kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

Sadie and Carter Kane have started recruiting new magicians to their cause to restore the balance between the Egyptian gods. They have a whole school of kids and teens who want to learn Egyptian magic, but will it be enough to fight the coming battle against chaos? The school can only hold off the magicians from the House of Life while Sadie and Carter go on a dangerous quest to awaken the ancient sun god Ra. They get help from a dwarf god to find three magic scrolls that will awaken Ra. Sadie gets closer to one of the students her own age, and Carter is desperate to find Zia, who has been hidden away by a powerful enchantment.

I loved this fun adventure! Sadie is full of spunk and sass, and Carter is serious and responsible. They make a great team, and I love the sibling dynamic between them. The quips and friendly insults continue, but in this book they are much closer and more loyal to each other. They are a strong family, united in their adventures.

I enjoyed the adventurous plot and learning all about Ancient Egyptian legends of the gods. The setting keeps changing as they travel to Russia, Egypt, and New York. But in every place they visit, they discover that there are traces of Egyptian influences, and the gods have the power to reveal themselves in many places. The history of the House of Life in Russia was particularly interesting.

I enjoyed the writing style which jumps back and forth between narrators. Sadie and Carter take turns telling the story from their point of view. Normally that would be annoying to me, but it's very well organized with Sadie narrating one chapter and then Carter narrating the next one. Since it is so well delineated, and since they both have very unique voices, it works great for this story.

I actually listened to an audiobook narrated by Grace Capeless (doing the voice of Sadie) and James Fouhey (doing the voice of Carter). They did a wonderful job and really brought forward the comedy in the story!

Emily has never been in the water. Her mother is afraid of the water, so she has kept Emily out of any swim classes or pool parties. But finally, Emily is allowed to go to a swim class at school! She is swimming well for the first few seconds, until her feet start to fuse together, cramping up. She gets out of the pool before anyone notices, but then decides to experiment on her own by going swimming in the ocean. She discovers that she can transform into a mermaid, and there is a whole community of mermaids living in secret far out to sea. But why is her mother so afraid of the water? And where is Emily's father? He left them when Emily was a baby, but is there a deeper secret behind his leaving?

I loved this cute mermaid story! Emily is adorable and sweet, and I liked how she and her mom have a close relationship. The magic of the mermaid world is really interesting and imaginative. There is a mystery surrounding Emily's past and she is determined to find out who her father is and what happened to him. So I enjoyed the mystery and adventure in the story! The writing style is light and charming.

Some of the plot is kind of ridiculous, but it's magic, so... it's fine. I think that middle school readers would not mind if the plot is ridiculous. They would just think it's fun!
I didn't really care about Emily's school friends and enemies. Her school life just seemed like a side note to the mermaid adventure. But again, I think that middle school readers would really relate to Emily's social difficulties at school. I am not the target audience for this book, so it makes sense that these elements of the story don't appeal to me.


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.

Jude is the only survivor when a dragon attacks his village. Wandering and devastated, he gets a job with a travelling troupe who have a captive Chinese girl, Jing-wei. Jude is charged with her care, and the two strike up a friendship. But Jude is plagued with nightmares about the dragon, and he feels paralyzed with fear. Jing-wei encourages him to make a plan to hunt the dragon, but Jude is a coward... until he has no choice but to face the dragon.

In this world, dragons are not sentient beings who can talk, but simply animals with an instinct to hunt and burn. I read a lot of dragon stories where dragons can talk, but very few where dragons are just another animal like any beast. They don't have any magical properties or special abilities. They are just average predators who happen to breathe fire. By the time of this story, all the dragons have been hunted to extinction and their eggs destroyed. But apparently one egg survived and hatched, and a young dragon is burning villages and wreaking havoc.

I stayed up past midnight reading this book, and thoroughly enjoyed it!

The main focus of the story is Jude's internal journey grieving for his family and overcoming his fears. The story is told from Jude's POV, so we hear his inmost thoughts and struggles. His relationship with Jing-wei is central to his character development. I really enjoyed how their friendship develops and how Jing-wei inspires him to be a better man.

The adventure of the dragon takes up comparatively little time in the plot, so plot-driven readers might be a little disappointed. But character-driven readers like myself will appreciate the character arcs for both the main characters. The dragon hunt is mainly a vehicle to throw together the characters and force them to confront their fears and grow. The plot is a little bit predictable, but clever and interesting too!

Some trigger warnings include Jing-wei being kept in a cage as a slave, and a man who tries to sexually assault her, but she is rescued. She also has bound feet that are misshapen and very painful. Jing-wei meets these horrors in her life with courage and grace. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with her character, but it's upsetting to read about all these awful things.

