This book is hilarious! I didn't know that Stevenson could write like this, since most of his stuff can be rather dark and dreary.
This mystery spoof is one ridiculous circumstance after another. The characters are all running circles around each other! There are far too many uncles. Why does everyone and their mother have an uncle waiting in the wings of every scene? haha! Every character seems to be of rather questionable moral integrity but basically respectable and decent until a corpse appears in their parlor.
The same corpse keeps getting lost, and the disguises and mistaken identities certainly keep things humming. I love that from start to finish, we don't see a single policeman or detective. The dialogue is snappy and ... oh, the whole thing is just wild! haha! It reminds me a lot of P.G. Wodehouse's funny books.

This book has some good ideas about talking to your kids in a calm and productive manner. It has techniques for defusing anger with compassion, and managing stress and anxiety when your children are confronted with difficult issues.

There are example conversations and situations that deal with circumstances like bullying, immigration, social justice, climate change, violence, activism, technology, and more. Some of the issues are definitely following a political agenda, instead of just giving general advice. I didn't like that the author was pushing politics and a leftist world-view.

It seems like the book focuses mostly on the negative, and magnifies issues that aren't really that bad. If a circumstance really is bad, then of course it needs to be acknowledged and addressed. But it would be better to put things in perspective, get the facts, and find out if the situation is really so horrible, before you get your kids all worried about it. I felt like this book has a victim mentality, and a doomsday attitude.

There are a few good ideas in here, but overall I did not like the underlying philosophy of the book.

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 beautiful book has postcards, stickers, small posters, removable journal booklets, and a dozen other adorable things included! You can write lists, read poetry, make a collage, write in your thoughts, or learn to do your own creative hand-lettering. There are articles about following your dreams, letting go of stress, reaching out with kindness, slowing down, and being more creative.

There are inspirational stories, beautiful poetry, and famous quotes. You'll find common sense advice about how to get rid of old habits, how to find your life balance, how to start an exercise routine, how to connect with nature, how to be vulnerable, and how to be more grateful.

You can make your own timeline, cook up some of the recipes, send a postcard to a friend, or take a photograph. There are dozens of activities that you can choose from!

There are so many opportunities for writing in this book. There are lists, journal prompts, questions, and a whole bunch of space for writing in your thoughts. I especially love the removable journals, little booklets of stickers, and postcards and little notecards that you can cut out from the pages. Each one of these is like a special treasure that you discover as you flip through the pages!

I adore the lovely designs in this book. There are a lot of different styles of artwork, but it's all colorful and peaceful. There is a nostalgic and retro feeling to the art that I really like. There are also some truly gorgeous photos in big page spreads that really catch your eye.

I am so impressed with the design and content of this sweet book. It's really positive and fun! The writing is encouraging, and you can jump around to the different activities depending on what interests you.

It sort of feels like a magazine with all the articles, but it's also like a craft book, and a journal, and a poetry book, and a quote book. This book has everything!

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.

At last, the wizards are preparing to destroy the evil Two-Faced Ring and all its Darke magic. But first they must kindle the ancient Alchemical Fyre, and only Marcellus knows where the old Alchemy chamber of Fyre is hidden.

I loved this book! The plot is full of action and magic and twists. I adore the characters, and I love how they grow and learn throughout the series. This book was particularly emotional for the Heap family as Princess Jenna prepares to be crowned Queen.

There are so many hilarious details in this book that make it really fun to read. Each character has a unique relationship with the others, and I love the complicated dynamics between them all.

I love the world-building and the history that is resolved in this last book of the series. There are old legends and ancient spells that are unearthed after centuries in the dust.

I just adore this whole series! The intertwined plots are so complex and imaginative. Really good story telling in the writing style that puts the reader right into the middle of the action and tugs at your heart strings.

Franny is a piano prodigy in a backwards country town. When a mysterious Russian musician arrives in town, Franny begs her to teach piano lessons.

I was not impressed with this book. As a piano teacher myself, I was hoping for something more, but it was pretty basic. Most of the book is about the townspeople and their little country lives. It's supposed to be funny, but I wasn't laughing. I was annoyed with the ignorant people. I didn't like any of the characters. The children are all brats. The adults are all incompetent. The characters are one-dimensional. The writing is good, but not amazing.

I mostly skimmed through the book until I got to a scene about music as Franny has a piano lesson or plays in a piano competition. Even then, it was nothing special. There are maybe three good lines about being inspired by music, and finding the talent inside your soul. I liked those three lines, and the rest of the book is boring.

Maybe if I had read this as a young pianist, I would have enjoyed it more. As a seasoned musician with 30 years of experience at the piano, it's barely even interesting.

Actually, I felt like the Russian teacher character. She is bored with the small town. She is frustrated with the ignorant adults. She is annoyed with the bratty kids. But she recognizes a small glimmer of music in this grubby little country girl, like the three barely interesting lines in a book. A blip on the radar of music barely worth noticing, but you might as well take a look.

