Open on my shelf today:
Star the Elephant by Remy Lai
Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin
Sunday, March 13, 2022
March 13 check-in
Saturday, March 12, 2022
March 12 check-in
Open on my shelf today:
Scout is Not a Band Kid by Jade Armstrong
Walt Disney's Vacation Parade by Carl Banks
Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Fodi
Total read in March: 19
Friday, March 11, 2022
Book review - Gallant
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: fantasy/horror
Similar books: The Cursed Inheritance of Henrietta Achilles by Haiko Hornig
The Monsters of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny
Rating:
a bit dense
Summary (provided by publisher): Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for Girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home; it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile, or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.
Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not. The manor is crumbling, the ghouls are solid, and a mysterious figure rules over all. Now Olivia sees what has unraveled generations of her family, and where her father may have come from.
Olivia has always wanted to belong somewhere, but will she take her place as a Prior, protecting our world against the Master of the House? Or will she take her place beside him?
My opinion: I certainly applaud the combination of fantasy and horror. Many scenarios that are presented as magical and ideal could be terrifying if viewed through a different lens. This book starts with a fairly standard scenario: an orphan in a dreary and hopeless living situation is claimed by long lost family and whisked away to the family estate. It's upon her arrival at the house that Olivia's story takes a darker turn. It becomes clear early on that something is very wrong at Gallant. Her efforts to unearth secrets put the whole household in danger. This can be very interesting and the book is strongly atmospheric. The writing can be dense, though, so heavy with details that you can lose track of what is going on if you don't read closely. That might make it a hard sell for the middle grade set.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
March 11 check-in
Open on my shelf today:
Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson
DuckTales Classics edited by Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon
Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Fodi
Total read in March: 18
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Graphic Novel spotlight - Housecat Trouble
If you're familiar with Binky the Space Cat, think of this book as that for a slightly older audience. Buster is a regular housecat, largely interested in when he will be fed next and afraid of most everything. He is wholly unprepared to face the creatures that begin to take over his house. Those creatures may be difficult for a young reader to understand. If you pay attention to the details, though, it becomes clear that they represent darkness and depression. Badness in the life of humans. We then interpret this plot as saying that it is the job of cats to keep people engaged with the world and happy. Since it can be read on a couple of levels it will grow with a reader to a degree.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
March 10 check-in
Open on my shelf today:
The Best Liars in Riverview by Lin Thompson
DuckTales Classics edited by Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon
Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Fodi
Total read in March: 17
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
March 9 check-in
Open on my shelf today:
Daughter by Kate McLaughlin
DuckTales Classics edited by Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon
Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Fodi
Total read in March: 16
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