This is a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon which is sort of like Beauty & the Beast but with a bear. I read East (also published as North Child) first and I really love that book so I was not expecting a sequel but West was good but I did wish it had been more of the bear's story then Rose's (the main character). I honestly don't think the sequel is needed but since I enjoyed that, I can't complain.
This trilogy is a bit of a mystery, a bit of a ghost story with some amusing antics. I just find it quite enjoyable. The main character Ivy Pocket can be a frustrating character but I can't dislike her. And the illustrations are fun too.
This duology is crazy, wacky, slightly creepy, kind of nerdy, fun reads. This is more science and technology than magic but one can think of it as magic in a way. I just find these book so much fun (and a little creepy) that I wouldn't mind attending the school even if you might get killed during a class.
Even though each book toward the end of the series is less and less about Anne, they were still good. I guess you can call these feel-good books or books for a relax reading.
I have to admit it's the first two books that I love and the other two not so much. I suppose it's the change of narratives that I sort of didn't like. (Each book is told from a different character's point of view.) It's quite interesting to note that the author wrote the fourth book first and then the others.
I enjoy these two books (Monstrous & Ravenous) a lot. Kymera and Greta are strong female characters and they make the books worth reading. There are some characters overlapped but each book can be read as standalones.
I cannot not put Harry on my list. This is the series I read both versions of (the dumb-down American version and the British version) but I would have preferred to read the (original) British version if I had known about it first and I might not even read the American version at all.
Even though these read almost younger than middle grade, I had so much fun reading them. I think I might fit in well with the Bland sisters as I also prefer reading adventures instead of going on them. I put this series on the list even though I didn't read book 3 (as it wasn't available at the library in the format I can read) but this series is simply a lot of fun.
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Honorable Mention:
I did enjoyed the series but there was too much of Abigail (the main character and narrator) and not enough of Jackaby (the other main character). There was just so much we don't know about Jackaby, not even his real name. Also, the ending kind of got overshadowed by Abigail's romance and Jackaby gets a romance too as if being single is a sin. But what's more irksome about the ending of the series for me is that they stripped Jackaby of what made unique and turned him into a boring, ordinary guy and made Abigail into him (Is this giving away the ending?). I mean, yes, it was good that Jackaby get to live without all the things that burdened him but why is that necessary? Could they not have just taken away the bad part and let him keep the good part? But this series has great many little mysteries (there might have been a dragon somewhere) that are a bit creepy and scary and worth reading about.
I really love the two the main characters, Ada Byron and Mary Godwin, who are based on real people though since I know nothing about them, I actually think it's what makes me enjoy the books more. Most of the mysteries are from other books so I don't know how original that is. But if you have never read any classic mysteries like I have, then you might not be bothered by this since you won't be familiar with the mysteries. I really like the writing though.
Do you read book series? If you do, do you have any favorite ones?
Ooh, I loved the Anne of Green Gables series!
ReplyDeleteMy post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-an-outdoor-adventures-reading-list/
Lydia Schoch: I think most people loved the Anne series, most females, that is, it seems.
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Ivy Pockets looks like a cute series. And I love both the Harry Potter books and the Jackaby series (although I didn't love the way Ritter ended it). Fun post! :D
ReplyDeleteLark: Ivy Pockets is a lot of fun and the extras like the author's bio and notes are also fun to read.
DeleteIt's just too bad about Jackaby because he really was a great character to follow.
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Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteChristine: Thank you. I love sharing. And thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day.
DeleteThe only one I have read is Harry Potter, but the rest certainly look fun.
ReplyDeleteDeanna @ A Novel Glimpse: The rest are fun, at least to me, I'm glad you have read at one on my list.
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I love those Anne covers. I've always wondered about the Wrede books too. Anything called Enchanted Forest always gets my attention.
ReplyDeleteGreg: Those Anne covers are quite nice. The art are made of paper and then photographed. Sadly, I forgot the artist's name.
DeleteEnchanted Forest is a great series though some might not like the change in narratives.
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I agree with you about the Enchanted Forest series. I loved the first (and still reread it). The others were a disappointment in some ways - though I have reread them too (but not as often).
ReplyDeleteElephant's Child: It would have been nice if Cimorene was the main perspective in all the books but then again, it might have been a different series but we'll never know. Let's just love the series the way it was.
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I enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables series as well.
ReplyDeleteCindy: We have that in common. Thank you for stopping by. Have a lovely day.
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