Posted on by Maureen

Mildred’s Resistance by Katie Cross

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read Miss Mabel’s School for Girls almost a month ago, and immediately fell in love with the world of The Network. Since then, I have gone on to read the second book in the series, Antebellum Awakening. I have also read The Isadora Interviews, a novella featuring school admission interviews from some of the secondary characters.

Mildred’s Resistance is the third book in the series, and it takes place before the events of MMSFG. Mildred serves as the High Priestess in the series; essentially, she serves as the head of the government. There are several allusions to an uprising in the past, during which Mildred seized power from a witch name Evelyn. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Queen of Tomorrow by Sherry Ficklin

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am not familiar with Sherry Ficklin’s other books, but I love young adult books and I love historical fiction, so I was excited about the opportunity to read Queen of Tomorrow.

Queen of Tomorrow is the second book in Ficklin’s Stolen Empires series. Catherine is a young girl married to the heir to the Russian throne. Court life is full of intrigue, and plots, and forbidden dalliances. Catherine knows that she needs to produce an heir in order to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, but her husband Peter is wholly unsuitable, thanks to his mercurial temperament. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

I first heard about The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly a couple weeks before its release. I think I saw it mentioned on Goodreads, so I placed a request through the library network. This young adult novel was written by Stephanie Oakes.

Minnow Bly spent most of her life in a cult that lived in the wilderness, completely isolated from the rest of society. Discipline is swift and brutal: Minnow lost her hands because she was disobedient. Minnow no longer lives on the group’s compound; it was burned to the ground, and the prophet was killed. Minnow is confined to a juvenile detention facility, and as she adjusts to her new surrounding, she must come to terms with her past as she faces an uncertain future. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Antebellum Awakening by Katie Cross

I was provided with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Antebellum Awakening is the second novel in Katie Cross’ The Network series. The story begins two months after the events of Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, and culminates with protagonist Bianca’s seventeenth birthday. Please proceed with caution if you have not read MMSFG– it’s difficult to discuss the plot of Antebellum Awakening without discussing the events of MMSFG. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

A School for Unusual Girls by Kathleen Baldwin

I was interested in A School for Unusual Girls from the moment that I first read about it on Goodreads. I immediately made a request at the library, and was thrilled when it arrived a few days later. This young adult novel was written by Kathleen Baldwin.

Miss Georgiana is a clever girl. In fact, she is deemed to be more clever than a girl ought to be in Regency England. She wins all the card games she plays because she counts the cards, and she once injured her arm jumping out of a window to see if she could replicate Da Vinci’s flying wings. But the last straw occurs when she sets fire to her father’s stables. It was an accident, of course; Georgie was trying to make an invisible ink, but she is packed off and sent to Stranje House. The headmistress, Miss Stranje, has a reputation of being able to tame her unruly charges, transforming them into model students, poised to take their place in Proper Society. The school is rumored to use ruthless discipline to achieve their end goal, and poor Georgie is terrified and wants no part of this new reality. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 2 Comments

The Isadora Interviews by Katie Cross

I was provided with a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

I recently read Miss Mabel’s School For Girls by Katie Cross. This is a young adult fantasy novel about a girl named Bianca who is desperate to remove a curse from her family. If she cannot remove the curse, she will die on her 17th birthday. Bianca enrolls in Miss Mabel’s School with the hopes of being able to undo the curse. I absolutely fell in love with Miss Mabel’s School and the world of The Network. So when I received an opportunity to review the other books in the series, I was very excited.

The Isadora Interviews is a short novella that takes place before the events of Miss Mabel’s School for Girls. I would say that readers need to have read MMSFG before reading The Isadora Interviews in order to have a better familiarity with the characters. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I picked up I’ll Give You the Sun when it was the Audible Daily Deal. I had it checked out from the library at the time, so I was very excited to get the audiobook. I’ll Give You the Sun is a young adult novel written by Jandy Nelson.

This is the story of a pair of twins who live in California. Noah narrates half of the story, which takes place a couple of years in the past. Jude narrates the other half, which takes place in the present day when the twins are 16 years old.

When Noah narrates, he is a gifted young artist with a quirky way of looking at the world. He is also falling in love with the boy next door, who is home from boarding school for the summer. Noah has plans to apply to the special art school, but his twin sister isn’t interested. She is much more interested in surfing and hanging out with the popular crowd. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

Miss Mabel’s School for Girls by Katie Cross

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the title Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, I imagined a Victorian or Edwardian setting, with the addition of some magic to liven things up. I was pleasantly surprised by magical world of The Network, which has regions with varying topography and factions with shifting alliances that make up Antebellum.

Bianca is a sixteen-year-old witch who has just enrolled at Miss Mabel’s School, an official Network school for the instruction of witchcraft. In this regard, it is not unlike that other famous school for witchcraft and wizardry. Young witches attend the school for three years, choosing a course of study best suited to their individual talents. Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

I had gotten a copy of The Night Gardener from a neighboring library last year, but I didn’t get a chance to read it before it had to be returned. My town library acquired the audiobook version, so I added it to my pile. It’s often easier for me to listen to audiobooks because I can listen while I’m driving or straightening up the house.

The story begins with young orphans Molly and Kip traveling to their new home. They have been hired by the Windsor family to work as housekeeper and stableboy/gardener. Well, to be specific, they are hired by Mr. Windsor, who fails to inform his wife. When the siblings arrive, they are almost turned away by Constance Windsor, who doesn’t want anyone in their house. This sense of confusion and the pallid appearance of Constance and her children establishes an overwhelming feeling of dread. Read more

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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A few years ago, my mother went to France for a vacation. She brought back presents for my girls. Among other trinkets, she gave them bowls with a picture of The Little Prince and the quote “Mais les yeux sont aveugles. Il faut chercher avec le Coeur.” This translates to “But the eyes are blind. You must look with your heart.”

The girls love their bowls, and about a month ago, my oldest girl came out of Kumon with a copy of The Little Prince and was very excited that she had found the book about the boy on the bowl. This reminded me that The Little Prince had been an Audible Daily Deal that I had purchased, and I asked the girls if they wanted to listen to The Little Prince. Everyone said they did, so we listened to The Little Prince as we drove back and forth from our activities. Read more