Candy Bunny Reader

  5 stars! I wanna watch the anime now! This final volume has Akko finding out something about Jasminka and her love of food, Constanze and her tricks to get her inventions to work, a favorite book author making a visit, and broom race that almost goes wrong but ends with a cool twist. 

This book is the prequel to the Blight Harbor series, which consists of: The Clackity, The Nighthouse Keeper, and The Loneliest Place . You can read the review for the first book here ! Pennies by Lora Senf is set in the 1920s and is about a group of friends consisting of: Mae Von Rath (the great-great aunt of Evie from the original trilogy), Lark (whom we meet in the original second book as a ghost), Claret, and Brigid. The friends love to go exploring around their town, and one day a door to the Dark Sun side suddenly appears in the woods near their clubhouse.  The girls are told not to go near it, but one day several people in their town go missing, including Brigid's cousin, Emilia. The girls suspect an unusual boy named John Jeffrey Pope (usually called Johnny) must have done it, except everyone else doesn't think so. At the same time, Lark's aunt Meredith starts acting strange, too.  The girls find out that Emilia was taken to the Dark Sun side by Johnny, and he and...

Just a little update that I finished volume 2 of the Little Witch Academia manga and gave it 5 stars! To keep it vague, Akko and her friends deal with: a money-hungry dragon, inspirational mice, a rich boy who thinks magic is old-fashioned, a mysterious fountain, a shrinking spell, and a friend with a hidden nice side.  Also, this is my first Moonspell Magic doll! It's a spin-off of monster high where the characters are witches. The one I have pictured above is Willow Thorne--she's a green witch! (Basically an herbalist).  

I've also reread volumes 1-13 recently. This series is so awesome! Obviously volume 14 got 5 stars from me.   I need to reread and catch up with A Sign of Affection too.  

  I don't think I need to explain what it is about because I think we pretty much all know. So far it's a slice of life fantasy about Akko (our lead witch) and her friends.  I've actually known about Little Witch Academia for a long time, but didn't get around to it until now when I saw that my local libraries had copies of one of the manga adaptations (it started out as an anime film then series). This version is only three volumes long and is written by Keisuke Sato ! What did I think of volume 1? This was fun! This was some cute fun. I have a feeling it's going to kick into a more serious story later on, but so far volume 1 gets 5 stars from me!  To be honest, it all kind of reminded me of another anime I like called Kaleido Star . From the main character being inspired by watching a live show to the character dynamics and archetypes. It's a nice coincidence! So far my favorite character is Sucy. She's so funny and relatable. 

A cute graphic novel I picked up on a whim. Pizza Witch by Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins follows Roxy and her cat George. Roxy wants to be the champion witch at making pizza (a kitchen witch if you will!) like her idol, Jeremy. Jeremy is the owner of a famous pizza restaurant, Pizza Warlock, which is also where Roxy works. He always sends Roxy on quests to get ingredients. Roxy wonders when she will finally hone her skills on making pizza magically. Well, one day she gets sent on this much bigger quest to find the legendary ingredient: The Remarkable Oregano. It isn't easy, but she does manage to make a girlfriend along the way named Erin, and she finds out something not-so-nice about Jeremy, too.  I had a lot of fun with this book! It's very predictable, but that for me was a good thing--I was just in the mood for a light, comfort read.  I did give it 4 stars , but that's because I thought the ending was a little abrupt. I honestly felt that it was kind of a cliffhanger....

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicholl is a middle grade book about Addie, who is autistic. At school, she learns about how historically, in her small town in Scotland, they used to execute women they considered witches. They weren't actually witches--they were women who were "different". Probably autistic like Addie! She and her new friend Audrey (and with some help from Addie's older sister, Keedie, who is also autistic) all try to raise money to implement a memorial to the victims, but it isn't easy. Addie also has to deal with a bully teacher, a bully in her class named Emily (who is now friends with her ex-friend Jenna) and her other sister Nina, who actually has a good heart but frequently misunderstands Addie and Keedie.  It's a very short and simple story, but it had so many moments that made me emotional! If you didn't already know, I am autistic, too. Addie was so relatable. Overall, reading this was very cathartic to me.  I gave it 5 stars . I want ...

