Andrea Ward

I started out not liking these women and it took a while to get better. But by the end I was happy that I stuck with it and that they learned and grew as people. Yes there was a heist, but that wasn't the part that intrigued me the most. Lulu, Rina, and Jane were compelling characters that sometimes made me want to scream and sometimes made me want to hug them. The ending was mostly what I wanted it to be, but it would have been unrealistic for what I wanted to happen, so I can't complain too much.
If you want to read about unlikable characters that are discovering who they truly want to be and how they want to get there, pick this book up.

I loved the lake setting. Teddy was a good character and we got to know Izzy a little through the investigation. I liked that the solution was layered. Izzy was complicated and that's good.

I loved the setting of book one and this one focused more on relationships. It was what the duology needed even though I didn't love it.

I liked the first book and was interested in visiting the world again, but I wasn't convinced that I wanted to follow Verity. Running away from Camille to a totally different world away from the sea was an interesting idea, but did not captivate me. Alex was nice enough and I liked that he was in a wheelchair, but still I wasn't captivated. Then the first twist, which I should have seen, came and I was hooked! I was so afraid of what would happen to Verity and to Alex. I was also concerned about what the truth really was. There were so many people that had been hurt, so I had no clue how it would end up. I am now left feeling like I might like Verity more than Annaleigh. I wonder what will come next.

So they are discovering things and trying to manage the battles with the knowledge of the time travel and whatnot. I am a bit confused about what they discovered and what they are going to do with it now, so I guess I will be reading another one. However I might decide that the portrayal of women annoys me too much to continue.

I LOVE that Mary Dowling Hahn books are being made into graphic novels! There were so many good creepy books when I was a kid and now they are being rereleased in a new format for a new generation to experience. I had not read this one when it was first released, so the story was new to me. It still had that cozy horror feel of kids horror books. I was pretty sure I knew where the story was going, but I enjoyed the process of getting there. This is a wonderful graphic novel for any kid or adult who wants a slightly creepy a ghost story.

The parallels between this and the Count of Monte Cristo are really strong for the first half. Then it takes off in more of it's own direction. I thought it was a perfect balance between retelling and new story. At the beginning, I was all for Dania and her revenge. Then somewhere in the middle my feelings begin to get muddled and by the end I was on her side again. I thought it was an emotional ride through the story. I liked the revenge, the magic, and the emotional growth. The reveals at the end got a little muddled, but I enjoyed them.

Oh my goodness! This was so good. I think I love short story collections. A haunted theater, creepy swamps, dangerous portals, MLMs that are like cults, violent forests and people in them, and cemeteries! So many settings that I love.
I wanted more from “Local Color” by Eden Royce. There is so much more that could be told about Veronne and her grandpa.
The one that held my heart was “Black Strings” by Vincent Tirado. It had the heart that I expect in his work. He knows how to make me care about the characters.
My favorite story is “Black Pride” by Justina Ireland. It has stuck with me! I can't stop thinking about that one, but what else do I expect from the excellence that is Justina Ireland.
My favorite character is Flex in “Foxhunt” by Charlotte Nicole Davis. I could read so many more pages and stories with her!
If you like horror, creepy settings, or surprise twists, you have to pick this one up!

I was shocked by the ending! It made sense and fit with the rest of the story. It also felt like a very Rivers Solomon ending. The ending doesn't tie everything up in a nice bow. So bits and pieces keep coming back to me. I sometimes feel like the ending doesn't fit and other times feel like it fits too well. So I am left torn by the ending and I think I should be.
My only minor complaint is that at times Ezra gets a little too philosophical. Some people will love that though.

I did not expect this level of planning in this group. So that was interesting and it was a good review/ explanation of what is going on. I might be losing interest in this one. It is moving slow with the parts I am interested in, but I really love the dialect that it is written in. So I enjoy reading the words even if the plot and characters aren't really interesting me now. But maybe it gets better?

I love hard boiled detective fiction in Old Time Radio. I don't often pick up books of the same genre, but I was curious about Viviana. I am so glad that I picked this up. This has a very 1950s vibe with the language and the societal expectations. My favorite part might be the way Tommy trusts and supports Viviana. Women often do not come out looking good in this genre, but Tommy and Viviana are different. I was hoping for a delightful female had boiled detective and that is exactly what I got!

If you loved The Nightmare Before Christmas, you will love this one! We have an almost creepy Halloween village, the Pumpkin King, and a secretly nefarious character that is causing problems. I loved the character of Eve and the way The Pumpkin King accepted her just as she was. She was strong and smart, but still needed help from others and sometimes made mistakes. Her best friends are a vampire and a witch. This is kind of Halloween story that feels cozy and homey. I adored this book.

