Quietly powerful.

I received an ARC of this book from Little, Brown in return for my honest review.

Cordelia and Connor are sent to live with their aunt Marigold after the death of their parents. She lives in a town called Woundabout, where change is very much frowned upon. Routine is best. When they discover something has been stolen from the mayor's office, they try to find it and figure out how the town stays the same.

This book is about grief, and yet isn't despairingly sad. You may think you don't want things to change but not all change is bad. I am not sure this story will stay with me forever, but I did enjoy aspects like the capybara pet.

Final illustrations not seen.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

It feels weird to say that I liked this book. It is not my normal fare but I will say that the comparisons to Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill are very accurate. Or, how I think Joe Hill writes, because I am afraid that I would find his books too scary. This book is told from the perspective of a girl named Carolyn and she lives in the library that is ruled by Father. Only Father has disappeared. What happened? Will his enemies move in?

Reminds me especially of "American Gods." Warning: some gory violent scenes I skimmed over.

The problem with reading series as they are published is that you have to wait for the next book to come out. Book 3 yes now please.

I think this was one of those cases of either not reading the book at the right time (because I seem to be in more of a dystopian/fantasy mood) or I'm just not the right reader for this book. Anyway, I couldn't believe that Mysti fell for her friend's schemes for so long, or that her mother was so not into trying (although perhaps that is realistic.) I read this because the kids asked me to, so we'll see what they think!

I liked this one a lot. It does plunk you right down in the middle of the action, so you start to feel a bit like you've missed something. However, Latham reels you in with Scarlett, her stubborn, brave Muslim-American protagonist. Scarlett runs a private eye business, mostly doing small jobs, when she's contacted by a young girl named Gemma who wants help proving her brother's suicide wasn't his intention. Things accelerate from there. I enjoyed reading the book. I have seen some reviews that question some parts of the Muslim-American experience described. I would love to look at a few more reviews from that perspective, because I enjoyed the look at a Muslim-American life, but would love to know if it read as authentic to those who actually practice. An enjoyable diverse read.

Not my most favorite book but a sweet story

Still one of my favorite characters to read.

I enjoyed this one. Definitely creepy, and I did some skimming over those parts so as not to make myself unable to sleep. I do think it will be a hit with kids who like scary stories.