Tag: 4 stars

Secrets of Camp Whatever Volume 2: The Doors to Nowhere – Chris Grine

It’s been two months since Willow attended Camp … Whatever, where she participated in the usual summer camp activities. Like sneaking out of her cabin with her friends to solve mysteries and spending time with a vampire, gnomes and other magical folk.

Now her friends are helping her celebrate her thirteenth birthday. There’s Violet. One of her roles in this Volume is reminding us why we all need to be reading more books. There’s Emma, who has a secret. And there’s Rand, a werewolf.

Elric gifts Willow her great-great grandmother Rose’s spell book before he mysteriously disappears. Willow has Rose’s book in her possession for a good few hours before it’s stolen and taken through the swirly pink portal in her lounge room, which I promise wasn’t there a minute ago. Naturally, Willow follows the thief. I would have too.

It’s a good thing her friends are there to help her investigate and be on the lookout for anything weird.

Willow learns that sometimes wishes do come true, whether you really mean them to or not. There’s a secret meeting, a troll, a wishing well and a forest frog. Toast is there as well. Oh, and an invisible pixie-corn.

We learn more about the prophecy that we first heard about in Volume 1. I’m expecting an action packed conclusion.

We didn’t get to spend anywhere near as much time with Molly as I would have liked but hopefully she’ll get more page time in Volume 3.

I enjoyed my second read of this graphic novel much more than the first. The first time I read it, it had been so long since I’d read Volume 1 that I’d forgotten too much about who was who and what Willow and her friends had experienced at Camp … Whatever. This time I read them back to back, which helped immensely.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

When twelve-year-old Willow went to her weird new town’s even weirder summer camp, she didn’t expect to get caught up in an ancient mystery involving forest-dwelling vampires, living garden gnomes, and other completely bonkers creatures most people would never believe exist. Now she’s not only involved, she’s marked — too close to the heart of an ages-old quest for power and control than she should be, and too concerned about her new friends and the dangers they face to let them go it alone. With the help of a spell book and her scrappy crew of camp friends, Willow is about to step through a doorway to magic and discovery that will change her world forever. 

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , , ,

Unfamiliar Volume 2 – Haley Newsome

In the first Volume, we met our four witchy friends and their familiars: Planchette and Winston the rabbit, Pinyon and Ari the pigeon, Babs and Marlow the cat, and Sun and Petra the lizard.

In this Volume, Planchette’s home is still very much haunted. One of our witches attracts the attention of the Faerie King and becomes possessed (temporarily). There’s also a wedding to plan. For a ghost.

There’s friend protection frittata, a floating lake and a visit to a profoundly evil forest.

We meet a doctor who would do anything for love and Death, who is a lot cuter than I expected.

The story didn’t always flow quite as well for me as the first Volume did but I absolutely loved the time spent focusing on Sun, who has an opportunity for her curse to be removed.

I really like the artwork and the colour palette. My favourite illustrations tend to be those that announce new chapters. Chapter Seven was the standout for me in this Volume.

I’d recommend reading the first Volume before diving into this one. I’m keen to continue reading this series.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Based on the hit webcomic, Unfamiliar Volume 2 continues the exciting witchy adventures of Planchette and her new friends, Pinyon, Sun, and Babs.

More magical mayhem ensues as Planchette and her new witch friends try to help a ghost bride rest in peace. Join them as they work together to handle a blackmailing Faerie King, a possible new romance, and an overnight camping trip in a profoundly evil forest. 

Unfamiliar is bursting with offbeat charm, a vibrant cast of teen witches, and hilarious familiar sidekicks. Set in an intriguing magical world, this series is a hit with fantasy readers of all ages.

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , , ,

Welcome to Consent – Yumi Stynes & Dr. Melissa Kang

Illustrations – Jenny Latham

They didn’t make books like this when I was a kid. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that this is no longer the case, that kids now have easy access to information that empowers them and teaches them about boundaries.

