East is a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." Which I haven't read before. But given how much I loved East, I want to pick it's origiEast is a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." Which I haven't read before. But given how much I loved East, I want to pick it's origin up and then reread East and pick up the sequel afterwards.:) I listened to the audiobook while baking sugar cookies on Christmas eve. And let me tell you, there isn't a more perfect activity, time or setting to read/listen to this book. (Although I do think I would have gotten even MORE out of this if I had been able to follow along in a physical copy. So I need to reread it regardless. But I still loved it any way!) Thanks to East, I realized hoe much I love artic adventure books. I never thought myself as much of an adventure book reader. But now that I know that I am, I'm looking into other snowy adventure books. (Any suggestions? ...more
This isn't quite what I thought or hoped it would be.. However it is a very unique twist on a haunted house. I don't think I've read about a haunted hThis isn't quite what I thought or hoped it would be.. However it is a very unique twist on a haunted house. I don't think I've read about a haunted house like this but it was very entertaining and fun. Although there were spooky elements, it wasn't as spooky as I expected it to be. I've read middle grade books creepier than this one. So with that being said, I think this is a great starter book for anyone interested not just in getting into spooky middle grade but horror in general. I also think my enjoyment of this book would have been a lot better had I read it physically rather than listening to the audio book. ...more
If Tim Burton had an amusement park, this is what I would picture it being like. Minus Tim's iconic characters of course haha. Seriously though, this If Tim Burton had an amusement park, this is what I would picture it being like. Minus Tim's iconic characters of course haha. Seriously though, this is a very gothic middle grade book with a mystery element. This is about these two kids who are sent to their odd and mysterious aunts home (who's home seems to be frozen in the past.) Their aunt isn't very good with kids and had no idea how to care for tiny humans. So she decides to send them to a gothic themed water park. A water park that is not only weird in its own right but there is something off about it. Something not right. And it's up to the kids to figure out what that something is. I can't think of a better horror middle grade for the summer. It's so atmospheric and the characters are very personable and loveable. And the whole story is clever with some clever nods to gothic lit and jokes. These character think just like someone their age would. There were multiple time I found my self chuckling at their comments and jokes. This is just so cute and everything I want in a book. And everything I needed at the time! Just a very fun and enjoyable time. I'm so excited for the next installment. It can't come soon enough! If you like gothic horror. If you like middle grade with cute and loveable characters and a good mystery plot... this book is for you! I highly recommend this one. :) This was an ARC sent to me by Delacorte Press via Netgalley. Thank you so much to them for the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own....more
This was such an adventurous, unique and well written middle grade book! I found it to be so much darker (in a good way) than I had expected. There waThis was such an adventurous, unique and well written middle grade book! I found it to be so much darker (in a good way) than I had expected. There was a lot of action and there were constantly new things to see and learn about. I really enjoy learning about latinex folklore and this incorporates some different folklore that I didn’t know about. I can only imagine how excited the latinex community must be to see their folklore represented. At the beginning of the book Pao really irritated me. I found her to be selfish, very easily jealous and it got on my nerves. That being said, it was refreshing to see a flawed character that wasn’t perfect in every way. I think it’s important to see those types of characters in books and especially in middle grade literature! I was pleased that the issues I had with Pao were addressed by the end of the book and Pao grew a lot by that point. Wonderful children’s book!! Thank you Rick Riordan Presents for the arc in exchange for an honest review!!...more
I really enjoyed my time reading this book. I actually took my time reading it because I didn’t want it to end. It was a comfort read for me and I fouI really enjoyed my time reading this book. I actually took my time reading it because I didn’t want it to end. It was a comfort read for me and I found it very tranquil and informative. The author has a true talent for writing! The way the book was written made me feel like I was actually there. Like I could see and feel everything that was happening. I genuinely felt like part of the crew! I also loved to see all the different wildlife he encountered and I really enjoyed the other characters in the book as well. I actually would have liked to get to know them a little better, even! I think this is I short, fun, informative read. Anyone who has an interest in sailing or likes the idea of being on sea would really enjoy this! This was my first memoir and I’m so glad that it was.:)...more
First off, thank you to the author for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review! And for being patient with me.:) you’re the best! Second.First off, thank you to the author for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review! And for being patient with me.:) you’re the best! Second... This is a debut? What?? I am so impressed with this author and his work! There were a couple areas that had some minor problems with wording. But i really enjoyed the writing style! The writing style made it easy to understand the magic system and made for a fast paced, page turner! I felt that the magic system was well thought out. And I really appreciated that the main characters actions had consequences. Nothing was just given to him or made easy. I see that small fault in some books and was so happy that that wasn’t the case here. Alex really had to work for what he wanted. There’s also some diversity in this book, which was really refreshing to see! And there were a couple of characters I would have liked to get to know a little bit better. Emma being the main one! However, even in a short amount of time (250+ pgs) I still found myself very attached to all of them. It takes a lot of talent to be able to do that! I was particularly fond of Anthony. Anthony is one of the main side characters and I think the author did an amazing job with him. Anthony is a very flushed out and well rounded character. I really had a soft for him. There were times when I almost thought he was real! I also really enjoyed the plot. The plot was fast paced and gripping! I always had a hard time putting it down. Haha I really hope the author writes more in this series as I would love to see more of the world and the characters. Z.T Soyoye is such a fantastic writer and I can’t wait to read more by him! Keep up the phenomenal work!...more
This was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. So big thank you to the author! I was very impressed what with this being a debut bThis was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. So big thank you to the author! I was very impressed what with this being a debut book. Unfortunately, I don’t think I was the right target audience for this. I had a difficult time with the writing style in particular. I found the writing very choppy, insipid and lackluster. And although I found that the character building and world building was very well done, I felt that there wasn’t much description of the surroundings and even the characters. Speaking of characters... There were a lot! At least ten... Not to mention that some of the animal names were very similar, making it even harder for me to remember who they were. I had to really rely on the author mentioning wings, a mane, hooves, etc. That being said, my favorite part by far was, in fact, the little animal friends. They were my favorite characters and I felt like they added a lot to the story. I actually would have liked to see them even more through out the story. And I enjoyed that the MC was able to talk to them. I felt that the ability to talk to the animals was probably the best part of the whole magic system! The magic system in this book was very fun and very easy to understand. Which is especially a good thing for readers like me who don’t read a lot of epic fantasy. However, I also felt that some of the magic was cliche. For example: Elemental magic, metal magic, even the ability to talk to animals, etc. All of which are very often seen in fantasy books. I would have liked to see a little more of a unique twist to it! But I DO actually recommend this book AND this author! I think anyone who enjoys Greek Mythology and more specifically, classic fantasy (this book had a classic fantasy vibe) would really enjoy this one. I think this author actually has a lot of potential and will be looking into his future work!...more
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