Posts Tagged: Fantasy

Thursday, October 01, 2015

Review: A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano

Posted by 2 Comments

I received this book for free from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefanoA Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano
Series: Pram #1
Published by Bloomsbury on September 1st 2015
Genres: Adventure, Middle-Grade, Paranormal
Source: Bloomsbury
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
three-half-stars

Pram Bellamy is special--she can talk to ghosts. She doesn't have too many friends amongst the living, but that's all right. She has her books, she has her aunts, and she has her best friend, the ghostly Felix.

Then Pram meets Clarence, a boy from school who has also lost a parent and is looking for answers. Together they arrive at the door of the mysterious Lady Savant, who promises to help. But this spiritualist knows the true nature of Pram's power, and what she has planned is more terrifying than any ghost.

New York Times bestselling author Lauren DeStefano is beloved by critics and readers alike, and her middle grade debut is lyrical, evocative and not to be missed.

This book was all sorts of fun to read. The characters were interesting and so was their story. What I love the most about middle grade books is that even if there is a bit of child romance, that is not the focus. Instead, the focus is more on what is happening or a building friendship. Initially I was thinking, “Oh boy, another ghost story.” but although it does have ghosts, it didn’t wear on me or feel like every other ghost book out there. There was a bit of creepiness to the story, and a lot of thrills. This is a great story for younger ones leading into Halloween season or anytime.

Pram is a very smart little girl who lives with her aunts. Her mother died when she was born. Of course we know the circumstances, but not the whole story. Pram is also odd and different. Her aunts have home schooled her all her life, but now she must go to real school. She meets Clarence and they become friends. They are both a bit odd. They prefer to be alone, and they don’t need the company of others. They want to be invisible instead of stand out. Pram has never had a real life friend, but it’s nice. She is very happy to have found a friend in Clarence, and she is slowly becoming okay with going to real school and spending time away from her home. She’s bright, and determined. And very brave. She discovers a lot about herself through this story and I thought that she grew into a wonderful person by the end.

I really liked the relationship between Pram and Clarence. It starts off pretty silly, but then they fall into a routine, and friendship. Pram feels comfortable enough eventually to let him know that she can see ghosts. They decide to help each other. Pram to try to help him find his mothers ghost, and Clarence to help Pram find her father. They never expected the danger that they could run into along the way. They end up on quite the unexpected adventure. One that makes them both learn many things about themselves and each other. It also brings them closer even as it tears them apart. Their friendship was one that just filled my heart to bursting.

This was a fun story that involved ghosts, friendship, magic, and love. For such a short book it really told such an amazing story and I felt it was very complete. At least for this part of their story. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and their history. It had plenty of adventure to keep it moving along, but not so much that it was overwhelming. Overall this was a great story that I can’t wait to read to my daughter when she’s a bit older. I think that it will be loved by many and I look forward to more of this series.

three-half-stars

3.5 Hot Espressos

Review: Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

Review: Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein

Posted by on 05/21/2015 • 7 Comments

This book was quite fun. I loved the whole Genie idea, but having them live in the real world among others. I thought that the twist on how wishes work and how their powers worked was really cool. This is not your typical Aladdin type tale. It’s got all sorts of secrets, teen romances, drama, and fun. I really liked getting to know the characters and the history of the Jinn. It wasn’t my favorite book ever, but it was definitely one that I enjoyed and am excited for the rest of the series.

Azra was a character that I liked getting to know. She has never embraced her destiny as the other Jinn do. In fact, she just wants to be normal, even though that will never happen. She…

Review: Nil Unlocked by Lynne Matson

Review: Nil Unlocked by Lynne Matson

Posted by on 05/07/2015 • 3 Comments

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was really looking forward to the second book. I really enjoyed this one. Maybe a bit more than the first, though I can’t really remember my reading experience with the first one. In this one things are more complicated. Many secrets are discovered, and the stakes are higher. Not only are they on a ticking clock the moment they arrive, but there are other threats in Nil. The island seems more restless. It was nice to see some old characters, and to get to know new ones. I really liked the cast in this. This was an exciting read that is full of suspense and of course adventure. I loved discovering more of the island secrets along with everyone…

Review: If I Were You by Leslie Margolis

Review: If I Were You by Leslie Margolis

Posted by on 05/05/2015 • 6 Comments

This was a super cute and fun read. It’s middle grade book, so the characters are quite young. About to go into middle school actually. They have been best friends forever, until a boy comes between them. Their looks are completely opposite. Where melody is blonde, curvy and pretty much perfect (not to mention the boys all want her), Katie feels frumpy and has no curves to show off. Both are secretly jealous of the other though, not because of boys, but because the others life seems so much better. When they both wish to start over summer as the other and the wish comes true, it’s like a second chance to save their friendship and to understand each other a little better. Maybe even be closer than ever. It’s…

Review: In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks

Review: In A World Just Right by Jen Brooks

Posted by on 04/23/2015 • 12 Comments

This book was interesting. I really enjoyed being in Jonathan’s head and trying to figure out his different worlds and the whole “world making” thing. It was a bit confusing at times, but it kept me interested the whole way through. Especially when his worlds start colliding. I can’t say that I really liked the other characters much, but they weren’t horrible. The main thing that kept me engaged was wanting to know what was going on, and how it would all end up. I didn’t have strong character connection, but enough to want a happy ending for this. I wouldn’t say this is quite a parallel universe, but something kind of like it I guess. It was a unique story and I did enjoy it a lot. More than…

Audiobook Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Audiobook Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Posted by on 04/14/2015 • 14 Comments

This was fantastic and great to read. I loved that this had so much going for it. A great plot full of deception, lies, romance, and magic. Besides that, it was filled with some great action and I loved the characters. I think this would have been a joy to read, but it was enhanced with the audio. I often cringe when I know I am getting myself into a series, but I am really glad that I started this one and I am interested to know where the story will go.

Mare is a pretty smart girl. Growing up in poverty, and knowing what is coming to her in her near future, she does the best she can. She is a thief, but she is good at it….

Review: Anyone But Ivy Pocket by Caleb Krisp

Review: Anyone But Ivy Pocket by Caleb Krisp

Posted by on 04/09/2015 • 3 Comments

I was hoping that this would be cute and fun, but I found myself so annoyed by the MC that I couldn’t really enjoy the book at all. I think that the story itself was pretty interesting, but I couldn’t stand Ivy. I did enjoy the stuff about the Clock Diamond and its magic and Ivy’s journey though. I wish that I could say that I enjoyed some of the characters, but I really didn’t. This is a middle grade book, so the younger crowd might enjoy it much more than me, and probably won’t find things as irritating as I did. The other thing that I liked about this book was the artwork. It was very good and thought that it really brought something more to the story. Since…

Audiobook Review: A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Audiobook Review: A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas

Posted by on 03/31/2015 • 14 Comments

As you’ve probably noticed, I am a sucker for retellings. They are very hit or miss with me, but I really enjoyed this one. I listened to the audio of this one, and though it took a while to get used to the narrator, it was a good story. I loved the twist on the retelling of Sleeping Beauty. I thought it was fabulous where the author took the story of after she wakes up. And it’s not to her beloved prince like in the original. It is one hundred years after she has fallen asleep from her curse, and it’s not a happily ever after. The King and Queen are awful and only want to use her for their needs. The prince, Rodric, is only doing what he is…