The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice // an unparalled aesthetic – blog tour

The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice

by Lisa DeSelm

Publisher: Page Street Publishing

Publication date: 13 October 2020

Age group: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in their tour.

“Listen well. Soon, the blue moon, the rarest of all moons will be on the rise. At its waxing offer up one of your creations and by moonlight they will be given breath. Choose wisely who to awaken.”

With her puppet-maker father imprisoned and the land of Tavia on the brink of war, Pirouette does not have a choice other than to follow the ruler’s whims. But when he discovers her secret – that she was once a puppet brought to life by the magic of the blue moon—he demands that Pirouette create an assassin out of wood and then make it come alive.

Fighting against forbidden magic and racing against the rise of the next blue moon, Pirouette cannot help but wonder, if she is making a masterpiece…or a monster. And if she is making a monster, what does that make her?

Lisa DeSelm lives happily with her husband and two daughters in the wilds of suburban South Bend, Indiana. When she is not writing, you will find Lisa working as an art director and designer, most likely daydreaming with a cup of tea in hand. The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice is her first novel.

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You guys, I signed up for this tour on a whim, but this book turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time! Page Street Publishing is coming out with some AMAZING books. Blazewrath Games, now this! I am loving it.

Here is the tour schedule. DO check out the posts of the other tour hosts!

My gods, I’m so in love with this book!

The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice follows Pirouette Leiter (ISN’T THAT THE MOST ADORABLE NAME YOU’VE EVER HEARD), a girl who was carved and brought to life by a puppetmaster. I do not want to say ANYTHING more and ruin the suspense, but it does have nefarious Dukes, adorable love interests, and one of the cutest found family relationships EVER.

So, let me start off by talking about the writing. I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES WHEN I SAW THAT THIS WAS DESELM’S FIRST BOOK! The writing is absolutely gorgeous. The descriptions, peppered with German words, were EVERYTHING and I savoured each and every word of it.

Coming to the characters, Pirouette and the cast are all masterfully written and are quite lovely. Now, I do tend fall in love with most of the love interests I read about, but I can’t picture myself wanting to be in a relationship with them. However, Bran from TPA is a TOTAL sweetheart who’d do anything for Piro and I adore him so much! I definitely want to be with a guy like him 🥺

Coming to Piro, this girl is so strong and determined and just straight up awesome. I was thoroughly invested in her. Her relationship with her father was beautiful and also, the bond she shares with the rest of the makers was just so good. They’re all developed great, and the way they always look out for each other is heartwarming. Don’t mind me, I just tear up at the very sight of the found family trope 🙈

One of my favorite parts of the book was the worldbuilding and how perfectly DeSelm stuck to the aesthetic! It starts off giving the same vibes of the little town in Beauty and the Beast, and is so very consistent. I could totally picture Pirouette and the others in their respective shops, and later at the pub, and most definitely in the woods. It’s just so very atmospheric, I adore it sooo much urghhh 😤 It starts off on a very fairytale-ish note, but things start getting darker around the 50% mark, thus the book does not feel juvenile. Another thing I really liked is that the big bad in this book is neither very big nor extremely bad. In fantasy novels, it’s always the protagonists against the end of the world or some much, but here, the danger was on a much smaller scale. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but personally, I thought it was very refreshing. The way the conflict is solved is also quite whimsical, and the fairytale vibes are just impeccable. Aagh. Have I convinced you to pick it up yet? ✨

AND, in case I haven’t, this piece of information most definitely will- this lovely piece of art is a retelling of Pinocchio x Frankenstein. Now, if this doesn’t convince you to pick this book up, I don’t know what will 🙌

All in all, this was a 5 star read for me! I just feel like the cover doesn’t do the story justice. It could’ve been better. But that’s just me. Just pick it up already!

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Prize: Three (3) hardback editions of The Puppetmaster’s Apprentice

• Open to the United States (US)
• Ends on 11 October 2020 (Philippine time)

Rafflecopter link:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/950d261639/

Have you read any Pinocchio retellings? Would you be interested in picking this one up? Let me know in the comments!