Katrina S. Forest's Top Ten Best Friends in Books: Tour Stop for My Best Friend Runs Venus

This is my stop during the blog tour for My Best Friend Runs Venus by Katrina S. Forest. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 3 till 16 June. See the tour schedule here.

For my stop I'll be sharing a top ten list from the author!

Katrina's Top 10 Favorite Best Friends in Books

This is a tricky one! My tastes are pretty varied, so this list will probably end up looking like a hodgepodge of genres and age levels. There's a couple graphic novels that spring to mind, too, when I think of powerful friendships in fiction. I think my favorites actually aren't the ones where the characters get along great and everything is wonderful between them. I prefer friendships in which two characters struggle--where one or both of them genuinely messes up big time, and the other might struggle to offer forgiveness.
So, with that in mind, here's my list. In no particular order, of course: 

1. Kate Harker and August Flynn from This Savage Song/Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab 

2. Momoko Ryugasaki and Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri from Kamikaze Girls by Novala Takemoto.

3. Miaka Yuki and Yui Hongo from Fushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase

4. Milo and Tock from the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

5. Leo Pellissier and George Dumas from The Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter

6. Prince Aleksandar and Deryn Sharp from the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld

7. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

8. Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw from the Robot series by Issac Asimov

9. Cece and Laura from El Deafo by Cece Bell

10. Marie and Lena from I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson

Wow, great list, Katrina! And now for a look at Katrina's new book (and a giveaway).

My Best Friend Runs Venus
By Katrina S. Forest
Genre: Science Fiction
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: June 1, 2019

Description:
At 12.9 years old, number-obsessed Kade Walker has never heard of death. Literally. But neither has anyone else he knows. Kade is one of hundreds of kids "living" across the solar system through robotic avatars while their real bodies sleep in pods on Earth. Unfortunately, robot bodies can be hacked.

One day during an (innocent!) experiment, Kade unwittingly breaks a major security wall and releases an infamous hacker. The madwoman targets all the royal avatars, including Kade’s best friend, Princess Tamika of Venus.

If Kade and Tamika don’t want to become the hacker’s puppets, they’ve got to stop her fast--even if it means waking up on Earth to fight with bodies they never realized could be hurt.

You can find My Best Friend Runs Venus on Goodreads.

You can buy My Best Friend Runs Venus here.

Artwork
This book includes some artwork, check out a few of the illustrations that are included in the book below:

About the Author:
Katrina S. Forest is a teacher by day, author by any-other-time-she-can-get. Her work has sold to a variety of magazines, ranging from Flash Fiction Online to Highlights to Children. She loves nerdy conventions and believes video games can be a force of creative good instead of evil.

You can find and contact Katrina S. Forest here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour for My Best Friend Runs Venus. One winner will win a signed copy of My Best Friend Runs Venus along with a $25 Amazon gift card.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of the Movie Tie-in Audiobook: A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1) by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1)
by Madeleine L'Engle

Description:
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

Meg's father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?


My Review:
First off, this was a decent story, but I'm not sure it all quite made sense. I also found it to be a little bit anticlimactic/convenient. Didn't read like a 50-year-old book, though. Far from it. I can see why they made it into a movie.

Overall, I'd recommend it to folks who enjoy youth adventures with a happy ending. Then again, I noticed the Quintet tag when posting this so I guess there's more to it.

As for the audio, I have a lot of comments on that.

The narrator (or the person advising her) chose to interpret the "sharp" voice of Mrs. Witch (Which?) as kind of a wavery, ghosty voice. That is not how I interpret sharp, and I must say, I missed most of what she said, even with the volume turned up. I wonder if this was based on how the character is channeled in the movie, rather than how described in the book. I haven't seen it yet, so I cannot say.

Also, I could have really done without the two forewords. I think I commented on it in Goodreads. The second one bled into the first chapter of the audio, so they didn't quite nail those transitions, and that made it difficult to figure out where the story actually began.

I listened to the movie themed audiobook from the library.

Middle Grade Review: The King of Average by Gary Schwartz

The King of Average
by Gary Schwartz


Description:
James isn’t the world’s greatest kid, but he’s not the worst, either: he’s average! When he decides to become the most average kid who ever lived, James is transported to another world where he meets Mayor Culpa, a well-dressed talking Scapegoat who recruits him to become the new King of Average.

He’s joined on his quest by a professional Optimist and his grouchy companion, an equally professional Pessimist. Together, they set out on a journey of self-discovery that leads them all the way from the Sea of Doubt to Mount Impossible, the highest peak in the Unattainable Mountains. When James stumbles into a Shangri-la called Epiphany, he uncovers the secret of who he really is.

Follow James on his hilarious, adventure-packed journey to find self-worth in this heartfelt middle grade novel The King of Average by debut author Gary Schwartz.


My Review:
The King of Average is an adventure set in a world where the geography and its citizens are divided by just how above or below average they are. James, who is rather ordinary, gets pulled into the world when he decides he’d like to be the most average boy ever and then gets recruited for the job of King of Average.

