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Showing posts with the label monster high

March Wrap Up

The best reading month so far! So many 5 stars! I read a total of 12 books and DNF 3 .  Links to reviews if applicable.    5 star books   Shadows House Volume 9 by Somato The Witch Who Chases the Sun by Dawn Chen She Loves to Cook Volumes 1 and 2 by Sakaomi Yuzaki Monster High: New Scaremester Volume 1 by several authors Under Their Skin by Margaret Peterson Haddix Nightbooks (and the sequel Gravebooks) by JA White Witchlings 1 by Claribel Ortega Linus and Etta Could Use a Win by Caroline Huntoon Eden of Witches Volume 6 by Yumeji   4.5 Stars  Monster High: New Scaremester Volume 2 by several authors   DNFs  These two were bad:  A Condition Called Love Volume 1 by Megumi Morino Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay   This was just boring:  A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff   

Monster High Vol 1 New Scaremester Review

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  A must read for Monster High fans (and new ones too)! The first volume of Monster High: New Scaremester is by several different authors. It is told in the style of American comic books. The first chapter is very chill and is about Clawdeen and Toralei's relationship (yes, they are a sapphic couple here!). The second chapter is about a gay couple, Valentine and Spelldon. It's also pretty chill. But with the last few chapters the story takes a darker turn. Many characters, including the Headmistress Bloodgood, mysteriously disappear. Many think it was the fault of normies (humans), and new rules are put in place restricting everyone's activities.  The friendship between our main six ghouls gets strained, and Frankie notices her/their father (he becomes the temporary headmaster) acting stranger than usual.  Well, I'll have to find out in the next volume what happens!  I gave this first comic book 5 stars . I love how this comic incorporated so many characters and lor...

Popular Books I Didn't Like Part 4

  Welcome back!  Here are the first 3 parts in case you missed them: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 1. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Goodreads summary here . Still love the author but not this particular book. The book started out really good...until that awful twist about the MC happened. 2 stars. 2. Hiroshima by John Hersey. Goodreads summary here . The subject matter was too heavy for me. 2 stars. 3. Seekers: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter. Goodreads summary here . Just like the Warrior Cats in Part 2, this book was just boring, unmemorable, and confusing. 2 stars. 4. Wonder by RJ Palacio. Goodreads summary here . I think the author came from a good place when writing this, but this book ended up just being another story of using a character's disability as a source of inspiration. Quite problematic. 2 stars. 5. All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy.  Goodreads summary here . The story was too boring. Also, the author had a strange habit of writing too many r...

Bookshops and Bonedust Review

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It's been a while since I visited the wonderful world Travis Baldree created with Legends and Lattes ! (You can read the review for that book here .) It's also been a while since I took a picture of a book with one of my dolls. That's Venus McFlytrap from G3 Monster High. Bookshops and Bonedust is the prequel to Legends and Lattes . This prequel follows Viv the Orc recovering from an injury from her last battle. She spends time in this seaside town called Murk, where she becomes friendly with a colorful cast of new friends, from a restaurant owner named Brand, to a gnome named Gallina, to a carpenter named Pitts, and even her surgeon named Highlark. She also becomes enemies with a guard named Iridia, but even she becomes more of a frenemy later on. However, Viv spends most of her time at a nearby bookshop and the bakery next door to it. She becomes super close with the rattkin that owns the bookshop, named Fern, and her pet griffet Potroast (they're pictured on the c...

July Wrap Up

All the books I read in July! I read a total of 5 books, and they were all really great. 1. Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono-4 stars . Full book description here on Goodreads. Read my (kind of) review here . I mostly just compare the book and movie.  2. Messy Roots by Laura Gao-4.5 stars. Full book description here . Read my review for it here  . 3. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender-4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 4. Willa of the Wood by Robert Beatty-4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 5. The Legend of Shadow High by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale - 4 stars. Full book description here . Read my review here . 

The Legend of Shadow High Review

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  Do you like Monster High, Ever After High, or both?  Either way, Here's a crossover book between my two of my favorite doll franchises! Was this story good? Well... The Legend of Shadow High by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale starts off with Frankie Stein and Draculaura from Monster High who hear rumors about a high school monsters historically went to called Shadow High. They find a map and try out some spells to take them to this  Shadow High, but they end up in Ever After High instead! When their sudden appearance causes chaos and gets them in trouble, they are taken under the wings of Apple White and Raven Queen, and they become friends. Well, the new friends find out that Raven's mother, the Evil Queen, wants to also get to Shadow High and take over the World of Stories. The World of Stories happens to be the world where all fictional characters (monsters and fairy tale characters mostly) live, separate from our world by the Fourth Wall (get it?). They have to stop the...

Unfamiliar Volume 2 Brief Review

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  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. 😉

Unfamiliar Volume 1 Review

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  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!

LAZINESS DOES NOT EXIST Spoiler Free Review

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  Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price is a nonfiction informational self help book on rethinking the way we get motivated, do work, do things, and get rest.  Dr. Devon Price talks about how American culture in particular has become so obsessed with us doing work or anything at all to the point of breaking because we often times do not want to be seen as "lazy". Well, it turns out laziness is a lit in it of itself, and they use every chapter of this book to deconstruct the myth of laziness, from it's roots in religion to capitalism to racism, classism, sexism, and especially ableism. Throughout the book Dr. Price weaves several studies and anecdotes on stories of people they've interviewed to their own personal life stories on how overworking is not good for our health in the long run and what can we do to recognize our own biases, listen to our gut feelings, and take more breaks.  This book is pretty much in the similar vein as Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee (a bo...

The Girl from the Sea Spoiler-Free Review

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  The Girl from the Sea by Molly Ostertag is a YA Graphic Novel about a teenage girl named Morgan Kwon who lives in a house on a small island near a small town near the mainland somewhere in Canada with her divorced mother and little brother. She has a relatively normal life there and has a group of friends she describes "is something out of a 90s teen movie."  Morgan is also a closeted lesbian, as she is scared to come out to her friends and family.  In the beginning as she is texting her friends on making plans to meet up for the weekend, she trips over a rock and falls into the sea. She is rescued by a selkie named Keltie. Morgan thinks it is all just a dream, and as a joke she kisses Keltie. It turns out the whole thing was real, and Keltie temporarily becomes a human girl. She starts hanging out with Morgan and they even  start dating. Morgan at first has to keep her dates with Keltie a secret from everyone, and at the same time, Keltie has a problem of her own...