*I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy. 

Expected publication: December 20th, 2022 by Storey Publishing, LLC

This is an in-depth and easy-to-understand book that helps you build the perfect long-term backyard habitat for wild birds. At first, just looking through the book, the amount of information given can be a bit overwhelming. As someone who just started using bird feeders a year ago, I had no idea how much there was to know about creating the best possible environment for my winged friends.

However, the information is presented in a way that is both friendly to beginners and still interesting to those who have more experience. It has so many useful tips (invasive plants, different perspectives..etc) and includes details for each season as well. I love how organized the book is too. It is set up to be more than just a book you read once and then move on. It is the perfect book to have on hand to use as a constant reference when changing things up in your outdoor space.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5

Should you read it?

👍 Great for those just starting to take an interest in birds and those working on gardens.

Book Information: Goodreads

Author Information: Goodreads 

I was absolutely shocked at how good this book was. I received a copy from Hidden Gems to review and Marco Swift and the Mirror of Souls is without a doubt a very special hidden gem.

Eleven-year-old Marco Swift is really having a tough time. His father has just died a mysterious death and his mother is struggling with bipolar disorder. In order for his mother to receive in-patient treatment, Marco and his little sister Sophie are forced to relocate from America to their paternal grandmother’s vineyard in Italy. Forced to deal with all the sudden changes, it is understandable that Marco is not handling it very well. On the trip to the vineyard he ends up in a fight with a bully, Luca, who he later finds out is his cousin. Shortly after arriving at his new home, they end up in another fight that results in his Aunt Elda taking him to his room. He keeps picking up hints of a voice that will eventually lead him on an adventure involving the ancestral castle, Crispo.

Marco Swift and the Mirror of Souls falls into one of my all-time favorite categories to read: portal fantasy. The majority of the book takes place in Mortem, which has a very unique magical system. Magic is powered using gemstones that, once deprived, need time to recover (similar to how “mana” works in many fantasy games). I have never read a book with this type of system and found it both refreshing and vastly interesting. The main theme of this book deals with grief and forgiveness. Marco blames himself for pretty much everything that has gone wrong but as he progresses, he begins to heal. The big reveal at the end was done brilliantly.

I read the majority of this in one sitting. For a thirty-something-year-old, this is a very quick read…but I loved every second of it. The pacing was good and the characters were all interesting.  Some moments were predictable, but Cunningham did a wonderful job of placing enough doubt on what I thought was about to happen for me to question myself.

I also really enjoyed the black and white illustrations. The monochrome aesthetic fits the story wonderfully. 

*I received a copy of this book from Book Sirens.

This is a super adorable bedtime children's book. The illustrations are just precious. The story is told using a repetitive rhyming scheme that is often found in similar books. The lines in the story needed to be separated a bit more. I think the rhyme is supposed to be two people going back and forth, but it reads like one person which was a little weird.  Outside of that, I really enjoyed it.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5

Worth Reading? -  It is a perfect bedtime book for little ones who love animals.

A poor mouse and a rich mouse compete in the Country Bake-Off to see who can make the best tasting cake in Mouse Country. The story itself is nothing new but still done in an easily digestible way. What I enjoyed the most about this book was the beautiful illustrations done by Evgeniya Kozhevnikova. They are super cute.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a complimentary copy. 

*Disclaimer: I won an ARC of this book from Goodreads Giveaways.

The Supernatural Society is a middle-grade novel written by Rex Ogle. It was released on February 1st, 2022. 

I had high hopes for this book. It has everything I love to see in a middle-grade book. However, I was ultimately left a bit disappointed. Many books take inspiration from others, and I see nothing wrong with that. The problem, however, is the author’s ability to use that inspiration in a way that is not jolting or so obvious that it feels like low-key copying. Taking the inspiration and then building off it to create something unique takes work. Otherwise, it just leaves the reader feeling like they are reading fanfiction or a rip-off. 

This is the main problem I have with this book. There are far too many obvious references to Harry Potter, and the attempt at a Lemony Snicket-style narration left me annoyed before even reaching page 50. I would read and get into what was going on…only to have a paragraph of random narration that felt unneeded. It left me feeling like reading the book was a chore as it felt tedious to get through.

I was also disappointed in the lack of character growth. I get that this is meant to be an introduction to what is meant to be a series, but it felt like the characters you meet at the beginning are exactly the same at the end. It was also a bit faster-paced than what I would prefer, but not too bad.

There is good in this book though. I really appreciated the amount of diversity and the writing (outside of the Snicket-style monologues) is quite good. I have a ton of quotes I plan on adding to Goodreads that are just fantastic. The inclusion of multiple codes for the reader to solve was also really interesting, and I’m sure young readers will find them fun and engaging. I like the idea of the story, and I hope that it is improved upon in the next book.

Overall, I think it just felt a little…too basic.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3/5

Is it worth reading? - A good choice for middle-grade readers who are good with spooky books. 

Book Information: Goodreads

Author Information: Rex Ogle @ Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads,  Official Site