Welcome to my stop on the FALL IN LOVE Blog Hop! Thanks to Jenese at Readers Confession and author Toni Aleo for hosting this fabulous Blog Hop!!
Although I don’t typically write reviews of the books I read, I LOVE to recommend books that I’ve fallen in love with. And one of those books this year was Cecy’s Robson’s THE WEIRD GIRLS: A NOVELLA. The novella is a prequel to Robson’s upcoming Urban Fantasy series, which debuts in December with SEALED WITH A CURSE.
So, here’s the scoop on THE WEIRD GIRLS:
Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other 20-something girls—with one tiny exception: they’re products of a backfired curse that has given each of them unique powers that make them, well, a little weird…
The Wird sisters are different from every race on earth — human and supernatural. When human society is no longer an option for them, they move in among the resident vampires, werebeasts, and witches of the Lake Tahoe region. Could this be the true home they’ve longed for? Um, not quite. After the sisters accidentally strip a witch of her powers in a bar brawl, they soon realize the mistake will cost them. Because to take on a witch means to take on her coven. And losing the battle isn’t an option…
Why I fell in love with this novella:
I’m generally not a fan of prequel novellas because I feel like they too often read like a prologue for the novel and lack any substance. But I can guarantee you that is not the case with this one! THE WEIRD GIRLS reads like a full novel, just shorter. The plot is fully fleshed out and completely separate from the novels that are to follow and could easily stand on its own. That being said, the novella does an awesome job introducing readers to the Wird sisters, their conflicts (internal and external), their unique abilities, and their family dynamics.
And Robson has a knack for description that blew me away. Everything she described — whether it was the setting or the characters’ emotional responses to the action — was fantastic! There’s one scene with rats (which is one of my biggest phobias, by the way), that had me crawling out of my skin. I was there with Celia every moment of the story.
Speaking of Celia — she’s a seriously kick-ass heroine! The battles were suspenseful, bloody, and action-packed without being over-the-top.
THE WEIRD GIRLS is also hilarious at times, offering a satisfying balance between action, suspense, and humor. I laughed out loud on several occasions, usually just when the story needed a little levity to lighten things up. Here’s a sample of what you can expect:
“Witches were a lot like Jersey Girls. You didn’t want to get in between two fighting. Fists, foul mouths, and fake hair would fly.”
The central conflict between the sisters and a witch with a boulder-sized chip on her shoulder is fabulously done and definitely kept me turning the pages. But even more enticing to me on a personal level was how beautifully Robson portrayed the relationship that Celia has with each of her sisters. There was one scene in particular that was so gut-wrenchingly painful to read, I was in tears (and that’s a compliment).
Basically, Robson’s novella is skillfully written, engaging, action-packed, witty, and damned funny. It grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let go. I hope you’ll give this series a try when it debuts in December!
And if you want to run out and pre-order the novella and/or SEALED WITH A CURSE, I will be giving away a $10 gift card to either Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) as part of the Blog Hop to get you started.
And don’t forget to hop over to visit the other bloggers taking part in the blog hop to find out who they fell in love with this year and have a chance to win other fabulous prizes!
As a special treat, co-hostess Toni Aleo is even giving away a Kindle Fire to one lucky hopper: www.tonialeo.com.
Thanks for stopping by, folks — and happy reading!
Thanks for sharing, it does sound like it would be a good read …
What a great idea for a hop! Thank you for the giveaway…
Thank you, Beckey. I hope you enjoy my series.
Thank you, Trix. Best of luck with the giveaway!
To Kate SeRine: who has written a commanding series, and whose review of my novella brought tears to my eyes, I thank you. You are a wonderful friend and an amazing author.
@Beckey – My pleasure! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
@Trix – Thanks for stopping by! Good luck in the giveaway! 🙂
Truly my pleasure, Cecy! I wouldn’t have said any of it if it wasn’t true. I look forward to letting folks get to know you a little better when you stop by to chat on November 16th! 😀
The Weird Sisters looks really good! Thanks for the giveaway!
Kendal
Thanks for being part of the hop and for the chance to win.
reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Awesome blog post, Kate! And I totally agree that the Weird Girls are AMAZING!
Thanks for the great giveaway and the book recommendation. I will definitely be checking out the Weird Girls.
kesummer69(at)gmail(dot)com
I love getting all these book recommendations. Thanks for being on the hop!
Hi Kendal, The Weird Sisters is actually a different series, but I hear it’s really good. My series is The Weird Girls, I hope you’ll give us both a try. : D Thank you so much for stopping by.
Thank you, Kait! Looking forward to the debut of your Execution Underground Series. Holla!
Thank you, Kelsey! I hope you enjoy getting to know my Weird Girls. Best wishes to you!
The Weird Girls sounds just what I love to read. I definitely will be preordering it.
Sounds like a great story. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! I’m so delighted to be part of the Fall in Love blog hop! I hope you all enjoy Cecy’s novella as much as I did. 🙂
Weird girls sounds like MY kind of book 😉 Looking forward to checking it out.
I think you would definitely love this one, Sheila! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation! I’m definitely checking it out 🙂
Thank you Kate for recommending Cecy and her book. I am always on the hunt for new authors and you have really got me interested in her novella and upcoming book.
koonie2888 at yahoo dot com
I’m usually not a big fan of prequel’s either, so it’s good to know that The Weird Girls is one that is worth reading.
drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com
Great post I am going to put this book in my to read list. thanks!
