kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

A young girl works in a mine, but when she is sick her little brother tries to take her place. He is too young to work down in the mines, but he is offered a job in the Dreams Factory. He disappears and his sister tries desperately to find him. She sneaks into the Dreams Factory to look for him, and discovers that the factory hides a deadly secret.

The artwork in this graphic novel is really beautiful. The colors and delicate art style are absolutely gorgeous. The designs for the factory are really imaginative.

However, the entire story is chaotic. Nothing is explained. The plot meanders around. The action is difficult to follow from panel to panel. The characters have no backstory to explain their actions. They just go around doing unexplained things, and we never know why they betrayed that guy, or why they want to get into the factory, or why anything is happening. We never find out exactly why the factory needs children to work there. We don't know how the factory works or what its ultimate purpose is. Who first created the factory and how does it function?

The last scenes are a complete jumble of random stuff that makes no sense. Half the time I couldn't even tell who the characters were at the end. They change appearance, and one kid gets stabbed, but then he comes back as an older kid, but he is still stabbed, and gunk is growing out of his face for no apparent reason. Then he disappears. Was he a mirage? I have no idea.

It's a shame that this story is completely unreadable, because the ideas are interesting and the artwork is lovely. If only the plot would explain something every once in a while!

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.

In this final book of the series, the group of friends are looking for a way to free the people of their home planet. They team up with other aliens and use their powers in new ways to communicate with the home planet. Michael is considering returning to his home planet with his brother, so he tries to ignore his growing feelings for Maria.
Liz is completely focused on saving Max from the evil aliens that are threatening him. She keeps trying to reach him through any means, but it's difficult to get through to him. However, their connection is so strong that Liz believes nothing can separate them.
Isabel finds herself attracted to Michael's brother, but she feels more comfortable around Alex. She is torn between these two relationships, but ultimately has to choose a life for herself.

This book explores more of the relationships between people in the group. I especially loved the focus on Michael and Maria's relationship in this book. They have been dancing around each other for the entire series, and they finally have to decide what their love for each other really means.

We get to see how the loyalty of this group of friends is tested in the middle of difficult circumstances. They have to decide what they are willing to risk to help their home planet. I really liked this exploration of the group dynamic, and how individual characters grow.

I loved the Roswell TV show when I was a teenager, and it was so fun to rediscover this story through the books! I don't think I would have enjoyed the books now as an adult if I didn't already have the nostalgia of the TV show.

I like that the books are different than the TV show and have different plot lines. It keeps it interesting for me, and it's fun to see how the books differ from the show. The character's personalities are a little different too. Michael is way more funny and less brooding. Isabel is more haughty and proud. Alex is more confident. Max is way less calm than in the TV show. It's weird to see these different sides to their personalities.

The writing is really dorky like you would expect from a 90s teen novel. But I don't care! I love it anyway! Most people would probably roll their eyes at the teen angst, but it just makes me laugh because I already adore the characters.

In this book, Isabel starts to go through an alien time of change, and she worries that she will end up like Max did when he went through his alien change. She turns to Michael to help her, and they have to avoid Max. Alex is undergoing a change of his own, in his social status at school. Suddenly he is popular and has more dates than he knows what to do with. Maria worries that his new popularity will change who he is and separate him from his old friends.

This book explores more of the relationships between people in the group. We get to see how their loyalty is tested in the middle of difficult circumstances. I really liked this exploration of the group dynamic, and how individual characters grow.

I loved the Roswell TV show when I was a teenager, and it was so fun to rediscover this story through the books! I don't think I would have enjoyed the books now as an adult if I didn't already have the nostalgia of the TV show.

I like that the books are different than the TV show and have different plot lines. It keeps it interesting for me, and it's fun to see how the books differ from the show. The character's personalities are a little different too. Michael is way more funny and less brooding. Isabel is more haughty and proud. Alex is more confident. Max is way less calm than in the TV show. It's weird to see these different sides to their personalities.

The writing is really dorky like you would expect from a 90s teen novel. But I don't care! I love it anyway! Most people would probably roll their eyes at the teen angst, but it just makes me laugh because I already adore the characters.

