JUST LOOK WHAT IS BACK!! THE TBR OF THE WEEK, OMG!!! ❤
Sorry, it was kind of rude to begin the post screaming at you lovelies, but last time I was able to do a TBR of the Week post was on June 19th. SO. LONG. AGO. I needed to celebrate, haha! Hope everyone is having a kick ass weekend!
My chosen book of the day is The Key to Rondo, first book in the Rondo series by awesome Emily Rodda! I just started it last night, to be honest, but it’s too interesting for me to pass the opportunity of talking about it, haha! My cousin Walter was cool enough to lend his copy for me, so thanks, Walter =D Love you, man!
Hello, lovelies! I’m back with another really late review from happier days, before my break down and all the emo music I’ve been listening to. One would think teenage angst couldn’t be a deal after our twenties, but oh well.
Despite the teen phase, I’m here today to talk about a middle grade book, which proves that I’m never going to truly grow up – middle grade books can be the sweetest thing ever ❤ I present you the third volume in The Maisy Files series, from Elizabeth Woodrum: Maisy and the Mystery Manor! I’ve won my copy from Lola’s Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review, so here we are! Thanks, guys ❤
As miracles do happen, we have reviews for all the books in the series so far! If you want to take a look at them before reading this one, please, be my guest!
Super sleuths will be thrilled to know that everyone’s favorite fourth-grade detective is back with a double dose of mystery adventure! As Maisy participates in a mystery weekend event for junior detectives, she uncovers a real case. Could a ghost be haunting Mystery Manor? Find out in the exciting third installment of The Maisy Files!
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
I was so sad to know this was the last book in the series and even sadder to not know if there will be more volumes to it! =( Especially given that Maisy and The Mystery Manor is the best volume – full standalone, so you don’t need to read books one and two to meet Maisy and understand why she is on the Mystery Manor – and also the cleverest of them all! ❤ I finished it with an I-want-more taste on my mouth and it was a five stars read from beginning to end!
The narrative follows the style from the previous books: third person from Maisy’s view. It’s amazing to see how skilled Maisy becomes through the books, using her logic better and better with each mystery solved. Woodrum also had the care of always making the next mystery slightly more challenging than the last, so that’s also amazing. I confess I got lost trying to solve the main mystery, so more points to the author! ❤ Annelise, dear, don’t talk like your mental age was above 12.
Mea culpa, as I have the sinking feeling that it’s not just my face that is stuck in time since I became a vampire, at the age of 14. Seriously, a high-schooler hit on me on the mall the other day and I not-so-kindly told him I had the age to be his mother, as I’m 22 and already finished college. Kids those days! Still, it’s amazing to see how Woodrum built a good mystery without resorting to anything too complicated. I can’t even tell you how refreshing this was!
…And I already talked about the plot, haha! I don’t want to say much more, because a good mystery doesn’t ask for spoilers 😉
The interesting thing to see about the characters is their evolution. Maisy may be the leading character, but her best friend Veronica also got much better at being a detective and both girls grow up a little, but never losing their childish shine ❤
I truly only have good things to say about this book and this series, so I’m afraid this review will be shorter than my usual ones.
Please, do try to disguise your relief a little bit, yes? Thank you! Hahahaha!
As I say my goodbyes for this delightful series (for now! I still have hopes for a new The Maisy Files book and re-reads are always a thing), I’d like to share the biggest lesson I took from Maisy:
“Never mess with a girl’s lollipops” – SAWYER, Maisy.
Thank you for reading yet another review and many thanks again to Lola’s Blog Tours for my review copy! =) See you around and love you, guys!
(Alternative title: oh dear, how I love clever children’s books <3)
Hello, hello 🙂 How’s everyone weekend went? Mine was really lazy, full of Ever After High, cleaning, laundry and reading. Not that you need to know any of that, oops 😛 Sorry, haha! Anyway, continuing on that plan of reviewing all the books I’ve read so far, today I’ll talk about one that I received from Lola’s Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review 🙂 Thanks a lot!
Without anymore suspense, let’s talk about Maisy and the Money Marauder, the second volume of The Maisy File series, from Elizabeth Woodrum =D Oh, if you would like to read my review for the first book before starting this one, be our guest!
