Follow the clues across continents to find pieces of an artifact that could unleash a God and take out the world. If you’re ready for the adventure of I Do Not Trust You by co-authors Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz. You won’t be disappointed while you discover the hidden gems left behind by history.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for letting me be a part of the blog tour for this super fun YA Mythical fantasy!
About I Do Not Trust You
Title: I Do Not Trust You
Authors: Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz
Publication Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: Memphis “M” Engle is stubborn to a fault, graced with an almost absurd knowledge of long lost languages and cultures, and a heck of an opponent in a fight. In short: she’s awesome.
Ashwin Sood is a little too posh for her tastes, a member of an ancient cult (which she’s pretty sure counts for more than one strike against him), and has just informed Memphis that her father who she thought was dead isn’t and needs her help.
From the catacombs of Paris to lost temples in the sacred forests, together they crisscross the globe, searching for the pieces of the one thing that might save her father. But the closer they come to saving him—and the more they fall for one another—the closer they get to destroying the world.
Review
“Memphis is a searingly intelligent and endearingly gutsy female protagonist, and the evolution of her relationship with Ash unravels both artfully and believably…{an} entertaining novel” — Kirkus Reviews
This book gave me so many Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones Vibes! You get to travel into the caves of Egypt, the catecombs below Paris, and back to the French Quarter of New Orleans in this fun YA Historical Fantasy.
M is a young girl whose lost both her parents and now lives with two people she’s never met or heard of. She’s been forced to stay put in New York when she’s been so used to a lifetime of travelling with her archaeologist father. It’s not until one day when she finds herself being followed that she learns what she’s been told about her father’s death may not be what it seems. M is such a fun character with her bow staff and knowledge of ancient languages. I really enjoyed her personality as a sassy take no flack personality and when she meets Ash her trust in others is tested. She is intelligent, kick ass, and will make you fall in love with the history of the gods. It was so fun see her loyalty to saving the people she loves and learning that it’s ok not to trust those around you if you don’t feel their intentions are in the right place. She kind of makes you want to be her she’s so cool!
Ash. He’s sent on the job of having to collect a map from M in order to keep the bad guys from getting the artifacts that could very well destroy the world if they are put back together. Along the way you’ll find Ash has more secrets than he’s lead M to believe and now he’s forced to play both sides. He learns that what he’s been told may not be the truth and his partnership with M shows him that he may be willing to sacrifice all he knows based on what he’s learning from M. His loyalties are tested as he ventures into dangerous territory with M and at the end of this book he will have the ultimate test. His character is definitely the more rigid, rule following, of the two but towards the end he starts to get invested in helping M find each artifact and finds that her love for her family is something he can still have.
This YA Historical Fantasy was so much fun. I wanted to go on all the adventures with M and Ash. I wish there were more because I’m sure there are lots of quests they will be going on in the future!
Excerpt
“You should’ve seen Miss Memphis here get into it with Nick last period,” Brianna said, squeezing in between M and Inez at their usual spot in the cafeteria. “She shut him down with her crazy ancient cultures voodoo.”
“He’s an ass. He’s lucky he’s hot,” their friend Ayana commented, waving her spork in Nick’s direction.
M shrugged. “I wouldn’t try to debate him in Physics. I just know more about Rome than he does.”
“What about AP Chem? Would you debate him in that?” Inez asked in a fake-serious voice. “Would you debate him in German class?”
“She’d debate him in German, in German,” Brianna joked. “And if he tried to fight back, she’d switch to Greek.”
M threw a French fry at her. “I can’t help it. I grew up speaking different languages.”
“And learning about pharaohs. And becoming well versed in the history of the Etruscan people,” Ayana said, putting on a fake accent that was probably supposed to be British. “Oh, and setting broken bones in the bush.”
“That only happened once,” M muttered. Her friends laughed.
“Anyway, it was epic. Thanks,” Brianna said. “I can’t stand fighting with people, and Nick always goes after me.”
“He knows you hate it,” M pointed out. “That’s why he does it.”
“An ass, like I said.” Ayana shrugged.
“You think he’s coming to the party tonight?” Brianna asked.