When an ogress moves in just outside of town, the townspeople begin to blame her for everything that has gone wrong for years, even before she arrived! Their bad luck had all started years before when the Library had burned down. Thank goodness for their wonderful Mayor who is working to restore the town and get rid of the Ogress. But there are a few children in the orphanage who begin to wonder if the Mayor is really so wonderful and if the Ogress is really so evil. Anthea is good at problem-solving. Bartleby is a philosopher who asks the hard questions, and his sister Cass is quiet but brave. These three children look at their crumbling town and decide to finally do something to help.

I loved this fanciful story!

The soft magic system is delightfully mysterious. There are little glimmers of magic in everything, but nothing is concrete. There is a description of how time and space will bend and warp around books. Books are so weighty with knowledge and wisdom that time will actually flow differently around them. The Ogress has such a warm personality that her garden grows ten times more abundantly from the warmth that radiates from her. The Mayor has such a silky voice and such a dazzling smile that the townspeople are mesmerized by everything he says. Is it magic? Maybe a little. The same way that a kind word is magic and a warm cookie straight out of the oven is magic. All the threads of the world come together in a magical way for those who know to look for them.

The writing style takes a lot of time to point out important details. The plot moves slowly, but the writing is so good at keeping your attention that I didn't mind the slower pace. In the end, each of those little details matters immensely and carries emotional weight in the story. It's nice to have a bit of a slower story sometimes, so that you can take time to really get to know the characters and reflect on their internal journeys as well as the outer adventure. The writing is so elegant that even during the scenes with more action, I found it soothing to read.

I loved the wonderful characters! Anthea is the oldest of the orphans, so she feels responsible to care for everyone. Bartleby is bookish and more of a thinker than a doer. But Cass is the doer. She quietly moves about, saying little and getting a lot done. They are all complex and interesting characters. I loved how those three interact and bicker and protect each other like real siblings.

I enjoyed the exploration of deep themes about family and neighborliness and generosity. The Ogress is not welcomed in the town because they don't think of her a neighbor, so the townspeople have to rediscover what it means to be neighborly. The orphans have a strong sense of family in their little orphanage. They function like a family unit, all caring for each other and protecting their home. The Ogress has a philosophy that the more you give, the more you have. She is wildly generous to every creature she meets, and her abundance overflows into the town. But the townspeople are overwhelmed by fear and greed. It takes something extraordinary to free them from their fears. I loved the positive messages in this book!

This is such a lovely book, and I can't wait to read more from this author!

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.

Marilla is growing up on the Avonlea farm before the gables were ever built or painted green. Her family are excited for a new baby to arrive soon, and Marilla's aunt arrives to help out. But Marilla is unsure about these new additions to the family. Will it change their peaceful lives to have their aunt taking over the kitchen? Marilla is also determined to keep homeschooling and studying so that she can pass the examinations to finish school. She is needed at home to help her mother, so she can't attend school, but a neighbor boy, John Blythe, agrees to tutor her after school and help her pass her exams. There is a flirtation with John Blythe, but all that changes when disaster strikes the Cuthbert family.

There are a lot of things going on in this book. Sometimes the plot feels sort of disjointed and pulled in different directions. I enjoyed each individual story line, but it lacked a unifying theme.

Marilla travels to the mainland to bring charity to an orphanage. She learns about runaway slaves who hide at the orphanage, and wants to assist in some way, but isn't really sure what she can do to help. The Ladies' Aid Society begins making mittens and hats for the orphans, and Marilla meets Rachel who becomes her best friend.

Then there is the half-romance with John Blythe. I didn't like that Marilla was so quick to lose her head over this flirtation. Otherwise she is a sensible, no-nonsense kind of person, but she is very quick to run off into the woods with John to kiss. It just didn't fit with her character. I would have liked it better if they had flirted some and become friends, but had not kissed or had anything serious in their relationship. I always got the impression that Marilla's relationship with John Blythe had been a "will-they-won't-they" thing with nothing more substantial. But in this book, they are seriously in love, kissing, dating at public events, and John is an accepted suitor at the Cuthbert house. Then it all fell apart when they quarreled, because they were both too proud to apologize. I don't know. It's fine, but I guess I had just imagined it differently in my head.

The half-romance that Matthew has with a local girl made a lot more sense. It fit with his quiet character, and it made sense the way that it ended with him as a confirmed bachelor for life.

The storyline with Marilla's mother and aunt was heart-breaking and sweet. It was really emotional to see the strong connections between these women, and I loved the scenes with Marilla and her aunt.

The writing style is nothing like LM Montgomery, but it doesn't read like fan fiction either. The writing is strong and engaging.

Overall, a good story, and I enjoyed reading it!

This book is so interesting! Just reading it makes me want to travel the world. I like that there are plenty of photos of exotic places, and a list of hotels, restaurants, and other attractions with addresses and phone numbers so that you can book your stay and find your way around. The sections for each country are well-organized by region, so that it is easy to find everything. This book is attractive but also useful and full of good information.

