Posts

The Round Box (Grandma’s Closet) by Lois Wickstrom – Review by Lucinda Morton-Phillips

/0 Comments/in /by

The Round BoxThe Round Box by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a sweet and fun children’s book! ‘The Round Box’ is the 2nd book in the Grandma’s Closet series by Lois Wickstrom.
Everyone is busy and Carrie, looking for something to do, finds a box marked ‘Fascinator’ that her Grandma left behind when she moved across town. Carrie is indeed fascinated by the box and opens it to find an interesting hat. Putting it on, Carrie finds all sorts of things that might have been mundane before, but are fascinating now.
The story flows nicely and I like how some of the words are made more interesting by the use of a different font or graphic. It would be a good book to read with a young child as the illustrations are lovely too.

reviewed by @luckaye
View all my reviews

Sweet Dreams by Claire (Capture the Light Series) by Nanette Littlestone – Review by Lucinda Morton-Phillips

/0 Comments/in /by

Sweet Dreams by Claire (Capture the Light, #2)Sweet Dreams by Claire by Nanette Littlestone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet Dreams by Claire is the 2nd book in the Capture the Light series by Nanette Littlestone. Still, I found that I could read it as a stand-alone novel as there are slight references to things that happened in the first book, but this book focuses on a new story with a new main character.
Claire helps her mum in the family bakery in Claremont, Ireland but is frustrated with her mum’s determinately traditional offerings and her reluctance to change. Claire has big dreams of expanding the range of the bakery into more decadent desserts but her mum won’t allow it.
An accident involving a bike and cupcakes where she meets Finn sets in motion a chain of events that will change Claire’s life in unexpected ways. Finn is the brother of Brigid, a character from the first book, whose wedding plays a large role in this book
This is a delightful small-town romance with family at the heart of it. Family dynamics play a part, as well as pre-wedding dramas, a touch of magical realism, and gaining the confidence to make choices that will affect Claire and her life moving forward.

Reviewed by @luckaye
View all my reviews

Song of Earth and Claws (Faelands Series) by Lena Abram – Review by Lucinda Morton-Phillips

/0 Comments/in /by

Song of Earth and ClawsSong of Earth and Claws by Lena Abram
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Song of Earth and Claws starts a bit slow as there is quite a bit of world-building, as is usual in stories of the Fae. The reader needs to be able to understand the rules to understand the motivations of the main character.
Lannahi is the youngest daughter of King Sarkal, king of Goldenshadows and Queen Asirri, Sarkal’s wife and Knight. Her older siblings are princes & princesses of their kingdoms under King Sarkal.
Kingdoms are won and lost in the Moon Games that happen every month, according to the Rules, but not everyone plays by the rules.
Lannahi is a musician with little power, but she realises that she cannot trust anyone, not even her family, as they will all use her as a pawn to gain and keep their own power and kingdoms.
When Lannahi is betrayed by Nihhal, an enchanter she loves, she is forced to participate in the Game and duel for a kingdom to protect herself from him and his plans for her. Losing is not an option as losing means slavery.
Winning the duel is just the start of Lannahi finding herself and her power in a kingdom quite different to her home, and with people who view her and her friends with much suspicion.
Navigating a hostile ex-queen, the man she is attracted to but cannot trust, wild werewolf factions, an ex-lover who betrayed her, and siblings she cannot trust, whilst holding onto her kingdom is a delicate balancing act.
Lena Abram has crafted a fine stand-alone novel that could just as easily become the first in a series

reviewed by @luckaye
View all my reviews