Reviews written by Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer

What worked: Unique twist on a fantasy tale where the author drew a tarot card to set the mood of each chapter. Originally this was an e-serial where readers got to vote on the direction of the next chapter. I've always loved whenever authors write outside of the box. In...

Hughie Wolfe is excited to be part of Harvest House, his community's Halloween project until he finds out that the legend of the "Indian maiden" will be the highlight. There have been rumors in the town of a supernatural presence that seems attracted to mostly Indigenous women. Some of these...

It's Chicago 1910 and the Davenports are one of the few wealthy Black families in the city. Mr. Davenport is a formerly enslaved man who founded the Davenport Carriage Company years ago. Within his family there is drama. The oldest Olivia is set to marry a handsome man from England...

What worked: This book had me hooked right at the beginning. I love a good ghostly story but this one is much more! Add a strong Black protagonist with an unwanted ability to see the dead. There's not one, but two stories that run parallel to each other with...

In this contemporary YA, Samantha 'Sam' Kang doesn't understand her tight-laced mother. After a fight, a strange ride share ends up taking her back in time where she meets her mother as a teen. Sam ends up thinking she needs to make things right in 1995 by helping her...

What worked: A good practical guide and a good start for those curious about such things as tarot readings, witchcraft, astrology, and much more. This book uses a collection of eclectic sources that help guide readers toward self-fulfillment and discovery. The author touches on a...

Eighteen-year-old Wren's dream British trip ends up turning out like nothing she had planned. Not only is she sick with a virus most of the trip, but she also ends up missing her flight back to the states. She ends up running into a British prince who is fleeing. Add...

What worked: BLACK MIRROR in space where not all is what it seems. There are so many twists, turns, and quirky reveals in this Sci-fi dystopian novel where two boys fall in love while on the run of their lives in outer space. Noa wakes...

Seventeen-year-old Evan Bright has been in and out of boarding schools. She's also the illegitimate daughter of the King of England. When disaster hits her last boarding school, she finds herself in London with a father she doesn't remember and his current royal family. Her stepmother resents her presence and...

What worked: Engaging fantasy of a girl who struggles with her magical ability. After the death of her beloved grand-mere, fifteen-year-old Sylvie leaves her small village, searching for a teacher to help guide her with her gift. The novel goes over how the women in Sylvie's family are known as...

Frankincense 'Frankie' works at her family's holiday store. Her family also has a Santa farm where people come from all over to learn how to be a good Santa and even Ms. Santa. Readers see how much this family LOVES Christmas from the decorations to even the little fact that...

In this sequel, it's close to twenty years after Buffy sealed the Hellmouth-Sunnydale. After a terrible explosion, Buffy is feared dead. Only it gets out that maybe she might still in fact be alive. The new slayer in town is Frankie. She's the daughter of Willow. Spike is her Watcher....

What worked: Powerful portrayal of the complicity of friendship and small acts of resistance during WWII Nazi Germany. This story shows the underground contraband Swingjugend movement and American Jazz in Berlin before and during the war. Friends Geli, Charlie, Minna, and Renate start with discovering the joy of Swingjugend....

It's senior year and Maeve and her friends carry on after they helped break the Housekeeper's spell over Lilly. In the process, they all have some supernatural gift. Mixed into all of this is the uncertainty of their futures after school. Only the Children of Brigid aren't finished with...

What worked: I'm a huge fan of Neal Shusterman's Scythe series and of short story anthologies. GLEANINGS delivers on both of these and more! Readers get to read about other Scythes in this very engaging novel. Here's a few of...