Category: brief reviews

Spooky Middle Grade: Let the Monster Out and Ghostlight [Summer Reading Recap]

24 October 2022 / brief reviews / 9 Comments
Spooky Middle Grade: Let the Monster Out and Ghostlight [Summer Reading Recap]

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel Source: ARC/NetgalleyPublished: 6 Sept.Publisher: Alfred A Knopf Books for Young Readers (PRH)Length: 400 pages Genre: Contemporary ghost storyTarget Age: Middle grade (suitable for 10+) Let the Monster Out by Chad Lucas Source: Hardcover/libraryPublished: May 2022Publisher: Amulet (Abrams)Length: 320 pagesGenre: Contemporary scifi/horror Target Age: Middle grade (suitable for 9+)Rep: Biracial protagonist (Black and white), neurodivergent protagonist Are there are any books you read this past summer that you still want to review?Do you enjoy spooky stories?

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Speculative Fiction Under 260 Pages: Comfort Me with Apples and The Chosen and the Beautiful [Review]

14 February 2022 / brief reviews / 3 Comments
Speculative Fiction Under 260 Pages: Comfort Me with Apples and The Chosen and the Beautiful [Review]

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo Source: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Jun. 2021Publisher: TorDotCom (Macmillan)Length: 260 pages Genre: Historical speculative fictionTarget Age: Adult The Chosen and the Beautiful is one of those books that, the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I came to appreciate it. At the end of 2021, I found myself frequently recommending this title for folks’ 12 in 12 Challenge. In The Chosen and the Beautiful, Nghi Vo retells The […]

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Across the North: Ice Ghosts and The Great Northern Canada Bucket List [Review]

18 January 2022 / brief reviews / 10 Comments
Across the North: Ice Ghosts and The Great Northern Canada Bucket List [Review]

Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition by Paul Watson Source: Paperback/OwnedPublished: Mar. 2017Publisher: W.W. NortonLength: 384 pages Genre: Historical non-fictionTarget Age: Adult (suitable for +16) I read a book I already owned! Applause please. Ice Ghosts has been a long time coming. The first 50 pages or so offer a brisk recap of the Franklin expedition itself. I do not recommend this as your introduction to the expedition. That story alone […]

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Unsettling Fiction: The Warlow Experiment & Fever Dream [Review]

7 January 2022 / brief reviews / 8 Comments
Unsettling Fiction: The Warlow Experiment & Fever Dream [Review]

The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan Source: Hardcover/libraryPublished: Aug. 2019Publisher: Doubleday Books (PRH)Length: 272 pages Genre: Historical fictionTarget Age: Adult The curious story of an eccentric bachelor (Herbert Powyss) who wants to leave his mark on science and decides the best way to do that would be to conduct an experiment on isolation by hosting and observing another man (John Warlow) living in pampered isolation for seven years.. This quote from early on hints that […]

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The Language of Ghosts & The Dragon Egg Princess [MG Reviews]

29 December 2020 / brief reviews / 4 Comments
The Language of Ghosts & The Dragon Egg Princess [MG Reviews]

The Language of Ghostsby Heather FawcettSource: Hardcover/giveawayPublished: Sept. 2020Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)Length: 356 pages Genre: High fantasyTarget Age: 8+ 🍂 Review by Kathie @ Bit About Books Premise: “Forced into exile on an enchanted, moving island, ex-princess Noa Marchena has two missions: reclaim her family’s stolen throne and ensure that the dark powers her older brother, Julian, possesses don’t go to his head in the process.” (jacket copy) I adore the cover of this […]

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