Geetha Krishnan's Blog, page 5

Review of Runelight (Aenigma Lights 1) by J.A. Andrews

Blurb

Kate thought finding the puzzle box would give her all the answers.

But it only holds far more desperate questions.



Kate is a Keeper—a storyteller, magic-wielder, and researcher—but a single mystery has evaded her all her What happened on the tragic day when two strangers stole not only the puzzle box that hummed with magic, but so much more?



She and her brother Bo have searched for twenty years with no luck. Until Venn, a surly elf, shows up on the hidden doorstep of the Keepers’ Stronghold, with that same aenigma box—and a message that Bo has disappeared.



Kate needs a guide back to Venn’s homeland to search for him, and Venn needs to find him for reasons of her own. Reasons she refuses to explain.



Despite their mutual distrust, Kate and Venn form a grudging alliance.



Somewhere in the midst of infiltrating dwarven tunnels, discovering the secrets of the aenigma box, and stumbling onto shocking ancient relics, the alliance shifts to friendship.



But as the search for Bo grows increasingly dangerous, they uncover a complex plot woven through centuries, devastating not just individuals, but entire empires.



And even working together, the inexplicable forces standing against them may be too much.



Half treasure hunt and half rescue mission, this epic fantasy adventure is a tale of puzzles, mysteries, and the kinds of friendships—both old and new—that shape the soul.

My Review

This is a book that has been on my TBR for a while, and I had not planned on reading this now, but it was picked for a book club read on a SPFBO server so I knew I would read it this month. But I didn’t expect I would just sit and read and finish it in one sitting.

This is set in the Keeper Universe, but you don’t need to read any of the other books to understand this one. I had read the Keeper Chronicles and got really excited whenever a familiar character made their appearance, but it’s not needed to enjoy this book.

It revolves around Kate, who is a Keeper. But twenty years ago, Kate was a little girl who was just awakening her magic. She and her two brothers, Bo and Evan, find a box in an abandoned mine. They call it the Aenigma box, but soon after, they’re attacked by two strangers who use magic to sap their will. Though Kate and Bo escape, Evan and the box are taken away by the strangers.

Twenty years on, Kate is a Keeper and Bo is searching for any clue to Evan. The box was stamped with the seal of the Kalesh empire which perished centuries ago, but the strangers who took Evan had the same emblem on their clothes. Hence their enquiries are centred around the Kalesh empire and the last emperor Stronn who vanished without a trace which led to the empire’s disintegration soon after.

When an elf named Venn turns up at the Keeper’s stronghold with the box which Bo had entrusted to her to take to Kate, and Kate learns that Bo is missing, she leaves with Venn to search for her brother. Venn is surly, secretive and hostile, and Kate doesn’t trust her, but the two form an uneasy truce which deepens to friendship as the journey goes on. They also make friends with two dwarves named Silas and Tribal who help them get to their destination faster. But the secrets they uncover there are far more than they expected, and they can’t even be certain they would survive their quest.

Like I said, I’ve read this author’s books before and loved them. Though the premise is similar to the story of Will searching for his sister, this is also vastly different. I especially loved the two dwarves and Yellow, the tavern keeper who has a heart of gold. The twists and turns were unexpected and never once did the story lose my interest.

I’m eager to read the next book and see where Kate and Venn goes next. I loved their friendship and their characters. Kate is an especially relatable character and apart from Sini, might be my most favourite character yet.

If you love epic/ high fantasy, quests, adventures and lots of magic and mysteries, you will love this book.

ARC Review of Shadows Dark and Deadly (Red Society 1) by Andrea Marie Johnson

Blurb

Slowly freezing in the snow and a knife to the gut are two awful ways to die.

And Cerise would very much like to avoid both. A mysterious man steps from the shadows with an offer of food, a bed, and a roof over her head. The catch? She’ll have to become his assassin apprentice. Her hands are already stained with the blood of five men. What’s a little more?

