Dragging on 🦄 UNICORN MONTH 🦄 because I’m not done yet and, well, unicorns!!!
Cuteness overload! Just on the cover we have glitter and butterflies with happy faces. SOLD!!!
When Lucy orders a unicorn for 25 cents – BARGAIN!!! – she doesn’t get the unicorn of her dreams. If your heart doesn’t melt when you see Sparkle snuggled up with Bear-Bear after a bedtime story to calm his fears during a storm, then I don’t know what will. Plus he has a heart shaped patch of fur near his butt and loves cupcakes.
I need the details of the comic Lucy found the unicorn ad in so I can order my very own Sparkles!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
When Lucy sees an ad in the newspaper for a unicorn, she sends in her twenty-five cents and waits four to six long weeks for her very own unicorn to arrive. She imagines the flowers that she’ll braid into his beautiful pink mane, and she even picks the perfect name for him: Sparkle. But when Sparkle arrives, his ears are too long, his horn is too short, he smells funny – and oh, he has fleas. Lucy isn’t pleased, but in the end she warms up to Sparkle and realizes that even though he wasn’t exactly the unicorn she wanted, he might be just the one she needs.
This book!!! Oh, my goodness!!! Please buy a copy for EVERY. SINGLE. GIRL. you know!!! By girl, I’m talking ages from newborn to 100 plus years old.
As girls we grow up being taught so many conflicting things and then told to apologise, well, basically for being a girl. We’re too fat. We’re too thin. We’re too quiet. We’re too loud. It’s the real Neverending Story.
In The Girl Who Said Sorry, girls are not told to be sorry for who they are! Let’s just celebrate that for a moment … While encouraged to own their mistakes and ensure their choices and words don’t hurt anyone, they’re told IT’S. OK. TO. BE. UNAPOLOGETICALLY. YOURSELF. Hallelujah!!!
This is one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. So simple yet so profound, I want to read this book over and over again until I unlearn all of the sorry conditioning I’ve ever been exposed to. Can you imagine a world where girls don’t apologise for being who they are? I can’t, but I desperately want to!
Hayoung Yim, this book makes me so proud to be a woman! Thank you!
Marta Maszkiewicz, your illustrations are exceptional! They’re so soft yet so strong at the same time, and they capture the feel of the book brilliantly.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association for the opportunity to read this book. If there was an option to give more than ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, I’d be giving this book every star I could find.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Too girly or too boyish. Too thin or too fat. Too quiet, too loud. Be ambitious, but don’t hurt feelings. Be inquisitive, but don’t interrupt. Be outspoken, but don’t be bossy. Most of all, be yourself – but be a lady.
What’s a girl to do in a world filled with contradicting gender expectations, aside from saying sorry?
The way we teach politeness norms to children is often confusing, changing based on gender – and can have lasting effects. And while everyone should be courteous and accountable for their actions, apologetic language out of context can undermine confidence and perceived capability.
Within the subtle yet beautiful illustrations and powerful rhyme of The Girl Who Said Sorry developing girls will learn that self-expression and personal choices can be made without apology, and with confidence.
50% of profits from this book is donated to Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation campaign dedicated to empowering young girls to take action on global issues.
In honour of the fast approach of Halloween month, I present to you your 👻 Halloween Harbinger 👻 book, and what a harbinger it is! I’m not sure anything I read in October will come close to being this much fun, this deliciously creepy or have so many words I will now be incorporating into everyday conversations. I’m pretty sure my Kindle feels very special right now because I’ve been smiling at it the whole time I was reading. I am so in love with this book!!!
The Devils You Know, or The Adorkables vs Labyrinth House as I have affectionately renamed it, follows a group of contestants unwittingly participating in the game of a lifetime. Our five River Red School seniors are from small town Wisconsin where the social scene consists of attending bonfires or staying at home.
Given the difficult choice of attending a field trip to Boulder House and not having to take finals or sitting in Study Hall all day and having to take finals, our five adorkables unsurprisingly wind up at Boulder House. (By the way, I say ‘adorkables’ with the greatest affection. I adored every single one of them!)
Built by Maxwell Cartwright Jr. after he became super crazy, incredibly evil and the apparent owner of some serious cranky pants, Boulder House is an architectural enigma filled with collections of oddities, curiosities and all things creepy from all over the world. May the game begin!