I love that this book doesn’t even get into consent specifically related to dating and sexual activity until about halfway through. The focus before that is teaching about how consent relates to all aspects of our lives, beginning with using the example of whether you are willing to loan a t-shirt to someone.

There’s information about how other people need to seek your consent but it also talks about your responsibility in making sure you obtain consent as well. Consent is clearly explained as a two way street.

Learning how to ask, being ready to hear the answer (whatever it is), and saying yes or no yourself are all big skills.

Through multiple examples, you learn what is and isn’t consent, and how a pressured yes isn’t a yes at all. It’s about enthusiastic consent.

Enthusiastic consent looks beyond words and takes into account how someone really feels about a situation, even if they’re not comfortable expressing it.

Consent education in Australian schools only became mandatory in 2023 and there are entire generations who grew up with no one telling them that even thinking about what was and wasn’t okay with them was an option.

Sex education at my school consisted of a single awkward class where an embarrassed teacher put a bunch of slides on the projector in front of students who were also embarrassed but busy pretending they knew everything there was to know already. Outside of that, I had Dolly Doctor, which was great when they answered questions I had but not so great when they didn’t. I needed more than one avenue for finding this information.

I would have absolutely benefited from reading this book as a kid and then again as a teenager.

Given the authors are Australian (and one is Dolly Doctor herself!), I was surprised when I was presented with American helplines at the end of the book. While I’m thrilled that my library purchased this book, it would be been even better if they’d purchased the edition that was published in Australia.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

An inclusive, frank and funny guide to navigating consent for tweens and teens of all genders, from the award-winning authors of Welcome To Your Period.

Adolescent health experts Dr Melissa Kang and Yumi Stynes have written the only guide you need to figuring out the rules of consent. Whether you’re a curious 11 to 14-year-old, or the parent of someone with a bunch of questions, this book is reassuring, interesting, and full of the info you need!

I’m ready for this book if: 

  • I’m curious about how consent works. 
  • I will get a haircut or visit the doctor on my own one day. 
  • I think I might kiss someone or have a relationship in the future (even if I’m not ready to yet). 
  • I don’t know how to actually TALK about consent. 
  • It’s hard to say no. 
  • I don’t know when to say yes. 
  • I find consent confusing!
by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , ,

After the Forest – Kell Woods

‘Something happened to Hans and me when we were children.’

Indeed. When they were children, Greta and Hans were led into the forest and abandoned by their father. There they encountered gingerbread, an oven and a cage. You might think you know their story but you don’t know what happened next.

Fast forward fifteen years, Greta Rosenthal is a 22 year old with no dowry, so obviously no man will ever want her. It’s not exactly helping her cause that people think she’s a witch.

It’s a good thing that Greta knows how to bake because Hans is doing his best to gamble away any money her gingerbread sales generate.

Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.

It was clear what must be done. What Greta had always done to solve a problem.

Bake.

We catch up with the siblings in 1650, a time of superstition and suspicion. The people of the Black Forest have been impacted greatly by the war. They’re not averse to accusing their neighbours of witchcraft.

This could be a problem for Greta because remember the gingerbread everyone loves so much? Her recipe may sorta kinda involve a dash or two of witchiness.

I really felt for Greta. Here she was doing her best to survive the trauma of abandonment and captivity with a brother who’s not helping her cause at all and a town full of people just itching for another witch trial.

Alone in the forest there is real fear. Once felt, it is never forgotten.

My favourite character was the book, because of course it was. But when you meet them you’ll understand why.

I shall take care of you and you shall take care of me.

I really enjoyed learning how magic works in Greta’s world and seeing how the different types were used throughout the book.

I used to actively avoid retellings. I wrongly assumed that I knew the stories well enough already and that nothing could (or maybe even should) be added to them. Then I fell in love with a few books that I didn’t realise were retellings when I started reading them and I finally got it. Retellings don’t diminish the original stories. They add to them: new perspectives, character depth, what happened after The End.

Greta’s story didn’t end when she and Hans survived the gingerbread house in the forest. It was only just beginning.

You learn to be careful when you have been lost.

