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Review
Imagine it's New York City in the roaring twenties and you teach English in a night school for immigrants. Sounds pretty normal, but add in the fact that vampires and all sorts of "Others" are integrated into society alongside humans. Not sounding so typical anymore,  unless you're Zephyr Hollis. Zephyr, reformed "Defender", is a "blessed" blade wielding, social activist extraordinaire, feminist, and closet Jazz singer. The vampire suffragette, as she's affectionately and mockingly known, is sent into a tail spin when a series of events beginning with a half dead little boy she finds in an alley on her way to teach one evening. Zephyr's comings and goings include a charming cast of characters including her hypocritically prudish landlady Mrs. Brodsky, roommate with a sixth sense Aileen, socialite and journalist Lily, and the ever mysterious Amir. Amir is not only an "Other" unlike any Zephyr's ever encountered, but also he's flirtatious, sarcastic, and dangerous- a winning combination for an intense budding romance.

Alaya Johnson has written a fast-paced, engaging novel. Her no nonsense, sharp tongued characterizations of Zephyr and Amir make this an enchanting read. The notion of Moonshine being merely another vampire or paranormal fiction novel is taking it a bit too lightly. Though a quirky and supernatural tale, it's also a guise for a more grounded critique on race. Zephyr struggles daily to get humans to see that the "Others", who openly live, work, and play in mainstream society, are still deserving of humanity even if not human.


Giveaway
Now that you totally wanna read Moonshine, here's your chance to win a copy!
Please leave a comment for each entry completed and be sure to leave a valid email address so I can notify you if you win.

Main entry (this must be done to enter): If we lived in a society with sometimes dangerous, but often harmless "Others", would you be a Defender or Suffragette and why? You don't have to write more than a sentence.

Bonus entries:
RT this review and giveaway on Twitter +1 (include permalink in your comment by clicking the time stamp to that particular tweet)
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Giveaway will close on Thursday, June 3 and winner will be announce on Friday, June 4.
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About the Author
ALAYA JOHNSON is a recent Columbia graduate, and denizen of New York City.

Book Synopsis
Imagining vampires at the heart of the social struggles of 1920s, Moonshine blends a tempestuous romance with dramatic historical fiction, populated by a lively mythology inhabiting the gritty New York City streets Zephyr Hollis is an underfed, overzealous social activist who teaches night school to the underprivileged of the Lower East Side. Strapped for cash, Zephyr agrees to help a student, the mysterious Amir, who proposes she use her charity worker cover to bring down a notorious vampire mob boss. What he doesn’t tell her is why. Soon enough she’s tutoring a child criminal with an angelic voice, dodging vampires high on a new blood-based street drug, and trying to determine the real reason behind Amir’s request—not to mention attempting to resist his dark, inhuman charm.

www.alayadawnjohnson.com

Moonshine Tour Stops

Monday, May 24       Books And... live chat
Tuesday, May 25      Parajunkee
Wednesday, May 26 Fang-tastic Books
Thursday, May 27     BrownGirl BookSpeak
Friday, May 28          Not Really Southern Vamp Chick

I received this book from the publisher via Books And... virtual book tours.

Challenges:
African Diaspora
Women Unbound
POC Reading
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7 Comments
 
 
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Kimberly finds herself trapped in the jealous grip of her mother's sister as they work for peanuts in her clothing factory (read sweatshop) to repay the expenses of their move to America that include squalid living conditions.  She initially struggles in her new school as her teacher has no empathy for his students' struggles with language, poverty, or any other hardship. Kimberly soon realizes that education is her and her mother's salvation. While she focuses on her studies which lead to her exemplary turn at an exclusive private school for gifted students, she also finds herself falling for one of the boys who works in the factory.

Kwok's beautifully written debut novel is such a refreshing take on the immigrant story. I felt like a voyeur as I watched Kimberly triumph over innumerable obstacles with an amazing unwavering determination but without some neat  bow tied ending.  The author's command of language leaps off the page in her use of colorful Chinese colloquialisms and Kimberly's early attempts at decoding many of the new English words she hears. I can't say more without obnoxious babbling. But, I am gushing over Jean Kwok's Girl In Translation.  I just adore this novel immensely and how I was allowed to become invested in such a remarkable character's life.

www.jeankwok.com

Challenges:
Women Unbound
POC Reading

I received this book from the publisher via LibraryThing.
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Esperanza is your typical "nerd". She reads voraciously, has amazing study habits, has little fashion knowledge beyond jeans and t-shirts, and is accident prone. The best thing about the lead character of Beyond the Gardens is that she's perfectly content with who she is and grateful to be out of the barrio. She's fulfilling her dream of being in college, an art college, at that, where she studies animation. During freshmen year, she discovers that her childhood best friend, Carlos, wants to be more than friends but, she's fallen for another guy who has the same love for books as she does. Meanwhile, Esperanza forms an unlikely friendship with her shopaholic roommate.

