Audiobook Review - The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Book 1) by Rick Riordan (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 576 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-1423113461
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Heroes of Olympus series
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series by Riordan. There are five books planned for this series, the series is a spin-off from the Percy Jackson series and takes place after the last Percy Jackson book. I enjoyed the book, it was well done. If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series I think you would enjoy this book as well. You don’t have to read the Percy Jackson series to understand what is going on in this book, however that series does provide a lot of excellent background for this new series.

I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. The narrator did an excellent job with the different character voices and with conveying the characters’ emotions. This book uses a different narrator than the Percy Jackson series which was a good idea for starting a new series like this. I would definitely recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

The book is told from three points of view. Jason, Piper, and Leo all go to the Wilderness School for troubled children. Jason, however, has no memory of how he got there or who he is. Piper is the daughter of a famous actor and has a secret of her own. Leo can build things, pretty much out of nothing. All three of them end up at Camp Half-Blood and are sent on quest to help the Gods face a new and dangerous enemy.

This book was a solid addition to the extended Percy Jackson world. This book features a different set of characters. It's a bit formulaic, but I liked the Percy Jackson books so I am okay with more of the samish type of story done in a different sort of way.

All of the characters are very engaging, easy to relate to and interesting. They all have a lot of depth to them and have secrets and mysteries they need to unravel. As in the Percy Jackson books, all three of them need to figure out who their godly parent is.

They go on a quest to free Hera from capture and along the way find out they are facing an enemy even more dangerous than the Titans. I won’t say a lot more than that about the plot. As with previous books by Riordan there are lots of excellent action scenes and encounters with crazy and creepy mythological creatures. There is a lot of humor throughout as well which makes these books a fun read.

I pretty much liked all of the characters equally. It was nice to have part of the story from a girl’s (Piper’s) perspective. This should make the book a bit easier for young girls to relate to as well. I enjoyed the characters’ interesting powers too.

As I said above the layout of the book is very similar to other books Riordan has written; the characters get a quest, fight an evil monster, travel, fight another evil monster, travel to beat a tight timeline and then confront a very big bad monster. I enjoy the action and the mythological creatures, so I happen to enjoy the story even if it is similar in structure to previous ones.

I love how this books builds on the Percy Jackson series some. We do hear about the characters from the Percy Jackson series and they are in the story some. They don’t play a major part in the story, but they are there in the background and occasionally the foreground influencing events and helping out our new characters.

Overall this was a very enjoyable and entertaining read. I loved the expansion on the world we were introduced to in the Percy Jackson series. I enjoyed the new characters a lot and found them interesting and easy to engage with. I love the new plot and the new big bad enemy that these heroes have to face. I also enjoyed the mythological fights and creatures that we run into throughout the story. I definitely recommend this to fans of middle grade fantasy. I also recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. I can’t wait to read The Son of Neptune now!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Audio Book Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Early Review - Siege and Storm (The Grisha Trilogy, Book 2) by Leigh Bardugo (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: June 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-0805094602
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Grisha trilogy
Source: From Publisher for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars


I got a copy of this book from the publisher for review. It was a wonderful continuation of this story, I think it was even better than the first book in this series. The third book in this trilogy, Ruin and Rising, is scheduled for a 2014 release date. You definitely need to read the first book, Shadow and Bone, to know what is going on in this one.

Alina and Mal have fled across the True Sea in hopes of escaping the tragedy that ended the last book, and of course in hopes of escaping the Darkling. With Alina trying to hide her ability as the Sun Summoner she is growing weaker and weaker. When the Darkling emerges from the Fold with a new and terrifying power Alina begins to despair. That is until a mysterious and charismatic privateer steps up to help Alina and Mal. Alina decides to try to return to Ravka to save the city she loves, but as she grows in power she is drawn further and further away from Mal and more and more towards the darkness.

This was a spectacular read. I loved the creative world-building in the first book of this series, this book grows that world and expands it. We get to journey to new regions of ice and snow, and sail dangerous seas, not me mention venturing into the darkness of the Fold again. This is a wonderful world and I love reading about it.

