kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

Prince Lyle is on a quest to find the legendary high elf, Deedlit, hoping that she can stop a war from starting among the island nations. The ruler of each nation is magically bound to a covenant of peace when they are crowned with a special magic crown. However, their lords and nobles are not bound by any promise of peace, nor are their royal descendants who refuse the crown. War is looming on the island, and armies are mobilizing. Prince Lyle will do anything to stop the bloodshed, and his siblings have some plans of their own.

I was interested in the magical worldbuilding of this book, but the plot drags too slow. There is a lot of exposition that goes on for pages and pages about political history and this duke and that king and their allies, and their enemies who rebelled against that other ruler years ago, but now that other guy from the desert has control over the tribes and that other prince who claimed the throne is now amassing an army against that other guy from the small nation who used to have access to that city but now that city is flourishing because of the climate change where the desert receded allowing that other duke to take over this border, etc... etc... etc... until I want to die of boredom.
The expositional dialogue was just too much!

And then when the plot finally moves forward, it sets you up for a big action scene and disappoints nearly every time. Here we go into the big scary magical forest of no return where everyone gets lost, except we have elves to guide us, so never mind. It's not scary or dangerous after all.
Here we go into the big scary magical creature menagerie with the man-eating fire-breathing scary monsters where we will probably be killed, except we are best friends with the people who care for the monsters and the monsters are all asleep in cages, so never mind. It's not scary or dangerous after all. The plot was disappointing.

The only character that I cared about was Prince Lyle, so I was bored with the long scenes of his siblings talking to politicians and trying to worm their way into the good graces of their allies or enemies.

I liked the beautiful artwork though! Really pretty pages of gorgeous design!

Prince Lyle is a very inspiring character. I love that he has such a positive outlook. He's a dreamer and he truly believes that he can save his country with high ideals and courage. He has some friends who are really sweet and funny and they make a good team. I liked their scenes together!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Shermy likes to have things orderly and quiet, but Shake is loud and chaotic. When Shake joins Shermy's class at school, their friendship is tested. Shake is popular and extroverted, but Shermy wishes he could be a leader in the class. Through school work, sports, and holidays, these two friends will have to find a way to communicate and be patient with each other.

This was a cute book! I liked the character development as the boys learn to get along. I really loved the adorable illustrations and cute art style.

Rather than telling one long coherent story, this book is split up into smaller stories about Shermy and Shake. In each story, there is something Shermy is trying to accomplish and Shake always gets in the way somehow. Shermy feels overshadowed by Shake in some situations, and they have to learn to have a little bit of grace with each other.
However, each story does build on the previous story, so that we can see the character development for both boys as they learn how to be friends in many different scenarios.

Such a cute series!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone. 

Ava Lin is determined to find a best friend when she starts first grade. She thinks that maybe one girl in her class might be a possible friend, but then they have a misunderstanding about a sparkly plastic jewel. Ava Lin just wants someone to hang out with and make beautiful notebooks, but somehow everything seems to go wrong. She gets a special pebble stuck in her ear. She finds some little treasures but leaves them in her pockets when her clothes go in the wash. She gets in trouble at lunch. Ava Lin thinks school is a big mess, but maybe she could still find a best friend.

This book is so adorable! I love how Ava Lin has her own weird way of thinking about things. It's exactly how little kids think. You need to hide something quickly but you don't have pockets? Instead of doing the sensible thing and asking a grown-up for help, you hide the item in your ear and get it stuck and have to go to the doctor to get it out. Naturally. Haha! This is how little kids end up doing wild things that make the grown-ups roll their eyes and sigh in exasperation.

I love the cute illustrations and fun designs in this book! This is perfect for new readers who are reading small chapter books on their own. Grades 1-3

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone. 

The Queen will banish Prince Lir from the kingdom unless he can complete a quest and rescue a maiden from the dragon. His stepbrother, Prince Delbayne, encourages him to try the quest, even though Lir is more of a scholar than a warrior. Lir travels to the Isle of Salt where he finds the dragon sickly and weak in a damp and moldy cavern. The dragon has lost his fire and his wing is broken, but he could still kill a knight with one slash of his claws. The maiden Cethlenn used to be a servant girl in Lir's kingdom. Now she has to serve the dragon by treading on dark cherries in the wine press to make the dragon's cherry wine. So the scholarly knight, the humble maiden, and the old dragon meet for the first time. These three unlikely allies will discover that dark magic is hiding where they least expect it, so they must join together if they want to be free.

