Review:Liesl & Po jumps right into its alternate universe where the sun no longer shines and ghosts from The Other Side are able to communicate with The Living Side. The lack of setup resulted in me feeling frustrated a number of times. I stopped reading for over a month before I was able to get past my annoyance at plot points. Once I got through the first few chapters, Liesl & Po progressed into a much more enjoyable book. The initial chapters introduce the various characters, but there's... Read more

Review:I just finished this and am surprised by the ending! Good thing I have the third one on hand. Anyway, Lockwood and Co have yet another kooky, mind-baffling mystery to solve. There were some parts that lagged (i.e., Kipps and his gang, although it was probably good Lockwood worked with them...I can see them as potential allies down the road, however annoying they may be). The antagonist ghost was more annoying than creepy. In fact, I think this one is not as scary as the first or maybe I was just... Read more

Review:A Middle Grade fantasy in the vein of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson that takes a kid from the real world into the magical world they were separated from. In Keeper of the Lost Cities, Sophie discovers that she is an elf. The world is fantastically created (with funny details like DNA locks for doors and lockers that you need to lick to unlock) and the mystery is masterfully crafted. However, what has stuck with me the most since I read it is the relationships that Sophie builds in her new wor... Read more

Review:AHHHHH!! This book had me waiting forever to get it, so when I did, you can imagine how excited I was! I've loved all the other books in the series, and love this one as well. Just so you know, all you Sophitz fans are so ignorant of how awesome, sweet, caring, funny, and overall charming Keefe really is. I swear if he was real, I would be trying to get his attention all the time! (I'd probably be one of those fangirls that he would end up loving, at least I'd hope!) If anyone agrees with me on ... Read more

Review:This book made me wanna cry, scream and laugh all at the same time, and not many books can do this (and I've read a lot in just my short life time). That is how I know that this book is seriously good. If I could, I would make everybody in this world read this series (and of course this book) just because of how amazing I think it is.

The book started out a bit more forced than probably intended, but it quickly smoothed out and got way less forced. There were many twists in this book, and... Read more

Review:While looking for some literature I could share with my rapidly growing grandchildren, I took a chance on this series. I am now up way past my bedtime writing this review. It is the very human emotions and behavior of Sophie, the heroine elf, that keeps this fantasy real. Ms. Messenger is a storyteller and she is skilled at creating chapter by chapter "cliffhangers" that leave readers sure they can give up just a "few more minutes" of sleep time.

Our heroine is not without her side kick ... Read more

Review:I have already read the other books in the series, and I just finished this one. My only problem is that there was a cliffhanger. But other than that this book is perfect, I will be awaiting the next book's arrival. Read more

Review:As a reader of the complete series this one is not the best but is better than the second book. The first one is the best for many reasons including the large character development which makes the many characters grow on you. In the third book there were far too many characters (monster) which made it not as interesting to learn about each character. Overall good but i would recommend the first one then this one. Read more

Review:Seriously??? This woman is an English teacher?? And she thanks her editor?? Pretty great editor who doesn't know the difference between pored and poured (that's just the tip of the iceberg), doesn't catch numerous typos and grammar mistakes either. Probably one of her students. This confirms what I have suspected over the last 10 years; the reason virtually every single thing you read these days, whether it be in books, magazines, online, etc., is riddled with errors is because this generat... Read more

Review:I have read other books by Karen Ann Hopkins, but with Embers she is straying outside her normal genre into a whole new world. That does not always work for some authors, but for Karen she has managed to take the topic of Angels and make it her own. I am just glad this is only the first novel in the Wings of War series, because Embers defiantly left me wanting more.

Embers growth as a character and her discovery that she may not be as human as she always thought is what really drew me in.... Read more