kailey_luminouslibro's Reviews (3.79k)

Isabel meets a mysterious boy at school who seems to have some sort of power over her. She is wildly attracted to him, despite all her friends telling her that he is dangerous. Could he be an alien too?

Isabel is really idiotic in this book as she ignores all the red flags about this mystery guy. He is bad news, and she just doesn't care. She throws away every good relationship in her life and gets into some serious trouble with Sheriff Valenti tracking down aliens in Roswell.

The book ends on a cliffhanger when another mysterious stranger shows up who appears to have alien powers too!

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 collection of radio plays follows the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It tells the history of Christ from the perspective of the ordinary people around Him. The Three Wise Kings visit Bethlehem, John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness, and the twelve disciples are called to follow Jesus. Christ begins his ministry, performing miracles and healing people. Gradually Judas Iscariot is tempted into betraying Jesus. Caiaphas and Pilate and King Herod all try to manipulate the political situation at Jesus' trial, ending with His crucifixion. The women find His tomb empty on the third day and Jesus visits his disciples after His resurrection.

These plays really capture the completely extraordinary experience of meeting God Himself in human form and shows how ordinary people were drawn to Christ. It's really interesting to imagine more details around the actual history in the Bible. Some of the dialogue is straight from Scripture, and some of it is imagined or paraphrased.

I was especially interested to read about the gradual descent of Judas Iscariot into evil and hatred. The Bible doesn't really explain why Judas betrayed Jesus, so these plays give an imagined scenario where Judas is angry with Jesus because Judas wants to be the one in control. Just like every sinner, his pride is his downfall. Judas wants to scheme and pull the strings. He's clever and intelligent, so he thinks he knows more than Jesus. The other disciples have an innocent child-like faith in Jesus. They are humble enough to accept His teachings. But Judas is too proud to accept forgiveness. He would rather suffer in the depressing knowledge of his own evil than ask for mercy. It's a very tragic character arc, and serves as a spiritual warning.

I loved exploring the imagined personality of John! He is sensitive and emotional. He is definitely a "son of thunder" with a quick temper whenever anyone threatens or disrespects the people he loves. Otherwise he is patient and humble. He is fiercely protective of Jesus, but also ready to submit to Christ's lightest rebuke. There were some bits of dialogue that I felt as though John were speaking directly from my heart. I really connected with his perspective because he is a dreamer. He is almost disconnected from the world, because his focus is on higher spiritual things.

Peter is just what you would expect, a blustery hearty fisherman. Matthew is shrewd and practical, from his days of tax collecting. Phillip is entirely unselfconscious and innocent like a child; he performs a miracle in Jesus' name and feels humble and a little frightened at the power of God.

James and Andrew and all the disciples have such vivid personalities, and it is funny to see how they interact in normal everyday situations. One of them goes to the market to buy some food for the group, and the vendor swindles him out of his correct change. He apologizes to the group and to Jesus for losing their money, and the way the other disciples react is so hilarious.

They are just normal people going about their normal business, making mistakes and feeling grumpy and getting tired. And right there in their midst is God Himself! It really makes you think differently about the Bible to imagine what it must have been like for them to sit across the table from Jesus Himself.

The writing is absolutely genius! I loved the way the scenes were set up and the way other imaginary characters were brought in. I think the author did an excellent job of balancing the actual history of the Bible with the added imaginary elements. You can tell that she put a lot of careful thought into the disciples personalities and into Jesus' words and attitudes.

I'm so glad that I read these plays instead of listening to the radio version, because then I got to read all the director's notes at the beginning of each play. These include extensive notes about each of the characters and what they are thinking and feeling in particular scenes and how their lines should be delivered. It added another layer to the plays that was very enjoyable!

In this prequel book, we learn about the origins of the world of Narnia and how Aslan first created Talking Animals. It's fascinating to see how the magic of Narnia first came to be, and I love those moments when we recognize something we are familiar with from the other stories. We get a little "aha!" moment of delightful recognition as certain elements of the magic are explained and explored in more depth.

