March 15 check-in

 Open on my shelf today:

Air by Monica Roe

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson

The Real McCoys by Matthew Swanson

Total read in March: 27

Bandana bib

 A friend of mine is having a baby this summer. Her style tends towards simple country looks, so when I found this plaid bandana bib it seemed like a good fit.

It needed a little something, though, so I embroidered a fox on it. I'd planned to do a pair of foxes, but my placement and sizing was a bit off. One fox works pretty well, I think.

March 14 check-in

 Open on my shelf today:

Any Sign of Life by Rae Carson

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson

The Genius Under the Table by Eugene Yelchin 

Total read in March: 25

March 13 check-in

 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

Total read in March: 23

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

 

Book review - Gallant

Title: 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