8 of the Most Beautiful Tapestries in the World! (Part of the TAROT blog tour by Marissa Kennerson!


Today we are super excited to be a part of the TAROT blog tour! Thank you so much again to Penguin Teen for reaching out to us about this amazing opportunity. In a world where Anna was born by a forbidden union, she is locked in a tower and is promised to be released on her sixteenth birthday. Anna creates beautiful and unique tapestries of creators and dreamers, which is the exact opposite of what the King believes in. For our blog tour stop we decided to do a list of 8 of the most famous and beautiful tapestries in the world! 




1. Apocalypse Tapestry (1377-1382)



2. Boar and Bear Hunt, The Devonshire Hunting Tapestries, late 1420s



3. The Hunt of the Unicorn, The Start of the Hunt, circa 1500


4. The Lady and the Unicorn, Late 15th Century 


5. Bayeux Tapestry (1470s)

(This is just one scene from the tapestry, we couldn't find a picture of the whole thing sadly.) 

6. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, early 18th Century



7. Holy Grail Tapestries, 1898–99



8. We Are Living on a Star, 1958



Aren't all of those tapestries beautiful? We aren't historians by an means so the dates and the names may not be 100% correct, but we did try are best to cross check them with multiple sources!


About TAROT: 
Publisher:  Razorbill
Publication Date: February 19th 2019
Summary: Anna was never supposed to exist. Born of a forbidden union between the Queen and the tyrannical King’s archnemesis, Anna is forced to live out her days isolated in the Tower, with only her mentors and friends the Hermit, the Fool, and the Magician to keep her company. To pass the time, Anna imagines unique worlds populated by creatives and dreamers—the exact opposite of the King’s land of fixed fates and rigid rules—and weaves them into four glorious tapestries. But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday and her promised release from the Tower, Anna discovers her true lineage: She’s the daughter of Marco, a powerful magician, and the King is worried that his magical gifts are starting to surface in Anna. Fearing for her life, Anna flees the Tower and finds herself in Cups, a lush, tropical land full of all the adventure, free-spiritedness, and creativity she imagined while weaving. Anna thinks she’s found paradise in this world of beachside parties, endless food and drink, and exhilarating romance. But when the fabric of Cups begins to unravel, Anna discovers that her tapestries are more than just decoration. They’re the foundation for a new world that she is destined to create—as long as the terrors from the old world don’t catch up with her first.
Order TAROT: Amazon | Book Depository |  B&N |  Indigo

About Melissa: 

Marissa Kennerson received her B.A. in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Before earning her master's degree in psychology and art therapy, she worked for Wired and Glamour. She's the author of the YA cult-suspense novel, The Family, which she did not write from personal experience, since the only cult she's ever been in is the cult of YouTube makeup tutorials. She lives in California with her husband and son. Visit her at marissakennerson.net or follow her @MarissaAlexK.


TOUR SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE
February 11 – The Book Bratz – Listicle
February 12 – @kculver88 – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
February 13 – Novel Grounds – Moodboard + Review
February 14 – Mel to the Any – Author Guest Post: Character Profile
February 15 – Pandora’s Books – Playlist

WEEK TWO
February 18 – Dark Faerie Tales – Creative Instagram Picture
February 19 – Book Briefs – Inspired by the Book
February 20 – Drop and Give Me Nerdy – Creative Instagram Picture
February 21 – Just Add a Word – Author Guest Post: Character Profile
February 22 – Of Faerietales and Books – Creative Instagram: Shelfies

WEEK THREE
February 25 – Printed Alphabet – Creative Instagram Picture
February 26 – The Reading Fanatic – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
February 27 – The Geeky Yogi – Creative Instagram Picture
February 28 – The Lovely Books – Author Guest Post: Character Profile
March 1 – Amber after glowreads – Creative Instagram Picture


Thanks for stopping by to check out our stop in the TAROT blog tour! We hope you enjoyed this post as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Make sure to add TAROT to your TBR and purchase a copy when it is out in the world!



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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I ENJOYED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl in which we create bookish lists about everything from our favorite characters to love triangles and everything in between!

This weeks theme: Books I ENJOYED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads!

I changed this weeks theme from "Books I LOVED..." to "Books I ENJOYED..." simply because I realized that it made compiling this list a little easier. I set this post up on 12/12/18 so the rating numbers may have changed a bit since then! 
   


