Book Review: Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson
Early Book Review: The Bawk-ness Monster by Natalie Riess; Sara Goetter
Book Review: Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun (Volume 1) by Osamu Nishi
Book Review: Olympic Enemies by Rebecca J Caffery
Book Review: Royal Blood by Aimée Carter
Royal Blood by Aimée Carter is the first book in a new series. As the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, 17-year-old Evan Bright knows a thing or two about keeping secrets. But when she’s forced to spend the summer in London with her father and the royal family, who aren’t exactly thrilled she exists, her identity is mysteriously revealed, and suddenly the world is dying to know every juicy lie the press prints about her. After what was supposed to be a fun night turns deadly and Evan becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation. The escalating rumors and fallout threaten to tear her life apart. As she fights to uncover the truth about what happened, she discovers royal secrets that are even more scandalous than she imagined – secrets that could change the monarchy forever.
Royal Blood is a book that will speak to the young to new adult age range, as well as us 'slightly' older adults. There is a good balance between the teenage and royal angst and the mystery of who is behind which incidents and other secrets that might be revealed. I liked Evan, and thought her defense mechanisms were realistic personality wise, while her exploits were still over the top enough to be very entertaining. I thought the emotional drama of truths, forged connections, and opportunities to grow were very well done, and surprised me more than once. I thought the mystery aspects and the twists and turns the story took were nicely handled, and while some I expected, others took me completely by surprise. I also felt the book ended well, wrapping up some of the most pressing matters and leaving enough suspense to have me chomping at the bit for the next installment.
Royal Blood is an engaging and well written series starter. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Book Review: Too Wrong to Be Right by Melonie Johnson
Book Review: What the Hex by Jessica Clare
Early Book Review: Best Men by Sidney Karger
Early Book Review: Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 by Monika Kaname
Book Review: The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan
Early Book Review: Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg
Early Book Review: Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill by Maureen Fergus, Danesh Mohiuddin
Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill is a charming picturebook with wonderful illustrations. The artwork felt a bit nostalgic to me, since it reminded me (in all the best ways) of the cartoons and comics that I remember from my childhood. I am not sure what about the style made me feel that, but I loved it so it does not really matter why. While the book is clearly about making assumptions and how 'everyone' can be wrong it does need feel preachy or pushy- which I find sometimes happens where there is a clear intent in a children's story. I think having the child be the voice of reason, and bravery, will appeal to many young readers and maybe help them be more empathetic in their own lives after reading the book. However, the book is also just good fun and entertaining, as all the very best books are.
Early Book Review: The Plus One (A Brush With Love) by Mazey Eddings
Book Review: A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley
Book Review: The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio
Book Review: Anyone But The Billionaire by Sara L. Hudson
Early Book Review: The Moth Keeper by K. O'Neill
The Moth Keeper is a coming of age graphic novel for middle grade and older readers. First off, I loved the artwork and thought it did a wonderful job of capturing the emotion and details of the story. I thought the book shared a wonderful story of self exploration, community, and friendship as well as how we sometimes put more expectations and duty on ourselves than others would. I liked the world building and that we got to see pieces from a variety of lives in the story- although I would have liked more of everything since I enjoyed it all so much. I will admit that there were a couple pages that I had to look at more than once to get exactly what was happening from, and I did still have some questions about Anya's past and the other characters when I finished the book. I will honestly be thinking about these characters and the book for awhile now that I have finished it, which is unusual for me. I think many other readers will experience the same. I think the story will speak to a wide range of readers.
The Moth Keeper is an engaging graphic novel that I think will become a favorite for many.
Book Review: Mr. Nanny (The Nannies) by Sam Crescent
Mr. Nanny is an okay story, but I felt like there was a great deal of wasted potential. I liked the little I learned about Caleb and Annie, but I felt like we could have learned much more about Annie and baby Tara, and how things turned out they way they did for the pair. Readers do get a bit of a glimpse at Caleb and his issues, but I feel like there could have been more about the actual romance between the two. The outline was there, but it felt like so many details that could have made the story more engaging and real were left out. Things just felt a little flat all around, which is a shame since I thought it was going to check all my boxes for favorite, quick romance reads.
Mr. Nanny is a quick weekend read.