Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Review: Wish Monster by J. A. White

This story was just as exciting and special as I knew it would be. I have been a fan of J. A. White and his books for so many years now. He writes such amazing middle grade stories. This newest one looked all kinds of creepy and fantastic. I was lucky enough to get an eARC from Edelweiss. I could not wait longer to read it.

I am giving this gorgeous book four stars. As I loved it, but also had a few small things that I didn't fully love. But the writing was fantastic. And all of the characters were so adorable. Sigh. Truly enjoyed reading this story. Although I'm also a bit sad about the end. It was good, but bittersweet. A little heartbreaking, honestly.

I'm not going to write such a long review for this book. As it was a quick and easy book to read. I think one of the reasons for why I did not fully love it was because it was not all fantasy. It's set in our world. Which I'm not the biggest fan of, haha. But it did have a magical wish monster, which I did love. It had great characters which I also loved. So I didn't mind the world too much. But yes, I would have loved it even more, I think, if the world it was set in was fantasy too. But despite this, I still really enjoyed this book. It was exciting and a little bit creepy too. Full of all the horrible consequences that can come from making a wish. How it can change everything, both small and big. It was so rude. And I very much loved it. Such an interesting plot. And so much did change, from such small wishes. I liked reading about all the details.

This book is told from two point of views. Hudson and Violet. I adored Hudson from the very first moment. And I really liked Violet too. But she did some things that I did not approve of, and so I got a bit angry with her. But she made up for it, so I'm back to loving her too, haha. Hudson is a quiet boy at school, where no one really notices him. Except for his best friend, Quinn. I liked their friendship a lot. Hudson only has his mother. And I liked how she cared for him and wanted him to stay safe. I really liked how close they were.

I liked how Hudson and Violet slowly became friends. They both needed each other, I think. I loved it so. Violet was also a pretty lonely girl, I think. She had two best friends, but they slowly ghosted her after her beloved dog, Midnight, died. This broke Violet. Because her dog was everything to her. She has an older sister, Emma. But they aren't really friends. Because their parents only seem to notice Emma, the perfect child. And Violet keeps being forgotten by them. Which I really truly hated. The very worst parents. Hmph.

Violet just wants her dog back. As she is walking the woods, she hears a voice whispering the word wish. Which leads her to a cave that used to be caved in, but is now open. She enters. And there she meets a magical creature, more a monster, who can make her wish come true. I liked how she had three options, and could choose just one. She wanted her dog back. And back it came. I loved that for her. But now no one remembers that he died at all. Which was creepy. Except for Hudson. He remembers Midnight dying.

Which is where their sort of friendship begins. Violet is worried her wish will be taken, because Hudson knows when no one else does. So she's keeping Hudson close. He is simply happy to have a new friend. Sigh. How rude. But good too, as I really liked them together. This book is about the wish monster. How it needs more people to make wishes. Nothing bad happened when Violet got her dog back. But she had to bring someone else to make a wish. And that wish was a much bigger one, and it changed many things.

Which makes Hudson realize that the wish monster is nothing kind. Violet does not agree. I really loved everything that happened after this. New wishes were made. Hudson trying to figure out how to stop it all, how to reverse a wish. While also learning some secrets. I had sort of guessed it, but did not have all the details right. But oh, that twist was evil and so sad. Yet I loved it, ha. Wish Monster was such an exciting and thrilling story. I'm so glad I was able to read this book early. You all need to read this too, in October.

Goodreads - Blackwells - Amazon US - Amazon UK

Waiting on Wednesday #652

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

TEAM CHU AND THE WILD GHOST CHASE
(Team Chu #3) BY JULIE C. DAO

Goodreads Description:

In this Team Chu adventure, Vietnamese-American siblings Clip and Sadie Chu—and friends—must unearth the mystery behind a haunted Halloween carnival!

When Iggy Morales's stylish cat, Tuba, becomes famous on social media, he scores an invite to a star-studded pet fashion show at Spooky World. The family-friendly, Halloween-themed indoor carnival is the place to be on the last weekend in October, so of course Iggy brings all of his friends, including Clip and Sadie.

The kids expect to ride thrilling rollercoasters, play games in the midway, and eat fried dough and candy apples, but they encounter a different kind of excitement instead: a ghost called the Weeping Lady, who has haunted Spooky World for decades, appears and asks for their help!

The Weeping Lady sends Iggy and his friends on a mysterious, action-packed scavenger hunt all over the sprawling theme park, giving them cryptic clues and communicating with Iggy’s seemingly clairvoyant cat, Tuba.

If the kids can piece the story together and complete this wild ghost chase, they might just uncover the truth behind what really happened to Spooky World’s most infamous spirit!

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover
Expected Publication: September 10, 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pre-Order: Blackwells and Amazon US and Amazon UK

I know, I know. I have yet to read book one and two, haha. And now a third one. Ahh! But I own the first. And I will be getting this one too. The series sounds amazing :D And eee! A cat on the cover! Love. <3
What are you waiting for on this ghostly Wednesday?

