Tag: zombies

REVIEW: The Mutant Mushroom Takeover by Summer Rachel Short

REVIEW: The Mutant Mushroom Takeover by Summer Rachel Short

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a print copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Magnolia is on the hunt for something scientifically amazing. Something to help her win the Junior Naturalist Merit Award. Not only is there a cash prize, but she would also have a chance to meet with the board of Vitaccino. She could convince them to give her dad his job back so he could come home from his latest job at Yellowstone.

Maggie agrees to explore Old Man Bell’s woods with her best friend Nate. Nate believes he can find evidence of paranormal activity. Maggie just wants some nature pictures for her award application. But the kids find more than they bargained for.

The woods light up with bio-luminescence. But there seems to be something else in the woods, too. Maggie’s brother is exposed to it and is acting strangely. She’s also noticing mutations and strange behavior in the local wildlife. Pretty soon, Maggie’s investigation is about a whole lot more than an award program, some glowing mushrooms, or getting her dad his job back. If she doesn’t figure out what is going on, her whole town could be lost to this thing – and it could continue to spread.

Review

Kids are going to love this!

This is a prime example of how a book can be great while at the same time being a story I did not like. This hits closer to horror than science fiction for me, and that’s not a genre I care for. I don’t watch zombie shows, and I don’t like being scared. So this was not a great fit for me as a reader. But the horror pieces are absolutely middle grade appropriate. And I think a lot of kids are going to love this one.

The story is well constructed. And the science is solid and fascinating. One of my favorite moments was when Maggie devises an experiment – with a control group – to see what solution has the best chance of fixing the problem she discovers. The characters here are terrific. I loved Maggie and was rooting for her from the start, both in her quest to reunite her family and later in the one to save her town – and possibly the world.

Teachers could have a field day with this, tying it to biology and ecology. The cross-discipline potential for using this in the classroom is vast – reading, writing, and science applications.

Hand this to fans of Goosebumps, science fiction, mysteries, and zombie stories as well as kids who love hard science. While this is not a book I personally *enjoyed,* it is well written and will be a huge hit with kids. If I had had this book when I was teaching, the kids would have kept it in constant circulation!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥= Great

 

BONUS REVIEW: The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park

BONUS REVIEW: The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Nate is caught between a rock and a hard place. His family is struggling financially, and he needs money to fund his future plans. One of the rich kids at school offers him serious cash – like, buy-a-new-car serious –  if he’ll deliberately let his grades drop. Nate doesn’t need the A’s because his applications for college only care about junior year. And if Nate agrees, some of the other high performing kids will also “take a dive” so these rich kids have a chance for some academic honors for their own applications before high school is over. While Nate needs the money, he’s not really comfortable with the whole idea.

Kate’s dad has always hyper-focused on work. But since her mom died, he’s been worse. She feels like a prisoner in their high-tech home. An internal computer system tracks her comings and goings, her vital signs, her phone calls, and her spending. Even worse, her dad thinks he has the right to dictate what she will study in college, and what she will do with her last semester of high school – and it all has to do with him and his work. If she could get some serious cash, Kate could leave town and follow her own dreams for the future and finally be free.

When Kate and Nate meet through their jobs at a zombie-themed escape room, it seems only natural that they team up for the zombie survivalist contest. The winning team gets $50,000. That would help both of them out of their predicaments. They just have to win first.

Review

This was so fun! I loved it. I don’t generally enjoy zombie things, but this wasn’t too gory or over the top. (These are fake zombies for the contest, not real zombies.) I was expecting the contest to be the bulk of the book, but it was really just most of the second half. The first half really develops the characters as individuals and in their circumstances, as well as their budding relationship with one another. I enjoyed the pacing. It never felt like “get to the good stuff.” It’s all good stuff!

I loved Nate and Kate. They take turns telling the story which is the perfect format for the story. The first part of the book lets the reader get to know both teens. You see who they are as individuals and then get to watch their friendship develop.

The early part of the book also examines the stakes for both kids. They each have a strong motivation for getting the money. Kate’s felt stronger to me – her dad was SO creepy in his controlling! Nate could have just said no to the guy at school. But he was tempted by the opportunity to help his family. This “unevenness” in their motivations, though, was perfect for how things would play out.

The survivalist contest was a clever plot point. I loved how all of the pieces of this came together in the end.

This is a delightful, funny, sweet romance with some suspense – and zombies! I had such a good time reading this one – don’t miss it. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

REVIEW: Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Marvel Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Loki knows he doesn’t fit in in Asgard. He might be a prince, but Asgardians are warriors, not sorcerers.

Odin has a royal sorceress, Karnilla, Queen of Norns. Even though she is training an apprentice, Amora, she is officially the only magic-wielder for Odin’s court. Even Odin’s wife, Frigga, mostly kept her magic small and to herself.

In Amora, Loki found a peer. They did magic together and understood each other. (And he thought she had the most magnificent high heeled boots!) But an act of magic – desperation on Loki’s part – left a magical artifact destroyed and Amora banished to Midgard where her magic would dry up completely. And Loki was left in Asgard, without the one friend who understood him and with Odin’s constant disapproval, living in Thor’s everpresent shadow.

Years later, after a disastrous diplomatic mission, Loki himself is sent to Midgard. It’s supposed to be an important task for Odin, but Loki knows when he is being dumped somewhere. Something magical, though, is going on on Midgard, a place where there should be no magic. People are dying. This is Loki’s chance to redeem himself by helping some allies look into these deaths in 19th century London.

Review

I wanted to love this. I love the MCU version of Loki played by Tom Hiddleston. And there are some great moments early in the book where I could “hear” that Loki. It’s mostly in the interplay with Thor. But that’s lost in the second part of the book when those characters aren’t together.

Fans were promised a Loki from the comics in terms of sexuality. And it’s here. This Loki is genderfluid (although that’s mostly stated in a single line in the book). He also kisses both a male character and a female character in the book. This sexuality piece, though, wasn’t a huge part of the story, so it felt “there” rather than integrated. Readers who have strong feelings about this aspect of the character’s history will have a better take on this than me. For me, it felt tacked on, but with no emotional weight or punch.

I think antiheroes must be hard to write. A character like Loki is beloved, but he isn’t the hero. And as a young man here, part of Loki WANTS to be the hero. He wants to earn real praise from Odin. He wants the choice of successor to at least demand some thought and debate. This could have been a much stronger exploration of identity; I would have loved that. But it never went as far in that direction as I wanted.

I wanted to get to the end of the book and believe it couldn’t have worked out any other way – that Loki HAD to give in to his darker side and become the villain. But I didn’t feel the story here was compelling on that piece. There’s more “I’m a trickster, I guess I have to just lean all the way in” than circumstances that drive him there. There’s a bit of the Odin situation that didn’t leave Loki some of the options he wants, but he lets that eliminate everything else, too. I was disappointed by this. If this piece had been stronger, I would have liked the book a lot more.

The story was solid. I had plenty of questions so I kept turning pages, waiting for it all to become clear. And it did. It was more violent and gruesome in parts than I generally prefer. But none of the story grabbed me emotionally. I wasn’t in suspense or connected to any character other than Loki for the Earth-bound portions of the book. It was fine but it wasn’t fantastic. I wanted fantastic.

Fans of the character should check this out for themselves and see what they think. And readers who enjoy historical fiction might enjoy that angle on the story as well. (Violence; some language; some horror features – zombies; LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