When Bea moves to a new town, she is mistakenly enrolled in a witch school. She has to pretend to fit in even though she can't do magic, while waiting for her father to send in new enrollment papers to the regular school in town. The witch school has their own culture, their own food and clothing styles, and their own Halloween traditions.

Bea does not fit in at all, and she feels completely lost. And now she is roped into helping prepare for the big school Halloween Ball event. But nothing about Halloween is normal at a witch school! Can she make some friends before the big Halloween Ball?

I loved the way that Bea struggles so much to fit in, and everything at the witch school is so strange and weird to her. We all feel like that sometimes. She also feels really inadequate with her school work because she can't do magic. But I loved how her teachers encourage her and she begins to discover that she does have certain skills.

This second book in the series finally resolves the story arc that was left awkwardly hanging at the end of the first book. It would make a lot more sense to have the first and second books of the series published as one book. I don't know what editor decided to cut this story in half, but it was a poor decision. I would recommend buying this second book together with the first book just so the reader can get a decently resolved story arc.

I really loved the cute writing style! The diary structure is fun and the writing is hilarious! I enjoyed how descriptive the writing is. You can really imagine the whole magical setting of the school. The school does have some inspiration from Harry Potter, but with a fresh imaginative spin on elements like magical sports played on a broom, toad class pets, and using wand spells.

There are really adorable illustrations throughout the book that bring out the comedy in the story!

The final big event at the Halloween Ball was really wonderfully written! Bea begins to realize that not everything about the witch school is scary or embarrassing or weird. She starts to embrace the new culture and new friends, and realize that she does belong after all.

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.

When Bea moves to a new town, she is mistakenly enrolled in a witch school. She has to pretend to fit in even though she can't do magic, while waiting for her father to send in new enrollment papers to the regular school in town. The witch school has their own culture, their own food and clothing styles. Bea does not fit in at all, and she feels completely lost. Can she make some friends before she gets transferred back to normal school?

I loved the way that Bea struggles so much to fit in, and everything at the witch school is so strange and weird to her. We all feel like that sometimes. She also feels really inadequate with her school work because she can't do magic. But I loved how her teachers encourage her and she begins to discover that she does have certain skills.

This first book in the series felt incomplete because it just ends with nothing resolved. The story arc suddenly stops at the top of the arc with all these loose ends hanging off. It's very awkward. All the open questions about Bea, her rivalries with classmates, and upcoming events that are hinted at in the first book are all resolved in the second book. It would make a lot more sense to have the first and second books of the series published as one book. I don't know what editor decided to cut this story in half, but it was a poor decision.

I really loved the cute writing style! The diary structure is fun and the writing is hilarious! I enjoyed how descriptive the writing is. You can really imagine the whole magical setting of the school. The school does have some inspiration from Harry Potter, but with a fresh imaginative spin on elements like magical sports played on a broom, toad class pets, and using wand spells.

There are really adorable illustrations throughout the book that bring out the comedy in 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.

Nick and Tesla are twins staying with their scientist uncle for the summer. Their parents are supposedly traveling in a remote area of the Middle East to experiment with crop irrigation, but Nick and Tesla begin to suspect that something else is going on. A black SUV has been following them around.
In this second book of the series, the children notice a string of robberies in the area, and they begin to investigate. Thankfully Nick and Tesla enjoy inventing and experimenting with gadgets, so they use their creativity to find a solution to almost any problem.

I loved this fun book! The plot is mysterious. The characters are interesting. The writing is excellent. The setting is full of science and adventure! I really enjoyed the story and all the crazy experiments.

The characters of Nick and Tesla are really well-written. I love stories about siblings, and in this book you get to see this close sibling dynamic between them. They disagree and argue sometimes, but most of the time they work together and support each other.
Their mad-scientist uncle is so funny too! I loved his wild antics.

The coolest thing about this book is that you can recreate the experiments that Nick and Tesla do in the book. There are clear instructions for making different types of simple robots that will move around. You might need to buy a few small motor parts, but the robots are easy to build (with an adults help when needed.)

There are a few illustrations that bring the story to life, and I liked the cartoony art style.

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.

Michael meets an alien who claims to be his brother, but the rest of the friends have their doubts about this new alien's loyalties. Max and Liz start to lose their connection, drifting further apart as Liz and Adam become closer. Liz confronts her parents about their over-protective behavior. Maria is terrified that someone is stalking her family home.

I loved the Roswell TV show when I was a teenager, and it was so fun to rediscover this story through the books! I don't think I would have enjoyed the books now as an adult if I didn't already have the nostalgia of the TV show.

I like that the books are different than the TV show and have different plot lines. It keeps it interesting for me, and it's fun to see how the books differ from the show. The character's personalities are a little different too. Michael is way more funny and less brooding. Isabel is more haughty and proud. Alex is more confident. Max is way less calm than in the TV show. It's weird to see these different sides to their personalities.

The writing is really dorky and has all the high school tropes that you would expect from a 90s teen novel. But I don't care! I love it anyway! Most people would probably roll their eyes at the teen angst, but it just makes me laugh because I already adore the characters.

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

This manga adaptation of Williams Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the perfect way to introduce Shakespeare to readers who might feel intimidated by the original play. The text is modernized, but is still written in iambic pentameter, and still has the original rhymes of the play. The entire play is intact, and all the beauty of Shakespeare's words comes through wonderfully in this modern adaptation.

I am so impressed with the way the text was modernized, and with the integrity and thoughtfulness that went into editing it. It really does feel like something that Shakespeare would have written if he had been alive today. There is no jarring modern slang to ruin the beauty of the lines. It feels like someone just translated the words from another language, and made it easy to understand for modern readers, but without losing any of the flavor and emotion of the original text.

The beautiful artwork brings the play to life! Every page is just so gorgeous! The art is delicate and attractive. I love the designs for each character. Romeo is handsome and strong, and Juliet is sweet and graceful. Mercutio is wild and haughty. Count Paris is noble and elegant. Their clothing, their facial expressions, their hair and eyes and body language; it all comes together to paint the perfect picture of these characters. They really come to life!

I have read and reread the original play of Romeo and Juliet at least twenty times, and it was such a delight to revisit this favorite story in manga form!

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.

I had to DNF this book at page 42, because the modern language and modern slang was getting on my nerves. It’s just not at all the style that I expected for this type of historic story. 
It’s jarring to read modern slang in a setting that is from the 1st century. 
I would have much preferred a more straightforward translation using common language rather than so many idioms and slang. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

Gary is a gray moth. His family are all gray moths. They wear gray clothing. They live in a gray house. They blend into the background. Gary is used to people overlooking him. He wishes he could be more like the colorful butterflies at his school. They are flashy and fancy with their glittering cardigans. Everyone notices the butterflies.

Florence is a butterfly, but she feels trapped with all the expectations to be perfect and graceful all the time. She longs for the safety of gray, the quiet of a bland day, or the possibilities that exist when not everything is colored in for you.

One day, Florence and Gary cross paths. Florence misplaces her glittering cardigan, and Gary picks it up. Will they keep fighting their true identities, or find that there is a place in their lives for both gray and glitter?

I loved this sweet book! The positive messages about being your true self are really inspiring. I really loved that this message can be applied to anything and anyone who is feeling social pressure to act or dress a certain way that is not a reflection of their true personality. If you are messy or clumsy, that is okay. If you are quiet or talkative, that is okay. If you are creative or analytical or forgetful or grumpy or calm or excitable or whatever you are, that is okay.

The insect world is a very interesting setting, with spiders, bees, caterpillars, mosquitos, ladybugs, and all kinds of insects interacting. They go to school and work, and eat jam sandwiches. They have old family photo albums, and apparently they know who Elvis is. It's such a funny insect world!

The writing is hilarious and thoughtful by turns. I enjoyed how we get to see the story from both Gary's and Florence's points of view. There are chapters told by Gary and then chapters told by Florence. However, at the end it jumps between their POVs much more quickly, and that got frustrating.

I liked the cute illustrations of all the adorable insects! The art really does a good job of contrasting the colorful butterflies against the gray moths and other less-colorful insects. It highlights the messages of the story in a delightful way!

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.