I thought that the characters grew a lot in this book as well. I wasn’t a huge fan of Alina in the first book, she was a bit too passive for me. In this book she finds her strength and her will to do what is right. She works to master her power and seeks out more power. Alina does all of this in an effort to help, but as she finds she likes the power she struggles to maintain her identity. Alina was wonderfully complex and had to deal with some tough decisions in this book.

Mal is in the story quite a bit as well. He is supportive of Allina, but also a bit overbearing at times. He just doesn’t want her to change and is starting to fear the power that she is becoming. As with Alina, he is a complex character who is struggling with his love for Alina and what he feels is the right thing to do.

The Darkling is in this story a lot less than in the first book. He is there looming over everyone and creating fear. He’s gained some interesting powers and I continue to find him fascinating. Still he is more in the background in this story.

The character that really steps up and shares the spotlight with Alina in this book is Sturmhond, the privateer. He is incredibly charismatic, witty, and intelligent. He also has a bevy of secrets that will blow you away. He was a wonderful addition to the story.

The plot is well paced and engaging. I had a lot of trouble putting this book down. The writing is absolutely beautiful and flows well. The story is intense, but there is some humor throughout as well. Seriously you have magic, sea battles, epic darkness versus light fighting scenes...it was just wonderful.

Overall this was just an absolutely wonderfully done fantasy read. This book is highly recommended to fans of fantasy, and not just YA fans but fans of all ages. This is a magnificent world with complex and engaging characters. The storyline is epic and takes a completely new twist on the epic battle between light and dark. The pacing is wonderful and the book is impossible to put down. I want to read Ruin and Rising now!!! This is a highly recommended and absolutely stunning fantasy read.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Early Review - The Pirate’s Wish (The Assassin's Curse, Book 2) by Cassandra Rose Clarke (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Date: June 4, 2013
ISBN: 978-1908844286
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Assassin’s Curse Duology
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Assassin’s Curse duology. I absolutely adored The Assassin’s Curse and also really loved Clarke’s adult novel, The Mad Scientist’s Daughter. This book was just as wonderful as the first book in this series. It’s full of magic and adventure with some romance. You definitely need to read Assassin’s Curse first (originally this was going to be one book, but was then broken into two books because of length). Clarke is planning on writing two more books that take place in this world but feature different characters.

Ananna and Naji are trapped in a mysterious island of the North. When the resident wizard dies, they meet a strange an unlikely ally. Eventually Marjani comes to their rescue and they are able to continue their quest to break the curse on Naji. Along the way they will have to fight pirates and even journey below the ocean waves.

This was a spectacular read. The world-building is wonderfully done, it’s such a magical world and well detailed. It’s the type of world I would love to go and visit. The plot is well done too. It’s got this whole questing feel to it because of the three things Ananna and Naji have to do to break his curse; it ends up being more complicated than just that. Still I loved the classic fantasy questing feel the story had to it.

Ananna is an incredibly prickly and highly strung heroine; she’s like a firework always on the edge of exploding. She is a ferocious fighter but is incredibly sensitive about pretty much everything. I kept wanting to shake her and tell her to just calm down and let Naji talk. She is still highly entertaining just a bit flawed as well.

Naji isn’t the most expressive male lead, but I still thought his patience with Ananna was admirable considering how touchy she is. He is a strong male lead and a very interesting and mysterious character. We get to learn a lot more about him and his past in this story.

Marjani also plays a huge role in this story; we learn a ton about her past and the reason she has taken up pirating. She was probably the most mature character of the novel and I enjoyed how her level-headedness balanced out Naji and Ananna.

There are wonderful and spectacular things that happen in this story. There are pirate battles, magical creatures, evil wizards, beautiful kingdoms, and underwater worlds that are explored. It is a breathtaking and wondrous adventure. There is some humor throughout as well, which keeps things fun.

The pacing is very good and keeps the reader engaged from the beginning to the end. The story wraps things up in a way that is realistic and very well done.

