled my skin, stirring my excitement and making my muscles twitch.

Beside me, Brantley rolled a cloak and stuffed it into his pack. “We should have left at first light.” Wind brushed fair curls across his eyes, and he tossed his head like an impatient pony shaking his mane. A mottled brown tunic stretched across his broad shoulders, and a longknife rested at his hip.

December 6th: Ronie Kendig – Dawn of Vengeance

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

“Zacdari! What in Void’s Embrace are you waiting for?”

Claxons rang in her helmet, a grating noise that made it hard to think. Her heads-up gave a visual on the target station, and another on the left displayed the corvette’s actual trajectory. The dots were not aligned.

Lance Corporal Eija Zacdari could handle it. She might be a mere candidate for the Tertian Intergalactic Hyperjump Program for Exploration. She might be a Tryssinian orphan with more scars than fingers. But she wasn’t a quitter. Getting onto the Prevenire, the first HyPE ship to access the hyperaccelerated slipstream to Kuru System, was her last hope.

December 7th: Carla Laureano – Oath of the Brotherhood

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

“Welcome, my lord Conor,” Marcan said with a bow, his voice as calm and capable as ever. “Your old chamber has been prepared for you. Come.”

Dolan gave him a nudge, and, reluctantly, Conor followed Marcan up the front steps into the great hall. Torches threw flickering light on the cavernous room, from its rush- covered floor to the curve of the ceiling, though they could not quite dispel the shadows at its apex. Conor’s gaze settled on four unfamiliar men standing before the dais that held the king’s throne. From their elaborately embroidered clothing, he guessed three of them to be lords of the realm. The fourth’s clean- shaven head and plain robes marked him as a cleric.

December 8th: Belle Malory – Deviant Descendants

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

“Let’s say by some miracle, the fire determines you’re worthy,” Redtree continued, his hawk-eyed gaze darting around the crowd. “Make sure you hold your hand steady. You must outlast the pain to complete the Summoning. Once it’s done, you and your weapon are bound for life.”

Well, this was just perfect. He was expecting each of us to go up there, in front of everyone. I wasn’t afraid of the pain, but I didn’t want to put my hand in while others were staring. I could already hear their boos and cackles coming for me. Thankfully, Redtree went in alphabetical order, which meant I would be one of the last to be called.

December 9th: Sara Schaller – The Genesis of Seven

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

“Run!” Sister Helen shouted.

Somehow, my body obliged. My legs carried me down the alleyway, past dumpsters and trashcans. At the street, I stopped briefly to figure out where to go next. I glanced at the paper and realized I had a bit of distance to cover. The address was near Central Park, but the orphanage was in the opposite direction. In fact, the orphanage wasn’t even in Manhattan. There wasn’t time to figure out a route though. At the sound of running footsteps, I looked over my shoulder and saw two men dressed in black fast approaching.

Without a second thought, I broke into a sprint and headed right.

December 10th: Jennifer Silverwood – Stay

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

The city was beautiful and wicked, but it was a false beauty compared to the things I had seen. When he cursed me I could feel everything, from contentment to sorrow, but never love. Seid had given me the ability to see it in others and destroy it when it was false or save it if true. Yet the only thing that managed to stir me these days was the memory of my death. Only my memories kept me going. Vengefully I often wished he still knew my every thought and suffered the recall of our every moment together.

Thinking of Seid made my cloak slip enough to expose an outline of my features. I never would have noticed my mistake if the boy coming my way hadn’t pointed and began to shout a stream of curses to his friends. Other people were turning and beginning to take notice, the old couple clutching onto each other to ward away the winter chill, the little girl picking their pocket for loose change, Black Market vendors dealing on the side.

December 11th: Anne Wheeler – Treason’s Crown

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

“So. This is Riette Kaleveld. She is rather lovely, don’t you agree?”

Willem made a non-committal noise, and I cringed at the idea of them talking about me like I wasn’t there.

“Though I should have known her hair would be brown. They always are from Elternow.”

December 12th: Melissa Wright – Between Ink and Shadows

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

It was not Calum at all. He was only holding her. The magic was something else, something he wanted her to feel.

They’d gone lower than she realized, farther toward the depths of the undercity. Toward the queen’s lair. The magic always flowed and ebbed, but Nim had not felt it, an unfathomable power that had drawn her, that had allowed her to believe she was only walking through the corridors and not into another trap. There she was snared, so it rose toward her, swelling through the room and washing over her. Her body came alive with tingling heat, her flesh on fire beneath her clothes. It wanted to burn her, wanted to devour whatever was not part of it. Whatever did not belong.

December 13th: Morgan Wylie – Silent Orchids

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Daegan heard the whispered voices in unison chanting what he assumed had to be the ancient prophecy he was told about. Over and over again the whispered chants rang in his mind until Daegan, hands clutching his head to keep it from exploding, couldn’t take it anymore and yelled out loud, “Silence!”

The Orchids. They were speaking to him. The words of the prophecy cycled through his head. This time he controlled it. He paid attention to the words, making every effort to make sense of them. Sadness and despair were heavy in the undertones of the voices, but as the chant went on they gained strength… and hope. As Daegan reflected upon what his part could be, for the first time in a long time, he dared to believe… and to hope.

