Fury’s Island by Sue Perkins

January 17, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Fury’s Island by Sue Perkins
Fury Series Book 2
Publisher: Caishel Books
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (101 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

On holiday in Nelson, New Zealand, Fury meets Eion who offers to teach her to paddle board. Immediately attracted to him, she agrees. After basic instruction, he takes her out to Skull Island, a creepy looking rock some distance from the beach. No one has ever discovered a way up to the caves which look like eyes, but Fury finds a secret entrance and convinces Eion they should investigate. Their excitement rises as they discover tunnels and caves hidden beneath the ground, but neither is prepared for the arrival of ghostly pirates bringing their treasure chests to bury in one of the underground caves.

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There was a fabulous plot twist that I didn’t see coming in advance. It had to do with the ghosts that Fury and Eion met in the cave after they’d visited it multiple times. While I can’t go into details about this portion of the storyline, I gasped out loud when I realized that some of my assumptions about those entities had been totally wrong. Ms. Perkins did an excellent job of both keeping this surprise hidden and revealing it at exactly the right moment.

Fury’s unusual behavior made it tricky for me to choose an age recommendation for this tale. She was sixteen years old in this sequel, but she behaved like someone much younger than her chronological age.This was especially noticeable when it came to her sometimes odd interactions with others. For example, she had lots of trouble noticing when someone was flirting with her and she misinterpreted what her mother was saying to her on more than one occasion. I’m still not sure if she was specifically written to be a neurodivergent character or if she was simply a little quirky. If the author wanted the audience to think of her as someone who might have medical reasons for her troubles with social cues, I sure wish there had been more hints about that! I was fascinated by this part of her personality while also being confused as to whether I was actually supposed to be labelling her at all.

I loved the fact that it took a long time for anything paranormal to happen in this tale. There was so much else going on in Fury’s life that it made total sense for the spirits to stay out of sight until later on in the plot. This also gave me the opportunity to get to know her even better than I did the first time I met her. I relished the opportunity to see how she’d changed over time and how she’d react to spending her summer vacation in a place that she never would have chosen on her own.

This is the second book in a series. It can be read on its own or out of order.

Fury’s Island should be read by anyone who enjoys ghost stories.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Fury’s Ghost by Sue Perkins

January 16, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Fury’s Ghost by Sue Perkins
Publisher: Caishel Books
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (114 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Fury’s family leave the city for a six month visit to rural New Zealand. They stay in an old house belonging to her mother’s family, but who is the ghostly figure in a hidden attic room and why is Fury the only one who can see her? She learns the ghost is the spirit of the original owner who has been trapped in the room for one hundred years.

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The afterlife isn’t always a peaceful place.

At first I wasn’t sure if this tale was meant to be set in the past or the present. Eventually, I did make up my mind about this question, but I liked the fact that the storyline focused on all of the timeless elements of being a twelve-year-old whose family has just moved into a haunted house. Fury could have just as easily lived several decades ago and it wouldn’t have changed much about her adventures at all. There’s definitely something to be said for characters and plots that aren’t tied down to one specific era. This could be a modern-day classic in the making!

I would have liked to see a little more attention paid to character development. Fury went through some pretty memorable and spooky experiences, so I was surprised by how quickly she adapted to the idea that ghosts exists and that there was one living in her house. If a bit more attention had been paid to how she made that mental leap, I would have given this book a five star rating. Everything else about it was well done.

The plot related to who the ghost was and how she died was handled nicely. While I obviously can’t go into a lot of detail about it without giving away spoilers, I liked the fact that Fury had barely any information at all about this character in the beginning. Her lack of knowledge only made me more curious to find out who the spirit had been in life and why they’d hung around for so long.

Anyone who enjoys paranormal fiction should give Fury’s Ghost a try.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales by Dylan James

January 11, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales by Dylan James
Publisher: Deep Hearts YA
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (275 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Jordan Ortiz decides he can no longer hide who he truly is. He’s gay. He comes out to his family, then he comes out to everyone, and it goes well. Like, way better than he thought possible. But that’s about where it ends. There aren’t enough out gay kids at school for him to build a queer social life or even consider the possibility of dating. For now, he’s happy to be the gay bestie for his BFF, Hannah.

Benjamin Cooper is the captain of the football team and has known Jordan for almost his whole life. And he has a secret. When they won an award at the science fair in grade nine, Jordan hugged him—and that’s when Ben realized he had feelings for Jordan. As he watches Jordan come out and flower into who he is, he can’t help but feel ashamed—ashamed at what a coward he is compared to Jordan.
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When a broken leg and fair-weather friends leave Ben feeling lonely on Christmas break, he spends New Year’s Eve with Jordan, just hanging out in his basement like they used to years ago. But as the countdown to midnight happens and the ball is about to drop, Ben has something else in mind. At the stroke of midnight, he kisses Jordan.

