Favorite Children’s Books of 2022

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This year I read more children’s and middle grade books than I have been reading, mostly because I felt like revisiting my favorites. I’m not going to count these down in order because I can’t really rank them, but I’ll just share which ones I rated 5 stars.

• Percy Jackson and the Olympians, books 1-5 by Rick Riordan I had so much fun rereading these. It’s been like 12 years since I’ve picked them up but I still loved them so much. I’m planning to work the next series, The Heroes of Olympus, into my 2023 reading.
• Arc of a Scythe, books 1-4 by Neal Shusterman This was a reread partly for book club and partly because book 4, Gleanings, came out this fall. I couldn’t wait to get into that world again. Some killer (pun intended!) suspense and great plot twists in here.
• The Amulet of Samarkand, Bartimaeus Trilogy book 1 by Jonathan Stroud. I was hoping to get to all of these this year, but that didn’t happen. Instead I plan to read books 2 & 3 next year. Great complex characters in here and some prime worldbuilding.
• Love Is by Diane Adams A brief picture book about a girl who is adopted by a baby duck. For some reason, this really captured my heart. Genuine emotion, charming illustrations, and a sweet but not saccharine storyline. Available from Kindle Unlimited.
• The Bad Seed by Jory John I read all of his books I could get my hands on, but the first book is my favorite. Clever wordplay and illustration and goofy humor, what’s not to like? Also free on KU.
• The Great Troll War by Jasper Fforde, The Last Dragonslayer book 4 by Jasper Fforde. Every time he gets his characters into the most desperate situations and I think there’s no possible way out of it this time and every time he comes up with the craziest solutions. I love Jennifer and these books are seriously underrated.
• Nona the Ninth, The Locked Tomb series book 3 by Tamsyn Muir. I was so lost when I started this one but it was so good. I was just devastated by the story. Don’t start here. If for some reason you haven’t read this series, be sure you start with Gideon the Ninth.

And that’s my list of the best children’s/YA/MG I have read this year. It was a good year! Tell me what you’ve been reading in the comments. Have a great weekend and happy reading!

Saturday Series

The Hampstead Murders Series by Guy Fraser-Sampson

I discovered this series earlier this year and I’m so glad I did. I love a good old-fashioned mystery, like the ones written by Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers or Margery Allingham. I also love a police mystery, like the Midsomer Murders series. When I found a series that seemed to combine the best of both worlds, I was really interested. Add in that these are all available through Kindle Unlimited, and I was happy to download the first book. It starts with

Death in Profile.

“The genteel façade of London’s Hampstead is shattered by a series of terrifying murders, and the ensuing police hunt is threatened by internal politics, and a burgeoning love triangle within the investigative team. Pressurised by senior officers desperate for a result a new initiative is clearly needed, but what?

Intellectual analysis and police procedure vie with the gut instinct of ‘copper’s nose’, and help appears to offer itself from a very unlikely source – a famous fictional detective. A psychological profile of the murderer allows the police to narrow down their search, but will Scotland Yard lose patience with the team before they can crack the case?
Praised by fellow authors and readers alike, this is a truly original crime story, speaking to a contemporary audience yet harking back to the Golden Age of detective fiction. Intelligent, quirky and mannered, it has been described as ‘a love letter to the detective novel’. Above it all hovers Hampstead, a magical village evoking the elegance of an earlier time, and the spirit of mystery-solving detectives.”

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I was not sure about the reference to a “burgeoning love triangle,” but in the book it’s not as steamy as it sounds. Every book (so far) centers around a classic mystery writer or theme. In Death in Profile, book 1, the writer is Dorothy L. Sayers. Book 2 is called Miss Christie Regrets. The publishers say, “Praised by leading crime-writers, and garnering rave reviews from book bloggers, the books have been described as elegant, intelligent, quirky and ‘a love letter to the detective novel’.” I’ve read the first four book and I’m waiting to read book 5.

I love the clever plots and the frequent allusions to classic mysteries. That’s definitely ones of the most fun aspects of the books. But the characters are also a big draw. The first story opens when a new head is brought into Hampstead police office, Detective Superintendent Simon Collison. He picks a new team and reshuffles the detective division. They also bring in profiler Peter Collins. There’s some resentment there and plenty of interpersonal drama. All of it just sucks you in. If you are also a mystery lover, give this series a try.

 

 

Halloween

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It’s Fright Night and I’m in the mood to share a horror recommendation. This one is also Throwback Thursday since this review already appeared here.