The family, the legends, the friendship and the artwork that I loved from the first one are back! And you add in the lessons that Lucia learns, it really makes this book amazing. This is the right book for so many people, but especially for kids learning to navigate friendship and other responsibilities. This duology is a favorite graphic novel series. Amazing!

I loved the family aspect of this book. I liked the ranch and that Brianna was the capable one. I was frustrated a couple times with how thick headed they both were, but that didn't last too long. Cash's dad is ridiculous and needs to be put in his place. I'm guessing that will happen more in later books in the series. Brianna's baby goals were not really believable it seemed to be just for story dramatics. And it did make for some good lines and scenes in the book, so I didn't mind it.

The Setting
I love reading about new places. So when I read that this was set in Guyana, I was ready to pick it up. Being a Spanish teacher, I have studied and read quite a bit about South America. However, Guyana was never included in that. This book is helping to fill in that knowledge gap. Carr does a good job of giving a history of Guyana without overwhelming the reader with details and background that derails the story.

His Courage
I think it takes great courage to embrace the fact that parents are actual people. It is so easy to feel like the entirety of your parent's world is wrapped up in you. Carr courageously faces the fact that other people knew his dad differently than he did. That may not seem like a big deal, but the disparity between who he knew his dad to be, an abusive alcoholic who became an absent father, and who others knew him to be, a fascinating professor and political advocate, is a wide gulf that many would not have courage to cross. As he is hearing this disparate accounts, he takes them in and genuinely considers how these stories have an affect on who his father was. He does not shy away from any stories and he is very honest about the struggle he has to make all these facts fit into one human.

The Search
As you would imagine attempting to reconstruct the life and psyche of a person after they are gone is not easy. It involves lots of discussions with many different people. Carr does not get bogged down in details about the people he is interviewing, but he does not completely ignore their personal interest in his father either. He balances who the person is with what their information is. So we are introduced to a vast number of people with very different stories without becoming confused about what is going on.

One minor note of caution
This book is not one that can be read with distractions. The information and writing style is such that it takes focus to understand and enjoy the material. For me personally, I love that aspect of it. However, it does mean that my reading time is cut down. I have to make sure that everyone else is in bed or that I am by myself to find the time to read it. So don't expect to pick it up and start reading it in the middle of your busy day.

OMG! I was angry and sad and maybe the tiniest bit of hopeful. There was so much packed into this book. The micro aggressions and then that turned into bigger aggressions. There were secrets and horrible decisions by awful people. I was just so emotional throughout most of the book. Tiffany D Jackson is amazing!

I love the character of Rita! The narrator most definitely influenced my love for her. The structure with the back and forth nature of it was an interesting way to weave the story together. I didn't love every plot point, but they all worked together for the story. If you want to read a slightly paranormal mystery novel with a compelling sleuth, pick up this one.

This was a wild adventure and still so heartfelt and emotional. Yor has deep thoughts about motherhood while doing her job. Of course that's how that goes. And while that is happening, Loid is trying to complete his family mission no matter what it takes. Another great volume of this Manga.

I listened to this book and that really helped me feel like I was in Farrah's head through out the book. The author did a good job keeping us so in her head that I often forgot the rest of the world might be different than Farrah thinks. So the ending was a surprise and horrific and weirdly logical. This might not be everybody's cup of tea because it is so voicy, but I enjoyed it.

The events they went to were cute. The way their relationship developed was a good pace. Their secrets were appropriate for teenagers as they seemed huge, but were maybe just big-ish. The movie and the inn were cute additions. The third act break up made sense and wasn't overblown. The blog posts and books were great. Overall great YA romance with a smidgen of Christmas.

This book touches on so many other characters from other books. It makes me want to go back and read a couple of them again. I just love the way Kate Milford is able to connect everything into one universe.

I loved all the magical creatures in this book! I like that Tori didn't just go on the quest. She had to think of different lies to tell different people, so she could go. And she still felt bad about it later and that affected some of her decisions. I also liked how Tori used some of the things she had learned about the people and animals around her to help her interact with the magical creatures.
Some of the dialogue was stilted and it is really a bright happy story for a quest novel. However, I think it fits in with lots of other fun fantasy middle grade novels. I may not be the target audience, but I enjoyed the quest and the magical creatures none the less.

Okay, so maybe her sister is okay and has reasons. Not sure I totally trust her yet. I love the way Nakami opens up and then that ending!! Not what I expected.

This is an awesome grouping of urban legends. There is a little bit of information and is a good place to start learning about them. The artwork is intriguing and whimsical. It is a good pairing with the urban legends. There are so many urban legends as well. There is sure to be one or two that are new to you.
Interesting info, good artwork, and great book.

Isaki and Nakami are out exploring the city and he is working hard to learn photography. He is taking some good pictures, so it makes for some beautiful art work.