Everyone’s favorite fourth-grade detective is back!
Maisy steps back into her black and white mystery world when someone begins stealing lunch money at West Valley Elementary. With her fedora hat, notebook, and a little help from her best friend, Maisy follows the clues to catch the thief, whom she names The Money Marauder. But, as the case develops, Maisy is stumped by the ever growing list of suspects. With a cherry lollipop in hand, Maisy is determined to solve the case. Follow Maisy into her world of mystery and discover the identity of The Money Marauder.
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
The Maisy Files is one of those series in which each book gets better than the last. I enjoyed this volume way better than the last, as Maisy is even more clever and good humored. Also, we get to know the people around her more and her best friend, Veronica, starts working on cases with her. It was really good and entertaining, a perfect read not only for preteens, but for everyone 🙂 Five stars!
Maisy and the Money Marauder follows the narrative style from the last volume: third person styled, from Maisy’s point of view. Woodrum’s writing style improved a lot without losing its appeal to children. With a simple vocabulary and cute lessons, it stole my heart, haha!
The plot is still very simple, don’t start reading it expecting a clever mystery, but it was nice to see Maisy asking Veronica for help and to lead an investigation with the help of her friends. Also, Woodrum never writes a book with only one problem for Maisy to solve, which is awesome.
On characters’ matters, it was good to see how Maisy got better as a detective and to know more about the people around her. I liked the time we pass with Veronica, as she is really a child in the good sense of that: she makes jokes, she gets nervous for no reason while investigating, everything. She balances Maisy’s mature nature 🙂
On a bonus point, I learned the meaning of the word “marauder”, which I didn’t know before reading this book, haha! The perks of not being a native English speaker is to still be amazed at some word or another as you read =D
me reading and finding unknown words
Anyway, if you are searching for a good children’s book for any reason, pick up this series. It’s perfect ❤
And yes, you are not delirious, this is the end of this review 🙂 Pretty short by my standards, I know, but I’m trying to be more objective on reviews, haha! Which totally didn’t work on my last ones, but I won’t give up. Thanks to you for reading this review and following the blog, always supporting me, no matter how erratic or annoying I am and thanks again to Lola’s Blog Tours for my copies of The Maisy Files series! ❤ I loved reading it!
Hello, again! So, I decided to try to review a book per day until I catch up with myself. Of course I can’t promise anything, but trying is important, right? 🙂
I’d like to talk today about a lovely middle grade mystery that I received from Lola Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review: Maisy and the Missing Mice, the first one in The Maisy Files series, from Elizabeth Woodrum 😀 Thanks so much for my review copy! Let’s do this 🙂
*Oh, I’d like to take a moment to explain why I have a lack of bookish pictures on my reviews lately: I haven’t got a second alone with my iPad to take nice pictures. My parents are always using it, 24/7, and now that I’m back to work I don’t have a single moment of the day in which I have the damn tablet all for myself, haha! I’ll try to take some decent and pretty pictures this week before they get home 🙂
Maisy Sawyer has two passions on her life: mysteries and cherry lollipops. Even being only a fourth grade student, she is considered her school’s professional detective and always helps people solving their mysteries… In exchange for cherry lollipops, of course!
At first, the robbery of the school’s mice seemed just another regular mystery on Maisy’s schedule. But it all became personal when the thief, The Black Boot, decided to also steal Maisy’s cherry lollipops collection. That just went too far.
Now it’s not only a matter of helping the school getting their mascots back. The Black Boot went too far and made it personal. And Maisy Sawyer never left a mystery unsolved.