But training to be an assassin isn’t easy and learning to control her magic even less. To complicate things, Cerise can’t fight her attraction to her mentor, Keir, or his charming best friend, Damara. It wouldn’t be a problem if she wasn’t a dirty street rat. Well, that and society isn’t ready for two women to be together.

Everything heats up as an arsonist stalks the streets. His targets? Brothel owners and Cerise’s aunt is at the top of his list. Can Cerise get strong enough to help Keir hunt him down or will her aunt become another tragic death that haunts her nightmares?

Shadows Dark and Deadly is the first book in the dark and steamy Red Society series. It’s perfect for fans who love character driven stories, rich world building, tortured shadow daddies, deadly assassins, angst and banter in equal measure, and sizzling why choose romances (MF and FF pairings).

This book is for adults 18 and over. It features mature language, graphic violence, dark themes, and explicit content. Reader discretion is advised. For a complete list of content warnings, check the author’s website.

My Review

I adored this book. Everything about it was just chef’s kiss. I loved the language, the pacing, the plot, the dialogues, the interactions between the characters and the intricacy of their relationships. The subtle humour at times, and the overall darkness were both so well done.

This is not a book for the faint of heart. It has some very dark themes and the characters are an assassin in training who had watched her parents get murdered in front of her as a child (like batman) and the assassin who trains her who has his own crosses to bear, though very little of that is revealed in this. Murder Batman as it is called by the author, is certainly a fitting moniker.

Cerise is an orphan who was brought up by her aunt, a madam of a brothel. When she was of age, her aunt throws her out since she can’t afford to keep someone who isn’t earning her keep. To add to it, Cerise is half Mostrian and looks it and is subject to bigoted and racist comments from the Lieurenese people she lives among. Not to speak of the fact that she’s bisexual and growing up in a brothel has no qualms about seeking lovers, and her acceptance in society is even trickier.

Enter Keir, the charming assassin who wants to train Cerise because she’s a shadowwalker like him, a mage who can manipulate shadows and turn to shadow themselves. He’s part of an emperor sanctioned assassin’s guild called the Red Society and wants to recruit Cerise after he has seen her use her powers to kill a man who attempts to assault her. Cerise, out in the streets with no one to turn to and no way of getting a job due to her Mostrian nationality, is only too glad to turn her skills from petty thieving and murder to something that actually gets her a roof over her head and three meals a day. Or more. Depending on the day.

Keir has his own motives in training Cerise, but even though he’s secretive, he’s also vulnerable and charismatic. They fall for each other like a ton of bricks, but dance around it due to Cerise’s fear that she’s only going to drag Keir down and his realisation of her fears. Cerise is also having feelings for Keir’s best friend, Damara, who is a noblewoman, and though Damara reciprocates Cerise’s feelings, their being together is not an accepted thing in their society especially with Damara’s status.

Add in an arsonist targeting brothels including that of Cerise’s aunt’s, a deadly fever that has Cerise lose access to her magic, and the mysterious fate of Keir’s last apprentice, the stage is set for a plot that has so many twists and turns it leaves you breathless. It slows down at times to let you catch a break before taking you along for the ride again at breakneck speeds.

This is an extremely well crafted and well written books with very real, relatable characters. They’re all very flawed, but very very human.

If you love gaslamp fantasies, Victorian seeming settings, disaster bis pining for each other, mysteries and lots of magic and spice, this is exactly the book for you.

Updates

I haven’t posted anything here in such a long time. Goodness! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I have had a severe case of burnout, which is better now, lol, and I’ve started to write again. I also started writing and posting some new fanfics to the MDZS fandom. I’ve been reading a lot but they petered out sometime in May but I started reading again now.

In the meantime, I have been sick, I’ve had family members who got sick as well. My nephew got married, and my daughter will be going to UK for a summer programme in July. Our visas have been approved, so I’ll be going with her. At this point, I don’t know if I’ll be getting a break or if it will be even more stressful.

