Blog Tour + Review: The Oddmire, Book 1: Changeling by William Ritter

Today I am excited to share with you all my blog tour stop for The Oddmire: Changeling by William Ritter! This is a delightfully spooky middle grade read that I had a blast reading. On my stop, I'm sharing a quick review, some early praise, and some extra information about the author!

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Changeling (The Oddmire, Book 1)
Author: William Ritter
Pub. Date: July 16th, 2019
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Pages: 272
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository, Indiebound
*Please note that some of the links used are affiliate links!

SYNOPSIS:

"Magic is fading from the Wild Wood. To renew it, goblins must perform an ancient ritual involving the rarest of their kind—a newborn changeling. But when the fateful night arrives to trade a human baby for a goblin one, something goes terribly wrong. After laying the changeling in a human infant’s crib, the goblin Kull is briefly distracted from his task. By the time he turns back, the changeling has already perfectly mimicked the human child. Too perfectly: Kull cannot tell them apart. Not knowing which to bring back, he leaves both babies behind. 

Tinn and Cole are raised as human twins, neither knowing what secrets may be buried deep inside one of them. Then when they are twelve years old, a mysterious message arrives, calling the brothers to be heroes and protectors of magic. The boys must leave behind their sleepy town of Endsborough and risk their lives in the Wild Wood, crossing the perilous Oddmire swamp and journeying through the Deep Dark to reach the goblin horde and discover who they truly are."

REVIEW:

William Ritter's latest release is an exciting middle grade fantasy that is overflowing with goblins, faeries, a spooky wood, and just about everything I love in a good book.  Changeling starts out with a premise that I love: a goblin attempts to switch out a human baby for a changeling, messes up a bit, and ends up leaving both the human baby and the changeling behind. From there, the story takes off and the reader is thrust into a world that is both familiar and full of magic and folklore element.

I found Changeling to have a very carefully crafted blend of fairytales and folkloric aspects and adventure that really centers around a bit of a coming of age story for twins Tinn and Cole. Ritter's writing style worked excellently in this story, as it was both simple and accessible while also managing to maintain an airy quality of magic and mystique that I found highly captivating.

My favorite part of this book was Ritter's inclusion of the fairy tale elements that created a magical and unpredictable atmosphere to the story while also keeping things fresh and compelling. I loved watching Tinn and Cole interact with the world and how they handled all of the new obstacles and experiences that seemed to be constantly thrown at them. Tinn and Cole are characters that I loved almost right away. They have an incredible sibling relationship that transcends origins and material things, but stays strong and true no matter what seems to happen. In fact, the idea of family and unconditional love seemed to permeate throughout the entire book, especially in relation to the twins' mother, another wonderful character that I loved.

Overall, I've easily given The Oddmire: Changeling 4.25 stars! This is the perfect middle grade for any child that enjoys their fantasy on the spooky side--or any adult! I am already looking forward to the release of the sequel.

EARLY PRAISE:

“Set in a magical world filled with incredible creatures from folklore, this fast-paced fantasy will keep readers turning the pages as they follow the twins through the dark and mysterious woods. Unique characters with complex personalities will give readers insight into the feelings and actions of not only Tinn and Cole and their mother, but the creatures—both good and evil—they encounter on their journey. A captivating series opener.” 

—Booklist, starred review 

“A delightful series opener.” 

—Kirkus Reviews 

“[A] charming middle grade fantasy...Ritter (the Jackaby series) crafts a well-paced adventure filled with whimsy and peril, in which the bonds of family and love prove stronger than any spell or curse. With memorable characters—especially the irrepressible protagonists, who make a delightful team—and an atmospheric setting, this is a strong series opener.” 

—Publishers Weekly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
William Ritter is an Oregon author and educator. He is the proud father of the two bravest boys in the Wild Wood, and husband to the indomitable Queen of the Deep Dark.The Oddmireis Ritter’s first series for middle-grade readers. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling, award-winning Jackaby series for young adult readers. Visit him online at rwillritter.wordpress.com and find him on Twitter: @Willothewords.

LINKS: Website | Twitter

Flash Mid-Summer Giveaway: Win an ARC of Wilder Girls by Rory Power!

Somehow, it seems I've ended up with an extra ARC of Wilder Girls by Rory Power (?), and since it was such an anticipated release this year I thought a giveaway would be a great way to send it out to someone else who wants to read it! I reviewed Wilder Girls earlier this month and had a really great time reading this book--it's dark, unpredictable, and more than a little creepy. Wilder Girls was published last Tuesday, July 9th, so although I make no requirements to enter this giveaway other than filling out the Rafflecopter form below, I do ask that if you win this book you try leave some sort of review (even if it's just a sentence) for it somewhere once you've read it. :)

To enter, all you need to do is use the Rafflecopter giveaway below! Full rules can be found below the giveaway.

Good luck!
Giveaway ends Tuesday, August 6th
US only (sorry!)

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This giveaway is not sponsored by or associated with the publisher. I simply have an extra ARC and want to give it away!

