Book Review: Raven's Moon (Raven Tales) by J.B. Dane

Raven's Moon is the first book in the Raven Tales series by J.B. Dane. Bram Farrell, private investigator, has starred in twenty bestselling novels by writer-and witch-Calista Amberson. Her fans love the tall, dark, and handsome PI who uses magical powers to vanquish supernatural bad guys. So, when Calista uses her magic to pull Bram from his fictional world into real-world, modern-day Detroit, she rocks both worlds. Now Bram must track down and destroy otherworld evil before it destroys him.Bram's investigation turns up a lot of suspicious characters: grouchy bar-owning trolls, a thirsty vampire godfather, a couple of murderous x-cage fighters, a suspicious minister-and the Devil himself. Things are getting dicey: Bram could use some help with this job-but whom can he trust? 

Raven's Moon is an urban fantasy that captured my attention because of the premise. Book character from a series similar to stories I enjoy dragged from his books into the 'real' world with similarities and differences from his former life. I liked the takes on creatures from legends, and the twists and turns the mystery and magical elements of the story took. I liked Bram's character, trying to figure out who and what he is in the real world, and where he stands. The complications of who has good intentions, and who is out for power or more nefarious things had me guessing throughout the entire story. Hints were dropped, and I found myself muddling along side Bram. Some of the twists I suspected, some I considered and rejected, only to have it all turn around on me. I think it was a combination of the knowledge of a wide variety of legendary creatures and Bram's own self awareness that really made me love this story. The world and character building were very well done. The humor of a dachshund shaped hellhound and other characters certainly mad the read even better for me though. 

Raven's Moon is a wonderful start to a series, and I will be reading the next book as soon as it is available, but for now I am going to get my hands on the prequels.

Book Review: The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match by Elizabeth Eulberg

The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match by Elizabeth Eulberg is the second book in the Shelby Holmes series. The first book sets up the characters and relationship between Shelby and the world, however I think most readers would be able to catch on to the series ideas pretty quickly, even if starting with the second book. 

Being friends with a super sleuth isn't easy, especially when she's nine years old and four feet tall, and full of attitude. But for eleven-year-old aspiring writer John Watson, being friends with Shelby Holmes is just the adventure he's looking for.In the few weeks since moving to Harlem with his mom, Shelby has been training John in the art of observation-a skill that comes in handy on the first day of school. John's new teacher, Mr. Crosby, is acting suspiciously, and Shelby knows this is a mystery worth investigating. But as Shelby and John dig deeper, they discover that there may be someone unexpected involved--someone who may have Shelby beat.

The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match is another great book by Eulberg that makes the Sherlock tropes and themes assesable to the younger generations. I love that the characters are unique, but still share bits of the characteristics of the Sherlock cannon. Shelby is the socially uninterested genius, with a little too much pride and confidence in her abilities. When she works with Watson they become the perfect team, with the book, observational, and social smarts to do just about anything. I got a kick out of the introduction of Shelby's nemesis, and the way they work with Lestrade and Crosby. I loved the twists and turns, and the inclusion of extra bits of struggle, like family issues and John's diabetes, make the story even more relatable to a variety of readers. I think the mystery is well built, and the methods of Shelby and James, and how they interact with each others and those around them, is extremely well done. I love the layers to all the characters, and the combination of real life and Sherlock themes makes for an entertaining and engaging.

The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match is a great middle grade mystery with a diverse group of characters that feels completely organic rather than forced, which is sadly happening with more and more books. I highly enjoy this series and hope to continue it, and add it to my elementary school library as soon as I can.