For me, the humorous characters were the biggest draw. Mayor Culpa the scapegoat is great, always shouting out that whatever it is, it is his fault. The optimist and pessimist are also pretty funny the way they play off each other. Besides that, the story highlights the range of human nature and builds in some life lessons. 

I also enjoyed that the main character has to work for his goals and that he and his friends face real dangers on his quest. It makes for an exciting tale.
As for the puns, well, I think those might be more for the adults, though the author did a good job of paraphrasing and giving context so it’s not too over the heads of the younger readers. I liked them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I’d recommend it to folks who like adventure and humor. It not only seemed appropriate to younger readers, but also something I’d have liked to read at that age.

I received the review copy of this book from the publisher.


About the Author:

Gary Schwartz began his professional career as a mime at age 13,  performing up and down the Hudson River with Pete Seeger and the great folk entertainers of the 1960s. In the 1980s he appeared in numerous film and television projects including the Oscar-winning feature film Quest for Fire. Schwartz has lent his voice to hundreds of film and TV projects and is the voice of several well-known video game characters, including Heavy Weapons Guy and Demoman in Team Fortress 2.

Schwartz has written for two children’s television series in which he co-starred: Zoobilee Zoo, where he played Bravo Fox; and the Disney Channel’s You and Me, Kid.

Schwartz studied with and became the protégé of Viola Spolin, the creator of Theater Games, the basis for improvisational theater in America. He is a passionate, dynamic improv coach and facilitator devoted to carrying on Spolin’s techniques.

The King of Average is his first novel. To learn more visit:

Blog: http://gary-schwartz.com/
Acting Blog: http://www.improv-odyssey.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/improvmaven
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garyschwartz.writer
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/improvodyssey/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14203127.Gary_Schwartz
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Gary-Schwartz/e/B016DTSL48/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_4?qid=1444430087&sr=8-4

Middle Grade Review: Journey to Skioria by Kandi J. Wyatt

Journey to Skioria 
by Kandi J. Wyatt

Description: 
Tania is lost, shipwrecked on an unfamiliar shore. With no friends or family, the nine-year-old girl must make her way through the realm of the woodland people to a town she's never heard of. With unexpected allies from the forest, Tania departs on a wild adventure where storms rage and the forces of nature do their very best to end her journey before it has truly begun.

In a land full of forests, oceans, and small people, what will it take for one young girl to make it home alive?

Lord of the Rings meets Narnia in this standalone middle grade fantasy by author Kandi J Wyatt.


My Review:
Journey from Skioria follows Tania, a little girl who finds herself shipwrecked in a mysterious land. She quickly makes friends with the tiny inhabitants, and they agree to accompany her safely back to her family. Along the way she experiences the wonders of Skioria and it's neighbors.

What I liked about the story most was Fyrh's story. It had some depth and a good resolution. I also enjoyed some of the lore and tales told by the adults along the journey, but they were still all rather short and simple. I also enjoyed some of the pranks, but they did tend to make the adults seem more childlike than the children at times.

I was a little disappointed by how Tania, despite being the focus of the story, took a back seat to all the antics of her companions. She's basically an observer, and besides a little bit of conflict she perceives on behalf of Fyrh, there isn't much danger or risk for her to overcome.

As for the illustrations, different ones are featured at the start of each chapter, but I couldn't identify them in the context. Captions would have helped. I really wanted to know who belonged to each image.

Overall, it's a pleasant read, but without a lot of meat. I imagine younger middle graders might like it, and I didn't find anything in the story objectionable, but I wouldn't really recommend it to adult readers.

I received the review copy of this book from the author's publicist.


About the Author: 

Kandi J Wyatt is a wife, mother of five, teacher, artist, and author. In her free time, she enjoys writing fantasy stories and Christmas programs, and drawing with graphite and colored pencils. Portraits are her specialty. Kandi also enjoys photography, thanks to her photographer husband who has let her join his journey as both his model and apprentice, and she occasionally serves as his assistant when he needs a “light stand with feet.”

To learn more, visit:
Blog:  http://kandijwyatt.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kandi-Wyatt-author/647179792053374
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kandijwyatt
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/kandiwyatt3/
Instagram:  https://instagram.com/kandijwyatt/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KandiWyatt
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Kandi-J.-Wyatt/e/B00ZTC4T10
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13817774.Kandi_J_Wyatt

Book Links:
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35913848-journey-from-skioria
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074VG34TR
Barnes and Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/journey-from-skioria-kandi-j-wyatt/1126984307
iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/journey-from-skioria/id1272359137

Middle Grade Review: The Prince of Warwood and The King's Key (Prince of Warwood #1) by J. Noel Clinton

The Prince of Warwood and The King's Key (Book 1)
by J. Noel Clinton

Description:
Xavier is just a normal kid. There isn’t anything special or extraordinary about him. He’s just Xavier Wells, the prince of geekdom. He’s a nobody, right? Wrong! So very wrong. And, soon Xavier’s normal life crashes down around him when he discovers he has magical powers. But, will he learn the truth about himself, his life, and his destiny before it’s too late?

