Review: Into Misty Ruse by H.A. Growler

 

Into Misty Ruse (The Harmonycan Chronicles, Book 1)

by H.A. Growler

Release Date: September 1st, 2023

2023 H.A. Growler LLC

Kindle Edition; 370 Pages

ISBN: 979-8988648604

ASIN: B0CGQWJGSZ

Genre: Fiction / Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy

Source: Review copy from author

 

5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

It has been thirty-seven years since the Big Boom blasted magic into the world of Harmonyca and nearly destroyed it. And it’s been almost two years since Zyk’s dad disappeared, for reasons unknown. The powerful institution of FAHLT says that Magic Is an Affliction and has strictly forbidden any association with magic or magical creatures. But twelve-year-old Zyk’s most fervent desire is to learn more about magical TOMBs (Treacherous Obstructive and Malignant Botanicals). Just when his dream feels completely out of reach, events start befalling Zyk, one after another. Now he’s stuck in a magical settlement, in hiding from FAHLT knights. Is magic truly an affliction? Are magical creatures really evil? If so, why are they helping him? And will he ever be able to cure the curse he’s been hit with and go back home to his mum?

 

My Thoughts

Into Misty Ruse is the first book in The Harmonycan Chronicles and I thought this book was fun and very creatively written. Even though it was aimed at a much younger audience, I was immediately engaged by Zyk's story as well as the story building.  To be honest, I had a hard time putting this down and pretty much read it in one sitting.  I

 

Zyk is a great main character and I loved following him on his journey as he becomes stuck in a magical settlement due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Making the best of a difficult situation, he is treated with kindness by those who find him as he learns to navigate a world very different from his own.  The secondary characters are as engaging as Zyk and I developed a huge fondness for Pitch and Eva as well as all of the others we meet. 

There were a lot of important themes running through this book, ones that I think would make great discussion topics in a classroom or with your own child, such as loneliness, loss, grief, friendship, acceptance, racism, judgment, pre-conceived notions, growth, separation, and consequences to one's behaviour.  There is a huge emphasis on different does not mean something to be destroyed, but that co-existence is necessary for everyone to thrive.  With that in mind, the way Zyk was treated as a newcomer to the society was used as a way to develop these themes, and I enjoyed all of the situations in which he found himself, from dealing with dangerous plants to dealing with difficult students and adults.  Everything was done with compassion and care.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed was the discussion around plant life as Zyk was very interested in plants, especially magical ones.  He has a huge affinity for them and this is one of the ways his magic first manifested without him realizing what had happened. I thoroughly enjoyed his predicaments when he got entangled in situations where he assumed plants that looked fine turned out to be extremely dangerous. The creative names given to these plants and the scenes involving them kept me riveted to the page, sometimes laughing out loud. I thought the whole magical system was quite whimsical and creative.  Personally, as a kid, I would have loved to visit this place.

Verdict

Into Misty Ruse was a delight to read, and I loved the magic, the story, and the characters.  I was captivated by the world-building and enjoyed the descriptive storytelling. The characters were well-drawn out, each with their own unique personalities, and thought the mystery was perfect for a book for this age group.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story, and I am definitely looking forward to the second book when it is released.

 

Review: Riley's Ghost by John David Anderson

Riley's Ghost

by John David Anderson

Release Date: January 11, 2022

2022 Walden Pond Press

Kindle Edition; 368 Pages

ISBN: 978-0062985972

ASIN: B09292B6LX

Audiobook: B095PYJ3ZC

Genre: Fiction / Juvenile / Ghost

Source: Review copy from publisher

3 / 5 Stars

Summary

It feels like she's been on her own since sixth grade, when her best friend, Emily, ditched her for the cool girls. Girls who don't like Riley. Girls who decide one day to lock her in the science closet after hours, after everyone else has gone home.

When Riley is finally able to escape, however, she finds that her horror story is only just beginning. All the school doors are locked, the windows won't budge, the phones are dead, and the lights aren't working. Through halls lit only by the narrow beam of her flashlight, Riley roams the building, seeking a way out, an answer, an explanation. And as she does, she starts to suspect she isn't alone after all.

 

My Thoughts

Riley's Ghost was a slow-moving ghost story that deals with Riley's tribulations through middle school.  Although she is being bullied at school, she does have some anger issues and her behaviour towards other students as well as her parents and I was interested to see how this would be dealt with by the author.  I did feel like the things that happened to Riley were quite realistic, but I wanted to see how the ghost story would figure into all of it, and this is where I was somewhat disappointed.  

