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A review by melissasbookshelf
Carnival Quest by Brandon Mull
5.0
New magical candy, creepy clowns, another mysterious White sibling, and a whole lot of thrills and chills cap off this fantastic conclusion to The Candy Shop War series. Brandon Mull has long been a favorite author in our household, not only for the kids, but the parents too. The imaginative, exciting stories where everyday life and magic secretly coexist make kids want to read and bring out the kid in adults as well. We bought the first Candy Shop War book when our oldest daughter was just seven years old, the second book when she was eleven, and now she’s 21 and highly anticipating this final installment. I’m happy to tell her it does not disappoint!
The Dreams and Screams Carnival is aptly named. Here kids and adults can realize their fondest dreams and scariest nightmares. It’s a fantastical place with hidden locations, spell binding rides, special coins and tickets, secrets, and magic. But some enter the carnival and never come out. The carnival’s next destination is Colson, California of all places where the Blue Falcons consisting of Nate, Pigeon (Paul), Trevor, and Summer, who previously defeated the two White sibling magicians, are gearing up to attend a new middle school.
The Blue Falcons meet a new friend Zac who happens to be a huge social media influencer. He offers to get them special access into the carnival, but local magician Mr. Stott senses the carnival isn’t all that it seems and warns the kids to beware. When their magical candies won’t work and they find out the carnival is owned by none other than Camilla White, yet another White sibling, the kids work together to solve the mystery of where all the disappearing people are hidden. John Dart and a new magician work to help the kids uncover the secrets and battle new foes as well as distinguish between dreams and reality. It’s a fast-paced, imaginative ride middle grade kids and up will definitely enjoy.
Getting to know these amazing kids in this series has been a joy. They’ve all grown not only in confidence, but in their leadership abilities, Nate especially. I love how they all work together and support each other. What kids faced with being granted their hearts desires, would recognize the lie and be able to withstand the temptation? I enjoyed the subtle messages in the book of nothing worthwhile is ever easy and it’s better to live in a flawed reality than a fake dreamworld.
I’m honestly sad to see the series end. I’m hoping there might just be one more White relative to wreak havoc on Colson so we can see these great kids again. While this is the third book in the series, it could be read as a standalone, however, I highly recommend reading the previous books first. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. Content: Clean with mild violence.
The Dreams and Screams Carnival is aptly named. Here kids and adults can realize their fondest dreams and scariest nightmares. It’s a fantastical place with hidden locations, spell binding rides, special coins and tickets, secrets, and magic. But some enter the carnival and never come out. The carnival’s next destination is Colson, California of all places where the Blue Falcons consisting of Nate, Pigeon (Paul), Trevor, and Summer, who previously defeated the two White sibling magicians, are gearing up to attend a new middle school.
The Blue Falcons meet a new friend Zac who happens to be a huge social media influencer. He offers to get them special access into the carnival, but local magician Mr. Stott senses the carnival isn’t all that it seems and warns the kids to beware. When their magical candies won’t work and they find out the carnival is owned by none other than Camilla White, yet another White sibling, the kids work together to solve the mystery of where all the disappearing people are hidden. John Dart and a new magician work to help the kids uncover the secrets and battle new foes as well as distinguish between dreams and reality. It’s a fast-paced, imaginative ride middle grade kids and up will definitely enjoy.
Getting to know these amazing kids in this series has been a joy. They’ve all grown not only in confidence, but in their leadership abilities, Nate especially. I love how they all work together and support each other. What kids faced with being granted their hearts desires, would recognize the lie and be able to withstand the temptation? I enjoyed the subtle messages in the book of nothing worthwhile is ever easy and it’s better to live in a flawed reality than a fake dreamworld.
I’m honestly sad to see the series end. I’m hoping there might just be one more White relative to wreak havoc on Colson so we can see these great kids again. While this is the third book in the series, it could be read as a standalone, however, I highly recommend reading the previous books first. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. Content: Clean with mild violence.