The Tower Princess by Shonna Slayton

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The Tower Princess by Shonna Slayton is a tale of a kingdom split in half by two warring rivals. A wall is built and a treaty of peace is made; while these two rivals rule, there will be no war. A prince is born on one side and a princess on the other. Both kings are afraid of the two heirs falling in love when they are older, so the two children are hidden away. Without knowing about each other, the heirs discover the hidden space in the wall where they meet for the first time and become friends. Little do they know of the underlying intrigue and plot to rid the kingdoms of both of the heirs. The Tower Princess is a wonderfully told fairy tale that is the beginning of a collection by Shonna Slayton. Strong main characters brought the story to life and an imaginative magical place and Rowan king made it special, 5 stars!

The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard: Harry Potter by Eric Bradley

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Thanks to NetGalley and F+W Media for the opportunity to read and review The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard: Harry Potter by Eric Bradley. Tips on where to find all things Potter and tidbits on some of the interesting examples of valuable Potter collectibles are spotlighted in this unofficial collector’s guide. Wonderful quotes are scattered throughout the book. Such as, “No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
-J. K. Rowling. Interesting compilation of artifacts and their worth to the collectors of our favorite wizarding world. 5 stars!

Manga Classics by UDON Entertainment

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Thanks to NetGalley and UDON Entertainment for the opportunity to read and review Manga Classics! Manga Classics include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which is true to the original classic with added cliffhangers to keep manga readers interested and eye-catching illustrations. After the story ends, the details of adaptation from classic literature to manga lets us see into the transformation. Each story in this collection follows these same guidelines! Impressive artwork and transformation!
Manga Classics also include The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (the only color is the scarlet letter A, which makes striking illustrations!), Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven. The Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red death and The Fall of the House of Usher; Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and many more!
5 stars for books that make classics accessible and understandable to every reader!

Tales from the Haunted Mansion, Volume II: Midnight at Madame Leota’s by Amicus Arcane

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Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Group for the opportunity to read and review Midnight at Madame Leota’s (Tales from the Haunted Mansion #2) by Amicus Arcane. The disclaimer of the ARC is even written in Haunted Mansion-ese, clever and sets the spooky stage from the beginning. This book tells the tale of William and his visit with Madame Leota and contains several stories within a story. William wants to talk to his deceased sister, but has to listen as librarian Arcane reads spooky tales to him first. The first tale is about a truly haunted house attraction at a traveling carnival. The second is the history of a vampire resident of the Haunted Mansion. Third is a spooky horror story about a man losing his beloved theatre and the last story tells a young girl’s tale and how she came to be at the Haunted Mansion. Finally, William meets Madame Leota and gets what he’s been asking for. Fun and spooky. 5 stars for this creepy addition to the Haunted Mansion volumes!

Eureka!: 50 Scientists Who Shaped Human History by John Grant

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Eureka!: 50 Scientists Who Shaped Human History! This book is full of insights into scientific pioneers both professional and personal. From B.C. to modern times, details explaining theories and interesting tidbits of each scientist fill this easy to read informational book – 4 stars!

Botanical Beauty by Aubre Andrus

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Botanical Beauty: 80 Essential Recipes for Natural Spa Products by Aubre Andrus! This book contains abundant information categorized into different sections of the body: hands and feet, full body, face and hair. Each section contains recipes to pamper and beautify. The recipes go beyond commonly seen to ingenious creations and ideas. The lotion bar is the first recipe I want to make once I get my own copy of this book because, yes, I pre-ordered it! The helpful, natural and easy to follow recipes and instructions are accompanied by detailed photographs and this book includes descriptions of ingredients, container ideas and where to purchase them, thorough directions and it even has diy nail art and nail wraps, which I wasn’t expecting. The do-it-yourself ideas include the chemical (nail serum to toothpaste) and also material (creaseless hair ties to spa wraps)! Botanical Beauty earns a 5 star review from me while I patiently wait for publication and my copy to arrive!

Oh, Ick! 114 Science Experiments Guaranteed to Gross You Out!

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“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for the opportunity to read and review Oh, Ick!: 114 Science Experiments Guaranteed to Gross You Out! by Joy Masoff! This book is interesting, humorous and educational for all ages! Includes hands-on activities, tasty but disgusting snack recipes and cartoons detailing the what’s, why’s and how’s of science in the world around us – 5 stars!

The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror

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The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror by Joyce Carol Oates receives 3.5 stars from me. This young adult collection of horror short stories ranged from macabre to sinister to subtle. The Doll-Master is the first of six psychological thrillers in this book and I think it’s my favorite of the six because of it’s creepiness. The Doll-Master is like Stephen King for young adults and is Criminal Minds worthy!

Tales from the Haunted Mansion: Volume I: The Fearsome Foursome

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My husband and I returned recently from one of our favorite vacation spots, Disneyland!  I read Tales from the Haunted Mantion Volume I: The Fearsome Foursome before we left and it was just the right book to enthuse me for my husband’s favorite ride, The Haunted Mansion.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Disney Press for the advanced reading copy of Tales from the Haunted Mansion: Volume I: The Fearsome Foursome by Amicus Arcane (a perfectly mysterious author’s name)!

The story begins with four friends, Tim, Noah, Steve and Willa. They each love horror stories and create a horror club where they share scary stories with each other. On a club day, they find their regular meeting spot destroyed and each of the members receives an invitation to a new meeting place, The Haunted Mansion. Amicus Arcane, the host, takes them to the library where spooky stories are shared and each friend takes a turn as the main character. This book is middle school appropriate and good, clean, spooky fun!

 

Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Fall/Winter

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Thanks to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch for the arc of Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Fall/Winter. This is my first time reading Buzz Books and I think it is a wonderful way, and helpful as a librarian, to get a taste of what will be published soon. Twenty books are spotlighted in this sampler and my favorites are The Hawkweed Prophecy by Irena Brignull, A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess, and Caraval by Stephanie Garber. Can’t wait to read the full versions!