The Knockout by Sajni Patel

The Knockout by Sajni Patel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was on the edge of my seat whenever Kareena donned her gloves or got up close and personal with Amit.

Kareena Thakkar had practiced Muay Thai boxing since she was an eight-year-old and was performing at an elite level by the time she was a senior in high school. But she had learned her lesson long ago; girls weren’t supposed to participate, let alone excel, at contact sports, especially not Indian girls. Prejudice against her had cost her friendships and social acceptance in the close-knit, local Indian community, so she had learned to keep her sport to herself and, of course, her supportive mother and father.

When she hit high school, her father was stricken with a complicated renal disease, and the last couple of years had seen him in and out of the hospital, each time an emergency as he teetered on the brink of death. The medical bill mounted, and finances got worse when he was unable to continue working. The house and many possessions were sold, and Kareena’s mother took a second job to make ends meet.

Kareena’s refuge became the Muay Thai program, and as she worked to escape her fears, she pushed herself toward excellence. Then the letter inviting her to participate in the national Muay Thai competition arrived. Her coach urged her to accept, explaining this was her first step toward representing the US on the international stage and, perhaps, a spot on a future US Olympic team. The $50,000 prize awarded to the winner would also go a long way toward easing her family’s financial woes. But first, Kareena would have to raise the money to get to the competition, and finding that kind of funding seemed like an impossible hurdle.

The Knockout by Sajni Patel is a new contemporary young adult tale featuring the unique and tantalizing combination of Muay Thai boxing, Indian culture, learning to trust, and first love. Kareena Thakkar is a talented competitor in her senior year of high school, a time traditionally filled with many memorable activities that could easily become distractions in her preparations to compete nationally. Complicating everything is her father’s illness, its impact on the family’s financial health and future, and the toxic vibes Kareena has been getting from the local Indian community over the preceding years. Not only was the story compelling and emotion-filled, but it challenged societal views of gender-appropriate sports.

Kareena is smart and sassy, a fun and engaging girl under normal circumstances, and a wonderfully supportive daughter to her overwhelmed parents. She does an amazing job keeping her life on track but constantly worries because her parents aren’t telling her everything about her father’s condition and their financial situation; they still see her as a child and want to preserve that innocence and protect her from the grim truth. However, this girl’s no dummy. She’s been participating in the highly physical martial art of Muay Thai boxing since she was eight, and backed by her parents’ belief and support and a never-give-up attitude; she has excelled and found success, acceptance, and respect in the ring. It is no wonder that when things get off-balance at home, she begins to rely more and more on the gym as a refuge, a place she can feel she has some control over things in her life.

There are other pressures, social ones, bearing down as well, any one of which would be enough in itself: a friendship that dissolved over a misunderstanding over a boy resulting in a former confidant spreading malicious rumors about her at school and the continued censure of the aunties and uncles isolating her from the Indian community when they learn of her boxing. Kareena maintains superhuman control over her emotions when taunted by her former friend, Saanvi.

Another storyline is her developing relationship with classmate Amit Patel, the projected class valedictorian and “perfect Indian son.” Amit is an enigma to Kareena. Not only does he have secrets of his own, but she also doesn’t quite trust his involvement in her life because she’s been burned before. But the chemistry between the two is palpable, and I was rooting for Amit to prove to be as good as he seemed and become the true friend (and perhaps the love of her life) that Kareena deserved.

The teenage characters ring true throughout the book, feeling genuine and authentic in their words and deeds. The fight scenes were descriptive enough to depict the emotional and adrenaline-charged atmosphere without too many bloody details. The scenes were riveting and tense, and I was on the edge of my seat every time Kareena donned her gloves.

With its unique premise and engaging characters, I recommend THE KNOCKOUT to readers who enjoy contemporary young adult tales, sports themes, family dramas, and stories steeped in modern Indian culture.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Social Vampire by James Schannep

Social Vampire

by

James Schannep

Romance / Young Adult

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Page count: 318 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

SYNOPSIS:

At a new school, you get a chance to reinvent yourself, so…why not be a vampire?

Gordon is hiding something. Is it the fact that he’s secretly a vampire? No, of course n-wait. Yes. That’s exactly what he’s hiding. Let’s go with that.

