Waiting On Wednesday: Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (Julie Abe)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blogging event in which one spotlights an upcoming release they are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Title: Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch

Author: Julie Abe

Release Date: August 1, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR

Summary:

A charming new middle-grade fantasy adventure, about a young witch whose pinch of magic just might be more than enough, perfect for fans of Kiki's Delivery Service and Aru Shah and the End of Time.

Sometimes all you need is a pinch of magic...

Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before she turns thirteen years old. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test:

ONE: Help your town, do good all around.
TWO: Live there for one moon, don't leave too soon.
THREE: Fly home by broomstick, the easiest of tricks.

The only problem? Eva only has a pinch of magic. She summons heads of cabbage instead of flowers and gets a sunburn instead of calling down rain. And to add insult to injury, whenever she overuses her magic, she falls asleep.

When she lands on the tranquil coastal town of Auteri, the residents expect a powerful witch, not a semi-magical girl. So Eva comes up with a plan: set up a magical repair shop to aid Auteri and prove she's worthy. She may have more blood than magic, but her "semi-magical fixes" repair the lives of the townspeople in ways they never could have imagined. Only, Eva's bit of magic may not be enough when the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town she's grown to love. Eva must conjure up all of the magic, bravery, and cleverness she can muster or Auteri and her dreams of becoming a witch will wash away with the storm.

Add to Goodreads

Why I'm Looking Forward To It: Misbehaving magic is one of my favorite tropes, and I adored Kiki's Delivery Service - sounds like just my kind of read! 

So what book are you waiting on this week?

Review: I Love You So Mochi (Sarah Kuhn)

Title: I Love You So Mochi
Series: standalone
Author: Sarah Kuhn
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: May 28, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Content Rating: Teen (kissing, a few surprise words of language)
Format Read: ARC
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound
Summary:

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Kasie West, I Love You So Mochi is a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel from accomplished author Sarah Kuhn.

"As sweet and satisfying as actual mochi... a tender love story wrapped up in food, fashion, and family. I gobbled it up." -- Maurene Goo, author of The Way You Make Me Feel

Kimi Nakamura loves a good fashion statement.

She's obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother disapproves, and when they get into an explosive fight, Kimi's entire future seems on the verge of falling apart. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi's estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.

When she arrives in Japan, she's met with a culture both familiar and completely foreign to her. She loses herself in the city's outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival -- and meets Akira, a cute aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. And what begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies.

In I Love You So Mochi, author Sarah Kuhn has penned a delightfully sweet and irrepressibly funny novel that will make you squee at the cute, cringe at the awkward, and show that sometimes you have to lose yourself in something you love to find your Ultimate self.

*          *          *

Three Words: Fun. Flirty. Fashion.

I Love You So Mochi is a sweet teen contemporary romance about first love and finding your passion. When Kimi must face the realization that the artistic dream she's been expected to follow may not be what she wants, she visits her grandparents in Japan and with the help of a cute boy goes on a quest of self-discovery and romance.

Despite dealing with heavier subjects of estranged relatives, parental expectations, and determining one's future in a week, Kimi's awkward but relatable voice made for a light and fun read that I easily breezed through. Her parentally-conditioned obliviousness to her passion for fashion was a little frustrating but understandable, and for the most part I enjoyed following her journey to finally realize it.

Sincere and resolute Akira was the absolute sweetest, and although their mochi-flavored romance moved way too fast for me - kissing barely halfway through - given the short time-frame I acknowledge that it had to move quickly to fit in plenty of swoons. Japan is a favorite country so I loved seeing the sights and cultural comparisons in Kyoto, especially from Kimi's fashionista perspective, and it was nice to spend time somewhere other than the typically-used Tokyo.

Conclusion: Although the story and romance moved a bit too fast, I really enjoyed Kimi's passion quest and her colorful visit to favorite Japan! Recommend for travel romance lovers, especially those with a passion for fashion.

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

Other Reviews That Might Interest: 

Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud
Maybe This Time by Kasie West
What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae

NaNoWriMo 2019

It's that time of year again: National Novel Writing Month is upon us!

This will be my 14th consecutive year participating (wow), and I plan to make it my 10th win. I'll be writing the 2nd in my 5-book sci-fi adventure series (Project HA2), and with a partial outline at the ready this draft may actually come out decent the first time (fingers crossed).

Because I will be writing 1,667 words every day this month, my blog may go a bit quiet during November. But I'll still try to post as much as I can, and hope you'll stick with me for many more novel and manga reviews to come!

To those of you who are also participating in Nanowrimo: good luck to us all, & happy writing!

The #FridayReads Review (11/1/19)

Welcome to The #FridayReads Review, a regular Friday segment where I share what I've been reading the past week, and what I'm planning to read next! Want to join the Friday fun? Post your own #FridayReads Review and leave the link in the Comments below, or just Comment with what you've been reading!

>> CURRENTLY READING <<

Cress by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

After my next read didn't work out (see DNF below), I couldn't help but go straight into the next Lunar book. Even for a paperback it's so heavy it hurts my hands, but the story continues to be engrossing. So excited to finally be continuing this amazing series!

Wild Ones vol. 7 by Kiyo Fujiwara (PBK)

Needed a manga fix so I decided to re-read this favorite 10-volume series for enjoyment and review. Such a fun and sweet story of young adult love with a humorous yakuza twist. Look for my review later this year!

>> DNF <<

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (PBK)

DNF at Page 62. In brief summary, I had 4 problems with this book: the writing, the setting, the lack of initial backstory, and the dull voice. Although I can enjoy a good ghost story, I had to push myself to read as far as I did and just couldn't muster any interest in continuing Lucy's ghostly adventures. For my full DNF review, see here.

>> JUST FINISHED <<

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

4 Stars (re-read). This wasn't quite as enjoyable as Cinder since my dislike for 3+ POVs has only grown over the years and this one has at least 6 (I eventually lost count), but I was still reluctant to put it down and burned through it in just a few days. Still as original, vivid, and engrossing as the first time I read it, I can't recommend it and Cinder highly enough. You can read my full original review here.

>> [POSSIBLY] READING NEXT <<

(subject to change with my ever-shifting reading whims)

Fairest by Marissa Meyer (PBK)

So I guess I'm supposed to read this one before Winter? I'm really not crazy about Levana, but I'll give it a try.

So what are you reading this week?