Hello, dear readers, and welcome to my tour stop for The Network Series by Katie Cross! The Network Series is a young adult fantasy and the tour runs July 27 – August 7 with reviews only. Check out the tour page for more information.
About Miss Mabel's School for Girls:
Never Underestimate the Power of a Determined Witch. Letum Wood is a forest of fog and deadfall, home to the quietly famous Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, a place where young witches learn the art of magic.Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has inherited a deadly curse. Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful?Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave.
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About Antebellum Awakening:
Never underestimate the power of a volatile witch.Still reeling in the wake of her mother’s death, sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe is forced to move to Chatham Castle. Not even the sudden appearance of ancient dragons in haunted Letum Wood nor her two best friends can distract her from the strength of her deep, dark rage.Her grief puts her magical powers into chaos, endangering any witch around her. She has six months left to destroy the curse that will kill her and fulfill her contract with the most cunning enemy of all: her former teacher Miss Mabel.Bianca must make a choice: learn to control her restless powers, or let the powers control her.Antebellum Awakening is the second book in the thrilling new fantasy collection The Network Series. It’s a haunting tale about tragedy, loss, and the power of moving on.
The Isadora Interviews blurb:
Isadora is a quiet, old witch living alone in the fog-strewn forest of Letum Wood. Her magical power is great, but her foresight is even greater.As a Watcher, Isadora has the ability to see into the heart of every witch she meets, a talent that makes her the perfect guardian of the prestigious Miss Mabel’s School for Girls.Any witch that wants to enter the school must first pass an interview with Isadora. No secret insecurity or sinister motivation can be hidden from a Watcher, as four teenage girls will soon find out.Join Leda, Camille, Michelle, and Priscilla, as they each encounter Isadora in their quest to join Miss Mabel’s School for Girls. It’s a collection of short stories that fans of Miss Mabel’s School for Girls can’t afford to miss.
Isadora is a quiet, old witch living alone in the fog-strewn forest of Letum Wood. Her magical power is great, but her foresight is even greater.As a Watcher, Isadora has the ability to see into the heart of every witch she meets, a talent that makes her the perfect guardian of the prestigious Miss Mabel’s School for Girls.Any witch that wants to enter the school must first pass an interview with Isadora. No secret insecurity or sinister motivation can be hidden from a Watcher, as four teenage girls will soon find out.Join Leda, Camille, Michelle, and Priscilla, as they each encounter Isadora in their quest to join Miss Mabel’s School for Girls. It’s a collection of short stories that fans of Miss Mabel’s School for Girls can’t afford to miss.
About the Author:
Katie Cross grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance.If she’s not writing, you can find her traveling, working as a pediatric nurse, trail running with her husband and two dogs, or curled up with a book and a cup of chai.
Author links:
For this blog tour, I read Miss Mabel's School for Girls and Antebellum Awakening, books one and two in the Network Series.
Miss Mabel's School for Girls: 3.75 out of 5 stars (I love that this is my blog and I can go with partial stars -- some books just don't fit into 3 or 4 or 5 stars, and I really feel this is one of them). There were some really, really good aspects to this book, and a couple things that left a bit to be desired, in my opinion. Overall, I really like the plot and overall world building. It's all a very interesting concept, but that leads us to the downsides: execution -- I felt it was a great concept, but the writing was a little heavy handed for my tastes. A lot of adjectives thrown in that muddied up the story a little bit, when it could have had a simple elegance. The main character, Bianca, was well-developed, but I feel she was a bit too haughty for my liking. She on an admirable journey, but certain ways she behaves are just a little far-fetched. Some of the supporting characters, if given just a little more depth, would have really added to the story as well. But overall, I'm glad I stuck this one out because it was a fun read, just had a few flaws.
Antebellum Awakening: 3.5 out of 5 stars. After the tragedy that befalls Bianca in the first book, this book does a good job of showing what it's like to deal with loss and still have to carry on. However, had I not been reading these books for review on my blog, I wouldn't have finished them -- that said, I am glad that I was reviewing them, because they were a fun read. While there were some downsides, the overall plot of this one, like the first, was really interesting. Still had some issues with feeling like the books were "overwritten," and that the prose was a bit heavy handed, but definitely interesting concepts nonetheless. If you're a fan of YA fantasy books with magical elements, I think you'll enjoy this series. I have grown a liking to many of the characters and I definitely will check out some of the other stories. But I do wish there had been a bit of refinement on these to let the really interesting plots shine through.
Giveaway:
$30 Visa Gift Card
INT
INT
Ends Aug. 12th
Prizing provided by the author, hosts are in no way responsible
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
2 comments:
I have to say 1) thank you for having my books on your blog! and 2) I think it is AWESOME that you'll do partial ratings. Seriously. I'm with you. Some books just aren't 3 or 4 stars and trying to fit them into one or the other just gives me the creepy-crawlies. But the fact that you'll go to 3.75 stars makes me want to take you out for a chai and pick your brain :)
Love the blog!!
I'll never turn down a chai! Thanks so much for giving out review copies!
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