My Review:
The Prince of Warwood is the first in a series about a boy who discovers he’s royalty among an offshoot of people whose physiology grants them a variety of mental powers.

I liked a few things about this story. First, I enjoyed the magic system, a blend of genetic inheritance, magic, and prophesy that tickled the fantasy fan in me. Another thing I liked was the banter between the characters, both old and young alike. And I also liked that Xavier doesn’t start off with superpower status and that he actually has room to grow as a person. He’s sassy and rebellious, often trying and failing to be better behaved.

As for things I didn’t care for, well, the bad guys torture Xavier and later his mother. It’s described in detail, not exactly something I’d have encouraged my son to read when he was of the target age for a middle-grade book, though he might have liked it. Also, I didn’t care for how his father goes overboard on making him respect adults to the point where his son is afraid to tell him some of those adults are mistreating him. 

Besides all that, I enjoyed the writing style and cadence of the story. It flows really well and the author is very good at bringing a scene to life. The characters are dynamic and interesting, and consistently true to their natures. Everything, even the stuff I didn’t like, had a purpose in the plot.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I couldn’t help but feel that it seemed tailored for an adult audience rather than for the middle-grade crowd the description and tone of the story seemed geared towards. As such, I’d recommend this to folks who like darker stories with youthful heroes, contemporary fantasy, and magic. However, I’d encourage parents to read this book first before deciding whether to gift it to their children.

I purchased my copy of this book while it was on a free promotion.


About the Author:

Who is J. Noël Clinton? Good question! Is she an author, teacher, sister, aunt, wife, or super hero?

If you'd ask her, she is all of those things and more. Well, okay, so she's not truly a super hero, but she sometimes will hum the superman theme as she enters her classroom in morning. Surely you'd have to possess some degree of super powers to teach middle school students!

Mrs. Clinton has been a public school teacher for 17 years where her students served as spectacular muses for story ideas. If you've ever taught, substituted, or observed in a public middle school, you know the antics adolescents will attempt on poor, unsuspecting individuals. It is the best of times and the worst of times of childhood after all. It is for this reason that Noël finds writing stories for adolescents engaging and entertaining.

Author Links:

Prince of Warwood on Facebook

Twitter @princeofwarwood

Books by this Author:

Tour Stop and Guest Post by Aaron Safronoff, Author of Sunborn Rising

Today is my stop during the blog tour for Sunborn Rising: Beneath The Fall by Aaron Safronoff. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 27 June till 10 July, you can view the tour schedule here.

And now, I'm excited to share with you this guest post by Aaron about books, particularly that most debated element of them, their covers.

Guest Post:

Big thank you to Lola for setting up this tour, and to I Read Too Much! for inviting me to post! Always a joy to talk books.

People judge books by the covers. They do. In fact, they often happily admit it in face-to-face conversations, and I applaud their candor. I agree. The cover and its contents might not match as the saying goes, but that’s the extent of accuracy of the old adage.

Visuals matter, both in function and form, and judgements begin there. It’s probably just human. I mean, we even taste with our eyes, as though all of our other senses are informed by what we see. If you’ve ever eaten Jelly Bellies you know that information isn’t always reliable, and that seems to bring us full circle to _not_ judging. But Jelly Belly doesn’t eschew the visual vocabulary; they expertly utilize it as their staple intrigue, a jelly bean that tastes nothing like the conventional candy. Beyond the initial twist they develop their own vocabulary because they know how important it is. As an author, I don’t want to ignore existing vocabularies, I want to understand them. I don’t want anyone to pick up my book thinking it’s chocolate pudding when it’s tabasco, unless I want people to make that face when they’re reading my book. ;-)

The front cover begins the story, the illustration as essential as the title.  In fact, the font, the paper, the chapter headings, and even the margins affect a reader’s experience in profound ways. I only possess an amateur understanding of those factors, but to illustrate the point, so to speak, Comic Sans elicits a different emotional response than say, Times New Roman, or Corsiva, and Wing Dings are right out. ;-) Entire professions revolve around understanding typeface because it’s so important to get it right in the world of publishing. As a storyteller, I embrace each element of the total package, and where my knowledge falls short, I do my best to ask questions, and frequently tap the shoulders of friends and colleagues for advice.

At the end of the day, the philosophical debate regarding the pros and cons of a quick to judge culture forks orthogonal from developing a modern franchise. It’s important to remind people to look deeper than the uncontrollable, superficial aspects of one another in life, but a book cover is neither fated, nor genetically determined; it’s something we create as artists and storytellers, and I care about it as much as the chosen words.

-----
And now for more about Aaron's book! Looks like a great story for folks young and old.

Sunborn Rising: Beneath The Fall (Sunborn Rising #1)
by Aaron Safronoff
Genre: Fantasy
Age category: all-ages, Middle Grade and up
Release Date: May 2016
Publisher: Neoglyphic Entertainment

Blurb:
Cerulean.

A distant world of Great Trees floating on an ocean surrounding a star.

The flotilla forests cycle light and water through their boughs into their lush canopies. But the once vibrant treescape has grown dark, slowly, subtly over many generations. The civilization of creatures living among the boughs believe the darkness is normal. That is, until one willful young girl named Barra discovers the hidden journal of her late father.