Overall an absolutely fantastic read. I enjoyed the world, the plot, and the characters a lot. The story is very engaging and the world is absolutely magical. This is an excellent fantasy read. Highly recommended to fans of The Assassin’s Curse and fans of quest based fantasy. I love this book and can’t wait to read Clarke’s future novels.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy, Book 2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date:March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0545284158
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Ascendance Trilogy
Source: Gift
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the second book in the Ascendance trilogy by Nielsen. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The False Prince, and was really looking forward to reading The Runaway King. This is an absolutely wonderful book. It starts a bit slower than The False Prince, but in the end I loved it almost as much.

Jaron has only been on the throne a few weeks when the first assassination attempt happens. He is forced into a difficult situation where his regents want him to install someone to rule for him until he comes of age. Given the complicated politics going on Jaron decides the best way to save his kingdom is to leave it and take things into his own hands.

I thought the beginning of this book was a bit weaker than The False Prince. I think mainly this is because Jaron really seems out of his element in the castle as King, he isn’t doing a good job of being King and he knows this. He’s loath to give up and run away, but finally makes the rash and strangely mature decision to do just that to save his kingdom at the cost of his pride.

Jaron is pretty much what makes this book. He is hilariously snarky, brilliant, and heart stoppingly rash at times. He takes huge risks and is resourceful enough to make them work in his favor. I really enjoyed him as a character. He is incredibly entertaining, engaging, and completely unpredictable.

The support characters are all very well done as well. Imogen does an excellent job of supporting Jaron in her own subtle and sneaky way; she doesn’t have the flash and dash of a lot of heroines out there, but she is effective and persistent.

Jaron is an incredibly difficult person to deal with throughout the novels, still somehow he manages to surround himself with good and loyal people. A number of new characters are introduced through the course of this novel, they are all very interesting and engaging characters that really add to the story.

The plot has a ton of twists and turns and lots of interesting intrigue. Jaron ends up immersed in pirate culture and dealing with pirate codes, which you have to admit is pretty darn cool. The story is action packed and full of daring escapes, amazing feats of thievery, and even wonderfully orchestrated duels. The pace is well done and the book is engaging.

Overall this was a wonderful continuation of this series. Jaron is an awesome character and many new and interesting characters are introduced into the story. The story is action packed, full of twists and turns, and all in all just very well done. I didn’t like this book quite as much as the first one, it started a bit slow, but I still really really enjoyed it. This whole series is highly recommended to fans of fantasy. Appropriate for middle grade and older readers.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - Dinosaurs Before Dark (The Magic Tree House, Book 1) (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Children’s
Genre: Adventure
Size: 80 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 28, 1992
ISBN: 978-0679824114
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Magic Treehouse Series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I read this book with my six year old son. He was very excited to get the first Magic Tree House book and I was very curious since I have heard a ton about this series. This is a great read for younger children and children just learning to read.

Jack and Annie find a magic tree house in the woods near their house. When they go up in the tree house they find it’s filled with books. When Jack takes down a book about Dinosaurs and starts to read it when him and Annie are magically transported to a land filled with dinosaurs.

This was a very short beginning chapter book suitable for young kids. The plot is straightforward, yet still engaging, interesting, and magical. Beginning readers should be able to follow along and even read some of their beginning sight words throughout.

I would classify this mainly as an adventure book with elements of magical realism (since they travel from a magic tree house).

Each chapter has a couple pages of pictures, so this makes wonderful transition book between picture books and chapter books. The pictures are well done and fun.

The book is also a bit educational since the book Jack brings along on their time traveling trip has interesting facts about Dinosaurs in it.

The story seems to be aimed a bit more at young boys because Jack is really the main character. But Annie is there too (his younger sister) and girls should find it easy to engage with her character as well.

Overall my son really enjoyed this book. It was a bit too simple for an adult, but I didn’t mind reading it and thought the story was decent. Definitely recommended for reading with young children, or for children who are ready to transition to reading beginning chapter books on their own. I am glad that we picked this up and foresee many more Magic Tree House books in our future!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Reading Challenge

Review - In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 192 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: September 27, 2012
ISBN: 978-0525425816
Stand Alone or Series: Sequel to a Tale Dark and Grimm
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the sequel to a Tale Dark and Grimm. I loved a Tale Dark and Grimm, it was hilarious and very well done. In a Glass Grimmly is written in very much the same style as A Tale Dark and Grimm. If you enjoyed the first book, you will love this book. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to see what Gidwitz writes next. This book can be read as a stand alone, but A Tale Dark and Grimm was an excellent read too....so why not go and read that book first!?