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂
This book was insanely cute. It was so refreshing to read a so well-written children’s book! ❤ I won’t lie, the mystery is really obvious, but I can really see middle grade students grabbing this book and reading it in one sitting (like I did) to find out who stole the mice and Maisy’s lollipops, haha! (like I did, because I needed to know if I was right, haha!) I had some small problems with Maisy’s behavior – she did things too right sometimes, to the point that it became unnatural for a kid on her age to have that level of awareness of her surroundings – but overall, it was a delightful read. Four stars ❤
The narrative is third person from Maisy’s point of view, which really works for the suspense of the mystery. I liked Maisy, she was a very cute kid and has a great future as a detective 🙂 Woodrum’s writing style was fluid and simple, but sometimes it felt too simple. For example, she would always use “but” instead of mixing it with “however” or any other synonyms and while I understand this is a middle grade book, a child can feel how repetitive it gets. I talk from experience, as I’ve been an assiduous reader since I learned how to do it, with the age of seven – ironically, I was the last child on my classroom to learn how to read, haha! But after I got the hang of it, I never stopped, oops!
The plot was good and well executed. The mystery wasn’t that complex – it is a middle grade book, after all – but I liked that the author didn’t make it too easy too. I think a child can solve it too, but nothing is outrageously obvious 🙂 I was highly satisfied with all the technical aspects of Maisy and the Missing Mice!
Now, let’s talk about characters. While I really appreciate that Woodrum didn’t treat Maisy as a naïve and vulnerable child just because she is young, there were times in which Maisy’s maturity was beyond forced. I get that she tried to “teach” children what they should do, but it’s from the young nature to be impulsive and reckless. I was a mature child myself and even so, I did impulsive and reckless things all the time and my mom would end up fighting with me. My point is, I missed a little this natural aspect of a child in Maisy.
On the other hand, there is this scene in which Maisy’s classroom is leaving for their break and Maisy sees some children with their coats on and suddenly decides she wants her coat too. While I think this is perfectly normal behavior among children, it felt forced on Maisy, because she was so decided and couldn’t care less for what her colleagues and friends thought. Contradictory much?
Anyway, even with those small problems, I still loved Maisy and the other characters. They were overall very real and relatable, as we saw little habits that make people who they are 🙂 Veronica, her best friend, was lovely ❤
Overall, if you like a good mystery for children or is looking for a good middle grade book – who knows? – you totally should give Maisy and the Missing Mice a try 😀
Thanks so much for reading my review ❤ Also, thanks again to Lola’s Blog Tours for sending me my review copy!
Hi, there! Sorry for the really late post, I’m still not adjusted to my home yet. Every time I travel or come back after travelling, I get a little lost on my own schedules. So far, only my blog and my laundry are severe damage. But I hope to get both on track, haha!
As we are back on track, today is book author day on the Authors from my Heart ❤ section! The chosen one is a very special figure from my childhood that made me fall in love with adventure and dystopian books – you know, before they became the new vampires, lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love when the subjects that I like are the new fashion, as I can discover more books and goodies from them, but it happens, haha!
We have met through a friend that I also talk about here when doing manga reviews, as she is guilty of showing me the hottest titles in town. Yes, Hachiyumi once again! I love you, girl! ❤ So, somewhere between 2004 and 2005, Hachi tells me about this very interesting book that she had read and raise my interest, as she was never a hardcore book reader as I am. She had the book, so I borrowed it: The Forests of Silence, first book in the Deltora Quest series.
And that’s how my love for her was born ❤ I have read all three Deltora Quest series and am currently reading Rowan of Rin series. Usually, I’d choose an author that: a) I have already read at least three distinct works; b) or three distinct series. But as I have been in love with Emily since I’m a kid and Deltora Quest has three series of its own, I thought it would be nice to do this small tribute to her work 🙂
This is where it all started. I remember reading her books so fast that my mom got depressed in buying them for me, haha! She only got over it when she realized that I loved re-reading them ❤ And I was head over heels when I discovered the following series, haha!
Honestly, if you like adventure and character development on dystopian worlds, just read this series. I think it’s one of those ageless books 😀
Book two from the series beside my paperback copy of All In With The Duke ❤
I’ve only read books one and two so far, but I am hooked. I started to read as soon as it was published on my country, but the national delay made me forget all about this series until last year, when I bought book three. Now I’ll re-read the first ones and read the third, haha! And then hunt for the others, ugh. Anyway, another lovely series!
Hi, there! Good morning 😀 Today is Authors from my Heart <3, manga section! The chosen one was a group responsible for my entry on this world: CLAMP!