The Contestants
Player 1: Violet – The good girl. Her mother is a psychology professor, her father is a practicing psychologist, and she is an A student who spends her time avoiding conflict and crushing on Paul from afar. She hates her boring Forever 21 clothes and greatly admires Gretchen’s fashion sense. This all round good girl has a big secret.
Player 2: Paul – The popular jock. A basketball player who fairly recently moved to Wisconsin with his mother, Paul appears to be the only black kid in school. He’s still reeling from his father’s death eight years ago. He has a secret crush on Violet and an even more secret interest in all things Shakespeare.
Player 3: Dylan – The bullied goth/emo/freak. Sporting black eyeliner and black fingernails, Dylan has been dating Gretchen for four years and worships her. A skinny kid, he spends a fair amount of his school days being pushed into lockers. Unbeknownst to the kids at school, Dylan plays a different role at home.
Player 4: Ashley – The mean girl. Most comfortable sashaying down the hallway at school followed by her squad, Ashley is the undisputed queen bee of the school and has the bitchiness to prove it. Her father is soon to be a senator and Ashley sprouts her father’s beliefs with no regard to whether she agrees with them or not. Gretchen is her arch nemesis.
Player 5: Gretchen – The outcast. This girl has attitude! Abandoned by her father, Gretchen lives with her mother who despite her illness works as hard as she can to try to keep their small family afloat. Gretchen wants to be a fashion designer and shops at Goodwill, repurposing clothes to suit her taste. She has a monster bag with eyes which I desperately want so she’d better keep an eye on me because, just between you and I, I’ve got a plan to steal it from her. Shh!
Handy Dandy Tips Should You Ever Play the Boulder House Game
Wear sensible shoes.
Take note of the locations of all of the first aid kits.
Bring a few expendable people that can be used as human shields.
Whatever happens, STAY. TOGETHER. You studied Horror 101, didn’t you?
Weapons. Bring them. Many of them. All kinds.
Small Selection of Phrases that Need to be Used – Always!
She’s got ova!
Fuck-a-doodle-doo
Holy fuck-grenades
Bitchwad
Douchetroll
Fuckity fuck fuck
Oh shitball fuck
Holy schmolies
You cad!
It felt like I was trapped in the Thir13en Ghosts house with Jigsaw saying, “I want to play a game”. Each time our contestants entered another room I could have sworn I almost heard someone rolling Jumanji dice.
The whole time I was reading I desperately wanted to tour Boulder House and still do. This is my kind of house!!! I half wanted everyone to die gruesome deaths and half wanted everyone to survive because I loved every single adorkable and after all, they were all underdogs in their own way and who doesn’t love an underdog.
At the beginning of each part there is an excerpt from The Collections of Maxwell Cartwright Jr. and given how interesting these snippets are, I’d buy a companion book if one became available. I adored the design of the crow that shows up between each part in the book. I need a sticker of that crow to put on my car. I loved the story being told from five points of view and how the same detail was perceived differently by various characters. Case in point – Paul’s sexy look.
And, OH. MY. GOODNESS. A couple of the characters go to the toilet during this book!!! That should not be this thrilling but if you think about how rare it is for book and TV characters to use the bathroom, you’ll understand my excitement at discovering a book where it actually happens! You know that weird thing that toddlers do when they’re excited and their bodies kind of bounce up and down but they’re not at the jumping stage yet? Well, I made it to the toilet scene about 3am so imagine me doing the bouncing up and down thingy but sitting down. That’s how excited I was.
This book is essentially about fear, the fear of showing our true selves to the world. Each character has secrets that they’re terrified will surface and change the perception everyone has about them. Their insecurities stop them from living their lives as the person they truly are and so they wander around play acting as shadows, caricatures and sometimes downright opposites of themselves.
The writing style hooked me straight away and I really enjoyed the pacing in this book. Our contestants ran, fought and bled, but they also rested and talked, usually because they were using a first aid kit … but still. There are plenty of wounds with the appropriate level of blood spatter, swords, Shakespeare quotes, the theme from Jaws, knights, tigers, snot bubbles, so many dolls running around, a creepy clown (of course), a cheerful little wizard, and in keeping with 🦄 Unicorn Month 🦄 there’s even a brave carousel unicorn named Sparkles in this book!
Just in case you were wondering, yes, I’ve got the movie adaptation all figured out. Tim Burton is going to get on board and bring his good friend Johnny Depp, who is going to star as Maxwell Cartwright Jr., naturally. It’s going to be awesome, even if the official screening only ever runs in my head. Of course, you’re all invited but make sure you bring me a choc-top.