Pouring over her father’s writing, Barra learns of a mysterious plague, a creeping vine choking the flow of light and water into the canopy. Her father warned the Elders. He urged them to take action. Those were his last words.

Together with her two best friends, a Rugosic named Tory and a Kolalabat named Plicks, Barra will explore every bark, wood, and leaf of the Great Forest to relight her world and complete her father’s story, even if it leads her beneath the Fall.

You can find Sunborn Rising on Goodreads

You can buy Sunborn Rising here:
- Amazon
- Amazon paperback
- Amazon hardcopy

View the book trailer for Sunborn Rising here on youtube

Meet the Characters

The World

About the Author:
Aaron Safronoff was born and raised in Michigan where he wrote his first novella, Evening Breezes. In his early twenties, he moved to California to attend culinary school. He fell in love with the Bay Area and has never considered leaving, although he did eventually leave the school.

During his ten years in the games industry, he worked at various levels and for several disciplines including quality assurance, production, and design. All the while he was writing a novel, short stories, plays, and poetry. His career in design introduced him to amazingly intelligent, fun, and creative people, many of whom he considers family today.

Safronoff self-published, Spire, in 2011, and won the Science Fiction Discovery Award for the same in the summer of 2012. By the end of that year he decided to drop everything and free fall into fiction. In the following three months he completed work on the sequel to Spire, Fallen Spire, edited Evening Breezes, and published both.

Today, Safronoff is co-founder and Chief Storyteller of Neoglyphic Entertainment and working on his fifth novel, the second book of the Sunborn Rising series. In his spare time, Safronoff enjoys reading a variety of authors, Philip K. Dick, Cormac McCarthy, and Joe Abercrombie among them. He enjoys living near the ocean, playing and watching hockey, and video games. He has a deep love of music and comedy.

You can find and contact Aaron here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Instagram

Sunborn Rising links:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Youtube

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Sunborn Rising. These are the prizes you can win:
- 5 signed paperbacks of Sunborn Rising by Aaaron Safronoff

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester, Detective #2) by Paula Berinstein

Links to Amazon.

Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester, Detective #2)
by Paula Berinstein
Published September 15th 2015

Description:
If only Sherlock Holmes's great-great-grandson weren't such a dork . . .

There’s a new student at the Legatum Continuatum School for the Descendants of Famous Detectives and Amanda is supposed to work with him. Scapulus Holmes is a descendant of the great Sherlock and he’s crazy about her. Unfortunately she thinks he’s a dork and would rather die than have anything to do with him.

But when the kids discover a dead body encrusted with strange living crystals, Amanda realizes she needs Holmes’s help. If the crystals fall into the wrong hands they could be used for nefarious purposes, and only he knows how to protect them.

Can the detectives keep the bad guys from learning the crystals' secrets? It would help if they could figure out who the dead body is too. Only if Amanda and Holmes can find a way to work together can they prevent a disaster, and it isn’t looking good.

My Review:
I was pleased and surprised when the author of this books asked if I’d like to review more of the Amanda Lester series. So here’s my review for Book 2, Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis.

The story picks up at the beginning of the second half of Amanda’s first year at Legatum Continuatum. Right off, she’s paired up with the new kid, Scapulus Holmes. Everyone loves him, but Amanda can’t stand him, making that unintentionally clear the very first time she sees him.

What I liked most about this story is that it’s fun to read. The orange crystals aren’t just some interesting thing; they are alive, and they aren’t necessarily harmless. The decorating gremlins also make the story a hoot. In the first book, they didn’t really have a face, but in this one, we see a lot of them as witnessed by the students, and they are pretty funny.

There’s also plenty of detective work, though I thought everything seemed rather close in delivery to Harry Potter, even with in-story references and comparisons to those books and a few of its characters. Instead of magic wands, there are evidence kits. Instead of magic items, there are mysterious, coded secrets, a special item upon which the fate of the school rests, and some technology that, although inspired by something real, seems almost magical in how it works in the story.

As for what I didn’t like. I’m not sure about Amphora in the story. She’s, what, twelve? Utterly boy crazy. And her crushes and such aren’t limited to the boys her age. She flirts like crazy, and while some girls are like that, it isn’t a good thing. Still, I liked hers and Simon’s relationship arc. He, at least, is her age.

As for Amanda’s relatives, well, I didn’t get them. They’re in your face, unlikeable, and I thought for a bit that they were part of some sort of conspiracy to lure Amanda into danger. Had they been, it would have made more sense, but nope, they’re just there being annoying and weird. This and a few other things gave me the impression that the plot and delivery weren’t quite as solid as in the first one, though the overall quality is good.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Folks who enjoy tween-aged detective stories with some danger, a fair share of technology, and plenty of crushes and rivalry will likely enjoy this book.

I received the review copy of this book from the author.

