Audiobook Review (celebrating Fantasy ahead of #WyrdAndWonder) | “Chameleon: The Awakening” (Book One: The Forest People series) by Maggie Lynch (narrated by Rachel Jacobs)

Acquired Audiobook By: I started to listen to audiobooks in [2016] as a way to offset my readings of print books whilst noting there was a rumour about how audiobooks could help curb chronic migraines as you are switching up how your reading rather than allowing only one format to be your bookish choice. As I found colouring and knitting agreeable companions to listening to audiobooks, I have embarked on a new chapter of my reading life where I spend time outside of print editions of the stories I love reading and exchange them for audio versions. Through hosting for the Audiobookworm I’ve expanded my knowledge of authors who are producing audio versions of their stories whilst finding podcasters who are sharing their bookish lives through pods (ie. AudioShelf and Talking Audiobooks; see my sidebar). Meanwhile, I am also curating my own wanderings in audio via my local library who uses Overdrive for their digital audiobook catalogue whilst making purchase requests for audio CDs. It is a wonderful new journey and one I enjoy sharing – I am hoping to expand the percentage of how many audios I listen to per year starting in 2018.

Similar to the blog tours I hosted for the #KayHunters series [specifically for “Gone to Ground” and “Bridge to Burn”] the blog tour review copies for The Forest People are being provided directly by the author off-site from Audible. The key reason I decided to not accept the review copies from Authors Direct or other services off-Audible is because the new format(s) are mostly directed for mobile listeners and I do not listen to audiobooks in that style of format. As I switched my subscription from Audible to Scribd – I was able to join this lovely blog tour because the audiobooks are readily available via Scribd! For which, I am especially grateful as it allowed me a chance to listen to a #newtomeauthor of Fantasy ahead of my co-hosted Fantasy celebration #WyrdAndWonder!

Thereby my copy of “Chameleon: The Awakening” the first novel of the The Forest People series (as well the next two in sequence) is self-provided through my subscription to Scribd rather than being provided with a complimentary copy of the story. Thereby, I am choosing to participate on the audiobook tour, sharing my ruminations with my readers for my own edification but also, as a continuation of pursuing a reader’s interest in Fantasy Literature. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I wanted to listen to this story:

When I first learnt of this series, my first instincts were this could be a brilliant way of getting my feet wet back into Speculative Fiction on the Fantasy side of the ledger. However, what truly rooted me in wanting to tackle a trilogy before #WyrdAndWonder is the fact that it isn’t often I find a Fantasy series which intrigues me to read – at least not on the YA side of things. I’ve been spoilt dearly on the #LelandDragons series and thus, I thought it would be a keen idea to take a chance on a #newtomeauthor and see if this particular series could win me over as much as Jackie Gamber’s!

And, why it truly appealled to my pursuit of the fantastical:

In this first novel of the series, what I was truly excited over is that the lead character is a ‘shifter’ – if you have been following my readerly adventures into the fantastical realms, you might have spied out the fact I have a particularly keen interest in shapeshifter narratives, even if I happen to be a bit particular about which kinds of shifters I enjoy reading! Laughs. Including how I was truly smitten and attached to Bannon from Jackie Gamber’s #LelandDragons series.

I also like seeking out stories which talk about either foster care and/or adoption – I know there is a trend within YA to use these more as plot devices or a shifting of parental involvement and/or of a way to have teens on their own in the world – however, the stories which anchour between the realties of those situations and the newer dimensions of the character’s journey are the ones that tend to align best for me rather than seeing these strictly used as plot devices or a moment of shifting a character out of one family unit into being a forced to either a) live on their own or b) find a group of people they can call family on their own terms. If those are meant to be organically woven into their life’s story, that’s acceptable to me but I meant, I don’t like it if its merely the route to lead into that situation as if that is the only way something like that could evolve in a person’s life. I look forward to seeing how The Awakening handles this segue and what the fuller back-story is about Camryn.

