The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray by B.A. Williamson

Gwendolyn Gray faces an overwhelming battle every day: keeping her imagination under control. It's a struggle for a dreamer like Gwendolyn, in a city of identical gray skyscrapers, clouds that never clear, and grown-ups who never understand. 

But when her daydreams come alive and run amok in The City, the struggle to control them becomes as real as the furry creatures infesting her bedroom. Worse yet, she's drawn the attention fo the Faceless Gentlemen, who want to preserve order in The City by erasing Gwendolyn and her troublesome creations. 

With the help of two explorers from another world, Gwendolyn escapes and finds herself in a land with clockwork inventions and colorful creations. Now Gwendolyn must harness her powers and, with a gang of airship pirates, stop the Faceless Gentlemen from destroying the new world she loves and the home that never wanted her-before every world becomes gray and dull. 

Review

I started reading more Middle Grade books after reading The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken, which I absolutely LOVED! (Also, I am SUPER sad that the sequel is not scheduled to be released until January!)

While Prosper Redding is still one of my favorites, I really liked this book!

                                                  

The story is about Gwendolyn Gray, who is considered weird in her bland and boring city, with her fiery red hair and wild imagination.

              

Even though my adult-self enjoyed reading this, I know that I would have loved reading it when I was younger!

Also, I really like the author's story! B.A. Williamson (@BAWrites) is a teacher and has been writing this book with input from his kids for the past 6 years. How awesome is that?

Check out an interview with him talking more about this HERE!

The only thing about this book that irked me was the romantic vibes. This is an MG book, and Gwendolyn is way too young to be getting into any kind of romantic plotline. I know I don't want to read about a 12-year-old having a romantic relationship. However, the book is not overly saturated with romance, it is a small plotline among many other more exciting ones.

This was a very unique concept, and B.A. Williamson executed it brilliantly! I can't wait to see what he writes next!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Here are some of the promo images from the book's Facebook page that I thought you might enjoy!

Redworld: Year One (Redworld, #1) by A.L. Collins

Belle Song and her family are aliens on a new world. The Songs came to Mars to seek a new life, but living on the red planet isn't easy. The land is rough. The people are strange. The weather is unpredictable, and water is always in short supply. However, adventure is never far away. Belle adapts to her new life on Mars, faces dangerous Water Raiders, explores wondrous ancient sites, and has other amazing adventures on Redworld. From the rich imagination of author A.L. Collins comes a fantastic sci-fi western story of growing up on the Martian plains. 

Review

Let me first say that I am much older than the target audience for this book. I may ♥ YA books, and I may have read some amazing MG books recently, but this book is geared for a much younger age group.

I thought this was a YA book when I requested it. I just looked back on NetGalley, and I see that it says Middle Grade, but I was browsing through YA books when I found this one.

SIDE RANT:  I would love it NetGalley would either integrate information from GoodReads into their site or develop their own information system that gives more information about books, besides their title, author, publisher, and a synopsis. for example, sometimes NetGalley doesn't list if a book is part of a series. I have unknowingly requested the 2nd or 3rd book in a series before, then had to find and read the other books before I was able to read the one book I thought I was requesting.)

But I digress...

Although this book was written for a younger audience, I still found it entertaining, and I know if I were younger, I would have absolutely loved it.

Not only does it allow younger readers to imagine what it might be like to travel to or live on a different planet, but it also touches on some important topics, like race relations, but in a way that younger readers can understand and enjoy.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

Ludlow Lost (Osgoode Odyssey #1) by Kate Robinson Dunne

From GoodReads:

If you're reading this, you've probably never had the bad fortune to be kidnapped and held captive by creatures human beings don't believe in. 

Ludlow Osgoode has not been as lucky as you.

A Kirkus Indie Book of the Month (August 2017)

From Amazon:

This first book in Kate Robinson Dunne's Osgoode Odyssey introduces readers to Ludlow Osgoode and an assortment of creatures human beings don't believe in.

A few interesting facts about these creatures...

1. Banshees are not known for their ability to nurse children back ot health and are definitely not qualified to prescribe medication.
2. Goblins have terrible memories and are known to hold grudges, although they usually can't remember why.
3. Fairies are not known for kidnapping human children, nor for having their hearts broken by them, but both of these things have happened - this is the story of it.

Review

Although this book wasn't at all what I expected, I really enjoyed it!

I'm curious to see what the author does with the sequel. She didn't leave this book with a big cliffhanger, and there are so many different ways she could go with the story. I have a few ideas from the way the last few pages, but there are so many different possibilities. 

I am quite disappointed that the sequel (according to a note in the back of the book) will not be released until Spring 2019! Why so long?

I loved the humor in this book! There are some very silly parts. ☺

The goblins were definitely my favorite! They were hilarious!

This book reminded me a little bit of Coraline (the book, not the movie. I haven't seen the movie, but I would like to.). It was a little dar

I really don't know what else to say about this book without giving away spoilers...

Overall, this was a great book! I definitely recommend it for all ages! 

My only problem is how long I'm going to have to wait to read the sequel! 

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly

The shadows that surround us aren't always as they seem...

Emmeline has grown up with a gift. Since the time she was a baby, she has been able to control shadows. And her only friend and companion is her own shadow, Dar.

Disaster strikes when a noble family visits their home and offers to take Emmeline away and cure her of magic. Desperate not to lose her shadows, she turns to Dar, who proposes a deal: Dar will change the noble's mind, if Emmeline will help her become flesh as she once was. Emmeline agrees, but the next morning, the man in charge is in a coma and all that the witness saw was a long shadow with no one nearby to cast it. Scared to face punishment, Emmeline and Dar run away.

With the noble's guard on her trail, Emmeline's only hope of clearing her name is to escape capture and perform the ritual that will set Dar free. But Emmeline's not sure she can trust Dar anymore, and it's hard to keep secrets from someone who can never leave your side.

The first in a dark middle-grade fantasy duology, MarcyKate Connolly weaves a tale filled with shadows, danger, and magic that has the feel of a new classic. 

Review

I loved this book! It was awesome!

I started reading Middle Grade books last year. I have read several now, and I have been pleasantly surprised by them. So far, I think The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding was my favorite, then this book and Ludlow Lost probably tie for second place with the MG books I've read so far. From the description and reviews, I was expecting something kind of along the same lines of Coraline. There were definitely some similarities in the feel of the story, and think it was just as good as Coraline (the book, not the movie. Well, I haven't seen the movie, so maybe the movie...)!

This book has an interesting concept. Emmeline can manipulate shadows, and her only friend is her shadow. When a man comes to offer a parents a chance to cure her of her magic, she runs away with her best friend, her shadow named Dar.

That is the main plot, but there are lots of twists and turns. Like Coraline, it is a little dark for a children's book (definitely not a bad thing). It almost reminded me of Miss Peregrine a little, too.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially if you like YA books that are a little dark.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series! My only complaint is that I have to wait so long to see what happens next!

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.