A new author I’ve fallen in love with Debra Anastasia. She is the author of Poughkeepsie and it is an awesome love story. There’s a lot of heavy emotional content in the book but she balances it quite nicely with hilariously funny secondary characters. It is a phenomenal book if you ever get the chance to read it. Thanks for joining the hop and for the chance to win!
Thanks for a fabulous giveaway! It sounds awesome!
Thanks for the awesome giveaway! I’m really looking forward to reading this series!
I’m also dying to read Red, it looks fnatastic!
Happy Hopping! =D
@Lacey – I think you’d like this series. Very sassy! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Michelle, Kathryn, and Ellie: I think readers are really going to enjoy this series and become big fans of Cecy Robson. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Elizabeth – Thanks for stopping by! I’ve not heard of Debra Anastasia, but I love books with a great balance of emotion and humor! I’ll have to check this one out. 🙂
Molly – My pleasure! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Carmen – Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the WEIRD GIRLS – I know I’m looking forward to diving into the novel and sharing more of their adventures.
And thanks for your interest in RED! I hope you have as much fun reading the novel as I had writing it! 🙂
I love this whole concept! My new author this year is Nan Reinhardt, author of the delicious RULE NUMBER ONE.
Thanks for stopping by, Liz! I keep meaning to add Nan’s book to my TBR list–it sounds wonderful! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Thanks for joining the hop.
This looks to be a great series! I will add it to my list of need to reads 🙂 Thanks
My pleasure, Joy! Thanks for coming by. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Carin! I hope you enjoy the series! 🙂
The series sound really good, thanks for the chance to win.
I don’t usually do prequels when I haven’t read the main series. Thanks for the rec.
Thanks for the opportunity to learn about your fav author. It’s always nice being introduced to new authors. Thanks for sharing!
Belinda G
belgre@comcast.net
This sounds good.
thank you for sharing this recommendation and for the giveaway
all teh best
Thanks for introducing this series and for running this awesome giveaway! 🙂
tess_halim(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you for the review. LIke you, I don’t normally like prequels but this sounds like the exception! I’m adding to my TBR list!
@Dawna: OMG, thank you so much! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you’re interested in my series! On behalf of Celia, Taran, Shayna, Emme, and myself, we thank you!
@Sheri, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy my “weird” girls as much as I do. : D
@Sheila: Thank you. I certainly hope you enjoy my girls and the adventures I force upon them. ; D
@Lacey: Thank you. I really hope you’ll give my series a try!
@Michelle: thank you! If you like twisted humor, action, and great sexual tension, I think you’ll find that you’ll like my Weird Girls series.
@Kathryn, to be honest, I’m not a fan of prequels either. I tried to make this more like a mini-novel rather than simply an introduction. Hopefully you’ll find that I did it justice. Thank you for stopping by!
@Ellie: Thank you! I’m hoping my novels pull you right into my “weird” world.
@Carmen. Thank you! I hope you dive right into my Weird Girls series. And, I must say, RED rocks! I can’t wait to read THE BETTER TO SEE YOU.
@Carin, thank you for your willingness to give my “weird” girls a try. I hope you enjoy my series!
Thank you @Ann. Good luck with the contest and thank you for your interest in my series.
@Jan: Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll give my series a try. : D
@Belinda: And thank YOU for stopping by and leaving a comment. Best wishes to you!
@bn: Thank you. Best of luck to you!
@miki: thank to YOU. Good luck to you, always!
@Tess: Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment. Good luck!
@Books4me: Thank you. I hope you’ll find it’s more like a mini-novel. Like Kate says, I believe it works as a stand-alone. I hope you enjoy it. Best of luck to you!
It’s nice to know there are some novellas out there that are actually stories, I have read way too many that feel like they are the first couple of chapters for a book.
Thanks for participating in the hop and having a giveaway!
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
Fabulous review! You have convinced me to add this to my TBR. 🙂
Love the “Jersey girl” reference!
Thank you, BookAttict. And thank you so much for your follow on Twitter. I hope you enjoy my series.
Thank you for the great giveaway!!
Thank you for the giveaway!! And the GC choice!
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Looks like a very good book. Thanks for the giveaway.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway & I hope you have a great day!
I love finding new to me authors, I’m looking forward to reading the Transplanted Tales series. Thx for the great giveaway.
blinkysthebest at aol dot com
I really like the banner at the top of your blog 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! I hope you’ll all give the WEIRD GIRLS a try! I’ll be chatting with Cecy on my blog later next week and giving away some awesome WEIRD GIRLS swag! I hope you’ll come by again and learn more about Cecy and her novels. 🙂
Thanks, Lona! I hope you enjoy my TRANSPLANTED TALES! 🙂
Thanks, Gaby. 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway! I haven’t heard of Weird Girls but I’m going to look into it now! 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway! The book sounds quirky and interesting.
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! I will be announcing a winner for the giveaway later this weekend. 🙂
[…] been hanging out on my blog lately, you’ve probably seen me gush about Cecy Robson’s THE WEIRD GIRLS: A NOVELLA. Well, I just finished an ARC of her debut urban fantasy novel, SEALED WITH A CURSE, and let me […]
[…] certainly falls into that category!! If you’re new to my blog, check out my thoughts on her WEIRD GIRLS novella and the first book in the series, SEALED WITH A CURSE. If you love kick-ass heroines, […]