This graphic novel begins when the Bronte sisters have returned from Belgium after completing their additional education. Charlotte convinces her sisters to try publishing a volume of their poetry together. Their brother, Branwell, is an alcoholic and opium addict, and their father, Patrick, is becoming more and more ill and weak. The sisters try to make some money with their writing to help support the family.

The story takes extreme liberties with the historical facts, to the point where very little of their real lives is actually reflected in the book. I also hated the way that the sisters' personalities were represented. They are written as being foul-mouthed, belligerent, and anti-social; and that is presented to the reader as their "passion" when really they are just rude and mean in this book.

Nothing about their charitable work with their father's parishioners is mentioned, nothing about their many visits with their close friends, and nothing about their strong Christian faith. Instead they are presented as being completely self-serving and isolated.

I find it difficult to believe that a minister's daughters would act so selfishly and rudely to one another even in the privacy of their own home. Nothing in any part of their actual history even hints at this kind of behavior, and I found it very distasteful.

I think it's odd that so much of the book focuses on Branwell and his addictions. He is violent towards his father and sisters, and Emily retaliates verbally with the most vindictive dialogue. There seems to be no room for patience or compassion in this book.

I just can't stand the way that the actual history that we know about the Bronte family has been completely ignored. I guess you could say that it is a "reimagining" or a "fictionalized account", but even with that excuse, it is a reimagining for the worse. If you wanted to draw out all the darkest parts of someone's life and then exaggerate them into a mess of sins and misdeeds, and ignore anything good that they may have done, that would be this book.

The artwork is not that great. The pen and ink style is not attractive. Some panels look like the illustrator purposefully made it ugly to add to the drama and darkness of the story.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through 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.

Wisteria is a little sprite who is new to the area. The sprites live in a neighborhood where the humans do all the gardening, so the ancient art of using magic to help the plants grow has been completely lost. Wisteria begins to experiment with a budding power, and finds that she can make a difference in one small garden.

This graphic novel is so adorable! All the little sprites are so beautiful and sweet. I loved the delicate art style and the pastel colors. Each panel is blossoming with exquisite little details in the background of each scene, and strong emotions in the body language and facial expressions of the characters. It just carries you away to another world!

The plot is simple and straight-forward, as Wisteria discovers her new abilities and begins to explore what that means for the sprite society and how it might affect the humans around them. She is hesitant at first, but learns more and more, and gains some confidence. There's not much going on in the plot, but it's very cute and gentle.

I loved the designs for all the different sprites! They are all so different and fun!

This whole book is such a delight!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through 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.

Ransom is kidnapped and taken to another planet, where he escapes his kidnappers and must fend for himself on an alien world. Everything he encounters is entirely foreign and strange, from the water to the trees. The landscape is wild and inhospitable, and there are aliens who (he has been told) need a human sacrifice for some pagan ritual.

I love the incredible world-building in this book! The imagination of the author knows no bounds. As Ransom is travelling through space, he is invigorated by the naked sunlight in a physical and spiritual way. The gravity generated by their little spaceship would be actually impossible in the real world. This was written in the 1930s, decades before anyone had landed on the moon and before much was known about the physics of space, so there are things about the space travel that don't quite add up. However, the whole fantasy of it is so brilliant and attractive that it doesn't really matter that it doesn't match reality. It's not supposed to match reality.

Malacandra is such a vibrant planet, with rich cultures and languages of its own. I love all the little details of the aliens and their society that make it feel like a real place. It's utterly bizarre and wild, but with little flecks of familiarity that endear you to the alienness of it all.

The writing and story-telling are truly brilliant. The plot is exciting, and the writing draws the reader into each scene so that you are experiencing what Ransom is experiencing through every adventure. I love that there are a lot of philosophical questions and spiritual lessons in this book, but it never weighs down the plot or spoils the adventure.

Ransom is a fantastic hero! He is good but flawed, and he reacts to all the unusual things he encounters in the most basic human ways that are sometimes wonderful and sometimes unattractive. He is such a deep character, and I love that he ponders deep questions about life and the nature of the universe. As he journeys across the planet and learns more about the aliens who live there, he is also going on an internal journey with extreme character development.

I have enjoyed this book so much more reading it the second time!

Emily is left behind at New Moon while her friends pursue their dreams and travel the world. She throws herself into her writing and struggles to get her stories published, but gradually earns the respect of her family when she begins to make her writing a success. Through a series of mishaps, she loses her connection to some of her dearest friends and her childhood sweetheart, Teddy Kent. She searches for happiness with a man she doesn't really love. Emily has to face the truth deep within her heart before she loses Teddy Kent for good.

This has always been my least favorite book in the Emily trilogy. She spends so much of the book being lonely and melancholy, and it makes me depressed. There isn't as much humor in this book as the other ones. However, it is still an excellent book and an enjoyable read!