   


Have you read any of these books? Leave the link to your TTT below so we can stop back!


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Review: Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Title: Only a Breath Apart
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Tor Teen
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 368 Pages
Published January 2019


Summary: Jesse Lachlin is cursed. So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland. Scarlett Copeland is psychic. Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin. Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

My review for this book was originally written for and posted on TeenReads.com.

 Emily and I have both been huge fans of Katie McGarry's books for the longest time, so when I found out about ONLY A BREATH APART, you know that I immediately added it to my TBR. Then, when our blog got asked to be part of the cover reveal for the book, I fell in love with it further and knew that I was going to love this book. Katie McGarry just has a way of setting up such heart-wrenching stories that tug at your emotions while also making you swoon and fall in love with the characters. And let me tell you, I definitely fell in love with Jesse. I fell in love with him hard. So without further ado, let's get into my thoughts on the book!

 As the summary explains, Jesse feels that he's cursed. Something tragic has happened to everyone in his family, including himself, which is why he feels that he has to push away his former best friend Scarlett. He doesn't want to hurt her, but he also doesn't want to explain the pain he's going through, which leaves her shocked and wounded. But he isn't the only one that's hurting --- Scarlett is going through an intense situation at home, and she needs Jesse more than ever, even though it seems like he doesn't want anything to do with her. Throughout the story, both Jesse and Scarlett have to learn to open up to each other and really dig deep into their problems, because relying on one another is the only way that they're going to be able to make it through. The question is, will they make it?

 What I really enjoyed about reading this book was how quickly I felt myself falling into it. Almost immediately, I was sucked into the story and I didn't want to put the book down. I read over 330 pages of it in a single afternoon because I didn't want the action to stop! To me, this book is the perfect blend of sweet, slow moments of romance and friendship that made me swoon, mixed in with some really intense, wild scenes that had me hanging off the edge of my seat. Katie McGarry really knows how to construct a whirlwind of emotions that leaves you feeling restless and absolutely addicted.

 My favorite characters in this book were definitely both Jesse and Glory. As for Jesse, he was just so sweet and hardworking, kind and caring, even though he had his faults. As the book goes on and you learn more and more about his troubled past, it just makes you feel for him, and I basically wanted to climb into the book and give him a big hug. Not to mention the fact that he was also super flirty and cute, which made him even more appealing of a character. And then, on the other hand, you have Glory --- hilarious, mysterious, eccentric Glory, a self-proclaimed psychic and family friend that adds a whole new element of humor and cryptic mystery into the story. I really loved all of the scenes that she appeared in, because her little quips (mixed with her tender-hearted, motherly moments) just made me want to root for her. Let me tell you, McGarry definitely did an excellent job of creating all of the characters that show up in this story. Each one is deep, complex, and serves a deeper purpose than simply showing up on the page. I really enjoyed getting to meet and explore each of them!

 Overall, I really enjoyed reading ONLY A BREATH APART. It was a gripping, emotional story that hooked me from start to finish, at times holding my attention span hostage for so long that I just refused to put down the book and do anything else. If you're looking for an intense, emotional read filled with plenty of shocking twists and also an adorable romance, I encourage you to look no further than this book, because you will be delightfully surprised by how adorable --- yet emotional --- it can be. Hats off to Katie McGarry, and I'll definitely be reading even more of her work in the future --- and hopefully seeing her at BookCon this year!



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Interview With 2019 Debut Lillie Vale!


In 2019 our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and spread the word about their debut novels. Follow us this year as we pick the mind of the 2019 debuts and chat with them. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, Twitter chats and more!
Over the summer of 2018 we had Tweeted about wanting to discover more debut authors and their books and Lillie Vale responded with her novel SMALL TOWN HEARTS, and we have been interested in it ever since. We are so excited to have L.D. on the blog today to answer some of our questions! 

About Lillie! 
Lillie Vale
Lillie Vale, upon discovering she could not be one of Santa’s elves or attend Hogwarts, decided to become a writer to create a little magic of her own. Enjoying the romantic and eerie in equal measure, she’s probably always writing a book where the main characters kiss or kill. Born in Mumbai, she has lived in many U.S. states, and now resides in an Indiana college town where the corn whispers and no one has a clue that she is actually the long-lost caps lock queen.
Keep up with Lillie: Twitter / Goodreads / Instagram 

Interview!

