Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: The Forbidden Wish (Sneak Peek) by Jessica Khoury

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The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury Sneak PeekForbidden Wish (Sneak Peak)
Jessica Khoury
Penguin Young Readers Group/Razorbill

When a young thief summons Zahra from her lamp, she must grant him three wishes. But the world in which he lives forbids her presence, and her unwilling allegiance to her jinni kin means she may have to betray him at any moment. Nevertheless, she can’t help falling for the charming, fearless boy named Aladdin.

This sneak peek contains the first few chapters of this novel. If you’ve been lurking around The Story Sanctuary long, you’ll already know I’m a total sucker for fairytale retellings. So this was one I couldn’t resist checking out in advance.

I love that the story is told from the jinni’s perspective and that … Continue reading →

A Thousand Nights by E K Johnston

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A Thousand Nights by E K JohnstonA Thousand Nights
E K Johnston
Disney Hyperion

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When Lo-Melkhiin comes to her village looking for his next wife, she knows he will choose her beautiful sister. She knows, too, that her sister would then be next in the long line of girls who meet death soon after becoming his bride. She vows to take her sister’s place.

In the palace, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her every night. She spins stories for him, grand tales about her home. Each morning she wakes. Each night he comes again. Strange things begin to happen. Power flows through her hands at weaving. Rumors surface of the good, kind man Lo-Melkhiin once was. She vows … Continue reading →

Stunning Teen Sci-Fi Novel: Inherit the Stars by Tessa Elwood

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Inherit the Stars by Tessa ElwoodInherit the Stars
Tessa Elwood
Perseus Book Group/Running Press Kids

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When an explosion during a riot leaves Asa’s sister in a coma, she vows to do what she must to bring her back. As the youngest daughter in a royal house on the brink of collapse, her choices are desperate. She impersonates her sister in a marriage alliance to the heir to another ruling family, a boy with tragic secrets of his own.

Every time Asa thinks she has made things better, she’s met with the bitter realization that she’s in fact only made her sister’s and her family’s situation more dire. War could come at any moment. War … Continue reading →

Review: Forever For a Year by B T Gottfred

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Forever For a Year by B T GottfredForever For a Year
B. T. Gottfred
Henry Holt and Company

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Carolina and Trevor begin their freshman year at a new high school. Carolina is determined to make the right friends and impress her bestie’s older, more sophisticated sister. Trevor, new in town and resentful of the issues causing his family to relocate, has no expectation to enjoy his new school. Then he meets Carolina. The two fall head over heels and soar into the glory of first love.

As their feelings deepen, they spend more and more time alone, and kissing leads to touching leads to more. But their professed love and belief that they are each … Continue reading →

Review: Not if I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

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Not If I See You First by Eric LindstromNot If I See You First
Eric Lindstrom
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Poppy

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Parker lives by a specific set of rules. She expects to be treated like everyone else. Judgment comes swiftly for anyone who takes advantage of the fact that she’s blind. One betrayal, and you’re cut from her life. Scott, the boy who was once her best friend and became her boyfriend learns this lesson the hard way.

Only now he’s back, transferred to her school, and Parker has no choice but to make the best of it. She prides herself on the ability to know the people around them, to read them … Continue reading →

Review: Magic to Memphis by Julie Starr

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Magic to Memphis by Julie StarrMagic to Memphis
Julie Starr

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A box filled with postcards and mementos that once belonged to her father send seventeen year-old Jessie on a quest to Memphis to find the man who disappeared into his own dreams of musical stardom. Her faithful dog Bear protects her, and a quirky traveler named Finch talks to Jessie about the magic of making things happen. When Jessie begins to embrace this everyday magic, miraculous things begin to happen. But not everyone wishes Jessie well. A sinister man with dark power seeks artifacts in Jessie’s possession, and he’ll stop at nothing to get them back.

I’m not a dog person (go ahead and hate me) but … Continue reading →