kailey_luminouslibro's reviews
3794 reviews

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, and there is something strange going on at the old mansion in their neighborhood. 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 a bottle rocket, an electromagnet, and other sciencey things (with an adult's 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.

In 1903, a gentleman thief fooled the police, escaped from prison, and astonished the world with his daring adventures. Arsene Lupin became famous for his trickery in stealing beautiful jewels, expensive furnishings, famous works of art... and for stealing our hearts as well.

I loved this classic story that is written as a sort of response to the stories of Sherlock Holmes! There is even a part of this book that features a famous detective named "Herlock Sholmes". haha! That made me laugh.

This book is a collection of short stories about Lupin, and there is a list of other novels and stories at the back of the book so that you can find other books in the series and keep reading more!

Arsene Lupin is such a fun character. He is really clever, but he has his weaknesses as well. He gets distracted or fooled sometimes. If he can pull off a caper, he looks like genius; but most of the time, he just has a lot of nerve, so he gets away with it. He tells the most radical lies, and people believe him because it's insane to imagine that anyone could lie in such a fashion.

I loved the mysterious plot of each short story. Every plot is intricate, and yet, at its heart, so very simple. Once you know the answer to the mystery, it makes perfect sense. But while you are reading the beginning, you are totally baffled.

I loved the writing style! It has that classic flavor, and some of the expressions are beautifully French. I really like that this translation keeps that elegance of style.

The illustrations in this edition are absolutely gorgeous! I loved the colorful art and pretty sketches. It really brings forward the playfulness of Lupin's attitude in all his escapades.

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.

Max is distracted and distant, worried about Alex who is stranded on an alien planet. Liz feels the distance growing between herself and Max. She tries to keep a friendly demeanor with Adam, knowing that he has a crush on her. But Adam feels himself increasingly drawn to her, and they are often together. The group of friends are all searching for a way to bring Alex home, but there are enemies hidden in plain sight.

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!

(also published as Lord Edgware Dies/ Thirteen at Dinner)
Captain Hastings tells the reader about one of Hercule Poirot's most baffling cases, a mystery so convoluted that Poirot described it as one of his failures. A disgruntled wife is seen to enter the home of her estranged husband. Hours later he is found dead. But the wife has a perfect alibi; she was at a dinner party with twelve other people. How could she have been in two places at once? Only Poirot can discover the truth!

The writing is, of course, completely genius and engaging. Every chapter kept pulling me into the story. The setting and the mood of the book really paint the scene for you. Agatha Christie has that inimitable style that dives into the personalities and secret thoughts of her characters and leaves you wondering, "Could that person be the murderer?" Each character is so vivid and complex. I loved exploring the nuances of each character's personality!

I adore Poirot and Hastings. They are such a great team, and I love their merry friendship. The dialogue between them is priceless! I really love the mysteries that are told from Hastings point of view. He's such a great narrator and sidekick for Poirot. Hastings is such an adorable dork!

Poirot really is one of my favorite detectives! He definitely shines in this book, and I love the way that he is so meticulous. He is wonderfully shrewd. His strong temperament pulls the story forward, but it is his kindness to his friends that makes my heart so happy when I read a Poirot book.

Tokiko moves with her dad to her grandmother's town along the coast. Tokiko remembers that the last time she visited the ocean when she was only four years old, she was saved by a merman when swimming and she had started to sink. Now it is years later, and Tokiko is convinced that mermaids are real. Although the town has a yearly festival to honor the seagods and mermaids, no one else really believes in mermaids. But there is definitely something mysterious out in the ocean.

I loved this sweet story! Tokiko is such a sensitive character. She is kind and caring to all her new friends in her new town. She is respectful and affectionate with her father and grandmother. But she hides her inner grief since her mother has left. As Tokiko is searching for mermaids, she is really looking for something to comfort her in her grief and help her say goodbye to her mother.

