Everyone told me it was amazing but I was not prepared for how much I would adore this story. The world Alston has created layers realty with fantasy and I can hardly wait for the next installment. SYNOPSIS Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood low-income housing projects, receiving full scholarship offers to... Continue Reading →
Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods
This second book in the series was twice as cute as the first. Oh Warren, you're just lovely. I'm going to say it right here: even the synopsis has spoilers! If you want to start at the beginning check out my review of book one here. SYNOPSIS Warren the 13th is back in another lushly... Continue Reading →
Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye
Oh, you are a cute book. Witches and wonder and everything I could have asked for in a story was here for my delight. SYNOPSIS Warren the 13th is the lone bellhop, valet, waiter, groundskeeper, and errand boy of his familyโs ancient hotel. Itโs a strange, shadowy mansion full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddlesโand... Continue Reading →
The House in the Cerulean Sea
The book that scooped me up and gave me back the gift of reading. SYNOPSIS Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world. Arthur Parnassus is the master of... Continue Reading →
My Favorite Books of 2020
My goal was to read 120 books this year and I managed to read 166. Actually, I'm hoping to make that 167 by finishing D-Day Girls today. I had two reading slumps where I laid in bed for hours at a time watching Netflix instead of sleeping but, honestly, thanks to my fellow bloggers I... Continue Reading →
Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi
Quite simply the most gorgeously written middle grade book I have enjoyed in....forever. I felt drenched in description and fell deeply in love with Alice and Oliver. SYNOPSIS Inspired by her childhood love of books like A Secret Garden and The Chronicles of Narnia, bestselling author Tahereh Mafi crafts a spellbinding new world where color is currency, adventure... Continue Reading →
Gloom Town by Ronald L. Smith
Middle grade is often accused of being predictable but there was nothing forceable about the mystery and adventure of this story. I genuinely hope that there is a sequel so I can spend more time with these characters. SYNOPSIS When twelve-year-old Rory applies for a job at a spooky old mansion in his gloomy seaside... Continue Reading →
Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Isle by Brandon Mull
This is the third installment of the Dragonwatch series and while I enjoyed it the pace was relentless. I will read the next book because I am still deeply in love with this world but I hope the author gives me more character development. SYNOPSIS Cursed by the Key of Forgetting, Seth has lost all... Continue Reading →
Frighteningly Good Read: The Midnight Hour by Ben Read and Laura Trinder
This middle grade fantasy had a fantastic cast of characters and a strong female lead! The mystery and the mythology had my flipping page after page to the delightful ending! SYNOPSIS For fans of portal fantasies like Jessica Townsend'sย Nevermoor, Colin Meloy'sย Wildwood, and The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, and unlike so many... Continue Reading →
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
No book in 2020 has captured my attention and my imagination like this work of historical fiction. Jess Kidd's story took me back through time and challenged my reality in a book I simply could not put down. SYNOPSIS Bridie Devine, female detective extraordinaire, is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of... Continue Reading →
