If I’d read The End of Men 18 months ago I would have described it as set in a dystopian future. Now we are living in the midst of a global pandemic, suddenly what happens in this book doesn’t seem so hard to imagine. Instead of Covid-19, imagine a plague transmitted from animals to humans, and this deadly virus kills 90% of men who catch it.
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Today I’m back with another book tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. This week there’s a tour for The Edge of Strange Hollow by Gabrielle K. Byrne and I got to interview the author! So keep on reading to find out more about this book and what questions I asked Gabrielle!
The Edge of Strange Hollow by Gabrielle K. Byrne
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Publishing Date: May 18, 2021
Synopsis:
Welcome to Strange Hollow. Beware the Grimwood.
Poppy Sunshine isn’t like everyone else in Strange Hollow. She’s not afraid of the Grimwood, home to magical creatures like shape-shifters, fairies, witches, and even a three-headed dog.
Banned from the wood by her parents, Poppy longs to learn everything about it and imagines joining her mother and father as they hunt the forest’s cursed magical objects. So when her only family disappears on a routine expedition, she and her friends must break every rule to save them. But Poppy soon discovers that things in the Grimwood are rarely what they seem.
And the monsters who took her parents may not be monsters at all…
Book Links
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Indigo
Interview
Hi Gabrielle! First of all, thank you so much for doing this interview with me, I’m so honoured! Could you introduce yourself and your book a bit?
Hi! Thanks so much for having me. THE EDGE OF STRANGE HOLLOW is about Poppy Sunshine (a girl
who’s not very sunny) and her adventures in the Grimwood. Poppy Sunshine isn’t like everyone else
in Strange Hollow. She’s not afraid of the Grimwood, home to magical creatures like shape-shifters,
fairies, witches, and even her three-headed dog. Banned from the wood by her parents, Poppy longs
to learn everything about it and imagines joining her mother and father as they hunt the forest’s
cursed magical objects. When they disappear on a routine expedition, she and her friends must
break every rule to save them. But Poppy soon discovers that things in the Grimwood are rarely
what they seem…and the monsters who took her parents may not be monsters at all.
How did you get the idea for The Edge of Strange Hollow?
This book is really an homage to my love of fairy tales, folktales and mythology. I spent hours and
hours immersed in the Grimm brothers’ stories, and in Anderson’s fairy tales from the time I was
very young until now! I’ve also always loved Greek, Norse and British/Gaelic mythology. I wanted to
write about a girl who had a deep love of learning and exploration, and put her in a forest full of all
the beings of my girlhood, along with a few that I made up out of whole cloth – where I could play
with the reader’s expectations, along with Poppy’s.
Why did you want to write this story?
This is the life I wanted to live as a kid–a life of fairy tale adventure. Poppy is headstrong and a bit
reckless (my favorite kind of character) and has to come to terms with her expectations, of herself,
of others, and of her world.
What is your favourite scene in the story?
This book was SO much fun to write. It’s really hard to pick just one scene! I loved writing the Kelpie
attack. I adore when Jute the hob contacts Mack’s parents via penny whistle. And there’s a scene
toward the end with Eta-Two-Brutus (Poppy’s three-headed cerberus) that made my heart
pound…but no spoilers!
What’s your favourite fairy tale?
Another tough question! I think I’d have to choose either Rumpelstiltskin or The Robber Bridegroom
(Bluebeard). I just love a clever heroine and tricksy magic! There are so many good ones though…
and also so many spin offs. I love Undine, the 1811 Little Mermaid inspired book by Fouque. In
mythology, I love the stories that involve the Fates, and of course, Chiron from Greek myth inspired
my boatman who makes his rounds in the Grimwood.
What is something you hope your readers will get from reading The Edge of Strange Hollow?
I want my readers to feel empowered! I want them to feel it’s okay to want and pursue anything. I
also want them to see that even though our expectations (of the world, of ourselves, of others) are
sometimes wrong, that we can reassess, learn, and keep moving forward toward our goals.
What is an author dream of yours that you’re hoping will be fulfilled?
I’m so grateful for the support of all my readers. Of course, I want to keep writing more stories! I’m
also a very visual person, so I love seeing fan art! It would be really fun to see one of my books
become a webtoon or a movie. Seeing images of my work, in any form, is a total thrill!
Tour Schedule
If you’re curious about what others thought of this book then click here for the full tour schedule. You can see all of the other amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers that are participating on this tour!
