noun [kee-smash] a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication:
Having read some of my friend’s raving reviews about Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, I knew before going in that I would love this book. What I didn’t expect was to fall head over heels for this story, and finish all 400 pages in one night.
But that’s the magic of Spin The Dawn for you. Enchantingly beautiful and indulgent, Spin The Dawn is essentially a Young Adult fairy tale that will sweep you off your feet.
Continue reading “Review: Spin The Dawn By Elizabeth Lim (Blood Of Stars #1)”
I am thrilled to be a blog tour host for Whisper by Tracy Bilen, which just got released yesterday on May 8th! I’ll be sharing my review of this book very soon; for now take an exclusive sneak peek into this new YA thriller novel.
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for having me as a tour host for this book.
Stop him
After her friend Samantha is murdered, seventeen-year-old Olivia is the only one who still hears her voice.
Years ago, Jacob closed his eyes. In a park. Playing hide-and-seek. His little brother is still missing. And Jacob’s mom is the FBI agent who couldn’t find him.
Now Jacob has dreams he can’t explain. And draws faces of those about to die.
In a town terrorized by a serial killer, Jacob meets Olivia. Sparks ignite. Their flame burns bright.
Until the voice in Olivia’s head echoes the warning in Jacob’s dream…
You’re next.
![Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/runaway-train-book-tour-banner-april-26-30.png?resize=825%2C306 "Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak] - The Keysmash Blog")
I am thrilled to be sharing my first blog tour post for Runaway Train by Lee Mathew Goldberg. Thank you so much YA Bound Book Tours for choosing me to be a host for this blog tour.
Set in the 90’s, Runaway Train follows the journey of 16-year-old Nico as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her sibling and find meaning in her life.
If you are looking for a heartfelt, coming-of-age YA novel, then check out this exclusive giveaway + sneak peak of Runaway Train.
![Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/56045360._sx318_.jpg?w=825 "Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak] - The Keysmash Blog")
They told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…
Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.
I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma. What’s a girl supposed to do? I didn’t want to end up like Kristen, so I grabbed my bucket list, turned up my mixtape of the greatest 90’s hits and fled L.A.. The goal was to end up at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, but I never could have guessed what would happen along the way.
At turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and laugh out loud funny, Runaway Train is a wild journey of a bygone era and a portrait of a one-of-a-kind teenage girl trying to find herself again the only way she knows how.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored a post, and I am not an affiliate. I do not receive any financial gain from promoting this book. I am only doing my part to support the author as a host for this blog tour.
![Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/runaway-train-cover-1.jpg?w=825 "Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak] - The Keysmash Blog")
Check out this exclusive sneak peak of the first chapter from Lee Mathew Goldberg’s Runaway Train.
Dead & Bloated – Stone Temple Pilots
My sister Kristen died the same day as the actor River Phoenix, October 31st, 1993, he from a drug overdose in the middle of the night outside the Viper Room, her on an early morning run through Laurel Canyon, two days before her seventeenth birthday—and a happy fucking Halloween to me. There I was, dressed up in costume as D’arcy, the bassist from Smashing Pumpkins: oversized baggy striped sweater, dyed blond hair, a dab of red lips and blue eye shadow, and a broken bass guitar slung around my shoulder that I didn’t know how to play anyway, watching the news where I saw River’s lean body, which I had imagined climbing on top of me multiple times, being hauled away on a stretcher, when the doorbell rang and a police officer asked if my parents were home.
“Er…no,” I said, running through my mind the millions of bad things I may have done. That strappy dress I’d shoplifted, the bag of dirt I sold to a freshman pretending it was weed.
“Are you a relative of Kristen Sullivan?”
Kristen? What could the police want with perfect Kristen?
“Yeah. Her sister.”
“I am sorry to tell you this, but your sister has died.”
![Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/lee-matthew-goldberg-1.jpeg?w=825 "Blog Tour: Runaway Train By Lee Mathew Goldberg [Exclusive Giveaway + Sneak Peak] - The Keysmash Blog")
Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE ANCESTOR, THE MENTOR, THE DESIRE CARD and SLOW DOWN.
He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. His first YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN is forthcoming in 2021 along with a sci-fi novel ORANGE CITY.
