This book was for a friends Middle Grade Read-a-thon and also one of the books I had to read in one of my pick 5 challenges for this year. This is a middle grade fantasy book, but I found that it read just a little older than that and I liked that.Synopsis
These three siblings have been in one orphanage after another for the last ten years, passed along like lost baggage.
Yet these unwanted children are more remarkable than they could possibly imagine. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.
Until now.
Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey through time to dangerous and secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and mayhem. And — if an ancient prophesy is correct — what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set things right.
I absolutely loved the plot of this story. I thought it was well thought out. I found this book to be very adventurous, exciting and so action packed. So many great elements make up this amazing story. There is magic, time travel, mystery, and a little darkness mixed in. In the beginning it was just a bit confusing as the story is getting set up, but it does settle down and then I found it to be a very fluid read, easy to follow and understand. Readers instantly get entranced with this magical world and all of its components. What a great tale is told here.
The characters are amazing. I loved them so much. I find them to be well developed and strong, each child with their own unique personality. They are very relatable and believable, and this is what makes them so likable. I think Emma was probably my favorite character because she reminds me of my own daughter. She has a very strong opinion of things. Kate is a leader, and she does that very well too. She stumbles a long here and there but that makes her more believable. There are also some great antagonist in this book, frightening creatures and humans alike that make you fume with hatred for them. Amazing!
I recommend this book to anyone, even though it is middle grade, I think there is something for everyone. Mystery, time travel, magic, fantasy and much more. If you like a time traveling adventure jump aboard, you wont be disappointed. I am super excited to continue with this story.
My friend and I decided to read this book together after reading the synopsis. It sounded like it would be a dark and disturbing read. Well that it was, among other things. Although I did enjoy it, I did not love it.
SynopsisNicholas Dismas is a Private Investigator, but like no other that has gone before him. He carries a secret about himself to which not even he has the answer . . .
He is hired to find a missing baby. One that was taken away at birth . . . Or was it?
His investigation takes him to a mysteriously located place called Perfect Rest. It is supposed to be a nursing home for the elderly . . . But is it?
Here Dismas will discover the dark secret of the Others. And in an astonishing and spectacular finale he will resolve the enigma of his own existence . . .
Ok so the plot to this story was rather long, and I do feel like it could have been shortened about 100 pages and still could have been interesting. In this plotline you do have a lot of different elements involved which does keep the story entertaining. There is mystery and paranormal and even some romance mixed in. The first several chapters are extremely slow, but does pick up around page 40-50, and gets pretty good. The story makes you think a lot as you try to figure out the mystery at hand. I was kind of let down though a bit by the discovery of the mystery at the end. It was not what I had expected to come of it. I also felt like the author got away from the 'synopsis mystery' a lot and the story focused more on our protagonist Nick Dismas, which in itself held a lot of mystery as well, so readers will find that their own focus changes as well. It kind of pushed the original mystery to the back burner.
The characters are probably my favorite part of the story. Nick Dismas is a greatly flawed character who had to deal with his own deformities and put up with a lot of judgement of others. Although he does have those people/friends who do care about him and accept him as he is, he still struggles to figure out what his purpose is in this life. While he does like himself, he still finds himself weak and unlikable, and there are plenty of abhorrent people to consistently instill that into his mind. There are a lot fo great characters that readers will meet throughout the story and those characters have their mystery revolving around them,
I was struggling with who I could recommend this book too since it is an overly long book with a slow start. I think readers who enjoy the dark and disturbing may find this story worth the read. I am going to give this book a 3.5 star rating. I think had it been shortened and had a faster pace it could have ben a 5 star read for me simply by the plotline alone.
I had intended on reading this book last summer, but never got to it, so it was time to get it read. I don't really care much for dystopian books, but this one was ok since it had some different elements to the story. The synopsis of the story was very intriguing to me, it sounded quite different from other dystopian books.
SynopsisIn the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.
There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else...
I really did enjoy the plot of this story, it was somewhat different from other dystopian because of certain elements that were added into the mix, but it still is a dystopian, so you will still read those same tropes as normal. I did really enjoy the quick pace that it took on and I also enjoyed a lot of the action. I found that the writing style was very fluid and easy to follow. On the down side I found that the book could have been shortened by at least 100 pages. There were also parts of the story that really did not have to be included in the overall plot, and there were some parts that were a little hard to swallow as far as believability was concerned. I am curious as to where the story will go, because I did enjoy the way the story ended.
The characters were developed a little too well if that is even possible. They were just wrote way older than what they really were. I felt as though I was reading about adults in this story. I can understand that it could be because of circumstances making them have to grow up, but it just was not all that believable. With that being said, I did like the characters and the choices they make. Also I think the author did the bad guys well too, maybe a little over the top for kids though.
I do recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian and do not mind all those normal tropes and character flaws often found in this genre. I will continue with this series because I would like to see how things turn out.
I had just recently purchased this book and decided on reading it since I was struggling with my current read. This was a first time read of this author and I found that this was light enough to keep me from going into a reading slump. I am glad that I had this one on hand. Parts of it reads more like a YA than an adult book, but it had a good mix and I found that it was very fluid.
SynopsisEmily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.
Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?
Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.
I thought that there was a lot going on in this book, lots of magical and mysterious elements. Some of this however made the story feel a little unrealistic, but despite that I really enjoyed the story as a whole. There are several different perspectives in this book so you are getting involved with the lives of many different people. I think that it kept the story more upbeat and it did not become confusing while switching to different people. I did find some things that were kind of left unexplained and I am not sure if there is a sequel coming or not, but it would be nice to have an answer for my questions. So we will see.
I did like the characters a lot. Emily was a little less relatable since she was a teenager, but she was still very likable and she had to put up with quite a bit, and despite that she stayed pretty level headed so readers do not have to deal with a lot of teen drama. My favorite character though was Julia. I really related to her the most, she was much older and had been through quite a bit. I thought that she was a pretty strong character and also very smart and likeable as well.
I recommend this to anyone who likes YA or adult contemporary with some magical elements mixed in. I look forward to more from this author in the future and I hope for a sequel to this book. I would love to spend some more time with these characters.
I got this book for my birthday. I had been trying to collect these and finally got this first one. I do have to say that I agree with others who said this was kind of dark for Middle graders, but I liked it.
SynopsisDear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
I really liked the plotline to this story and that the further I went into it, the darker it got, right to the very last page. I also enjoyed the warnings in this book of how the story is unfortunate and has an unhappy ending. Plenty of warning for anyone who likes Happy Endings. I found that the writing in this book is very fluid and there are also a lot of explanations of specific words for kids who do decide to read it. I must say that it is kind of dark for Middle Grade, so please be aware of that. I particularly liked the w.ay this one ended, it left behind that urgency to read the next.
The characters are amazing for such a short book. I already feel as though I know each one fo them pretty well. I think they will be very well developed by the time this series is over and I like that a lot. I have to say I think Violet is my favorite of the children. I look forward to reading more about her, actually about all of them. Our Villain, Count Olaf, is relentlessly evil. One of those chracters readers love to hate. I am in it for the long haul becasuse I wanna see him get his, or so I am hopeful for that.
Even though this book is middle grade, I have to recommend adults read it. I think anyone can enjoy it if you like dark humor/fiction. I look forward to continuing on with the next book in this series.