I happen to have a soft spot for stories of the fey and other fantastical creatures – I like the setting being in a forest as I feel that is simply one of the more natural environs you can find these otherworldly beings to be living. One of my dearest curiosities about this series is the overall effect of the world-building and how this world will illuminate itself as we shift further into the series from book to book. This is something I am looking forward to seeing evolve but also, to root out the layers of the world itself. Seeing how the different species stand on their own but also how they interact between each other as well. I find these kinds of complex societies truly fascinating and it will be lovely to see how Lynch built her world.

You might have remembered how much I loved dissolving inside Jennifer Silverwood’s Silver Hollow earlier this year? Her world-building is brilliantly epic and had just the right kind of balance between the fantastical and the realties within an Urban Fantasy environment.

Overall, this sounds like a wicked good listen to me – where a girl comes of age in a time and place which would test the strongest of minds and hearts. I look forward to seeing how Camryn handles the changes in her life – both paranormally inclined and otherwise, whilst seeing whom she finds are her true mates to trust and lean on for support whilst keeping my eyes pinned to the ways in which this exciting new world is to going to ‘introduce’ itself to me! I can’t wait honestly – as now that I am coming out of the throes of a very personally stressful month, I can once again settle into an audiobook where the fantastical can bloom in front of me whilst I am colouring!

The Awakening
Subtitle: Book One of the Forest People
by Maggie Lynch
Source: Scribd | Audiobook Subscription
Narrator: Rachel Jacobs

A teenage shifter turned captive. A magical land in danger. Is she a monster or a savior?

Sixteen-year-old Camryn Painter struggles with more than the usual teenage identity issues. As a human chameleon, emotions trigger a transformation into the visage of whomever she sees. But when her foster parents die in a crash and she's taken captive by so-called scientists, she’s not sure if she’s human or just a freak of nature.

Desperate to control her abilities and escape, Camryn emerges from her prison and into a dangerous magical forest. Surrounded by dragons, faeries, and other extraordinary creatures hungry for her power, some in the forest claim she's their prophesied savior. Unfortunately for her, that declaration triggers a supernatural civil war.

Can Camryn unite the fractured forest people, or will her powers erase more than her own identity?

Chameleon: The Awakening is the first book in The Forest People YA Paranormal Fantasy series. If you like incredible worlds filled with unique creatures, intriguing twists and turns, and heartfelt coming-of-age stories, then you'll love Maggie Lynch's enthralling adventure.

Genres: Fantasy Fiction, YA Fantasy, YA Paranormal Suspense, Young Adult Fiction

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ASIN: B0799QCZZ9

Also by this author: The Awakening (Audiobook Spotlight), The Choosing (Audiobook Spotlight)

Also in this series: The Awakening (Audiobook Spotlight), The Choosing (Audiobook Spotlight)

Published by Windtree Press

on 29th January, 2018

Format: Audiobook | Digital

Length: 7 hours and 54 minutes (unabridged)

Published by: Windtree Press

The Forest People series:

Formats Available: Paperback, Ebook and Audiobook

let me preface this review with an explanation:

I had fully intended to listen to the first two novels in sequence of The Forest People series, however, as I had explained on the Spotlight of this Series last Saturday, my life has been keenly adverse of late and I’ve been taking a sabbatical from being online. This continued throughout the past week to where I only began listening to The Awakening late Friday night as Saturday witching hour of the morning was first beginning to strike against the clock. It was the first moment where I could find my focus and find myself attaching into the plot and the character’s journey – finding myself bewitched by the plotting Ms Lynch developed and dearly attaching myself to Camryn, as her journey towards understanding her origins was quite a compelling tale to hear and absorb.