The Wandering Land by Jamie Killen

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good, creepy story. My idea of great horror is something that takes the familiar and makes it slightly but definitely other, then taking the story and letting the otherness grow until the whole story is just horrifying. It doesn’t even have to have supernatural stuff in it – a creepy, suspenseful story is always immensely satisfying. One example would be We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I loved the book description on The Wandering Land, and I was really hoping the story was just as good.

I was right. Killen delivers a very satisfying story with a truly creepy payoff. The story starts with five different people who all discover a way into a hidden world. Each of the five is creative in a different way – an artist, a writer, a cartoonist, an editor, and a musician – and they discover that through their art they can create new and sometimes unsettling changes to this hidden world.

As they redesign the world, they are given tasks to complete, all at the direction of a hidden queen. The further they progress in their tasks, the more the world begins taking hold of their every day life as well. Soon it becomes almost impossible to separate the two. They have to dive deep to uncover the history of this wandering land if they are all going to be able to free themselves from its spell.

There was so much to enjoy about this book. First, I loved the concept of a hidden world that chooses its new residents. It’s set in Tuscon, and I think that’s a great place to imagine a portal to a hidden world. The desert is definitely a landscape where you feel like anything could happen.

But my favorite part of this book was the characters. While the story was great, well-imagined and original, the characters were the part that really made this story shine for me. I loved that the author was able to get such diverse group of characters without making it seem like she was just checking off boxes for the sake of diversity. Lovers Darcy and Wes work together on a comic, but they have to work hard to overcome the differences in their upbringing. Eli has a family to support but he can’t help feeling this connection to the wandering land that threatens to overshadow his responsibilities. Amal is a professor who has just moved in with her girlfriend. And Coyote has no family, only one friend, and lives only for her music. Each character has a compelling back story and a unique voice.

In short, I’m really glad I had a chance to read this one. I haven’t read any other books from this author, but I would definitely recommend this one.

I did receive this book for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. It is currently available through Kindle Unlimited.

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. The meme is pretty easy to follow, to participate simply choose a random book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it!

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

I heard about this book from another blogger who had it on their TBR list for October, thanks to the spooky vibe. Look at that great cover- it just warns you that this book will Mess. You. Up.

Synopsis:

1906: A large manor house, Wake’s End, sits on the edge of a bleak Fen, just outside the town of Wakenhyrst. It is the home of Edmund Stearn and his family – a historian, scholar and land-owner, he’s an upstanding member of the local community. But all is not well at Wake’s End. Edmund dominates his family tyrannically, in particular daughter Maud. When Maud’s mother dies in childbirth and she’s left alone with her strict, disciplinarian father, Maud’s isolation drives her to her father’s study, where she happens upon his diary.

During a walk through the local church yard, Edmund spots an eye in the undergrowth. His terror is only briefly abated when he discovers its actually a painting, a ‘doom’, taken from the church. It’s horrifying in its depiction of hell, and Edmund wants nothing more to do with it despite his historical significance. But the doom keeps returning to his mind. The stench of the Fen permeates the house, even with the windows closed. And when he lies awake at night, he hears a scratching sound – like claws on the wooden floor…

Wakenhyrst is a terrifying ghost story, an atmospheric slice of gothic, a brilliant exploration of the boundaries between the real and the supernatural, and a descent into the mind of a psychopath.

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One of my GR friends recommended this one highly and it sounds like a good creepy read. I’m not sure if it’s going to be paranormal or psychological or maybe a little of both or either, but I’m looking forward to trying it out. Also it’s free on Kindle Unlimited so I’ve got literally nothing to lose. What do you think? Have you heard of this one?

Throwback Thursday

Hey readers! Today I’m going to share another book that I read a long time ago. It’s called Just As I Am by Virginia Smith.

Book description

When purple-haired Mayla Strong struts down the center aisle of Salliesburg Independent Christian Church, the bug-eyed congregation strains to get a peek at her pierced nose and lip. But Pastor Paul welcomes her with a huge, infectious grin and baptizes her on the spot. Determined to make her Heavenly Father proud, Mayla’s sincere and often hilarious attempts to let Him change her from the inside out take her into some difficult places. Through it all she grows in faith and wisdom–sometimes through pain, sometimes through humor, but always in a way that is uniquely Mayla. 

My review

This one reads like a memoir, but it’s fiction. Mayla isn’t your typical looking Christian. She has purple hair and multiple piercings. But she really is committed to giving her life to Christ.