The whole book has a deep emphasis on history. This is a story that is being told from the ancient past and the weight of history lays heavily on it. Everything about the language in the writing style and the references to old traditions and places points to this prequel revealing not just the secrets of the ancient days of Narnia, but also the olden days of England before the World Wars.

The characters in this book have a very different dynamic than in the first few books of the series. The first books follow the Pevensie siblings who are all very close and affectionate with each other. But Digory and Polly are sort of awkward around each other in the beginning, and they are argumentative and peppery with each other through most of the book. Polly is much more cautious and sensible, and Digory likes to take risks and get swept away in the adventure. It's kind of funny to see their different personalities and how they interact, but they both have excellent character development!

There are just so many wonderful Christian themes and parallels in this book! It is amazing to me how deep and how specific the imagery is that represents particular verses from the Bible. Every time I read this book it is like a breath of fresh air and a joyful light.

The story itself is wonderful, with an exciting plot and magical setting. The characters are deep and complex, with lots of character growth. The writing paints a picture with only a few words, and calls up strong emotional responses in the reader. There is just something so enchanting about this story that has appealed to generations of readers!

Lucy is terrified that her little sister, Glory, will die of the sickness that is infecting everyone at the orphan's home. After several children die, Lucy decides that they have to escape. It would be better to live penniless and hungry on the streets than be exposed to the sickness. In the midst of the winter cold, Lucy cheers her little sister with stories of a beautiful doll, Morning Glory, until one day they find an old doll among the trash of the river.

This was such a sweet story! I really loved the close relationship between the two sisters. They are so affectionate and generous to each other. They learn to be resilient on the streets and they are willing to do any honest work to earn a few pennies.

I felt like the plot took too much time with the scenes of the girls on the streets, and not enough time with other parts of the story. I would have appreciated a little more development with the latter portion of the story and the supporting characters that they meet later on. The connections that the girls forge with some of those characters felt a little rushed.

The writing style is enchanting! I love the little details in each scene that make the story come alive.

In this final book of the series, Jack and Draycos are running out of time to stop the genocide of Draycos' entire race, the K'da. The machinery of war is lining up to annihilate the K'da spaceships that will be arriving soon, but Jack and Draycos don't know where the final rendezvous point will be. Their only hope is to follow their enemies and hope that they can warn the K'da in time.

I loved this book so much! Every book in the series is action-packed and full of mystery and danger. I loved that the plot answers all of the questions that came up in the previous books, but then new mysteries and new questions are introduced, so you are always wondering and guessing what could possible happen next. And finally everything comes together for an exciting conclusion and all our questions are explained.

Alison Kayna has become completely entangled in Draycos' plans, and it is interesting to see how this group trusts each other, but only partially. They trust each other for now, but things could change quickly as the situation unfolds. You can never quite tell if certain people are only pretending to side with the enemy as double agents, or if they have truly changed their allegiance.

Draycos' warrior ethic of always doing what is right and noble gets this ragtag group into trouble sometimes, but in the end, they fully embrace his morality and are ready to lay down their lives to save the innocent K'da. He inspires them with both physical courage and moral courage.

I love all the characters, the plot, the themes, the writing style! Everything about this series is just so delightful!

In this fifth book of the series, Jack and Draycos make a quick stop at the planet where Jack's parents died in an accidental mining explosion. Jack is kidnapped by aliens from a remote area of the planet, and they think he is a Judge sent to mediate their petty legal matters. Jack begins to uncover clues that suggest that his parents were not just miners who died in an accident. They were most likely murdered, and they were not miners at all!

I loved this book so much! Every book in the series is action-packed and full of mystery and danger. I loved that the plot answers some of the questions that came up in the previous book, but then new mysteries and new questions are introduced, so you are always wondering and guessing what could possible happen next.

Alison Kayna is becoming more and more embroiled in Draycos' plans, and it is interesting to see how this group trusts each other, but only partially. They trust each other for now, but things could change quickly as the situation unfolds.