Giveaway rules:1. This is a US only giveaway. Unfortunately, I do not have the means to provide shipping for international entries. I apologize for this and am aware how frustrating it can be; I hope to work out an international giveaway soon.2. The giveaway is for one advanced review copy of Wilder Girls. I have no affiliation with/for Rory Power or Delacorte Press.3. Winners will be notified via email and will have 72 hours to respond. If I hear no response, I will have to move on to the next selected winner.4. You must be 13+ or have your parent's permission if under 18.5. Your personal information (email, address, etc.) will never be shared and I will only be using it for mailing out the prize.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Gossamer Mage by Julie E. Czerneda & Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski

 

Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

This week's upcoming book spotlight is: 

The Gossamer Mage by Julie E. Czerneda
Publication: August 6th, 2019

DAW

Hardcover. 400 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Only in Tananen do people worship a single deity: the Deathless Goddess. Only in this small, forbidden realm are there those haunted by words of no language known to woman or man. The words are Her Gift, and they summon magic. 

Mage scribes learn to write Her words as intentions: spells to make beasts or plants, designed to any purpose. If an intention is flawed, what the mage creates is a gossamer: a magical creature as wild and free as it is costly for the mage. 

For Her Gift comes at a steep price. Each successful intention ages a mage until they dare no more. But her magic demands to be used; the Deathless Goddess will take her fee, and mages will die. 

To end this terrible toll, the greatest mage in Tananen vows to find and destroy Her. He has yet to learn She is all that protects Tananen from what waits outside. And all that keeps magic alive."

The magic system in this one sounds really unique and I'm interested to find out more about it. Also, that cover is so lovely!

and...

Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski

Publication: August 6th, 2019

Feiwel & Friends

Hardcover. 336 pages.

Pre-order: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

From Goodreads:

"Nell Martin is moving again, this time to the Winslow Grand Hotel, built in 1878. As Nell is settling in, strange things begin to happen. Doors lock of their own accord, writing appears on bathroom walls--and most horrifying of all--visions of a dead boy permeate her waking life. Thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her, she soon finds the past and the present colliding as she learns horrific details of a murder that happened at the hotel in 1905 involving a girl named Lea. 

Nell and a mysterious bellboy must relive that day in hopes of finally breaking a curse that imprisons them both. And Nell discovers what truly links her to the history of the Winslow Grand Hotel."

A historical novel set in aa spooky old hotel sounds absolutely perfect. Everything about this one sounds great!

What do you think about these upcoming releases? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?

Top Ten Tuesday: Auto-Buy Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's topic is: Auto-Buy Authors

For me, auto-buy authors are those where I've read the majority of the books they've published and have enjoyed pretty much all of them. Some of these then, of course, are my all-time favorite authors, those a few are just authors I really enjoy. These are author whose books I would potentially purchase without ever even caring about what it's about. I feel like a lot of this post is going to be repetitive since I've talked about authors I love a lot on the blog, but regardless, here we are!

1. Haruki Murakami

It's no secret that Murakami is one of all-time favorite authors. I have loved almost everything I've read by him and enjoyed everything I've read. There are only a few of his books that I haven't gotten to yet over the years, but hopefully that will be rectified soon.

2. Michel Faber

Faber is another author that I would genuinely never think twice about pre-ordering a book from. 

3. Donna Tartt

Tartt is another author where I've never really disliked anything I've read by her. She doesn't have the largest selection of books published, but the ones that are have been phenomenal.

4. Catherynne M. Valente


I fell in love with Valente's writing a number of years ago and that hasn't changed or wavered once ever since. I can't honestly think of a book she's written that I didn't at least enjoy for one reason or another, and I can think of many books that I've loved and/or have become favorites. I'd read anything new that she writes and it'd be a pretty hard task to ever convince me to not be excited about something new that she writes.

5. Christina Henry

Christina Henry is one of the more recent favorite authors that I've discovered and thus far I haven't met a book from her that I didn't like. I've not read some of her earliest work yet, but I do plan to check them out at some point and see how I feel about those, since I believe they are quite different from some of her more recent work. Still, I would (and have) bought anything she writes.

6. Patrick Rothfuss

I wasn't sure if I should include Rothfuss since he's only written the one series, but if we're being honest...I would probably check out anything he writes, whether it's part of The Kingkiller Chronicles or not. His writing seems to be hit or miss with people these days, but I absolutely love it. 

7. Jacqueline Carey

Carey is one of those writers with such an obvious talent for writing that every book I've read by her feels like a true masterpiece. I'm enamored with what she writes and although I still have a lot of her backlist to read, everything I've read so far I've loved and I'd easily pick up anything new that she writes. 

8. Katherine Arden

Arden is another author that doesn't have a huge library of works yet, but after The Winternight Trilogy, she can just go ahead and take all of my money and send everything she writes directly to me. Small Spaces was also such a fun, spooky middle grade that I really can't wait to see what direction she takes next with her writing.

9. J.A. White


White's Thickety series is one of my favorite middle grade series and I am just mesmerized by White's imagination. He has a new book coming out this August and I cannot wait to read it--it was an easy auto-buy decision for me!

