3 Stars

Creel is fifteen when her aunt decides it’s time for her to get captured by a dragon in hopes a wealthy noble will rescue and marry her. The only problem is that the dragon wants nothing to do with her or any human. So, Creel is gifted a pair of strange blue slippers in exchange for leaving the dragon alone. It isn’t until these slippers are stolen that she learns those shoes have the power to control all the dragons in the land. Creel now must stop a war from breaking out with the help of a prince and her new friends before the dragons destroy the city. This book is the first of a fun, adventure-filled trilogy that is fairly simple to read, which older kids and young teens will enjoy.

-Cristi VanderNaald

Posted 8/30/2021

3 Stars

Creel, now working in her dress shop with her friends after becoming the dragon heroine who ended the war, finds life pretty uneventful. That is until Prince Luka sends her a letter saying a neighboring country is preparing an invasion with dragons and requests her help once again. Creel and her friends now must set off to stop another war from happening and free the dragons from the king’s control. But perhaps things are a bit more complicated than they originally thought when Creel and her friend Marta sneak into the castle to meet the king and his pet dragon. This sequel keeps the action and fun going as Creel returns to help her dragon friends again.

-Cristi VanderNaald

Posted 8/30/2021

3 Stars

Emma Saylor is a girl with two first names who finds herself unexpectedly spending part of the summer at a lake with her deceased mother’s side of the family. As soon as she arrives, she learns about the two different sides to the lake where her parents met: the working-class side of her mom and a wealthier side where her dad used to work. As the weeks go by and Emma meets more relatives and friends, she begins to realize how little she knew about her mother’s troubled past. She also learns how different life is at North Lake, where she’s known as just Saylor and not Emma. This new realization starts to worry her father, who wants her to remain simply as Emma, but perhaps the Saylor side of her at North Lake is worth keeping. This novel is a fun read with enough romance and humor to keep you entertained as Emma Saylor attempts to survive an unforgettable summer at North Lake.

-Cristi
Posted 4/13/2021

3 Stars

Remy is a tough cookie kind of girl who believes romantic relationships are never meant to last. Somehow, she ends up falling into a relationship with Dexter, a musician who doesn’t seem to take anything seriously. This relationship falls into the category of “opposites attract,” no matter how much Remy tries to push Dexter away. It’s the summer before Remy leaves for college and can finally begin living the more successful life she was always determined to have. She’s fine with having a bit of fun by entertaining the idea of dating Dexter, though, as long as they stay on track to break up by the time she has to leave for school. Dexter, however, doesn’t see it that way and wants them to take their time and enjoy what they have. He hits almost none of her checkmarks for an ideal guy, so why is it so hard to say goodbye as the deadline approaches? A cute but not always lighthearted story about an unexpected relationship between an unlikely duo that shows even if relationships require work and growth, it can be worth it.

-Cristi
Posted 3/16/2021

3 Stars

4 Stars

In this richly detailed graphic novel, Box Brown humanizes Andre Roussimoff, better known as Andre the Giant. Behind the larger than life persona was a gentle giant, a man who was dealing with acromegaly, a disorder which led to his gigantism. Drawing from historical records and  anecdotes Brown details the adversity this gentle giant faced in this engaging life story of professional wrestling’s first superstar.

-Sean
Posted 1/13/2021

4 Stars

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein tells the story of the original novel from the perspective of Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s future wife, the morally ambiguous Elizabeth Lavenza. Born into a life of poverty and misery, the Frankenstein family – especially lonely, odd Victor – is Elizabeth’s only hope at a secure future. Taken in by them as a young child, Elizabeth spends over a decade ensuring she is indispensable to Victor and shaping a future where she lives comfortably as his wife. But as she follows him on his studies, Elizabeth realizes she may not know Victor at all – and it may be too late to escape the life she’s created.

This gothic horror novel is unapologetically feminist; the terror stems not from Victor’s objectives but from the helplessness of being a woman in the late 18th century. With a slow burn to an explosive final act, both fans of the original and those unfamiliar with Shelley’s story will find something to appreciate in White’s retelling.

-Amity
Posted 10/16/2020