This was a very convoluted tale which should have been edited prior to publication. The drama was extreme and the actual emotions lacking. Unbelievable reactions by characters. The only thing that rang true was the gross behavior of the media.

This was a well-written, well-illustrated story of feeling you have to be someone you are not. The only problem was several of the word bubbles were slightly off so it cut off part of the letters which was irritating.

The discrepancy between how important Saffron's financial independence and career are to her and how much time she actually spends at her job and on her plants was quite large and rather irritating. Also, it felt like there wasn't much of a conclusion to this one. The pacing was good and the relationships were more interesting.

This was a sweet story but I think most kids will lose interest before they hit their reading stride.The ending just sort of ran out.

3.5

The characters were wonderfully vivid. The grinding poverty and desperation were very well described. It is unfortunate that this feels more contemporary than it should.

If you are looking for a linear narrative, you won‘t find it here. These sparkling vignettes told by a generous, sparkling, and restless soul are beautiful to behold while sometimes feeling hard to follow. May she rest in love and beauty.

This ended up being a beautiful story of supportive relationships and strong women. It started out as a rage-inducing story of a man manipulating and taking advantage of a young girl. I almost dnf‘d it. I am in a rage often enough these days. I am glad I finished it.

The main character seemed slightly less impetuous in this one. It was still quite unrealistic to the time period.

A slow, interconnected tale of people, time, and the land. Some of the stories were more engaging than others.

Light pick. This was a fun, cozy mystery set in the 1920s. It is not true to the societal norms of the time. It was interesting.

An interesting collection of trivia. It was quite a bit of information to digest at one time.

Light pick. Atmospheric with an intricate plot. There were certain plot points that seemed to be contradictory to the world building. Still a good time.

This almost reminds me of a less descriptive historical mystery than the Maisie Dobbs series. A quick, fun tale with interesting historic bits.

This book was great fun! I enjoyed figuring out the riddles along with Caspia and her friends.

It was a slow start but when the action finally started, it was amazing. Emotional and hopeful.

This is a plot heavy novel and the pace of the narrative was exhausting at times. It is also the third in a series which I did not know. This was a nice change of pace from my usual books.

I don‘t think this author had a clear idea of where they wanted this story to go. Too many strings and not enough bows.

The Otherwhere Post is a propulsive, magical tale of danger, romance, and secrets. The atmosphere is intense and the characters are vibrant.

Pointless

Cute story of wizards and magical familiars.

The Gentleman Cat makes life decisions and shares his commandments. The illustrations are gorgeous and the short episodes of cat life are warmly amusing.

These novellas are packed with philosophy of the most heartwarming kind.

If someone used AI to write a novel in spanglish with the plot and character development of a game of clue, they could sell it as a fun cozy mystery for $25.

This has the fast-paced adventure of a western but with much more depth of character.

Grit and grief and so much anger lead a young boy to a deplorable act and an expectation of great feats. This was a stellar novel told partially in poetry and partially in epistolary format. Frequent mentions of Sept 11 and the aftermath.

This was fine. It didn‘t have the pull of the first book. Not sure I will continue.

The story of past heartache and a new quest for home unravels slowly. There is much in the way of family drama but it is resolved pretty easily.

This was a great story. It was funny and had a good message but wasn‘t as heavy as many books these days.

Fun and imaginative. This should be required reading for politicians.

This was a rather concise explanation of Ukrainian history region by region which is immensely helpful when dealing with such a contentious shifting of borders. It was conversational. Occasionally, the editing was a bit lax but the info was great. Feel free to use 5-calls to express your thoughts on Ukraine and fascism in our country.

What a lovely melding of stories. The lives of past and present blend together in this story of an Irish village. The characters and atmosphere are superb. I was fortunate to win a give away sponsored by Shawn Breathes Books. @shawnmooney

This was a messy family road trip novel. These complex characters filled the pages with sadness, determination, anger, and regret. However, as the trip progressed, they made room for love. The resolution was a bit quick and frustratingly incomplete. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC.

I read books about diseases frequently but still learned things from this book geared towards kids.

Hans Fallada survived Nazi Germany, wrote a novel based on the story of Otto and Elise Hampel in 24 days, and then died before its publication. If that wasn‘t tragic enough, his depiction of the grinding away of morality, loyalty, and self-respect to leave a society immersed in fear and loathing is exceptional.

The author spent the first half of this very angsty story working around a storyline instead of telling it. It should have built suspense but for the most part built annoyance. The last bit was much better.

This sequel is quite fun. The pacing was a bit off and some strings should have been tied up but the friendship was great and the characters were complex. The mythological aspects were interesting. Who hasn‘t thought Zeus an unfaithful putz? Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an ARC.

Nevermoor is beset by a mysterious illness which causes its victims to become violent and then catatonic. The character growth Morrigan experiences is wonderful. It was a bit of a disappointment to find her friends somewhat sidelined. The war against bigotry and fake news was apropos. Next in the series is due out in May.

“The thing about numpties, Mog, is that they can always find plenty of other numpties to believe their numpty nonsense. You know what they say: You‘re never more than six feet away from a numpty.”—oh, I definitely feel this!

This was a lovely read in a dark time for humanity.

With a wavering timeline and shifting points of view, this was a dark nightmare of Peruvian storytelling. It was somewhat difficult to follow but the claustrophobic terror felt real.

Sad, funny, lovely….emotionally devastating. This was great.

This was interesting but not engaging. The characters resembled game pieces. If there was a plot, it was vague enough to escape notice. The author‘s descriptions of the dust storms were the most visceral and true of anything in the novel.

A magical hotel and animal sanctuary are a fantastic setting for an adventure featuring dragons, trigers, poachers and dark magic. There were a few unanswered questions. The plot was fast-paced. The characters were well rendered.

I am late in reviewing this April ARC. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing it. In a rather hectic month, this provided the steam, heart, and laughs one always loves in their rom com. It also proved grumpy characters don‘t need to be jerks.

A new detective agency, a treasure hunt, and a few felonies later….This was great fun. There was adventure galore, humor, personal growth, and the mention of lots of yummy food.

This was not my favorite. It was incredibly predictable.

Korman is a reliable good read. Great characters, lots of humor, and some heartwarming moments are his bread and butter.

This is rather strange…haven‘t decided if I like it yet.

April is poetry month and this little story in verse covers many different and serious topics without delving deep enough to become bogged down.

This is an intense and chaotic adventure exploring the perils of the internet: swatting, isolation, extremism, cancelling, and just letting our worst selves out to play. In internet land, there is no making a mistake and learning from it and then we are surprised when this atmosphere pushes people even further into the darker corners. This was almost too intense at times because as crazy as the plot is, it could so easily happen.