So when this nerdy teen moves to a small town where all the kids are obsessed with vampire fiction, he reinvents himself as their dream character: dark & brooding, cool as hell, and overly susceptible to stabs through the heart.

While rivaling the alpha male jock, garnering the attention of the most popular girl in his class, and forming a hilarious friendship with the girl next door (the only one who knows his secret), Gordon might find that his new school is the perfect place for him to shine-or, better yet, sparkle.

But if his classmates dig up the truth, it’ll be the nail in his coffin…

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READ AN EXCERPT:

Taking my first bite of Pop-Tarts, I turned to head inside, but froze in my tracks when I heard something that made my teenage ears perk up.

“Hi, I’m Emily,” said one voice.

“Kimberly,” said the second.

“Gordon!” said Dad.

Girls. I quickly chewed up and swallowed the dry mouthful of toaster pastry before dumping the rest inside the top drawer of Dad’s tool chest. He only ever called me “Gordon” if he was specifically trying not to embarrass me (as I generally loathed nicknames), or if I were in trouble. This situation felt like it might be a bit of both. Indeed, if Dad wasn’t calling me “Gordy,” that could only mean one thing. As I rounded the column of stacked boxes, the girls coming into view, my suspicions were confirmed.

Yep, they were cute.

They wore matching soccer uniforms, long hair pulled back into ponytails: one blonde and the other brunette. Grass-stained white and red Bozeman Hawks jerseys, athletic shorts, knee-high socks. They carried their cleats with laces tied together and slung over their respective shoulders. On their feet, they wore slip-on toeless athletic sandals; socks still dirty from practice. The blonde carried a soccer ball in the crook of her arm and eyed me cautiously.

“We came by because we heard there was a new kid,” her counterpart said.

A range of responses fired across my synapses. I could:

• Play it cool and go with a nonchalant, “Well, then you won’t leave disappointed.”
• Give a sly look to the packing boxes and say, “Not much gets past you. I’m guessing you play defense.”
• Totally choke and mutter a noncommittal, “Uh…yeah….”

I went with the third option.

Hey, when you’re fourteen (or fifteen, or fourteen, again), the presence of a pretty girl will often sever the connection between brain and mouth. And two pretty girls? No chance of intelligent discourse whatsoever.

“Do you play soccer?” the one with the ball asked. One-track mind.

Boy, did I want to say yes. I didn’t play soccer, not in the slightest, but couldn’t I say yes anyway, then spend all weekend learning how to play? How hard could it be? She didn’t ask if I played soccer well, and it would still be mostly true, if I intended to play soccer, right? I mean, I literally knew how to kick a ball….

The words leapt into my throat, ready to scream, “Yes! I love soccer! Gooooo¬aaaa-aaaaa¬lllll!!!!!”

But something more powerful overrode the system—my inability to lie.

“Uh, no,” I said. “Sorry.”

The blonde made a forced, toothless smile—more like a grimace—and looked down at the garage floor in disappointment. Strike one! Swing and a miss! (This is what’s called “mixing your metaphors” but, hey, I said I didn’t know anything about soccer).

“Well, do you, umm, like to read? We’re in a book club,” the brunette said.

“Yes!” I said, a little too excitedly. Then I gathered myself and asked, “What are you reading?”

“RMH:VA…again,” she said with a giggle.

“R-M…V?” I asked. I didn’t get the joke.

“Rocky Mountain High: Vampire Academy,” her friend explained.

My mind searched for recognition. Where had I heard that before? It took a second, but the book cover from the truck stop rack flashed to mind just as the brunette continued.

“We’re re-reading the first five books just in time for the new release. Red Moon Yellowstone is supposedly where the love triangle really gets interesting. Sorry, fangirling here. Anyway. Do you want to read with us?” the brunette asked, her voice lilting up at the end of the question. Hopeful.

I cringed deeper, collapsing into internal despair, trying not to answer. But the words came; painfully extracted like I was in the dentist’s chair.

“No,” I said, honestly.

They shared matching frowns this time. Penalty flag! Punted that one deep offside, or whatever.

“So, what do you do?” the blonde asked, no longer trying to hide her contempt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Schannep has no tragic backstory.

Having grown up in a fairly ordinary suburban household, with a family who loved him, he was forced to dream up far flung adventures on strange new worlds where the hero can save the day and make a difference through strength of character alone.