Draycos' warrior ethic of always doing what is right is rubbing off on the others more and more, and they find themselves taking risks to help innocent people even when it means going out of their way and losing valuable time or even risking their lives.

I love all the characters, the plot, the themes, the writing style! Everything about this book is just so delightful. I can’t wait to read more from the series!

Peach was magically born from the inside of a peach and has never fit in with the other villagers. When her adopted father reveals that he also found a sword when he found her in the peach, Peach knows that she must go on a quest to prove her worth by defeating the evil monsters of a distant island. Along the way, she meets others warriors who are also travelling to the island to fight the monsters who have been attacking their villages. However, when they reach the island, they are in for a mysterious surprise.

In the second story, Peach rescues a mystical monkey from trappers and discovers that the monkey holds a secret to the island of monsters. When a pirate captain captures them both, Peach must discover the monkey's secret to save them all.

The two plots are kind of random and convoluted. The stories include a lot of exposition and explaining things, but even so the plot doesn't always quite make sense. The characters are one-dimensional, and I didn't always understand their motivations.

Peach is a fun character though! She is tough and wild and fierce, but she will also stop to listen and be compassionate. She learned a lot of kindness and wisdom from her adopted father.

I don't know why the art style changes between the two stories, and the cover art is completely different from the inside art styles. I liked all the art though! The art work is beautiful and colorful!

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.

Two aliens of different species fall in love while their two moons are at war. Against impossible odds, they try to convince their families that they can live together in peace.

This graphic novel has no words other than "Bam!", "Smash!", "Boom!", "Blast!" , and "Explode!" as the two alien groups wage their war. The art work is so expressive and the panels make the action so clear that you don't need words!

However there are a couple of chapters that are actually flashbacks, and it took me awhile to realize that the chapters with wavy lines along the edges of the panels are flashbacks, and the chapters with solid straight lines around the panels are the present in the story. Eventually I figured it out, but it had me confused at first, and I wish it was more clear what is past and what is present.

I loved the colorful artwork, and I like the cartoony style! This is such a fun book.

The story is hilarious and cute! Although the aliens are at war, it's very light-hearted and silly and fun.


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.

Whit joins the yearbook club and takes some pictures around school, but when he develops the photos he sees children in the background who were not actually there. Could there be ghosts haunting the old abandoned sections of the school? With the help of this fellow students in yearbook club, he begins to investigate the missing children who have disappeared from the school over the years, and finds that the ghosts are trapped in a shadow realm. Could there be a way to save them?

I liked that this graphic novel was creepy, but not too scary for me. It might be too scary for little kids though. The ghosts are pretty creepy, and the shadow realm is really eerie. There is one scene where they do a séance with a pentagram on the floor to try to contact the ghosts. That was a bit too creepy for me, and I skipped those pages.

I loved how the yearbook kids all come together to fight off the darkness. They are a funny group of misfits, and it was fun seeing how they become friends. I liked Whit's close relationship with his Mom. They have an affectionate family dynamic and really take care of each other.

The art is really excellent, and I loved the use of color and shadows to give it that chilling creepy effect.

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.

Aiyana is tired of hearing Lakota stories and legends about her ancestors. She wishes her family would just focus on the modern world. When her class goes on a field trip to the mountains, she worries more about hanging out with the popular girls rather than with her cousin. She suffers a fall and is somehow transported to the world of the Lakota legends, where the trickster Raven tries to trick her into staying forever. To make her way back to the human world, Aiyana will have to complete several quests and befriend some talking animals along the way.

I love that this graphic novel teaches us about Lakota traditions and heritage! It's so interesting to learn about this beautiful culture.

I was sort of confused that the art style on the cover is completely different from the art style of the book. The art style inside is much more cartoonish.

The story is good, but doesn't really flow in a natural way. The plot is kind of disjointed and the pacing is strange. A child reading this book would probably not notice though.


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.