I love the intricacies of Emily's character as she is really learning what it means to be "grown up" and take responsibility for your life. She is a deeply complex person, and I love the internal battles she fights with herself.

The plot is a little slow in places, especially in chapters that have Emily's journal entries. But there are other exciting scenes in the plot and wild storylines that make up for the slower bits. The ending is much too rushed. It needs more of a denouement. Everything is resolved much too quickly, and it always leaves me feeling unsatisfied. Still, it is a wonderful conclusion to Emily's story!

The baby Prince of a magical land has been stolen in London, and the King and Queen must wait until the portal between the worlds opens again in 9 years before they can rescue their son. They send a rescue team of oddballs; an old wizard, a fey, an ogre, and a young hag. With the help of some nice ghosts, they locate the Prince, but he is not at all what they had expected.

Wonderfully inventive and funny! I love this book more every time I read it!

The world-building is imaginative and weird and wild. The characters are interesting and all so different. There are a lot of supporting characters with hilarious personalities, and the main characters are all beautifully vivid.

I really love the way the writing can paint a striking scene in just a few words, really drawing the reader into the story. The plot has all these funny twists and turns that really capture your attention. It's such a delight to read!

Giraffe can't stand Bird, and Bird completely detests Giraffe. These two pester and annoy each other all day long! But when a big storm comes rolling in, they begin to miss the companionship they had in teasing each other. These frenemies might hassle each other, but deep down, they are truly good friends.

This picture book is so cute! It's funny to see how Giraffe and Bird play pranks on each other and annoy one another, but always in a good-natured way. The story is silly and I love the hilarious characters! It reminds me of the way that siblings will sometimes tease each other, but they really love each other underneath it all.

The illustrations are colorful with lots of comedic scenes that actually made me laugh. The characters faces are so expressive! I loved the art style and the richness of the designs.

What a delightful book! The art and text come together perfectly to tell a really entertaining little story. This one would be especially fun to read out loud!

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.

Giraffe and Bird grow up in and around their own special tree. They don't always get along, and sometimes find it hard to share. But when a pride of lions moves into the area, they have to work together to escape the danger lurking in the grasses.

This board book is so cute! It's funny to see how Giraffe and Bird bicker with one another, but always in a good-natured way. The story is silly and I love the hilarious characters! It reminds me of the way that siblings will sometimes tease each other, but they really love each other underneath it all.

The illustrations are colorful with lots of comedic scenes that actually made me laugh. The characters faces are so expressive! I loved the art style and the richness of the designs.

What a delightful book! The art and text come together perfectly to tell a really entertaining little story. This one would be especially fun to read out loud!

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.

Bird goes on an adventure through the forest and across the mountains. When Giraffe realizes that Bird is missing, Giraffe decides to follow the feathers to find Bird again. When they are reunited out on the wide plains, they get into some trouble and have to think quickly to survive and return to their home.

This board book is so cute! It's wonderful to see how Giraffe and Bird encourage each other through difficult circumstances. But the story is also hilarious and silly!

The illustrations are colorful with lots of comedic scenes that actually made me laugh. The characters faces are so expressive! I loved the art style and the richness of the designs.

What a delightful book! The art and text come together perfectly to tell a really entertaining little story. This one would be especially fun to read out loud!

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.

Patsy and Beth are on a cross-country automobile drive with their father and uncle John, when they encounter a disabled young girl searching for her distant relatives. They decide to help her, and the group travels across the Southwest, finding adventure on their way to California.

The plot can be a little slow with all the descriptions of travelling, and the scenery, and the mountains and deserts and the plants and wildlife, etc... If you enjoy travelling-style books, then you would like this one. I found it interesting to hear about all the different places they visit, but it definitely slows down the main plot.

There are some exciting scenes in the plot, and they have a couple of crazy adventures. They meet some really weird and wild people along the way. The supporting characters are all so strange and quirky! I thought they were really interesting and funny. I enjoyed the storyline about the remittance men and the story about the disabled girl who they help.

One thing that I did not like about this book was the racist attitude toward Native Americans. I try to look at it in a balanced way as a historical reflection of the culture at the time. There are several comments about Native Americans, and caricatures of Native American characters, and even entire scenes on Native American reservations that are horribly racist. It's a shame, but I just try to ignore it and enjoy the rest of the book. I try to be happy about how far our society has come so that now those attitudes are not the norm, but it is still sometimes upsetting to read about, especially since I am partly Native American myself.

Overall, this book has a few problems, but I already love Uncle John and the nieces so much that I still enjoyed this book!

Very informative and well-organized! Reading this is almost like rereading LotR and Silmarillion again. It's well-worded with lots of phrasing taken directly from the books.
A great reference book with beautiful illustrations!