Friday, October 18, 2024

[ARC REVIEW] Bluebell: The Wish Fairy by P.J. Reed

 




Title:  Bluebell: The Wish Fairy

Author:  P.J. Reed

Artist: Emma Gribble

Genre: Humor / Fantasy / Adventure

Year Published: 2021

Number of Pages: 136 
pages

Date Read: 
10/18/2024

Publisher:   Lost Tower Publications

Source:   eARC (Author)

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (No Objectionable Content)

Buy on:  Amazon // Goodreads




I would like to thank the author P.J. Reed for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


So, I have been reading many fantasy children’s books over the years and I have read many children’s books that feature fairies in the stories.  However, I have never read a book quite like this one! “Bluebell: The Wish Fairy” is a children’s book that is written by P.J. Reed, along with illustrations by Emma Gribble and it was quite a lovely book to read through!


The story starts off with a fairy named Bluebell who becomes the new wish fairy and she is trying not to mess up on the first day of her new job.  For her first mission, Bluebell will have to travel to the human world to grant wishes of little boys and girls.  But unfortunately, since Bluebell has a tendency to be clumsy, many citizens in Therwen Wood do not believe that she has what it takes to become the wish fairy.

Can Bluebell prove everyone wrong?

Find out in this book!


So, I was quite surprised to be checking out this book since this is the first time that I have heard about this series.  So, I read the first book in the series and I really enjoyed it!  P.J. Reed did a fantastic job at writing this story as I found myself loving Bluebell as a character.  Bluebell is such a relatable character, even though she is a fairy, because she tends to make a lot of mistakes, but always pulls through in the end, just like how so many people in real life tend to do.  I also loved how the situation about the fairies trying to grant children’s wishes is being seen as a job for the fairies, which makes how everything in this world function much more interesting.  Emma Gribble’s illustrations are truly beautiful to look at as the world and the characters look realistic yet beautiful at the same time.  I especially loved the artwork for when Bluebell accidentally made a mistake by bringing in a dragon to a little boy and you can see the dragon blowing its flames towards the little boy, since it is something that I would have never expected to see in a children’s book about fairies.


Overall, “Bluebell: The Wish Fairy” is truly a fun and cute book that anyone who is a fan of fairies should definitely check out!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since there is not much frightening content in this book.


Saturday, October 5, 2024

☀Daily Book Chat #48:☀ Top 10 Children's Books with Creepy Illustrations (or Artwork that gives me the willies)

 



Hello everyone! Welcome to my ☀Daily Book Chat☀ where I do some SERIOUS discussions that fellow book fans will get a kick out of and relate their thoughts about the subject to other book fans!


Today's discussion question is TOP 10 CHILDREN'S BOOKS THAT HAVE CREEPY ILLUSTRATIONS!


So, it's October and that means that it's time to talk about some spooky books for this month!  So, for this month, I wanted to talk about children's books that have some SERIOUSLY creepy artwork!  So, I've been reading children's books like FOREVER and I've stumbled across a lot of children's books that have creepy artwork!  So, whether these books are horror themed or just your regular run of the mill children's book, the artwork in these books are sure to give you the WILLIES!

Here are the top 10 Children's Books with Creepy Illustrations (in no particular order, of course)!


1. THE SIX SERVANTS BY BROTHERS GRIMM; ARTWORK BY SERGEI GOLOSHAPOV




I really loved this interpretation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale as the artwork is what really stood out to me.  The artwork is so creepy to look at, especially whenever they show exaggerated features of the characters in creepy ways.








This series has always been something that I love to read every October and man, the original artwork by Stephen Gammell were some of the creepiest artwork that I've seen in any children's book! So creepy in fact that it caused the series to get banned and then, they redesigned the artwork to make it less scary (which is the worst thing you can ever do to a series as beloved as this one!)






This is probably the first book I've read by Edward Gorey and man, did it make an impact on me!  The fact that this book is all about the many different ways that the kids in this story die and the really creepy artwork that accompanies this really made this worth reading!






I read this book years ago and even though it was a really fun read, I was quite surprised by how disturbing the artwork can get, especially with Camilla's transformations throughout the book.






This is another one of my favorite children's books as the poems are wacky and I especially loved Henrik Drescher's chaotic artwork.  Although, there are some genuinely creepy imagery in this book.







