Can't Wait for The Folklore of Forever

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

The Folklore of Forever (Moonville, # 2)

By: Sarah Hogle

Expected Publication: April 8, 2025 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

400 pages

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the acclaimed author of Old Flames and New Fortunes comes a steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy about a paranormal skeptic who is roped into a ghost hunting romp by the charming boy next door . . . who might just show her what real fantasies are made of.

Paranormal skeptic Zelda Tempest is hoping for a much-needed creativity boost for a new paranormal mystery novel. But despite the alleged magic of her hometown, Moonville, Ohio, she’s as stuck as ever.

With two witch sisters, not believing in magic is strange for a Tempest, but no one is more disappointed than Morgan Angelopoulos, the charming man next door. So, to cure her of her writer's block and her disbelief in magic, Morgan ropes her into a ghost-hunting romp, only for Zelda to discover something else bizarre, never-before-seen creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else.

Curious about what else might be lurking in Moonville's woods, Zelda and Morgan embark on a quest to uncover the true magic that lies in their midsts . . . and perhaps, just maybe, they will find that the magic they're searching for has been with them all along.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

Bone Gap - Review

Bone Gap

By: Laura Ruby

Publication: March 3rd 2015 by Balzer + Bray

345 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Magical Realism

Source: Free audiobook from Audiobook Sync several years ago

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are.

The description of Bone Gap is deceiving. The description seems to indicate that the people of the town are familiar with and aware of the mysterious and magical "gaps" in the town. However, that wasn't really true. They are familiar with people who want to and do leave the town. So no one was surprised when Roza disappears. They think she went back to Poland or just moved on in her travels. After all, she showed up suddenly. Why not leave suddenly too?

But Finn is not convinced. He witnessed an exchange between Roza and a man. Roza appeared to go with the man willingly, but Finn just felt that something was off. And his unusual way of describing the man has left everyone around him a little unbelieving. Eventually, Finn is the only one left looking for Roza. He will never give up because he feels like he could have stopped the kidnapping if only he'd realized sooner that Roza was in danger.

I loved Finn's story with Petey. Their relationship. How it builds. They way they were with each other. How Petey had Finn's back and figured out something very important about him that no one who knew him had figured out--even Finn himself. I loved the bees, the horse--Night---Finn's best friend Miguel. I even really liked Sean even though I won't say that I loved his character. And Roza. She was lovable.

I didn't enjoy the Rudes. Or the Scarecrow. Or really the magical aspects of the book. Without spoiling anything, I always seem to struggle with this particular type of magical element in stories.

I feel like my review isn't as thought out as I'd like for it to be, but I waited so long to type it up that I already felt like I was beginning to forget things about the story. Bone Gap was more enjoyable than I expected. I found myself more involved in the characters than I imagined I would be. Yet I still ended up feeling like I wasn't completely satisfied and struggled with the magical elements--especially considering that I must have missed that this was part of the story as who knows how long ago I actually read the description and added this to my TBR list. Regardless, Bone Gap gets 3 Stars. Have you read Bone Gap? What did you think? Let me know!

The Astonishing Color of After - DNF Review

The Astonishing Color of After

By: Emily XR Pan

Publication: March 20th 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

480 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Magic Realism

Source: Publisher (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.

Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life.

Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.

I'd seen The Astonishing Color of After available for review from both NetGalley and Edelweiss and decided not to request it based off the description. The cover pulled me in to read the description, but I wasn't sold from there. I couldn't tell if this book was supposed to be contemporary or fantasy. Honestly, I enjoy both genres, but I don't tend to like books that try to mix them up. Or ones that start with a character who has no knowledge of this fantastical world that they live in but just aren't aware of. Sometimes an author can make this work, but I just wasn't sure about The Astonishing Color of After. Due to my restricted reading time, I decided to take a pass.

However, the publisher ended up sending me an unrequested hardcopy. At this point even though I don't feel an obligation to read a book I didn't request, I thought I'd give it a try. Surprisingly I was pulled in quickly. The description tells you about this, but I wasn't expecting to jump right into it. Leigh kisses her best friend and flees his house immediately. As she makes it home her house is swarmed with people due to her mother's suicide. Two huge emotional moments--the first being completely dwarfed by the other.

Truth be told, I wasn't completely turned off by the fantastical moments of The Astonishing Color of After like I worried I might be. The writing was really good. Like really good. So why, you might wonder, did I DNF this book that I was enjoying at page 136ish? Here's why:

-"Never do it on a farm," said Charles in a mock low voice, leaning toward Caro like he was saying this in confidence. "No matter how beautiful and sexy your girl is." There was extra emphasis on the word sexy. "Papi," Caro pleaded. She looked mortified. "What are you so embarrassed about?" said Gaelle. "I loved a few women back in my day." "More than a few," said Mel, "the way I heard it" Caro's grandmother ignored this. "You love who you love. There's no changing that. You do your loving whenever, wherever you wish--"

I don't believe in this philosophy...you love who you love... I've had this philosophy pushed down my throat with books, TV, and media to the point where I'm over it. And I've come to the point in my life--reading and real--where I just don't need it. I'm over it. Done. The end.

All else considered The Astonishing Color of After was enjoyable for the 136ish pages that I read. The writing was quite good. But I'm over the "do what makes you feel good" and "love who you want" philosophies. Have you read The Astonishing Color of After? What did you think? Let me know!