kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

Carag is a shapeshifter, changing from his puma animal form into a human whenever he wants. But his family have always lived as pumas, rarely changing into their human shapes. Carag decides to leave his family and start a new life as a human, where he is placed with a foster family. But being a human is more difficult than he thought, and he finds it complicated to navigate through the nuances of human behavior. Carag begins to attend a special school for Woodwalkers who can shapeshift, and he makes enemies and friends along the way.

I loved this imaginative book! It's so interesting to explore the world of humans as seen through the eyes of a character who has spent their life as an animal. I really loved the school setting and all the different shapeshifter characters. The plot has a lot of action and mystery as Carag has to learn and grow in his new environment. He has wonderful character development.

It was interesting to see how the different Woodwalkers interact based on what their animal form is, whether prey or predator. Their personalities reflect characteristics of their animal form. Carag is calm and graceful as a human, because he is a mountain lion/puma in his animal form. The squirrel character, Holly, is energetic and talkative. The wolves of the school run together in a pack. The spider character is shy and retiring. The bear, Berta, is cuddly and warmly welcoming. Brendan, a huge bison, is clumsy and friendly.

The shapeshifting students have classes about how to shapeshift quickly under pressure, how to navigate difficult situations, and how to blend in with the human world. The whole setting of the school is so cleverly set up!

I can't wait to read more books from this series!

Disclaimer: I received a 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.

Coco is left all alone in New York City at the end of the world. All around her, people are trapped in their own individual loops of time, endlessly repeating the same tasks that they were doing when the end of the world began. Coco scavenges for food while trying to avoid the "loopers", knowing from sad experience that if she disturbs their time loop they will die. After years of solitude, Coco begins to wonder if there might be others like her out in the world, people free from time loops. She charts a way to navigate the spaces between time loops and decides to leave New York.

This book broke my brain! And broke my heart too. I was hooked from the very first page, and it was a wild rollercoaster of emotions right up to the last page.

The characters feel so real and intense that it tugs at your heartstrings. They go through some terrible ordeals, but it is interspersed with joy and laughter as well. I loved Coco's character! She is so fierce and sensitive and tough and caring and generous. It was fascinating seeing how she interacted with the world around her, rising to meet each challenge and growing and changing. The book spans about 38 years, so we get to see her grow into a completely different person from the scared little girl who found herself alone surrounded by time loops.

I was really interested to see how the world-building kept growing. We start out with a very small view of the world; just one person. Then the world keeps expanding and getting bigger with more and more mysteries and problems and new characters. The science fiction part of the time loops really kept me wondering and guessing.

The writing was so brilliant at giving us the big picture of the whole world ending, but also taking time to notice the little details of these people's lives, like their dirty socks or how good a cool glass of water tastes on a hot day. The stakes feel even bigger, because we stop to appreciate all the little human things that make life worth living. The end of the world is somehow even more epic when you have a quiet moment to be grateful for each breath.

I really loved that a lot of deep themes are explored in this book. The characters have to make some very tough decisions at times. They suffer and sacrifice and have terrible regrets, but that just makes them cling tightly to their families. It makes them kinder and wiser. This book is so full of hope and love! The characters ponder some deep questions as they face the end of the world, discovering what it is that makes life truly precious.

Before reading the book, I asked the marketing team if there was a lot of profanity in the book. They said it was only a little, so I accepted the book for review. It was not a little. It was a lot. (I guess those descriptors are relative. What is a lot for one person is a little for someone else.) For me, it was a lot. But by that point, I was so hooked on the story, I just HAD to keep reading, despite my discomfort at all the bad words. If it were not for that, this would easily have been a five-star book.

There are four side characters who are gay/lesbian, but they are barely mentioned. They only have a couple of paragraphs in the entire book. The lesbian couple mentions wanting to adopt a child, and a few chapters later we learn that they have adopted.

