Month: February 2019

Review: Super Mario Adventures

Title: Super Mario Adventures
Author: Kentaro Takekuma, Charlie Nozawa
Genre: Graphic Novel, Children’s
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 11, 2016 (first published in 1993)
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Super Mario Adventures, inspired by the bestselling Super Mario video game franchise, is a collection of comics that originally ran in Nintendo Power magazine in 1992-93. 

The peril-plagued Princess Toadstool is kidnapped by the diabolical deadbeat Bowser but super plumbers Mario and Luigi hatch a plan with their new friend Yoshi to rescue her. Are the Super Mario Bros’ plans a pipe dream? Can they stop the Koopa King before he forces the Princess to be his bride?! 

Long out of print, this stunning, full-color graphic novel is now available once again!

Review:

I’ve always loved playing Super Mario video games! I was so excited to find this graphic novel. It tells stories in the Mario world.

These stories were interesting because they tell some origin stories for the characters. For example, Princess Peach was originally called Princess Toadstool because she was from the Mushroom kingdom. The Toads lived in the castle with her. I loved reading these stories and seeing where the characters come from.

I would love to see more Super Mario graphic novels or books. I would definitely read them, and the games are still so popular with kids today. For now, this is a great story!

What to read next:

Sonic the Hedgehog Archives: Volume 1 by Michael Gallagher, Dave Manak, Patrick Spaziante

Have you read Super Mario Adventures? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Favourite Couples in Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Favourite Couples in Books. Here’s my list:

1. Harry and Ginny (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling)

2. Alina and Mal (Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo)

3. Jesse and Suze (Shadowland by Meg Cabot)

4. Scarlet and Wolf (Scarlet by Marissa Meyer)

5. Elizabeth and Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

6. Mara and Noah (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin)

7. Molly and Mal (The Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters)

8. Pippa and Dylan (The Rule of Thirds by Chantel Guertin)

9. Charlie and Alyssa (Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde)

10. Lara Jean and Peter (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han)

(All images taken from Goodreads)

Review: Dream On (Whatever After #4)

Title: Dream On (Whatever After #4)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the magic mirror bite….

It was supposed to be the best sleepover ever. Just me, my best friend, Robin, and an awesome night of s’mores, secrets, and staying up late. No pesky little brothers allowed. And DEFINITELY no magic mirrors.

Everything was perfect…until the mirror sucked Robin into Sleeping Beauty’s story! My brother and I dove in after her, but we couldn’t stop her from pricking her finger on the spindle. Now we’re REALLY in trouble. Robin’s fast asleep–and Sleeping Beauty is wide-awake! To save the day I’ve got to:

– Host a fake birthday party for Jonah
– Find a prince to wake up Robin
– Avoid getting cursed by scary fairies

We only have ten hours to make things right…or this day will become a nightmare!

Review:

This was a really fun story! It had some elements that were different from the past books in the series.

When Abby and Jonah travel to Sleeping Beauty’s story, Abby’s friend Robin ends up going with them. The problem was that when they got there, Robin pricked her arm on the spindle that was meant for Sleeping Beauty, aka Bri. Robin fell asleep instantly, taking the spell that was meant for the princess. The kids had to figure out a way to wake Robin up and fix Bri’s story.

Some of the parts didn’t go as smoothly as they did in the other stories. They planned a birthday party for Jonah in order to get wishes from fairies to save Robin. However, that didn’t work out when the fairies discovered that it wasn’t actually Jonah’s birthday. They had to find another way to fix their problems.

I was glad to see more of Abby and Jonah’s real lives in the story. Even though Abby’s friend was asleep for most of the story, I liked hearing about her friends. Up until this book, we only really heard about their adventures in fairy tales. There was even an addition to the family at the end of the story, who I believe will be making appearances in later books too.

This was a fun adaptation of Sleeping Beauty! I’m excited to read the next book!

What to read next:

Bad Hair Day (Whatever After #5) by Sarah Mlynowski

Cinderella Stays Late (Grimmtastic Girls #1) by Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

Have you read Dream On? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – February 11

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Dream On (Whatever After #4) by Sarah Mlynowski.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Corpse & Crown (Cadaver & Queen #2) by Alisa Kwitney.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – February 10

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 9 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… King of Scars

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) by Leigh Bardugo.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.

Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – Favourite LGBT Characters

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Favourite LGBT Characters:

1. Simon Spier (Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli)

2. Abby Ives (The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding)

3. Emmy King (The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde)

4. Mary Reade (The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara)

5. Mateo Torrez (They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera)

6. Henry Montague (The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of Favourite LGBT Characters?

Jill’s Monthly Wrap-Up – January 2019

This is my monthly wrap-up, where I look at how many books I read this month, as well as my goals for the year.

In January I read 27 books!

My favourite book was Dead Queens Club! My review can be found here.

Each week I did 9 weekly memes. Here are my weekly wrap-up posts for January where all of my posts can be found:

One of my goals for 2019 is to get my NetGalley rating up to 80%. At the beginning of the year it was 68% and at the end of January it was still 68%. I requested a lot of books in January, so I’ll have to try to stop requesting books so my rating will go up.

How was your month? What was your favourite book in January?

Review: Princess in Love (The Princess Diaries #3)

Title: Princess in Love (The Princess Diaries #3)
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 7, 2001
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot.

Princess Mia may seem like the luckiest girl ever. But the truth is, she spends all her time doing one of three things: preparing for her nerve-racking entree into Genovian society, slogging through the congestion unique to Manhattan in December, and avoiding further smooches from her hapless boyfriend, Kenny. For Mia, being a princess in love is not the fairy tale it’s supposed to be…or is it?

Princess in Love is the third book in the beloved, bestselling series that inspired the feature film starring Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. Beautifully repackaged in paperback, this title will appeal to new readers as well as fans looking to update their collection.

Review:

This is my favorite book in the series so far.

There was lots of tension in this story. Mia is dating Kenny, but she is in love with Michael. She is persuaded to send Michael secret admirer cards. There was a lot of confusion at the end of the story, but I loved the ending!

One of my favorite parts of the book was Mia’s list for looking after her cat, Fat Louie, for while she is away in Genovia. He needs water from different sources in particular dishes around the apartment. He also needs his special collection of shiny things to remain undisturbed, among other things. This list was so funny! It reminded me of my own dog who is quite finicky himself. We have to leave a similar list of instructions when we go away.

The end of this story was so good! I can’t wait to continue the series!

What to read next:


Princess in Waiting (The Princess Diaries #4) by Meg Cabot

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #1) by Louise Rennison

Have you read Princess in Love? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – February 9

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I was approved for one books on NetGalley:

Carmilla by Kim Turrisi

I found this book in the “Read Now” section of NetGalley:

Nancy Drew: The Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson, Jenn St. Onge

Thank you Dynamite Entertainment and Kids Can Press for these books!

What books did you get this week?