Candy Bunny Reader

  This is not a typical review. It's just that I read the entire Bone series by Jeff Smith a few years ago when I first started my blog, and it was epic! I need to reread the series sometime, and the rest of the supplemental material. This book is the prequel about the character Thorn's grandmother, and the events of what led to the conflict that we see in Bone (if you know, you know). I gave it 5 stars !

  I have not done this series in a while! Here's a new entry... The photo of the author was found on her website, which you can visit by clicking here .   You can find the previous parts to my favorite authors series here .    

  I was just browsing the Internet for interesting book tags and I found this one (a link to the original creator).  If you've been on my page long enough you know how much I love Studio Ghibli! So of course I had to do this one.  I tagged a few people over on my Instagram, but anyone is free to do this tag.  1. Nausicaa: Name a strong female character How about two? Anne and Cai-Li from The Witch Who Chases the Sun.   2. Sheeta: An inspiring member of royalty Several! Like Yona. And the Sailor Scouts. And the princesses of One Piece.  3. Satsuki and Mei: A pair of siblings (or friends that act like siblings)  How about friends who act like siblings? Aisha and Neil from When it All Syncs Up.  4. Kiki: A female character with supernatural gifts. So many! Amari Peters, Morrigan Crow, etc. 5. Gina and Fio: A feminine girl and a tomboy girl Nomoto and Kasuga from the She Loves to Cook manga series.  6. Angel: An underrated heroine Emilic...

The last book I read for Middle Grade March! The first book of the Witchlings series by Claribel Ortega follows Seven: a girl who gets placed in the "Spare" coven of her town. Being a Spare witch is practically considered a curse since they don't have full powers and are looked down upon by everyone. But Seven tries to break out of this situation to become a full-fledged witch by requesting to do an impossible task: hunting down the Nightbeast! It's been so long since someone invoked an impossible task, and anyone who fails to complete it gets turned into a toad. Seven, her new friend Thorn, and her bully-turned-friend Valley waste no time researching the Nightbeast and finding how to capture it. But at the same time, the Nightbeast and its minions called cucos have been attacking citizens in their town and nearby towns. The attacks always seem to happen whenever the towns (or at least Seven's town) try to vote on giving more rights to Spares. Someone Seven tho...

 TW: Bullying, predatory relationships, terminal illnesses are all mentioned here.  This book had been on my TBR forever, and I am happy to report that this book was a great one! Lonely Castle in the Mirror by   Mizuki Tsujimura follows Kokoro, a 7th grader who's been avoiding going to school after getting bullied. One day she discovers the mirror in her room is glowing! She then finds herself on the opposite side of the mirror in a castle run by the mysterious Wolf Queen. Several other kids her age are there, too, and they've all been skipping school for similar reasons. They are tasked with finding the Wishing Key, which will grant them a single wish, and they must complete the task by March 30th before the castle vanishes. However, if any of them choose to make a wish, all their memories of each other and being in the castle will be erased.  Kokoro ends up forming close bonds with each of the other kids there while dealing with her own problems back home (mostly w...

  So I am a fan of ATLA, and I saw that A Clockwork Reader made a book tag that is ATLA themed!  I tagged some people over on my Instagram page. Feel free to do this tag, even if you haven't watched ATLA yet. If you already are an ATLA fan: yay!   I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender . It is owned by Nickelodeon .   1. Sokka and Katara: Best sibling relationship  Virginia and her sister (can't remember her name!) from Confessions from the Group Chat .  2. Yue: favorite star-crossed lovers I can't think of any!  3. Blood-bending: a book with disturbing content Some   memoirs that I ' ve read , such as The Glass Castle and Greetings from Utopia Park .  4. Toph: a character with surprising strength Yona from Yona of the Dawn .    5. The Tales of Ba-Sing Se: best short story or poetry collection Transmogrify is a great short story collection about trans characters and magic !  6. Kyoshi warriors: best warrior ...

I am so glad I decided to continue reading the Avatar novels of the Avatars before Aang! I had mixed feelings about the Kyoshi novels (you can read the review for the first one here ) and DNF'd the first Yangchen novel. I had a hunch it was because I didn't like the way the author of those books (FC Yee) writes. Luckily, Roku's books have a different author: Randy Ribay . I am glad to report this book was really good! I do prefer Ribay's writing style a lot more. The Reckoning of Roku is about how Roku (he's the Avatar right before Aang as shown in the original TV show) discovers he is the Avatar. He began his training in one of the Air Nomad temples under Sister Disha, but he's been struggling with his airbending and overall Avatar duties.  At the same time, Roku's friend Prince Sozin has plans to go to a reclusive island that is rumored to have very powerful benders who know rare forms of bending. Roku and his friend Gyatso end up exploring the island, to...