I loved the beautiful artwork in this book! Every page is so pretty!

Myrtle and Miss Judson are traveling to Scotland to inspect the estate which Miss Judson has just inherited from her great-uncle. There are rumors of ghosts around the estate, and a long-lost treasure of the MacJudd clan. Myrtle's detective skills are called upon when a man is discovered dead in the pond. Since the estate is located on a remote island, the police will not arrive for several days, so Myrtle must uncover evidence and follow the clues herself.

The mystery plot is excellent as Myrtle follows the clues, sorting out the facts from the red herrings. Everyone seems to be hiding something or lying about something, but which are innocent lies told to cover up embarrassment or fear, and which are covering up a murder?

The Scottish setting is so wonderful! I really loved the Scottish characters with their strong brogue. Myrtle and Miss Judson are immediately immersed into the rich Scottish culture as Miss Judson discovers her clan heritage.

I love how humorous the writing is! There is a lot of witty dialogue, and cute aside comments to the reader. It’s hilarious and wonderful!

The character development is absolutely phenomenal. Each book in the series seems to focus on Myrtle's relationship with one of the other characters, and in this book it is Myrtle and Miss Judson. They have always been very close, but their trust is really challenged in this book, as Myrtle is afraid that she will lose Miss Judson. Brilliant writing!

I wish I could give this book 10 stars, and I look forward with extreme eagerness for the next books in the 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.

Clay is tired of being stuck at home during the pandemic, tired of online school, and tired of being trapped in the house with his annoying family. He goes out exploring the woods behind his home and he encounters an elf-hound who has gotten separated from the elven hunt. The elves have all gone back underground to their magic kingdom, and Elphinore is left alone in the world aboveground. The elf-dog leads Clay along secret paths in the woods that lead to magic places, where Clay sees a community of owl-head people. Clay is dealing with mysterious lands and dangerous magical folk and is bound to get into serious trouble, but Elphinore will always be by his side to protect him.

I loved this story so much! It's the perfect blend of ordinary everyday things and magical creatures and enchanted lands. Clay and Elphinore have some wild adventures and find both friends and enemies in the woods. Clay's sisters even come along for some adventures, and his parents get involved when the elves come looking for their missing dog.

The writing is excellent with great pacing. It really draws you into the story and keeps you reading into the night.

The setting is so imaginative and beautifully weird. You just never know what strange creature will appear in the woods, or whether you might find a wishing lake or a crumbling tower or an ancient stone giant.

I loved all the characters! Clay and his family are all dealing with the pandemic in different ways. It was so interesting to see the family dynamic between all these complex characters. His big sister is angry at the whole world and sulks all day in the dark of her room. His little sister wants everything to be neat and tidy and controlled all the time, as if she can control her fears if she can control her environment. His parents are worried about money, since his mom lost her job because of businesses closing down. They are all struggling in their own ways, but in the end, they are a united family. And then this magic hound comes bounding into their lives and changes everything!

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.

Tsuneo dreams about studying the ocean in Mexico, and he works all the time so he can save enough money to go. He takes a part-time job helping Josee, a girl in a wheelchair. However, he finds the job more difficult than he had imagined. She is angry and grumpy and mean. Tsuneo tries to be patient with her, and when they discover their shared love for the beauties of the ocean, they begin to connect.

This was such a sweet and wonderful story! I really loved the characters of Tsuneo and Josee. They are both complex and emotional and highly intelligent. They are each struggling with their own inner troubles, but they find courage and inspiration.

The art work is really beautiful and delicate. I loved the scenes where Tsuneo goes diving in the ocean and photographs rare fish.

The writing is very thoughtful and introspective. It brings a lot of depth and meaning to the story.

This was such a delight from start to finish!