I loved this fairy tale! The plot takes a lot of twists and turns with unexpected surprises and clever schemes. I liked that the adventure doesn't quite follow the normal fairy tale plot. It feels fresh and new, but still has those classic elements of good fantasy.

The writing is enchanting in every way. Each paragraph pulls you into the magic of the story. I especially liked that there is a feeling of history in the worldbuilding. You can feel the weight of legend behind Lir's kingdom, and the past glories of his royal ancestors keep popping up to give us a sense of the longevity of his people. There are traditions and tales from the days of Lir's father's reign, and Lir looks to the past for wisdom and guidance in his own decisions, but he also creates his own path.

Cethlenn has her own part in the story as well. She is an orphan, and back in her serving days in the kingdom, nobody cared for her but the puppies in the stable where she slept in the hay. During her time with Lir and the dragon on the Isle of Salt, she discovers that she has a secret strength within her that will change everything.

The artwork is absolutely brilliant and beautiful! Every page is a delight. Sometimes I just had to stop reading and stare at the art for a few minutes. Every page is full of energy and mystery. It's really powerful, perfectly matching the dynamic of the story.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Sisters Geneva and Holland are constantly living in the shadow of their deceased siblings, who died before they were born. Everyone they meet has a story about the siblings, and the girls can't seem to grow up in their own way without everyone comparing them to their deceased older siblings. Annie is a painter who comes to their home to help them paint a mural in the kitchen. Geneva and Holland find a freedom in her company, and she encourages them to express themselves and begin to heal.

This is an interesting exploration of grief. How do you grieve for family members who died before you were born? How do you move on with your life when everything around you reminds you of them, but you have no actual memories of them? The girls find it difficult to deal with their parents' grief, and they are curious about the past because people compare them to their older siblings.

The youngest, Geneva, has developed severe anxiety and OCD, and Holland feels that she has to be the perfect daughter and take care of her younger sister. As they begin to heal and find their own way, Geneva finds more courage and confidence, and Holland feels like she has the freedom to be imperfect and express her anger. I really loved their character development.

There isn't much to the plot though. They just kind of wander around town and meet people and go to school and have dinner. There is a mystery surrounding Annie. Nobody seems to know who she is or where she comes from. But it's pretty obvious from the beginning that she is... well, spoilers. But it's obvious. No plot twists there.

The writing is thoughtful and well-developed, but I found myself skimming the descriptive paragraphs. It is a good story and well-written, but I think this is just not my type of book, so it didn't really grab my attention.

I love stories about missionaries around the world, because I grew up as a missionary kid on the mission field. These stories really hit home for me, because I have had similar things happen in my own life. Just like these stories, I've also seen God's hand at work to protect and provide for my family. Just like these missionaries, I've also known the exquisite joy of seeing souls reborn in Christ and the absolute transformation of their lives in a new Christian community.

My favorite missionary has always been David Brainard and I was glad to see that he is included in this book. However, each chapter is so short that they can't really do justice to the full biography of each missionary. These are more like little introductions to the most famous quotes or most notable achievements of each person. But you would have to pick up a full biography to really understand all that God did through these people and their ministries.

The writing is very simple for children, and it glosses over some of the more violent or disturbing aspects of missionary life. Many of these missionaries were martyred, tortured, imprisoned, and had other horrible things happen to them. I think the book does a good job of telling the facts, but at an appropriate level for children. Most of the time, the writing just states that the person was killed, but doesn't go into detail. Even so, it's very emotional and intense to read about, so it might not be right for young or sensitive children. Reading this as an adult, I ended up crying through most of the book, because most of the stories are very tragic - full of hope and grace and God's power, but also tragic and full of sorrow.

I took off one star because some of the writing isn't very well constructed. The sentence structure is awkward in places, and there are a few typos. It needed a better editor.

A pirate ship rescues a boy from a shipwreck, and he becomes their new cabin boy. Nicknamed "Shipwreck", he has a tenuous loyalty to the pirates, because they saved his life, but he is looking for an opportunity to leave them and make his way home on a trade ship. The pirate captain announces his intention to give up piracy and take up ranching just outside of San Diego, but the Mexicans are at war with America and the political climate is very unstable. Shipwreck has to rely on the captain for safety from bandits and the town militia, and the captain entrusts his greatest treasure to Shipwreck.

