#Jamison Shea

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases! (August 29th, 2023)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban

Pride & Prejudice & Pittsburg by Rachael Lippincott

Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt

After You Vanished by E.A. Neeves

The Reunion by Kit Frick

My Father, The Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang

What Happened On Hicks Road by Hannah Jayne

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

Night of the Living Queers by Various

House of Marionne by J. Elle

All You Have to Do by Autumn Allen

I Feed her to the Beast & the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea

More Than A Thief by Beverly Patt

Let's Never Speak of this Again by Megan Williams

New Sequels:

Never A Hero (Monsters #2) by Vanessa Len

The Brothers Hawthorne (The Inheritance Games #4) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Reign (American Royals #4) by Katharine McGee

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Happy reading!

#new releases #new books #Vanessa Montalban #Rachael Lippincott #Skyla Arndt #E.A. Neeves #Kit Frick #Jamie Jo Hoang #Hannah Jayne #Elizabeth Lim #Wendy Xu #J. Elle #Autumn Allen #Jamison Shea #Beverly Patt #Megan Williams #Vanessa Len #Jennifer Lynn Barnes #Katharine McGee #august 2023 #tbr #to-read #book list #book blog #book blogger #yalit #yareads #young adult #book reader #booklr

[myriad--starlings]

why is no one talking about I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me on tumblr it is THE tumblr girlie book of the yyeeeeaaaar it is FOR the toxic girlbestfriends crowd you people will love it

#i feed her to the beast #i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #jamison shea #local birb reads books

[the-final-sentence]

'Niamh,' I replied with a smile, glancing briefly to my dancing, wicked shadow, 'let me tell you about my friend Acheron.'

Jamison Shea, from I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

#I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me #Jamison Shea

[libraryleopard]

i'm reading i feed her to the beast and the beast is me and i respect that jamison shea really committed to the monster romance by making the love interest an actively poisonous, four-eyed bloody antlered guy who lives in the catacombs of paris

#i simply must respect the committment! #i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #jamison shea #books #lulu reads #lulu speaks #lulu reads i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #GREAT title btw

[readrenard]

I would like to introduce: my most anticipated release of 2023!!!

Jamison has an amazing style & I've wanted to read their stories for a while now. SO happy they are finally being published. I am hungry for the ambitious black ballerina who makes deals in blood to succeed against the rich.

I Feed her to the Beast and the Beast is Me releases 08/29/2023, but it's available for pre-order right now.

#i want i want i want #i want it so bad #black author #non-binary author #book release #anticipated releases #2023 books #I feed her to the beast and the beast is me #jamison shea #dark fantasy books #horror books

[raybeansbooks]

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me - Fiction – Fantastic Jamison Shea 2023 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Published in 2023, Shea’s debut novel is horrific, fantastical, cutthroat, and stunning. Watching a Black Ballerina turned demonic villain is a treat as she figures out who she really is and who her allies truly are. Readers follow protagonic Laure Mesny as she pushes herself to be a perfectionist and invaluable in the world of ballet that continues to disregard and shrug her off. When given the opportunity to be the best, she doesn’t hesitate to take it and refuses to back down or go back. Laure’s villain origin story is fantastic and chilling, one can’t help but root for her when someone the world around her is just as demonic as she is.

It is excellent to see more horror and black authors in YA fantasy, like most genres regardless of audience being dominated by white voices- no matter how good the story is, this is refreshing, invigorating, and just as fantastic.

I am neck deep in the world that Shea has created and the magic within it and I cannot wait for book two that is scheduled to release next year. She is one of the better horror YA authors I have read and cannot wait to check out further releases from her as well as investigate the work of her peers and/lr recommended authors/ titles. 

There have been a lot of diverse voices this past year or so in this slice of YA fiction and it’s been exciting to see how amazing it has been for me as well as other readers who are really appreciating the stories. I think something like Shea’s title would be an excellent recommendation for someone who is a fan of the horror genre that wants to see a clever and powerful black girl protagonist. I think there could be a great display of black girl or POC girl power with this as one of the representing titles. There is also discussion of the expectations and stereotypes of race and class addressed in this book that could be discussion points and warrant inclusion of this title in other settings. 