Tour Stop for Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret by Paula Berinstein, Plus My Review of Book 1 of the Series

This is my stop during the blog tour for Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret by Paula Berinstein. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 18 April till 1 May, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

So far this series contains 4 books: Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester, Detective #1), Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester, Detective #2), Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle (Amanda Lester, Detective #3) and Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret (Amanda Lester, Detective #4). You can get the first book in the series for only 0.99$ at amazon.

For my stop, I had the pleasure of reviewing Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy, the first book in the Amanda Lester series. Read on to find out what I thought of it.


Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret (Amanda Lester, Detective #4)
by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: March 31, 2016

Blurb:
What does a dusty old secret have to do with peacocks?

Everything, as it turns out. When Amanda is knocked off her skateboard by a rare all-blue peacock, she learns that the species harbors a vital secret she must race to uncover. But before she can unravel the mystery, a startling archaeological discovery turns all of Britain against the detectives and threatens their very existence.

As old enemies gather strength and new adversaries emerge, Amanda finds herself dealing with hysterical teachers, a disappearing mentor, a mysterious poisoner, and a would-be magician. With so much at stake and so little time, the last thing she needs is to fall in love.

You can find Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret on Goodreads

You can buy Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret here:
- Amazon



Earlier Books in this series Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester, Detective #1)
by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: May, 2015

Blurb:
A reluctant detective, a criminal mastermind, and . . . sugar?

Amanda Lester wouldn’t be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes’s colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she’s going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not.

When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away—until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they’re not sure whether these seeming clues mean anything, but when Amanda’s father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they’re certain that crimes are taking place.

Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes’s nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn’t like nosy little girls interfering in his business.

My Review:
Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy features the hijinks of Amanda Lester, an avid filmmaker who’s been enrolled in a secret school for the descendants of famous detectives. Still, Amanda’s having none of it until some very strange things start to happen and she and her new friends get caught up in figuring it all out.

I thought this was a lovely story. Set in the UK at a private school, a secret one, it was reminiscent of Harry Potter, but instead of focusing on magic, it focuses on detective work, forensics, and sleuthing in general. Unlike Harry, though, Amanda doesn’t want to be a part of her school, holding close a desire to be a famous filmmaker against the wishes of her parents, and it doesn’t help that she considers the man she’s descended from to be a joke.
 
I thought the cast of kids that make up Amanda’s circle of friends were well done and entertaining. There’s just enough drama, puppy love, and special skills between the lot of them to draw in a young reader. There’s also a good bit of danger even though the story revolves around a sugar-based conspiracy. Nothing sweet about it. And, I must say I love the gluppy things. Read the story to find out what those are.

As for quality, this book is very well put together and edited. The pacing is engaging and draws the reader along quite well, even for a longer book. After the story, there’s a listing of famous sleuths, both fictional and real, and their claims to fame as well as a list of book club questions for young readers. I think the listing of class descriptions and other information about the school might have been better at the end with the other things because, while interesting, they went on for quite a while, and to me, the important stuff seemed to be pretty well described in the book.

Overall, I loved this story and would recommend it to those who love middle-grade stories, particularly tweens and tweens at heart. The detective theming throughout is sometimes corny, but in a good way.

You can find Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy on Goodreads

You can buy Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy here for only 0.99$:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Barnes & Noble



Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester, Detective #2)
By Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: September 15, 2015

Blurb:
If only Sherlock Holmes's great-great-grandson weren't such a dork . . .

There’s a new student at the Legatum Continuatum School for the Descendants of Famous Detectives and Amanda is supposed to work with him. Scapulus Holmes is a descendant of the great Sherlock and he’s crazy about her. Unfortunately she thinks he’s a dork and would rather die than have anything to do with him.

But when the kids discover a dead body encrusted with strange living crystals, Amanda realizes she needs Holmes’s help. If the crystals fall into the wrong hands they could be used for nefarious purposes, and only he knows how to protect them.

Can the detectives keep the bad guys from learning the crystals' secrets? It would help if they could figure out who the dead body is too. Only if Amanda and Holmes can find a way to work together can they prevent a disaster, and it isn’t looking good

You can find Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis on Goodreads

You can buy Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Barnes & Noble

Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle (Amanda Lester, Detective #3)
By Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: November 15, 2015

Blurb:
Purple rainbows, a mysterious crypt, and pots of gold . . .

Things are not going well for Amanda and the secret detective school. A priceless artifact has disappeared, a dangerous hacker is manipulating matter, and zombies are being seen all over the Lake District.

Then the real trouble starts. When her cousins go missing and her friend Clive is kidnapped, Amanda is forced to turn to someone she’d rather not deal with: her old boyfriend Scapulus Holmes. But then he vanishes too. Now’s she’s sure that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty is involved . . . or is he?

You can find Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle on Goodreads

You can buy Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback

About the Author:
Paula Berinstein is nothing like Amanda. For one thing, she’s crazy about Sherlock Holmes. For another, she’s never wanted to be a filmmaker. In addition, compared to Amanda she’s a big chicken! And she wouldn’t mind going to a secret school at all. In fact, she’s hoping that some day she’ll get to build one.