I’ve started a few new WIPs, and have been revising and rewriting Set in Stone. Hopefully, it’s much better now, and will be even more so by the time I finish writing.

Apart from fanfics, Set in Stone is the only book I feel like working on right now. Blade Broken needs some revisions as well and Blade Reforged needs to be written. I also want to revise The Fallen Kingdom even though it’s not finished yet. I will be posting excerpts from my books on my other blog, as usual.

I’ve changed newsletter providers, moving from Substack to Convertkit’s free plan. I can’t afford paid options right now, but Convertkit looks good so far.

I have a new release coming up in July, and ARCs are open, so if you want to read some short sapphic fantasy, you can sign up for an ARC of Braving the Storm.

I hope I won’t neglect this blog again. I always make plans to write something, and then something happens and all plans get derailed. I hope this time, I’ll be able to stick to my plans.

Pluto says hi to all of you, and asks you to subscribe to my newsletter and to buy my books so I can buy her food and snacks.

Review of Ocean’s Blood (The Drowning Book 1) by Thelma Mantey

Blurb

“He looked newly born, as if the ocean spat him out of its womb, naked and wet, a creature made of waves and tides, of liquid and darkness, something that would slip through his fingers as soon as he tried to grasp it.”

Vindt’s tranquil life as a lord’s son comes to an abrupt end when his homeland is overthrown. Friends, family, his freedom—he loses it all to Singers and their dark song magic. Human in appearance, Singers are a different species. Their powers only fail against the demons hunting them. But even this flaw has a patch: humans with a rare and valuable “trait”. It allows Singers to take over their voice and use it like a weapon. Vindt turned out to possess this trait, and was bound to a Singer by blood. Ever since, he has struggled to break free.

Unexpectedly, a chain of events binds him to a new master, the sly and enigmatic Asche. From day one, their egos clash. Only, their encounter was no coincidence; Asche needs him—but for what? To free the Singers from the curse that plagues them? Or because Asche is on a quest for power, as the Singer’s brethren believe, who are determined to bring him down? Caught in the middle of their fight, Vindt gets yet another unexpected opponent: his wayward feelings for someone he’s supposed to hate.

When Asche’s enemies offer Vindt freedom in exchange for delivering Asche into their hands, Vindt has to make a choice.

CAPTIVE PRINCE meets INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE in this dark, queer fantasy novel about corrupted hearts and the fine line between hatred and obsession.

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It revolves around Vindt who used to be a lord’s son but who was captured by the enemy and forced into servitude by beings called Singers. Singers are powerful beings who are unnaturally beautiful and whose songs can kill or heal depending on their intent. Singers are often hired by warring kingdoms to defeat their enemies. Their only weakness is a demonic entity called Verdur whose song negates the singers. The only way a Singer can defeat a verdur is by using the voice of certain humans called Thyds. Thyds have something in their blood which makes them capable of resisting the verdur.

Vindt is a Thyd, but unlike most Thyds who are taken in by the singers as infants and raised in their society, he has fallen through the cracks and discovered only as an adult. As such, he hates the singers and his own helplessness. Their magic binds him, and he’s addicted to their blood without which he will die.

When the singer he’s bound to is killed by a verdur Vindt should have died with him. But somehow, he is rescued and no one knows how he survived and healed. A new singer called Asche who is also a member of the Singer’s council is his new master. Even as Vindt hates Asche, he can’t help but be attracted to him. But there are those in the council who see Asche as a mad man seeking more power and who asks Vindt to betray him, offering him what he wants the most in return: his freedom.

From the beginning, I was completely enthralled by this book. The whole book is from Vindt’s POV, but it was evident from the start that Vindt is an unreliable narrator. How he interprets events are different from how everyone else sees them, and it’s clear that his perspective is skewed by his own prejudices.