Thereby, as my intent was to share a review of both The Awakening and The Choosing – I regret I am still a week behind. Now that I have found my traction within the series, I’ll be continuing to listen throughout the coming week to both The Choosing and The Summoning – concluding the blog tour with a double-review rather than inserting a double review on my second tour stop wherein I am instead sharing my review strictly of The Awakening. These changes were not planned and are reflective of the adversities I’ve been working through since mid-March.

my review of chameleon: the awakening:

One of the more gutting openings I’ve listened to in an audiobook were within the first sequences of The Awakening and yet it was also the most beautiful. A selfless act of love and the purity of that choice to bring a child into the world bridging two different species together and ultimately uniting the world to reveal an ancient prophecy their species do not wish to see brought to fruition is how this story first begins.

The parents of Camryn (Wynbune to her people, the forest people as they are known in their unity) are both Quatcho (a furry species of tall stature) and Mazikeen (a sub-species of the fey). Not since I’ve started to read short stories of Speculative origins have I seen such an achingly beautiful origin story etched into a Fantasy – this origin of how Camryn came to be bourne and the sacrifices of her parents is singularly one of my favourite opening bridges which anchours her past to her present. Her mother’s release from the forest reminded me dearly of a beloved scene from Avatar but also from the passages of those short stories wherein Earthly magic and native beliefs were the backbone of the mythologies explored in those previous stories I loved reading. They felt larger than their short lengths and they inspired my mind to re-consider the plausibilities of where Fantasy can take you through a character’s journey. In a continued sense of awareness, I loved the instincts Lynch had for giving us Camryn’s rite of birth.

Nakani and Kia shared a special love and their short love story is memorable because of how they had bonded to each other whilst choosing this path to bring a daughter into a world who would not readily accept her but find her disagreeable to the ordered path their species felt was natural. What is so terribly gutting about this love story is how tragic it ends and how the prophecy they nurtured into existence is what foretold their own fates as much as their daughter’s. It was this humbled origin which sprung forth the uniqueness of having a daughter adopted out of both their species and placed into the human world. It was there where Camryn felt her differences the most – if you cross-relate this story to a very well-known series, you’ll immediately spy out the similarities of a child ‘cast-out’ of their kinship and kind only to be re-discovered lateron. However, despite this wrinkle of curious overlay and familiarity there are a few distinct differences – especially because of how Camryn starts to evolve and transmorph as she rises into her sixteenth year.

I wasn’t a bit surprised how this story was tracking through the psychological effects of Camryn coming to terms with how different she was from her adoptive family nor how they had loved her unconditionally. I think if Lynch had taken this to a different level of realisation on both their behalf’s – if her adoptive family had had any conditions placed on their daughter OR if Camryn herself hadn’t been as authentically raw and real in the opening chapters to describe her own afflictions and emotional anguish – I might not have felt as connected to her journey as I had.

The time Camryn spent locked away in the psychiatric facility wasn’t my favourite sequence as a lot of time was spent on describing how she was trapped and how her perception of who she was was invalid. In some regards, this period of self-doubt was necessary as it was leading into the fuller arc of the story wherein Camryn would soon start to find a secondary explanation for her oddness – as she didn’t consider herself normal by the standards she was accustomed to feeling were inclusive of her kind. Her perception was limited due to how she presumed she was human rather than with the fullness of understanding of her mixed heritage.

Uniquely enough, even when Ohar starts to come into her life – he gives her small gestures of awareness that she is something other than human but it isn’t firmly writ in the sand. Whilst she was locked away to be studied and manipulated into bring out her ‘otherworld’ essence at that facility – she was forced to repress her nature, her oneness and most of what makes you individually unique. Only one of the nurses she met understood her the best and part of me wondered if she was planted on the inside for the strict purpose of not allowing Camryn to descend completely into madness.

This is one reason why I try to shy away from reading about asylums – as the stories take a turning for the severity no matter which genre they’re being focused inside. Even in this Speculative setting, you have a shudder about you the entire time she’s trapped and forced to live through the motions of what they feel is justifiable to their end-game of better understanding how and why she ‘shifts’ from one persona to the next. It is a personal horror of hers as she never truly knew if she was sane or if she was losing small fractures of normalcy for the sake of science.