What starts with a surprise kiss leads to a year of shared secrets, hidden love, relationship troubles, and broken hearts. Through it all, one fact holds true—Jordan loves Benjamin and Benjamin loves Jordan. But is that enough to carry them through when Ben wants to stay firmly in the closet, to the very point that this might destroy what hope they have of true love?

Falling in love isn’t always a simple process.

Bullying is a complicated subject, so I was glad to see the author take such a nuanced approach to why students bully each other, how bystanders affect this process, and what might persuade at least some the bullies to stop. Some of the most interesting scenes in this book were the ones that explored how this all works, especially when the adults aren’t paying attention and the bullies think they can get away with anything they’d like.

Jordan and Benjamin had very similar voices in this story. That is, when the point of view switched between them from one chapter to the next, I would have had some trouble telling who was narrating that part of the storyline if their sections hadn’t been marked. They had such similar personalities and speaking styles that it wasn’t always easy to tell who was who. If not for this, I would have chosen a much higher rating as I enjoyed everything else about the plot.

The romance between Jordan and Benjamin was nicely written. I liked the fact that they moved slowly at the beginning of it. Not only did that make sense for their personalities, it gave the audience plenty of time to come up with our own reasons why these two characters should end up together. I know that I started rooting for that ending very early on due to how well they got along and how much they had in common!

Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales should be read by anyone who loves the romance genre.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Corruption by Nick Wilford

January 7, 2019 By 1 Comment


Corruption by Nick Wilford
Publisher: Superstar Peanut Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (182 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible have found themselves in a position where they can make their native land somewhere that lives up to its name: Harmonia. However, they’re setting their sights further afield for their number one task: eradicating the disease that has plagued the neighbouring country of Loretania for generations and allowed the privileged Harmonians to live in a sterile environment.
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After dispatching a team of scientists to Loretania, armed with cratefuls of an antidote and vaccine and headed up by their friend, Dr George Tindleson, Welles, Ez, and Welles’s brother Mal – who grew up in that benighted nation – start to worry when they hear nothing back, despite what they had agreed. Commandeering a fishing boat to follow the science team over the sea, they soon find that, while the disease may be on the way out, a new kind of infection has set in – the corruption they thought they had stamped out in Harmonia.

Can they get to the root of the problem and eradicate it before even more damage is done to an innocent people?

This book is aptly titled Corruption. The people of Harmonia have found their white, sterile world is at the expense of Loretania who get all the nasty stuff that Harmonia syphons out of their country. Scientists from Harmonia travel to Loretania to help get rid of the disease and make their ecology grow and sustain the population. Good intentions are all very well, but human greed interferes.

I like that it’s the teenagers who follow up on this intention when their queries are met by silence. The corruption of the older generation shows that no matter how much people want to help those less fortunate than themselves, there are others who are only interested in themselves.

The story does allude to rape, the act is mentioned but no actual rape scene is described. This is a young adult book as the main characters are teenagers and the story is their story. Good book, interesting reading.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

TV Review of: Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia – a Netflix Original Series

January 3, 2019 By 5 Comments

Review of: Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia – a Netflix Original Series
Created by Guillermo del Toro in conjunction with DreamWorks Animation and Double Dare You Productions.

Review by Xeranthemum

My youngest is the one responsible for this Netflix obsession. He was watching it while we were busy making plans for New Year’s Eve and, instead of focusing on what needed to be done, my husband and I were both sucked into the story. Three hours went by without notice. We finished this particular story loop about Merlin and Morgana, and good versus evil trolls, the next day.

What made this series so compelling? The characters, the plot and its intelligence. Yes, it’s a cartoon but computer generated or not, the presentation is filled with action, battles, lessons, growth in maturity and fantastical creatures, and the most compelling aspect, friendship. There are so many elements to take in that I more than likely will re-watch it from the beginning. It’s that detailed and good.

There are so many characters that flavor this series; good and bad trolls, regular humans and humans on a quest with a destiny, namely Jim. He’s not comfortable with the burden he will bear but with his friends at his side, he is forced to stand tall and accept his role. The troll hunter’s mom does not come across as dumb or disrespected. She has strength, she loves her son and she acts like a grownup should. Her unconditional love is a joy to behold. Jim’s respect for his mom and his clear love for her garners my respect.