This was a really interesting and creepy book to read through.  I think that the creepy artwork really fit so well with the surprisingly scary story.






I never thought that there would be a horror version of "Cinderella" and man, this was a really good book to read!  Also, the creepy artwork by David Catrow really made this story pretty creepy to read through!












I absolutely loved this book!  It's one of the funniest children's books I have ever read and I really loved the artwork by Henrik Drescher in this book!  Although, the artwork can be pretty creepy at times.









9. THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES BY JON SCIESZKA; ARTWORK BY LANE SMITH




I absolutely love this book!  It's such hilarious book to read, especially if you love reading parodies of your favorite fairy tales!  Even though I love the artwork here, there are some genuinely creepy imagery in this book.






10. BABETTE COLE'S ILLUSTRATIONS


There are various books written by Babette Cole that have creepy imagery and since I couldn't pick a specific book, I decided to post up various images from Babette Cole's books that are creepy!








So, that's my top 10 children's books with creepy illustrations.  I never would have thought that there would be so many children's books with creepy imagery and I can't wait to check out more children's books with creepy imagery!

Annnnnnddddd....as always everybody:



HAPPY READING, BOOK FANS !!!!








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Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday #241: Divine Mortals by Amanda M. Helander and Spectacular by Stephanie Garber

Hello everyone! "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that is hosted by Breaking the Spine and the purpose of this event is that we spotlight upcoming releases of books that we are excited for!  This will also tie into Wishful Ending's Can't Wait Wednesday post!











Follow me through Blogger and Bloglovin to reach this goal!






This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selections are:







Divine Mortals

By: Amanda M. Helander

Expected Publication Date: October 8th, 2024

Buy on:   Amazon (Hardcover)
           Amazon (Kindle)
         

Mona can name anyone's soulmate—but she'll do anything to avoid being matched with her own. Especially when she learns he's the king.

This debut romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros delivers sizzling romance, cutthroat competition, a lush fantasy world, and an unforgettable heroine.

“Fans of Rebecca Yarros and Sarah J. Maas need look no further for their next big read.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“You will fall madly in love with this book!” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times best-selling author of A Study in Drowning


Blessed by the gods, Mona Arnett has the unique ability to divine soulmates, but she refuses to seek out her own—until she learns the king is dying without an heir, threatening the royal line and the world’s access to magic. Tasked with naming his future queen, Mona discovers the king’s soulmate is . . . her.

A royal match is the last thing Mona wants—especially when she starts falling for the king’s closest advisor—so she lies, cheats, and contends with scheming gods to hide the truth. But when this high-stakes game of thrones leads to murder, survival and the fate of the kingdom will depend on her finding the courage to face her destiny.

Delightful wit, spellbinding prose, and a flawed, funny protagonist you'll love from page one make this debut fantasy a must-read.


Oooh! A book about going against your destiny!  Sounds interesting!












Spectacular

By: Stephanie Garber

Expected Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024

Buy on:   Amazon (Hardcover)
           Amazon (Kindle)



Welcome, welcome back to the mysteriously enchanting world of CARAVAL! Return to the legendary magic and the whimsical wonder with this beautifully illustrated holiday novella.

Snowflakes are falling.
Invitations are arriving.
And holiday magic is swirling in the capital city of the Meridian Empire.

It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett Dragna is planning a spectacular Holiday celebration for the city. Donatella is searching for the perfect gift. Julian is looking ridiculously handsome in green. And Legend . . .

Well, sadly Legend is not fond of the Great Holiday. Tella is hoping her perfect gift will change his mind. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found this perfect gift just yet. But it is Great Holiday Eve Eve . . . surely there’s some holiday magic swirling around.

Welcome, welcome back to the world of Caraval, where even holidays are not as they seem.

Set after Stephanie Garber's #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling Caraval series, this delightful novella will take readers on the ultimate holiday adventure full of clockwork boys, poisoned candy, impish snow globes, merriment, and―if Tella gets her way―love.

Gorgeously illustrated by Rosie Thorns, SPECTACULAR is the perfect edition for collectors, readers, dreamers, and lovers of holiday magic.


Oooh!  Another book from the "Caraval" series!  I would love to read this book soon!




So, what upcoming books are you looking forward to?  Please respond below!



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