I recommend this book highly and if you are a fan yourself or not sure how interested you are, I recommend checking it out on websites like goodreads to read the comments and discussions people are having about it along with recommendations of other titles. 

“From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a slow-burn horror that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.” -Goodreads, 2023

Goodreads. (n.d.). I feed her to the beast and the beast is me. Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75283912-i-feed-her-to-the-beast-and-the-beast-is-me

Shea, J. (2023). I feed her to the beast and the beast is me. Henry Holt Company.

#book blog #books #literature #ya #fiction #young adult #contemporary #queer #jamison shea #dark #horror #ballet #ballerina #ballet dancer #demonic #body horro tw #shea #2023 #book recommendations #favorite

[astralbooks]

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me - Jamison Shea

Read: 09/08/2023 - 18/08/2023

Rating: 5/5

Rep: Black bi main character, brown love interest, Black side character, East Asian side character, Black minor characters, Japanese minor character, sapphic minor character

CW (listed in book): depictions of blood, ritualistic self-harm. bones and corpses, body horror, an instance of body shaming relating to ballet, non-graphic torture, murder, classism, racism, referenced parental neglect & abandonment

Review:

Laure is in her final year at the ballet academy in Paris. She consistently ranks as the top performer in her cohort, but is shunned by the majority of her peers and told to her face by board members of the Paris Ballet Company that her Blackness means she wouldn’t be a good fit. As auditions for a spot as an apprentice in the company approach, a chance encounter leads Laure to an underground river of blood and the chance to make a deal. Laure’s new power unlocks a darkness inside of her that she doesn’t dislike, but when other people who’ve made deals start showing up dead, the monster within might be the only thing that can save her.

Have you ever put so much energy and effort into something, only to realise that nobody’s ever going to recognise any of it? Have you ever burnt yourself out trying to meet the ridiculous expectations being placed on you? Have you ever been so angry about this that you wished you could just destroy it all? If yes, this book is probably going to resonate with you.

I found Laure to be a fascinating character and I really enjoyed reading from her perspective, but she has the potential to be divisive. She’s determined, she’s ruthless, and she’s at times blatantly unreliable, telling the reader one thing while certain events point to the situation being at least somewhat different to her perception of it. When she hurts people she doesn’t waste time or energy regretting it. To be clear, I loved her! If you support women’s wrongs then you’ll probably love her too, but people who prefer their stories and protagonists to be clear cut good guys are probably not going to get along with this book as much. Shea has described this book as a villain origin story and that description is absolutely correct.

This is a horror novel, but it isn’t strictly the fantasy elements that make it so. The cutthroat world of ballet, the ways in which it’s institutionally interwoven with classism and white supremacy, and the lengths people will go to uphold all of these things, contribute more to the horror than the existence of the deals themselves. The deals the characters make do result in them getting more than they’d bargained for, and this alone would’ve been enough for an interesting story, but this isn’t the direction in which this story goes. Instead we get a sharp critique of the ways in which established institutions, such as the Paris Ballet, are designed to favour those who look a certain way (white) and who come from a certain background (wealthy), and an examination of just how unreasonable the expectations for those who can’t meet its ridiculously high standards are. It’s discrimination and desperation that drives Laure to make her deal in the first place. It’s white entitlement that leads to every horrific death in the book.

I also really enjoyed the romance subplot! The relationship between Laure and Andor was such a slow burn that I didn’t realise it was happening for a decently long time, but I was loving the growing friendship and closeness between them long before it took a romantic turn. Their dynamic as a couple is definitely a fun one. Get yourself a man who will literally worship you.