“Probably. Everyone else is,” Inez replied. “Even Memphis.” M made a face. “Anything to get out of the house. Bob and Liza would expect me to play board games with them otherwise.” Her friends exchanged a glance. M winced. “No offense.”
“Oh, were you offending someone?” Nick piped up from behind her. “Good girl.”
Immediately Bri looked down, while Ayana rolled her eyes. Inez just smirked, glancing back and forth between M and Nick.
“I was not offending anyone. I only meant I don’t like parties,” M said. She didn’t bother to turn toward him. It didn’t matter; he inserted himself onto the bench next to her anyway. A little tingle ran up her spine as the scent of his co- logne hit her nostrils, spicy and warm.
“Mmm, they’re boring. Everyone talking about the prom or the senior trip or whatever. I’m over it,” Nick said.
Me too, thought M, wishing she didn’t agree with him. She loved her friends, but even they were all about high school. M just didn’t care. High school was nothing more than what she had to get through before she could leave. After the crash, after the shock of Bob and Liza becoming her guardians, she’d asked if she could go off to college early, either Boston University or the University of Sheffield in England. Both had the kind of archeology program she wanted and would’ve let her in with no questions. They knew her father. They knew high school was a waste of time for someone like her.
But her guardians said no. They said she needed stability and normalcy after losing her dad. Never mind that traveling the world and taking care of herself was normal for her. While she and Dad technically lived in Boston, she’d never spent more than a few months there during the school year. They traveled. Half the year spent on digs. She missed it.
“What’s with this thing, anyway? Is it to fight off bad guys?” Nick teased, finding an excuse to touch her. He reached for M’s collapsible bo staff, tucked in the inside pocket of her jacket like always. But before he touched it, be- fore his flirty smile registered in her mind, M had already grabbed his hand, twisted it back to the breaking point, and used the pain to push him off the cafeteria bench and onto the floor. With her other hand, she whipped out the stick and shoved it up against his throat.
M froze. He’s just hitting on you. Her friends were aghast, and everyone nearby watched, openmouthed. Nick’s eyes were wide with panic.
“Sorry.” M stood up, leaving Nick on the floor. “I’m really sorry.”
“Freak,” he muttered, climbing to his feet. He glanced around, noticing the barely concealed laughter from onlook- ers. “Jeez, I just wanted a fry,” he joked, as if he hadn’t been humiliated, then hurried out of the cafeteria.
“What. The. Hell?” Inez asked. “He was flirting with you and you beat him up!”
“I know.” M groaned, shoving her staff back into her pocket. “I didn’t mean to. It was just reflex.”
Her friends were silent. She’d freaked them out. Should she explain the years of self-defense and martial arts training? That she and Dad ended up in some rough places? Her friends lived in a city, they understood danger. Sort of. In a nice, upscale Boston kind of way.
M sighed. There was no point in trying to explain. Nobody understood her life.
“You kinda push all the guys away,” Brianna pointed out quietly. “Maybe not like that, but still . . .”
“I don’t do romance,” M replied. She was done with love, period. She’d loved her parents, and they were both gone. Love hurt too much. It was better to steer clear of it.
They all ate in silence for a minute.
“I mean, he is an ass,” Ayana said finally. And everybody laughed.
M: You up?
MIKE: It’s a 12 hr time difference. Of course I’m up.
M: Like you never sleep in on weekends.
MIKE: Fine, your text woke me.
M: I don’t think that glyph is a lotus. It’s bending the wrong way.
MIKE: It has to be a lotus. If it’s not, the whole phrase is wrong.
M: The rest of the phrase never sat well with Nefertum anyway.
MIKE: Your dad said it was a lotus.
About the Authors
LAURA J. BURNS and MELINDA METZ have written many books for teens and middle-grade readers, including Sanctuary Bay, Crave, and Sacrifice, as well as the Edgar nominated mystery series Wright and Wong. They have also written for the TV shows ROSWELL, 1-800-MISSING, and THE DEAD ZONE. Laura lives in New York and Melinda lives in North Carolina, but really they mostly live on email, where they do most of their work together.
The Clever Reader 
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