Candy Bunny Reader

    So many twists and turns! (Pun intended, since the characters spend most of their time in the Labyrinth). And so many more emotional moments. I think this is my new favorite so far, more than the previous book!

My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee is a graphic novel of a blind girl named Safia who loves storytelling. She lost her parents and is sent to live with a mysterious aunt. Aunt Whimsy used to be a famous explorer and archeologist, but went into hiding several years earlier and was presumed dead. She also may or may not be a big furry monster (well, I know the answer because I read it).  One day Aunt Whimsy finds out an old rival of hers named Cecilia "discovered" part of an ancient kingdom that Aunt Whimsy and her nanny, Cathryn, actually discovered a long time ago. Hoping to stop her rival from taking all the credit (and to stop them from encountering something dangerous at the kingdom's ruins), Aunt Whimsy, Cathryn, and Safia go on a trip. Safia decides to record a story of her travels. While on a ship, Safia runs into a girl named Hebe who is also interested in discovering new and lost things. They get along well at first, but Hebe and her two cousins seem to have ult...

This is the prequel to Elatsoe , which I read and reviewed last year. You can read that review here . Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger is about the maternal grandmother of Ellie from the first book, named Shane (well, her name is Sheine Lende meaning sunflower in the Lipan language, but everyone usually just calls her Shane). Set in the 1970s mostly in Texas, Shane and her mother Lorenza have a search-and-rescue business along with their three dogs (well, two live dogs and a ghost dog) Neal, Nealy, and Nellie. They usually search for people in their community that go missing.  But one day as they are trying to investigate the disappearance of Bobby, the younger brother of their neighbor named Donnie, Lorenza mysteriously goes missing, too! Shane, her brother Marcos, and their Grandpa Louis team up with Donnie and her grandparents to find both people. They end up going on a road trip involving all sorts of things from eccentric scientists, otherworldly creatures, and invasive m...

TW: mentions of trauma from foster care, and of being hurt by law enforcement.  Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi is the prequel to Pet , which I read and reviewed earlier this year. You can read that review here .  The story is about Jam's mother (from the first book) back when she was a teenager and an art student. She lives in a boarding school called Eucalyptus which is a safe haven from the rest of Lucille--which has recently been having a political uprising. Bitter wants to make Lucille a better place for her and her new social circle (consisting of her friend Blessing, Blessings girlfriend Alex, and Bitter's new boyfriend Aloe), but she finds it hard when she has her own trauma from being in different foster homes. She would rather paint and stay in Eucalyptus than go to protests with Assata. Assata is the movement of people overthrowing the corrupt people in power, which some people Bitter knows are a part of. Bitter eventually learns that she can make her own change through he...

Please read the full list of trigger warnings for this book here: https://booktriggerwarnings.com/Pet_by_Akwaeke_Emezi  Pet by Akwaeke Emezi is a young adult dystopian (although set in a utopia), speculative, and urban fantasy book. It is set in a utopian community called Lucille that has is run by Angels (people considered good) and has (supposedly) eliminated all of the Monsters (people considered bad) after a revolution a long time ago.  The main character is a trans girl named Jam who has selective mutism. One day she accidentally brings to life one of her mother's paintings, and a creature emerges from it named Pet. Pet is there to search for and destroy a Monster that still exists in Lucille. It needs Jam's help because the Monster is at Redemption's (Jam's best friend) house.  The whole situation is shocking and confusing, but Jam will do anything to help and protect her best friend and his family.  This book wasn't very long (only 12 chapters), but it reall...

I actually read a book illustrated by the author of this book back in 2022, titled Mooncakes! You can read the review for that book here .  Tidesong   by Wendy Xu is about Sophie, who wants to enter a prestigious academy of magic, but first needs to refine her magic skill to pass the auditions. She gets sent to live and train with her great aunt and cousin. All they seem to do is make her do a bunch of chores, and she feels her magic still isn't good enough. One day she tries out a spell of her own and almost drowns, but is saved by a shapeshifting dragon prince named Lir. Sophie and Lir end up getting their magic powers tangled up, but when they start practicing together, Sophie finds her magic getting better! But eventually Lir has to return home or his father, the Dragon King, will be furious and probably cause a destructive storm... This was so sweet and whimsical! I loved the magic system and the mythology sprinkled throughout. I also love the way Sophie's mental health ...

Trigger Warnings: child dying, family members dying, toxic relationships, body horror The Deep Dark by Lee Ostertag  is a YA graphic novel set in southern California. It is a mixture of different genres: urban fantasy, mystery, and horror. The story follows Magdelena (or "Mags" for short) as she struggles dealing with her mental health after an incident that ended with a childhood friend dying. Mags felt that it was all her fault. She also is trying to rekindle her friendship with her other childhood friend, Nessa. Nessa also seems to be harboring some struggles of her own. The characters' struggles seem to mostly come from an unusual creature that lives in Mags's basement... I gave this book 4 stars . It was a great book, but surprisingly darker than the previous books of the author's that I have read before. All of the trigger warnings are listed above. I think the mental health rep, Latine rep, and queer rep were done really well!

