kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

Honey and her family went on a road trip and discovered a hidden valley where a herd of wild horses live. Once they cross the river to enter the valley, they can never find the bridge again, and must live in the valley for the next seven years. Honey and her little brother, Rumi, grow up riding the wild horses, planting crops and fishing for food, and enjoying an idyllic life of peace. But when danger threatens their family, Honey must trust the horses to show them the way out of the valley when the time is right.

This book is like a dream world of enchantment. The writing feels like a reverie in the way it flows along taking the reader for a journey into dreamland. The magic of the valley is never explained. You just have to accept that this is the way things are with mystic horses in an enchanted valley.

I loved the descriptions of how Honey's family survived for seven years in the valley. They have very cleverly used every resource that is available to them to plant crops and harvest fruit. They reuse every scrap of fabric and thread for their clothing. They even use plant fibers to create their own string and rope.

I loved the characters and their quirky ways. They have adapted to life in the valley and they have their own ways of talking and behaving. The children are especially innocent, but intelligent in unique ways. However, there isn't a lot of character development. Honey does develop a little, but she is mostly just reacting to what is happening around her, not changing in herself.

There are some really meaningful themes and special moments of introspection in this book. There is one scene where Rumi is worried and excited and happy all at once, trying to take in all the changes that are occurring in the valley. It really spoke to me. "Rumi breathed deep, pulling the beauty inside, all the sights, sounds, and sensations; the more he did it, the more it calmed his fear. He knew this peace wouldn't change what happened... - but it made him feel stronger..."
There are some beautiful lessons to be learned in this book, and it encouraged and inspired me!

I finished this book in one day because it was so delightful and refreshing!

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.

This book within a book shows handwritten notes in the margins from Jen and Eric as they read the book text, speculating about the mystery surrounding the author. The main text of Ship of Theseus is the story of a man with amnesia who is shanghaied aboard a strange ship where time seems to move differently than on land. The sailors all have their mouths sewn shut and are unable to speak. The man discovers a vast plot that spans many years, where he becomes an agent trying to stop an evil warlord. Jen and Eric believe that the author, Straka, wrote the story as an allegory to represent certain world leaders and powerful businessmen, hoping to expose their evil deeds. As they get closer to the dangerous truth, they also becomes closer to each other.

There are also little notes, newspaper clippings, letters, and photographs tucked in between the pages where Eric and Jen have "left" them. The book includes a code breaker disc so that you can crack the hidden codes along with Jen and Eric.

I read through the entire main text of Ship of Theseus, then went back and started reading through the notes in the margins. I got to page 101 of the notes, and DNF'd the book. There was just such a lot of cursing/profanity in the margins that I couldn't stand it anymore.

I stuck through the horrific main text, because I had read other reviews that said the margins with Jen and Eric were wonderful. I kept hoping it would get better. I kept hoping that the mystery of the ship and the sailor's sewn mouths would eventually be explained. I kept hoping that the mystery of the main character's amnesia would be explained. NOTHING was explained. It's just left there in an open ambiguous ending. I hate that.

The main text was violent and creepy. All the characters are weird and their behavior is strange. The violence was really nasty. The notes in the margin are random and out of order. You can follow Jen and Eric's different timelines when they were writing notes, because the ink color changes. But it's still very easy to get lost and confused.

However, the writing style is very powerful and deliberate. Every little detail has a meaning, usually on two or three different levels. There is the main meaning to the story, then a hidden meaning underneath because the writer was actually referencing something in their own life, then an emotional or spiritual meaning as the character represents some allegorical concept, and then probably some obscure etymological reference to birds. It's beautiful and exhausting. Beautiful in a wild destructive tsunami kind of way that leaves mud and death behind it.

In this alternate reality of Little Women, Jo March has just published her first novel and the publishers are clamoring for more stories about Jo and her sisters. They want Jo to write about the sisters meeting young men and getting married. But Jo isn't even sure how her real life is going or what she wants from life, so how can she write about the fates of all her sisters? Jo and Laurie have always been best friends, but writing her next book brings up some emotional questions between the two of them and their relationship starts to change.

