Max & the Midnights: Battle of the Bodkins Max & the Midnights #2 by Lincoln Peirce Adventure Fantasy Funny Illustrated Fiction Juvenile Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Max and her friends are back in this second Midknights book. They’ve all started down the paths to their future careers – Max is in knight school, Millie is learning magic, Kevyn is starting a Library, and Simon has discovered he has a gift with … Read more
Wildwood Wildwood #1 by Colin Meloy Adventure Fantasy Mystery Review #1 * Star (A waste of time!) While this book is well written, it was not my favorite. There is a sense of black magic woven throughout the whole book. And the antagonist is erring into the category of a sadistic villain. The antagonist takes pleasure in lying and twisting words so that other characters in the book will be lead astray by her. She … Read more
The Tea Dragon Tapestry Tea Dragon Society #3 by Katie O’Neill Fantasy Graphic Novel Juvenile Fiction Teen Tween * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Characters come together from the two previous books (The Tea Dragon Society and The Tea Dragon Festival) and continue to learn more about themselves and their tea dragons. Beautifully illustrated (the tea dragons themselves are so adorable!). Love the sense of love, community, and acceptance in these books. They just … Read more
Max & the Midknights #1 by Lincoln Peirce Adventure Fantasy Funny Illustrated fiction Juvenile Fiction Tween * * * * Stars (Great!) Max has no desire to be a troubadour like Uncle Budrick, but kids always end up following in the footsteps/trades of their families, so it seems inevitable. That all changes when they visit Byjovia – the kingdom where Budrick grew up and discover that the good and benevolent king has been supplanted by … Read more
Legends of Morana by Ella Selvaggio Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Legends of Morana is a book about a realm of dragons. This book is by a local author, and the suspense is woven throughout the story is written extremely well. Appollo and his friends live peacefully in a cave. Then Appollo finds a dragon egg, which then hatches into a dragonet named Blaze. Strange events start happening after … Read more
The Tea Dragon Festival by Katie O’Neill Fantasy Graphic Novel * * * * Stars (Great!) Rinn is out gathering herbs and vegetables one day when she comes across an ancient shrine and disturbs a sleeping dragon. The dragon, Aedhan was charged to look after the shrine and Rinn’s village, but fell into an enchanted sleep – 80 years ago – from which he has only just now been awakened. Rinn convinces Aedhan to return … Read more
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney Adventure Fantasy Funny Realistic Fiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Rowley Jefferson writes his first wholesome fantasy adventure! And then makes the mistake (?) of sharing the first few chapters with his best friend Greg Heffley, who becomes his greatest fan and his greatest critic. Incorporating some of Greg’s suggestions and his own creativity, Rowley crafts a hilarious story that’s a mishmash of popular genres, well-worn … Read more
The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull Fantasy * * * Stars (Pretty good) Clare and her father return to her mother’s ancestral home in Ireland after many years away and Clare becomes reacquainted with the Strange (what she calls the fae/faeries and their magic/makings) and her childhood friend, Finn, who is half-faerie. She learns that she is the protector of one of the faerie gates – an ancient yew tree growing right through the middle … Read more
Die: Fantasy Heartbreaker Die #1 by Kieron Gillen Adventure Comics Fantasy Graphic Novel * * * * Stars (Great!) Dominic/Ash’s friend Solomon designs the ultimate rpg for Ash’s birthday. Unfortunately, it sucks their whole party into another world, where they are trapped for two years, until they’re able to beat it and find their way back home (think Jumanji). Sol doesn’t make it back. Now, the teens are in their forties and come together to … Read more
Empire of Bones Ashtown Burials #3 by N.D. Wilson Adventure Fantasy Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Empire of Bones by N. D. Wilson is the 3rd & last book in the Ashtown burials series. This book is excellent and will pull anyone in to read it. What I liked about this book was that Cyrus & Antigone (the main characters) are extremely loving as a brother & sister. Family is very … Read more