    This graphic novel is not what you think (in a good way)! This first volume of Super Boba Cafe by Nidhi Chanani takes place over summer break in San Francisco. It follows 13 year old Aria helping her Nainai (grandmother) at her boba tea shop. The boba tea shop hasn't had a lot of customers lately, but when Nainai's pet cat Bao has kittens, it turns into an unofficial cat cafe, thus attracting more customers. Aria is glad that now her grandmother's boba tea shop is thriving, but Nainai also seems to be keeping a secret from Aria... Meanwhile Aria has trouble befriending a named Jay, who lives next door to her Nainai. Aria is anxious to make new friends because during the school year, she got cyberbullied by someone she thought she could trust. But Jay ends up becoming a big help for Aria and Nainai later on when they find out what Nainai has been hiding from everyone this whole time.  I can't tell you too much because it would get into spoilers, but it involves a lo...

So this is the first book I read for Middle Grade March. It is the second book of the Amari series by BB Alston . I read the first book, Amari and the Night Brothers last month. You can read the review for that here . I can't get too into detail with this second book, Amari and the Great Game , because it's a sequel. I will say though this book was way more intense than the second one! I really love the way BB Alston writes. The story had me on the edge of my seat. I love Amari and her friends. The worldbuilding is cool, too. The mystery was mind blowing. I can't wait to read book 3! Image of book was found on Google Images

  I smell a new favorite series of mine in the making... I am so glad I finally picked this up! It had me on the edge of my seat. Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston follows 13 year old Amari, whose has been struggling in school and her older brother Quinton all of a sudden went missing. One day, she finds a mysterious briefcase telling her that she has been nominated by Quinton to join The Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, which Quinton himself was a part of. The Bureau invesitigates supernatural cases around the world and also tries to keep everything supernatural away from regular humans.  Amari joins the summer camp that trains new recruits, and she decides to become an agent like her brother to make it easier to find him. But then she discovers something about herself that is quite dangerous--and it leads to more surprises from there. It includes discovering the secrets and plans of the notorious Night Brothers! What else can I say except that it is such a page-turnin...

(Pic was found on Google Images) This was a graphic novel that I read back in middle school, but I couldn't remember a single thing that happened. Did I like it the second time around? Well... Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things by Ted Naifeh is about Courtney, a preteen girl who  with her snobby and clueless parents move in with her Great Uncle Aloysius, who lives in a mansion that looks haunted. The great uncle and his house seem to have mysteries of their own. Courtney dislikes her new school but is able to somewhat become friends with a guy nicknamed "Stain", who is an outcast like her. Stain gets picked on frequently by the popular rich kids at the school, who keep demanding money from him. Courtney gets lumped into the situation, but is able to save her new friend and defeat the bullies with some help with her new eerie creature friends at her great uncle's mansion, and with a bit of magic.  It's a very simple story, but it was very entertaining! I love t...

  Another great book by one of my favorite authors! Did you know around the time this book was released (October 2024), an actual flood happened in Asheville, NC, which is where this book also happens to take place? It was also because of a hurricane: Hurricane Helene. Robert Beatty decided that a portion of his sales from this book will go to help victims of the floods. i bought a copy of this book to help out the cause. Thank you, Mr. Beatty! Sylvia Doe and the 100-Year Flood is a middle grade urban fantasy novel about 13 year old Sylvia Doe, who has run away from another foster family back to Highground Home for Children, where she feels she truly belongs. This is quite a problem for her social worker and the state, since she can't permanently live in the place like an orphanage from the old days (the book takes place in modern times). But on top of that, Hurricane Jessamine has passed through the area and has flooded the area, destroying a lot of things and hurting a lot of p...

  Did you love the Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill ? Here's another graphic novel from them! Aquicorn Cove is about Lana and her father. They go to the coast to visit her aunt to help clean up after a big storm. During the cleanup Lana finds and takes care of what she thinks is a seahorse. It turns out it's actually a magical creature called an aquicorn! Lana's aunt actually has a connection to aquicorns, and she tells Lana all about it. The aquicorns also live in coral reef that has been falling apart due to human activity, and they probably have a connection to the coast having bigger, more frequent storms. Lana and her family find a way to save the coral--and the aquicorns, too.  It was a very sweet magical book with a focus on environmentalism! The artwork is lovely, too. There's queer rep, too--the leader of the aquicorns in nonbinary. I should warn you that there is a flashback of a loved one who dies in the book. So this was a 5 star from me!

  This book was sooo sweet and sooo cute! The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt takes place in our world--with some magic! Sprites have lived for centuries helping all kinds of plants grow with their magic. Until humans came along and started doing gardening themselves. The sprites are still around but they help less and less. One little sprite named Wisteria secretly discovers a human girl named Elena who takes care of her mother's flower garden, as her mother is out working all day. Wisteria decides to secretly help Elena's garden grow, as long as she isn't discovered.  If you couldn't already tell, Wisteria does get discovered by Elena. And everything changes from there.  What a magical book! I love the whimsical illustrations, and I loved what a chill, slice-of-life cottagecore book this was.  It is a pure 5 star book . I want to read more from this author and illustrator. What was the last "chill" book you read?