The narrative structure was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was told in four big sections alternating between two different characters, Coco and Forrest. And within their sections we get first-person excerpts from their diaries, and then chapters with a third-person narrator focusing on that character's experiences. So the narration not only kept jumping between character POVS, but also between first and third person. The diary parts were usually in past tense, and the third-person chapters were in present tense. Just wow. The style was jumping around a lot. And yet, it felt cohesive and intentional and very well done. I don't know how the author managed to tell a coherent story with all of that back and forth, but they pulled it off! Head hopping is one of my pet peeves, and I don't care for present tense, but I appreciated that it was well-organized and everything was consistent within that system.

This is definitely one of those books where you keep thinking about it for days or even weeks after you have finished reading. I keep thinking about particular scenes and bits of meaningful dialogue. I actually had a dream about it last night, because my head is just so completely immersed in this 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.

The Little Mermaid awaits the day when she will be old enough to swim to the surface and observe the world above the sea. Her older siblings are each allowed to see the surface when they reach their 18th birthday, and finally it is her turn. She rescues a prince from drowning, but he never knows that she was the one who saved his life. She makes a deal with the sea witch to exchange her voice for a potion that will give her human legs, but each time she takes a step she feels as though she is stepping on broken glass. 

The prince views her as a little friend, and confides in her that he loves another lady. The sea witch has predicted that if the prince marries another, the Little Mermaid will die on his wedding day. Her heart breaks as she accepts her fate, but her siblings try to rescue her. They give her an enchanted weapon. If she will kill the prince, then she can live and return to being a mermaid. Even though he has betrayed her and rejected her love, the Little Mermaid cannot bring herself to kill the prince. She spares his life and that of his bride, and she passes on to become a spirit of the air, doing good deeds for three hundred years.

This adaptation of the original fairy tale is really lovely. I especially liked that the ending is slightly changed to be a little more hopeful than the original.

In the original story, the Little Mermaid dies and becomes sea foam, with no hope for a future life as a spirit.

There is something truly enchanting about this alluring tale. I was captivated by the Little Mermaid's sensitive nature and strong heart.

The illustrations are beautiful and otherworldly. Every line of the artwork reflects the graceful movements of the waves. Each detail is so delicate and pretty. 

Disclaimer: I received a 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.

If you ever wondered about the mystic legends of Welsh monsters and faeries, you will learn all about them in this book! There are separate sections for types of dragons, strange beasts, elves and faeries, and ghostly spirits. Some of the legends are similar to ones everyone across the world is familiar with, such as dragons or griffins, but some are uniquely Welsh like Cath Palug (Palug's Cat). Some creatures are benevolent like the Bwbachod (House Faeries), some are merely mischievous like the Llamhigyn y Dwr (Water Leaper frog), but others are dangerous and deadly like the Gwyllgi (Twilight Dog).

One of the best things about this book is that the reader gets to learn a few Welsh words and how to pronounce them. The whole book is vibrant with the Welsh culture and language! I found myself attempting to say the Welsh words aloud, rolling them around my mouth like a piece of candy.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! I love the delicate lines of the artwork and the lovely designs. Of course, some of the designs are scary for the monsters and spirits of death. But that just shows the genius of the artist in depicting both beauty and hideousness.

Disclaimer: I received a 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. 

Dazzle the Unicorn has always wished for a home of his own, a place to belong with a family. However, he is a library toy, and different children check out toys from the library every week. He doesn't really belong to anyone. But when Dazzle visits Maya's house, he discovers that maybe he belongs to a special family after all.

Maya has just moved into this new town, and everything feels strange and different. She has trouble making friends with new children who play too rough with her toys. Maya and her brother have to stand up for themselves to earn the respect of their new friend and learn to play together in a way that makes everyone happy.

This story has many positive messages woven into the narrative, but it never feels preachy or boring. The themes include being honest, accepting others, and being true to yourself.

The illustrations are so beautiful! I love the soft pencil art style and all the cute character designs.

This story gave me warm fuzzy feelings in my heart. What a delight! This book would be perfect for ages 7-10.


Disclaimer: I received a 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.

Shermy is not happy when a disruptive neighbor moves in. Shake is self-centered and rude. He's not a bully or purposefully mean, but he just doesn't realize how his actions affect others. Shermy likes to have things orderly and quiet, but Shake is loud and chaotic. Can these two find some common ground and become friends?

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.

