Scan barcode
purplepenning's reviews
1650 reviews
The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
A standalone fantasy rooted in traditional Welsh folklore, The Wild Huntress slips the reader into the edges of the uncanny world of the Fae before plunging them deep into the dark adventure of the Wild Hunt.
Where The Drowned Woods (same world, different standalone tale, also recommended) gave us morally gray, complicated magic users, thieves, rulers, tricksters, and an adorable corgi, this one gives us morally gray, complicated magic users, thieves, rulers, tricksters, and a cat who may be more than it seems.
For an extra treat, and to hear the beautiful Welsh pronunciations, check out the audiobook narrated by Moira Quick.
Where The Drowned Woods (same world, different standalone tale, also recommended) gave us morally gray, complicated magic users, thieves, rulers, tricksters, and an adorable corgi, this one gives us morally gray, complicated magic users, thieves, rulers, tricksters, and a cat who may be more than it seems.
For an extra treat, and to hear the beautiful Welsh pronunciations, check out the audiobook narrated by Moira Quick.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Torture, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
An Intrigue of Witches by Esme Addison
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
This does seem to deliver on the "National Treasure" meets "Discovery of Witches" vibes! It's just more exposition than I'm looking for right now.
The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Perfect balance of magical to real, traditional to contemporary, horrific to heroic!
Nestor, a middle grader whose dad is deployed to the Middle East, is used to moving around with his mom a lot, never putting down roots, never making real friends, and never letting anyone know that he can talk to animals. Until they move in with his abuela, who is being blamed for witchcraft in the woods and the disappearance of beloved animals. It'll take the help of all of his new friends (humans and animals) to defeat the evil in the woods, clear his abuela's good name, and give him the courage to find his community and his home.
Nestor, a middle grader whose dad is deployed to the Middle East, is used to moving around with his mom a lot, never putting down roots, never making real friends, and never letting anyone know that he can talk to animals. Until they move in with his abuela, who is being blamed for witchcraft in the woods and the disappearance of beloved animals. It'll take the help of all of his new friends (humans and animals) to defeat the evil in the woods, clear his abuela's good name, and give him the courage to find his community and his home.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, and Violence
Minor: War
Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Incredibly sweet and incredibly candid, this funny, creative account of a Black teen's first time is pure gold and pure #goals.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content, Dementia, and Grief
It's Elementary by Elise Bryant
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Kind of like Such A Fun Age meets Abbott Elementary via Finlay Donovan? A funny mommy mystery romp with satisfyingly snarky contemporary commentary and a surprisingly sweet side of romance (with a school psychologist, which feels like an underrepresented book boyfriend career now that I think about it!). You'll laugh, you'll squeal, you'll wish you had popcorn while you watch the PTA drama unfold ... and spill over onto Facebook. (Check the content warnings, though, because there's a dark thread that runs through the lighter shenanigans.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Excrement, and Kidnapping
Minor: Infidelity
Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Seeing this billed as a Jackson Brodie mystery that works as a standalone for those who haven't read the previous five books in the series — and also seeing that Jason Isaacs narrates the audio version — I jumped right in, hoping for a taste of the series and a smart, writerly mystery.
Verdict: a lot of work goes into the mystery, which does stand alone, but without as much Jackson Brodie as you might expect.
Character-driven vignettes make up the first three-quarters of the book and then swirl into a sort of gang's-all-here manor-house murder mystery that lands the whole thing just shy of a spoof. This is best read at leisure on snowy nights, which I definitely didn't do. The narration was great (did I mention — Jason Isaacs?) but it isn't the kind of story that works well for me on audio — too many characters, scattered around for too long, with a breakneck ending pace that left me wondering just how much I missed. As for the Jackson Brodie of it all — my interest is piqued, though I've been advised that previous books aren't quite as lighthearted as this one.
Verdict: a lot of work goes into the mystery, which does stand alone, but without as much Jackson Brodie as you might expect.
Character-driven vignettes make up the first three-quarters of the book and then swirl into a sort of gang's-all-here manor-house murder mystery that lands the whole thing just shy of a spoof. This is best read at leisure on snowy nights, which I definitely didn't do. The narration was great (did I mention — Jason Isaacs?) but it isn't the kind of story that works well for me on audio — too many characters, scattered around for too long, with a breakneck ending pace that left me wondering just how much I missed. As for the Jackson Brodie of it all — my interest is piqued, though I've been advised that previous books aren't quite as lighthearted as this one.
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
We definitely need more like this for middle graders who aren't up for tackling longer books! Sweet, interesting, easy-reading, contemporary, mysterious, a little quirky.
The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
2.75
A decent idea but unbalanced execution. Most troublesome — the jaunty "Murder She Wrote" tone and tongue-in-cheek cozy cliches just didn't match the more serious publishing-industry #MeToo storyline or the even darker background of horrific abusive at the castle.
I Only Read Murder by Will Ferguson, Ian Ferguson
3.5
Picture Moira Rose from Schitt's Creek as an amateur sleuth investigating the murder of her rival in a community theater production.