Review: Upside-Down Magic (Upside-Down Magic #1)

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Title: Upside-Down Magic (Upside Down Magic #1)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling authors Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins comes the hilarious and heartfelt story of a group of magical misfits.

Nory Horace is nine years old. She’s resourceful, she’s brave, she likes peanut butter cookies. Also, she’s able to transform into many different animals. Unfortunately, Nory’s shape-shifting talent is a bit wonky. And when she flunks out of her own father’s magic academy, Nory’s forced to enter public school, where she meets a group of kids whose magic is, well, different.

This new, offbeat series from hit authors Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins chronicles the misadventures of Nory and her oddball friends, who prove that upside-down magic definitely beats right side up.

Review:

I’m so excited about this series! I loved this book.

A girl who I babysit loves Sarah Mlynowski’s middle grade books, and she’s always telling me to read them. I loved this one! It’s such a cool concept.

Everyone in this magical world has one of five different powers: Flyers (can fly), Fluxers (can turn into animals), Flares (can create fire), Fuzzie-wuzzies (are close with animals), Flickers (can turn invisible). However, Nory has to join a class for people who have upside-down magic, which means it doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. Nory is a Fluxer who turns into two animals at once, not just one. It is even more embarrassing for her family because her father is the headmaster at another magic school. However, Nory learns how to embrace her special magic with her new friends.

I really enjoyed this book, so I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

What to read next:

  • Sticks & Stones (Upside-Down Magic #2) by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Emily Jenkins

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  • Fairest of All (Whatever After #1) by Sarah Mlynowski

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Have you read Upside-Down Magic? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – November 12

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:

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This weekend I finished Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy.

What I’m currently reading:

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I’m currently reading Twilight of the Elves (Adventurers Guild #2) by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos.

What I’m reading next:

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Next I will be reading Sherlock’s World: Fan Fiction and the Reimagining of BBC’s Sherlock by Ann K. McClellan.

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

1000 Followers!!! Giveaway Time!

I reached 1000 followers yesterday! Thanks so much to everyone who follows my blog!

To celebrate and thank all of my followers, I am hosting a giveaway! Here are the details:

Prizes:

Two winners will win:

  • A book of your choice from the Book Depository worth up to $20 USD

Rules:

  • Must live in a country where the Book Depository ships
  • Must follow my blog
  • Ends at 12:00 AM EST on November 26, 2018

Here’s the link to the giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to everyone! Good luck!

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – November 11

Here’s my weekly wrap up!

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Dumplin’

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 Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

What book are you in bed with today?

Review: Detention of Doom (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #3)

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Title: Detention of Doom (DC Comics: Secret Hero Society #3)
Author: Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Source: Library
Format: ebook
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

When Lex Luthor’s family company, Lexcorp(TM), invites kids from all over the country to attend an honors ceremony, Clark Kent is happy to participate. That is, until his award trophy creates a portal to another dimension and sucks him in! Lucky for Clark, his old friends Bruce and Diana along with newer friends Barry (The Flash(TM)) and Ollie (Green Arrow(TM)) are on the case! They’ll have to travel to an alternate dimension to free their friend from Lex Luthor’s grasp (and the worst detention ever) in this all-new adventure from Eisner Award winner Dustin Nguyen and Eisner Award nominee Derek Fridolfs.

Review:

I really enjoyed this instalment of the series!

Bruce, Clark, and Diana are sent into a strange detention world by Lex Luthor. Clark entered first, and his friends went in to find him afterwards. They were also joined by Barry (The Flash), Oliver (Green Arrow), and Victor (Cyborg). The kids also found Bruce’s archnemisis Joker and Harley Quinn. While they were there, they came across Bizarro Superman, who ultimately helped them.

I was very pleased with the graphics in this story. They were black and white, but the characters were more distinct. It was much easier to distinguish between the kids. I struggled figuring out who the characters were in the previous book, so I was glad this one was easier to read.

This is a great book!