The writing is a little disjointed though. The pacing of the story is odd. Each chapter ends in a weird place, as the boys are about to do some activity. We don't actually see them doing the activity, but we sometimes hear about it in the next chapter when it is days later in the story. I felt like the timeline was a little weird, and things are left unresolved.

Other than that funny quirk in the writing, I liked the story.

Disclaimer: I received a 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 collection of short stories combines some of my favorite Agatha Christie characters; Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Parker Pyne. There are also stories from Tommy and Tuppence, Harley Quin, and Inspector Evans.

I enjoyed some of these, especially the Poirot stories, but others fell flat. I do not usually enjoy Tommy and Tuppence because they annoy me, and their mysteries in this collection were very obvious. However, some of the other stories were incredibly clever and interesting!

Do you ever feel like you are lost, longing for something more meaningful? So did Prince Caspian. He ran away from the Telmarine culture that was so dangerous to him, and plunged headlong into adventure with the Narnians so that he could find a more meaningful life with Aslan. The Chronicles of Narnia invites us to consider spiritual truths that lead us to a closer relationship with God. This little book draws parallels between Caspian's story and our own spiritual journeys.

I think this book is marketed to be used as a tool for helping Christians share their belief in Jesus with others. It's a great way to start a conversation about spiritual things with people who may have read the Narnia books without understanding the Christian context. You could share this book with a friend as a way to connect through the story of Prince Caspian and then be able to share the story of Jesus with them too!

I really love the writing style! This book inspires the reader to look deeper into Caspian's story and deeper into our own lives too.

Danni is devastated when her beloved dog Pirate dies. She reads in a book about the entrance to the underworld where Hades rules over the dead. She sets out on a quest to bring her dog back from the dead, but her little brother Sammy follows her into the land of the dead! Danni and her brother encounter Cerberus, cross the River Styx, and enlist the help of a legendary hero.

I enjoyed this graphic novel and the way the story reimagines the old Greek myths. Danni and her brother don't exactly fit the type of hero who usually would go on a quest, so their adventure turns out a little differently. My favorite part of this book was when they meet Medusa. It was so funny and cute!

I liked the artwork, and the cute designs for the characters. It's really fun to see Hades and Charon and other characters reimagined in modern ways. Charon wears a chauffeur's uniform and drives a car. The Labyrinth is a restaurant where they give the kids a coloring page with a maze on it that they can color while they wait for their food. Haha! So many clever little things in the artwork that make the story really fun!

The book ends on a cliffhanger, so you have to continue reading the rest of the series to find out what happens to Danni and her brother.

Disclaimer: I received a 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.

Ola is a young teen determined to find scraps of obsidium to sell on the black market. She explores the dangerous ruins of crashed spaceships in the wilderness looking for obsidium. She hopes to make a better life for her family. Her parents have other ideas about how to make a better life; they lead a crew of thieves and conmen who steal from the rich, but they also try to assist the poor by finding inventive ways to provide water and power for poor neighborhoods.

Ola's parents are hired to steal a rare device with information about an ancient civilization that had incredible technology. Whoever controls the information could dominate the entire solar system by duplicating that technology. The biggest heist of their careers ends up in the hands of their teen daughter, Ola.

I really enjoyed this sci-fi story! The heist plot has a lot of twists and turns. The worldbuilding is excellent with lots of history and backstory for the characters. I liked the fun banter between the members of the crew. They have some funny lines, and you can really see the camaraderie and affection they all have together.

There are a lot of characters introduced very quickly at the beginning, so it took me a little while to figure out who everyone was. But once I got to where I could remember them all, it was very interesting to explore how they are all related to one another. Everyone has secrets and they are all after this rare information for different reasons.
There are a few LBGTQ+ characters in the story.

The dialogue didn't always make sense to me.  I could guess at what they meant, but the dialect they were speaking or slang they were using didn't make a lot of sense sometimes. Part of it was made-up sci-fi alien words that were added in to create a futuristic culture, but I wish those things had been explained a little better.

The artwork is imaginative and interesting! I loved the beautiful colors and unique designs for the characters. The art style is really beautiful and I especially liked the different scenes from the country to the city, and the designs for spaceships and aliens and robots.

Disclaimer: I received a 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.