Reviews written by C.J. Redwine

If you love thrillers, then THE SAFEST LIES is the book for you. Tight pacing, a spiraling sense of increasing doom, secrets that lead to more secrets, and a hook at the end of every chapter that refuses to let the reader close the book make this one of the...

Wow. This book is captivating, unique, devastating, heartbreaking, and utterly brilliant. I couldn't put it down. The heroine has such a vivid, interesting voice, and the premise is fascinating. But what really takes this book into 5 star territory are the twists and turns. The heroine becomes...

This book is a vivid, colorful array of silly comics that each emphasize one of the long vowel sounds. Early readers will delight in the madcap nonsense while getting excellent practice with their long vowels. At the end of the book, there is a page that recaps the rules of...

This lively collection of brightly illustrated comics does an excellent job of helping early readers nail down short vowel sounds. Each comic focuses on one short vowel sound, and there are plenty of sight words to aid early readers as they learn. The back of the book has all of...

In this fun, engaging book, Pig learns that life is better when you include your friends. Early readers will be able to fully participate with the story as the rhymes and sight words make reading along easier. The humor and exaggerated situations are hilarious to younger readers. This will be...

FALLOUT is fresh, engaging, and impossible to put down. From the first page, readers will be captivated by the voice of Lois Lane, narrator and rebel with a hundred causes. The author perfectly captures Lois's indomitable spirit while also giving us a glimpse of ordinary teen loneliness and a deep...

What I Loved: THE ORPHAN QUEEN is a compelling, action-packed fantasy adventure full of vigilante shenanigans, secret identities, palace intrigue, and magic that frankly terrified me once I realized what was going on. From the first page, the reader is thrust into the action, and the story...

What I Loved: The premise of THE LAST ACADEMY and the plot twists that keep the reader guessing are fascinating. The reader is constantly off-balance, constantly trying to figure out what is going on beneath the surface of the academy. There is a...

What I Loved: The tense, atmospheric tone of FIND ME makes for a compulsively readable story. The suspense never relents, and as more questions are raised and the villain circles near, it's almost painful to keep reading because the reader is convinced that Wick is destined for...

In this action-packed conclusion, Cordova brings her fantastic trilogy to its full potential. True to the other books in the series, THE VAST AND BRUTAL SEA is full of compelling mythology, fascinating plot twists, heartbreaking betrayal, and funny moments. Romance, friendship, family, loyalty, and the lengths a person will go...

THE GIRL FROM THE WELL is a triumph of a debut novel. Steeped in Japanese culture and mythology, fraught with atmosphere and tension, this unusual story is told from the perspective of a vengeful ghost whose narrative is at once compelling, heartbreaking, and compulsively entertaining. It's...

Gorgeously atmospheric, lyrical and fraught with tension, BEWARE THE WILD is a stunning debut. Fans of southern Gothic will want to drop everything and go buy this book. The setting, as much a character in the book as the characters themselves, is steeped in authentic Louisiana culture, and the tired...

Rocky Zang in the Amazing Mr. Magic is yet another charming installment in the Judy Moody and Friends series. Independent readers will devour this book, which uses kid friendly humor and bright, engaging illustrations to further draw in the reader. The children in this series are very authentic and relatable...

In this follow up to Ms. Lobel's 10 HUNGRY RABBITS, Mama Rabbit becomes ill and must rest in bed while Papa Rabbit leaves to get medicine for her. Her ten little rabbits decide to take it upon themselves to do things to make her feel better. They bring her hot...

The third installment in the ALIEN IN MY POCKET series continues the saga of Zack, Olivia, and the little blue alien Amp with action, plans gone awry, and drama. The pacing is swift, the chapters short enough to keep younger readers engaged without short-changing the plot, and the illustrations break...