The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

“Tell Alice to stay the hell away from the Hazel Wood.”  That’s Ella Proserpine’s message to her daughter while she’s being kidnapped by nasty characters from a fairy tale.  Naturally, Alice heads straight for the Hazel Wood to find her mom. It’s way weirder there than even I expected. Characters: 5 stars Plot: 4 stars

Book Review: The Revelation of Louisa May by Michaela MacColl

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (4 stars) Character development: **** (4 stars) Plot: *** (3 stars) Writing: **** (4 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Age range recommendation: 11 and up (murder and strife but not much gore or sex.) The Alcott home is weathering some rough times. There’s not enough money to support a family of

Book Review: Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Star Ratings: Characters: **** (4 stars) Character Development: *** (3 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: **** (4 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase is supposedly for middle grade readers and young adults, and I know my most morbid friends and I would have absolutely adored it at that age,

Book Review: The Mark Of The Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson (Coming out in March, 2014)

Star Ratings: Characters: *****(4 stars) Character Development: **** (4 stars) Plot: ***** (5 stars) Writing: *** **(5 stars) Overall: ***** (5 stars) (It is hereby stated that I read the advanced reader’s copy of The Mark of The Dragonfly and a few details might change before publication.) How pleased am I to be giving this

Safety Tips For Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers: Independent Bookshops

Have you left your gift-getting merriment until the last days before Christmas? Has your usually ungenerous spirit been inspired by songs of holiday cheer and familial pressure to scramble around looking for the perfect gift? Have you decided that everyone’s getting books this year because, screw it, they can just go read quietly for an

High School Books Part II: After The Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away

Star Ratings Characters: *** (3 stars) Character Development: *** (3 stars) Plot: **** (4 stars) Writing: ***** (5 stars) Overall: **** (4 stars) Age recommendation: 14+ The next library book in my high school novel stack was the first YA book by Joyce Carol Oates I had ever read.  I’ve heard good things about Big Mouth, Ugly

High School Books Part I: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

I started my new job on Tuesday, at one of my favorite bookstores in the state, so Monday marked the end of my last ever summer vacation.  I’m feeling a little nostalgic for the comfort of knowing that every September school would start again and the real world would disappear for a while, and maybe

Archived Review: Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough

Originally posted to Dark Lady Reviews on January 16, 2013 Star Ratings Characters: ***** (5 Stars) Character Development: **** (4 Stars) Plot: ***** (5 Stars) Writing: **** (4 Stars) Overall: ***** (5 Stars) Age range recommendation: 13 + This is the sort of novel I want to read all day, every day. This is the