Reviews Week 8
February 20th-26th
Book 38: Bear
By Ben Queen
Read February 20th
Pages Read: 160
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Bear was an excellent book that I had a lot of fun with. It’s obvious from the storyline that Ben Queen has experience with children’s stories, and it does not surprise me that he wrote some Pixar movies. The story in this book was heartfelt, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I like that we got the dog Bear and his owner’s perspectives. The adventure was beautiful, and I would love to see more from this world. I will definitely be getting a copy of this for my collection, and I’m glad that I signed this out.
Book 39: The Mirrorwood
By Deva Fagan
Read February 21st-23rd
Pages Read: 304
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The description intrigued me when this book first came out last year. I love the idea of the blighted and how Fable, the main character, was one of them. It was great to learn more about this throughout the book and about her as a character. She is not only trying to stop the curse on her world but also learning about herself along the way. This book has the perfect premise for a middle-grade novel. Also, it was a highly entertaining adventure.
I will always be a sucker for a character going into a more magical world than their own, whether through portals or however they do so. Fable’s journey into the Mirrorwood was delightful, and I hope Deva Fagan will return to this world at some point. I will say that some of the plot was predictable, but that does not change the fact that I enjoyed my time in this world. Definitely a great book for middle-grade fantasy lovers.
I will always be a sucker for a character going into a more magical world than their own, whether through portals or however they do so. Fable’s journey into the Mirrorwood was delightful, and I hope Deva Fagan will return to this world at some point. I will say that some of the plot was predictable, but that does not change the fact that I enjoyed my time in this world. Definitely a great book for middle-grade fantasy lovers.
Book 40: The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour
By Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Travis McElroy,
Justin McElroy, and Carey Pietsch
Read February 24th
Pages Read: 352
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This was by far the best book in the series. I loved the time loop aspects in the book and how they played with that for humor. Also, it was great seeing Magnus, Merle, and Taako's backstories and learning a bit more about them. The humor is always great but the heartfelt aspects were some of the best parts of this volume. Like always the artwork was stunning and I loved the Previously on section at the beginning.
Book 41: The Baker's Man
By Jennifer Moorman
Read February 23rd- 25th
Pages Read: 336
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I went into this book thinking it would be so much better than it was. The synopsis drew me in and I was intrigued to see what would happen after Anna created a man from dough. My favorite part was the little bit of magical realism we got and Elijah's character. His growth throughout the book was one of the best parts, and I was glad to see him grow as a character. I cannot say the same for the main character, Anna's growth.
For most of the story, Anna lets everyone push her around, whether that be her mother, friends, or "boyfriend," Baron. She lives her life the way others want her to and does not let herself live her dreams. Seeing her hide behind what others wanted for her and not allowing herself to live her dreams was not enjoyable.
Also, I knew that this was a magical realism book, so it wouldn't have much magic. That did not stop me from wanting more than we got. I believed that Anna would be running a magical bakery, which was not what we got. It would have been much more enjoyable with more magic. I guess the gusts of wind throughout were supposed to be bits of magic, but it was strange.
I did enjoy some of the parts with Elijah and Anna. They were cute together at the beginning, but even that lost its magic, especially towards the book's second half. I won't spoil that plot point, but I didn't particularly appreciate where this book went with Tessa, one of Anna's friends. Her whole point in the plot brought down the book for me and made me actively dislike it. Also, Anna's reaction to Elijah changing and growing as a person was not great either. Around the middle of the book, I got aggravated reading her story and her friends.
The ending was pretty good; as I said before, I enjoyed seeing Elijah grow. Overall, this book was not what I wanted from a romantic, magical realism story. It didn't hold the magic I wanted or have characters that drew me into their romance.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
For most of the story, Anna lets everyone push her around, whether that be her mother, friends, or "boyfriend," Baron. She lives her life the way others want her to and does not let herself live her dreams. Seeing her hide behind what others wanted for her and not allowing herself to live her dreams was not enjoyable.
Also, I knew that this was a magical realism book, so it wouldn't have much magic. That did not stop me from wanting more than we got. I believed that Anna would be running a magical bakery, which was not what we got. It would have been much more enjoyable with more magic. I guess the gusts of wind throughout were supposed to be bits of magic, but it was strange.
I did enjoy some of the parts with Elijah and Anna. They were cute together at the beginning, but even that lost its magic, especially towards the book's second half. I won't spoil that plot point, but I didn't particularly appreciate where this book went with Tessa, one of Anna's friends. Her whole point in the plot brought down the book for me and made me actively dislike it. Also, Anna's reaction to Elijah changing and growing as a person was not great either. Around the middle of the book, I got aggravated reading her story and her friends.
The ending was pretty good; as I said before, I enjoyed seeing Elijah grow. Overall, this book was not what I wanted from a romantic, magical realism story. It didn't hold the magic I wanted or have characters that drew me into their romance.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 42: Star Wars: Darth Vader, Vol. 1: Vader
By Kieron Gillen
Read February 26th
Pages Read: 160
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The story in this graphic novel takes place directly after the events of A New Hope and follows Darth Vader as he looks for help on his own solo mission. I have been wanting to read this series ever since I first heard about it years ago. It was not as good as I hoped it would be and I do not plan on continuing with it. I was not a fan of the whole story line with Vader being under another Imperial officer's command, especially the reveal of who that was. It was just kind of strange how they revealed it in the story.
One part I did enjoy were the droids. It was funny how they were similar to C3PO and R2D2, but evil. Also, the illustration style was great and the scenes looked like they could come directly from the movies.
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