When the story grew a bit more  interesting is when Ohar and Camryn are in the forest – where the overlays of the world are stronger and where we gleam more about Lynch’s vision for The Forest People. The struggle of will inside Ohar isn’t overly examined – it was almost as if that one scene with his Mum was the deciding moment of where he chose to go against her wishes and to do what was right – not for himself but his species, for the sake of their existence and the perservation of their beliefs. His strength is rooted in how he views his purpose and how he chooses to accept his destiny. And, yet, I felt part of his character was a bit under-developed as it was very much matter of fact without contest or argument. I thought for sure there would be more to say about how he would determine his own path outside of his mother’s will – even though she did threaten him, I felt this part of the ominous bits of the world we were entering were left undone or rather unresolved. They simply became a non-issue – as you readily observe once Ohar and Camyrn return to the forest.

Whilst their in the forest, I couldn’t sort out why Lynch was radically changing our perception about Camryn – as she felt older in the chapters leading into this one – although, part of me questioned if her descending age or behaviour patterns had to do with the effect of her crossing into the realm where she was bourne vs the world in which she was raised. There is a difference in place and time, and when your dealing with the fey in most stories, there is a uniqueness of ‘where’ you are vs how you are in other places – almost as if your behaviour, mannerisms and natural essence are influenced by your setting. Or rather, I suppose I ought to say, perhaps by going back to the forest, this newer version of Camryn was her original self trying to come back into her skin? It just felt a bit muddled even though it was quite the compelling quest for Ohar to take-on as a lot was brokering on his success.

I felt like I almost need to hear the second novel in the series in order to better understand the foundation being laid down in the first novel. I ended up being a bit more confused about the sequencing of what was being revealled – as there were moments where I felt I understood the direction of where we were heading and then, Lynch switched things up again and re-directed my focus again. She also plants these informational moments where you re-question the world, the rules of the world and the traditions between the different species who live between the light and the dark.

One of the reasons I felt this was a confusing opening novel is because I usually know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are whenever I enter into a Speculative story. In this instance, the lines are blurred, the revelations are delayed and even as you continue to counter-balance what you felt you knew originally against the new information, sometimes it just felt like a bit of a let-down because whom you thought you could trust within this world might not be the right person to place your faith nor your trust. This is problematic for me as I like to know in a clean-cut way whose side everyone is on and thereby follow how their choices and/or actions shape the forward motion of the series.

At the root of the story is the timeless struggle between light and dark – of sequencing out how the light represents the good and how the shadows are entertained in the dark. The greater of which is a power play between good and evil; but as Lynch points out – is it that black and white, where the lines are easily seen or is the struggle more subjective towards understanding the motives of what influences the cause behind the actions people take which can change their course between light and dark?

In the background of this a girl who is going through her transformational stage where she has to embrace her maturity at a fast clip of a pace. How this will affect her position amongst The Forest People is yet to be seen – as Camryn has more questions than she has answers. She is only on the fringes of understanding who she is and how her birth changed history amongst her species. The hard part about the story is understanding the limitations of the world, the lack of knowledge Camryn had about herself and the rules of the forest whilst countered against the will of her own personal destiny. There is a lot to process in this first installment – yet there were places within it which felt drawn out where you feel a bit muddled to pull the pieces of the story together.

Fly in the Ointment: Content Note (Imagery):

There are some impressively visual sequences within this story which were a bit more intensive than I thought they would become – some were borderline horror and others were just a bit icky as they were not entirely what I was thinking would be included in the portion of the story where Camryn is going through her cocooning stage of her maturity. I couldn’t tell if those particular images were the reality of what was happening or part nightmare of what she was dreaming whilst her body was undergoing the changes this part of her evolution entailed. Thankfully they were short-lived and did not become a mainstay but they surprised me as the rest of the narrative is visually tame and is more about the journey Camryn is taking towards embracing her self-identity.

on the fantastical writing style of maggie lynch:

Lynch has a knack for developing the world within The Forest People which reminds me of why I personally have become attached to the stylings of Urban Fantasy. She has co-anchoured this journey of Camryn firmly between the world in which she was raised (ie. amongst humans) and the ethereally enchanting forest which in of itself is dimensionally greater than it appears. Like most Urban Fantasies which take us on the journey through the conventions of dimensional time and the conceptional awareness of our world as it is viewed on the surface and not between what is veiled from human sight – Lynch endeavours us to take this journey with her characters; to seek what is beyond.