What to read next:

  • Super Sons, Volume 1: When I Grow Up by Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez

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  • Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee

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Have you read Detention of Doom? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – November 10

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 received a book I preordered from Indigo:

  • Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

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What books did you get this week?

Review: Doctor Who: The Time Machine

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Title: Doctor Who: The Time Machine
Author: Matt Fitton (narrated by Jenna Coleman, Michael Cochrane, Nicholas Briggs)
Genre: Science Fiction, Audiobook
Publisher: Big Finish/AudioGO
Source: Library
Format: audiobook
Release Date: November 7, 2013
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

23 November 2013. In an Oxford laboratory, graduate Alice Watson helps Professor Chivers assemble the final pieces of an impossible machine. A time machine.

The scientist and his assistant believe they are making history, little suspecting that the project’s completion will threaten the existence of the entire universe. But someone has sensed the danger, and when the mysterious Doctor arrives, Alice is taken on a desperate race from libraries and dreaming spires all the way to the nightmare world of Earth’s future.

The monstrous Creevix are coming. They seek control of time itself and are certain that the Doctor is already too late to stop them. But can the key to saving the future lie in the Time Lord’s past lives?

Review:

This is another Doctor Who audiobook that was only created for audiobook form.

It is narrated by Jenna Coleman, who plays Clara on the show. She has a great storytelling voice. It was funny to hear her do an impression of the Doctor, because it sounded so much like him but it was Clara’s voice.

The ending moved very quickly and it was hard to follow. It felt rushed because things were moving along at a good pace and suddenly it was finished. I would have liked it to be explained more because it was a little confusing.

I really enjoyed this story. I’m going to keep listening to the ones narrated by the actors because they do such a good job!

What to read next:

  • Doctor Who: Night of the Whisper by Cavan Scott

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  • Doctor Who: Death’s Deal by Darren Jones

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Have you read Doctor Who: The Time Machine? What did you think of it?

First Lines Friday – November 9

This is a weekly meme hosted by Wandering Words, where you give the first few lines of a book to hook your readers before introducing the book.

Here are my first lines:

“Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.”

Do you recognize these first lines?

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And the book is… The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

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Goodreads synopsis:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? What did you think of it?

Review: This Cruel Design (This Mortal Coil #2)

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Title: This Cruel Design (This Mortal Coil #2)
Author: Emily Suvada
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: ebook
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Cat thought the Hydra epidemic was over, but when new cases pop up, Cat must team up with an enemy to fix the vaccine before the virus spirals out of control in this thrilling sequel to This Mortal Coil, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman says “redefines ‘unputdownable.’”

The nightmare of the outbreak is finally over, but Cat’s fight has only just begun.

Exhausted, wounded, and reeling from revelations that have shaken her to her core, Cat is at a breaking point. Camped in the woods with Cole and Leoben, she’s working day and night, desperate to find a way to stop Lachlan’s plan to reprogram humanity. But she’s failing—Cat can’t even control her newly regrown panel, and try as she might to ignore them, she keeps seeing glitching visions from her past everywhere she turns.

When news arrives that the Hydra virus might not be as dead as they’d thought, the group is pushed into an uneasy alliance with Cartaxus to hunt down Lachlan and fix the vaccine. Their search takes them to Entropia, a city of genehackers hidden deep in the desert that could also hold the answers about Cat’s past that she’s been searching for.

But when confronted with lies and betrayals, Cat is forced to question everything she knows and everyone she trusts. And while Lachlan is always two steps ahead, the biggest threat to Cat may be the secrets buried in her own mind.

Review:

I loved this book as much as the first.

There were still lots of surprises throughout the book, though not as much as the first book. There were a couple of things about the origins of certain characters which I guessed correctly. I gasped at the end of so many chapters. It was so good!

I don’t know a lot about science or coding, so I think some of those parts of the story went over my head. I found the technology fascinating, even though I didn’t understand all of it. I think the panels are a real possibility in our future.

I loved this book. The ending was so good! I can’t wait for the next one!

What to read next:

  • The Darkest Star (Origin #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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  • Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast

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Have you read This Cruel Design? What did you think of it?