The Book Bratz: First of all, congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?
Lillie: Exciting! But even that word falls short, haha! It’s one of the best, most indescribable feelings in the world to know that something so dear and so personal to you is going to meet the rest of the world. I imagine it’s a lot like being a mama bird and pushing a (book) baby out of the nest, trusting that it will be all right. Mostly, it’s a lot of gratitude, anticipation, and a tiny bit of impatience for March 19 to roll around!

The Book Bratz: In your opinion, what is the hardest part of the writing process? What's the easiest?
Lillie: I definitely think that varies from book to book. I have to relearn a new way to do things for each manuscript. One of my current WIPs was marinating in my head for years. As a result, I feel like I know it inside and out. I can see the television series playing out in my mind (I’ve already dream-cast everyone, obviously!). But drafting is a little bit tougher because whatever I write has to measure up to what I’m visualizing for me to be happy with it! In contrast, the first draft of Small Town Hearts was a breeze to write. I was a pretty dedicated pantser, and that draft was all about inspiration and exploration. I loved every minute of it. When my book sold, it underwent significant revisions, which meant gutting out entire chunks, changing character motivations, back stories, subplots, and the story itself. “Getting to know” my book again was the hardest part of the process, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without holding on tight to the heart of the story—Babe, her relationship to the town she loved, the friends she was on the outs with, and most of all, herself.

The Book Bratz: Where did you get the idea for SMALL TOWN HEARTS?
Lillie: I’ve always loved names and their etymologies… my browser history’s long line of baby name websites can attest to this! There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that fills me when I find that perfect name that captures my main character to a T. I usually get the idea first, then tackle names second. This time, it worked the other way around. Babe’s name inspired the story for Small Town Hearts 100%. Babe’s first name, Barbara, is arguably not the trendiest millennial name in YA. It’s always a name I’ve loved, though, because of its possibilities. As someone who’s never had a satisfying nickname of her own, I like to tickle myself by thinking up possible modern variations of traditional names. “Barbie would be a great name!” I remember myself saying. I just couldn’t see myself typing it over and over for the whole book. And then…“OMG, what if her name was Babe and wouldn’t that be SO COOL because Levi could totally think she was being hit on when she actually wasn’t?!?” Now, Levi was a minor character from a first draft of another story I wrote. I fell in love with him there and realized I could transplant him to his own story (see, Levi was a good example of a side character who was more compelling than the main characters, and I realized that his story was the one I really wanted to tell). Going into the book, I only knew I wanted a slightly sad, very cute artist to wash up on the coast of Maine and fall in love with a local girl. Once I had finished cackling to myself over the cleverness of Babe’s name, the rest of her character—and the story—evolved from there.

The Book Bratz: Who was your favorite character to write in SMALL TOWN HEARTS? Who was the most difficult?
Lillie: I loved writing all the characters! Obviously, Babe and Levi hold the biggest place in my heart, but Penny is a very, very close second. Erm, third? I LOVED writing her scenes and her dialogue. She wasn’t really the book’s antagonist, but she was a source of conflict for Babe. The internal conflict was Babe’s love and co-dependency battling with guilt, while the external conflict was Penny’s anger at what she perceived as Babe’s betrayal in kissing their mutual BFF Chad only minutes after he and Penny had broken up. It was a balancing act to make sure Penny had the page time to be rightfully angry, while at the same time not villainizing her to the point that we couldn’t sympathize with her hurt feelings.

The Book Bratz: What made you decide to set the book in the summertime?
Lillie: I love exploring setting, nature, and the change in seasons. Summer into fall, especially, is my favorite. But it’s not Babe’s favorite…because it means her friends will be starting college without her, and she’s freaking out about what that will mean for their friendship. If only summer could be endless, right? So when better to set the book than the last “perfect” summer before everything begins to change for her?

