This series and I have had quite the journey. The first book was a bit of a disappointment and the second book managed to improve things a little. However, it seems this series was doing a lot of little things to add up to something big, because the third book was where things really started … Continue reading Silver is for Secrets (Blue is for Nightmares #3), by Laurie Faria Stolarz →

It seems fitting that I write my review for Shiver during the first real snow of the winter. I remember cozying up with this Twilight competitor during winter break of 2009, settling into the cozy winter atmosphere both inside the book and outside my bedroom window. Of course, fifteen years can change one's perception of … Continue reading Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater →

I'm not sure I've read any post-1980s works of Stephen King's. That sounds weird coming from someone who loves his stories, but I've heard so many mixed reviews of his more contemporary works that I guess I just don't bother. But I do remember when Fairy Tale came out. The cover, the title, and the … Continue reading Fairy Tale, by Stephen King →

Very much like Beauty and the Beast, I think I have run out of ways to introduce a Nutcracker story. I cannot possibly describe any other way how much I love the story and how excited I am for every retelling to spin it. What really caught my eye about Hiddensee, however, was the subtitle: … Continue reading Hiddensee, by Gregory Maguire →

It's no secret on this blog just how much I adore, I repeat, adore, the story of The Nutcracker. Seeing the ballet live onstage has become a holiday staple for me, and my memories of it go way, way back. My first exposure to the story was seeing a live Disney show where Mickey Mouse … Continue reading The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, by E.T.A. Hoffmann →

When I was in third grade, my teacher had a poster in our reading corner that featured a child's hand reaching out to touch a floating fairy, with the title Fairy Tale: A True Story below them. I always wondered what that poster represented, but I didn't find out until almost twenty years later that … Continue reading The Cottingley Secret, by Hazel Gaynor →

Every reader knows the joy of going to used book stores. Or in my case, the Half-Price Books Mega Book Sale that occurs every fall in my area, where you can find books for dirt cheap. I've forgotten a large chunk of the books I bought at my first shopping spree, but one that sticks … Continue reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind →

Few series in the last year or so have held me as tight as the American Royals series has. I once again stumbled upon the next book in this story at a local bookstore, and I snatched that book up as if it were a treasure. I'm glad to have finally settled the tension as … Continue reading Reign: American Royals IV, by Katherine McGee →

Fantasy can be a very cozy genre. After all, you can escape to faraway lands and spend time with unique and fun characters you might have never encountered before. That said, a properly cozy fantasy story has to strike the right balance of engaging adventure and low-stakes conflict. Too much of either, and "cozy" may … Continue reading The House Witch #1, by Delemhach →

I love the spooky season, but sometimes, when it becomes combined with a variety of stressful life factors, it becomes a bit hard to get through. Add in the fact that I decided to cram in a horror/Halloween movie every day during the month of October and attend a spooky event every weekend, and I … Continue reading The Castle in the Attic, by Elizabeth Winthrop →