Anne and Gilbert are married, and they settle into their first home while Gilbert starts his medical practice in a small harbor town on Prince Edward Island. They befriend their neighbors, Captain Jim, Leslie Moore, and the formidable Miss Cornelia.

Captain Jim tells them fascinating stories of his adventures at sea. Miss Cornelia hates men and criticizes them mercilessly. Leslie Moore has had a tragic life, and her heart is bitter. Each of these people find solace and compassion with Anne as they form strong friendships that help them through the storms of life.

A tragedy befalls Anne and Gilbert, and they need the support of their new friends. The newlyweds even have their first serious disagreement, and have to find a way to reconcile their different opinions.

I love this fifth book, but it is more serious than other books in the series. There is more tragedy, but there is also beauty and adventure and humor. As Anne grows older, the timbre of her life changes and the themes of the books change as well.

One of the things I enjoy in this book is the closer look into Anne and Gilbert's relationship. Their joyful love and easy friendship shine on every page.

Sometimes I like her poetry, and sometimes I don't. Every word is exquisite, and when I can understand it, the poetry has an impact on the soul. But some of the poems are just random and confusing.

Two warring nations worship the same horse deity, but their priests differ on how to worship. The warrior prince, Kyrem, is sent as a hostage to peace to be the guest of his enemy. An outcast girl, Seda, must masquerade as a boy, and befriends the prince when she saves his life from brigands on the road.

There were some things about this book that I really loved, and some things that were confusing, and some things that were just weird.

I loved the characters! Their relationships are complex and always changing. They all have secrets and inner turmoil that they have to resolve. I was so engaged in their character development and their emotional reactions.

The world-building was sometimes confusing. There are all these myths about ancient gods and horse deities, and there is a lot of magic concerning curses and healing powers. Some of the characters are seers, but they don't see the future, only the present. They can see around the land to know what is going on in other areas. Some of the magic was explained well and fit in with the plot, but other things like the magic of the gods didn't quite make sense to me.


And then there was the weird stuff. There is a bunch of magic and myths about twins, and how the gods can split into a good and evil version of themselves as if they were two deities, a god and a demon. It was never quite explained to my satisfaction. It makes sense on the surface, but the more I think about it, the more questions I have. Some of the magic gets pretty dark with the curses on people to bend their bones and rot their teeth, and the suffering is described in such a heart-breaking way. It's upsetting to read about sometimes.

Overall, an enjoyable read with some great characters, excellent writing, and an interesting plot. It's definitely imaginative, and quite different from anything else I've ever read. It's not my favorite book or anything, but I'm glad I read it.

When their mother dies, two princesses handle their grief differently. One sister finds solace in the beauties of nature, and the other learns everything she can about her mother's magic in the palace. Ys is a city built with dark magic. As the sisters grow up, the evil of their kingdom can no longer be contained.

I did not enjoy this graphic novel. There are very graphic violent scenes with a lot of blood and gore. And there are sexual scenes, and that ruined it for me. I wish the story could have been told in a more classy way.

I liked the magic and the legends of an ancient city born from the sea. The artwork is beautiful. I love the story-telling style. The magic is interesting. The characters are compelling and complex. Every element for a marvelous story is there, but it was ruined with the violence and sex.

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

Arthur and his sister Myrtle live in a space home in an outer orbit of the Moon, and they find it very boring. Nothing ever happens in such a remote area of space, and they long to travel to Earth, or see the colonies on Mars, or visit the exciting moons of Jupiter. One day their home is visited by a mysterious stranger named Mr. Webster, and they are thrown into an adventure that takes them across the solar system with pirates, ancient civilizations, and alien spies.

I loved everything about this book! The plot, the characters, the hilarious writing, the world-building, the mystery, the adventure, and every single dramatic chapter all kept me reading for hours on end. This is one of those books where there isn't a good place to stop reading. You just have to keep going through the next chapter and the next.

I am amazed at how imaginative this fantasy world is. The aliens and their strange cultures are all so intricate and well-formed, right down to the diseases, commerce, and vegetation of each planet. I love that it is set in a steam-punk 1850s British Empire full of space travel that has expanded to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. It's such an interesting solar system, and each planet has it's own history and people who live there.

The writing style is very humorous with that sort of dry humor that I love. I was delighted at how some of the characters are doing their best to have good manners and polite modesty in the middle of their outlandish adventures. We may be about to be blown to smithereens by space pirates, but let us not forget proper courtesy and decorum. The whole book is hilarious!

The characters are really varied and interesting. They come from all sorts of backgrounds, and I loved the character development for so many of them. They change and grow and learn from one another.

Myrtle has some excellent development as she learns that she is stronger and more resourceful than she thought. She does NOT faint every time something dangerous happens, as a properly-educated young lady should do. Instead she begins to take little steps towards saving herself, instead of waiting for a hero to rescue her as a demure young lady should do. And through those little steps she moves on to bigger steps, until finally she gains enough confidence in her own abilities to have the courage to jump into the fray and save everyone.

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