Old School Wednesdays is a regular Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Fantasy
Alternatives to Romance: Nicole Kornher-Stace on writing platonic relationships in Archivist Wasp and Latchkey (& a Giveaway)
Hello everybody and happy Thursday! As you may recall, a few years ago Ana read and loved Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace. There is now a sequel out – Latchkey and we are delighted to welcome Nicole to the…
Title: Spinning Silver Author: Naomi Novik Genre: Fantasy Publisher: Del Rey Publication Date: July 2018 Hardcover: 448 Pages A fresh and imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted, which was hailed as “a…
Book Review Roundup: TEMPESTS AND SLAUGHTER by Tamora Pierce + THE POPPY WAR by R.F. Kuang
I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately, and two novels have recently struck me with their thematic similarities (though both are intended for wildly different audiences): Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce and The Poppy War by R.F.…
I love fairy tales, and some of my favorite novels and films are fairy tale adaptations. Adapting a fairy tale comes with a unique set of challenges, as I found out when I adapted the story of Scheherazade for…
Old School Wednesdays is a regular Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Hello everybody! We are celebrating the release of our new novel – The Ninety-Ninth Bride by Catherine Faris King – which is out today, with a giveaway! The Novel “Sister, would you please tell me a story?” Dunya is…
A Smugglerific Cover: THE NINETY-NINTH BRIDE by Catherine Faris King
In which we reveal the cover for our new novel, THE NINETY-NINTH BRIDE by Catherine Faris King! The novel, based on the author’s short story “The Ninety-Ninth Bride”, is out tomorrow, June 19. Behold the smugglerific cover: About the…
It’s Friday and we are over at Kirkus!! Today, Ana reviews Bruja Born by Zoraida Córdova, the sequel to last year’s Labyrinth Lost. I love it! Go over to Kirkus to read more!…
Old School Wednesdays: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1) by Jonathan Stroud
Old School Wednesdays is a regular Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Happy Friday and welcome to a regular monthly feature in partnership with Fran Wilde and Aliette de Bodard’s Cooking the Books Podcast! Today’s guest is C.L. Polk, talking to Aliette and Fran over at the main kitchen, about Witchmark…
Happy Tuesday! Today we are delighted to be hosting the cover reveal for the UK edition of L.L. McKinney’s debut novel A Blade So Black – a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! Without further ado,…
Series Review: The Queens of Renthia by Sarah Beth Durst
And now for something a little different—I’ve recently read all three books in the Queens of Renthia trilogy by Sarah Beth Durst and I have some feels. Today’s review is a roundup of all three books: The Queen of…
When the Letter Comes by Sara Fox Published 5/22/2018 Henry believes that someday, something awesome will happen–everything will turn out all right and all her problems will disappear once her letter arrives, welcoming her to magic school. So even…
When the Letter Comes: Sara Fox on Inspirations & Influences
“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their Inspirations and Influences. In this feature, we invite writers to talk about their new books, older titles, and their…
A Smugglerific Cover: WHEN THE LETTER COMES by Sara Fox
In which we reveal the inaugural cover for the first short story in our 2018 season, Awakenings: When the Letter Comes by Sara Fox. Behold the smugglerific cover: About the Story Henry believes that someday, something awesome will happen–everything…
We are over at Kirkus today with a review of a NEW DIA REEVES NOVEL WHAT That’s right, there is a new Dia Reeves novel out there set in the world of Bleeding Violet! Go over to Kirkus to…
It’s Friday and after a short break, we are over at Kirkus. Today, Ana reviews Circe by Madeline Miller, the follow-up to the amazing The Song of Achilles. Go over there for the full review.…
Title:Meddling Kids Author: Edgar Cantero Genre: Fantasy, Mystery Publisher: Doubleday Books / Titan Books UK Publication date: July 2017 Paperback: 322 1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining…
We are over at Kirkus today for our regular column! It’s Thea’s turn this time, with a review of Torn by Rowenna Miller. A story about a kingdom on the precipice of revolution, and the seamstress-magic weaver caught in…
“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their Inspirations and Influences. In this feature, we invite writers to talk about their new books, older titles, and their writing…
Old School Wednesdays: Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly
Old School Wednesdays is a regular Book Smuggler feature. We came up with the idea towards the end of 2012, when both Ana and Thea were feeling exhausted from the never-ending inundation of New and Shiny (and often over-hyped)…
Title:The Cruel Prince Author: Holly Black Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers Publication date: January 2018 Paperback: 384 Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine…
Welcome all! Today we are delighted to welcome Roshani Chokshi back to The Book Smugglers to talk about her experience writing her new Middle Grade novel Aru Shah and the End of Time . Aru Shah and the End…
Title: The Reader Author: Traci Chee Genre: Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult Publisher: Putnam Publication date: September 2016 Paperback: 442 pages Once there was, and one day there will be. This is the beginning of every story. Sefia…