Jack and Jill go on a quest to recover a magic Mirror. The quest takes them through many different fairy tales and many dangers. There are interludes by the narrator that are hilarious and really make this book something different and special.

Jill is living with a mother who is obsessed with her beauty. When Jill’s mother forces her to wear a dress made out of the finest silk (silk so fine it’s invisible to Jill) she ends up humiliated and flees the castle. Jill is a smart and practical young girl and flees to her cousin’s house, Jack.

Jack is pretty much a loser. He tries to redeem himself to his father by selling the last asset of the family, the family cow, for some magic beans. Well the beans aren’t quite magic. That is until Jill and Jack make a promise to an old woman that they will recover a magic mirror for her if she grants their dreams.

Jill and Jack offset each other nicely. Jill is cautious and thinks things through. Jack acts before he thinks and is constantly trying to prove himself. Together they go through a number of adventures woven in and out of a variety of fairy tales.

The narrator intercedes throughout, warning of horrible scenes that are coming your way...occasionally also pouting about how the reader doesn’t really need him for this description or that. It is very funny and adds a lot to the story.

These stories are based off of the original Grimm tales so the things that happen in here aren’t pretty or pleasant. In fact they are pretty gross and at times disturbing. Because of this I would recommend only for Middle Grade and older readers. I really want to read this with my 6 year old son...he would think parts of it are hilarious...but I’m going to wait a few years so I don’t scare the stuffing out of him with this book.

Overall an absolutely wonderful and hilarious read. The story is funny without being silly, it’s heartfelt at times too. This book is just a super fun read. Highly recommended for fans of fairy tales and fantasy adventure stories.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - The Silver Phoenix (Beyond the Kingdom of Xia, Book 1) by Cindy Pon (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0061730245
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Beyond the Kingdom of Xia series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the first book in Beyond the Kingdom of Xia duology by Pon. The second book, Fury of the Phoenix, has already been released. I have not heard about any additional books after that one. This was a decent read, but a bit simplistic in writing style.

Ai Lang is the daughter of a couple of parents who married for love; her father is a well learned professor. He is forced to go on a journey to the palace and leaves Ai Lang a special necklace that is supposed to protect her. When her father doesn’t return for many months Ai Lang decides to leave her mother and journey on her own to the palace. Along the road she meets Chen Yong and finds that the road is plagued by many demons.

I enjoyed the story but found the writing to be a bit simplistic and the dialogue between characters a bit clunky and awkward sounding. This made it very hard to engage with the characters because they just come off as awkward and simplistic.

Ai Lang comes off as too timid and naive but occasionally, uncharacteristically, she does something brash and bold. The main hero of the story, Chen Yong, comes off as a colossal jerk...he constantly has boyish fits of anger and is at best dismissive to Ai Lang. Needless to say I had a lot of trouble connecting and engaging with these characters.

--------------SPOILER START--------------------------
When Ai Lang is nearly raped Chen Yong stomps off in a boyish fit and blames her for causing a scene. Ugh...really...it was the epitome of what is wrong with the society portrayed in this novel.
--------------SPOILER START--------------------------

There is a lot of emphasis put on women as male property and as sexual objects to males. Not my favorite type of society to read about, in fact I was a bit surprised by the emphasis on sex in this book. There aren’t any explicit sex acts described, but there is a lot of discussion about it.

The book is an okay read, but I just found everything about it to be okay. Nothing really blew me away. The story was fairly predictable. The magic system not all that well explained. Some parts of the story where the characters journey beyond Xia are fairly ambiguous as well.

On a side note Pon evidently likes her food a lot because there are a lot of detailed descriptions about what the characters eat in this book. Seriously they stop to eat a lot and by the end of the book I felt like I knew more about what food the characters liked to eat than the characters themselves.

