I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO VAMPIRE HUNTING by Roseanne A. Brown Blog Tour
hosted by Rockstar
Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Roseanne A. Brown
Pub. Date: September 6, 2022
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 400
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling YA author Roseanne A. Brown's middle grade debut about a pre-teen vampire slayer with a strong helping of Ghanaian folklore.
For most kids, catching fireflies is a fun summer activity. For twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng, it's a matter of life and death.
That's because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting
vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of
innocents, possessing their minds and turning them into hulking monsters, and
for generations, slayers like Serwa and her parents have protected an unknowing
public from their threats.
Serwa is the best adze slayer her age, and she knew how to use a crossbow
before she could even ride a bike. But when an obayifo (witch) destroys her
childhood home while searching for a drum, do Serwa's parents take her with
them on their quest to defeat her? No. Instead, they dump Serwa with her hippie
aunt and cryptic-obsessed cousin in the middle of Nowheresville, Maryland
"for her own safety." Now, instead of crossbows and battle armor,
she's dealing with mean girls and algebra, and for the first time in her life
she doesn't have to carry a staff everywhere she goes, which is . . . kind of
nice, actually.
Just as Serwa starts to get the hang of this whole normal girl who
doesn't punch vampires every day thing, an adze infiltrates her
school. It's up to her to whip some of her classmates into monster-fighting
shape before all of them become firefly food. And when she uncovers a secret
that upends everything she thought she knew about her family's role in the
slayer vs. adze war, Serwa will have to decide which side of herself--normal
girl or slayer--is the right one.
After all, seventh grade is hard enough without adding vampires to the mix.
MY REVIEW:
This is the third Riordan Presents book I've had the honor of being on a blog tour for. I really love this line of books. The authors have all had distinct voices so far and the mythologies are very new to me, so they're extra fun to read. This latest book features Ghanaian mythology. The titular heroine, Serwa Boateng, comes from a family of vampire hunters. It's a story about family, making friends, feeling out of place, finding a place to belong, and dealing with prejudice. It's also a super awesome time!
The vampires in this story are like NO vampires I've ever read about. Forget Dracula, forget Twilight, forget any teenage vampire story you've ever read, seen, or heard about. This is FRESH. Ghana vampires are no joke and they're far different than what readers may be used to. While blood is definitely involved, there are also fun new things like a different form than the usual, different hunting methodology, and just....it feels really different - which is highly refreshing.
I have no familiarity with myths from Ghana and Ghana's history, so I came into this one blind and ready to learn about a culture that's new to me. This book does NOT disappoint. It incorporates all the great Riordan Presents elements fans have come to love. It naturally sprinkles in new names, traditions, and foods, without ever feeling like it is preachy, unfamiliar, or unapproachable. There is SO much to learn and experience with this book and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to read it.
I love Serwa as a heroine. I also really enjoyed her struggles. Her tensions with her family, her feeling out of place because of her dual identity (being American, having family history that stretches to another country entirely, while feeling simultaneously like both AND neither). This is a rather familiar struggle for me, personally, so I really enjoyed this aspect. I also love how tough, yet vulnerable Serwa is. She's a great character and I want to read more of her adventures in the future. I want to see what choices she makes next and where her newly gained knowledge takes her within this world.
This book is a must-read for long-term Riordan fans. It has the stuff we love, it has a distinct voice, it has some laughs, it has lots of heart, and it feels unique. Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting should NOT be passed up. I give it a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯. I highly recommend it. I'm going to be sharing it with my favorite Riordan buddy reader. I also can't wait for another book in this new series. This one is very exciting and that ending is TORMENTING me - in the best way. If you love hearing new folklore and mythology and learning about cultures you don't know about - in a way that feels REAL and HUMAN instead of being purposely framed as foreign and exotic - read Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting. It's a genuine treat.
About Roseanne A. Brown:
Roseanne
“Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles
of central Maryland as a child. She graduated from the University of Maryland
with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the
school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her debut novel A Song of
Wraiths and Ruin was an instant New York Times Bestseller, an Indie Bestseller,
and received six starred reviews. She has worked with Marvel, Star Wars, and
Disney among other publishers.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a finished copy of SERWA BOATENG'S GUIDE TO VAMPIRE HUNTING, US
Only.
Ends October 7th, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
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9/1/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/2/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/3/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
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9/4/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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9/5/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/6/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/7/2022 |
IG Review |
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9/8/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/9/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/10/2022 |
IG Review |
Week Three:
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9/11/2022 |
TikTok Review/IG Post |
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9/12/2022 |
Review |
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9/13/2022 |
Review |
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9/14/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/15/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/16/2022 |
Review |
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9/17/2022 |
IG Review |
Week Four:
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9/18/2022 |
Review |
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9/19/2022 |
Review |
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9/20/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/21/2022 |
IG Spotlight |
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9/22/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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9/23/2022 |
IG Review |
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9/24/2022 |
IG Review |
Week Five:
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9/25/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/26/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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9/27/2022 |
Review |
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9/28/2022 |
YouTube Review/IG Post |
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9/29/2022 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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9/30/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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