This was like reading about an alternate reality inside a pocket universe inside another dimension. The original Little Women is already kind of an alternate fictional reality, because L.M. Alcott based her characters on herself and her sisters. So there is the real world Louisa May, and the fictional Jo. And this book has a fictional Jo and a book Jo, but the book isn't the same as the other book that Louisa May wrote because Beth didn't die in that other other book, and Meg never even met Mr. Brooke in the other other fictional reality. Yeah. It takes some mental calisthenics to keep track of four different storylines.

I have always loved the original Little Women, so I came into this already loving the characters. I tried to keep an open mind about this retelling, not expecting every little thing to remain true to the original, but just wanting a fun time to reimagine a beloved story. However, I was disappointed.

The dialogue is boring. I mean, mind-numbingly boring! In one scene, Laurie literally repeats the exact same phrase THREE times. If he said it twice, that would be fine. I get it. He's repeating himself to make a point. But three times is just too much. Every scene was just so boring. And there is some cursing in the dialogue that was completely out of place.

I did not care for the way the characters were reimagined. Meg was too meek. Amy was bratty, but not in a cute way. Beth is already dead in this reality, but Jo has kept her memory alive in her writing. And Jo is sort of lackluster. Her passion and mischievousness are there, but it lacks the charm of the original. Laurie is an idiot. I'm just not impressed with these characters.

The plot is super slow. In the first several chapters, nothing happens whatsoever. The whole first 100 pages could have been condensed to 30 pages.

I made it to page 79 and gave up. I DNF'd it. The main idea sounds like fun, but the writing did not live up to my expectations.

Percy needs three recommendation letters from three gods in order to get into college with Annabeth next year. So he teams up with Annabeth and Grover for a few last quests to earn those godly recommendation letters. Their first task is to find the stolen cup of Ganymede, Zeus' cup bearer. There are a few likely suspects among the minor gods, and of course Percy will have to battle monsters and outwit immortals in order to find the cup and restore it to Ganymede. All while trying to pass his regular school classes.

I loved this! It was everything that I wanted and more. I love Percy's sarcasm and sass. I love the group dynamic between Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. They make such a great team! I loved seeing more of Percy hanging out at home with his mom, just being a family. And of course, I loved the adventurous plot. The writing is wonderful, and I enjoyed learning about all the ancient legends of the gods. There is just something so delightfully charming and hilarious about Percy Jackson books. It tugs at your heart and makes you laugh at the same time.

I can't wait to read more books in this new PJ series!

Basil and his faithful friend, Dawson, are travelling from Mexico into the American West. They hear about a gang of smugglers who are stealing ancient artifacts from Mexico, smuggling them across the border disguised as ordinary souvenirs, and then selling them on the black market. A desperate hotel owner begs Basil to visit the Grand Canyon where their hotel is being terrorized by a mysterious "Thing". Basil and Dawson travel through various areas of the Wild West, helping other creatures and solving mysteries along the way.

I love this series so much! I have always been a fan of the Great Mouse Detective cartoon, so I was delighted to discover that the movie was based on a book series. The writing is charming, the story is exciting, and the mystery is full of wild clues that only Basil can figure out. I also loved the adorable illustrations that bring the characters to life.

This chapter book would be perfect for young readers ages 6-10 who are starting to read on their own, but it is also enjoyable for older children to read. I loved reading it even as an adult!

Lori's father-in-law, William, has just moved into his newly-renovated ancient home, where he discovers an old painting of some sort. He sends it to be restored, and a family tree is discovered hiding under years of grime. But the painting is stolen before any names can be identified on the family tree. Meanwhile, Lori's neighbor, Sally Pyne, is in desperate need of help and she turns to William, hoping that his expertise as a lawyer will help her out of a pickle. But the whole family gets involved in helping Sally to lie to the entire village! Lori is also very suspicious of William's new housekeeper and groundskeeper. Could they be hiding something nefarious? Lori will need Aunt Dimity's wisdom every step of the way!

I enjoyed this book so much! I especially loved the history that is unfolded in this plot, and we get to learn more about the little village of Finch. I really enjoyed the puzzle aspects of the story!

The plot has many little details that made it fun and engaging. I still think it's hilarious that Aunt Dimity is a ghost who talks to Lori through a journal. I still love Lori's delightfully stubborn character, and her relationships with everyone in her little town. I love seeing Lori meet new people in every book, making friends and enemies, and being her own wild self.