CLAMP group back in 2006 😀
We first met in 2003, which was my official year of manga discovering (thanks, Rachel!). My first title from CLAMP was Chobits and I regret nothing ❤ I’ve read almost all their works (some not until the end, I confess), so I have a clinical eye for them. Strongest point is, for sure, the art and the clothing in all titles. Seriously, these women are AWESOME. Their plots are a bit temperamental, but I never outright hated anything, so I guess this is a plus. Weak point: subliminal messages. SUBLIMINAL MESSENGERS EVERYWHERE. Read Card Captor Sakura or Wish, YOU SHALL UNDERSTAND MY MEANING. And, at the same time that is very cool, it can be so frustrating! CLAMP is not known for sheets action, if you catch my drift, so we fans have to resource to dousjinshis to see what we want from any couple, hetero or homosexual 😦
Anyway, I’ve read 13 series from them until now and I promise to try to put them in chronological order of appearance in my life (or something that approaches that, haha!)
Warning: this post is huge. Sorry about that, haha!
Chi isn’t your average humanoid computer. She can’t do word processing, she can’t connect to the Internet, and she’s incapable of networking with other persocoms. Even her sound card seems broken. No wonder Hideki found her tied up in a pile of trash. But when the 19-year-old technophobe takes her home, he finds that she may be more advanced than her childlike behavior lets on.
The first one is always special, even not being the best. Already talked more about it here 🙂
From CLAMP comes the thrilling adventures of Sakura, a fourth-grader who accidentally finds an enchanted book called The Clow. The book once contained a set of magical Clow Cards, but they all escaped while the guardian of the book fell asleep. Now, Sakura is thrust into a mystical journey to capture all the cards before they wreak chaos and destruction!
I’ve watched the anime on TV for years before getting to ready this title and it’s even better on manga ❤ CLAMP’s art is something astonishingly beautiful. My first yaoi couple comes from this series, in the form of Touya and Yukito. They were clearly boyfriends, but damn CLAMP and their subliminal messages! I only realized that years after, ugh. Still, they are adorable together:
Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are Tokyo schoolgirls with nothing else in common, until one fateful day changes everything: the three are summoned to the magical realm of Cephiro and find that their lives are inexorably intertwined. Princess Emeraude, whose willpower keeps Cephiro safe, has been kidnapped by the sinister Zagato, and the three girls must become the legendary Magic Knights in order to save her. It’s not going to be easy, as Zagato has sent his most powerful minions to stop the girls before they can fulfill their destinies. Protected by an ancient wizard’s blessing and determined to find their way home, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu begin the adventure of a lifetime!
This series is quite nice, but I confess it requires a re-read on my part, as I barely remember anything beyond the three main characters, oops!
As part of the X/1999 series, this volume features breathless action and stunning art. When Kamui returns to Tokyo, he learns that his childhood girlfriend Kotori and psychic Princess Hitoni are having strange dreams about his role in a coming apocalypse! Is he the angel of salvation, or the devil of destruction?
To be honest, I barely remember this series either. I’ve read it on 2003 or 2004 and only once, so this needs a re-read, haha!
Angelic Layer is sweeping the nation! In the newest electronic sport, players enter their Angels in tournaments and battle for fortune and glory. Twelve-year-old Misaki just discovered Angelic Layer, and she’s already captivated by the game. But building a winning Angel takes money and experience, and Misaki’s short on both counts. With the help of a crazy scientist and a very special Angel of her own, she’ll give it her all to win the Angelic Layer crown.
This series is a sweetie! I love it so much! Its catch is similar to Chobits, in a way, as there is robots and common characters (oh yeah, they looove to do that and we love to spy their Easter eggs, haha!)
Tokyo. The cultural and economic hub of the Eastern world. Not unlike the legendary city of Babylon, its man-made tower stretches toward the heavens … a symbol of its people’s ambition and their indomitable spirit. Nowhere on Earth will you find such vanity … or such beauty.
This is my home.
My name is Sumeragi Subaru, and I hunt the dead. Then I return them to peace.