Morgana was presented as convincingly evil but Merlin isn’t exactly a benign character. He’s more acerbic, canny, and Machiavellian. Actually, there were tried and true fantasy tropes sprinkled throughout the episodes and yet, they were made fresh and riveting within Jim’s role in the series. All 52 installments are amazing. Each show ends with a cliffhanger or a shocking revelation, or a threat from which there seems to be no chance of escape. That is how easy it is to keep watching show after show after show. The hours effortlessly fly by. It must be magic, LOL.

Due to this cause, there are many businesses that have an involvement into use lowest price for viagra of toilet stools so that they can help their employees for gaining health back. Skipping medications for engaging in sexual relations is recommended so that the pill is ordine cialis on line browse description able to take its effects. It is always suggested to take the pill as per the doctors super cialis the only possible solution for this issue or you can simply stay with this problem. Erectile dysfunction condition is a man’s inability levitra generika for getting or maintaining an erect penile perfect for sexual intercourse. * Get the right drug. Today I started the new plot thread which actually corresponds with Jim’s quest, overlapping from a different character’s point of view. Even the series title is different, 3 Below. I think I’m lucky that I didn’t discover the Troll Hunter series, through my youngest, until after all episodes were aired. It was a marvelous experience because I didn’t have to wait week to week for the next part. Of course, now 3 Below is just starting and I know I’ll get to the point where I have no choice but to wait with baited breath until the next episode airs. If the story is made with the same high quality as the Troll Hunters, then I’m eager to see what further adventures develop in Arcadia Oaks. One thing is for sure, they certainly won’t be boring.

For fantasy lovers this series is like candy, or potato chips – you can’t watch only one episode. I certainly couldn’t.

If you’re not sure yet, watch the trailer and be amazed.

If you are curious about 3 Below, the sci-fi fantasy sequel, then this trailer is for you:

Jim reminds me of Johnny Quest, but instead of his best friend being Hadji, it’s a troll with 6 eyes named Blinky, short for Blinkous Galadrigal, and humans Claire and Toby. Their friendship is a huge asset to the story. I heartily recommend watching the Troll Hunter series. It’s like a great epic YA fantasy book come to ‘life’.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Television Show, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , ,

January Book of the Month Poll Winner ~ One Taste Too Many by Debra H Goldstein

December 31, 2018 By 1 Comment


One Taste Too Many by Debra H Goldstein
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (323 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy
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For culinary challenged Sarah Blair, there’s only one thing scarier than cooking from scratch—murder!

Married at eighteen, divorced at twenty‑eight, Sarah Blair reluctantly swaps her luxury lifestyle for a cramped studio apartment and a law firm receptionist job in the tired hometown she never left. With nothing much to show for the last decade but her feisty Siamese cat, RahRah, and some clumsy domestic skills, she’s the polar opposite of her bubbly twin, Emily—an ambitious chef determined to take her culinary ambitions to the top at a local gourmet restaurant . . .

Sarah knew starting over would be messy. But things fall apart completely when her ex drops dead, seemingly poisoned by Emily’s award-winning rhubarb crisp. Now, with RahRah wanted by the woman who broke up her marriage and Emily wanted by the police for murder, Sarah needs to figure out the right recipe to crack the case before time runs out. Unfortunately, for a gal whose idea of good china is floral paper plates, catching the real killer and living to tell about it could mean facing a fate worse than death—being in the kitchen!

Includes quick and easy recipes!

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE!

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Non-Fiction, Other, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: ,

The Bagel King by Andrew Larsen

December 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Bagel King by Andrew Larsen
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Every Sunday morning, no matter the weather, Eli could count on Zaida to bring bagels from Merv’s Bakery. Eli loved the time they spent together enjoying their favorite treats. Warm. Chewy. Salty, Eli thought. Bagels were the best thing about Sunday. But one Sunday, Zaida didn’t come. He had fallen at Merv’s and hurt his tuches, and the doctor said Zaida had to rest at home for two whole weeks. This meant Eli had no Sunday morning bagels. And neither did Zaida’s friends, who had been receiving their own weekly deliveries from Zaida. Will they all go hungry for bagels on Sunday? Or is there something Eli can do? Award-winning author Andrew Larsen’s picture book story offers a gently humorous take on the special bond between a boy and his grandfather and the simple ritual that looms so large in their lives. It also highlights a terrific character education lesson about how a young child can take responsibility and, with a little initiative, help a family member in need. With a blend of retro and contemporary styles, Sandy Nichols’s softly colored illustrations cleverly convey the story’s timelessness and capture Eli’s diverse neighborhood. This book will spark wonderful discussions about family traditions and community. A mini glossary and pronunciation guide for the Yiddish words that are sprinkled throughout the story (like mensch and oy) provides an opportunity to learn about the many words we use in English that come from other languages, and to explore the connections between culture and language.