Thank you so much to Edelweiss and Soho Teen for the opportunity to read this book. This book deserves all the stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
GAME OVER
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Plenty of legends surround the infamous Boulder House in Whispering Bluffs, Wisconsin, but nobody takes them seriously. Certainly nobody believes that the original owner, Maxwell Cartwright Jr., cursed its construction — or that a murder of crows died upon its completion, their carcasses turning the land black. If anyone did believe it all, there’s no way River Red High would offer a field trip there for the senior class.
Five very different seniors on the trip — Violet, Paul, Ashley, Dylan, and Gretchen — have reasons beyond school spirit for not ditching the trip. When they’re separated from the group, they discover that what lies within Boulder House is far more horrifying than any local folklore. To survive, they’ll have to band together in ways they never could have imagined and ultimately confront the truths of their darkest selves.
This book deserves 5 stars for the illustrations alone! It has some of the most detailed and beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen in a children’s book. All of the animals in each picture have their very own personality and they’re just so cute and quirky! Whether it’s a squirrel with a mohawk, crabs building sandcastles, sharks attending school, penguins swordfighting with swordfish, a fruit salad chameleon or mosh pit bats and rats, there’s so much to see and laugh at. The story is simple, repetitive and fun for kids, but the real stories are what’s happening within the pictures. I adore this book!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The bear went over the mountain To see what he could see. What do you think he saw?
You won’t believe what the bear sees over this mountain!
A forest of squirrels singing, Setting ears a-ringing. Golly gosh! Oh my! Oh me! It was a sight to see.
Sing along with favourite children’s entertainer Jay Laga’aia’s bonus CD recording!
Well, here it is! The book that inspired 🦄 Unicorn Month! 🦄
I love this little book of unicorn wisdom! I just wish it was longer because I didn’t want it to end. Unicorn has got it all figured out. He lives in the moment, looks for the good in others, accepts himself for who he is and takes time to enjoy himself.
Sarah Ford gives the reader simple, bite sized pieces of self care that for some reason feel easier to apply to your life because a unicorn is the one dispensing the wisdom. Regardless of your mindset at the start I doubt anyone could make it through this book without a smile on their face and at least one cheeky chuckle.
Anita Mangan’s illustrations are just perfect. What would have been a cute book without the pictures turns into something you want to return to again and again with them. I fell in love with this quirky, adorable unicorn. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen a unicorn giving you a toothy smile or pole dancing. I had several smirks and chuckles during the book but my bursting out laughing moment came when Unicorn jumped in the puddles.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I’m going to be returning to this book whenever I need to recharge, smile and receive a gentle reminder that self care is a necessity, not a luxury.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Being a person is getting too complicated. Time to be a unicorn.
This little book of positivity features everyone’s favourite mythical creature. Each adorably illustrated spread includes a funny or inspiring piece of advice, reminding you to follow your dreams, and always think unicorn. The perfect gift for a friend in need of a boost, this cute and covetable book is bound to spread smiles wherever it goes!
Multiverse!!! So satisfied and happy and my imagination is firing all over the place and I wanna go on that ride again!!! Dialling … 1-2-3-0-0 …
I did the Dory thing with The Switch. I was so excited to read it and then before I started I got distracted by “ooh look, a book!”. New ones piled up and while this one wasn’t forgotten it lay in the middle of my brain trying desperately to climb its way to the top. So I’m late reading this one and kicking myself for it because I could’ve been living in Jacobus’ worlds weeks ago! Well, I’m here now and wow, what a ride!
The moral to this story (option 1): If you see a switch in a red house on a truck that’s not connected to electricity yet has a lightbulb turned on inside and there’s a sign in Latin next to the switch, maybe pop those words into Google and translate them before you flick the switch. Unless you’re Jacobus or Connor. If you are, just go for it!!!
As I was reading this book I kept thinking back to being obsessed with The Butterfly Effect when the first movie was released. For me, this was so many levels above The Butterfly Effect. The characters in this book weren’t the only travellers. I travelled with them through all of the worlds and I want to experience it all over again. I don’t know the last time I used this word but I kept thinking as I was reading that this book is exquisite. Father and son team A.W. Hill and Nathanael Hill have exploded my brain in such a wonderful way!