Mayla is a very appealing character. It was a great reminder that you really can’t judge a person by what’s on the outside. She just has a big capacity to love without reserve. Her friends ask her to visit a dying stranger in the hospital. She isn’t excited about it at first, but she can’t help making a friend. And I couldn’t help rooting for her. A fun book.

Update

I do think that times have changed and maybe it’s slightly dated?. Today coloring your hair in wild colors, piercings, and tattoos are so much more mainstream. In some conservative churches and in some parts of the country, Mayla would still stand out enough to get some stares, but in a big city, no one would look twice. I’m glad I had the chance to look through my old reviews because I’d almost forgotten about this one. It is available on Kindle Unlimited. I liked it enough that I’m going to go see what else the author has written.

 

 

The Dark Angels: A Series Review

The Dark Angels series by Ian Whates

Pelquin’s Comet Book 1

The Ion Raider Book 2

I love Kindle Unlimited. It’s just such a good value for the money. I will admit that there are plenty of duds out there. The editing is hit or miss on these books, but even if I find a book that’s just completely bad, it’s not like it cost me any money. And the fun thing is that I find some entirely new authors that I don’t think I would have heard of otherwise.

That’s how I found this series. The author has been writing for quite some time, but I’d never heard of him until Amazon kept pushing book 1 over and over. Finally I decided to give it a try.

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Book description

In an age of exploration and expansion, the crew of the freetrader Pelquin’s Comet – a rag-tag group of misfits, ex-soldiers and ex-thieves – set out to find a cache of alien technology, intent on making their fortunes; but they are not the only interested party and find themselves in a deadly race against corporate agents and hunted by the authorities. Forced to combat enemies without and within, they strive to overcome the odds under the watchful eye of an unwelcome guest: Drake, agent of the bank funding their expedition, who is far more than he seems and may represent the greatest threat of all.

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If that reminds you a bit of Firefly or Han Solo, you’re not alone. But what really made the book is that there are so many more layers to the story than that brief description indicates. Every member of the crew has a secret, and their stories interweave in surprising ways.

Then we get to book 2, which I will not give a description of because there are spoilers, but it starts off with a completely new set of characters. The story travels in an unexpected direction and ends on a cliffhanger so extreme, I actually gasped out loud. If I had been reading a physical book, I think I would have dropped it.

I hope that I’ve got you interested in this one. It doesn’t seem to have a lot of readers, but I really enjoyed it. I’m waiting for book 3 to be released, but so far, this has been an amazing science fiction series.

Limelight: a review

Limelight by Emily Organ (Penny Green #1)

Synopsis

How did an actress die twice?

London, 1883. Actress Lizzie Dixie drowned in the River Thames, so how was she murdered five years later in Highgate Cemetery?

Intrepid Fleet Street reporter Penny Green was a friend of Lizzie’s and Scotland Yard needs her help. Does Penny unwittingly hold clues to Lizzie’s mysterious death? Penny must work with Inspector James Blakely to investigate the worlds of theatre, showmen and politicians in search of the truth.

But who is following her? And who is sending her threatening letters?

Penny is about to discover that Lizzie’s life was more complicated, and dangerous, than she could ever have imagined.

Review

I finished this one yesterday and found myself trying to figure out how I felt about the book. I mean, I didn’t HATE it, but I didn’t like it either. Penny, our MC, has an interesting back story, but I still thought her actions didn’t make a lot of sense. In the end, I think it was just that writing was pretty – well, average. We only got to really know 2 characters in the book, and they were still a little flat. The pacing was off, all the action occurs in the beginning and the very end. There was a lot of telling, a lot of dialogue, but not much to hint at what characters were actually feeling. I do enjoy this time period, and I admit to being intrigued by the female reporter angle. But really, there are better Victorian era mysteries out there. I would not recommend this one and I don’t plan on reading more by this author. However, it is a first novel, so it’s possible the series gets better as it goes on. I won’t be bothered to find out.

Back from vacation!

My trip was great! Of course, I was worn out when we got back, and I had a lot of catching up to do. But I’ve been away from my blog for too long so I wanted to share a couple of reviews with you.

I didn’t get as much reading in this week, but I do have 2 books I DNFd.

The first was a debut mystery, Turnstone by Graham Hurley. Based on Portsmouth, England, the book description said it was about a missing man. But after reading to a while, there was no indication of that case and I had found five typos. Not interesting enough to continue.