You can find and contact Paula here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Paula's blog on Goodreads
- The Writing Show podcasts
- Newsletter

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret. Open International. These are the prizes you can win:
- a Kindle Paperwhite
- A physical copy of all four Amanda Lester books by Paula Berinstein
- 2 physical copies from Paula Berinstein her books, winner's choice

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Middle Grade Review: Felix and the Sword of Sefu by Catherine Mesick

Felix and the Sword of Sefu by Catherine Mesick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Felix and the Sword of Sefu is an excellent middle grade book, which I picked up some time ago while it was free and finally found the time to read. I’m really sorry I waited to do so because it looks like it’s been unpublished since then. The only place I could find to post my review is here on Goodreads. I imagine, if the author is still around and checking, that this review will likely be just for her.

Anyhow, about the book itself. It’s on par with some of my other favorite middle grade, fantasy world books. It’s of an epic length and takes on the form of a quest, where three siblings find themselves stranded in and embroiled into the politics and troubles of a parallel world where magic and monsters exist. I also thought it was interesting (and indicative of possible sequels) that even though this story fully resolves, there is still the matter of the barrier between the two worlds weakening.

I loved the personalities and relationship between the siblings. The author avoided the pitfall of making them overly hostile or loving towards one another and simply made them believable and interesting, both as individuals and in their relationships with each other.

As for the plot, I really dug the mystery of Silk, the evil magician who is terrorizing the world they end up in. There’s a puzzling riddle/prophecy he’s trying to fulfill, and Felix and Sadie, in particular, have no choice but to become heroes in their efforts to stop him and rescue their brother.

Some things come a little easily, but overall, I found this to be perfect for its intended audience. This is a middle grade fantasy with some meat to it. If/when it becomes available again for purchase, I would highly recommend it.

All I can say for the author is, don’t give up. Keep writing. Your story’s awesome and shows you have a knack for writing many lack. It’s obvious you planned this out and put the effort into making it a clean, well-edited read. I would love to read more of your books.


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More by Catherine. Look's like she has another series, called Pure. You can find them and more about this author from the links below.

 

Catherine Mesick's books on Amazon

Follow Catherine on Goodreads

Check out Catherine's blog

Middlegrade Fantasy Review: Blast of the Dragon's Fury by L.R.W. Lee

Blast of the Dragon's Fury by L.R.W. Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Adventure, moral lessons, and humor.
This is a story about a regular kid who gets magically transported to the Land of Oomaldee, where he is tasked with ending a 500 year old curse that cloaks that land in perpetual fog, among other things.

There were quite a few things I enjoyed about this story, particularly the humor (much of it anyway). The method for clearing away the fog was amusing. I liked how Andy, throughout the story, discovers things about himself and begins to improve. The story was easy to read and obviously written with an eye for teaching moral and life lessons. The author even has a webpage where parents can find discussion questions to use with their kids to take advantage of the morals of the story.

As for the things that I didn't especially like, I'd have to say the Elmer Fudd accent of one of the main characters was high on the list. I think it was meant to be funny, but it didn't come off that way. I also thought the crime that sparked the curse was too much for a book aimed at middleschoolers, plus the battles were much more bloody than I expected to find in an otherwise amusing and entertaining children's book.

Overall, I liked the book but would caution parents to read it before giving it to their children. Many of the lessons and morals in the story are well executed, but some of the violence was a bit too much for the intended audience. The humor was overall well-executed, but sometimes overdone. I think middleschoolers might like this, though I don't think it would appeal to teenagers.

I found this book on Amazon while it was on a free promotion. I also enjoy following the author on Twitter. Her posts are always fun.

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Middle Grade and up Sci-Fi Review: Cave World by John Cosper

Cave World by John Cosper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved the story. Original, yet familiar. A bit bloody in places. Funny and exciting, too.

Cave World is a fantastic journey into the sci-fi creation of Donny, a kid who spends his days dreaming up a complex, interconnected galaxy. When a bully takes his notebook and tosses it out a window, he finds all but the map of the world that links all the planets together, Arrax. Of course, he's drawn the map many times before, so he decides to just draw it again. Things take an interesting and dangerous twist when he decides to label a spot on the map (just a flaw on the paper) as the portal to Earth.

I am surprised to see that no one else has reviewed this, so I guess it's on me to give the first opinions.

First, let me say I related strongly to the hero, Donny, who doodles and daydreams about his sci-fi realm and hopes to one day publish it. As I read the story, I found that Donny (and likely the author of Cave World) loves the same movies and books I do, and it comes out in the plots and even some of the locales in Donny's worlds. Not a rip off of those works, but a nod to greatness. Cave World is supremely original, even with these familiar elements embedded.

The idea that a real world (or in this case, worlds) could be generated from the imagination of an author intrigued me. That his creations could become sentient and take their own paths, despite his plans for them, that they would develop prophesies of him, their creator, and dream of his arrival, couldn't help but capture my imagination. The story asks us to imagine god, the supreme author of all we know, as a middle school kid. As Donny joins the forces of good, he must come to grips with the reality of his creation, realizing that his plot twists, evil empire, and nearly indestructible foes (all created to make an interesting story) are more horrifying than even he imagined.