Lopez easily takes us through the saga of a young woman from a working class east L.A. neighborhood dealing with the usual growing pains: first loves, finding a job, self-discovery. She thoughtfully explores a colorful mother-daughter dynamic which is refreshing.  In Esperanza, Sandra Lopez has written a believably studious and aspirational character. Through a solid first person narrative, the reader will cheer for Esperanza as she enters adulthood and carves her path Beyond the Gardens.
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About the author
Sandra C. López was born and raised in Hawaiian Gardens, California. She learned to read at the young age of two and strived to achieve the best grades in school. Her free time was spent reading, writing, and drawing. Sandra managed to be the first in her family to graduate from high school and enter college. Her first novel, "Esperanza: A Latina Story," was published in March 2008 while she was still in college. Now, this young writer is a full graduate of Cal State University Fullerton with a BFA in Animation and Illustration, and she is anticipating a promising career as a writer and an artist. "Beyond the Gardens" is the follow up sequel to "Esperanza."

About the book
At the age of 18, Esperanza Ignacio begins her college years at an upscale Los Angeles art school, where she studies to fulfill her long-term dream in Animation. But she soon learns the truth to the old folktale: “you can take the girl out of the barrio, but you can’t take the barrio out of the girl.” Even though she’s getting financial aid, Esperanza works a part-time job during her break from classes just to make ends meet. Her roommate, Anna, is what she calls a “chicana from Beverly Hills” because of the rich daddy and the new car she got for her quinceañera.

Things get a little confusing for Esperanza when an old friend comes looking for her, hoping to start a meaningful relationship. But is Carlos the right guy for her? She never even considered him to be anything more than a friend since high school. Then comes Jake, a gorgeous mechanic, who shares her passion for books and loves her for who she is. What’s a girl to do?

Strength and determination help pave the way for the future. And, as she approaches her graduation, she is faced with a difficult decision: should she leave Los Angeles and leave behind her family, her home, and everything she’s known? Ever since she was born in the California barrio of Hawaiian Gardens, she’s always had to look over the fence, wondering what she’s been missing. Now she’s taking a flying leap over to see what’s beyond the little barrio. What’s beyond her family, her friends, and her past? What’s beyond the little nothing town, where dreams don’t exist? What’s beyond The Gardens? Is it life, love, a future? The story of Esperanza is finally concluded in this wildly entertaining and heart-warming sequel.

 
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Beyond the Gardens
By Sandra C. Lopez
Price: $19.50
ISBN-13: 9781432746988
Published: Outskirts Press
www.dulcebreadandbookshop.com

Praise for Beyond the Gardens

“Sandra Lopez’s sequel to Esperanza--Beyond the Gardens--
reacquaints the reader with a compelling character,
Esperanza, her barrio past and her college present, as
she struggles to get an education and find her identity. A
heartwarming story that young, female teens will enjoy!”
—Donna Del Oro – Author of Operation Familia and Hasta La Vista, Baby


“It’s not easy to figure out who you want to be, especially
if you’re a chica from the barrio. With a crazy family
and un amigo, who has suddenly decided he wants her,
brainy college student, Esperanza, finds herself having to
make some tough decisions. In this humorous and sweet
novel, Lopez brings us lovable characters we want to root
for from page one. Don’t miss it!”
—Lara Rios – Author of Becoming Latina in 10 Easy Steps



Tour Schedule


Monday     April 26     Bonnie S. Mata     http://authoroffaith.blogspot.com/   

Tuesday    April 27     Mayra Calvani     http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner

 Wednesday     April 28     Christina Rodriguez   http://www.christinarodriguez.com/

 Thursday     April 29     Lori Calabrese     http://loricalabrese.com/blog/

                                         http://www.examiner.com/x-7597-Childrens-Books-Examiner

 Friday     April 30     Mary Jo     http://writerinspired.wordpress.com/

 Monday     May 3     Erin O'Riordan     http://www.erinoriordan.blogspot.com/

Tuesday    May 4     Joylene Nowell Butler     http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/

Wednesday     May 5     Terri Lee-Johnson     http://www.browngirlspeaks.com/


Thursday     May 6     Romina Tybitt     http://www.mamaxxi.blogspot.com/   


Friday     May 7     Leslie Toledo     http://thatchickthatreads.blogspot.com/   
 
Our author, Sandra Lopez, will be selecting from the comments on the tour stops a winner to receive a copy of Beyond the Gardens.
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