It is deep, so deep you could get in over your head if you don’t pay attention but if you take the time to read carefully, you’ll be rewarded greatly. The way that the knowledge of how travelling works is doled out in bite sized pieces is fantastic because otherwise my brain could have exploded from information overload instead, but as the characters learned more, I learned more. Then each time my brain said, “But hold on. How does that work? Why did that happen?”, one of the characters would ask something similar and my answer would come, usually from sweet, adorable, geeky, wise, catcher outfit wearing Gordon.
I know just enough sciencey stuff to be dangerous but not enough to be able to discuss the scientific validity of the events in this book so I’ll leave that for a different breed of nerd. However I was given the imagination bone (Huh? It’s not a bone?) and from an imagination standpoint, the authors get a jumping up and down ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. As a token of my appreciation I gathered each star from a different world for them and boy, was it awkward carrying them all home!
Some serious thought has gone into the way the universes work in The Switch – which rules apply universally, which rules rely on whether you pulled a switch or not, which parts of you remain you regardless of the universe you’re in.
I love a story that whets my appetite and makes me want to learn more. The Switch did that for me. I’ve had Brian Greene’s The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos calling me for way too long and I long to read that and then come back to experience The Switch again, this time as a sciencey-type person.
The moral to this story (option 2): The grass is not always greener on the other side. Who knows whether their grass is green or if they even have grass over there at all?!
In case you can’t tell, I loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the concept. I loved the execution. I love that it got my brain all tingly, wanting to learn. I love that it got my imagination doing gymnastics in my mind. I love the message that our choices have the power to change our world.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for the opportunity to read this book.
And now it’s time for a word from our sponsor:
Why does the food always sound so amazing when you’re reading?! This time it was a chocolate donut. Now, personally I prefer pink donuts but here I am reading about this supermarket chocolate one and all of a sudden I’m desperately craving it. So, I’ve decided there’s an untapped market out there.
There needs to be a service where food and drink companies make a deal with publishing companies so if you crave food that’s in your book you double tap the word/s and that sends an instant message to the service in your area. Someone from that service then drives to your house, knocks on your front door and says something like, “Please enjoy this complementary chocolate donut from the good folks at Krispy Kreme and Curiosity Quills Press.”
OK, stay with me. This may sound like an expensive marketing tool but if you think about it, the next time you want a donut you’re going to remember that freebie and you’re likely to choose that brand over the one that’s never done anything nice for you. The same thing could work for TV. Hmm.. [sound of brain cells hissing as they attempt to ignite] * ring, ring * “Hi, is that Shark Tank?” 🦈
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Imagine that you could change your world with the flip of a switch. You might be prettier, more athletic, more popular, or even living on an exotic island, because your history — your world line — would be different. But here’s the catch: you have no way of knowing if the reality on the other side of that switch will be better … or much worse.
Jacobus Rose is a fifteen year-old who believes — as many fifteen year-olds do — that his life could use improvement. School is a numbing routine, and his parents’ marriage seems to be imploding before his eyes. ‘Maybe I was born into the wrong world,’ he thinks. Lured by his best friend, Connor, into a strange little house containing nothing but empty rooms and an oversized circuit breaker, he’ll discover that reality comes in a plural form, and that our choices create a continuous web of branching worlds, any of which is as ‘real’ as another.
A solo odyssey becomes a duo, a trio, and then a quartet, as Jacobus befriends other interdimensional travelers along the way: Gordon Nightshade, the veteran pilgrim and chief theorist; Moses deWitt, the alley cat with an old soul; Jemma Doone, a girl of many-worlds who becomes the main river home for Jacobus and his crew; and finally, his lost friend Connor, who just may have preferred an alternate universe to his own.
The Switch is the story of their journey home. The question is: if they get there, will it be the same place they left behind?
Is a Worry Worrying You? is worrying me. I kid you not!
Suppose you had read a brilliant book by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz and you needed to write a review that shows just how good it is but you don’t know if your words can possibly explain your thoughts, when your thoughts about the book are more feelings than words.
Now that’s a worry!
But you can get rid of that worry by reading the book three times to yourself and then reading it to someone you know who worries a lot about a lot of things and ask them what they thought as well.
Because if you talk about a worry with someone else it’s easier to tell the worry to go away.
Suppose Marie Le Tourneau is an incredibly talented artist but you don’t know if you could ever be that talented or creative.
Now that’s a worry!
But you can get rid of that worry by admiring her talent and laughing along with the humour in her illustrations. You can also spend time searching out each picture for the worry monster you know will be lurking somewhere on every page.