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The relationship between Eli and Zaida, his grandfather, was such a sweet one. Not only did they love each other quite a bit, they also enjoyed spending time together as buddies. It made me smile to see them try to figure out how to change their routines after Zaida was injured and couldn’t do the things he normally did with his grandson.

There was a pretty big plot hole in this story that none of the characters seemed to notice. As much as I liked watching Eli gradually come up with a plan to help his grandfather after the accident, I was distracted by the fact that no one was talking about the easier and more obvious solution to their problem. I would have chosen a much higher rating if this hadn’t happened.

One of the things I liked the most about this tale were the warm and friendly relationships Eli had obviously developed with everyone in his community. While he wasn’t biologically related to everyone who lived nearby, they did treat him like he was a member of their families. He was watched over and encouraged by all of the adults in his life no matter where he went or what he did. That strong sense of community and protectiveness over the youngest members of a society was such a lovely thing to read about.

I’d recommend The Bagel King to anyone who has developed a close bond with someone much older or younger than them or who wonders what this sort of relationship could be like.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning

December 18, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Colonel and the Bee by Patrick Canning
Publisher: Evolved Publishing
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (279 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

A peculiar explorer and downtrodden acrobat span the globe on a building-sized hot air balloon, in search of a precious artifact and the murderous treasure hunter who seeks it.

WINNER: Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Summer 2018 – Best Adventure

Beatrix, a spirited but abused acrobat in a traveling circus, seeks more than her prison-like employment offers. More than anything, she wants to know her place in the world of the halcyon 19th century, a time when the last dark corners of the map were being sketched out and travel still possessed a kind of magic.

One night in Switzerland, the mysterious Colonel James Bacchus attends Beatrix’s show. This larger-than-life English gentleman, reputed to have a voracious appetite for female conquests, is most notable for traveling the world in a four-story hot air balloon called The Ox.
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Beatrix flees that night to join the Colonel, and the two of them make a narrow escape—Beatrix from her abusive ringleader, the Colonel from a freshly-made cuckold. Beatrix, feeling the Colonel may have the answers to her problems, pledges to help him catch the criminal he seeks in exchange for passage on his magnificent balloon.

The criminal seeks a precious figurine, The Blue Star Sphinx, but he’s not alone. The Sphinx’s immense value has also drawn the attention of the world’s most deadly treasure hunters. A murder in Antwerp begins a path of mystery that leads all the way to the most isolated island on Earth.

What dangers await the Colonel and the acrobat?

Beatrix is an orphan who works as a trapeze artist in the circus. She performs over bare ground to make it more dangerous. Her boss uses a whip to punish any employee that acts out or gets mouthy. She gets her fair share of correction because she talks back to him. But one night she sees an Englishman at the show and finds out he rides around in a hot air balloon. She likes the trapeze because it reminds her of flying. Imagine what it would be like to ride in a hot air balloon!

Beatrix begs to ride on the hot air balloon. She wants to escape the circus. The Colonel refuses but when she offers to help him find the criminal he’s hunting he finally decides he’ll take her. He doesn’t intend to keep her long.

It’s a four-story hot air balloon. He soon teaches her how to fly and manipulate the balloon. She’s not real good at it, but she learns to stay afloat. The only thing she doesn’t like about the Colonel is that he’s a womanizer. Every time they stop somewhere he’s out looking for a woman.

She meets the other members of his team and they all become friends. They’re looking for the mysterious Christopher and he’s hard to find. Bee doesn’t know but the Colonel has more secrets. It’s a good thing she had acrobat training. It’s the only thing that keeps her alive…

Mr. Canning writes a very good story. It starts with a fast pace and that lasts the whole story. There’s plenty of danger, lots of excitement, and two unlikely characters become a team. There’s not a boring part in this story. The story flows well and you almost think you’re losing a character or two but not to worry. It ends unusually but happily.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Being Frank by Donna W. Earnhardt

December 18, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Being Frank by Donna W. Earnhardt
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Genre: Childrens, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Age Recommendation: 6+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Frank follows the motto, “Honesty is the best policy.” He tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Frank never lies to his schoolmates, he always tells the truth to adults, and he’s always honest with police officers. The balancing act of finding tact, that fine line between telling the truth and telling too much truth, is the main theme of this story, and it’s very funny—although not necessarily to his friend Dotti whose freckles remind Frank of the Big Dipper, or to the teacher who hears that her breath smells like onions, or to the principal who is told that his toupee looks like a weasel. No one is quite as impressed with Frank’s honesty as he thinks they should be. He is sweet and straightforward, and, well, very frank, but with everyone annoyed at him, Frank is now honestly unhappy. He decides to visit his confidante and pal, Grandpa Ernest, who has a history of frankness himself. With a few lessons from Grandpa, Frank begins to understand that the truth is important, but so is not being hurtful. With amusing characters and expressive artwork, this story tells the powerful message of finding the good in everything—a lesson that sends compassion and understanding to take the place of rudeness in the complex concept of truth.