Nicola Traveling Around the Demon's World by Asaya Miyanagi is a cozy fantasy manga series that is 4 volumes long. I read the first two so far! Nicola is a sweet and naive human witch who accidentally finds herself in the Demon World. She forms a bond with a somewhat grumpy but kindhearted demon named Simon, who is a traveling merchant. There isn't much of a plot--it's mostly slice of life just in a fantasy world. Nicola and Simon travel from place to place, meet new people (or reunite with old friends), and get into shenanigans. Simon is almost always trying to buy or sell something, and Nicola learns more about the demon world and practices her magic.  It's very funny and heartwarming! It gets surprisingly emotional at times, too. I gave both books 5 stars. I need to find and read the last two volumes!

Whoa! Where do I begin with this one? The Witch Who Chases the Sun by Dawn Chen is a high fantasy book set mostly in the country of Inabri (inspired by Great Britain) and partially in another country called Aixauh (inspired by China). The story follows two witches (well, one oracle and one alchemist) named Anne and Chely (real name Cai-Li). Chely has returned to her old lover Anne after finding out that people from the town nearby Anne's castle are starting to disappear. Chely tries to find out what the whole deal is while trying to rekindle her relationship with Anne. We find out that Inabri (where Anne is from) and Aixauh (where Chely is originally from) have had two wars back to back with each other, and both girls appear to have trauma from it all. The story also has a ton of other flashbacks to times before, during, and after the girls were with each other. Other people from their pasts also come into the picture: a close friend of theirs named Cole, a notorious pirate named ...

I am so glad I decided to try another book from this author! Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch is a dual POV book about two teenagers: Willow and Mason. Willow has felt disconnected from her mother ever since her parents got divorced. Mason has been from foster home to foster home and never felt a connection with anyone.  The two end up meeting on accident when Willow is whisked away with her mother to Salem, Massachusetts to look into and sell the childhood house that Willow's mother inherited, and Mason's new foster family lives nearby. The two teenagers end up going on a scavenger hunt to find out the truth about Willow's supposed family curse. At the same time, Mason tries to figure out where in the world his birth mother is.  It's such a lovely story about healing from generational trauma! I also loved all the real-life witchy things that are sprinkled throughout the story. I gave this book 5 stars .  

Another manga that I just picked up on a whim! Eden of Witches Volume 1 by Yumeji is set in a world where witches live separately from humans (since humans fear them) and have a deep connection with nature. The main character, Pili, is an apprentice of an elderly witch name Toura. One day Toura gets sick and Pili tries to go to the nearby village for help. But she catches the attention of Zakum, a guy who wants to capture her and study her. Pili manages to fight off Zakum and his henchmen with the help of Oak--who was previously Toura's familiar. Pili and Oak set off to find Eden--which was Toura's dream.  So far their journey has been off to a rough start. Pili gets injured and gets help from a boy from another village named Bo. Bo and his uncle take care of Pili until she gets better (and she even helps them plant some seeds!), but the rest of the people in their village suspect she is a witch. They want to hand her over to the government so they can get a large reward to sa...

  Mamo by Sas Milledge follows Joanna, or Jo for short, whose mother has fallen ill. Other mishaps are happening in her small community, too. Jo wonders if it's all because of the fae (fairies) and humans making them angry. She enlists the help of the village witch named Orla. Though somewhat stubborn and reclusive, Orla helps out Jo when they find the root cause of the problem. It turns out Orla's deceased grandmother, the previous village witch named Mamo, is causing the problem with her bones and soul scattered about. Jo helps Orla by learning some magic to stop Mamo, and she finds out some things about Orla and Mamo that changes everything she knew about them.  This book was so cool because it talked about witchcraft and fairies in a way that closely mirrors real-world beliefs. Magic isn't the glittery stuff you see on TV, and the fairies here are actually really scary.  Unfortunately, I wasn't really of fan of Jo and Orla's relationship. They spend most of the...

😬 Time to ruffle some feathers! This is a new series where I just briefly talk about some random books I didn't like. Let's see if you can relate. Note: These are not books I've read this year. This is just a list of some  books I've read in my life so far that I didn't like or even despised (so 2 star and 1 star books). I also read all of them in their entirety, so no DNFs on here, either. This will be the case for all the books in this series of posts. 1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. 1 star. Summary from Goodreads here . I found this book to be chock-full of pure mean-spirited, misogynistic, ableist garbage!  2. 1984 by George Orwell. 1 star. Summary from Goodreads here . Same reasoning as Brave New World.  3. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. 1 star.  S ummary from Goodreads here . Same reasoning as Brave New World and 1984.  4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 2 stars. Summary from Goodreads here . The book's premise seemed interesting but th...

