Friday & Weekend Reads

In random order

Reread 5 stars This is so sweet. I loved their relationship, learning that she is a descendant, and that is why she can do more than the others. A very easy and enjoyable read, fun too, and brings me some nostalgia to P. Wrede, and like that this one will enchant readers and reluctant readers as well. I fell in love with the cover and illustrations. It's a great start for a new series.

4.5 Love this series. The relationship between the girl and the dragon is still my favorite. Still, now we have a deeper understanding of magic and past characters, with misunderstandings, betrayals, and a major cliffhanger that just makes me excited for book 3. Love the humor in the dialogue between her and her teacher dragon.

5 stars for the unexpected ending. I liked it a lot. The book focuses mostly on the 6 weeks when Katrien must learn how to impersonate Zaviera the Stepdaughter of an abusive lord. As an orphan maid who will do anything to help her cousin Helsa, she accepts this deal. Plot twists, slow build, also: the characters closer to Katrien decide to rescue her from the 7 years of imprisonment by the Redwood Man. I love how the author described the vines invading the house, the atmosphere of this cursed gothic forest. Katrien doesn't like horses ahah. The cover is very pretty, if you see it closer it has hidden crucial elements.

P.s. I'm still thinking of the end 😭

This volume 4 of the series was my fav one.

👾5 pixel stars 🌟

If you don't know this series, check it out. I like the previous volumes a lot, they play a fiction version of Minecraft called Sandbox.

It's in verse and from the perspective of kids who are neurodivergent or artists, or have other unique traits that make them struggle dealing with the educational system that doesn't account for mind evolution out of the box students. They have a teacher who is on their side helping them in all. It is also a slice of life, showing how a family deals with unexpected events. Can be funny, emotional and scary.

Hurricane strikes, and Javier's mom kissed Ms. J. Eheh. Very sweet ending.

I also like this new volume a lot because Javier is an artist.

"I feel stupid sometimes, though,

When I can't get my words out,

When I get stuck and flustered..."

"Breathe.

Calm.

Steady."

"It's exhausting to be me sometimes."

" Fa-family checks on f-family." 🥰

5 Why this one stands out for me: it's a one-location murder mystery, very much to Knives Out kind of vibe, but we don't follow the perspective of the police investigating, we follow the perspective of these adopted children and their trauma. Everyone has a reason to kill him, and at the same time, they all had an obsessive sad love for the man whom they called father. They were never good enough. Getting to know them made the end and resolution kind of secondary but the best ending because it felt well deserved. I liked it a little, the audio is awesome too.

4.5 Although these are a mash-up of stories we love sometimes in a silly way, the author always adds some deep thoughts and lessons that are very valuable. I love the creativity of mashing well-known elements, and more, of giving better endings to stories, even those of the villains. Loved, loved how the author wrote the sea witch. Looking forward to more.