After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press & sevral others.
He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.
Phoebe Unfired by Amalie Jahn has to be one of the most wholesome, heartwarming stories about friendship, family, love and overcoming trauma. It is one of those books you know is going to be an instant hit the moment you start reading, and I have no doubt it is going to be one of my favorite books of 2021 already.
Set in a post-COVID world, the story follows Phoebe as she struggles to make friends while battling her germaphobia. Our poor girl developed the phobia after infecting her younger brother with Covid-19 and nearly losing him as a result. The book revolves around her, and her 64-year-old best friend Walter who also suffers from general anxiety disorder, and how the two of them help each other overcome their demons and have some semblance of a normal life.
Continue reading “Review: Phoebe Unfired By Amalie Jahn”
As someone who very recently watched Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend Of Korra, I was completely mesmerized by the lore and the detailed, diverse universe of this series. Binging both animated series multiple times wasn’t enough; I wanted to stay in the Avatar universe a bit longer and learn more about all the other Avatars and their stories of hardships too.
The Rise of Kyoshi was exactly what I needed. A phenomenal young adult fantasy novel, this book by F. C. Yee chronicles the life of the fiercest Avatar in history, and my god, what an incredible legend it is.
Continue reading “Review: The Rise Of Kyoshi By F. C. Yee & Michael DiMartino”
This is without a doubt one of the best standalone fantasy novels I’ve read in 2020. Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings is a lusciously dark and mysterious story that follows Bettany Scott as she tries to find answers to the disappearances of her father and brothers.
Continue reading “Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings: A lusciously dark, mysterious fantasy”
Alma Underwood Is Not A Kleptomaniac by Lacey Dailey is a surprisingly sweet, heartwarming love story between a kleptomaniac (yes you are a klepto Alma, stop lying to yourself) and a runaway teenager. Though I am not typically one for romances, I finished this one sitting and actually really enjoyed this.
Continue reading “Review: Alma Underwood Is Not A Kleptomaniac”
Note: This is a spoiler-free review for the second novel of The Bone Witch trilogy by Rin Chupeco. If you haven’t read The Bone Witch yet, I recommend reading my review of it first.
Continue reading “The Heart Forger By Rin Chupeco: A Gripping, Intense Sequel To A Phenomenal YA Fantasy Series”
Note: This is a series review, meaning that I will be reviewing all three books of the series (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing) as a whole and will also be rating the series as a whole.
I rarely enjoy stories about the fae–despite their popularity, especially in the YA fantasy genre, very few writers have managed to properly encapsulate their terrifyingly violent and yet comically whimsical nature. The only good fae story, really good fae story that comes to mind is Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series. If you haven’t read it, you are absolutely missing out–it is one of the best fantasy novels that I have read and will forever cherish in my heart.
(And yes I have read Sara J Mass’s Court of Thorns series. No, I did not like it one bit)
Continue reading “The Folk Of The Air Series By Holly Black: A Brutal And Brilliant Fantasy”
Ratings: 5/5
Short review: Excellent novel is excellent. Highly recommend.
The tea (because there always seems to be a controversy or another whenever a marginalized author puts out a best-seller diverse novel): skip to the bottom.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: child abuse, mild torture and violence
Detailed review: Now this here is a stunning, exciting thought-provoking novel that I can’t wait to get more of. Roshani Chokshi (who made me remember why I love fantasy with her debut novel The Star-Touched Queen and its sequel A Crown of Wishes) once again brings a brilliantly written fantasy/heist story with a cast of incredibly fascinating, lovable characters, an intense and captivating plot line, slow burn romance, and breath-taking world building.
Set in the era of Moulin Rouge in a fictional, glittering and magical Paris, the book, on the surface, is about a team of 5 talented thieves working on their most dangerous and rewarding acquisition. However, as you dive deeper into the story and learn about each characters’ motivations and aspirations, the story begins to explore racism, colonialism, identity and disparity through well developed, diverse characters of all backgrounds. What I loved the most is that the author touches on these topics just long enough to make you pause, and ponder on important questions without taking the focus away from the actual heist.
Continue reading “The Gilded Wolves: A Nuanced Heist Fantasy That Explores Colorism, Colonialism And Power Struggles”