Welcome to Litsy!

I think Jessica Vitalis‘s heart in this story was admirable and true. There are some beautiful, touching lines that capture the essence of grief quite well and I do believe using fantasy to help children (as well as adults!) process grief is a wonderful idea. However, I expected something significantly more adventurous. It did not feel as if much happened in this story. There was a great deal of focus on death and grief with very little action.

This MG debut has garnered positive blurbs & while I found it to be well-written, the writer used a device that kept pulling me out of the story. So much so, I skimmed much of the book. It is a device, however, that I expect young readers will not have a problem with. All that being said, it‘s a good story about grief, friendship, lies & secrets, tradition & community. I would read more by this author but this one was just ok. On sale 9/21/21.

Today‘s #bookhaul—all middle grade and YA this time.