This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on June 9th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
The Thirteenth Circle recently got its very first review—and it was a five-star review!
But let me back up. In May, the book went up on several industry websites for librarians, booksellers, and reviewers to request early digital copies. A lot of people request books and then put them in a queue for reading, so there's no telling how long it will take for these early reviews to actually trickle in. (And this is separate from reviews in major publications, like School Library Journal.) Regardless, the book being posted on these sites is a big moment, because it's full of potential: finally, people can read this thing we worked on for years and years.
And recently, someone did read it!
Even better, he liked it, apparently quite a lot!
If you're a Goodreads person, you can read the review on The Thirteenth Circle's page. But the gist of it is, this man reads and reviews a lot of kids' books, and he thought ours was great. Here's an excerpt:
"The truth is that "The Thirteenth Circle" won my heart, won my mind, and entertained me. I enjoyed these characters immensely and enjoyed the storytelling.
Another winner from Feiwel and Friends, "The Thirteenth Circle" is the kind of book that leaves you appreciating the world it creates and is an ideal read for entry-level sci-fi/fantasy readers with the ability to embrace modestly complex concepts and who will identify with the family and friendship dynamics that feel honestly and richly developed here."
Amazing, right?
I don't know this person. I don't know how much power his words hold in the book industry. What I do know is that when you've poured your heart and soul into something, the very first review to come in really hits you hard. When MarcyKate emailed me to let me know a review had been posted, she said up-front that it was five-stars...and my heart still skipped a couple beats when I clicked through to read it.
To see that it was extremely positive was an absolute treat.
More reviews will land in the months ahead. Hopefully, most of them will be similarly filled with praise. But I can't control that aspect of the publishing process, so I may decide at a certain point to stop reading them. Having that many voices in my head isn't helpful for promoting the book being reviewed or for writing what's next.
That said, if you're a reviewer, bookseller, or librarian—or if you know one—here are the links to request digital review copies of The Thirteenth Circle:
If you aren't someone who's eligible to read books early, don't fret! You can help out by doing things like adding the book to your "want to read" shelf on Goodreads, posting about it on social media (or sharing my posts), and of course preordering. (HERE is a link to preorder The Thirteenth Circle from my local indie!)
Now, I'm going to bask in the feeling of that first glowing review for a little while longer...
~Kathryn
What I'm:
Reading: I just started The Area 51 Files by Julie Buxbaum. This is another middle-grade sci-fi story, this time about a girl who is sent to live with her uncle...who works at the mysterious Area 51! I'm only a few chapters in, but it's fun so far.
Watching: While my husband was away for a work trip, I watched "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" on Netflix. ;)
Loving: Now that all three Class Critters books are out, it was time for some new promotional swag! Thanks to my husband for helping me design these awesome series bookmarks, which I am so excited to start handing out to young readers very soon.
