Reviews written by Joanne Mumley

A story where, “Adventures are dangerous… and villains are real.” Beetle Boy is the first book in a trilogy and a really fun read. M.G. Leonard does a fantastic job weaving a page turning mystery with cool facts about science and bugs. Her story line is so...

This is Shonna Slayton’s sequel to her first book, Cinderella’s Dress.This fairytale retelling due is not the version of Cinderella we grew up watching. Instead, she has taken Cinderella’s tale and placed it in a completely different reality. This pair of Cinderella’s shoes finds itself in the 1940’s and ...

Dead Boy is an easy and fun read about Crow. It is loaded with magic, suspense, and wonderful characters. Crow and his friend Melody are likeable characters. While they have different views about life and death, they respect each other and their journey together is just great to read. The...

City of Halves has a great pace, a strong narrative, some romance, a little bit of adventure, danger, and the best of all monsters. The book starts off slowly, with a girl who is obviously an amazing hacker of systems and computers. But the pacing quickly...

The Afterlife Academy if a fun filled adventure. It deals with demons and ghosts, in a humorous way, while also weaving in themes of bullying and the challenges of growing up. Frank L.Cole does a fabulous job creating realistic middle grade voice. The best part is...

Once I read Emerge: The Awakening, I had to read more about these unique characters. There were so many questions left unanswered. Knowing The Edge was the prequel, I wanted to keep reading, but figured a lot of what I wanted to know probably wouldn't be addressed. But that wasn't...

Inspired by real life artist James Hampton's life and work, it hard to believe that Shelley Pearsall book is fiction. She builds a world and creates characters that give readers an opportunity to reflect on their own attitudes and actions as they interact with those characters others may be viewed...

Emerge: The Awakening is an impressive story by Melissa A. Craven and I can't wait to read the second book. The entire premise is intriguing. The concept of immortals, their origins, and what happens when they live amongst mortal humans had me hooked from the start. ...

Reminiscent of James Swanson's Chasing Lincoln's Killer, Lincoln's Spymaster is a great addition to any young reader's shelf of historical nonfiction. This part of history is not often told and is very intriguing. Seiple's book covers different investigations that occurred during the time of Lincoln and Pinkerton; from an...

There are not a lot of memoirs for YA that feel accessible to a broad range of readers. Angela Blount’s memoir grabs your attention from the very first page. The story was engaging till the very end. The way she captures your attention is flawless. As a reader, you...

Becoming Darkness takes a new spin on alternative history. In this reality, Nazis unleashed a powerful virus during the height of WWII. While the virus killed most of the human population it left behind 200 million newly turned vampires. One of those vampires? Hitler. The people who find themselves...

An excellent 2nd book in The Mapmakers Trilogy; I loved this one even more than the first book. In The Golden Specific, S.E Grove builds a more intricate storyline. Sophia is still searching for her parents but there is an added twist. The book catches you...

Retellings of fairy tales have always been my favorite. That is what’s great with fairytales. Throughout history they change and transform to match society and culture. Dark retellings always catch my eye first. The Brothers Grimm were dark story tellers and then centuries later Disney came along and lightened...

I am a big fan of history and looking at old maps. I love the epic trilogies that include the origins of the land and map out the settings. I also love alternative universe and history storylines. This debut novel from S.E. Grove brings together everything! The Glass...

The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett is disturbing and amazing ride. Reminiscent of Orphan Black, The Unquiet deals with tough topics including morality and ethics. As a reader, you are forced to unravel each layer of the book to see what really is hidden underneath. Imagine a world where you...