Long Lost by Jacqueline West

Hello friends! As you can see, I took a little adventure away from Fablehaven for a moment (don’t worry, I’m already reading the fourth Fablehaven). I can’t remember how I stumbled upon this book, but I’m glad I did. This book was a delightful mix of spookiness, paranormal events, sibling relationships, and mystery. If you check it out, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Long Lost is about the special bond between sisters and what can happen when that bond isn’t healthy. Fiona is fed up with everything being about her sister Arden and her figure skating. She takes up all of her parents’ time, and now is the reason why Fiona has to move away from their hometown and all of her friends. The only thing that is good about their new town is the library. One day, while escaping having to go watch Arden skate, Fiona stumbles across a strange book. A book with no author, no card catalog label on the spine, and blank pages where the rest of the story should be. A book about two sisters who did everything together, until one of them disappears. As Fiona scrambles to figure out what happened to the missing parts of the story, she realizes that these fictional events may not be so fictional, including a malevolent creature called the Searcher who just may have been behind the disappearance of the girl in the story. Can Fiona, with the help of a strange new friend, figure out the rest of the story? Or will she join the ranks of the Searcher’s victims?

So, that’s kind of Long Lost in a nutshell without giving any spoilers. I really enjoyed this book. I was a little disappointed when certain things came out that made it not what I originally thought, but then I ended up liking the plot twist after it was all said and done. I even teared up a bit with some of the mushy sisterly stuff! I would give it a 4.5/5 stars!

Content Warnings:

1. Language 1/5-no profanity, some insults, one misuse of God’s name, calling a preacher Father (against the Bible-Matthew 23:9)
2. Sexual Content 0/5
3. Violence 1/5-a mild physical altercation between siblings
4. Substance Use 1/5- mention of the dad drinking
5. Thematic Elements 3/5- character death, scary/paranormal elements, scenes of mild-moderate peril

Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven #3) Review

Okay y’all, I’m sure if you have read my previous Fablehaven reviews you kind of already know how this one is going to go haha! These books just keep getting better! I think so far, this one has been my favorite. Now for the synopsis.

The third book chronicles Seth and Kendra’s continued search for the hidden artifacts and taking down of the evil Evening Star society. Kendra travels to another state with Warren to the preserve there, while Seth stays back at Fablehaven with their grandparents. Seth is more than a little disgruntled that Kendra gets to go on adventures due to her fairykind status. He soon faces adventures of his own, however, as a mysterious plague starts turning the creatures of Fablehaven into dark beings. As the plague spreads, he comes to the grim realization that not only are the creatures at risk, the humans are too. Meanwhile, Kendra’s adventures also take a turn for the worse as well. They must tackle a variety of traps and new foes in their search for the hidden artifacts, and face the loss of some of their new friends they meet there. When the siblings reunite, they face the biggest battle yet. A battle that could cost them their lives if they fail.

This book was packed full of danger, but also incorporated the elements that we have come to love in the series. The kids’ relationships with each other, their grandparents, and friends continues to strengthen and deepen. We see a little bit of a potential love interest for Kendra in this one too. I feel that with the increased danger, and the character deaths that happen (no spoilers, but one of them will tug at your heart a bit), this one would fit more with older middle grade to high school age. I give this book a 5/5 stars.

As for content warnings, they were pretty similar to the previous book, but with the added element of character deaths. Here is my breakdown:

Language-1/5 for just the typical name calling/insults of siblings and kids

Sexual Content-0/5 there is attraction of Kendra for another character and some sweet statements from one of the characters to his wife

Violence-3/5 the battle scenes, especially at the end, do have significant elements of violence but are not overly graphic

Substance Use-0/5 mention of drinking potions but, like the previous book, it’s not in a substance use type sense

Thematic Elements-death (including death of a supporting character) does happen in this one, grief, animal cruelty (if you want to call the battle scenes involving centaurs, etc. that)

Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl Fina Review

This book was so good! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I purchased it. If you’re a clean read fan like me, you’ll know that it is hard to find books that fall into that category. That being said, if you are okay with some violence, then I think this book might fit that criteria for you. Let’s get started with the synopsis!

