Do Not Open Until Halloween by C.A. King ~ Review by Liz Vrchota

Do Not Open Until HalloweenDo Not Open Until Halloween by C.A. King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this new short from C.A. King. I had no idea what to expect going in other than it would be a great read from a author I have grown to love. This was probably my absolute favorite book from C.A. King yet. I was hooked from the very beginning in with Aunt Petunia’s story in the prologue.

“Fairies are born from emotions and wishes,” Petunia explained. “When you blow a bubble, you fill it up with all you are feeling. That’s why there are different kinds of fairies. Have you ever noticed if you are in a bad mood and blow a few bubbles, you start to feel better? That’s because all of that turmoil is released inside the bubbles.” She poked her niece in the tummy.

Caitlin giggled, Wiggling away.

“Those fairies aren’t the nicest, but on the flip side, if you are celebrating a birthday and are happy, all that joy goes into the making of a different fairy,” Petunia continued.

“What if they pop?” Caitlin asked.

“Oh,” Petunia replied, shaking her head. A serious expression crossed her face. “Many of them do. That is why fairies are so rare. Only a select few float off into the clouds. It’s there that life begins, but that isn’t the end of the struggle for a new fairy. Any bubble that reaches the greatest heights and floats back down has within it the beginnings of a new fairy- magic dust. You’ve heard of fairy dust, haven’t you?”

From the prologue we fast forward to when Caitlin is eighteen years old. Aunt Petunia is no longer the favorite aunt with the magical stories. She is now a recluse bestselling author only socializing when work requires her to. She lives on the outskirts of town in a creepy house with two cats. One day Aunt Petunia stops by and announces that she has to leave for a funeral and needs her to watch her house. The only problem with that is the guy she has been hoping to land some time with before graduation chose this weekend to finally ask her to hang out. When her friends convince her to have a secret get together at the house surely it wont go well for many reasons.

Here is where I really loved the way this book played out so well. This was a wonderfully crafted story, and one that I enjoyed at thirty-three but, I will be adding it to my list of books to share with my eleven year old. This has a great underlying message of anti-bullying. The situations are realistic and yet are done in a way that is appropriate for multiple audience levels. It is fun, engaging, and magical. I felt very much like I was reading a Harry Potter novel. That good magical feeling that you have when you open one of those novels. I don’t want to give away too many more details. For those you will have to buy this for yourself. I wouldn’t wait for the Halloween season either, enjoy it year-round! This one will need to be on my bookshelf! Thanks C.A. King for a wonderfully, magical read!

Review by @lizaileen
View all my reviews

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