Overall an okay read but not great. The writing style was too simplistic, the characters hard to engage with, and the story predictable. I usually love these type of adventure fantasy stories, but this one left me feeling cold. Looking back at this review there just wasn’t a lot I actually enjoyed about this book. At this point I don’t plan on reading Fury of the Phoenix...I have the book but will just pass it on to someone who wants to read it more than I do.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Review - Jinx by Sage Blackwood (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062129901
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone?
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program to review. This was a well done novel full of adventure and fantasy.

This is a story about a boy named Jinx whose step-father takes him into the Urwald woods to get rid of him. While in woods they happen upon a wizard named Simon who wants to buy Jinx from his stepfather. Jinx ends up living with Simon and slowly learning his many secrets.

This was a fun adventure fantasy read. Jinx is an excellent character with some hidden magical talents and a down to earth attitude. He is determined to be his own person.

Simon, the wizard Jinx is raised by, is an enigma. He treats Jinx better than Jinx’s stepparents did, but not great. Jinx doesn’t know if he is a good or bad wizard and is constantly trying to figure out the mystery behind Simon.

During his adventures Jinx is joined by a couple other characters; both have mysteries of their own.

I enjoyed the creepy and magical setting of the Urwald. It was very creative and very well done. The book had a fairy tale feel to it, complete with curses and witches.

The book was easy to read and well written. All of the mysteries woven throughout made the story very engaging. There are still some open questions at the end of this book, so I am going to assume that those questions will be addressed in a future book.

Overall an excellent debut novel that I think both kids and adults will enjoy. Well written and full of magic and adventure, this book is appropriate for middle grade and older readers. Younger readers might find some of the witches and evil wizards a bit too scary. I am eager to find out if some of the unresolved issues will be resolved in another book in the future.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Debut Author Reading Challenge

Review - Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders, Book 2) by Brandon Mull (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 512 pages
Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: March 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-1416997948
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Beyonders Trilogy
Source: Bought
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the second book in the Beyonders trilogy. The third book will be titled Chasing the Prophecy and is scheduled for a March 2013 release. I had a lot of trouble reading this book. It is a decent story, but nowhere near the quality of Mull's Fablehaven series. I just couldn’t stay engaged with the story or the characters and this book was a struggle to get through.

Jason is itching to get back to Lyrian after being sent home at the end of the first book. When he gets there he runs around telling people that the Word did not work to destroy the evil wizard Maldor. Rachel meanwhile has meet up with a charm woman and is leaning more about how to use Words.

Seriously Jason runs around telling people the Word didn’t destroy Maldor for the first half of the book. Jason also gathers people together and journeys back to the Blind King. At this point we are over halfway through the book.

Eventually we track through the jungle, meet more Seed people, and go through a zombie infested wasteland. So there is a lot of adventuring and some fighting. I just felt like the pacing was way off and Jason didn't know his purpose or accomplish much for large portions of the book. I almost stopped reading halfway through because nothing was happening.

We do get to meet some excellent new characters. Jason is accompanied by a smuggler named Aram, who is half-giant, and we see a lot more of Ferrick and Ned (who is incredibly adept at poisons).

Rachel also learns to speak magic words and becomes a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed Rachel's character growth and wish we had spend a lot more time hearing from her. Instead most of the book is told from Jason's POV and he just doesn't grow much or do anything all that interesting in this book.

While the book is decently written, I thought the pacing left a lot to be desired. I just found my mind wandering a lot and had a really tough time staying engaged in the story. There are so many characters in this book that we don’t get to know any of them really well, so that also makes it difficult to care about what’s happening.

Overall an okay addition to this series, but not great. I didn’t like the first book in this series a ton either. So, I guess if you were a huge fan of the first book in this series you will probably enjoy this one. I would definitely recommend reading Mull’s Fablehaven series over this one, in my opinion that is just a much more well written series. At this point I don’t think I will be reading the third book in this series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Lure of the Dead (The Last Apprentice, Book 10) by Joseph Delaney (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre:Fantasy/Horror
Size: 432 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: August 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062027603
Stand Alone or Series: 10th book in the Last Apprentice series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the tenth book in the Last Apprentice series. In this book we are back to hearing from Tom and the Spook. It was an excellent addition to the series and really shows how the story is shifting away from the Spook and more to Tom.