I would recommend this to those with an interest in performing arts and how those industries can treat the people within them, to those who like stories with complicated narrators who aren’t necessarily the quote unquote ‘hero’, to those who like stories exploring the fallout of a deal with an entity with unknowable intentions, and to anyone looking for more horror centering a Black protagonist and stemming from how that protagonist proceeds when faced with racist institutions that would rather see them gone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with an e-arc in return for an honest review

#review #book review #i feed her to the beast and the best is me #jamison shea #books #booklr

[the-worlds-between-pages]

I Feed Her To The Beast And The Beast Is Me by: Jamison Shea

Published by: Macmillan Children’s Publication Date: 8/29/2023 I’d like to start this review by thanking NetGalley and the publisher. I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review. BUY THIS BOOK! Last year was a bit much for me so it took me a while to get to this book. Buy it, get it at the library, something! Get this book into your hands and into your eyes or ears! It’s so…

View On WordPress

#ballet #black main character #book review #favorite read #five stars #I fee her to the beast and the beast is me #Jamison Shea #top read #ya #ya horror #young adult #young adult horror

[thegothiclibrary]

Review of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

The world of professional ballet can be cut-throat—literally. Jamison Shea’s debut YA horror novel, I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, takes an unflinching look at ambitious young women in a highly competitive field and the hellish lengths to which they will go to achieve their dreams. If you like morally gray female characters who embrace their dark sides, you definitely don’t want to…

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#book review #horror #I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me #Jamison Shea #YA #young adult

[444-shawty]

I feed her to the beast and the beast is me. THIS IS STUNNING

#jamison shea #i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #horror books #books #reading

[amaramiyu]

[Review] I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

Author: Jamison Shea

Synopsis: Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood.

The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom.

But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first.

From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a slow-burn horror that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.

Spoilers ahead!

This was a novel that was on my radar for quite some time and I think it was worth the wait. This is a YA novel that's a great blend of ballet, horror, mystery thriller, and romance.

What I Liked:

The main character Laure Mesny as I was reading the story, I was rooting for her even as she gave into her dark impulses. You understand where she's coming from and her plight. Plus, she was likable overall.

The setting. The book takes place in Paris, France, and with Paris as the setting it allowed for some great scenery and locations.

The cast of characters that formed Laure Mesny's Acheron social circle (meaning all of these people are aware of Acheron's existence and made a deal or multiple deals with the god): Andor, Joséphine, Ciro, and Keturah.

Elysium and the Catacombs where the twin eldritch gods resided and the bargaining system. If a person was deemed worthy they could bargain with these gods. Acheron required blood, while Lethe required bone.

I enjoyed the romance between Andor and Laure at first it's very much a "will they or won't they" because it's clear that while there's an attraction there, Laure doesn't know if it's her own desire for him or if it's the sliver of Acheron that's inside both of them drawing them together. Also, due to the nature of Andor's deal and its consequences, he's poisonous.

The novel showcases how competitive the world of classical ballet can be and the lengths that some people will go to.

Lastly, the social commentary on institutions, classism, and the harsh truth that sometimes no matter what you do, or how accomplished you are you'll never be good enough in the eyes of institutional gatekeepers or your peers.

What I Disliked:

I didn't like how easy it was to enter the Catacombs and Elysium. I mean what if people randomly stumbled into those areas?

Even though we got some statements and background information on the characters in Laure's Acheron social circle, I wish their character backgrounds were just a tad more fleshed out.

Recommend: I would recommend this book. I think it was a great villain origin story and I'm very much looking forward to the sequel.

#book review #young adult #i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #jamison shea

[desdasiwrites]

– Jamison Shea, I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me

#book quote of the day #jamison shea #i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #villain origin story #Lauren Mesny #Parisian ballet #horror #catacombs #debut novel #beautiful cover #lgbtqia+ representation #ya #poc protagonist #black main character #ballerinas

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood. The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom. But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first.

#book: i feed her to the beast and the beast is me #author: jamison shea #genre: horror #genre: young adult #year: 2020s

[due4amiracle]

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?

You build up hope, but failure's all you've known Remember all the sadness and frustration And let it go Let it go

Well. That was an interesting swing about.

Tuesday - Appointment with my Psych. We started on a medicinal journey (or so he says). Dropped my Prozac and halved my Wellbutrin - and put me on Clomipramine. It's to help with my OCD, so hopefully. Hopefully it's good. Of course, of course, it's still in for a prior-auth with my insurance and, well. i was supposed to stop my Prozac. i started spiraling because of the next item on the list, and it only got worse. (i restarted the Prozac so things are looking back up. -_-)

The car - after my appointment, Sir went out to go do a little shopping and the car wouldn't start. It attempted to turn over, but it just didn't do anything. So we got into contact with the local auto shop and they said they'd come get it - Friday. Sigh. Which means they won't look at it until Monday.

Wednesday - TTRPG! We did Madoka things, it was lovely. Tbf it was only rolling dice for upgrades and whatnot, but still, it had been a month. So that was nice.

Thursday - i had a thing with my insurance (healthy home visit) that i did telehealth, so that was a thing. Granted, they called Two Hours Early but that's fine. That's fine. i just wasn't ready. >_< Had to scramble around for all my medicines so i could report them all (which is ridiculous considering they were attached to my insurance so they should just have a fucking list why am i repeating all of the things on your damn screen?????) Blargh.

Thursday was also my worst day, honestly. i was very deep in the muck and Sir and i had a misunderstanding but we figured things out. It was alright.

Friday nothing really happened, they came and got the car, that was about it.

Then today we did DnD and that was fun.

i read:

A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2) V.E. Schwab - 3/5⭐ i enjoyed it quite a bit, the ending was very good.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi - 4.5/5⭐ SCALZI DOES IT AGAIN i love this book so much, it hits all the right notes!

Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle #1) by Rosaria Munda 4/5⭐ THIS is the book i wanted Fourth Wing to be. It did everything right, things made sense, and oh fuck i can't wait to continue reading!

and am currently reading:

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

#Multiple Sclerosis #ADHD #OCD #Arthritis #Spoonie #Daily #TTRPGThings #exhausted #migraine #CW: medicine #CW: medical #A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic 2) V.E. Schwab #Starter Villain by John Scalzi #Fireborne (The Aurelian Cycle 1) by Rosaria Munda #I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea #books #read a book

[the-bi-library]

Happy Black History Month! Here are upcoming bi black books! Make sure to preorder the ones that interest you!

Did I miss any books? If yes, then, feel free to let me know 💖

Books listed:

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

Saint-Seducing Gold (The Forge & Fracture Saga #2) by Brittany N. Williams

Dear Bi Men: A Black Man's Perspective on Power, Consent, Breaking Down Binaries, and Combating Erasure by J.R. Yussuf

We Will Devour The Night (The Essence of the Equinox, #2) by Camilla Andrew

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

I Am the Dark That Answers When You Call by Jamison Shea

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins

The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee

#My posts #bisexual #bisexual representation #bisexual pride #bi books #bisexual books #sapphic books #booklr #book blog #queer books #lgbt books #lgbtq books #bisexual romance #bookblr #book tumblr #Bi rep #duaric books #bipoc books #black rep #black boots #nonfiction books #queer bipoc #bi4bi books

[richincolor]

Happy Black History Month!

This Black History Month I'd like to celebrate the genre that makes us jump at every unknown noise, brings us nightmares, and has us up late turning the page in anticipation of what will happen next - Black Thriller & Horror! There has been a lovely uptick in the publishing of Black Thrillers and Horror in the past few years where Black protagonists are solving complex mysteries, fighting against all forms of supernatural beings, and sometimes a combination of both. I've had so much fun reading all of these novels and am greatly looking forward to what 2024 has to bring. 

When creating a list of Black Thriller/Horror writers I must begin with the queen, Tiffany D. Jackson. Her first book "Monday's Not Coming" was a perfectly written thriller with a plot twist that hit with a gut punch that I'm still recovering from. Since then she's been on a streak with hit after hit after hit. Her latest, The Weight of Blood, is a book you cannot miss.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation … Maddy did it. An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington. After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life. But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret … one that will cost them all their lives. 