You can remember that everyone has their own unique talents. Rather than spending time worrying about your weaknesses you can focus on your strengths and spend time doing what you’re passionate about.
Is a Worry Worrying You? may be intended for a young audience but adult worriers can also learn valuable tools while reading this book. After defining what a worry is, our authors take us on a guided tour of realistic worries children may have but told in a wild and wacky way. Like what to do if a gorilla borrows your skateboard but doesn’t return it to you when they say they will.
The reader is empowered with practical tools for managing and banishing worries along with some much needed perspective for worrywarts, reminding us that most of what we worry about doesn’t happen anyway.
I don’t know what I was so worried about. That wasn’t so hard after all. I guess I was right. This book is helpful for adults as well as children.
I think I need to reread this every time I have a worry to practice what I’ve learned until the worry monster doesn’t bring luggage each time he knocks on my door because he knows he won’t be invited to stay anymore.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Adults think of childhood as a carefree time, but the truth is that children worry, and worry a lot, especially in our highly pressurized era. This book addresses children’s worries with humour and imagination, as hilarious scenarios teach kids the use of perspective and the art of creative problem-solving.
It’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas! It’s my very first manga experience! What’s not to love?!
OK, so you know the story of The Nightmare Before Christmas, right? If you said “no” I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you and wait here patiently while you go watch the movie…
[Christmas carol elevator music plays in the background]
OK, so you know the story of The Nightmare Before Christmas, right? Great!!!
So you know that in Halloween Town, Jack the Pumpkin King is over it! After another successful Halloween Jack is disillusioned and wanders off, followed by his trusty ghost dog Zero. I love Zero! After finding a Christmas tree shaped door in a tree trunk Jack stumbles into Christmas Town where he discovers snow, colour and the wonders of Christmas. Jack decides he’s going to be Sandy Claws this year and gets the freaky folks of Halloween Town involved in the preparations. Then things kind of fall apart. Can Sally, who’s secretly in love with Jack, help to save the day? Will the kidnapped Santa Claus ever make it back to Christmas Town? Can Christmas be saved?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then obviously you haven’t been paying attention. I’ll wait here patiently while you go watch the movie…
[Christmas carol elevator music plays in the background]
Right, so now we all know the story, let me say that this manga book is absolutely brilliant! If this is what manga is all about then I’ve been seriously missing out. This story stays true to the magic of the original and the artwork still feels like you’re walking through Tim Burton’s mind. With the cover illustration by Natsuki Minami and manga by Jun Asuka, I’m sold!
Kids and adults alike will appreciate this book. It’s suitable for those who decorate their trees by November and still have them up in January and it’s also a great read for those like me whose December catchphrase is ‘Bah, humbug!’. Plus, there’s Halloween Town! Need I say any more??
Thank you so much to NetGalley, TokyoPop and Diamond Book Distributors for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King, the ruler of Halloween Town and master of all things creepy and spooky. But he’s tired of his life in the shadows and longs for something new. When he accidentally stumbles upon Christmas Town, he decides this is the perfect chance to try his hand at a brand new holiday and is convinced he’ll have the world yelling “Scary Christmas”! With the young patchwork doll Sally trying to dissuade him and the evil Oogie Boogie waiting in the wings to take over Halloween Town in Jack’s absence, he’d better hurry if he wants to get his plan in place by December 25th!
When her 300 pound hoarder mother tells this smart as a whip yet extraordinarily literal 14 year old daughter to get out, Bun does and leaves the remote place she has always resided (I refuse to call it a home or living). She finds her home in the city with a group of strangers, the names of almost all we never learn.
Bun’s father left when she was five, at which point her mother made her invisible. Telling everyone Bun had gone with her father, her mother withdrew her from school after she’d only attended Kindergarten and proceeded to focus solely on her hoard. Bun taught herself everything she knows from the various books and VHS tapes that made their way into the house with the towers of stuff her mother gathered. Yes, you read that right. I said VHS. We travel back to the 1980’s in this book.
So, with all of Bun’s book smarts, incredible talent for memorising entire documentaries (here’s to you, Jimmy Quinlan) and her lack of any form of contact with the world except possibly on Tuesdays when she’d walk half an hour to shower at the RV park, Bun is completely naive regarding social norms. She doesn’t lie, doesn’t tell jokes and she doesn’t do sarcasm. What comes out of her mouth is usually delightfully inappropriate and giggle worthy.