Schannep attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in English Literature with a minor in General Engineering. After serving honorably as a Nuclear Missile Command and Control Officer, he returned to trying to make a difference through story.

As a screenwriter, game designer, and novelist, he is probably best known for his Click Your Poison series of interactive gamebooks.

Social Vampire is his first novel.

When not dreaming up strange new worlds, James lives in the one inhabited by his wife, who faithfully remains the patroness of his art, and with his children, who don’t quite grasp what they’ve inherited yet with such an eccentric father.

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Royal Blood (Royal Blood, #1) by Aimée Carter

Royal Blood by Aimee Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A stellar start to this new contemporary young adult trilogy!

When Evangeline Bright was eleven years old, she was finally told the truth about the father she had never known. He was actually the King of England and a married man at that, and Evan had a half-sister born the same day as she was. Her mother had had an affair with the young prince who was destined to sit on the throne one day, but his father, the current monarch, was still a young man and expected to reign for years to come. However, when he suddenly passed away, Alexander was rushed home to take up his royal duties and position, leaving Laura Bright, an American commoner and an unsuitable marital prospect back in the states.

Heartbroken, Alexander had married appropriately, hoping love would follow. But a few years later, while visiting the U.S., Alexander and Laura rekindled their romance despite his marriage to Queen Helene: the result being Evangeline. As time went on, Laura began to suffer from schizophrenia, requiring treatment, and Evan was raised by her grandmother. But when her grandmother died, her father, now king and father to Evan’s half-sister, Maisie, stepped in and sent her to what would become a series of stateside boarding schools. Unhappy to be separated from her mother, Evan diligently devised ways to be expelled from each school in the hope of being sent home for good.

Accidentally causing a fire at her latest school, Evan is arrested for arson. The king’s personal assistant, Jenkins, however, shows up at the police station, gains her release, and rather than Evan getting her wish, whisks her to Windsor Castle to become part of her father’s household. Unfortunately, in acting so quickly, he hadn’t cleared his plan with the king, and before he has the chance to break the news, Evan comes face to face with the father she’s never met.

Royal Blood is the first book in author Aimée Carter’s new contemporary young adult series of the same name. The book is exciting and full of intrigue, and definitely not the typical fairy tale or rags to riches story; it addresses some very serious topics. Evangeline, or Evan as she is called, is a wonderful heroine with a quick wit and a kind heart and carries some heavy issues on her young shoulders. I was rooting for this unique and engagingly sympathetic underdog from the first page.

Evan is surprisingly resilient and very understanding of the Queen’s and her half-sister’s feelings, even as they treat her horribly. So much information about her past, including her parents’ history with each other, had been kept from her, and it is no wonder that misunderstandings occurred. With the death of her grandmother, her mother’s mental illness, and her absentee father, she has way more hanging over her head than a child should ever have to handle alone. She deals with her situation the only way she thinks will be successful; she purposely acts out and gets expelled. Other than her having to change schools, though, her actions have no consequences.

Once ensconced at Windsor Castle and among the family and their coterie of relatives and friends, Evan is targeted by the media and attracts all manner of abuse from the press and their followers. But the intrigue starts immediately and although, Maisie, Gia, and Rosie start out as typical ‘mean girls,’ they eventually start to relent, especially when Evan holds the key to keeping their princess out of serious trouble. However, she finally has something she’s not had in the past: a friend her age.

The story includes an incident of drugging, attempted date rape, and death, and the author presents the events from Evan’s point of view without excuses from the perpetrator. As the tragedy unfolds, readers will recognize and relate to how easily the awful events happened.

Each chapter starts with either a text message exchange between characters, a news story, or a media interview related to what is happening in the story. These add some fun insight or extra needed information in an interesting way. Each chapter ends on a small cliffhanger that worked like magic on me to keep reading! The story completely hooked me from the start, and those teasers had me reading page after page until done. I am looking forward to the next book of the trilogy with great anticipation.

With its exciting plot, family intrigue, and great characters, I recommend ROYAL BLOOD to readers who enjoy contemporary young adult fiction, especially those who like a secret baby or fish out of water theme.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author or publisher through TBR and Beyond Book Tours.


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