No matter where my work leads me, I suspect I’ll never leave Tokyo in spirit. But then again, it seems so few people do these days…
If I remember correctly, this series is a kind of prequel for X 1999, but I’m not sure. Again, only read once in 2004/2005, haha! I need to re-read many things…
Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop–a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience.
Most of Yuuko’s customers live in Japan, but Yuko and Watanuki are about to have some unusual visitors named Sakura and Syaoran from a land called Clow…
This series crosses paths with the next of the list, Tsubasa. I didn’t finish either, but I always liked Holic best ❤ Yuuko is amazing and I love the bromance between Watanuki and Domeki, haha!
SAKURA AND SYAORAN RETURN!
But they’re not the people you know. Sakura is the princess of Clow – and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father’s life. They reside in an alternate reality…where whatever you least expect can happen – and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered – which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds – all in the name of saving Sakura.
I’m not the biggest fan of this series and I had never the opportunity of finishing it either, but I liked Phi and Kurogane (me and my males, I know). And the fact that here and there CLAMP made Tsubasa and Holic cross paths was super cool, haha! I need to re-read and finish this…
A trio of pre-teen sleuths made up of: 6’th grader Nokoru Imonoyama– Student Body president– his family built the CLAMP school and he’s the top student in his school. He has the superhuman ability to detect a woman crying from 2 km away!; Suoh Takamura- 5’th Grader –Student Body Secretary– A master martial artist with 3rd degree blackbelts in Judo, Aikido, Karate, and Kendo.; 4’th grader Akira Ijyuin — A master thief, also known as the Man of 20 Faces. He’s popular with the ladies, and is currently dating the president of the Kindergarten. Together they are the Clamp School detectives and they help girls in distress around the campus.
THIS SERIES IS SO CUTE! Plus, one of the boys is the main character of Man of Many Faces ❤ Please, don’t kick me, as a great deal of those series (including this one) were read in my late childhood and teenies…
Murikuri
Goodreads blurb[translated because the only available edition was in Spanish]:
An anthology with several short stories created by CLAMP, which portrays a series of closed worries in a funny way.
This was a bit weird and not really funny, but okay. I survived and now I pretend this does not exists.
When Shuichiro rescues an angel he is granted a single wish. The problem? Shuichiro can’t think of any wishes that he couldn’t grant himself. Refusing to leave Shuichiro without granting a wish Amber, the angel, moves in with the young doctor to help out around the house and wait for a chance to return the favor. Of course, angels aren’t the only supernatural beings wandering the Earth. Soon, demons and archangels alike are stopping by Shuichiro’s house, making things difficult for his angelic roommate.
THIS MANGA IS CUTENESS ALL OVER! Nothing prepared me for it, really. It’s the series that best approaches boys love, but not there yet as we barely get light kisses, ugh. But most parties involved are males, so I guess it’s a start? One of my favorite series from CLAMP!
There are many worlds in the universe outside of our own, connected by doors that are hidden to the eye. but if you chance upon those doors, you can be transported to a place where supple beauties reign supreme and all of your fantasies come allve. Should you pass through the doorways, be most careful, for the creatures you will meet can be as dangerous as they are beautiful. Many would die for a glimpse at those worlds–Miyuki would do anything to have them go away.
If you ask me, this series of short stories with poor Miyuki is awful and creepy, haha! I didn’t really like it.
Akira ljyuln lives a double life as a top student at Clamp School and as the infamous thief 20 Faces. He steals at the whim of his two crime lord mothers until his life is changed forever by a chance meeting with the lovely Utako. Featuring cameos by other Clamp School characters, Man of Many Faces is a romance that spans years, as childhood crush turns to true love. An absolute must that no Clamp fan can do without.
I loved this series! It was oh-so-cute and funny! Despite being an old title, it was only released in Brazil in 2014, so I didn’t know it. Now it’s one of my favorites ❤ SO. CUTE. Cute defines CLAMP very well. Cute and creepy, haha! Review here 🙂
Drawing on CLAMP’s own personal experiences, The One I Love provides insight both into the creators’ own lives, and into the oft-elusive concept of Love itself.