Magic gingerbread to the rescue!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperVoyager, an imprint of HarperCollins Australia, for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.

A drop of blood to bind its power. 

1650: The Black Forest, Wurttemberg. Fifteen years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their father and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people recovering in the aftermath of a brutal war.

Greta has a secret, though: the witch’s grimoire, secreted away and whispering in her ear, and the recipe inside that makes the most sinfully delicious – and addictive – gingerbread. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat.

But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her intoxicating gingerbread is a source of ever-growing suspicion and vicious gossip.

And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta’s own power – magic she is still trying to understand – may be the only thing that can save her …

If it doesn’t kill her first.

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , ,

The Horror at Pleasant Brook – Kevin Lucia

Halloween is almost here. The pumpkins have been carved. The corn maze is ready to go. You may have noticed the streets of Pleasant Brook are quieter than usual, though.

Maybe it’s because people are working and studying remotely at the moment. Or maybe it’s because people have been masking recently, and not just because of COVID.

“It was because of the weirdos in masks.”

This is all Lisa Owen’s fault.

If you’re unfortunate enough to be written into this book, it’s more than likely you’ll wind up splattered across its pages.

I absolutely intended to remember the names and backstories of everyone I met but then abandoned this lofty idea when I realised that the average time between meeting a person and seeing their insides was about a chapter.

After getting to know a bunch of the nearly departed, I settled in and waited for the book to tell me who the main characters were going to be. Not that being a main character gives you immunity from the virus spreading through this increasingly sleepy town.

There’s blood, there’s gore and why yes, that person is spineless. It’s carnage in Pleasant Brook this October and thankfully it’s the descriptive kind.

The thing’s head exploded. Not only exploded but damn near disintegrated into an expanding geyser of gristle which splattered all over its shoulders and ruined neck, leaving nothing behind.

Maybe you shouldn’t choose a favourite character.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Crystal Lake Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

This Halloween, a malevolent, creeping horror invades a small, isolated town nestled deep in the Adirondacks. It cares nothing for this town’s secrets, prejudices, or flaws. Its only desires are to consume everything in its path and spread, until nothing else remains.

A small group of people stand in its way. They are the leftovers, the ignored, the excluded, and the dismissed. However, as the evil grows, they prove to be the only ones strong enough to stand and fight.

But how can they prevail against this power? It is ancient, pitiless, and unstoppable.

It is The Horror at Pleasant Brook.

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , ,

Graveyard Girls #2: Scream for the Camera – Lisi Harrison & Daniel Kraus

Illustrations – Flavia Sorrentino

“Come, ghost,

Come, monster,

Come, devilkin,

Tonight’s story is about to begin.”

The Graveyard Girls are trying to make contact with Silas Hoke, Misery Falls infamous murderer. The mystery surrounding him was amped up when they recently found his grave. His empty grave.

A missing corpse that had yet to be un-missing.

They tried reaching him via Ouija board and they made contact, just not with Silas.

I like all of the Graveyard Girls but enjoy spending time with them even more when they’re all together. That’s when we get to hear their scary stories, after all. The story in this book is photography based, ‘Scream for the Camera’, and it’s a fun, creepy one.

Each girl is dealing with something difficult in this book.

Something weird is happening.

Sophie has a crush. Although I’m not anti bad boy, I was very anti the way he was treating Sophie and not the hugest fan of how this part of the story resolved.

Gemma is busy working off her G-Tone mistake.

Whisper is on the hunt for a grave robber. Her investigation begins at home.

Frannie dreams of stardom. It’s a shame about the theatre curse.

Zuzu’s old friends don’t know about her new friends yet but that’s the least of her problems. It’s very possible that she’s possessed.

I love the focus on friendship and the overarching mystery, which I’m guessing will continue over the course of the series. Gemma’s story was my favourite in this book.

I would have absolutely adored this series as a kid and, to be honest, probably would have found it scary at times. I’m keen to see how the individual stories and the mystery surrounding Silas Hoke play out.

Favourite no context quote:

“We don’t have time to be eaten by a plant!”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Union Square Kids, an imprint of Union Square & Co., for the opportunity to read this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

It’s been a month since the events of 1-2-3-4, I Declare a Thumb War, when the Graveyard Girls — Gemma, Whisper, Sophie, Frannie, and Zuzu — discovered Silas Hoke’s empty grave. A month, and no answers. That changes when messages from the other side start to creep up on the Graveyard Girls. Gemma’s good-luck charm. The skull in Whisper’s spilled milk. Sophie’s vanishing phone. Frannie’s theater curse. And Zuzu’s possessed Jōurnal. Who is trying to reach them … and why?

The good news: There might be one person with some answers. The bad news: She’s a mortician … with a deadly secret.

Speaking of bad news, straight-A Sophie is quickly sliding down the scale to becoming a B-flat friend. She is spending way more time hanging out with “Danger Me” and way less time with the Graveyard Girls and her schoolwork. Will her scary story be enough to win back her pals, or will her picture-perfect life become the ultimate photo bomb?

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , , ,

Phoebe and Her Unicorn #18: Unicorn for a Day – Dana Simpson

I devoured the first 15 Phoebe and Her Unicorn graphic novels and then experienced a unicorn drought. I was relieved to find this one, quickly followed by the horror of realising I’d missed two collections entirely.

Now I’m all caught up and as a reward I was granted references to Ghostbusters, Scooby Doo and Jaws. I’m not sure if the target audience will be familiar with all of these but I was happy to find them here.

I was also given the gift of a new favourite Marigold look. Her Big Puppy Dog Eyes of Persuasion spell gives her manga eyes. I love manga eyes! Now I want her to always have a mohawk and manga eyes.

Phoebe hypnotises Marigold. Sort of. Phoebe and Marigold discuss insecurity. Marigold is more expressive than usual.

Marigold discovers the downside of forgetting spells and Phoebe discovers the downside of healing magic.

Phoebe and Marigold decide to swap lives, like that horror movie The Unicorn Who Humiliatingly Debased Herself.

description

Dakota solves a mystery with some help from Marigold and Max looks up from his phone (briefly). The new kid at school reminds Phoebe of someone.

Phoebe’s parents, who deserve more page time, find out that a previously beloved TV show has not aged well. Marigold teaches Phoebe about the Big Bang Theory, the theory, not the TV show.

We meet Glorpie, who is adorable and needs to find their way into future collections.

I’ll be on the lookout for the next collection so there aren’t any more unicorn droughts in my life.

Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Being best friends with a unicorn is truly incredible, as 9-year-old Phoebe Howell knows from experience. But what would it be like to actually trade places with a magical unicorn for a day? As it turns out, it’s much harder than it looks! Phoebe’s botched muffin spell turns the sky plaid. And things aren’t any easier for Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, who has no idea how to hold a pencil. In this new collection of Phoebe and Her Unicorn comics, the friends also meet a three-eyed flying creature named Glorpie and encounter an enigmatic ghost. With magic, discoveries, and even a bit of drama, there’s never a dull moment in Unicorn for a Day.

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , , ,

Sheets #3: Lights – Brenna Thummler

You know when you can’t wait to read the final book in a series but at the same time you don’t want to read it because once you reach the end, it’s the end? Welcome to my Sheets dilemma.

Marjorie and Wendell have lived in my heart for five years now. Eliza joined them two years ago. Lights gave me Wendell’s story, which I have needed to know since the day I met him, but I’m still not ready to say goodbye to this trio of outcasts.

I love them individually but I love them even more when they’re together. That’s not to say I wasn’t ready to give one of the characters a talking to at one point, but they came good in the end.

Grief and loneliness have weaved their way through this trilogy, and sadness and some anger have accompanied them. There’s also been friendship, messy and complicated, but also wonderful.

I loved Tierney at first sneer. For someone who could have been cast as the villain, and was in many areas of her life, she had a complexity that drew me to her. I kept wanting more page time with her.