I’m bleepin’ certain that my heart grew larger while reading The Agony of Bun O’Keefe and I’m pretty sure Bun is going to inhabit that extra space for a long time to come. This story should be a tragedy, covering a range of themes including sexuality, abuse, neglect, abandonment, rejection, sexual assault, suicide, grief, discrimination and outright bigotry, yet it’s not. The reason it’s not? Bun O’Keefe and her family. Not the family she was born into. Nope. They suck.
I’m talking about her other family that all live in the same temporary accommodation – Busker Boy, Big Eyes (thanks for the lesson in fake swearing, Big Eyes), Chef and Cher who is sometimes Chris. [Oh, and Dragon Man lives in the attic in the temporary accommodation but he is most definitely not family and doesn’t deserve precious words wasted on him.]
This book follows the lives of a bunch of society’s supposed misfits who we’d all be better off knowing and we would be so blessed to be grafted into their family. Everyone in this family have histories that haunt them and as we learn more about them and their pasts, we learn to love them all. This group of loveable outcasts show compassion that they haven’t been given, understanding that they’ve been denied and a purity of love that I doubt they’ve often felt, if ever.
The writing style made me want to beg Heather Smith to give me writing lessons. There was a simplicity to the way this book read, like you’re listening in on a conversation, but told in such a gorgeous way. I almost feel as though Heather bewitched me because I can’t tell you exactly how she made me connect so deeply and so quickly to this many diverse characters but she did a brilliant job. This book brought echoes of Billie Letts’ writing style to mind, perhaps because of the host of quirky characters and the ability to put a knife through my heart yet give me hope at the same time.
This should be one of the most depressing stories you’ve ever read but it’s told with such grace and beauty that I wound up smiling at all of the funny little things that made their way out of Bun’s mouth. Beneath the surface you are sure to feel an ache for her and the life that she and her new family have endured, and sometimes that ache will flare into an open wound, but you will be OK because this family won’t let you wallow in your sadness for long. Yes, I did need Kleenex and yes, I did cry six times but I promise you that over half of those times they were ‘oh, that’s so beautiful’ tears.
The ending was so sweet I could almost taste it but that didn’t bother me in the slightest. After what these people have been through, they deserve every snippet of happiness that comes their way.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book. This book is now one of my all time favourites. Whatever Heather Smith writes, I plan to read, no questions asked.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Set in 1980’s Newfoundland, The Agony of Bun O’Keefe is the story of a 14-year-old girl who runs away to the city and is taken in by a street musician who lives with an eclectic cast of characters: a pot smoking dishwasher with culinary dreams; a drag queen with a tragic past; a Catholic school girl desperately trying to reinvent herself; and a man who Bun is told to avoid at all cost.
Rated M for mature audience, malice, murder and mayhem
Hmm… How do I review this one?! This is not your child’s comic book, that’s for sure. If you look at the cover and grin with an evil glint in your eye, you are in for a treat, my disturbed friend. If, however, the image of the girl holding onto a battle axe dripping with blood and a scene of the wanton destruction of cute creatures with googly eyes has you reaching for your teddy bear, then perhaps this isn’t the comic book for you.
With a not so attractive open fracture, black eye, missing teeth and blood spatter, Gertrude enters her dream come true … Fairyland! Guided by Larrigon Wentsworth III and armed with a map to all the known lands to help her on her way, bruised and battered Gertrude begins her quest to find the key that opens the doorway home.
Twenty seven years later, our green haired, frilly dress wearing dreamer is no longer the sweet little girl we first met in her pink bedroom prancing around with a wand in her hand. Our innocent princess has morphed into, well, let’s just say Fairyland has changed her.
With hug and fluff transformed into swear words, locations as cool (sorry!) as Ice Cream Island and weirdly beautiful, colourful scenes of devastation, I am hooked.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Superstar Skottie Young (Rocket Raccoon, Wizard of Oz) makes his Image debut with an ALL-NEW SERIES! The Adventure Time/Alice in Wonderland-style epic that smashes its cute little face against Tank Girl/Deadpool-esque violent madness has arrived. In an adventure that ain’t for the little kiddies, (unless you have super cool parents, then whatever), you’ll meet Gert — a six year old girl who has been stuck in the magical world of Fairyland for thirty years and will hack and slash her way through anything to find her way back home. Join Gert and her giant battle-axe on a delightfully blood soaked journey to see who will survive the girl who HATES FAIRYLAND.
Schizanthus Nerd 