I love Vindt for all that, but Asche is my baby. I loved that singer from the start, and everything that happened since has only reinforced my belief that he’s not as bad as he’s reputed to be. Even when Vindt can’t make up his mind, I did, lol. Just wanted to shake Vindt and point out everything to him, lol.

The secondary characters are interesting and the world building is top notch. If you love dark romance, fantasy, queer characters, flawed and morally grey characters who are nonetheless trying to do what’s right, personal stakes and well realised worlds, you will love this book.

Review of The Carnation Murder (Adele Gossling Mysteries 1) by Tam May

Blurb

Can a forward-thinking woman help the police solve a murder in a backward-thinking town?

Smart inquisitive, and a firm believer in the new progressive reforms, Adele Gossling seeks a new life after the devastating death of her father. So she flees the big city of San Francisco for the small town of Arrojo. She plans a life of peace and small pleasures running her own stationery shop and living in her own house.

But peace is exactly what she doesn’t get when she discovers her neighbor dead in her gazebo. The police think they have a firm suspect: the young man who was secretly engaged to the victim. But Adele and her clairvoyant new friend Nin Branch suspect the young man is innocent. In spite of the raised eyebrows from Arrojo’s Victorian-minded citizens, she and Nin set out to prove Richard Tanning didn’t do it. But if he didn’t, who did?

Can Adele and Nin solve this puzzling case involving a striped carnation, a diamond ring, a note, a muddy pair of boots, and a broken promise? Or will Richard hang for a crime he didn’t commit and the real killer go free?

My Review

This was an extremely entertaining read. I do love myself a progressive woman who fights for justice! I love how smart and observant Adele is, and the cast of characters including the old hens and Mrs. Hatfield. I feel like Nin wasn’t given much room to grow, being in Adele’s shade and I’m so sad for Lucy who was an amazing young woman and whose life was cut so short.

Adele Gossling is a young, independent woman, who has lived in San Fransisco all her life and who has moved to the small town of Arrojo following her father’s death. She had a very close relationship with her father and wants to live some place without the memories. She has bought a house of her own and has hired people to cook and clean for her and is starting a stationery shop. The conservative women of Arrojo have difficulty accepting her, but Lucy, her neighbour, is also a progressive woman despite having a despotic father. Lucy strikes up a friendship with Adele, and even throws a welcome party for her. But the morning after the party, Lucy’s dead body is found in Adele’s gazebo.

Adele’s brother Jackson used to be a private detective and the local sheriff, Horatio Hatfield is more than happy to have his—and by extension, Adele’s—assistance. Adele has also struck up a friendship with Nin Branch, who runs the shop next to hers, and who’s a pariah in the town. Together, the four investigate the murder, and discovers truths that should have remained hidden in the process.

I do love Adele, her sass and her sharpness as also her initiative. Nin is more of a passive character, but she does come through when needed. Jackson is struggling with his own demons and his conservative nature, but he mostly lets Adele have her way. Not that he could have stopped her. Hatfield and his formidable mother are both very progressive and are happy to let Adele help with the investigation.

The one thing I didn’t like about Adele is how blind she is to Jackson’s trauma regarding their father. It’s very evident that his relationship with their father was far different from Adele’s but she refuses to see it or pay attention to it. I hope that the author explores that dynamic further in the remaining books because my heart literally hurt for poor Jackson who have no one to talk to about it since his sister will only invalidate his feelings.

On the whole, this was a well written, well presented, and thrilling mystery with a very satisfying conclusion and a host of very likeable, though flawed, characters.

This will appeal to fans of mystery books with women sleuths and historical settings.

Review of The Bachelor’s Valet (Flos Magicae 2) by Arden Powell

Blurb

Alphonse Hollyhock is blessed with wealth, class, and more beauty than brains. Though he hasn’t got a lick of wit or magic to his name, he’s perfectly content living life as an airheaded bachelor with his valet—the clever, unflappable Jacobi—by his side to ensure everything runs smoothly. All he lacks, according to his mother, is a wife.