A short story collection!  Transmogrify contains short stories written by the following authors: Saundra Mitchell, Sonora Reyes, Renee Reynolds, AR Capetta, Cory McCarthy, Francesca Tacchi, Ayida Shonibar, Nik Traxler, g haron davis, Jonathan Kastin, Mason Deaver, Ash Noveau, Cam Montgomery, Dove Salvatierra, and Emerly Lee.  Each short story features trans characters in a magical setting, whether contemporary or high fantasy, and they all use magic to empower themselves.  I gave this book 4.5 stars , but that was just because I liked some of the short stories more than others. Most of them were really good, but there were a few I couldn't get into or I thought were just okay.   My favorite short stories from this book are: Verity (a story about a magic mirror), Dragons Name Themselves (about two friends and a pet dragon), The Hallow King (a revenge story on Halloween), Genderella, and Espijimos (has folk magic and magical realism). 

  Well, it's a long list so instead of dividing it up by month, I will divide it up by ratings. The 5 stars books  Witch Hat Atelier Volume 13 by Kamome Shirahama Call the Name of the Night Volume 5 by Tama Mitsuboshi Gigi Shin Live From Manhattan by Lyla Lee A Song for You and I by Kay O'Neill The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen Tiny Dancer by Siena Siegel Somali and the Forest Spirit Volumes 2 and 3 by Yako Gureishi Our Not So Lonely Planet Volumes 5 and 6 by Mone Sorai Wings of Starlight by Alison Shaft Lavender Clouds by Bex Ollerton The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Volumes 7 and 8 by Saki Mikami A Sign of Affection Volume 11 by Suu Morishita The Nighthouse Keeper by Lora Senf Ashes of the Academy by Faith Erin Hicks  In the Name of the Mermaid Princess Volumes 2 and 4 by Yoshino Fumikawa Eden of Witches Volume 2 by Yumeji Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend One Piece Heroines Volume 1 by Eichiro Oda The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Anothe...

Wow! My first dark academia book, recommended by the wonderful @greenghostreviews over on Instagram.  The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern , to put it simply, is about Zachary, a college student who finds a mysterious book called Sweet Sorrows in his university's library. The book was donated by the equally mysterious Keating Foundation. Within the book are symbols of a bee, a key and a sword. Zachary wonders what it could all mean, especially since the story seems to be about him! He finds huge lead at a party that is literary-themed. From there he finds himself in the middle of a magical underground world of all the stories that exist in the world, as well as the people behind it that are trying to preserve it all.  This book was so atmospheric and whimsical! Intertwined with Zachary's story are other stories in and around the actual Starless Sea and its Harbours. Everything comes together neatly at the end. It kind of reminded me of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Gr...

  I do this every year! Approxiamately halfway through the year I just answer these question about the books I've read so far.  You can check out past year's answers here in my site's Navigation Page, if you're interested.  And you can do this tag too! Here's one of the books I mentioned here. I haven't read it yet but I will sometime before the end of this year: 1. Best book of the year so far? I am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang 2. Best sequel(s) you read so far? So many of them! Here are a few: The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity volumes 2-6 by Saki Mikami Yotsuba&! volumes 9-15 by Kiyohiko Azuma A Sign of Affection volumes 7-10 by Suu Morishita Witch Hat Atelier volume 13 and Witch Hat Kitchen volumes 4 and 5 by Kamome Shirahama Call the Name of the Night volumes 4 and 5 by Tama Mistuboshi  A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows 3. New releases you haven't read yet but want to. Sil...

  I have been reading books that were recommended to me by some of you and some people in my personal life.  Thanks to all of you who recommended me something! Here's what I've gotten around to so far: 1. The Creepy Cat manga series by Cotton Valent --Really loved all four books! I gave each of them 4 stars . 2. Greenglass House by Kate Milford --Really cool book! I gave it 4 stars . 3. Don't Sleep There are Snakes by Daniel Everett --Unfortunately I DNF this one. I didn't like the author's writing style. 4. Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper --I am going to read this one soon! 5. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern --I will also be reading this soon! 6. The Savior's Book Café in Another World by Kyouka Izumi --Still need to read it, too. 7. Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie --Unfortunately I DNF this one. I just didn't vibe with the story. But I do want to try the author's other books! 8. Donuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui --Al...

