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Book Review: Graciela in the Abyss

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Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina

Graciela in the Abyss
by Meg Medina (Goodreads Author), Anna Balbusso (Illustrator), Elena Balbusso (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Graciela is only thirteen when she falls off a cliff and dies in the ocean. One hundred years later, she wakes from her death sleep and becomes a ghost. The friendly ghost community welcomes her, and her mentor Amina teaches her about living in the ocean and trains her to be a sea-glass artisan.
Jorge is a living boy from a family of blacksmiths. He discovers that his grandfather created a mystic harpoon capable of killing ghosts and sending them to a final death. He puts his own life at risk in order to destroy the terrible weapon, but he can’t do it alone.

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Book Review: The Floating Island

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The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon

The Floating Island (The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme, #1)
by Elizabeth Haydon

4 out of 5 stars

Ven’s family are shipbuilders, and when Ven goes on a ship to inspect it, the ship is sunk by Fire Pirates and Ven is left adrift in the ocean. He is rescued by a merrow/mermaid and taken aboard a passing ship on the way to Serendair, an island nation where adventure awaits.

This book has an enchanting fantasy world! There are little variations on different typical fantasy creatures. Ven is a Nain, which is similar to a dwarf. There are merrows, like a mixture of mermaids and selkies. The Spice Folk are like nature fairies or brownies who are invisible. The Lirin are sort of like forest elves. They all have their own characteristics and skills and magical abilities. I was delighted with the details about each culture!

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Book Review: Infinitely Big and Infinitely Small

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THE INFINITELY BIG and the INFINITELY SMALL by Ammi-Gabriel Burgstaller

THE INFINITELY BIG and the INFINITELY SMALL: A Tale of Everything and Nothing
by Ammi-Gabriel Burgstaller

5 out of 5 stars

This story follows a point – a point in time, a point in space. The point starts at Zero and wishes to reach One. He stretches himself into a line, traveling along infinite space and time, trying to reach One. But the distance and time between Zero and One are infinite, so it takes a very long NOW to get there. The point that became a line now meets other points and lines on their own journeys, and eventually our hero meets the One, and discovers the true nature of reality.

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Book Review: Secrets of the Snakestone

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Secrets of the Snakestone by Piu DasGupta

Secrets of the Snakestone
by Piu DasGupta 

3 out of 5 stars

Zelie’s father has gone missing, along with the mysterious Snakestone that can grant healing and long life to the wearer. Zelie meets Jules, who was working down in the sewers below Paris and found the locket that once held the Snakestone. The locket is empty, and Zelie and Jules go on an adventure to find the Snakestone and Zelie’s missing father, but a dangerous secret society is also hunting for the Snakestone.

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Book Review: The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good

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The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum

The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good
by Kirsty Applebaum (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

When Fran goes to visit her aunt and uncle, she discovers that they can’t remember their own daughter, Fran’s cousin Imogen. Imogen has completely disappeared without a trace, and no one remembers her but Fran. There is a mystery surrounding the hidden garden behind the estate, and Fran begins to investigate. Imogen’s diary says that she went to the garden on the day of her disappearance. Fran recruits the girl next door, Bex, to help her find the hidden garden and find out what happened to Imogen.

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Book Review: Escape Room, Game Zero

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Escape Room by Christopher Edge

Escape Room: Game Zero
by Christopher Edge (Goodreads Author)

3 out of 5 stars

Eden is confused when she receives an invitation to join the escape room game online, but she has not been given a VR headset to join the game. She is surrounded by a strange murmuration of birds, and just finds herself inside the game. She meets Ted, who does have a headset, so he assumes that Eden must be an NPC since she doesn’t have one. Ted is on a mission to find three keys and unlock the world. Their first puzzle is in a massive forest where they must find a song. They move through various gates that lead them further and further into the game, where they are confronted with impossible puzzles that could lead to life-threatening danger or… escape.

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Book Review: Escape Room

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Escape Room by Christopher Edge

Escape Room
by Christopher Edge

4 out of 5 stars

Ami is excited to join the Escape Room game with the other kids assigned as her teammates. When they enter the game, they are told to find the Answer and save the world. Their first puzzle is in a dusty attic filled with antique technology. They move through various rooms, confronted with impossible puzzles in a massive library, a Mayan tomb, a derelict shopping mall, and a spaceship. In every room, there are mysterious clues that could lead to life-threatening danger or… escape.

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Book Review: Quest of the Mermaid Princess

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Quest of the Mermaid Princess by Lee Watts

Quest of the Mermaid Princess
by Lee Watts

4 out of 5 stars

Angelique is secretly a mermaid, abandoned as a baby in an orphanage on land. She has never seen another mermaid and avoids salt water so that she doesn’t transform into a mermaid. Although Angelique grew up working as a servant, but hopes to get a job as a handmaiden to the queen and find a true home. She rescues a little otter and names him Dash, and he becomes her faithful pet. Captain Tarren commands a rowdy group of privateers, and tells Angelique of treasures to be found in the ocean that could make her rich, so she decides to venture into the coastal waters and test her abilities as a mermaid. But dark magic and danger await her in the ocean depths, and Angelique is pursued by an evil witch!

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Book Review: Austenland

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Austenland by Shannon Hale

Austenland (Austenland, #1)
by Shannon Hale

1 out of 5 stars

Jane has always been obsessed with Mr. Darcy and can’t find happiness in any of her relationships. She goes on a vacation to Austenland, where the guests all dress up in Regency clothing and interact with actors as though it is 1816. Jane hopes that immersing herself in her Austen fantasies will help her to get it out of her system and allow her to be content in her real life. However, she discovers that love and fantasy are formidable foes, when she begins to flirt with a handsome gardener but also hopes to win the heart of a brooding Mr. Darcy-type character.

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Book Review: One True King

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One True King by Soman Chainani

One True King (The School for Good and Evil: The Camelot Years, #3)
by Soman Chainani

3 out of 5 stars

In this final book of the series, Agatha, Tedros, and Sophie have to complete the quests of Excalibur to prove that Tedros is the true King of Camelot. Their friends all rally around them, but it might not be enough to defeat the evil Snake who has usurped the throne. First, they must discover the truth about the Snake’s parentage and how he was able to fool Excalibur into thinking he had the blood of Arthur.

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