Tom makes a journey to find out what needs to be done to bind the Fiend's soul for good. Then Tom and the Spook journey to a small town to get more books from the Spook's library. When they arrive they find out that the town is infested with Romanian witches on a mission for the Fiend.

This book progresses the story nicely. We find out what must be done to bind the Spook’s soul and what a horrible thing it is. All of these books are dark, but I thought this was one of the darkest books yet. This book was more of a YA reading level than a middle grade read I thought. Very violent at times and kind of creepy and scary too.

All of our favorite characters are here; Tom, the Spook, and Alice. We also get to meet a new character that is one of the Spook's previous apprentices and he made a good addition to the story. Tom definitely takes front and center and is really coming into his own as a Spook.

The Spook is definitely showing his age and takes a backseat to the other characters in this book.

Alice is growing in power and continues to flirt with the dark, yet she remains steadfast to Tom and does her best to try and combat the Fiend. You see a lot of her struggling to balance the necessity of using the Dark and the want to stay with her friends in the Light. She is also absent a large portion of the book since she is off helping Grimalkin.

We meet some new horrible and creepy creatures of the dark. The book gets fairly violent at points, with some scenes of torture as well. Just a heads up for younger readers.

The book ends at a good spot, with things being set up for the next installment. Not a lot of twists or turns in the story, but it is still an engaging read. The creepy illustrations throughout really add to the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it progressed the story nicely. It was a bit darker than other books in the series, more violent with some torture scenes...so just a heads up to younger readers. Tom is really coming into his own as a Spook and it was great to see him take on the Dark by himself. Alice also continues to grow in her dark power. This whole series is highly recommended to those who enjoy adventure fantasy with horror in it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 128 pages
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1419700095
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars


This is a graphic novel collection of seven different stories, all of them featuring a mysterious box of some type. It was a high quality book with some excellent stories.

My favorites were: The Keeper’s Treasure (about a boy searching a mysterious labyrinth for a mystery box), The Solider’s Daughter (a girl set on avenging her father finds a box that makes her rethink things), and The Escape Option (a boy is pulled into a mysterious box and given a choice about the future of our planet).

Overall all of the stories are pretty decent and are appropriate for children. The collection is aimed at middle grade and older. I definitely recommend this for fans of fantasy graphic novels. It’s something that readers of all ages can enjoy. Read below for brief descriptions/thoughts on all the included stories.

- Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll (4/5 stars)
About a secret wax friend that comes out of a mysterious box and goes terribly wrong. Loved the drawing style and the irony of the story.

- Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier (3/5 stars)
A kid finds a box in his closet that a bunch of mysterious people are dying to get their hands on. Very cartoony illustration with heavy lines.

- The Keeper’s Treasure by Jason Caffoe (5/5 stars)
Loved the illustration on this one, very reminiscent of Kibuishi’s Amulet series which makes sense because Caffoe does some of the color and background for Kibuishi. This one is about a boy braving a labyrinth to discover a secret box. Loved the irony and humor, excellent story.

- The Butter Thief by Rad Sechrist (4/5 stars)
The illustration in this story has a very asian/manga feel to it. I enjoyed the limited colors used and the style. The story is about a girl who gets turned into a spirit and has to figure out how to get turned back. Again lots of irony and very cute and funny.

- The Soldier’s Daughter by Stuart Livingston with Stephanie Ramirez (5/5 stars)
The illustration and color in this story is awesome. This is a very classic fantasy story. A girl finds out her father is dead and leaves to avenge him. On the way she discovers a secret box that makes her reconsider her goals.

- Whatzit by Johane Matte and Saymone Phanekham (3/5 stars)
Very sci-fi and humorous little story. The illustration is very classic cartoony in style. A young apprentice is tasked with keeping the boxes that contain the universe sorted in preparation for landing. When a mysterious box ends up in his keeping all sorts of shenanigans ensue.

- The Escape Option by Kazu Kibuishi (5/5 stars)
The absolutely beautiful and stunning backgrounds and colors that are Kibuishi’s hallmark illustrate this story. In this story a boy gets sucked into a mysterious box and told the earth is on the path of destruction. He is given a choice that will change the outcome...or not. Ironic and very well done. I enjoyed this one a lot.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge