I'm really excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel. I read the companion book, Black Birds of the Gallows, last year and really enjoyed it, so I was pumped to learn there would be another book in this world. I received a free e-copy for honest review. Thanks to Entangled Teen, YA Bound Book Tours, and Meg Kassel for letting me be a part of this fun tour.
Title: Keeper of the Bees
Author: Meg Kassel
Published by: Entangled Teen
Released: September 4, 2018
Summary: KEEPER
OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and
beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and
heartbreaking ways.
Dresden
is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from
stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting
montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And
he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic
flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.
He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.
He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.
Essie
is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own
life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a
simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and
Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be
powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.
My Thoughts: I read Black Birds of the Gallows by Meg Kassel last year and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to learn there was going to be a companion book to it. I was definitely interested in the subject matter of Keeper of the Bees because it was about a memorable creature that controls psychosis inducing bees. Of course, the bees are just one puzzle piece of this character.
I also want to give a shout out to the great covers this series has. I love the watercolor vibe it has to it, I love the colors chosen for it. I find watercolor covers very pretty, almost soothing. So props to the cover design team on this one.
I enjoyed Keeper of the Bees just as much as I liked Black Birds of the Gallows. I really enjoy the world portrayed in it, the creatures that are visible just under the radar. I really enjoyed learning about the Beekeepers. They are such a cursed character, much like the harbingers in the first book. Everywhere they go, destruction is not far behind. It's a very original and interesting concept.
I enjoyed reading from the two characters POV's. Their relationship journey was sweet and sad, just like I expected it to be.
I'd definitely recommend this series. It's really interesting, thought provoking, and action-packed. It's just different than other YA books. I know some people won't agree with that last statement, because it's essentially a human and a cursed non-human (kind of) falling in love, but the originality lies with the creatures themselves.
I'm really happy I got to read an early review copy. I can't wait to see what Meg Kassel comes out with next.
About the Author:
Meg
Kassel is an author of fantasy and speculative books for young
adults. A graduate of Parson's School of Design, she’s been
creating stories, whether with visuals or words, since childhood. Meg
is a New Jersey native who lives in a log house in the Maine woods
with her husband and daughter. As a fan of ’80s cartoons, Netflix
series, and ancient mythology, she has always been fascinated and
inspired by the fantastic, the creepy, and the futuristic. She is the
2016 RWA Golden Heart® winner in YA and a double 2018 RITA®
finalist for her debut novel, Black Bird of the Gallows.
Thank you for stopping by my Blog Tour Stop for Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel. Thanks so much to Entangled Teen and YA Bound Book Tours for including me on the tour.
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