I saw this tag over at the Instagram page of @fragilelunar . It looked really neat so I decided to do it too! As always, feel free to do this tag if you see it. 1. What genre would you be? Urban fantasy 2. What would your cover look like? Very colorful and cartoony, with some cottagecore aesthetic 3. What would your average Goodreads rating be? Hopefully a 4! 4. What would the main plot be? Something about an eccentric main character daydreaming a lot, and then their dreams come true via magic. They also make a lot of friends along the way while learning so many new things. 5. Would you like a happy ending or a sad ending? Happy of course! 6. What lesson would a reader take away from you? That you can find joy in the smallest and most unexpected of places. 7. What book would you like to be compared to? Anne of Green Gables, Mandy, and the Tea Dragon Society. 

Well, this was kind of disappointing. Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson is a middle grade novel about 12 year old Ellie Engle, who loves superhero stories. On the first day of school, an earthquake happens, and after the earthquake Ellie gets magical powers where she is able to bring dead things back to life. Ellie has mixed feelings about her new powers, and her best friend Abby tells her to keep it a secret. She accidentally exposes her powers while in her science class, because she accidentally brings a frog back to life, and everyone starts calling her "Frog Girl". Pretty soon she is famous all over town, and her friend Abby gets jealous about this. Life is not the same now that everyone knows she's basically a real life superhero with superpowers! At the same time, Ellie deals with her rocky friendship with Abby while getting to know some other people in her life better.  I'm gonna be honest, this book did not live up to the hype for me. While I was read...

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this! The first volume of Magical Boy by The Kao is about Max--a trans guy who is descended from a line of magical warriors who have to protect the earth from these giant bug monsters who feed off of peoples' negative feelings. The magical warriors of his family got their powers from the goddess Aurora. Max doesn't like this new magical warrior responsibility at first, as his outfit looks really feminine, and his mother (the previous magical warrior) expects him to do his magical duties the traditional way. That includes "acting" really feminine, something Max is obviously uncomfortable with. But with the help of his friend Jen, a new friend named Sean, and an enemy turned friend named Pyper, Max begins to do things his own way. They work together to try to stop the bug monsters from destroying the Earth. His magical outfit also looks less feminine over time.  This book was a blast! I loved this take on a magical warrior...

  Middle School and Other Disasters: Worst Broommate Ever! by Wanda Coven is a middle grade book (first of a series) of a girl named Heidi Heckelbeck who starts middle school at a boarding school that secretly offers magic classes (casting spells and stuff like that, not magic tricks). Heidi herself comes from a long line of witches who attended the same boarding school. Heidi is nervous about starting middle school without her family nearby and her friends from elementary school, but when she arrives there, she ends up loving the campus. She also runs into an old friend of hers named Sunny, and also becomes friends with Sunny's roommate, Annabelle. Unfortunately, Heidi's roommate is a girl she always had a huge rivalry with since second grade: a girl named Melanie Maplethrope! Now she thinks middle school will be a nightmare, but then she learns she and Melanie have a lot more in common than they thought...and maybe they could become friends? Man, this book was so refreshing ...

  I've been seeing this graphic novel floating around the bookish internet and I finally got to read it a few days ago.  Sheets by Brenna Thummler is about 13 year old Marjorie Glatt who, outside of school hours, is almost always running her late mother's laundromat and has to deal with all sorts of people, including a shady businessman who wants to replace the laundromat with a giant spa. At school, Marjorie is very unpopular and gets picked on a lot.  One day, a ghost from the spirit world named Wendell accidentally ends up in Marjorie's house/laundromat, and make a mess of things that end up driving away a ton of customers. Marjorie finds out about him and she gets mad. But after scaring off the shady businessman guy, Marjorie grows to appreciate Wendell.  I got to be honest, even though this book sounded like something up my alley, I was actually quite disappointed in it. For one, I thought the majority of the story was so sad! Almost every page is som...

 TW: brief mention of guns and shooting New favorite book of the year!  A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger is a YA urban fantasy about two teenagers: Nina and Oli. Nina is a Lipan Apache girl living in Texas who is interested in the stories of The Reflecting World, which is a magical world that mirrors Earth but is home to shapeshifting animals who can turn themselves into humans. She films and records stories she hears on the St0ryte11er app with her followers. Oli is one of these shapeshifters from The Reflecting World, and in his true form he is a cottonmouth snake (in the book their "false form" refers to their human form). He is able to leave home for the first time by himself, and on his journey he befriends several other shapeshifters, two coyote sisters named Risk and Reign, and a hawk named Brightest. He also befriends a little frog named Ami.  Well, the two run into problems. Where Nina lives in Texas, a hurricane is approaching, and she and her fam...