I will try to not give too many spoilers here. Waking Hours is about a town called East Salem where everything is not quite what it seems. At least, if you dig below the surface, that is. When a student is murdered after a high school party, psychiatrist Dani Harris must reunite with her own high school crush, Tommy Gunderson, to try to solve the case. As they start interviewing the other kids who were at the party, things take a sinister turn. Plagued by odd dreams and even more odd events surrounding the time of the murder, Dani and Tommy find themselves in a race against not only the killer, but maybe against something darker working behind the scenes. Maybe something supernatural 🫣😱

I really enjoyed this book! The suspense keeps you trying to guess who killed the student, and I did not expect the ending. The supernatural aspects were interesting and keep you intrigued to see how it will all play into the murder case. There was also a splash of romance in it that was endearing and fits the second chance romance trope. The book does end on a cliffhanger, but thankfully the next two in the series are already out. Overall, I gave this book a 4/5 stars! Now, for content warnings below.

1. Language: 0/5 (No profanity that I can recall)
2. Sexual Content: 1/5 (No sex scenes, mild kissing)
3. Violence: 4/5 (Not a ton, but the scene of the murder and the scene at the end do have some graphic descriptions)
4. Thematic Elements: 4/5 (Death, murder, child abuse, animal abuse/death)

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde Final Review

Well, if you remember my first impressions review, you will know that I was not liking this book. I really wanted it to get better, and…it didn’t really. Best to just get on with the review. Warning, some spoilers ahead!

The Eyre Affair follows a woman names Thursday Next and her band of misfits as they track a villain who has allegedly stolen a copy of a manuscript written by Charles Dickens. An original manuscript, which means any changes made to the manuscript will thereby change the story in every single copy of the book in existence. And, oh yeah, the villain is a man everyone believes to be dead. Now Thursday and company must not only prove he is still alive; but, they must also stop him before he ruins yet another manuscript. Jane Eyre. It just so happens that Thursday has an in with one Mr. Rochester. Can they team up to save the day, or will their story be changed forever?

So, like I said, I got this book because I love Jane Eyre and the synopsis of Thursday trying to rescue her sounded intriguing. And it was, for the short duration of pages that it occupied within the last quarter of the book. The rest of the book was pretty much all story building. I understand that there were elements of that which were necessary for the story, but there were other parts that just felt like they were given too much focus and dragged on for way too long. I especially found this to be true regarding the parts about her time in Crimea. I also found the parts about her love story with Landon to be a bit forced and rushed, and her decision on her relationship with him at the end felt out of character for her.

Overall, while I enjoyed the part where Thursday goes into the Jane Eyre book and interacts with the characters, I did not enjoy this book. By the time I was at the halfway point, I found myself doing more skimming than actual reading just to get through the rest of the story. I would give this book 2/5 stars. Below are the content warnings.

1. Profanity-5/5 There was quite a bit of foul language, and maybe even more than I noticed as I wasn’t quite sure on all of the British slang. To me, it detracted from the storyline and was distracting for me.
2. Sexual Content-2/5 for innuendos
3. Violence-4/5 some graphic descriptions of murder, war; and, shall we say, plastic surgery (to not give it away)
4. Thematic elements-4/5 for death, murder, war, grief, allusions to bigamy

Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven Book 2) by Brandon Mull-Final Review

If you thought the first Fablehaven book was good, just wait until you read this one! There are times when sequels fail to live up to the first book in a series but that is not the case with the Fablehaven series. In fact, I would say this book far surpassed the first one. But, enough raving already, let’s dive in.

In the first book of the series we are introduced to the Fablehaven preserve and some of the different creatures that live there. This second book pics up with Kendra and Seth back home. They may be wishing for the adventure and fun of the fairy world now that they are back in their boring, normal lives; but, you know what they say. Be careful what you wish for. When Fablehaven bleeds over into their regular lives, and they trust the wrong people, they learn that everything isn’t as calm as they thought. The Evening Star, an evil group that was alluded to in the first book, is working hard to find the items needed to unleash an evil that has been trapped for centuries. Kendra and Seth have no choice but to return to their grandparents’ home and Fablehaven. They must put a stop to the Evening Star’s pursuit or all the hold dear will be at risk. But, when one person you trusted has already proved a traitor, how do you keep from being burned again?

Just like the first book, this one has plenty of fantastical creatures, including a few that we did not see then. There is also action and adventure and peril in this one, but to a much higher and intense degree than the previous. The first book I would say would be appropriate for late elementary school and older. This one I would recommend maybe waiting until the kiddo is in middle school or junior high. Some of the battle scenes and injuries are very intense and graphic, and some scenes are pretty frightening.