The writing is good, clear, and funny! The characters are adorable and complex.
This book in particular has some really sweet emotional scenes that deal with falling in love and family connections, and we get to see these characters comforting and encouraging each other in a really meaningful way. It's not all fluff all the time with Aunt Dimity. But there are also some really hilarious scenes. There's an excellent balance of serious subjects with more light-hearted scenes.

I love it all!

I really liked this adaptation of Wind in the Willows. The story is condensed and simplified for a young audience, but still captures the charm of the original and has most of the main plot points. The editor did a great job abridging the story, but still keeping the integrity and grace of the original.

The artwork is so lovely! I love the cute designs for the creatures, and the pretty landscape around the river. Every page is so colorful, full of warmth and fun.

This would be great for young readers who are starting to read chapter books on their own. The text is big, and every other page has an illustration. Ages 6-10.

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

This book gives information about 50 amazing vehicles, including boats, cars, planes, motorcycles, chariots, wagons, rockets, and bicycles. It's really amazing to see how history has changed over the centuries and especially in the last one hundred years just because of mankind's ability to travel.

I love the beautiful illustrations and attractive page layouts! The information is given in little bite-sized paragraphs, making it easy to read quickly. I was so interested in all the factoids and anecdotes from history! It was really inspiring to read about these inventors who took risks and tried new things and broke barriers to create a new form of travel for their era.

There is one place at the end though where the book talks about how we need more electric cars because they are supposedly better than fossil fuel. But they forget to mention that most electricity comes from burning coal, so it's not really that much better. It seems like they could have given a little more information about electric cars to cover all the facts, instead of making it seem like electric cars are the perfect solution to all the world's environmental problems. The issue isn't that simple, and they left out a lot of information.


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

This book goes through history, giving information about different cities around the world at their height. We start with Jericho and end with Tokyo. There are ancient cities that now lie in ruins, old cities that kept getting renewed and rebuilt through the centuries, and modern cities that are comparatively young.

My favorite city was Tenochtitlan, because I used to live in Mexico City and I have visited the museums and ruins of Tenochtitlan many times. It was so fun to see a map of how the ancient city would have looked, and compare it to the modern city I knew!

I loved the beautiful illustrations and maps included in this book! There are four pages for each city, giving little factoids in small paragraphs and showing the main landmarks, museums, palaces, and architecture for which that city is well-known. We also get a bit of a timeline of the city with its main history and notable personages.

There is a section on San Francisco which highlights the Castro District as "one of the first openly LBGTQ+ neighborhoods in the world". It also includes a short bio on Harvey Milk as "the first openly gay elected official in California."

There were a few places that I found very odd, where the facts seemed to be strangely skewed. There is a whole paragraph about Lenin in the section on St. Petersburg, but it only says that he was the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and that he established the Soviet state. It literally says "He is regarded as one of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century." Nothing about how he murdered millions of people. Very lopsided history.

There is also a section at the end about "Cities of Tomorrow" which says that "clean" energy like "sun, water, wind, or waves" would be much better than fossil fuels, but it neglects to mention any of the problems that those energy sources pose. It's just another way that the facts are lopsided and don't give the whole picture.

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

Jane, Cassandra, and their mother, Mrs. Austen, are visiting their old country parsonage where Jane's brother, James, is now residing. They visit the Chute family at their estate for the Christmas festivities, but a military messenger is found dead, thrown from his horse. Jane thinks it must be murder, and one of the other guests, an artist, agrees with her.

The best part of this story is learning about the Regency Christmas traditions, games, food, parties, and other family habits at Christmastime!

I really liked this story and the history behind it. There is quite a lot of real history woven into the story with Jane's family and her acquaintances, but of course the murder mystery and Jane's involvement in the investigation are entirely fictional.

I enjoyed seeing more of Jane's brother, James, and their sibling relationship, as well as James' wife, Mary. Apparently, they did not have very pleasant personalities, but they make the effort to be together for Christmas. It's really interesting to imagine what their family might have been like, how they might have talked with one another, and how they would have interacted. I especially liked the scenes with Jane and her sister Cassandra.

The murder mystery itself is good. I kind of guessed part of the ending, so it wasn't as good as some of the other mysteries in this series.

I love the formal writing style that mimics the Regency era language. The dialogue is fairly close to what a real conversation might have been like in that time period. It really immerses you in the history.