The themes of religion, fate, and free-will are intertwined into the story in a realistic way, even in the fantasy of one being drawn into a made-up world. The characters, not just Donny, are well-drawn and interesting. The worlds are unique and varied, and even those that take on the familiar aspects of stories like Star Wars are original in their own right. I love how this book made me think and I enjoyed trying to link what I was reading to the real world and to the imaginary worlds of other stories I love. The connections are subtle in places, more obvious in others.

There is a religious theme, but I didn't feel like the author was trying to convince me to convert to any particular religion. I would rank this one in the realm of middle-grade or pre-teen readers, but I must caution that there is a great deal of violence in the story, often bloody. Like with any story told for a younger crowd, parents may want to read this one first. Still, as an adult and as a parent, I would not mind my son reading it. After all, if you look at the Harry Potter books, for example, they have quite a bit of danger and violence in them as well.

Overall, I highly recommend this story to fans of fantasy and sci-fi (particularly the latter). The book presents an interesting take on religion and an equally interesting take on the power of the human imagination.

I found this book for free on Amazon. (Definitely worth paying for, though.)

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Fairy Tale Review: Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn

UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nothing unfortunate about this book.

Unenchanted is about Mina, a young girl who finds herself the target of a family curse. The premise is simple. She must live through real-life fairy tales until either she survives them all or one of them claims her life. And, she must succeed or her disabled younger brother will become the next target of the curse.

I found this to be an excellent story. The flow is natural and the book is difficult to put down. I kept hoping for Mina to win, despite the ominious title of the series, and really felt a connection to her and the other characters. It helps that Mina has a noble soul and a likeable personality.

In places, the plot advances a little too easily, but not so much that I didn't enjoy it and want to read more. I also noticed some wrong-word errors, particularly near the end. These are the kind of words that spell check would miss, because they aren't misspelled, they simply don't mean the right thing in context. Still, I think many readers wouldn't even notice them. I just happen to key in on those things.

Anyway, Mina experiences the first terrifying and dangerous fairy tales of what is likely to be hundreds of them and the book ends with a glimmer of another of them. I look forward to reading more, but I wonder if this will be one of those neverending series. It seems like it could be.

Overall, I really liked this book, particularly because I related well to the characters and also because I enjoy twists on traditional fairy tales. I would recommend this story to people who like stories where fantasy invades the real world. The story is appropriate for middle-schoolers and up.

I found this on a free promotion on Amazon.

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Middle Grade Fantasy Review: The Last Page (Storyteller #3) by Lisa Cresswell

The Last Page by Lisa Cresswell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

And they all lived happily ever after...

The story picks up right where it left off in book 2. Lily and her companions continue their quest for Galamar's gems, and the Formorians step up their efforts to find and destroy her. Peter's delima, Merab's back story, and the legendary feats of Galamar are also key to the resolution of the story. I don't want to spoil anything, so that's all I'll say about what happens in the book.

I think this is an excellent wrap to the series. Things hinted at in the first two books are revealed and resolved in this one. The author did a good job bringing this story to a close in a satisfying way, though a couple things felt like they were resolved a little too perfectly. Some of the details seemed to come out of nowhere, making them less believable.

I found myself getting a bit confused as to the order of Galamar's feats. The quests are revealed in bits and pieces when Lily reads about them as she tries to figure out what she and her companions should do in their real-time quest. Since the heroes are not visiting the portals in the order that Galamar did, it makes it hard to keep them straight. I think this started in book 2 and just continued into The Last Page. That being said, I enjoyed the legend and I think it would be fantastic if Galamar's story wound up in its own volume some day.

Overall, I really liked this book and felt satisfied at it's conclusion, though the ending seemed a little too perfect and the history gets a little confusing at times. I would recommend this book to those who love fantasy, fairy tales, youthful heroes, and quests.

As a series, I loved Storyteller. I highly recommend picking up all three books because you won't want to stop once you get started. The three books read like a single volume, though each one has a climax and partial resolution that leads to the next. The story, while scary in parts, is appropriate for middle-schoolers and would likely keep the interest of young readers.

I was lucky enough to win all three books in this series in a contest.

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Middle Grade Fantasy Review: The Quest of Galamar (Storyteller #2) by Lisa Cresswell

The Quest of Galamar by Lisa Cresswell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Turning out to be quite a fairy tale.

The Quest of Galamar picks up where Storyteller left off. Lily, Peter and Heather are now trapped in the True World, a place torn by the onslaught of Formorian invaders, spirit creatures from another realm that steal the bodies of creatures and people alike, using them until they decay beyond help. And they have Lily's grandmother. As Lily learns more and more of Galamar and his quest to steal the powers of the four portal keepers, it becomes apparent that Lily is following in his footsteps, and not by chance. A prophecy tells of one who will complete his quest and turn back time. Unlike many sequels or middle books, this one doesn't lose steam. If anything the danger and the stakes are even higher.

Like the first in the series, The Quest of Galamar is well-written and fresh. There is some kissing, but nothing a middle schooler shouldn't read about, pretty tame. We learn a great deal more about the enemies and history of the fairy tale world the heroes are in, and through it all, there's never a dull moment. I enjoyed how Heather is developed in this story, though I wasn't sure what to think of Jude when he joined the team.