 

First of all, I wasn't sure what to think about Riley throughout the story.  That she was prickly didn't bother me as she was being bullied and that can so often be a defence mechanism, but I really feel like her issue with Emily wasn't resolved in a satisfactory way as we never learned why Emily chose to hang out with a different group of friends.  Riley did demonstrate some poor behaviour and I was worried that this would not be taken seriously in the book. So I did appreciate Riley's growth as she reflected on some of her actions throughout the book and how she caused some of the problems, especially the arguments with her parents.  I also liked how the author put an emphasis on how hurtful words can be to children, especially when used thoughtlessly. 

 

I normally love this author, but I did find this book to be somewhat slow, and I wasn't a huge fan of the ghost story as I felt it was 'preachy'.  You know, the kind where it was all your fault because you abandoned me, and the lesson was to always stick by your friends no matter what was happening. I get the message, and I think kids will as well, but not sure I like the delivery.  However, creepy was always my thing, even as a kid, so being locked in school after hours would have definitely been creepy for me.

 

Verdict

Riley's Ghost was a pretty good portrayal of middle-school kids and their behaviours, and I definitely liked the added bonus of a ghost to teach lessons.  I did find the overall ghost story to be somewhat slow and the overall theme, while good, did not necessarily address the issues: it was more of a lesson about sticking with your friends no matter what happens and there is always more to the problem than that.   Personally, as a kid, I would not have found this creepy enough, but I probably would have liked it quite a bit.  For those readers who are looking for something that is not too creepy, this one is probably for you. 

 

Review: The Halloween Moon by Joseph Fink

The Halloween Moon

by Joseph Fink

Release Date: July 20, 2021

2021 Quilt Tree Books

Kindle Edition; 288 Pages

ISBN: 978-0063020979

ASIN: B08LDLQWZS

Audiobook: B08N2ZSXMT

Genre: Fiction / Juvenile / Fantasy

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Esther Gold loves Halloween more than anything in the world. So she is determined to go trick-or-treating again this year despite the fact that her parents think she is officially too old. Esther has it all planned out, from her costume to her candy-collecting strategy. But when the night rolls around, something feels . . . off.

No one is answering their door. The moon is an unnatural shade of orange. Strange children wander the streets, wearing creepy costumes that might not be costumes at all. And it seems like the only people besides Esther who are awake to see it all are her best friend, her school bully, and her grown-up next-door neighbor.

 

My Thoughts

The Halloween Moon is a cute and fun book, but there is not a lot of depth to it. The main character, Esther, is rather obsessed with Halloween and pretty much lives her life thinking about how to celebrate the next Halloween once the previous one has passed.  I don't have an issue with it, thought it was rather cute, until I discovered her age.  I love Halloween as well, but I enjoy the creepy and macabre to begin with, and it's those aspects of the holiday that I enjoy, the stories, the movies, the fright, etc... Going trick-or-treating just to collect candy that you don't really want to eat just seems sort of silly. But if that's what you like, then why not?

 

First of all, I liked the characters in the story. Esther Gold was not always a likeable character, but that suits me just fine as there is potential to develop a character like that which is exactly what happened.  There were times the author allowed Esther to reflect on her own behaviour towards others and she realized she was not always the victim in a lot of situations; many times she could have handled things differently or looked at things from a different perspective.  I do wish the author had taken the time to develop these reflections a bit more, especially in terms of the two relationships that developed in the story as they would have felt more real with that development.  When enemies become frenemies then friends, you have to buy into it, and you have to believe in it as well.  I liked Esther's friends and thought their growth, along with hers, would have been a lot of fun. Her parents though? They must hate Halloween. The author never did give a good reason for their behaviour however, and the 'you are too old' argument didn't really work in this story. It was a bit jarring. Mr. Gabler though, was the best thing about this book.

The plot itself was pretty generic, although I think I am basing this more on the author's other works which are a bit more creative and original.  While interesting, I just felt like there was something missing, some major excitement, and I wasn't as invested in the outcome as I should have been.  It's not that there weren't elements of creativity and originality, because there were, and there were some really good parts.  It's just when you put the whole thing together, it doesn't seem to work and I can't seem to put my finger on exactly what it was. Perhaps my biggest issue is with Esther and her age as she doesn't really feel like a 13-year-old and I had to keep reminding myself she was older than I thought. I'm also not against exploring puberty and feelings and whatnot, but it just seemed so out of place in this book as well.

Verdict

The Halloween Moon is one that I thought would be interesting simply because there are not a lot of Halloween books for this age group.  Unfortunately, the writing style used was more descriptive rather than dialogue based which made the reader feel detached from the action and the characters.  And the book didn't really have the creepy factor that I think some young readers would like in a book like this; the villains were more silly than creepy.  While I would not necessarily recommend this one, I would recommend his Welcome to Night Vale Episodes. Overall, while this definitely contained some of the author's writing that I love and I enjoyed the concept, I do think he struggled with that fine line between adolescent and child which made the writing style awkward and disjointed.