The one spot that I really want to visit is the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye with dozens of bookshops. It's such a neat idea to have all those bookshops together, and a whole community dedicated to books!

This guide is full of little gems like that, and it will make you want to get your passport and book your plane ticket for amazing places around the world!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/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.

 You can read a short bio of different artists throughout history and then try their style of art for yourself. There are instructions and lists of art supplies for trying out the art styles of Frida Kahlo, Katsushika Hokusai, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, and a dozen more! You can try a silhouette like Moses Williams. You can paint tiny little dots like Georges Seurat. You can make a collage like Henri Matisse.

I did not care for this book, because it focused too much on modern artists, instead of traditional and classical artists. Modern art just doesn't appeal to my own personal taste in art, so I did not enjoy this book very much.

I was distressed to see that this children's book has Leonardo Da Vinci's famous sketch of the human male anatomy. Nudity is not appropriate for a children's book!

Other than that, the illustrations are really cute and the art activities look like a lot of fun!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/ 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. 

Penguin worries that she and Panda don't have enough in common to be real friends. They don't like any of the same things. They look different, and act different, and even talk differently. But Panda reminds his friend that they are the same in all the ways that matter.

This graphic novel is adorable! In each chapter, Penguin and Panda have some sort of cute little adventure and they discover the delights of friendship. They go to a carnival together and share their tickets. Panda accidentally breaks Penguin's bike and tries to hide it. Panda gets a weird new pet and Penguin is not sure if the pet is acceptable.

At the back of the book there are some fun facts about real penguins and pandas, as well as some funny animal jokes. The art work is so cute and colorful! I love this sweet book!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/ 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.

Penguin is trying to surprise Panda with a special picnic, but Panda keeps guessing all the surprises before Penguin can reveal them. Penguin is worried that Panda is not having fun because all the surprises are ruined, but Panda is just happy to be hanging out with Penguin.

This graphic novel is adorable! In each chapter, Penguin and Panda have some sort of cute little adventure and they discover the delights of friendship. They play hide and seek, they go to a painting class together, and Penguin spies on Panda while he works on a mysterious secret project.

At the back of the book there are some fun facts about real penguins and pandas, as well as a tutorial on how to draw the characters. The art work is so cute and colorful! I love this sweet book!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/ 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.

Serilda has been blessed by the god of stories, and so the people in her village denounce her as a liar. One night on the full moon, she encounters the dark ones on their moonlit hunt. She lies to the Erlking, and tells him that she can spin straw into gold. Taken to his dungeon, she must prove herself by spinning the straw and creating gold, or be killed. A strange boy appears in the dungeon and claims that he can help her, but she must pay a price for his magic.

I enjoyed the main story and the way that the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale is reimagined. It's very clever to see how the basic fairy tale plot is enhanced and explained in new ways, and how the details are changed but it still makes sense with the original story. Actually it makes MORE sense than the original story, because some of the weird things in the fairy tale are explained better in this story.

However, I just wasn't in the mood for this book, because it's very ghoulish and gruesome with a lot of deaths and violence. It was a mistake to try to read this in the spring. I should have saved it for October around Halloween. It's not too scary for me, but it is very gothic and creepy and bloody and sad. A LOT of people die. Children, fathers, moms, a lot of innocent people. I get why it is necessary to set up just how evil and ruthless the villain is, but I didn't need quite so much blood and gore and severed heads.

I also did not really click with the romance. There is a lot of telling instead of showing in the romantic scenes, and Serilda overthinks every little tiny aspect of their relationship. If his hand brushes against hers, we have to hear five paragraphs about how it felt, and what she thinks it meant, and whether he maybe meant to touch her hand or if it was accidental, and how a tingle went up her arm when he touched her, and how there used to be this other boy in the village who held her hand one time five years ago, but that was different than how it felt now, and on and on and on for way too long. By then, I'm just annoyed that that stupid boy ever touched her hand! I get that she is an overthinker. I appreciate that in a character, because I am an overthinker myself. But it just was too much. Plus I was listening to audiobook, so I couldn't skim when it got annoying.

It is also a "closed door" romance, and I felt like that ruined it. I understand how it was necessary for the plot, but I still didn't like it. I guess "closed door" is better than graphic erotica, but I always feel like it just ruins the romance because the characters are more focused on physical attraction rather than emotional and spiritual connection.

There were a lot of supporting characters, both humans and fae creatures, who were very memorable and interesting. There is a lesbian couple in the city who flirt back and forth. There are a lot of magical creatures, most of whom are hostile. The world-building is really excellent. The writing style is superb! I just couldn't enjoy it though, because of the weird romance and the gruesome violence.