My favorite parts of the book were when Lily was reading about Galamar. Strangely enough, these were also the source of my biggest beef with the story. Lily would be interupted by her companions or "real life" right in the middle of a tale and never seemed to get back to the same story. I guess it bugged me because I like to read stories from start to finish, while Lily seems to be a bit of a browser, reading this or that on a whim. But, the snippets we do get of the history of Galamar are quite good, and I was always happy to see another one start, even knowing I probably wouldn't get the whole story.

Overall, this is another fine installment in the Storyteller series. Those who liked the style and direction the first book was taking will likely enjoy this one, too. I recommend reading them in order and having all three books in your possession before you start, because you won't want to stop once you get going.

I was lucky to have won a copy of all three books in the series in a contest.

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Middle Grade Fantasy Review: Storyteller by Lisa Cresswell

Storyteller by Lisa Cresswell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Exciting and magical.

Storyteller is the first book of the Storyteller series. The hero is Lily Lightfoot, a middleschooler with a not-so-secret ability to tell stories that come true. Rather than getting her ahead and making her well-liked, the disasterous outcomes of some of her stories have made her somewhat of a social outcast, leaving her with only one friend, Peter. The story opens with Lily letting her rivalry with former friend, Heather, get the best of her and retaliating with one of her stories.

Now, this plot would be pretty good if this were a story about Lily trying to get a handle on her ability and perhaps earning the peer friendships that it has cost her, but this story is much more than that. When Lily finds a strange book in an abandoned house, she begins to suspect there's more to her history than her Gran is telling her. Soon, she, Peter and Heather find themselves caught up in a struggle for survival against a shapeshifting monster, an evil king, and his minions.

This story blew me away. As a middle grade story, it's a success with plenty of social strife and a little innocent romance. But what really gets me is the world building, the fantasy and the adventure. Plus, there is an element of danger that soon builds into quite a gripping story, nothing at all what I expected in the early chapters. The writing is smooth and easy to read without being simplistic. The plot development is solid, and I really enjoy the unique way Lily learns about her mother.

The character development is also noteworthy. Each person, friend or foe, is unique and believable. The good guys aren't perfect and the bad guys are scary, but not invincible.

Overall I loved this story because it's exciting and reminds me of The Neverending Story.  It's one I know I'll read again and again.  I recommend this to young and old, anyone who loves fantasy and modern fairy tales.

I was lucky enough to win all three books in this series in a contest.

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Humorous Fiction Review: Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure by A.J. York

Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure by A.J. York
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delightful, lighthearted and funny.

Delilah the dust eradicator is back, and she's received a mysterious invitation from none other than Count W. Dracula. He's getting ready for a big party and neads her team to prepare the castle for his guests. But, when she and her assistants arrive, they're in for a surprise.

Book 2 in this series is fantastic. Where book 1 focuses on Delilah's broken heart and how she gets over it, book 2 picks up after she's figured out who she is and is happy with it. Unlike book 1, which focuses on feelings kids may not be familiar with, this story is definitely something kids would get and enjoy.


The characters and creatures in this book are entertaining and humorous. I love the quirky Grumpy Sponge (which I suspect is represented in the author's profile picture), especially when someone makes him angry. The Count is surprising and his efforts to prepare for the party and fit in to what people expect represent one of the main themes of this book. And, of course, Delilah's special abilities pull everything together.

Unlike the first book where the struggle was mainly internal to Delilah, this one introduces a villain or two and adds an element of danger. These things add to the excitement and make book 2 a page turner. I wish I could say more, but I don't want to spoil any of the book's surprises.

Finally, there are illustrations. I must say that almost every one I came across made me chuckle (or outright laugh) and they all fit perfectly into the part of the story they portray. I still want to know what the ? setting on the elevator does. The illustrator does a fine job of enhancing the story without distracting from it. Also, the pictures show up well on my tablet.

I do have a concern that the "handwritten notes" may not be quite readable on smaller devices or those that do not display illustrations. The notes are pictures, so they cannot be adjusted to the font size the reader prefers. I use a tablet and the longer notes displayed text smaller than the size I was using. Also, if I had been using my Kindle, I'm not certain they would have appeared at all, so I wouldn't have learned the contents of any of the Count's messages. My kindle is a bit of the cheapest one available. Still, on my tablet, they all displayed fine. I'm just concerned that not all readers would be able to see them, and they would be missing out on some important information. The notes, in my opinion, are vital to the storyline.

Overall, I absolutely loved this story. It's fantastic and magical, humorous and whimsical. The characters, major and minor, are entertaining. And the underlying themes of learning to be yourself and love what you have instead of what others have are admirably wrought. I would highly recommend this story to anyone, young or old, who likes a lot of humor, a little mystery, and a bit of magic.

I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.

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Links of interest:
Website: www.ajyork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/delilahdusticle
Twitter: @delilahdusticle
Illustrator website : http://www.gavinchilds.com