  Every year I read and recommend so many books with queer representation in them! Here are some more books that I love and I hope you love, too: 1. Unfamiliar duology by Haley Newsome 2. Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Winans 3. The Witch Boy Trilogy by Molly Ostertag 4. Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour 5. The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz 6. Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers  7. Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar 8. The Moth Keeper by Kay O'Neill 9. The Baker and the Bard by Fern Haught 10. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callendar 11. Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar 12. Aquicorn Cove by Kay O'Neill 13. The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett 14. Witch Hat Atelier series by Kamome Shirahama 15.  Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh by Rachael Lippincott 16. I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver 17. Princess Princess Ever After by Kay O'Neill 18. Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton 19. Speak U...

  I read a total of 15 books and DNF 7 books. I definitely read a lot of manga this month! I guess you can say it was Manga May . 😁 Links to reviews when applicable.  5 star books: 1. The Prince Who Fell from the Sky by John Claude Bemis 2. Huda F Wants to Know by Huda Fahmy --I should note that previously I thought these books were memoirs. They are not memoirs! They are fictional but they are loosely inspired by the author's life. 3. Our Not So Lonely Planet Travel Guide Volumes 2, 3, and 4 by Mone Sorai 4. I am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang 5. Somali and The Forest Spirit Vol 1 by Yako Gureshi  6. Super Boba Cafe 1 by Nidhi Chanani 7. Leap by Simina Popescu     4.5 star books: 1. The Wanderer by Sharon Creech 2. The Deceivers by Margaret Peterson Haddix 3. Ao Haru Ride volumes 1 and 2 by Io Sakisaka  4 star books: 1. Alice in Kyoto Forest 2 by Haruka Niwa and Mai Mochizuki 2. Sakura, Saku Vol 5 by Io Sakisaka The one book I DNF because I found it ...

  ...the movie was better. I gave the book version of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 3 stars . Honestly one of the main reasons I even read the book was just to compare it to the movie. I can say now this is a rare case where the movie is way better than the book.  But here are some things I actually did like about the book: Sophie's sisters play a bigger role in the story We actually get some context as to why Sophie ran away from the hat shop without telling anyone (her stepmother was exploiting her as a worker) We get to see Michael/Markl's backstory on how he came to live with Howl. (Michael is his name in the book, his name is Markl in the movie) We get to see Howl's family, and they live in Wales Now here's everything I didn't like which is why I gave it a low rating: I could not stand Sophie and Howl's relationship in this book, it was sooo toxic!  Howl is such a bossy manchild and Sophie is really grumpy and cynical.  They also real...

Another book I picked up on a whim and ended up loving! Basil and Oregano by Melissa Caprigione is an urban fantasy story set mostly in a really expensive magical school called Porta Bella Academy, where student learn cooking magic. The main character, Basil, and all of her friends were lucky to get into the school on scholarships, and Basil's dream is to be top student. It will be a ticket to better support her and her two dads. Attending the school at the same time is Arabella Oregano, the daughter of a famed magical chef Ametrine Oregano. Basil falls in love with her at first sight, and before they knew it they become friends.   But being in this magical cooking school isn't easy. The students are constantly having to come up with new recipes to impress teachers, and Basil sometimes has to deal with mean girl Xynthia and her cronies. Meanwhile, Arabella has a secret of her own that might sour her and her mother's reputation. The girls have to come up with solutions to t...

  There weren't many books that I gave a low rating, but there are waaaay more books that I DNF (did not finish). I guess you can consider this an unpopular opinions post. Luckily tomorrow I will post the best books of the year which includes new favorites! Worst Books (all 2 stars): 1. Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch 2. To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han 3. Magic for Marigold by LM Montgomery I decided this year to split the DNF list into 3 categories. From books I thought were boring,  books I thought were bad, and nonfiction books that were actually pretty interesting, but made their points very early on and could've been shortened down.  Here are the books I DNF because I found them boring/couldn't get into them: 1. Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman 2. To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 4. Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth 5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 6. Rickety Stitch Volume 1 by Ben Costa a...

  Calling all Avatar fans! The Rise of Kyoshi by FC Yee and Michael DiMartino (Michael is one of the creators of the original Avatar TV show) is the story of Avatar Kyoshi (one of the avatars before Aang from the TV show), how she mastered all four elements, and her rise to fame.  Kyoshi was abandoned by her parents at a young age and found by Kelsang, a high-ranking Air Nomad, who gave her work as a servant of Yun, the alleged new Avatar. She becomes good friends with Yun and the daughter of his firebending teacher, a girl around her age named Rangi. But one day when trying to deal with a couple of pirates and it gets intense, Kyoshi accidentally discovers she is the actually the next Avatar, not Yun. It puts a strain on their friendship, and Jianzhu, the Earth Sage in charge of Yun, commits the unthinkable. Kyoshi's life is no longer the same, and she and Rangi run away to try to find the the group of daofei (outlaws) that her birth parents used to be the leaders of. Kyoshi...