A marked improvement over the last installment in terms of plot. This one actually had some semblance of a goal and a journey that made a bit of logical sense. The writing is undeniably creative and the descriptions are still very vivid and fun to read. However, more and more these books are reading like random ideas slapped together with the intent of shipping out a new Oz book rather than a planned set to actually get anywhere relevant.

The characters in this one, though definitely not the worst of the Oz series characters, were a motley crew. Despite the cover illustration, the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Man play quite minor roles. The primary characters for the journey are Dorothy, Toto, the Shaggy Man, Button-Bright, and Polychrome.

The premise for Dorothy accompanying the Shaggy Man is seriously circumspect and likely teaches children a quite incorrect way for dealing with strangers. Button-Bright drove me absolutely batty. I have never wanted to remove a child character from a book so intensely. He was a dolt and irritated me to no end. And for some reason Dorothy seems a little more insipid in this installment. She has been a vibrant and interesting character in the past, but this time she came off a bit pretentious and really as something of a know-it-all. She was not as charming as she has been in some of the previous reads.

As with the other reads in the series, this was still a quick one to get through and I do appreciate the creativity. It was moderately entertaining. 

This is one of the absolute cutest early middle grade reads. Matilda is an adorable character with great personality and she serves as an excellent example to young kids about believing in yourself. If you've watched the movie, it follows the narrative of the novel pretty closely, so it was good to read these characters and have the visual pictures matching up to what I'm familiar with in terms of the film.

I like that there are multiple levels for understanding the story and I think it becomes more and more of an evolving social message as the reader ages. There was definitely more of a gut-wrenching response from me on this read since I have young kids of my own.

The writing is perfectly age appropriate and somehow, despite the absolutely horrible way Matilda's parents and Miss Trunchbull act, it doesn't read overly scary for that set. The pacing is fairly quick and there are great bits of minor entertainment throughout.

Matilda herself is just the best character. She is intelligent and humble, has a great sense of moral character, and is quite confident despite her horrible upbringing. She is a truly wonderful child and an encouraging character for children that they can rise above challenging circumstances.

This is my favorite Roald Dahl read thus far. A great classic. 

 I'm calling it now. This is going to be in my top reads for this year. I loved this book so freaking much! Laini Taylor's writing is beautiful and gripping. I get sucked right in. It is so wonderfully lyrical and makes everything feel like it has some kind of dreamlike quality to it. The story just floats and feels unavoidably connecting. This is what I commonly refer to as a "huggable book"--one that I need to be able to have and love forever.

The character development and interactions nearly had me in tears. Lazlo and Sarai are both such great characters. Lazlo is so gentle and yet so brilliant. He manages to balance being amazingly decent to all those around him (regardless of how they treat him in return) with a sheer determination and will that are unbending. He is so focused on his goals, yet so aware and understanding of his surroundings. He is genuine and wonderful and such a little cinnamon roll of a protagonist.

Sarai I adored as well, though admittedly not quite as much as Lazlo. She is innocent, but at the same time understands the balance of the two world better than any of the other characters presented. She is compassionate and willing to admit that she does not yet know or understand everything. She is able to consider the situation from the viewpoints of others and truly wishes for a balance. She is a great teenage protagonist.

The plot was continuously interesting and peppered with new pieces of understanding in a stealthy, masterful way. Things just slip in quietly in small increments and then effectively take everything you thought you knew and twist it into knots. I was constantly on the edge of my seat both excited and apprehensive about where things would go.

The world is beautiful, curious, and unique (in true Laini Taylor fashion). I loved so much of it. There is a masterful balance of light and dark and the use of grand metaphor is marvelous. The fairytale quality of the narrative and the city of Weep also just had me swooning. Magical indeed.

The pacing did have some weak moments and inconsistencies, but these felt negligible. Additionally, instalove usually drives me crazy and turns me off of a story in a fairly big way. But something about this matchup just felt right. I was rooting for it. Rarely do I feel a case of OTP syndrome, but this one...yep. Nailed it.

Also, can I just address the use of relevant social constructs? Placing two races inherently at odds based solely on looks and judging others by the sins of their ancestors speak to such grander and more powerful messages. This is somehow subtlely, but at once also obviously done that it just seeps into your soul. Gah. I loved this book.

I'm usually terrible about continuing a series in a timely fashion, but this one I am chomping at the bit for. I don't know that I'll be able to avoid sliding Muse of Nightmares into my already burgeoning TBR for very long. 

 This was a low 4-star read for me. It was my first experience with Naomi Novik, and from what I heard it is different than her usual writing approach. It's a difficult book to bond with. I had heard prior to reading that it was heavy on info dumping and that CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH. I have never read a book with so much info dumping. That being said, the world and magic specifics are intricate and interesting, very creative and unique. I have to give Novik kudos for being able to come up with it all. However, as a reader it can make the book a bit of a slog and at points the amount of sheer description and spewing of magical mechanics made it feel almost like a textbook. This does take away from the intensity of the plot, making the stakes feel somehow lower.