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Frank was such a likeable kid. Even though he said hurtful things at the beginning of this tale, his intentions were never to make anyone sad. In fact, he was horrified at the thought that he’d accidentally done exactly that! Figuring that out in one of the earliest scenes was all it took for me to start rooting for him to find more gentle ways to express his opinions about other people. His heart was in the right place, so I looked forward to finding out if he’d be able to make the changes he needed in order for other people to understand what he was trying to say to them.

I would have liked to see Frank’s grandfather spend a little more time explaining the difference between being tactful and lying to someone. As an adult, I totally understood exactly what he was getting at, but I do think that this age group would benefit from a more straightforward explanation of this topic. It’s an important one, and I would have chosen a perfect rating if this character had been given a few more lines to show kids how to talk about something they didn’t like without offending anyone.

With that being said, the ending was really well done. I liked the reactions that Frank’s friends and neighbors had once they realized he was trying a new way of communicating with them. Without giving away any plot twists, they were also great role models for how to behave when someone says something that you’re not entirely sure how to respond to at first.

Being Frank should be read by anyone who has ever accidentally put their foot in their mouth and said something they later regretted.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dickensen Academy by Christine Grabowski

December 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment


Dickensen Academy by Christine Grabowski
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, YA
Length: Full Length (351 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Dickensen Academy isn’t a typical boarding school. The faculty is hiding an unbelievable secret within their fine arts program. When Autumn Mattison receives an invitation to attend the high school, she yearns to escape her overbearing father yet remains reluctant to leave her mother and brother. Her doubts fade away when a vivid dream convinces her she belongs there.

Away from home, Autumn discovers a unique school environment that awakens her creative potential, and her new friends become like a second family. However, as she uncovers more about the dark side of the school and struggles with its curriculum, she questions whether Dickensen Academy is truly where she belongs.

When tragedy strikes, Autumn must learn to believe in her own power and stand up to her greatest fear or risk having her memories destroyed to protect the school’s secrets. Caught between secrets and dreams, can she find her true self?

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Ms. Grabowski has come up with a thought-provoking premise. I don’t think I’ve come across anything quite like it in a young adult novel. Autumn and her fellow students have a unique ability, which I can’t reveal without spoiling the story. At first glance, this power sounds wonderful and amazing. However, the potential for misuse is huge and truly terrifying. Immediately, my mind was filled with questions. How will the students learn to control their abilities? If someone is misusing their power, how could it be proven? What sort of discipline would the staff use if misuse was proven? How do they ensure the secret of the academy is kept? I eagerly anticipated learning the answers.

Autumn is a sweet girl. She is very determined and much stronger than she thinks. Autumn blossoms on the campus of Dickensen Academy, and I get the feeling this change is a breath of fresh air she’s needed for a very long time. Autumn has great potential, but she’s been living in the shadow of her father, older brother, and best friend. It is clear all these people care about her, but Autumn needs some time away to prove she is capable of succeeding on her own terms. It was a pleasure to watch her grow and change.

While Autumn is intelligent, school work is not something that has ever come easily to her. She works hard to maintain her grades, and her new-found ability is no exception. Unfortunately, Autumn is unable to push her ability to the next step. Frustrated, Autumn can only watch as her classmates progress. While it is nice to read about a character who isn’t magically good at everything, I must admit that Autumn’s struggle seems a bit prolonged, and I feel that the pacing of the story suffers as a result.

Autumn’s relationship with Ben is sweet, but moves at a very leisurely pace. While a slower approach is understandable given that Autumn and Ben are young, under a lot of pressure at a new school, and learning to control their special abilities, I do feel that the pacing suffers here as well. Autumn and Ben clearly care for each other and spend a lot of time together. I feel they could have moved on to dating sooner.

Dickensen Academy has a satisfying ending, but I have a lot of unanswered questions concerning not only the students’ power, but also a source of conflict between Autumn and a girl named Caitlyn. There is a lot of tension between these two and the potential for harm is real given the abilities of these students. There are also several serious events that weren’t explained. I’m curious to see how this will play out in the future.

I enjoyed reading Dickensen Academy. I see a lot of potential in this series and look forward to the next installment.

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