Mary received a little toy Mouse House with toy mice to play with. But she is disappointed that they are not real mice. They just sit there. They don't run and scamper like a real mouse would do. Meanwhile in the basement, a family of mice are cramped in their flowerpot home. There are so many children that they can't all fit! Bonnie, the littlest mouse, goes searching for a new place to sleep. She explores the upstairs and discovers the Mouse House. Bonnie falls asleep in the toy bed, but in the morning, Mary discovers her!

This book is so cute! I love the charming writing style and the delightful story. Mary is a sweet little girl, and Bonnie is so adorable! I love stories about mice, because they are so little and resilient.

The color illustrations are so pretty, and I love the pencil art style!

This would be a great book for children who are reading chapter books on their own. It's not quite a picture book, but it does have illustrations on each page. The text is a bit larger than normal, so that it would be just right for young readers.

Margaret takes a job as governess at the mysterious Hartwood Hall estate. She is perplexed by the strange atmosphere at the Hall, but enjoys teaching her young student, Louis Eversham, an intelligent and sweet little boy. Mrs. Eversham seems like a kind employer, but there are rumors in the village that the house is haunted and that Mrs. Eversham made a deal with the devil. Margaret is too wise to listen to foolish gossip, but she has seen some strange things at Hartwood Hall; figures in the dark woods, a lighted candle in the abandoned section of the house, a warm cup of tea left in the summer house where no one has been. Margaret expresses her fears to Paul, the gardener, and the two begin a forbidden romance. Paul assures her that Hartwood Hall is safe, but Margaret has her doubts. Could there be something suspicious going on at Hartwood Hall?

I loved the mystery in this book! The story structure and creepy setting are excellent, and it really kept me guessing. The whole mysterious atmosphere of the estate is beautifully written! There are so many little mysterious things that happen, but all is revealed in the end. The plot twists at the end really surprised me too! You can tell the whole story is very thoughtfully constructed.

I was mesmerized by the author's writing style. The writing is vivid and energetic, and the pacing is good. Within just a few paragraphs, I was completely hooked. There is something elegant in the way the old Victorian style is blended with modern language. This author really has a talent with words!

I really enjoyed the Victorian time period and historic setting. There are a lot of references to Victorian novels like Jane Eyre, Dombey and Son, and Children of the New Forest. I had to look up a couple of Victorian things, like a pocket watch with a "repeater" to chime the hours, so it was fun to learn something new about the Victorian era.

The characters are all complex and interesting. Every single person is hiding a secret, so that made it fascinating to follow their reactions and try to guess what they are hiding. I really liked Louis and Mrs. Welling, the vicar's wife.

However, I got frustrated with most of the characters, and I did not like the romance at all.

Margaret has been through some terrible things in her past, and it has made her fearful and selfish. She knows to do the right thing, but many times she chooses to do what she knows is wrong, and appears to feel little remorse afterward. She knows she should act with courage, but she succumbs to fear instead. I wanted to like her, but I got so frustrated with her bad decisions.

She is especially selfish in her romance with Paul. She only thinks about him in the context of physical attraction. She never really gets to know his personality or truly care about him. She only cares for what he can give her, a feeling of safety.
They have sex several times, sneaking around the estate, afraid they will get fired for having an affair. There is not much graphic detail. They kiss and start tearing their clothes off, then the scene "fades to black". She is running from her past and trying to find comfort for her grief and pain, so she uses him to make herself feel better. I really hated this aspect of her character.

I think I am especially disappointed in the characters, because the writing is so good that it really made me care about them. If the writing had been bad, then I wouldn't care. I would just shrug it off. But the writing is so powerful that it makes you want to love the characters, even when they are behaving badly.

There is a little bit of profanity in the book, but only three or four times, so it didn't annoy me too much.

There are three gay/lesbian characters in the book. That was an unexpected element for a novel set in the Victorian era. The book has a much more modern feeling than I had expected.

Overall, I loved the writing style and the mystery plot, but disliked many of the characters, and really hated the romance plot. It's such a mixture of things I enjoyed and things I didn't like.


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.