  Yeah, I just talked about the first book a few days ago, but I got to talk about the sequel! Something I rarely ever do, but that's because this sequel blew my mind! Unfamiliar Volume 2 by Haley Newsome is the sequel to Unfamiliar Volume 1 . In this sequel, it is a lot more story driven, a lot more darker, and a lot more serious. There's more character development, and twists about some characters we've met in previous volumes. While out witchy girls continue dealing with mishaps mostly involving ghosts, two of our characters fall in love (yup, a Sapphic romance! 😃). But overall, it still has the same cozy vibes just like the first book. A pure 5 star book ! I hope I convinced you to put these books on your TBR if you haven't already. I'd seriously love to read anything else this author puts out! I've also started watching her YouTube channel. 😉

  In the mood for a cute, chill, and funny graphic novel with witches in it? Check this out! Unfamiliar by Haley Newsome is a slice-of-life, high fantasy graphic novel following a group of friends who are witches: Planchette (on the cover) is a friendly kitchen witch, Pinyon, a witch who calls herself the "worst witch" in town, Babs, a shy witch who is part siren (type of mermaid), and Sun, a witch with a curse who also works multiple jobs and is frequently grumpy. Most of their adventures usually involve Planchette's new house, which is haunted with ghosts who will only leave if they finally have the one thing they always wanted while they were still alive.  I loved the interactions between the characters, and I loved all the magic, too! I think my favorite thing about this book were the illustrations.  So it is a 5 star book from me. I can't wait to find and read the next volume!

 TW: Discussions of death My third Kelly Barnhill book! The Witch's Boy is about Ned, who is the son of the witch of the small village he lives in. Ned lost his twin brother Tam in a rafting accident years earlier. The village outside his family always seemed to prefer Tam over Ned, so for years after Tam died, Ned is ostracized by the rest of the village, which has lowered his self esteem.  On the other side of the continent, a girl named Aine recently lost her mother, and she has a strained relationship with her father, who is the leader of a bunch of bandits. Aine's father also always wears a magic pendant around his neck, which makes him act strange. He and his group of bandits are trying to find and steal the rest of the magic in the world, which Ned's mother, is the protector of. Additionally, before Aine's mother died, she tried to tell Aine something about her future. Something about the wrong boy saving her life, her saving his life, and something else about ...

This is the first book of the Mary series. Written by the same authors who wrote the Lady Janies series.  This is a historical fantasy book inspired the the life of Mary, Queen of Scots (our titular Mary) and Francis II (her husband), and other real life historical figures at the time that they worked with or were related to. Mary and Francis are two of our POV characters, still told in third person. There are also some made-up brand new characters related to real historical figures, and one of them is our third POV, Ari. She is the daughter of the famed psychic and apothecary Nostradamus. Ari is not super good at being a psychic, but she is a good apothecary. It takes place in the same world as My Lady Jane , the first book of the Mary series, where everyone is either and Ethian (someone who can turn into an animal) or a Verity (those who cannot turn into animals). The Ethians and the Verities are always in conflicts with each other. In Scotland where our titular Mary is from, a...

I found this cute graphic novel on a whim the other day at the library and it was totally worth it. Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen is a graphic novel about an anthropomorphic garlic living with other anthropomorphic vegetables on a farm that belongs to a witch. They help her cultivate her garden and sell produce to the locals. On one particular day all the vegetables notice in the distance smoke coming out of a secluded castle in the distance. They all start jumping to conclusions thinking that a vampire must be living there, and they decide to send Garlic to investigate and maybe get rid of the vampire if there is one. Well, I'll leave off my spoiler free summary telling you that things aren't always what they seem. This book was soooo cute! I gave it 5 stars . I could see it being turned into a sweet little animated movie not just for little kids but for the whole family. If you like heartwarming, cozy, fantasy, mystery stories, check this graphic novel out! I'll...

  I've seen this manga floating around the Internet for a while, but I've only picked it up now. It is so worth the read! Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama is a high fantasy series about a girl named Coco who is interested in magic. She is told she can't do magic because she was not born a witch, but she believes with the right tools and skills, she can become one. One day Coco plays around with a magical book and pen she got from a mysterious witch she met in a marketplace years ago, and she accidentally ruins her house and turns her mother into stone.  Master Qifrey, a man she met a few days earlier at her family's artisan shop, turns out to be a witch himself, and he takes Coco under his wing after seeing the damage she's done. She then starts studying magic at his atelier along with three other girls, and starts learning magic and other important life lessons along the way, and she hopes one day to return home and save her mother. If this sounds like a whim...