Then I found Zero Limit, which sounded like a cross between Artemis and Armageddon. Unfortunately, I guessed the disaster and who would die first long before it happened. The idea sounded good, but the writing wasn’t up to it.

I got both of these from Kindle Unlimited, so maybe it’s just a case of you get what you pay for. Luckily, I had a fun Net Galley book up next. I’ll get to that review later.

 

A few reviews

I’m playing catch up with my reviews so I’m going to do a few today.

Let’s start with the one I didn’t like so I can finish strong. The Shadow Rises by K S Marden, Witch Hunters book 1. Witch hunters and witches and inherited powers. A little confused with poorly developed characters. DNF. Not much to say but at least it was free.

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Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott, Sam Capra book 1

Sam works for the CIA. His wife is expecting their first baby. She also works for the Company. One day Sam goes to work and receives a call to from her to come outside right this second. As soon as he does a bomb goes off in the building and she disappears.

Sam is now the only survivor and the chief suspect. He only wants to escape custody and find his wife and baby. To do that he has to make some new allies and go on the run.

I love a good thriller and this one sounded really exciting. It has a great premise, as who doesn’t identify with wanting to find your family and keep them safe? The bad guys were pretty bad,the pace was goos. But the writing kept me from giving it more than 3.5 stars. Also I don’t enjoy political thrillers as much, so it wasn’t quite what I expected.

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Goldmayne by Kate Stradling

Duncan escapes an abusive father to wind up servant to a witch. There he meets a talking 🐎 who helps him escape. They set off for a neighboring country and find work at the castle.

This was a fairy tale retelling of two French stories, Scurvyhead and Goldmayne. I was unfamiliar with either story, so I couldn’t tell at first how it was going to end. It has a happy ending, of course, and the hero gets the girl. Fun stuffstuff. This one is on Kindle Unlimited or it’s only $1.

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Finally my favorite of the bunch, Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

“Far from city politics in the Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans’ most savage enemy – the Marat – return to the Valley, he will discover that his destiny is much greater than he could ever imagine.” Caught in a storm of deadly wind furies, Tavi saves the life of a runaway slave named Amara. But she is actually a spy for Gaius Sextus, sent to the Valley to gather intelligence on traitors to the Crown, who may be in league with the barbaric Marat horde. And when the Valley erupts in chaos – when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies – Amara will find Tavi’s courage and resourcefulness to be a power greater than any fury – one that could turn the tides of war.

I actually liked this better than the Dresden Files. I liked Tavi and Amara better than I like Harry Dresden. It still has some problems, mainly a hyper sexualized female villain (her character does get explained though), but I thought it was a lot of fun. Looking forward to the next book.I

 

Hope this have you done ideas for your next read. See you later!

 

Pirates AND Dragons!

Are you looking for a great escape read? After watching Marvel’s The Avengers: Infinity War – no spoilers, I promise! – I *really* needed something light and happy. What could be better than a fantasy story with a love triangle, pirates, and a little dragon? How about a kick-ass heroine who gets in there and mixes it up? And how about doing it all for less than a dollar?

The book is Moss Forest Orchid, book 1 in the Silver & Orchids series by one of my favorite fairy tale writers, Shari L. Tapscott. I’ve talked about Shari’s books before on here, so you know that I love them, but these books are not based on a fairy tale. They are entirely new.

Lucia is from a family of chicken farmers, looking for a way into a better life. She teams up with best friend (and grandson of the local lord) Sebastian and sets up as adventurers. Unfortunately, she invests all their earnings with a man who turns out to be a con artist, and the two have nothing to show for all their hard work. Then they hear about a new job – bringing back a cutting of a rare flower, an orchid that only grows in a distant and dangerous swamp. The pay would be enough for Lucia to pay back Sebastian and make a new start.

There’s only a few problems with this plan. First, Lucia and Sebastian can hardly talk to each other without fighting, so teaming up is going to be rough. And second, there’s this distracting (and sexy) pirate captain who keeping turning up. Finally, Lucia has hm, acquired a dragon egg, which is going to be trouble. The whole thing is a bit of a mess. But hey, pirates are good!

I loved this one so much that the love triangle didn’t even phase me. Normally I avoid those books, but this one was just done right. I was really deceived by the first book, but as soon as I finished, I downloaded book 2, Greybrow Serpent, and completely switched my ship! The first book is available on Amazon right now for only $1 so you have no reason not to check it out. Love, love this series!