2023 also gave us two amazing debut thrillers and I, for one, cannot wait to see what these two authors cook up next. 

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

You must work twice as hard to get half as much. Adina Walker has known this the entire time she’s been on scholarship at the prestigious Edgewater Academy—a school for the rich (and mostly white) upper class of New England. It’s why she works so hard to be perfect and above reproach, no matter what she must force beneath the surface. Even one slip can cost you everything. And it does. One fight, one moment of lost control, leaves Adina blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college and any other. Her only chance to regain the future she’s sacrificed everything for is the Finish, a high-stakes contest sponsored by Edgewater’s founding family in which twelve young, ambitious women with exceptional promise are selected to compete in three mysterious events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. The winner will be granted entry into the fold of the Remington family, whose wealth and power can open any door. But when she arrives at the Finish, Adina quickly gets the feeling that something isn’t quite right with both the Remingtons and her competition, and soon it becomes clear that this larger-than-life prize can only come at an even greater cost. Because the Finish’s stakes aren’t just make or break… they’re life and death. Adina knows the deck is stacked against her—it always has been—so maybe the only way to survive their vicious games is for her to change the rules.

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

Laure Mesny is a perfectionist with an axe to grind. Despite being constantly overlooked in the elite and cutthroat world of the Parisian ballet, she will do anything to prove that a Black girl can take center stage. To level the playing field, Laure ventures deep into the depths of the Catacombs and strikes a deal with a pulsating river of blood. The primordial power Laure gains promises influence and adoration, everything she’s dreamed of and worked toward. With retribution on her mind, she surpasses her bitter and privileged peers, leaving broken bodies behind her on her climb to stardom. But even as undeniable as she is, Laure is not the only monster around. And her vicious desires make her a perfect target for slaughter. As she descends into madness and the mystifying underworld beneath her, she is faced with the ultimate choice: continue to break herself for scraps of validation or succumb to the darkness that wants her exactly as she is—monstrous heart and all. That is, if the god-killer doesn’t catch her first. From debut author Jamison Shea comes I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me, a slow-burn horror that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit on exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back.

And to round out this list, we also gotta point out the fellas who are also killing it with the Thriller/Horror genre. 

Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students―J.B., Ramón, and Trey―emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive . . . and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

The Getaway by Lamar Giles

Welcome to the funnest spot around . . . Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property’s main theme park. Life isn’t so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it’s to get away from all that. As things outside get worse, trouble starts seeping into Karloff. First, Jay’s friend Connie and her family disappear in the middle of the night and no one will talk about it. Then the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only... they aren’t leaving. Unknown to the employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The best of the best at the end of days. And in order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their total beck and call. Whether they like it or not. Yet Karloff Country didn’t count on Jay and his crew--and just how far they’ll go to find out the truth and save themselves. But what’s more dangerous: the monster you know in your home or the unknown nightmare outside the walls?

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

Regent Academy has a long and storied history in Winslow, Vermont, as does the forest that surrounds it. The school is known for molding teens into leaders, but its history is far more nefarious. Seventeen-year-old Douglas Jones wants nothing to do with Regent's king-making; he’s just trying to survive. But then a student is murdered and, for some reason, by the next day no one remembers him having ever existed, except for Douglas and the groundskeeper's son, Everett Everley. In his determination to uncover the truth, Douglas awakens a horror hidden within the forest, unearthing secrets that have been buried for centuries. A vengeful creature wants blood as payment for a debt more than 300 years in the making—or it will swallow all of Winslow in darkness. And for the first time in his life, Douglas might have a chance to grasp the one thing he’s always felt was power. But if he’s not careful, he will find out that power has a tendency to corrupt absolutely everything.

If you are a fan of murder mysteries, supernatural thrillers, or just like to get scared, get thee to a bookstore (or library) and support your Black Thriller/Horror writer.

#young adult books #weneeddiversebooks #book lists #black history month #black thriller #black horror