This intimate collection of short stories and essays doesn’t skirt issues at the heart of the matter such as insecurity, honesty, distance, independence, age, and – of course – marriage.
This one-volume anthology comprises 12 individual stories, each of which consists of seven pages of manga and two pages of prose.
I’m very sad to say that this was the last work from CLAMP that I got to know and read for now and that, despite its cute proposal, I found it very boring… I feel so guilty, haha!
CLAMP has several other works, but I guess it doesn’t make sense for me to talk about those titles if I didn’t read them. (Actually, there are some titles in this list already that could have been cut because I can’t remember shit about them, haha!) My point is, I love CLAMP and can’t wait to read more series from them ❤
That’s it! Thanks for reading 😀 Do you know / like CLAMP’s series??
*I do not own any of these illustrations, they were found on Google and are here displayed with the solemn purpose of illustrating points of the post. Those images belong to CLAMP group 🙂
Hi, there! Hope everybody is having an excellent Wednesday! I just got over my finals and I think I rocked them out, haha! YASS, I’M GRADUATING, BABY!
Also, today I’m doing my first graphic novel/comic book review for this blog! Yaay! Lots to celebrate, haha! I received a copy of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, from Ted Andersen and Katie Cook, through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you! Let’s go 😀
The graphic novel has two stories based on previous movies from the franchise.
In the first one, Sunset interviews Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pink Pie to discover how they met and became friends. When remembering all that they went through together, the bond between the five girls gets stronger.
The second one is about the spirit of holidays. When Sunset tells Applejack that she never has a proper holiday time at home, the girls arrange their schedules for Sunset never to be alone during the date. However, as the girls open up with Sunset, their secrets start to pop up in their school. Now they have to decide whether they believe Sunset’s claims for innocence or not.
The Analysis
Just remembering that those were my experiences and opinion as a reader 🙂
I’ve been in love with My Little Pony for a long time now, but I confess that I never watched the cartoons – I only have this notebook from the picture and a toy, oops! Haha! So, when I saw the opportunity of reviewing this graphic novel at NetGalley, I jumped on it ❤ Oh boy, I regret nothing! The draws were amazing and the stories were so cute! Definitely they are meant for teenies, but you are never old enough to like something, haha! I wish I had a physical copy of this, as it is awesome. A fun and fast read with lots of laughs: 5 stars!
The narrative wasn’t build on the mainstream style of graphic novels or comic books: on the first story, the girls share the narration with Sunset, that guides their story. On the second one, the narrator is almost completely absent, only marking passages of time. I liked that style, it worked very well for me ❤
On plot matters, the first story is more interesting, as it is build on the girls’ memories, so you don’t know exactly what to expect until they become friends – or maybe you can if you watched all the cartoons, I don’t know, haha! I had a good experience with it and, as some parts were very predictable, others were very surprising. The second story had a more sophisticated plot, as there is a mystery to be solved. I had my theories, but I wasn’t sure until the end who had done it. Again, maybe I would know if I watched the cartoons, oops! 😡
I like the girls a lot, they remind me of my personal group of friends (we also are five and the personalities have a big match, haha!). Rarity is my favorite and I think that’s who I would be if I was 10 and wanted to call deeds on a My Little Pony character (I guess I just did it with 21, but anyway). I think they all are fun and with the perfect touch of imperfectness, haha! Also, they show that the villains of the day can be people very close to you, so it is good to always keep an eye open.
Also, the illustrations were marvelous. Tony Fleecs and Andy Price rocked this as much as Ted Andersen and Katie Cook rocked the script /o/ A strong point of this graphic novel is that the illustrations were very colorful and alive, but the draws weren’t completely feminine, even that My Little Pony’s target is girls. The draw style is more relaxed and fluid, creating harmony with the vibrant colors. I just loved it! Look at there:
a glimpse of page 31 of the graphic novel ❤
Ps: I erased the lines as to not spoiler anyone, as this is just an example of illustration 🙂
Overall, I loved this and will love to get to know more about My Little Pony’s world!
That’s it, thanks for reading! Who is or used to be a fan of My Little Pony here??
The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange 