Newsletter Exclusive: LAST HOPE Cover Reveal
Early Access cover reveal for my Middle Grade debut!
Welcome to the very last school for the most troublesome students
I cannot tell you all how EXCITED I am to finally be able to talk more about LAST HOPE, my debut middle grade novel!!! It’s a contemporary fantasy that was such a treat to write, full of mischief and mayhem, and all the fun of a magic school story.
THE LAST HOPE SCHOOL FOR MAGICAL DELINQUENTS
Here is the official description:
A middle grade magic school fantasy perfect for fans of The School for Good and Evil and Witchlings, in which a girl with unparalleled power must work with her misfit classmates to save her new school.
Lavinia “Vin” Lucas is out of control and out of options. Stranded by parents who would rather use their average magical abilities to study dung beetles than raise her, Vin’s been on her own for years. But she’s never been able to corral her own powerful, unpredictable magic. After years of detention, suspension, and expulsion from magic schools far and wide, she’s now being sent to the Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents. If she gets expelled, it’s the end of the line.
Now, Vin is determined to behave. Except no one at Last Hope seems to want her to. Her new teachers—particularly the school’s kind headmistress—push her to explore her magic, and her mischievous classmates delight in every accident. And all the while, a mysterious fire sprite, a suspicious instructor, and her overwhelming abilities might just sabotage Vin. But for the first time, she is not alone.
So when a former student begins attacking the school, Vin must question just how much she knows about the headmistress and her new home. Is this place worth saving? And are her budding abilities—and every trick, trap, and deception in her friends’ delinquent arsenal—enough to protect Last Hope?
THE LAST HOPE SCHOOL FOR MAGICAL DELINQUENTS, my middle grade debut, publishes October 1, 2024!
And now, finally, it’s time for the cover (which is UTTER PERFECTION).
Are you ready???
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I mean, where do I even BEGIN??? There are so many incredible details to go over, from the creeping vines to the skulking (taxidermy) tiger to the magical paper airplanes, and that’s not to mention the incredible character art! Top left is Last Hope’s enigmatic headmistress, Ava Hope, while front and center is my girl Vin Lucas, along with her new friends Gilly (top right), Araminta (bottom left), and her twin brother Theo. And THEIR MAGIC! Everything looks so vivid and colorful and FUN. The atmosphere is truly magical, and everything about this cover just makes me SO HAPPY. I think it’s inviting, quirky, and mysterious, which is truly perfect for LAST HOPE. Endless thank you’s to Kate and Lucia at Viking Books for Young Readers for this incredible design, and to James Firnhaber for the truly stunning, breathtaking art (check out his portfolio, it’s AMAZING)!
Here are the pre-order links, and you can add on Goodreads as well:
LAST HOPE Advance Reader Copies
I’m very excited to share that there will be print ARCs available for LAST HOPE! I don’t know how many I’ll get or who to request one from just yet, but stay tuned.
Librarian and Bookseller Reviews
Speaking of, if any of you are librarians or booksellers and are interested in reading LAST HOPE early and potentially providing a short review/blurb for use in promotional materials, please email me at asknickipaupreto [at] gmail [dot] com
📚 CURRENTLY READING
The Mossheart’s Promise by Rebecca Mix - I finished this one recently and oh man did it speak to my inner child! I absolutely adored this apocalyptic fairy world, and can’t recommend it enough for any middle grade lovers, young and old.
The Summer Queen by Rochelle Hassan - I just started this one but I absolutely adored the first book in the series, and I know I’ll love this one too. It’s multi-POV contemporary YA fantasy with lovable and sympathetic characters, dark and dangerous magic, and storytelling that doesn’t pull punches. If that sounds like something you’d like, definitely pick up book 1, The Buried and the Bound!
📺 CURRENTLY WATCHING
Halo - I never played the video game so I can’t speak to the “authenticity” of this adaptation, but I’m enjoying it all the same! It’s an interesting sci-fi world to escape to, a mix of action and politics and fantasy style magic and mysticism.
Vanderpump Rules - I jumped on this show after Scandoval last year, and I am officially hooked on this MESS 😂
The Challenge - Another reality TV show I have been obsessed with for many years. This has been a weaker season, but I still love the show, and often rewatch older seasons.
That’s it for today! Pleeeeeeeease let me know what you think of the cover in the comments below!!! I’m so excited to share more about LAST HOPE soon!!
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The cover is absolutely stunning & the description sounds soooo cool! Very impatient to read it!!
**passes away from the beauty that is this cover** I CANT WAIT TO READ IT! MAGIC SCHOOL!