THE VIOLET WEST
Fantasy Novels & Graphic Novels

@mackidsbooks The True Story of One Woman, the Declaration of Independence, and America's Fight for Freedom Author: written by Karen Blumenthal and Jen McCartney; Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley Get book here. 5 Stars Easy to read and understand, for a picture book, it has a lot of information, and reading to it is very inspiring. Mary was not just brave she was resilient and revolutionary. I love the design of the pages, accommodating the large and easy-to-read font. When

Book Info: Racing the Clouds by Sydney Dunlap Genre: Middle Grade Publishing Date: February 18, 2025 Review 5 Stars It is well-written and emotional. It's a wonderful story that can be read by young readers but also adults. It deals with addiction, reconciliation, and family issues and how young teens can react to these when they start having a voice and a relevant opinion. It can be relatable to those who have parents or kin in this situation, but it also is a great story to

Hansel and Gretal will by published in North America and the United Kingdom in September 2025 by HarperCollins These two titans bring forward a retelling: "Hansel and Gretel is a must-have reimagining of the Brothers Grimm fairytale, retold by worldwide bestselling author Stephen King, with artwork by Caldecott Medal–winning creator of Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak. Sendak’s illustrations were originally created as set and costume designs for the Humperdinck ope

Book Info: Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson Genre: YA Fantasy Publishing Date: February 18, 2025 4 Stars Not just another Dark Academy where one who doesn't fit among wealthy kids and ancient classic texts joins and unravels more. She is more than can handle and they want her there for a reason. A secret society, plot twists and demons are unveiled. Makes for an interesting dark academy read. I was surprised by some plot twists. Synopsis: A teen girl travels to an exclusive

The image above is from the author's website. Here. The sixth book in the New York Times bestselling series that began with Nat Enough! You don't know until you try... Nat doesn't think she's an athlete, but after a series of painfully embarrassing moments, she's determined to build her confidence and signs up for a triathlon with her best friend, Zoe. As training begins, Nat realizes she's in way over her head, facing so many setbacks and challenges that she wonders why she

Turning Twelve by Kathryn Ormsbee and illustrated by Molly Brooks Series: From the Universe of Growing Pangs Random House Graphic | Oct 29, 2024 HC ISBN 9780593650066 | $21.99 240 pages | Middle Grade (Ages 8-12) ✍️author @kathsby 🎨illustrator @goodgollyetc 🏢publisher @rhkidsgraphic and @randomhousekids @publicityprose Thank you For including me in this tour Book is available now wherever books are sold or here. Giveaway on my Instagram Synopsis: What if a friend...is mor

Book Info: Halfway to Somewhere by José Pimienta Genre: Middle Grade Graphic Novel Publishing Date: February 18, 2025 Synopsis: New school, new country, but only half a family?! Embark on a coming of age journey with a middle school teen navigating their parent’s divorce while moving to a new country in this stunning graphic novel. Ave thought moving to Kansas would be boring and flat after enjoying the mountains and trails in Mexico, but at least they would have their fami

I love this series, which revives classic books, and this is my favorite graphic novel series, perhaps because of the themes of Halloween and social pressure from peers forcing bullying. Being the new kid in school can be challenging, but I love Elizabeth's attitude. The unicorn girls will infuriate you, but I am glad the end is towards a more positive view. I love the artwork style as well. It's awesome for their expressions. I am looking forward to reading the next one. Fra

5 Reviews: Happy Release Day to All Better Now and Julia on the Go 😀 ALL BETTER NOW - 5 🌟 This may be my fav book of this author now @simonteen Had a lot of fun with these characters. If you know this author, then you know you're in for an action-adventure non, nonstop fun, sci-fi, chosen one trope, race against time, saving the world kind of feeling, evil corporation or Ceo/scientist in lead kind of villain. Dynamic writing, different POVs. I loved the cat-and-mouse relati

I love novellas, my next read is BRIGHTER THAN SCALE SWIFTER THAN FLAME also love the artwork

