4 Stars

Ethan and Mia feel bored at home as their mom is busy working. Mia helps Ethan go on a make-believe adventure using their imagination. They explore Miracle Island (which is their home), along with the pet dog, Coco.

The book shows how kids can have fun without being outdoors or even using expensive gadgets and toys. All it takes is imagination. Mia is a sweet big sister, nudging her little brother to imagine themselves as pirates and have fun.

The illustrations are bright, colorful, and full of life. I love how mom is the lioness on the island (with a tail and yet sitting on the racing chair and working). The illustrator has artfully mixed the scenes from home with the setting of Miracle Island. Beautiful!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#EthanandMiasMiracleIslandBooksforKids #NetGalley

Raining Drops of Rainbow Verses is a collection of poems with a multitude of emotions and themes. Twenty-five poems are categorized into sections- People and Relations, Nature and Place, Musings, and Miscellaneous.

The poems are gentle, sad, heartwarming, inspiring, loving, and pleasant. A couple of them made me chuckle. The Revenge of the House Lizard is one such poem. It’s funny and witty.

My Mother’s Masala Magic is something a lot of us would relate to in our homes. Our mother, grandma, or aunts would swear that their secret spice box is the key to tasty food.

Some poems are poignant and make us think and wonder about our lives and that of others. Paper boats, Memories, The Scars of Love, Achilles Heel, and Simplifications fall into this category.

Guwahati is a special poem, one that shows the poet’s love for her native land and the beauty of nature, undisturbed by the growing concrete structures of a bustling city.

To sum up, Raining Drops of Rainbow Verses is a short yet touching collection of poems that’ll keep you occupied on a lazy afternoon. Grab a cup of hot chocolate and hope for some rain as you sit by the window to savor the poems.

I thank the author for sending me a digital copy of her book. My best wishes to her.

3.5 Stars

Élina goes to meet her granny in the hospital and discovers that the old lady is a keeper of the magic folk. Granny tells her that one of the little faeries is in trouble and Élina should help.

Élina is doubtful in the beginning, but follows her granny’s instructions and is surprised to see the magical folks all around her. Her mother doesn’t believe in mythical creatures, and it’s up to Élina to find the lost one and protect the little folk.

This is the first part of the series and it ends with Élina promising her granny that she’ll stop her mother from sending the old lady into a care home. What will happen to the little folk in her garden with the keeper?

The Keeper of the Little Folk is a fast-paced fantasy story for children. It’s presented in the comics format with loads of illustrations and dialogue bubbles. Some of the illustrations are very good, though some of them felt too sharp for my liking.

The storyline is adventurous and intriguing. Children who like fairytales and magical lands will enjoy this urban fantasy.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Europe Comics and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#EuropeComics #NetGalley

4.5 Stars

I love this book. It comes from the author’s real-life experiences, and it is easy to see how much she loves her brother. Jacob is an adorable little boy with ADHD. Understanding and managing his hyperactivity is not easy for the family, and definitely not for Samantha, who was a kid herself.

They go through various stages of trying to understanding what’s happening and growing up together without harming themselves or others. Though the book has been created as a light-hearted version, we can see how stressful and agonizing it is for Jacob to sit still, to not be able to express himself properly or to be set aside for not being ‘normal’.

The author has done the illustrations, and the result is this cozy, heartwarming, and tender book with so lovely, terrifying, annoying, and beautiful moments from her childhood.

Though the book is not an authority on ADHD, it is very helpful for people to get a basic idea of things can be with ADHD kids. It’s important to be patient, a point that is emphasized throughout the book.

To conclude, A Tale as Tall as Jacob is the story of a loving family and two precious kids (the third is too young) trying to lead a happy life.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#ATaleasTallasJacob #NetGalley

Read my reviw here

4.5 Stars
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Following a fellow reviewer's style. ;)

This book has been published.

