Moonshine: Path of the Raven by Max Shippee is a wonderful young adult fiction novel full of magical realism. I'm going to be honest - I rarely read werewolf books because I find them to be too fantastical for my liking. However, this novel kept me captivated from the beginning. I immediately fell in love with Sam, the young boy on the brink of manhood, and his protector, John. Plus, the extended cast of characters is just as enchanting!

Sam starts out life as a sharecropper in the early 1900s. His family still works on the plantation that used to hold them as slaves. Although poor, Sam believes his life is good. However, everything changes the day the young plantation daughter notices Sam working. Although his life was destined to change anyway as the next Jack for a coven in upstate New York, Sam soon finds himself without a family or a place to call home. Fortunately for Sam, he soon learns that he doesn't have to journey through life alone.

I love that many of the characters we meet are incarnations of legendary figures - King Author, John Henry, and more! This is a great read.

Purchase a copy of Moonshine: Path of the Raven:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/43TUuoL​
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3ZmnTGH

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Welcome to our blog, dear readers! This is Carole O'Neill, and today, I’m thrilled to bring you insights from a delightful podcast conversation with Michelle O’Neil, the talented author behind the heartwarming novel, "Dog Park."

The Conquest of Liberty by Kent Merrell is a detailed, many POV, Renaissance historical fiction. We follow the journey of several people - all of whom have incredible stories - and it isn't until the very end that we find out how all of these stories wind together into one. I was immediately hooked despite knowing next to nothing about the Moors, monarchs, and monks of the time.

Kent is a master at creating characters. For instance, Miguel, an archbishop's right hand man who lives in Granada should be very foreign to me. But within a few pages, I felt as if he were alive in my living room as he fled persecution, was kidnapped by pirates, and found himself questioning both his King and his Pope. Then, there is Alessandro, a young boy in the care of Balboa, the explorer, Maria, a women who fled her home and lived with the Gitanos, and Vano, the next leader of the Gitanos, not to mention Sayyida al-Hurra, a Morracan Privateer, Jalaf Morisco, a Morracan Exile, and Talavera, the Archbishop accused of heresy.

This novel is far more than a historical fiction - it contains within the pages action, adventure, mystery, and love. You won't be able to put this book down.

Purchase a copy of The Conquest of Liberty:
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3HqCg6A​
Kindle: https://amzn.to/43ZaOFQ

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.