June 2018 – Page 6 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

Title: Lumberjanes, Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy
Author: Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Faith Hicks, Brook A. Allen
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Source: Purchased
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX!

At Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types, things are not what they seem. Three-eyed foxes. Secret caves. Anagrams. Luckily, Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are five rad, butt-kicking best pals determined to have an awesome summer together… And they’re not gonna let a magical quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! The mystery keeps getting bigger, and it all begins here.

Collects Lumberjanes No. 1-4.

Review:

This was my second time reading the Lumberjanes, Volume 1, and I enjoyed it much better than the first time.

The story is hilarious. Miss Qiunzilla Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s camp for hard-core lady-types isn’t your typical summer camp. The girls in the Roanoke cabin encountered three-eyed foxes and living statues, as well as mysterious boy scouts! Their encounters get more and more outrageous as the story progresses!

I found it hard to differentiate between the girls when I first read this book. I would love it if there was a diagram at the beginning or end that gave a description of each girl with their pictures. I was able to tell them apart this time because I have read the recent novels based on the series. However, they may be confusing for new readers, so I recommend reading the stories over again.

I love the Lumberjanes! Have you read this series? What did you think?

Review: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)

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Title: Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Source: Purchased
Release Date: September 27, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.

Review:

This book is another amazing story from Leigh Bardugo!

Leigh’s writing is amazing. I felt immersed in the world immediately. And the story started right away. Kaz was in the middle of a heist when the story began. The end of the book returned to that first mission, so the story came right back around.

I love that the stories are complex. When things went wrong in Six of Crows, it seemed like a mistake, but Kaz had planned it. When I read these stories, I can’t imagine the planning Kaz would have had to make. And in reality, I can’t imagine how Leigh writes these complicated stories. I just love them!

Have you read Six of Crows or Crooked Kingdom? What did you think of them?

Montreal YA Festival

Last weekend I went to the best book festival! It was the first Montreal YA festival, and it was amazing!

First, there were three sessions of panels. The first one I went to was called “New On The Scene” and featured the authors Nic Stone, Gloria Chao, S.M. Beiko, and J.F. Dubeau. This was a great panel for aspiring authors, because they talked about their journey to being published.

The next panel I went to was called “Far Off Places, Daring Sword Fights, Magic Spells… A Prince in Disguise!” and featured the authors Danielle Paige, Sarah Mlynowski, S.M. Beiko, and Karl Kerschl. I went to this panel because I want to write a fantasy novel after I finish my current book. These authors gave great advice, and I’ve been working on my fantasy idea since then.

The last panel I went to was “Uncharted Territory” with the authors Sarah Mlynowski, Brendan Kiely, Adi Alsaid, and Chantel Guertin. This one was interesting, because most of the authors had been on the same road trips that their characters went on in their books.

Now came the best part: the book signing! Since it was such a small festival, I was able to have some chats with authors that I wouldn’t normally be able to speak with at a large event. I spoke with Gloria Chao, who wrote the amazing book American Panda. It was so great to meet her because we’ve chatted online. I also spoke to Brendan Kiely, who has written multiple books including Tradition, which I reviewed on a blog tour. Some other great authors I spoke to are Sarah Mlynowski, E.K. Johnston, Danielle Paige, and Nic Stone.

This was a great festival! I hope they do it again next year! I’ll definitely be there.

Also a special thank you to my dad, for going with me and taking most of the photos in this post! He used his amazing photography skills to get some great shots of the festival! You can check out his website, Pics by Rob.

Tomorrow I’m going to BookCon!! It’s my first time going, so I’m super excited!

Did you go to Montreal YA Fest? Are you going to BookCon? What is your favourite book festival?