It’s finally the year where you get to meet Iris and her dangerous, sexy exploits in apocalyptic Victorian London! Go over to my Books Page RIGHT NOW to pre-order and add on your To-Read Lists!
You know I had to do this. I held a little Instagram read-along of Chapters 1 through 3 a few weeks ago, but couldn’t continue. I was too busy working on my own book series, The Bones of Ruin, a YA Fantasy coming Fall 2021. But I just had to finish this book and share with you all what I thought. Here we go! Non- Spoiler Review As a K-POP fan, and as a YA author published under the same publisher and imprint, I just had to pick up this book. My own trilogy, The Effigies Series (Sailor Moon meets Pacific Rim) is inspired a lot by the K-POP world, so this was a must read. Shine is essentially a very fun, zippy contemporary YA read that gives some insight into the K-POP world. And who better to give that insight than a legendary K-POP idol from one of the most legendary K-POP groups of all time. The story is basically about the plucky and relatable 17-year old Rachel Kim’s trainee life as she readies herself to debut. The language and pop cultural references are current, the prose is as simple as possible, and the first person present POV makes the reader feel like they are right in the character experiencing everything she is at that moment. It’s a very fast read—took me a little over 3 hours to finish. But I would say that it feels more like an interesting set up for what will no doubt be a far more intriguing sequel, which will give us more insight into the K-POP world after you debut—a world with a million times more pressure and backstabbing. Okay, so now you want the good stuff, right? Very Detailed Spoiler Review Up Next
This past weekend, I participated in the Infusion YA Book Festival! Usually it takes place in Vancouver, but this year is was online, but boy did it ever run JUST as smoothly! Thank you to all those working behind the scenes to make these panels truly great! My panel was the last one: “Is This the Real Life…Or Is This Just Fantasy” and with such a diverse array of authors involved, I’m proud to say that our discussion of the fantasy genre went beyond discussing just the conventions of fantasy to the very political meaning of fantasy itself! Take a look at the video below:
On Juneteenth, I participated in an online rally, #KidLit4BlackLivesCanada with some amazing children’s authors, illustrators and publishers, celebrating black life and diversity in children’s literature! Check out the video below!