Part of Lynch’s world-building is to prepositional us into how her world is set to a rhythm of belief where all of life is connected to each other and the difference truly lies in the perception of what is understood. Meaning, for the Forest People themselves – their awareness is more acute rather than the humans’ perception is stunted and limited. It is a perceptional novel in many regards – how you choose to perceive yourself, how others perceive you (outside of your own image) and how the perception of our time within our lives can alter what we can accomplish if we’re hindered by this crippling sense of ‘otherness’ which isn’t our truest sense of self.

One interesting thing to note is how I felt she was written Camryn in a descension of age – meaning, the more time Camryn spent in the forest after her imprisonment and confinement, the more she seemed to regress and age progressively ‘backwards’ rather than forwards. And, then rather suddenly she would be increasingly moving towards a maturity for her species – caught between being a girl and a woman with all the confusing emotions interspersed with the changes in her mood, attitude and emotional balance.

Fantastical Elements:

→ Shifting (shapeshifting)

→ Telepathy

→ Trees of Life

→ Dragons (signals of change, emotional kaleidoscopes)

The shifting aspects within the context of this story is quite a unique one as I have seen shifters generally moving between one species to another – wherein, a humanoid species would shift into the animal world by transitioning into the animal of their choosing; whether fowl, mammal or otherwise. In this regard, the interesting bit to observe is how she uses shifting to denote the truer nature and internal struggle of Camryn who hasn’t been raised to understand anything about her hidden origins or the natural ways in which her mixed heritage allows her to function outside the traditional spectrum of both her parents’ species.

In this world, the Trees of Life are representative of the life source for newbournes – they are needed to be bourne under and by a ‘tree’ in order to have the fullness of their birth realised. There is a special ordination between mother and child underneath the boughs of this special tree – which is a symbolic way of severing the chord humans have with their Mums. This chi (or life force) is the lifeblood for these children – where the life of the mother ends, the child’s begins. This is only the beginning and it is such a gutting testimony to the sacrifice a mother will give to ensure her child can thrive and live in her absence.

This doesn’t spoilt the story as this was explained in the Preface long before Camryn came fully into the picture as a teenager – I mention it now because it goes to the root of how despite seemingly difficult odds and the unique differences between our living world and a fantastical one – there are strong similarities and of course, all stories of Fantasy have roots and tethers of thought from our own realm as well. I found this back-story about how children are bourne in this world wicked fascinating and I wanted to make a notation about it on my review in case other readers are equally fascinated by these kinds of back-histories inclusive to their Speculative readings. I’ve kept a lot of the birth scene a mystery – there is so much happening in the Preface, it is hard to process all your emotions as your listening to this sequence of heart-wrenching grief between Nakani and Kia. On a personal note, I love all conceptions for the ‘tree of life’ and the definitions of what it represents.

There is a point where I couldn’t infer if the dragons are gatekeepers of the emotions their riders evoke out of their experiences – almost as if per each dragon paired to a rider, there is a symbiotic connection between them where the dragon feels the emotional duress of the rider OR if the dragon themselves is the signalling of this emotional trigger? One thing is for sure – the dragons are wicked awesomesauce!

What were my listening habits during this audiobook?