About the Author
Gabrielle Kirouac Byrne lives in the rainy wilds of the Pacific Northwest, where she writes fantasy for kids of all ages. Gabby studied opera in Philadelphia, medieval studies in New York, literature in Scotland, and marine biology in Washington. Stories are the common thread that tie all her interests together. When she’s not writing, you can find her fishing spineless zooplankton out of the Salish sea with her family. In Gabby’s debut MG fantasy, RISE OF THE DRAGON MOON, the princess of a frozen Queendom fights to free her mother from the clutches of treacherous dragons. Gorgeous world building, and lush prose will immerse readers in this coming-of-age adventure in which a fierce girl tackles insurmountable odds with wit, strength, and heart.
Author Links
Website: https://www.gkbyrnebooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GKByrne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gkbyrnebooks/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3201893.Gabrielle_K_Byrne
Giveaway (US Only):
One winner will receive a finished copy of The Edge of Strange Hollow. The giveaway starts on May 17th and ends on May 24th. Click here to enter!
So that’s my stop on the tour for The Edge of Strange Hollow. The author’s description of the story definitely has me interested even more. I’ll have to read this one really soon!
XoXo,
Marloes
If you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll know that I’m a big contemporary fan. As soon as I heard that Camryn Garret had a new book coming out, it was added to my want to read list on Goodreads. So when TBR and Beyond Tours got to host a book tour for this book, I knew I had to sign up for it! Today I want to talk about my top 5 reasons to read this book and share my favourite quotes. Keep on reading to find out more!
A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc to read and review!
Content Warnings: Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment
Synopsis:
The behind-the-scenes access of Almost Famous meets the searing revelations of #metoo in this story of a teen journalist who uncovers the scandal of the decade.
Ever since seventeen-year-old Josie Wright can remember, writing has been her identity, the thing that grounds her when everything else is a garbage fire. So when she wins a contest to write a celebrity profile for Deep Focus magazine, she’s equal parts excited and scared, but also ready. She’s got this.
Soon Josie is jetting off on a multi-city tour, rubbing elbows with sparkly celebrities, frenetic handlers, stone-faced producers, and eccentric stylists. She even finds herself catching feelings for the subject of her profile, dazzling young newcomer Marius Canet. Josie’s world is expanding so rapidly, she doesn’t know whether she’s flying or falling. But when a young actress lets her in on a terrible secret, the answer is clear: she’s in over her head.
One woman’s account leads to another and another. Josie wants to expose the man responsible, but she’s reluctant to speak up, unsure if this is her story to tell. What if she lets down the women who have entrusted her with their stories? What if this ends her writing career before it even begins? There are so many reasons not to go ahead, but if Josie doesn’t step up, who will?
From the author of Full Disclosure, this is a moving testament to the #MeToo movement, and all the ways women stand up for each other.
Off the Record by Camryn Garret
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing Date: May 18th 2021
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Indigo
Top 5 Reasons to Off the Record
Favourite Quotes
“I want to make things and be seen and understood, at least by a few people. What girl doesn’t want that?”
“I can accept whatever happened with MLK and Frederick Douglass because they were freedom fighters. They did so much good that I can deal with the bad. But I don’t know if I can do the same with someone like Woody Allen. And why should I? MLK was MLK. Woody Allen only makes movies with white people in them.”
Tour Schedule
There are a lot of amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers participating on this tour. Click here for the full schedule to see all of these amazing posts.
About the Author
Camryn Garrett was born and raised in New York. In 2019, she was named one ofTeen Vogue’s 21Under 21 and a Glamour College Woman of the Year. Her first novel, Full Disclosure, received rave reviews from outlets such asEntertainment Weekly, the Today Show, andThe Guardian, which called a “warm, funny and thoughtfully sex-positive, an impressive debut from a writer still in her teens.” Her second novel, Off the Record, will be released May 18, 2021. Camryn is also interested in film and is a student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
I can’t wait for my finished copy to arrive! Let me know if you will be reading Off the Record in the comments!
XoXo,
Marloes
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Plastic is one of the biggest polluters on earth. Oceans are so full of it that we have come up with a whole new word for it (plastic soup). Animals get entangled in it or see it for food, and you can hardly take a walk without plastic lying around everywhere. Especially the so-called single-use plastics, plastic items that are intended to be used only once, cause a huge amount of junk in nature.
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