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Oh, man! I love well-written micro fiction and flash fiction, and this book is just too good. The stories come in different sizes, each with a unique theme and style. The dark humor in many stories made me chuckle more than a handful of times. The pictures used for the stories were eerie and mystical. They set the mood and atmosphere so well! If only the cover picture was as good.
I wouldn’t have even given the book a second look if my friend and a fellow reviewer didn’t rate it 5 stars. Yeah, would have been my loss. But shows why the cover is so, so important. I really hope the author gets the cover redone and chooses something as mystical and dark as the stories inside.
The book takes hardly a couple of hours from start to finish. Still, I’d suggest taking small breaks in between to savor the stories.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#TheHouseofUntoldStories #NetGalley

3.8 Stars

The Girl with Purple Hair is the first book in the series about a little witch with (yes!) purple hair. The girl is born soon after a witch ends her life when her house is set on fire. She is left at a convent soon after her birth because of her purple hair.

Evelyn grows up at the convent, troubling the nuns and not completely understanding her powers. Benedict, her cat and familiar, guides her, but can only do so much. When things go out of hand, the nuns decide to send her to an artisan master.

Eve gets a taste of the real world and is stunned by the hatred she receives. She learns the truth about the artisan master, and as he puts it, her adventures have just begun.

The illustrations are rather cute in some places and a little awkward in some places. Not sure, but some feel a bit off. However, the overall color scheme and composition are beautiful. The magical settings give the witchy vibe well.

Looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Europe Comics and am voluntarily leaving a review.

#EuropeComics #NetGalley

**Happy Publication Day**

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Jane Austen is back at sleuthing, and this time it’s at the school’s ball. When the headmistress invites Cassandra, Jane’s elder sister, to join the ball at the end of the term, Jane has no option but to go along. Cassandra is excited, and why not? She’s the headmistress's favorite and can dance like a graceful swan.

Jane, well, she is more content being at home and stealing sugar plums, reading, and writing. Of course, a mystery or two wouldn’t hurt. Luckily for Jane, though unlucky for a few others, the diamond necklace of a wealthy would-be pupil gets stolen during the ball.

When the girl’s father, a collector who returned from India, blames Brandon (the dance master’s employee and an African boy), Jane takes up the task of finding the actual thief. What she unearths could cause a problem to a lot of people. When did that stop Jane, though?

I’ve recently read the first book in the series, so picking this up was inevitable. The story moves better in this one. There is enough focus on the mystery, and everything around more or less is connected to the case in some way.

Arjun and Deepti from book one are seen again and have a role to play in helping Jane. What I like the most is the author’s way of showing the other side of the story. Many historical works use the British version where India is nothing more than an ‘exotic’ land with people who need to be ruled.

The author uses Jane’s character to question and think about how the Indians feel about being ruled by a foreign company that was only supposed to do business with the locals. African slavery has been touched in this book. Not much, but enough to push the young readers to do their research and find out more.

That said, the book also reminds of me a post I read on Instagram. It was about the white-savorism theme in books. I wouldn't classify this one entirely in that genre, but there's no denying that Jane is the one who solves the crimes and saves the innocent. Even when the accused do their bit to help Jane, they still end up being thankful to Jane.

This isn't a criticism per se, but something the author could think about when plotting the next book in the series. I'm starting to have high expectations from her.

Jane’s creative letters are another plus point of the book. Though I confess that when Jane is busy solving the mysteries, I end up imagining a younger version of Agatha Christie. Can’t help it. They are both my favorite authors.

The mystery isn’t complex or confusing. Most readers will figure it out before Jane. That should be fun for middle graders who like to sleuth.

To sum up, The Burglar’s Ball is better than book one in the series and can be read as a standalone (for the mystery). It’s cute, light, and engaging.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Lion Hudson Ltd and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#JaneAustenInvestigatesTheBurglarsBall #NetGalley

4.5 Stars

The book started on a sweet note with a little girl and her granny planting seeds. They nurture the garden with loads of love and share the bounty with others. They collect the seeds and pack them for next spring. However, autumn brings an unexpected change. The kid continues the tradition and waits to feel the same as she did before.

The book is about love, families, nurturing, patience, loss, handling grief, and finding joy in nature. The illustrations are soft and soothing. They have a dreamlike quality to them. I didn’t expect such a twist in the second half or the comforting ending.