The writing, to her credit, was still quite good in these sections, but the content organization in this way really held back the pace, especially in the first half. I very nearly DNF'd, but I stuck it out. It did get better in the second half, but the info dumping tendency does continue from beginning to end, be forewarned.

My other difficulty with bonding to the book was the protagonist herself. El is an acquired taste. She is quite snarky, which I loved, but she can also be quite whiny about her loner status. She did admittedly get on my nerves on occasion. I did enjoy the supporting characters and found them much more palatable overall. The choice to create a school where there are no instructors was an interesting choice. I do think there could have been potentially more depth added to the plot had some kind of administrative presence been included.

This all makes it sound like I didn't like the book, so you must be wondering about my rating. Well, I do enjoy this world and I think it does serve as a good introduction to a potentially great series. There was a lot to understand in order to comprehend the universe at work, so I can somewhat give a pass on some of the info dumping nature. I would have preferred more of a show over tell approach, but I'm hoping that now that the basics have been established, the second novel will build on the movement rather than returning to the technical style of delivery. The last third or so of the book really had great action and character interaction. This sucked me in and made me very interested in where this series could go. It demonstrated that Novik does maybe have it in the works to give a more traditional approach from here forward. And the ending...slapped me right in the face. Did not expect that one. Curious to see where this all goes. 

I have loved the Disney movie version of this book for quite a long time, so of course I needed to read the book. Like many adaptations, there are differences between the two formats, but I still felt at the end like the movie I love really did a good representation of the novel.

Pollyanna is like a slightly less mature Anne Shirley and she is utterly adorable. I loved the narrative and her character (though I can see why some readers can find her absolute cheeriness a bit grating). The novel does focus more on the Pollyanna/Polly relationship more than is given in the movie version and I felt that gave things even more heart. The contrast and tension between her and Aunt Polly is well done and I enjoyed reading through the evolution of their relationship.

The writing is comfortable and moves quickly. It is a perfect middle grade level read and balances a happy story with some definite hardships. It may be a little dated, but still holds great messages and a truly wholesome narrative. 

I'm not going to lie, this was a rough read to get through for a few reasons. I knew there was animal cruelty in here, but don't think I expected so much for a middle grade level book. It was gut-wrenching to read through this even though it is relatively short and fairly quick paced. I found that I was having to read it in small sections and then step away for a while.

The writing was good and the book is worth the read, but didn't grip me quite as much as I wanted...I do attribute this slightly to the middle grade level, but even then I just wanted more to it. The story was good, but again, I just felt that it needed to be fleshed out a little more. The pacing made it an easier read than it would have been otherwise, but still may have done it a little of a disservice in the immersion department.

I see value in the read and there is absolutely an audience for this one, it just wasn't quite for me. 

This book was a totally wild ride. A complex, but terribly exciting and intriguing fantasy with great writing. This is my first read from Rebecca Roanhorse, but after this experience I will not only be anxiously awaiting the sequel, I will be searching out her backlist as well. Her writing is immersive, descriptive, dark, and just plain enjoyable.

This story is so amazingly intricate and phenomenally constructed. The inclusion of South American forklore influence is something I found both intriguing and new. The atmosphere was rich and beautiful. I was lapping it right up.

The characters are very diverse, with great representation that felt seamless and natural. There are multiple protagonists as well as several important supporting characters and I found them all to be so amazing and tangible. The balance between them is well done as well and the construction of the story for multiple timelines felt fairly seamless in transitions.

I love being able to broaden my horizons with a read that keeps me gripped from beginning to end, which this did. There were admittedly some issues with pacing that slowed a few spots for me and prevented a full 5-star reading experience, but I was so wrapped up in the story and wondering where it would go that I plowed right through the slow parts to get my teeth sunk in a little further. The ending was a complete whirlwind that left me wanting more to the detail, but also left me salivating for the next installment. I mean...wow. I'm going to need this sequel soon.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ** 

I enjoy a dark story. I also enjoyed the movie version of this novel. In one of the rare instances where I read the book second, this was a relieving success. While there are certainly noticeable differences between the two media, I found the story quite enjoyable.

Gaiman's writing is a style that I found both entertaining and intriguing. There is a bit of a sinister tone to everything. The atmosphere is magically dark, with fantastic descriptions throughout. The characters are just this side of normal. They have enough to them to hedge that edge between believable and magical. And each character has their own shadowy edges, as if at any moment the shoe may drop in any direction.

A little herky jerky in the pacing and movements, but that does create a good setup for the atmosphere. Adorably creepy and just the right level of scare for an upper level middle grade read. Brilliantly fun.