I liked the adventurous plot and interesting characters! Some of the pirates are not happy about the idea of giving up their life at sea, and Shipwreck learns of secret plans to mutiny and steal the captain's treasure. Shipwreck is an American himself, and he is terrified that he will be arrested by the Mexicans as a spy. The captain buys a huge ranch and hires cowboys, cooks, housekeepers, candlemakers, butchers, and lots of people to do a dozen other jobs. It's a busy place, and Shipwreck is swept up in the newness of it all, but he never forgets his former life at sea.
The captain encounters a bandit woman who intrigues him with her sass, and they have some funny repartee when she steals his red boots.

Shipwreck is torn between wanting to go home and wanting to stay with the captain. The captain takes Shipwreck under his wing, teaching and protecting and trusting the cabin boy. Shipwreck begins to look up to him and adopt his mannerisms, his way of walking with confidence. I really enjoyed seeing the character development as Shipwreck is trying to decide what kind of life he wants and where he wants to be.

Overall, it's a fun story, but they aren't ever at sea. The book begins when they come into port at San Diego, and they are mostly at the ranch or in the town. They return sometimes to the ship anchored in harbor, but they never go anywhere.
However, it was definitely an interesting exploration of the question of what do pirates DO when they stop being pirates.

I took off a half star because some of the plot twists were really predictable. Otherwise, it would have been a four star book.

The Pincher family are all thieves and liars. They love to steal and cheat, except for Theo who gets a stomachache if he tries to tell a lie or do anything dishonest. It doesn't help that their next-door neighbor is a policeman! When Mr. and Mrs. Pincher leave Theo and his sister at home for the evening, Theo worries that they might be planning to steal the famous diamond on exhibit at the museum. His sister drags Theo along to visit their grandmother in jail, and they stage a prison escape and go looking for the diamond themselves.

This book is hilarious! It's so funny to see parents doing the opposite of what would be normal, encouraging their kids to lie and steal. Poor Theo, he just doesn't fit in. He's too honest and good. This book had me laughing and chuckling at all the silly escapades of the Pincher family. It might be as simple as stealing the newspaper off their neighbor's porch each morning, or it might be an elaborate heist, but the Pinchers take every opportunity to use their thieving skills.

I loved the fun illustrations in each chapter and the cute character designs! What a fun book!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

Crimson is different from other witches. She doesn't want to wear a pointy hat; she wants a hat with a bow. She doesn't like black dresses; she wants a dress with pretty polka dots. When Crimson invites her city friends to visit her country home, she has a whole list of activities for them to do together. But everything seems to wrong, and Crimson is worried that her friends will have a terrible time!

I loved this cute book! Crimson is so sweet and I loved that she is not afraid to be different. I thought the story was really positive, but it was also just fun! I loved how her friends appreciate the ways that Crimson is different and they celebrate those differences.

I liked the cute illustrations, but I felt like the art work was really dark. There are lots of shadows in the background, so it made the art very dark. But the story is so light-hearted and fun, so it was an odd juxtaposition.

This book made me laugh, and I loved the hilarious writing style!

It was so interesting to find out about the world of the witches. I loved the world building with all the different types of brooms and how the witches harvest magical materials in the country.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

The O'Connell family accidentally go back in time while they are vacationing in Ireland, and they have to defeat a local tyrant. The children, Lily and Tyler, are excited to explore the past, but their parents just think it's all a historical reenactment. They befriend a timid young man named Rory who helps them to break out of a dungeon. Lily develops magical powers from being splashed with a magic potion, but she doesn't know how to use her powers.

This graphic novel was okay, but not particularly good. The dialogue doesn't flow very well. It feels awkward. The plot is lackluster. The art style is okay, but not great.

I don't understand the cover of this graphic novel. The character on the cover does not look like any of the characters in the story. There are no wolves in the story. They mention a couple of times that "O'Connell" means " descendant of wolves", but that is all. So why is there a wolf on the cover? It has nothing to do with the story, and the art style on the cover is not the same as the art style in the book. I hate it when the cover doesn't match the rest of the art.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.