The story and the illustrations managed to give so much to the reader in a few pages. Just beautiful!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and NorthSouth Books and am voluntarily leaving a review.

#TheGardenWeShare #NetGalley

1940, London: Britain is under attack by the Germans with bombs dropping at random. Nell Spelman has no choice but to escape the city to keep her and her daughter alive. She misses her husband Arthur, a clockmaker who keeps the Big Ben chiming on time.

A sudden call from Arthur, followed by his disappearance, causes Nell to reach London and find out what went wrong. The search leads Nell into darker places, and as the mystery unfolds, Nell has to risk her life to save the day.

2021, New York: Ellie has been dissatisfied with her life for a long time. When she meets her mother Alice in a nursing home one day, Ellie finally decides to know more about her past. Using her grandmother’s beautiful watch, she goes all the way to London to dig out the truth.

But will Ellie find what she wants? How does the truth change her life?

With such an attractive cover and premise, I had high hopes for this book. Dual timelines are interesting to read. The book started strong, and though I didn’t like Nell as much, I was interested to know how the story progressed.

Then came Ellie and her mother, Alice, a teeny baby when things got worse in 1940. Alice grew up, found Jeff, got married, and left for the US. Ellie is her only child, a 38-year-old, single woman and an owner of a kitchenware store in NY.

Spoiler

Both Ellie and Nell have the same name, Eleanor. The nicknames were a good touch. Ellie wants to find the truth about her mother’s past and wants to connect with her step-aunt, Gillian. She books her flight and flies to London right before the New Year of 2022. I was told the flights between countries are expensive during this time and had to be booked in advance. For someone with limited resources (mentioned quite a few times), this seemed a little odd.

And soon enough, Dan, Ellie’s best friend’s brother and childhood crush, also hops on a flight on impulse to help her in London.

Anyway, back to Ellie’s search, which is the crux of the story. Not once did it look like Ellie really wanted to know about her grandmother or even her mother’s childhood. It’s her friend, Beth, who searches Alice’s house for the clue. It’s Beth who finds it after Ellie gives up.

Then this lady jumps to conclusions and declares that her grandmother is a fascist because she found a pamphlet and a party symbol in the old bag. She goes to London with almost no research. It’s Dan who calls her to share the news of Nell’s death anniversary.

At the slightest hint, Ellie is ready to give up and drop everything because she known her grandmother is a fascist. Really? Surprisingly, someone unrelated to her tells her to look beyond what she sees and keep an open mind.

Ellie finds a few transcripts and comes to the same conclusion; again. It’s not until Dan arrives that she starts to put any effort to find out more. Even then, Dan is the one doing most of the work. Imagine going to an old woman’s house knowing she might have information about the grandmother but not even being interested to wait after knocking on the door! A 90+ old lady isn’t going to run to the door, is she?

The author did try to give Ellie a few redeeming attributes by making her take care of her step-aunt. Somehow, throughout the book, Ellie seemed immature, self-absorbed, and judgmental. Not the kind of heroine one would like to read for long.

Nell wasn’t exactly a strong character either. Her intro didn’t do her much justice and made Arthur seem more capable and efficient. As the story progressed, the roles reversed. We get very little about Arthur. Nell’s character has better development compared to Arthur (and Ellie). Some of the scenes seemed farfetched, but I was willing to overlook them. At least, there was some action and tension in the 'historical' track.

The love track doesn’t do much either. We don’t know enough about any character to root for them. I still liked Alice and Gillian for their grit, even if they sounded rude most of the time. They had some bite, after all.

The book has an epilogue of sorts and ends on a happy note. That’s one plus because I like happy endings. The narration picks up speed after the first 25%, so that’s another plus. Some of the descriptions seemed a bit extra (this is coming from someone who loves imagery and descriptive prose).

Overall, The Clockmaker’s Wife is a decent story spanning different genres and timelines. The premise needed a better execution and an even better character development.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon Publishers and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#NetGalley #TheClockmaker’s Wife