Saturday, April 13, 2024

In My Mailbox #649

Ohh. This have been a long and exhausting week. But good too. Finally got to have my first spa bath of this year, eee. <3 Already done three this week. And it's been so perfect. I missed the hot baths outside so much. Sigh. So very happy :D But gods, I'm so exhausted. Have barely been able to do anything this week. I just hurt all over. And am so tired too. How rude. Hope it will pass soon, though. Since I got more medicine yesterday, which was also exhausting, but yeah. I'm hoping it will help. Also. An update on my wound. It looks like it's starting to heal a little, from one side. And omg. Please let it heal all the way. I am crossing everything. Just. Yeah. Please do not stop healing, haha. I just want it gone already. Sigh. It has been so long and I'm so exhausted from it. Hmph. Anyway. I did manage to read a book earlier this week :D Yay for that. And reading another next week. <3 Got a little bit of mail as well. I love it all. I shared my review of Not Quite a Ghost :) This week I'm waiting on The Crimson Moth. <3 Hope you are doing well :)

Iron Flame. I'm trying to get this Fairyloot sold, as I learned after I ordered that I will never read them, ha.
Royal Scandal. Book two :D Hoping to get to read them both one day soon, ha. As I fully adore Aimee. <3
Funko Pop. Only one this week, haha :D A flocked Grookey. Which is just all kinds of adorable. I love it :)




Wish Monster. I simply had to download this one. Sigh. Being auto-approved by HarperChildren's books on Edelweiss is the best thing. <3 I waited a little before I got this one. But I could not resist any longer. I will be reading it next week, and I am so very excited :) Such a big fan of J. A. White and his books.

 
 

Red in Tooth and Claw. Eeee! I just got approved for this one. <3 And I could not be more excited. It looks so gorgeous and I adore Lish. I am going to love this book so very much :) Reading it the week after next, haha. I know that I'm going to love it, eee. It just sounds so very awesome, ha. Can't wait to read it.

 

More Instagram photos here. <3

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday #651

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

THE CRIMSON MOTH BY KRISTEN CICCARELLI

Goodreads Description:

Enemies-to-lovers doesn't get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling author Kristen Ciccarelli's latest romantic fantasy.

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can't help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

Kristen Ciccarelli’s The Crimson Moth
is the thrilling start to a romantic fantasy duology where the only thing more treacherous than being a witch…is falling in love.

Format: 400 pages, Hardcover
Expected Publication: February 29, 2024 by Magpie
Pre-Order: Blackwells and Amazon US and Amazon UK

I know, this book is already out. But it was one of my recent monthly Fairyloot books, and so I am curious about it :D And could not share about it before it was out, ha, since I did not have it before. The Fairyloot edition is all kinds of gorgeous. And have made me all kinds of curious about the book. I hope to love it :)
What are you waiting for on this magical Wednesday?

Monday, April 8, 2024

Review: Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu

This was a book I simply had to get. Since it sounded all kinds of sad and lovely. And so I knew this would be a middle grade book for me. And it was. I enjoyed it a whole bunch. Ended up being a four star, as I did not fully love it all, but it was such a great book and I liked it very much. The writing was stunning, which I loved.

It is told from the point of view of eleven-year-old Violet. We get to know her quite a bit. And I liked her so much. Her family was pretty great too, although her older sister was rude after she got too old for Violet, I guess. She got a bit better. Her little brother, age three, was adorable. But seemed way older than that to me.

I also liked her parents a lot. Her mother was fully great, with her always believing in Violet and her issues. Her stepdad was pretty kind and sweet too. So yeah. She had a great family and I really liked that. In this story they are moving to a new house. Violet is not that excited about it. Especially not when she ends up alone in the attic bedroom, which looks all kinds of horrible. But she is dealing with it, which I liked. It is also difficult for her, as she just started middle school. She is also a little worried about losing her two best friends, since everything is so different. I do not usually like reading modern books, and this one was set very much in our world and time. There were many mentions of recent movies and such. It takes place now in our time, after corona. Okay, it did annoy me a little, but I did not mind the setting that much.

Because most of this book is just about Violet. And it was such a fast and quick read too. We get to know her pretty well. We get to know her two friends a bit too. And I honestly did not like them. Okay, I did like them at first. But they changed. Especially Paige. And it was just so rude and so sad at times. They were not at all true friends. Sigh. But I so liked how it seemed like she was going to end up being friends with Quinn. She was awesome. And I loved how she managed to make another friend too, Will. He was great.

But most of this story was about the illness that Violet gets. At first she is simply regular sick for around a week. But then it does not go away. And she is so tired and has no energy at all. And oh, how I loved this. Because it really felt like me at times. As I am all kinds of sick as well, and my energy level is mostly bad. And so I loved reading about Violet dealing with this too. Though, of course, it was pretty sad too, as she does not know what is wrong with her. And the doctors are no help to her. Which was just so rude. Hmph.

There is a lot going on in this book, despite how short it was. I'm not going to say much more. But there was an adorable stray cat moving in. I loved it. There is a not quite a ghost living in the wallpaper in her attic. Which was a little weird, yet pretty great too. And I liked reading about it. And how Violet was trying to get rid of this person. I loved how the book ended with Violet not being cured, that she is still ill. It was so sad, yet so real too. Especially with how it is close to how I feel most of the time too. Was written well.

Not Quite a Ghost was a stunning story. Not fully perfect, but all kinds of good even so. The writing was great. I adored getting to know Violet and her family. I loved how this book focused on her illness. How difficult it was. But also how her family did their best to help her with it. How she had bad days but also good days. I liked her new friendships. I hated her old ones that went bad. Hmph. I loved reading about the cat she ended up getting. It was fully adorable. I'm glad I read this book. And you should read it too.

Goodreads - Blackwells - Amazon US - Amazon UK