Happy release day The Starless Crown is a great start with many classic epic fantasy elements. Book 2 switches to shorter chapters and more sci-fi elements. I am almost at the end and soon will start The Dragon of Black Glass. Love this series. Sanctum of the Soul is book 3 of an epic fantasy. I first discovered these with my book of the month. I liked Book 2 a lot, so I'm excited to see what 3 will bring. There are a lot of amazing releases today. I am glad I have two to cel

My reviews are both 5 stars A Billion Butterflies A life in Climate and Chaos Theory by Dr. Jagadish Shukla Some books come to us at the right time. I wanted to research weather vs climate but didn't want to read something detailed and textbook-like. This book is a mix of biography and we get so many instances of the author's life mixed with his journey to becoming an expert. The important and well-delivered scientific information punctuates the life of a child born in an In

A YA horror tale inspired by Nicaraguan folklore (La Cegua) There were many scenes worth drawing in this novel, their arrival at the town, meeting Gabriel, the house, and especially the one of a woman on a horse in a mustard seed field, very emotional ones too like the ball or how Jamie holds her tears... but instead of drawing one described by the book, I drew what I felt after finishing it. Of course, I couldn't leave Jamie's binder behind. The main character is an artist,

This is not an ad, and I am not being paid. My blog is not monetized, meaning I am not getting paid. I loved the artstyle of this graphic novel characters so I drew myself as if I lived in that world, if Nick and Sy were my friends. I don't care how old I'll be, I'll always be in awe of artists who can create amazing characters and stories during hardship and depression times. Thank you Tate Godwin for making these awesome characters easy to draw. NOTE: Nick and Sy are copyri

Just finished The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds. I hadn't planned to read this one in one sitting, but I couldn't put it down. 5 stars Grief, loss... being alone and lonely... finding oneself. Returning to a Mansion (family's house) Opening a door to the past to save the future. I am not a fan of time traveling, but this is the one situation I actually love time breaking rules. When we are trying to change the present and future and not actually the past, well, in this cas

This is a great series for those who miss Epic Fantasy classics like Lord of the Rings, Wizard of Earthsea, Chronicles of Prydain... Book 3 out of 4 is coming out on Feb 18th. Start reading here or listening here. Starless Crown Review 5 Stars Love this series. The experience the author has as a thriller author brings a lot of fast-paced action adventure. In the first volume, we are presented with the characters, worldbuilding, and magic system that borrows from sci-fi. Havin

TIGANA by Guy Graviel Kay ... I didn't like this one. 🙈 It was ok I guess. Maybe I had really high expectations because of one of my fav youtubers. I finished it, and it took a while because it didn't make me want to return to it. The end is emotional, but overall, the entire book is not exciting. Also... some of the things I don't like about it are the same elements I don't like about Stormlight Archieve. This is a 90s book. Usually, my fav era for epic fantasy is from 80s

Book Info: Sweet Valley Twins: Sneaking Out by Francine Pascal (Graphic Novel) Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Publishing Date: February 4, 2025 This author has left us a wonderful series filled with nostalgia. The new graphic novels are amazing, with great artwork and modernization of the original stories. Synopsis: The Sweet Valley Twins are ready to rock out as the hottest band comes to town…too bad they don’t have permission to go! Will they sneak out to dance the nigh

Books Releasing February (those without dates are already out: Fairy Door Diaries - candlewick here. feb 4 The faerie Island - penguin random house - candlewick - here feb 4 Deadly Fates - book 3 - mackids - march 4 here All better now - S & S - feb 4 here Bird of a Thousand Stones - s&S - Feb 4 book 2 o - here the Big Splash - Fb 11 - Tundra Book Group - here Jojo Vs Middle School - feb 11 - Aladdin - S &S - here the Big Splash - Fb 11 - Tundra Book Group - here Wha

Book Info: Why on Earth: An Alien Invasion Anthology Edited by Rosiee Thor and Vania Stoyano Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi Publishing Date: February 4, 2025 Synopsis: With stories from NYT bestselling and debut authors, Why on Earth uses an accidental alien invasion to explore love and identity. What starts as a simple rescue mission for a crew of teen aliens to recover one of their own soon becomes an interstellar encounter no one will forget. Captain Iona is organizing an imp