After being wowed by the artwork in the first two graphic novels in the series, I expected a lot from this one and wasn’t disappointed. Before you read a word, you know from the colour palette alone that you are in the world of Sheets.

description

It’s inviting and soothing and lovely. Wendell’s past came with its own set of colours so, at a glance, you knew which time period you were in. Young Wendell is absolutely adorable.

Am I sad that it’s over? Of course. Am I glad I was along for the ride? Absolutely.

Bring on whatever Brenna Thummler creates next.

“How could anyone forget you?”

description

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Marjorie Glatt’s life was forever changed the day she discovered a group of ghosts hiding in her family’s laundromat. One of those ghosts was Wendell: a lonely phantom turned Marjorie’s best friend. When he and Marjorie are joined by ghost-enthusiast Eliza Duncan, the three friends band together in friendship, bravery, and all things paranormal.

Wendell died far too young and now must wander the Land of Humans with nothing more than a sheet for a body. He knows how he died — a tragic drowning accident — but lately he’s grown curious about his past life. He wants to know more about why he died, not just how he died. It’s not easy, though, since Wendell’s memory of his human life has grown increasingly blurry. With Marjorie and Eliza’s help, they set out on a journey to find out more. When they hear a rumour about Wendell’s death, they wonder if it might not have been an accident after all. Meanwhile, Marjorie and Eliza’s friendship is tested when Marjorie starts to befriend the very people who used to bully Eliza.

In the third and final instalment of the Sheets trilogy, Wendell will finally uncover the truth of his human life. Marjorie and Eliza will learn that some people really can change. Most of all, they start to see that everything can cast shadows, but if you look hard enough, you can find the light.

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , ,

Best of Luck – Jason Mott

Have you ever had a friend with a charmed life? Will’s best friend of twenty years, Barry, has had a recent string of good luck, resulting in all round prosperity. Meanwhile, Will’s luck appears to have run out.

Will knows where his luck has gone, though. He’s so sure, in fact, that he shows up at the architectural masterpiece Barry calls a home with a shotgun. It’s time to introduce Barry to Henry.

I wasn’t sure which of the friends was going to have the worst day but when someone brings a gun to a confrontation, you know it’s not going to end well. Although I had hoped for a specific outcome, the way the events unfolded made more sense.

“Sometimes you have good luck. Sometimes you have bad luck. Everything can ultimately be traced back to luck in some form, right?”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this short story.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

Did you ever hear the one about the man with a string of bad luck? The worst is still to come in a chilling short story of an insatiable friendship by the New York Times bestselling author of Hell of a Book.

For best friends with vastly different fortunes, what’s left to hash out other than a forced confession at gunpoint? All that the destitute, sickly and grieving Will demands is that monstrously successful Barry admit to draining all the luck right out of him. Like blood. As the standoff escalates, the truth is not the only thing ready to come out.

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , , ,

In Bloom – Paul Tremblay

Working on a story about Cape Cod Canal’s blue-green algae bloom, Heidi interviews Jimmy, who is apparently the person to talk to about the bloom in ‘83.

Jimmy tells Heidi a story that’s difficult to believe. Until it’s not.

Honestly, though, I don’t feel a burning need to prove to myself that what I saw was what I saw. I know it to be true, even if it was all a hallucination.

I was with Jimmy as he yearned to be the son his father wanted him to be. I couldn’t wait to see where his story was leading. The conclusion itself didn’t surprise me but I was expecting the story to wrap up a day later than it did, in a different location.

I probably enjoyed the descriptions of the body horror more than I should admit. It was a lot of fun imagining what unfolded after the final page.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read this short story.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Once Upon a Blurb

There’s something in the water in this hallucinatory short story by Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World and The Beast You Are.

Journalist Heidi Cohen is in Cape Cod investigating the sources of recurring toxic algae blooms along the coast. A local named Jimmy has his own theory for her. Every year the fetid growth gets worse — but it’s been going on longer than anyone knows. Decades ago, something happened to Jimmy that he’s never forgotten. Is Heidi ready for the real story?

by Categories: ReviewTags: , , , , ,