10. And a tie for the last number! 
Robert V.S. Redick | Anna Smith Spark
James Islington


I decided to group these three together because I've only read a limited number of books by them, but I've loved what I have read so far. Anna Smith Spark and James Islington have only written books for one trilogy so far (separate trilogies, of course... they aren't writing them together) and based on what they've already written I would wholeheartedly read anything else they write. Redick does have a bit more backlist for me to dive into, but the two I've read from him (Master Assassins, The Red Wolf Conspiracy) I've highly enjoyed.

Have you read any of these books? Who are some of your auto-buy authors?

Review: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Del Rey

Publication Date: July 23rd, 2019

Hardcover. 352 pages

About Gods of Jade and Shadow:

"The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. 

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true. 

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld."

I'll be honest: this book initially caught my eye 100% because of that truly gorgeous and vibrant cover. The title also called out to me rather strongly and once I read the synopsis as well I knew I had to check out this book. Books set during the Jazz Age and that take place in Mexico are not things I often see--or ever see, really--so I was really excited to see a new and exciting setting.

I really loved the setting that Moreno-Garcia developed in this book, as everything felt vibrant and full of life. Her descriptions of Mexico City, Uukumil, the Mayan underworld, and every other location mentioned were all so well done and truly allowed me to picture the locations as if I were really there. I also fell in love with the Mexican folklore that the author developed and felt a constant craving to dive back into this book and culture whenever I wasn’t reading it.

Gods of Jade and Shadow reads very much like a fairy-tale due to the method of storytelling and the progression of the plot. The initial setup of the story and how Casiopea ends up helping the gods feels very matter of fact and classic in nature, though of course Morena-Garcia makes this story entirely her own with her beautifully crafted world and descriptions. It's also very much a journey that is undertaken in specific tasks and times of "first we have to go to this place to find X, then we go to the next to get Y," and so on. It feels a bit rote when taken at a surface level, but the tasks themselves are creative and have plenty to make this setup a bit more interesting

Casiopea is an iron-willed, obstinate character and I loved seeing her grow throughout this story. I can't say that she completely changed from someone meek to someone who knows how to stand up for herself because that'd be a disservice to Casiopea. Even in the beginning of the story she maintains a constant streak of fiery attitude and stubbornness where she refuses to back down to fully to those who are "above" her and order her about. She always imparts attitude or makes her unhappiness known, but it isn't until she embarks on this journey Hun-Kame that she truly learns what she's worth and what potential the future might hold for her if she actually takes some courageous leaps of faith into the unknown future and I had such a wonderful time watching Casiopea embark upon this personal journey. A few other things that I liked about her was her extremely pragmatic mindset and her no-nonsense way of handling things; if something had to be done, she wanted to just do it and get it done with so that they could move on to their goal.

I also really enjoyed getting to know Hun-Kame, the Mayan god of death. He's a fascinating character to watch interact in the Middleworld (aka, land where live human mortals live) and his lack of much personality or comprehension of humor and other sentiments that we humans hold dear. It was particularly interesting to watch him develop in tiny, but still noticeable ways that gradually affected more of his own character and the story itself. Our other "villain" character is also well-done and provides a nice contrast to Hun-Kame, though the two also have many similarities that often led to a bit of a grey area where it's not clear if either of the two are necessarily "good," which I think adds some great tension and compelling components to the plot.

There is a bit of a romance in this book, but I'm pleased to say that it was done extraordinarily well. It's not rushed, nor does it have any "insta-love" attached, and it is instead extremely slow-moving and develops at a logical and unobtrusive pace. It's doesn't really intrude on the story itself until the latter part of the book, so it's not something that takes away from the rest of the narrative in any way.

Overall, I've given Gods of Jade and Shadow four stars! Fans of creative fairy-tales and vibrant settings will love this book.

Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound

*I received an ARC of Gods of Jade and Shadow courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating or enjoyment of the novel.*

The Friday Face-Off: A Wrap Around Cover

Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme here at Books by Proxy. Join us every Friday as we pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in our literary universe. You can find a list of upcoming topics at Lynn's Books.

This week's topic is:
A wrap around cover

This one was tricky to find a wrap around cover that had multiple editions to compare, so I just decided to pick a few wrap around covers that I particularly love. Some are wrap around dust jackets and a few are books that have the covers printed on the covers themselves. I picked quite a few because there are so many that I love, and who doesn't enjoy some beautiful artwork!?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Scholastic, 1999

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Scholastic, 2004

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Scholastic, 2005

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Scholastic, 2007

Kushiel's Dart | Subterranean Press, 2016

Harry Potter (Ancient Greek Edition) | Bloomsbury USA, 2004

The Winter of the Wtich | Ebury, 2019

Nevernight | HarperCollins, 2016

(and Godsgrave, and Darkdawn...)

The Blue Fairy Book (reissue) | Barnes and Noble Collectible, 2017

A Conspiracy of Truths | Saga Press, 2018

The Binding | HarperCollins, 2019

My choice:

I really don't think I could pick one, so for this week only I'm not going to. I love the original Harry Potter covers and my Ancient Greek editions is particularly special to me. I will also always be in love with the Subterranean Press editions of the Kushiel's Dart books,and of course nothing beats those Nevernight or that swoon-worthy embedded design for The Binding!

Which covers do you like best?