The Book Bratz: What do you hope readers will take away from reading SMALL TOWN HEARTS?
Lillie: I think a lot of Babe’s struggles could apply to teens and young people today. Leaving high school, the friends we’ve known for years, and even our hometown (and fam!) can be terrifying. It’s a huge life transition that we aren’t taught how to deal with. We spend four years in high school preparing ourselves academically for ~the real world~ but once we get there it’s like see ya! Many teens, whether they go to college or not, may find themselves losing their support system. How do we hold on to friendships when we’re miles apart? How do we know when to let go? Babe, for whom remaining in the work force is not only a pragmatic choice, but the one that will allow her to work at the coffee shop she loves, The Busy Bean, is terrified of the new changes that will affect her friend group. She’s going to be the one left behind, and she has no idea how to deal. I hope readers can take away that change can also be an opportunity for growth, that friendship can be tested without breaking, and that sometimes, we may have to untangle ourselves from our comfort zone in order to become the person we’re meant to be.

The Book Bratz: Do you plan on returning to the world of SMALL TOWN HEARTS in the future, or do you have other projects in mind? Can you tell us anything about them?
Lillie: Never say never! I’d always envisioned Small Town Hearts as a series of standalone books, each featuring a new couple with old favorites making cameos in the background (Babe’s coffee shop, The Busy Bean, would make a great Central Perk-like location for everyone to hang out!). I had a bunch of great ideas for this, and it may be something I’d like to revisit in the future! For now I’m really excited about my WIPs, many of which are vastly different to my debut, and an #ownvoice Desi rom-com ;)

About SMALL TOWN HEARTS!

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Title: Small Town Hearts
Author: Lillie Vale
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: March 19th, 2019 

Summary: Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad. And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had - to never fall for a summer boy?

Thank you so much to Lillie for stopping by and answering our questions! We are super excited about SMALL TOWN HEARTS and can't wait for it to be out in the world on March 19th! 

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Review: China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians, #2) by Kevin Kwan

Title: China Rich Girlfriend (Crazy Rich Asians, #2)
Author: Kevin Kwan
Publisher: Anchor
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Paperback, 479 Pages
Published June 2015


Summary: It’s the eve of Rachel Chu’s wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be there to walk her down the aisle. Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.

This book is the second book in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, and I couldn't be more excited to read it. (You can read my review of the first book by clicking here!)

 I didn't think it would be possible to love any other book in this trilogy as much as I loved Crazy Rich Asians, but I was delightfully surprised! This book made me laugh, cry, gasp, and blew me away throughout the entire story, and I had to text my roommate (who let me borrow the book) to vent and fangirl with her because there was just so much going on here. So without further ado, let's get into the review!

 As the summary explains, Nick and Rachel are about to get married when there's a freak accident across the world that somehow leads Rachel to finding her mysterious father that she's been searching for for so long. But their reunion doesn't go as planned, because there are some secrets, other children, hateful mothers, and gossip that is trying to tear them apart. And the more that Rachel finds out, the more she isn't sure she wants to stay in China seeing everybody after all.

 I absolutely loved this book and tore through it so quickly because I wasn't able to put it down. I breezed through this nearly 500-page book in just a few days because there was just so much drama going on that I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. A lot of the well-loved (and well-hated) characters from the first book make appearances, but you also meet a bunch of new fresh faces that play an important role in the story. You also get a lot more of Kitty Pong, which was a delight, and she was super hilarious and headstrong so I loved reading more about her!

 My favorite character in this book is still Nick (I mean come on, *swoon*!), but I also really loved Rachel and she had some really epic moments throughout this book -- I won't spoil them for you, so that's all I'll say, but you definitely need to pick up the book and read it to find out for yourself. The only thing I was kind of sad about in this book was the fact that there isn't as much focus on Nick and Rachel's romance, or even their wedding, which was something we've all really been anticipating since the end of the first book, so it felt a bit brushed over and buried, which bummed me out a little bit. However, in its place were tons more stories of backstabbing, drama, and secrets to keep me entertained, so I loved it just the same.

 Overall, I really loved China Rich Girlfriend, and I'm already itching to pick up the next book and dive into the world of splendor all over again. I'm super grateful that my roommate has been awesome enough to let me borrow the second and third books in the trilogy so I can crack open the final one and start it as soon as I finish this review, because this story of drama and romance and all of the plot twists of a high-society tale is something so addicting to me as a reader -- so if you'll excuse me, it's time to get back to reading! 

 Be on the lookout for my review of the third book in the trilogy, coming soon!



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