Reviews written by Ashley Sickora

I picked this up expecting a cozy fantasy adventure and instead got my heart lightly stomped on by a cursed fox with magic issues. I absolutely loved The Beasts of Winter: A Daggers of Ire Novel by J.C. Cervantes. Reading this from Fetch’s perspective pulled...

A Fall Day for Bear by Bonny Becker is like wrapping yourself in a cozy blanket on a crisp autumn afternoon. Becker brings back Bear and Mouse, the lovable duo from A Visitor for Bear but this time, the usually grumbly Bear has to step into the role of comforter....

I just finished this and wow, my heart is still thumping! Bunns is born with unusually short ears, a bad omen, in her warren but her heartsong tells the real story: courage, curiosity, and a destiny all her own. When the world outside the burrow...

This was a heartfelt and engaging young adult coming-of-age story that explores identity, ambition, and the complexities of family and first love. The story follows Kat as she deals with cultural differences, intense heat, and the challenge of maintaining her fitness goals in secret. As her web of secrets grows,...

Refugee is one of those books that sticks with you long after you close the cover. It weaves together the stories of three kids Josef escaping Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Isabel fleeing Cuba in the 1990s, and Mahmoud escaping war-torn Syria in 2015. Three different time periods, three different...

The Last Resort & The Claiming by Erin Entrada Kelly Spooky, emotional, and beautifully written! A haunted Victorian inn serves as a waystation for ghosts, blending mystery and grief with a deeply personal supernatural touch.

I flew through The Star of Moon Village and instantly loved Priscilla’s no-nonsense, science-first attitude. Space travel, underground moon labs, and rich-people nonsense? Yes, please. Watching her push back against privilege, expectations, and an old frenemy made this one feel smart, funny, and quietly empowering. Science does fight back, and...

Murder mystery? Check. Creepy woods? Oh yeah. A girl detective with major X-Files energy? We’re in! So Freddie Gellar is just your average teen with a love for true crime, a solid moral compass, and zero chill when she hears blood-curdling screams in the woods....

The Last Resort & The Claiming by Erin Entrada Kelly Spooky, emotional, and beautifully written! A haunted Victorian inn serves as a waystation for ghosts, blending mystery and grief with a deeply personal supernatural touch.

Imagine drinking a root beer so potent you literally never sleep again. That’s Kaz’s life now! This book is a neon-soaked, bagel-filled riot. Watching Kaz and his new bestie Floyd navigate the secret nighttime world of Philly was pure magic. It’s funny, quirky, and makes you wonder: if you had...

Pack your bags and your horse because we’re going on an epic quest. Tick aka Small Wonder has six moons to save a kingdom, and the stakes are high. This is one of those beautiful, heart-tugging stories about brotherhood and legacy that feels like a modern classic. It’s gritty, adventurous,...

Listening to Bitten by Jordan Stephanie Gray was like being dropped headfirst into a storm of danger, desire, and dark secrets and I loved every minute of it. From the opening chapter, I was hooked. There’s something so magnetic about the way Gray writes sharp,...

Our book club just finished The Tinkerers by Caroline Carlson and let me tell you we spent half the meeting laughing, half gasping, and the other half yes, math is optional in Stargazers Valley wishing we had our own not-a-clock to undo a few questionable life choices. ...

Reading Lost Evangeline felt like stepping into a fairy tale I didn’t know I needed. Kate DiCamillo’s storytelling has this way of feeling both timeless and brand new, and paired with Sophie Blackall’s illustrations, it’s pure magic! I was instantly captivated by the shoemaker who...

This is a great new science fiction romance read with a compelling journey through a world where time itself is the ultimate commodity! The characters are great and this is a duology so there will be more of them and this world! I loved how Moon and Margos' personalities complement...