There is some continued growth in the characters, though it is important to remind yourself that they are still children. They aren’t going to suddenly be mature and stop making reckless or selfish decisions by the end of the book. Honestly, since I think the are still kids at the end of the series, I wouldn’t even expect it to happen by then. Regardless, the characters are endearing and funny, inspire of, or maybe because of, their flaws. I loved the additions of the new characters and how the author keeps you guessing about who the traitor is until maybe the last quarter of the book. Don’t worry, I won’t give you any spoilers.

Anyway, I would give it a 5/5 stars. Now, for the content ratings!

1. Language-1/5 for some bullying/name calling
2. Sexual content-1/5 for some nudity (not in a sexual manner) and non-graphic teen dating/attraction
3. Violence-4/5 some of the battle scenes are pretty graphically depicted including descriptions of blood, wounds, and death; death of animas described
4. Thematic elements-4/5 for descriptions of death, imprisonment, grief, peril

Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull-First Impressions Review

I think it will come as no surprise that I am loving this book so far! Well, maybe it will surprise you since sequels aren’t always as good as the first book. That is not the case here, though! If you read my first Fablehaven review, you will know that I was definitely a fan, and the second one is surpassing the first for me!

Like the first one, this book centers around fairies. While the first book was an introduction to the fantasy world of Fablehaven and its creatures, the second looks like it is going to delve in to the evil society called the Evening Star. I’m super excited to see how this will play into the Sorensens’ world and their efforts to keep Fablehaven safe!

Fantasy, adventure, humor, fairies, and a quest to save the world…what’s not to love?

The Eyre Affair-First Impressions

Here are my first impressions at about 90 pages in:

1. Slow start
2. Not really funny like a review had said
3. The one action scene was pretty good with some neat twists!
4. Only one significant mention of Jane Eyre so far
5. Be warned-fair bit of cussing and one or two instances of innuendo, which I’m not fond of
6. Kind of confusing (would maybe make more sense if I read other books in the series??)
7. Characters are likeable

There you have it! I’m really hoping it gets better quick. I don’t want to DNF it! If you’ve read it, comment and share your thoughts!

(For a video review, check out my YouTube Channel! https://youtube.com/@thebakedbookblog?si=-QTGfLJgbEGcRFRD)

Fablehaven Review!

So ya’ll know how I felt about my first book I reviewed for this blog, The Magician of Tiger Castle 😩👎. Well, I can say that I am so glad I picked this book as my next one to review! It was such a refreshing change from the previous one. There’s action, fantasy, peril, family relationships, and a cliffhanger.

Fablehaven is the name of a mysterious preserve where Kendra and Seth are banished. Okay, not really, but they sure feel that’s the case. With their parents going on a trip to honor their grandparents who had passed away, they are sent to stay with their other set of grandparents. Grandparents that the rarely see, and who were reluctant to take them on themselves. Once there, however, the siblings realize that everything is not as it seems and their lives are about to change forever.

I have always had an attraction to books about faeries (though this book doesn’t use the proper spelling, instead using the traditional fairies), so that right there already had me interested. I also don’t mind reading juvenile or YA fiction either, though I know those aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Let me just say, if you think you want to shy away from this book because it fits that genre…don’t. There are elements, yes, that are a little on the juvenile side, namely the disobedience and defiance of Seth, but overall the book didn’t really feel like a kids’ book. So, give it a chance the worst that can happen is you DNF it; but, who knows? You might be missing out on a book you would have truly enjoyed had you given it a chance.

There is plenty of action and adventure in this story, especially when Seth and Kendra discover the truth of the land their grandparents live on. Some of the creatures are truly terrifying. There were several parts that had me wanting to turn the page to see what was going to happen, and I can’t say that I was ever bored with the storyline. The characters definitely have their flaws. Seth is disobedient and defiant, constantly pushing the limits of rules given to him, eventually pushing too far and putting those he loves in mortal peril. Kendra is a bit of a scaredy cat, never taking risks and choosing to play it safe, until she must take the biggest risk of all to save everyone. Both siblings learn a lot through their adventures and you can definitely see some growth in them by the end. Now, that’s not to say they aren’t still defiant and scared, but what can you say? They’re kids and they’re still kids at the end of the book. You can’t expect them to be perfect.

Regarding content warnings, honestly, there wasn’t much. Here is what I would flag:

1. Language-.5/5 none, other than maybe some name calling by the siblings
2. Sexual content-1/5 there is a part where they are milking a giant cow and it does describe in detail the body parts of the cow involved in the milking
3. Violence-2/5 there is some fairy violence, especially with the battle at the end, but nothing described in a ton of detail
4. Thematic elements-2/5 death, dying, aging, peril are all present, but again not in extreme detail