Category Archives: Reason: Owlcrate

March 12, 2024 · 4:53 pm

Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan

Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan

Told in alternating points of view, Jade Fire Gold is set in a magical Asian land. Sometimes I was confused by who the narrator was because on occasion they sounded too similar. I was very surprised to discover the author has not written a sequel. While the ending is very satisfactory and lends itself to being able to be a standalone, at the same time it sets up a possible second book. I recommend it to teens and up who enjoy epic quest fantasy.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2024: 9
Pages Read in 2024: 3667

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Filed under Reason: ABC Challenge, Reason: Disney Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Gotta Read 'Em All, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate, Young Adult: Fantasy

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December 27, 2023 · 12:31 pm

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford

I had The Poison Season on my TBR literally all year and kept putting it off. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because it’s fantasy which is not my favorite genre. Turns out it’s pretty light on the fantasy which is, truly, how I prefer it. Once I finally picked the book up it was hard to put it down! I absolutely loved it. The story totally sucked me in. I had to keep reading just to get my questions about Endla answered plus I was very invested in Leelo and Jaren’s relationship. I highly recommend this book to young teens and up.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 102
Pages Read in 2023: 35,186

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Filed under Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate, Reason: The Literary Coven, Young Adult: Fantasy

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October 28, 2023 · 8:05 pm

The Edge of the Ocean by LD Lapinski

The Edge of the Ocean by LD Lapinski

The Second Strangeworlds Travel Agency book, The Edge of the Ocean, is even better than the first. The epilogue made me very glad I already have the third book ready and waiting on the shelf. It’s a fun, imaginative story and in this book you see a lot of character development. I recommend it to people of all ages.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 87
Pages Read in 2023: 30,032

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Filed under Middle Grade: Fantasy, Reason: Bedtime Story, Reason: Like the Series, Reason: Owlcrate

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June 19, 2023 · 4:21 pm

Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

I was totally sucked into the story of Amari and the Night Brothers. So sucked in that I’ve already ordered the second book in the series and am looking forward to the third’s release in a few months. It’s fast-paced and I most definitely did not see that ending coming. Even though it is a pretty light book overall, it does address deeper concepts such as racism and prejudice. I very highly recommend this book to middle grade readers and up!

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 67
Pages Read in 2023: 21,557

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Filed under Middle Grade: Fantasy, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate

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May 11, 2023 · 7:47 am

The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters

The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters

The Unforgettable Logan Foster is a very cute middle grade book about an autistic foster kid with an eidetic memory whose foster parents turn out to be actual superheroes. It’s great read for about second grade and up to read to themselves and would make a fantastic family read aloud. I recommend this to people of all ages, especially if they are into superheroes.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 53
Pages Read in 2023: 17,255

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Filed under Middle Grade: Fantasy, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Owlcrate

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April 30, 2023 · 6:39 pm

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

From Twinkle, With Love is a super cute story with a perfect ending. It really shows how friendships change as you grow up and how your words affect others. At times I was so frustrated with the main character, but she realized when she did wrong and tried to fix it. I really cared about what happened to the characters. It’s written mostly in journal entry format which is somewhat unique and worked quite well. I recommend this book to teens and up.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 50
Pages Read in 2023: 16,451

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Filed under Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate, Young Adult: Romance

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March 22, 2023 · 1:53 pm

Twelfth by Janet Key

Twelfth by Janet Key

Twelfth is perfect for any theater nerd. There’s a mystery wrapped up in lines from a Shakespeare play set on the backdrop of a middle school theater summer camp. It’s a fun book with lots of representation. Sometimes it had my heart pumping fast with worry for the characters as they solved the clues and got into increasingly dangerous situations. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of working in the theater.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 38
Pages Read in 2023: 12,516

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Filed under Middle Grade: Mystery, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate

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February 26, 2023 · 7:21 pm

Sisters of the Snake by Sarena & Sasha Nanua

Sisters of the Snake by Sarena & Sasha Nanua

Like the twins in Sisters of the Snake, the authors are twins born on Diwali ten minutes apart, though as far as I know they are not actually princesses. The book is set in an India-like land where some people are born with magic. The premise is similar to The Prince and the Pauper or The Parent Trap with one twin being a princess raised in the palace and the other a thief raised in an orphanage. The chapters alternate between the twins’ points of view. The book was a bit slow to get started, but really picked up in the last half or so. It’s about 500 pages long and still wasn’t long enough for me. The romances are very sweet. The epilogue is very short, but totally made me go buy the sequel right away. I recommend Sisters of the Snake to anyone who enjoys young adult fantasy.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 29
Pages Read in 2023: 9143

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Filed under Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate, Young Adult: Fantasy

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February 11, 2023 · 4:03 pm

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga

Telling the story from the viewpoint of an anthropomorphized Mars rover, A Rover’s Story combines facts about the rovers and their missions with things that haven’t happened (like finding a really neat rock formation) or we can’t do yet (like bringing the rovers back to Earth). The story is really cute and includes several letters to the rover written by the daughter of one of the rover’s coders in order to give information the rover itself wouldn’t know. I recommend this book to any kid interested in space exploration. It would make an excellent family read aloud.

5 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2023: 20
Pages Read in 2023: 6569

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Filed under Middle Grade: SciFi, Reason: B&N Book Challenge, Reason: Flourish & Blotts Reading Challenge, Reason: Grim Readers, Reason: Owlcrate

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October 31, 2022 · 1:06 pm

Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older

Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older

For those who grew up reading about Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology by Rick Riordan, Ballad & Dagger is the first young adult book from Rick Riordan Presents. This one covers the myths of the island of San Madrigal, an island in the Caribbean Sea. Spanish is liberally sprinkled throughout. There is a lot of humor, but it is definitely more serious than Rick Riordan/RR Presents middle grade books. The mythology is laid out in a very understandable way as the story is told. The writing is often poetic and dreamlike. I recommend this book to teens and up who enjoy Rick Riordan/RR Presents books.

4 (out of 5) Stars
Books Read in 2022: 94
Pages Read in 2022: 33,594
Graphic Novels: 2

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Filed under Reason: Bedtime Story, Reason: Owlcrate, Young Adult: Fantasy

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