I was thankfully able to return to my habit of creating art whilst listening to audiobooks – as I have been working on a sequence of colouring books to give as gifts and this story took me a step closer towards that particular goal! The images I was colouring were uniquely related to the natural world – where the creations within the colouring book had natural world perspectives, wherein flowers and plants were taking a predominant role in the aesthetic and design! I was mostly working inside A Giving Heart by Stephanie Corfee which will be a forthcoming review on my blog.

Number of Times I’ve heard the Narrator(s):

I’m quite sure this is my first time listening to a Rachel Jacobs audiobook and I was quite chuff to listen to how she approached the vocalisations of the characters! From both the fantastical creatures she was bringing to life and the characters whom you heard through their voices they had nefarious intentions and/or they were simply up to no good due to how they were projecting their presence! She had quite the way of giving you a sinister voice and a tipping of a hat towards leading you to speculate about the future of part of this world simply due to how she initially gave voice to Ohar’s Mum! Talk about creeping a girl out!

Regards to the Narrator’s Individual Character performances:

Camryn: I felt Camryn was voiced well – not only because she was fully embraced with the emotional tidal waves you would expect rippling through someone who has experienced personal loss but due to how her transmorphications through her shifting nature was starting to overtake her ability to remain calm. This internal and external conflict within Camryn is brilliantly portrayed by Jacobs who gives you a realistic portal into Camryn and her emotional state. Her voice descends in age quite a bit for the first bits of her time spent in the forest – almost as if she is in a tug-o-war with her growing ascension into maturity. It is like puberty on hyper-speed!

Ohar: His voice doesn’t change as much as Camyrn’s – he has a slow and steady vocal pattern with splintered English, like someone who doesn’t like the taste of the words or isn’t used to the ways in which words are used in the language itself. Understandably so, as he is a entirely different species! He has a calm spirit about him, which I think does well to portray him as a guardian and protector for Camryn.

Ohar’s Mum: My first reaction to Ohar’s Mum was “dramatic, much?” as she has an over the top reactionary tactics to get people to bend to her will and her demands. Honestly, as far as villains go – she takes the cake! Her voice makes you cringe and you can’t wait for her to get out of the scenes! You can definitely understand her role in the story and why her motives are being hidden from sight — she holds the cards to the fates she’s interfering (ie. Ohar and Camryn) to influence without the remorse of a woman who regrets her actions. She is vindictive and calculating – definitely someone to watch closely!

How the story sounded to me as it was being Read: (theatrical or narrative)

This audiobook is spoken narrative but I felt there was aspects of it which felt closer to a theatre production wherein you would be viewing a staged play. Especially the initial sequencing where we’re privy to the birth of Camryn and are tucked close inside the mortal realistation of how her parents are trying to brace for a truth they cannot accept but most find the courage to do so against the will of their hearts.

Regards to Articulation & Performance of the story:

Every nuance of this story is articulated and performed well. You have such a lovely symphony of new words and phrases illuminating through the story-line, it was a treat of the ears to hear Jacobs speak these words and give breadth to the world Lynch created. In many ways, it was easier to shift into the world itself because you could ‘hear’ how all the fantastical words were meant to be heard rather than what I generally lean-on which are my own unique translations and articulations of fantastical worlds!

Notes on the Quality of Sound & the Background Ambiance:

I didn’t detect any background ambiance issues and the sound is crisp, clear and professional. There aren’t any musical interludes or segues or special effects either – even though they could have been used and would have blended into the background rather nicely.

Preference after listening to re-Listen or pick up the book in Print?

This is a good question! I must confess, I had a peek about the digital ebook on Scribd for the trilogy as I had a lot of issues sorting out how to spell some of the character’s names – this is something I find difficult about most audiobooks and wish they were blessed with Cast Lists as it is always hard for me to infer how to spell the names of the characters, the locales, settings or other key topical points of interest I like to discuss on my reviews for audiobooks. I was blessed to search for this series on Scribd a second time and came up with the serial omnibus in ebook – I can’t read an ebook due to the length and my issues with chronic migraines – however, the peek about I gave it allowed me to distill the information I needed to round out this review.

Thereby if anyone wants to read this in ebook or listen to the audiobook – I suggest you search for the omnibus editions in whichever format you prefer to become introduced to the series. Both are readily available on Scribd if you have a subscription to their services.

As far as preferences goes – the main reason I broached by I used the ebook to scout out the names of the characters is why I am considering it might behoove me to pick up the print copies of these books to re-listen to the audiobooks! As this is a luxury I love having – as I can move between the print and the audiobook, not just to re-listen or to hear for the first time (depending which experience came first) the story itself but to seek out the words and phrases the author used inside the plotting of her novel. I also like to see how the names are spelt and how my own interpretations within an audiobook might differ from how they were first enscribed into print. (here I refer to the original manuscript, not necessarily the print edition as oft-times stories are now Digital First (ie. ebooks) before they become an audiobook release; limiting print to being third rather than second or first)

The long short? I was originally going to purchase the print and audiobook versions – however, I took issues with some of the imagery and directions of the story-line; therefore I am thankful I listened to this via Scribd.

In closing, would I seek out another Rachel Jacobs audiobook?

Most definitely! Especially considering I’ll be soaking into the next two stories in sequence of The Forest People before this tour concludes – as I’ll be sharing my ruminations on behalf of The Choosing and The Summoning next Saturday! I’m uncertain how I will feel about the next two installments of the series – but I am hopeful the components of what I enjoyed about Camryn’s journey might be captured in the next portions of her story. After which, I’ll be kicking off a full month of FANTASY here on Jorie Loves A Story throughout the month of MAY!

If your on the blog tour, what have you’ve enjoyed thus far? And, if your taking part in #WyrdAndWonder – is this the kind of Young Adult Fantasy which draws your eye towards exploring it further?

 This blog tour is courtesy of Audiobookworm Promotions:

Whilst participating on:

Listening to this audiobook counted towards some of my 2019 readerly goals & the literary focuses I chose to highlight:

Whilst acting as a precursor of Fantasy reads before:

IF anyone is interested in participating in #WyrdAndWonder, kindly let me know in the threads below this review and I will help you learn how you can join this celebration of Fantasy! It is for anyone who loves Fantasy stories – in all mediums of interest – from novels, short stories, novellas, motion pictures, musical interludes, artwork or even tv series! If it involves Fantasy, we’re celebrating it! There is a high level of focus on *books!* and/or other stories of interest within the literary realms as all three of us who are co-hosting / co-founding this book blogosphere + social media event (across blogs, Twitter and #bookstagram) are in effect established book bloggers! Our first love and joy are the STORIES which have inspired our love of the genre but as this is our 2nd Year for #WyrdAndWonder we all all striving to find new ways to celebrate the fantastical!

Participation is OPEN to anyone who has a blog, Twitter or Instagram account who wants to either celebrate the participants joining the event by sharing links to their posts/content and/or become a direct participant themselves and curate their own content to share! This can be a series of special features, blog posts, Twitter posts or #bookstagram challenge responses which I will be more pro-active on sharing my own replies via #bookishTwitter this year moreso than I was able to last year!

Bloggers, Writers, Readers or the bookishly geeky who love FANTASY – join us! May, 2019!

PS: Did you spy the wizard’s hat in my social bar linkage?

Routes directly to @WyrdAndWonder!

FYI: Top of my blog, tucked underneath my blog’s banner (smiles).

{SOURCES: Cover art of “The Awakening”, “The Choosing” and “The Summoning”, book synopsis, author & narrator biographies, photographs of Maggie Lynch and Rachcel Jacobs as well as the Audiobookworm Promotions badge and the audiobook tour badge were all provided by Audiobookworm Promotions and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded by codes provided by Twitter. Wyrd and Wonder banner created by Imyril and used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Book Spotlight Banner and the Comment Box Banner.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• #BeatTheBacklist 2019
• 2019 Audiobook Challenge