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by Tui T. Sutherland

5 Stars

Wings of Fire: The Lost Continent tells the story of Blue, a 6-year-old dragonet and his sister Luna. Like other silk wings, Luna has her metamorphic day. During the day, Blue and Luna have fun as they go to Luna’s favourite restaurants and areas until her metamorphosis begins, except she’s a SilkWing. SilkWings are taken away by the wasp queen to be used for fire, and thus, she is taken by hive soldiers, and her brother is chased after possessed HiveWings in case he may be a SilkWing too. He and his friend, Io, escape while Swordtail tries to fight the HiveWings, but he is defeated and taken to Misbehaver’s Way. Io and blue are forced to split up, leading to Blue meeting Cricket, a HiveWing who isn’t possessed like the other HiveWings. The two then work together to find the prison swordtail is being held in. Once they find Swordtail, they end up making a deal with a group of LeafWings. LeafWing Sundew then tags along with Cricket and Blue, and the three successfully save Luna, steal the Book of Clearsight, and escape the Hive Queen promising to come back and save the rest of the dragons under her rule. This book is phenomenal. It constantly uses great descriptive words, and it never fails to keep a reader engaged. I would rate this a 10/10.  

Siji

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by Ashley Herring Blake

5 Stars

A coming of age and magical book, Ashley Herring Blake has managed to capture the feelings of a young girl and the trauma she must live with. Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea is beautifully written, expressing the exact thoughts of a pre-teen. 

Hazel Bly and her family had what you could call, a perfect life. Her 2 moms, Mum and Mama, were the perfect example of a fairytale couple. Peach, her little sister, is a ball of energy who loves the water, and so does Hazel – so did Hazel.

After a terrible accident where Mum dies, Hazel has been left with a scar across her cheek and a deathly fear of water. Mama decides it is best to pack up and move… eight times. Hazel finds herself struggling with anxiety and PTSD, feeling like the world has a vendetta against her.

But while she stays in Rose Harbour, Mama re-connects with an old friend, and Hazel makes new ones. She learns of the tale of Rosemary Lee and starts to see the magic in everyday life.

The book covers the abundant troubles that young children face, such as identity crises’, feeling alone, not understanding the world, etc. It is a great book for children who need a reminder that what they are feeling is okay, and sometimes you are going to need a bit of help. It plays a positive note on queer relationships and identities, explaining that it is okay, not unholy. It explains the effects of losing a loved one, and how it is okay to move on.

A world where mermaids such as Rosemary Lee are real, doesn’t feel insincere because of the characters, who are written as though they are genuine. It pulls you into its own oceans, letting you feel as the characters do.

Sarah B.

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by Jen Calonita

4.5 Stars

Set after the ending of the original 1997 animated Disney film, Hercules, this book explores the twist of “What if Meg had to become a Greek god,” to stay with Hercules in Olympus. Zeus opposes the match of Megara and Hercules. With both of them heartbroken, Hera approaches Meg with a mission, and once Megara completes this mission, her reward is to become a God, which would solidify her future with Hercules on Olympus. The mission Hera assigns Megara is to save her ex-boyfriend’s wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend who abandoned Megara when she sold her soul to Hades to save him. Can Meg put her feelings aside and use her wits to defeat the monsters and Gods that stand in her way, or will she run away from Godhood and Hercules due to her fear of commitment? 

This book is a part of Disney’s Twisted Tales Series. It is book 11 of the series, but you don’t have to read this series in order (as they are separate tales from separate films). As someone who loves retellings and liked the original movie, I was so excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint! All the characters adapted well to the text, and Megara was such an interesting character to follow. In the original movie, the audience mainly follows Hercules and his quest to become a God to join his parents (Zeus and Hera) in Olympus. It was nice to change the perspective onto Megara, who was already one of my favourite characters in the film. This book expanded on Meg’s character, and I thought the backstory was fitting. I also love what the author did to change the story between Meg and her ex-boyfriend. The only qualm I had with this novel was that I thought there was too much intervention from the Gods, which I thought took away from the original purpose of the mission given by Hera (Megara had to earn immortality by completing the mission). Overall, I would highly recommend that you check this novel out!

Emily W.

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by Noelle Stevenson

5 Stars

An endearing and adventurous comic that will keep you on your toes, Nimona is a beautifully illustrated comic written by none other than Noelle Stevenson. While flipping through pages filled with divine artwork, you will find yourself in a world filled with a bit of everything; from mad science to noble knights, flea markets to hidden organizations, you are bound to find something you like. 

Nimona, a bright, mischievous shapeshifter, manages to secure the title of ‘Sidekick’ for her hero, the infamous Ballister Blackheart. As she helps with his evil planning – though sometimes messes with things more than actually helping – both characters find themselves in situations which force them to question their morals, push boundaries, and face what they’ve been putting off.

The pages take you through the adventures of Blackheart and Nimona as they work to take down an evil organization, the ‘Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics’. Blackheart’s plans are constantly foiled by his ex-lover, now nemesis, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin.

But when our 2 main protagonists get into a fight, one of Nimona’s darkest secrets is revealed; she had lied.

Nimona is an entertaining, humourous and overall, enjoyable comic. It displays the difficulty of relationships (whether that be with friends or others), the uncertainty between right and wrong, and the hardships we as people face every day. It was created for a young audience, though I believe everyone can thoroughly enjoy it. It sheds a positive light on queer relationships, not making it seem foreign and alien. This touching piece of work has won the Eisner Award, a Cybils Award, and a Cartoonist Studio Prize, as well as becoming a New York Times bestseller.

A comic where the magical world is unexplained, creating a dreamy feeling where anything is possible.

Sarah B.

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by Suzanne Selfors

4 Stars

Mimi Wallingford, the great-granddaughter of the famous actress Adelaide Wallingford, has a life some can only dream about. She is an actress playing Juliet in her family’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Mimi is playing opposite to teen heartthrob Troy Summer, who is playing Romeo. The catch for Mimi is that she has no interest in acting, something her mother cannot understand. But when Mimi, along with Troy, are magically transported into Shakespeare’s Verona, they both experience the Montagues and Capulets feud first hand. When Mimi meets Juliet, she realizes that they are not that different, and Mimi does not want to see the tragic end of Romeo and Juliet play out. But what will happen if they change the ending to this famous tragedy? 

This book was a unique adaptation of the original play of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare. It takes place in the modern world (2006, when this book was published). This book was laid out as Mimi Wallingford’s recounted story of what happened when she was magically transported to Shakespeare’s Verona. I found that to be a very entertaining way to tell Mimi’s story. The characters, especially Mimi, were interesting to follow. The pacing was very good, and the parallels between Mimi and Juliet were written well. The only issues that I had with this novel was Benvolio’s character change (as he was changed to be a man who was an awful character, when he was an honest character in the original play), and the relationship between Mimi and Troy seemed rushed. This book is a different take on Romeo and Juliet, but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. In conclusion, I would recommend that you read this book, especially if you like Shakespeare retellings!

Emily W.

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