December 14th: Kristen Young – Apprentice

Snippet from the Excerpt (find the full post here):

Some things should never be forgotten—at least, that’s what they tell me. I can’t forget anything. Not what I had for breakfast last week (regulation protein cereal). Not the Collective News broadcast from last month (Supreme Lover Midgate wanted to wish us all “a very happy Triumph of Love season.”). Not even my first Hater Recognition Sign (Haters can’t love. Period.).

Usually I can block most of it out, but sometimes it bubbles over, and I end up getting in trouble. Like when I recite my Dorm Leaders’ exact words back to them. Or worse: when I recite what they said four years ago.

Blogs & Bookstagrammers Participating

Adventurous Bookworm
Angela Walker’s Reviews
@angelakreais
Beauty in the Binding
@bookishlifetime
@bookishlifetime
Christy’s Cozy Corners
Hallie Reads
Harlie’s Books
Heidi Reads…
@heidireadsblog
Jennifer Silverwood
@jhannabass
Jorie Loves A Story
Kimber Li
Library Lady’s Kid Lit
Locks, Hooks and Books
My Life Loves and Passion
Paper Ink & Lizard
Readers Roost
@regallywritten
Rockin’ Book Reviews
Sadie’s Spotlight
Splashes of Joy
Teatime and Books
The Artist Librarian
Travelers Wife 4 Life
@travelerswife4life
We Write Fantasy
Wishful Endings

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 19, 2020

ENTER HERE

December 14, 2020December 14, 2020

Spotlight & Excerpt: Apprentice + Giveaway

On tour with Prism Book Tours

Apprentice
(Collective Underground #1)
By Kristen Young
Christian YA Sci-Fi Thriller, Dystopian
Hardcover & ebook, 247 Pages
October 13, 2020 by Enclave Escape

The Love Collective is everywhere.
It sees everything.
Be not afraid.

Apprentice Flick remembers everything, except the first five years of her life. And for as long as she can remember, Flick has wanted to enter the Elite Academy—home to the best, brightest, and most loyal members of the Love Collective government.

Flick’s uncanny memory might get her there, too … even if it is the very thing that marks her as a freak. But frightening hallucinations start intruding into her days and threaten to bring down all she has worked so hard to accomplish. Why is she being hijacked by a stranger’s nightmare over and over again?

Moving to the Elite Academy could give Flick the future she’s always wanted. But her search for truth may lead to a danger she cannot escape.

Excerpt

Welcome to the Nursery, children.
Here, you are safe.
Here, no Haters can harm you.
Here, you are never beyond our sight.
Love all.
Be all.
—Supreme Lover Midgate.

The name “Memory Freak” sticks to me like static electricity.

I’ve been living here in the Nursery Dorms for as long as I can remember. And that’s where my head gets weird. Because as far as I can tell, my memories only start when I’m already a kid. Before that first day in the dorms? Nothing. After that day? Picture-perfect recall, all ten years of it.

I get it. In Nursery Dorm 492, every day is almost a mirror image of the day before. At precisely 0630, our stim-beds wake us up. Like drones we all file into the communal bathrooms. Then it’s across the dorm campus to breakfast—hundreds of kids in regulation white jumpsuits, names embroidered on our lapels in case we forget. Not that I ever would:

Apprentice Kerr Flick
#540/187503

There’s drill practice at 0830. Hater Recognition lessons at 0945. Love Collective History from 1030 until 1300. More drills. More apps. By the time 2030 kicks around, we’re tired out and ready for the warm tickle of our stim-beds again. In between, it’s a case of learn-as-much-as-I-can and avoid Myk, Bez, and Fedge. I call them the Three Fists because that’s all they know how to use.

I don’t have to worry about them for too much longer, though. I’m not going to be in the Nursery Dorm forever. No way. One day, I will get so far away they can’t find me. One day, I’ll get out of here and fly all the way to Elite Academy.

About the Author

A Scottish-born Australian author, Kristen Young has worked with children and youth for decades. She writes fiction and non-fiction for teens, and always has a notebook on hand to capture stray story ideas. In her spare time she loves hanging out with her family, watching movies with subtitles, and enjoying a little too much chocolate.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule
(Posts go live on the day they’re scheduled.)

November 29th: Launch
November 30th: R.J. Anderson – Swift
December 1st: Ralene Burke – Armor of Aletheia
December 2nd: Michelle Diener – Breakaway
December 3rd: Sandra Fernandez Rhoads – Mortal Sight
December 4th: J.M. Hackman – Burn
December 5th: Sharon Hinck – Forsaken Island
December 6th: Ronie Kendig – Dawn of Vengeance
December 7th: Carla Laureano – Oath of the Brotherhood
December 8th: Belle Malory – Deviant Descendants
December 9th: Sara Schaller – The Genesis of Seven
December 10th: Jennifer Silverwood – Stay
December 11th: Anne Wheeler – Treason’s Crown
December 12th: Melissa Wright – Between Ink and Shadows
December 13th: Morgan Wylie – Silent Orchids
December 14th: Kristen Young – Apprentice
December 15th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $75 (USD) Amazon eGift Card

Open internationally
Ends December 19, 2020

ENTER HERE