Guest Post: A Guide to the Yokai in Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda + Giveaway!

Hi everyone! Courtney Alameda, co-author of SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS and monster enthusiast here! I’ve long said that the Japanese are among the best storytellers in the world; not only do they have the richest folklore, but they have an extensive monster bestiary that includes some of the most interesting creatures on Earth. SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS features a mere fraction of Japanese yokai, or monsters, and I’m here to introduce you to a few of my favorites.

Unlike many western monsters, Japanese yokai aren’t necessarily “good” nor “evil;” some, like kitsune, can even be benevolent. So break out your moral alignment charts, because here we go!

NEKOMATA: Of course I’m including a monster cat in this list! Nekomata like Oni-chan, Kira’s cat companion in SEVEN DEADLY SHADOWS, are regular housecats for the most part . . . except these cats have two tails tipped in blue flames. When these cats transform from ordinary animals into supernatural yokai, their tails split down the center. Oh, and did I mention they can grow larger than tigers and occasionally like to eat human beings? No? (Art by MonMon Cats)

Force Me to Read… Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

After forcing me to read Scythe by Neal Shusterman in November, y’all sent me in a completey different direction in January with Daisy Jones & The Six. I was actually supposed to read it in December but thanks to both a reading and blogging slump it just didn’t happen.

Honestly, I was kind of hoping that any book except Daisy Jones would get picked because historical fiction is not my thing. When I said I would read whatever y’all told me to, though, I was serious – so I picked it up from my local library.

It’s time to force me to read another book! Elliott randomly chose these four from your suggestions. Now it’s time to vote for which one I’ll read in December!

See attached tweet for the books’ covers if you’re not sure what the titles are!

— mari 🤦🏻‍♀️ (@MusingsOfAGirl) November 23, 2019

I was apprehensive to say the least, but I tried to go into it with an open mind.

Review: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Title: Words in Deep Blue
Author: Cath Crowley
Release Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 273

Content Warnings: death of a sibling, drowning, alcohol, bullying, assault, depression

This post does contain affiliate links. I will receive a small amount from any purchases made through Book Depository at no extra cost to you.

This is a love story.
It’s the story of Howling Books, where readers write letters to strangers, to lovers, to poets.
It’s the story of Henry Jones and Rachel Sweetie. They were best friends once, before Rachel moved to the sea.
Now, she’s back, working at the bookstore, grieving for her brother Cal and looking for the future in the books people love, and the words they leave behind.

Review: Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson

Title: Every Other Weekend
Author: Abigail Johnson
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Pages: 512

Content Warnings: abuse, sexual assault, death of a sibling, divorce

This post does contain affiliate links. I will receive a small amount from any purchases made through Book Depository at no extra cost to you.

Can life begin again…every other weekend?

Adam Moynihan’s life used to be awesome. Straight As, close friends and a home life so perfect that it could have been a TV show straight out of the 50s. Then his oldest brother died. Now his fun-loving mom cries constantly, he and his remaining brother can’t talk without fighting, and the father he always admired proved himself a coward by moving out when they needed him most.

Jolene Timber’s life is nothing like the movies she loves—not the happy ones anyway. As an aspiring director, she should know, because she’s been reimagining her life as a film ever since she was a kid. With her divorced parents at each other’s throats and using her as a pawn, no amount of mental reediting will give her the love she’s starving for.

The Blogger Recognition Award

Back in November, Lauren from Lala’s Book Reviews nominated me for the Blogger Recognition award! I’m incredibly honored that she thought to include me in this.

The Rules

1. Thank the blogger/s who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Write a post to show your award.
3. Give a brief story of how your blog started.
4. Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
5. Select up to 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
6. Comment (or pingback) on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

In the beginning…

I’ve been a part of the book community on Twitter since 2014ish. I don’t entirely know how I started getting involved – but I did. That same year I also started bookstagramming. So many of the people I interacted with had blogs, but I had tried that a couple times already and it just wasn’t for me – so I stuck with Twitter and Instagram.