Reviews written by Jan Farnworth, Staff Reviewer

The tension between Rune and Gideon is on point as they are recovering from Gideon's discovery that Rune is the Crimson Moth, a witch who, in his job as a witch hunter, has been ordered to capture and end her life. The big problem is that Gideon is head...

What I liked: The Ancients Game is an inventive story involving alchemy, magic, and ancient spirits. Set in the 1920s, adding African dystopian elements with alchemical magic and magical trials gives you the ingredients for a creative tale. Our main character has lots of luck and can achieve opportunities that...

What I liked: Aris and Blythe are married and are off on their honeymoon, but soon, Blythe finds out that she is instead doomed to live in gloomy, not very fancy, Wisteria. The forced marriage of Aris and Blythe sets up lots of feisty, witty banter between the not-so-in-love newlywedded...

What I liked: This is a strange, if compelling, story set in a dystopian time and place that covers much territory. It is a story of those who need to force their opinions on others and shun those who don't, or worse. Where women are subjugated, and boys are trained...

What I liked: The Assassian's Guide to Babysitting had just what I expected: an unexpected society with special powers, surprising twists, and secrets waiting to be uncovered. When True and her friend go to babysit that they are expecting to watch an innocent baby sleep, drool, and poop. What unfolds...

What I Liked: Immortal Dark is a fresh debut novel that uses morally grey characters, dark academia, secret societies, lovers-to-enemies romance, and restless strife to find the truth on the edge of your seat. Kidan has grown up far away from all that we soon learn about in this book....

Glass: A Cinderella Tale is a prequel to the Cinderella tale, giving us a back story on the fairy godmother named Bess in this version. As a family of glassblowers that sell trinkets to the rich, their whole house is glass, and Bess prefers living with real animals and plants,...

What I liked: A Criminal Organization intended to get a particular brand of cookies. Who doesn't like cookies and doesn't have a specific brand they think is the top of the line? Things go sideways when Keeper and another soon-to-be member end up with a box of money, not cookies....

Whispering Night is the final book in The Luminaries Series by Susan Dennard. Each cover of this series gets even darker and unique as we unravel what is happening in Hemlock Falls. In previous books, Winnie Wednesday's character sometimes felt younger than she was supposed to be, and her inner...

Sweet Nightmare by Tracy Wolff is a spin-off to the Crave series, and while you meet a character or two from Crave, you can read this book without feeling like you are missing too much. I do highly recommend reading the Crave series as well, though. Calder Academy is the...

B.B. Alston continues to write the most magical, high-stakes, complex middle-grade series I have ever enjoyed reading. Amari and The Despicable Wonders was a creative book with many fun twists, turns, and actual dark events that keep the story's stakes feeling as high as they're meant to. Amari continues to...

"The Last Elder King" by D.B. Collins takes readers on a spellbinding journey through the small town of Gilden, where magic and imagination come alive. In this middle-grade, coming-of-age fantasy, Max's life transforms when he stumbles upon his mage abilities and is transported to a fantastical realm. The novel weaves...

The Library Hides has so many twists and turns throughout the series that there wasn't a moment when I was bored. Inez was just everything. I loved her stubborn attitude and how, despite being hurt, she continued to love wholeheartedly. I love how her strength comes from her intelligence and...

All aboard for a rip-roaring, quirky, adventure-filled retelling of The Little Mermaid with pirates! Arrrrrrr. Like the previous books in the series, my Salty Mary takes a Historical Mary and puts a twist on it. The Mary for this one is about the infamous Pirate Mary Read. Mary Read left...

The Make-Believers is a debut picture book from Ryan Seacrest and his sister Meredith Seacrest Leach. The Seacrest siblings encourage readers to dream and make believe. They model starting small and continuing to grow dreams and imagination all of their lives. The focus is on children exploring their creativity and...