Despite Alphonse’s protests, he’s to marry Aaliyah Kaddour: a bright, headstrong young woman who would probably be charming company if she didn’t threaten everything about Alphonse’s way of life. Marrying means giving up his fashionable flat, his fast car, and, worst of all, it means losing Jacobi.

Perhaps most distressingly, this talk of marriage is bringing all sorts of confusing feelings to the forefront. Because rather than falling for the beautiful girl being pushed into his arms, Alphonse seems to be falling for his valet. Except a man can’t fall in love with another man. Can he?

Meanwhile, Aaliyah has plans of her own. She’s as devious as she is pretty, but if Alphonse wants to get through this marriage business in one piece, he’ll have to trust her. Her and Jacobi, and, most dangerously, his own feelings.

My Review

This is the first novel of the Flos Magicae series which I had been planning to read for a while. I’ve already read two books in the series which I enjoyed immensely, and this was no different.

Alphonse Hollyhock is a rich and handsome airhead. He knows he’s dumb and has no fashion sense, so he’s perfectly happy to let Jacobi, his valet take all decisions regarding his wardrobe and life in general. Jacobi is good looking, smart and efficient.

When his mother decrees that Alphonse should propose to and marry Aaliyah Kaddour, a woman who’s helping her father run his business enterprise, Alphonse comes to the realisation that he has no attraction to the fairer sex. His mother has threatened to cut him off without a penny if he bungles this arrangement, however. In desperation, Alphonse can only turn to Jacobi to find a way out. When Jacobi advises him to go ahead with it, Alphonse has no other options.

Till a conversation with Aaliyah makes him realise that she’s in the same boat regarding attraction to the opposite sex. However, talking with her has also made him realise his feelings for Jacobi and now Alphonse has to do everything in his power to pretend he isn’t love with Jacobi because he doesn’t want Jacobi to leave.

This was as funny as the others, and Alphonse is an endearing character, despite being so stupid that Aaliyah has to all but spell out his own feelings for him. For all that, he has a good understanding and can make connections when needed. The unflappable Jacobi with his dry wit, the domineering mother, the scheming Aaliyah and her paramour, Jasmine complete the cast of this very engaging book.

If you love romantic fantasy, queer characters, humour and lots of magic, this is the perfect book for you.

Review of The Heart of the Mummy (Avery & Carter 3) by Shane Carrow

Blurb

Egypt, 1919. Cairo smoulders in the aftermath of a failed revolt against British rule, and Lucas Avery arrives in the city intent on escorting his sister back to the safety of England. But Emily, a promising young archaeologist at the Museum of Antiquities, has no interest in being rescued. She and her fellow scholars are on the eve of a desert expedition in search of Nekharis, the ancient City of the Damned – a venture which also happens to be employing Avery’s old friend, the American gunslinger Sam Carter.

Recruited against his better judgement, Avery joins Emily, Carter and the rest of the Museum’s retinue as they sail up the Nile and strike out into the Sahara. But rumours of ancient Egyptian curses are no mere superstitions. A rival French expedition has vanished; a colleague of Carter’s is found murdered in his Cairo hotel; and an uncanny presence shadows them across the desert sands. Avery and Carter have battled the supernatural before, but nothing will prepare them for what lurks in the tombs beneath the City of the Damned…

My Review

This is the third, and I think last, book of Avery & Carter series, and this time they have to deal with a Mummy in Egypt. The war is over, and Carter now works as a guide in Egypt while Avery is there to look for his sister who’s an assistant at the British Museum there. An expedition to Nekharis, the City of the Damned is planned with the help of Carter who has got a map from one of his fellows. Unknown to them, an ancient entity is stalking them, having killed the previous expedition and taken over the body of one of the members. It’s purpose is to stop anyone from awakening whatever is buried in the lost city. However, it senses Avery’s vampire abilities and hence hesitates to attack, despite getting Bedouin warriors to help.

The evil that is interred in the city is awoken by the leader of the expedition, and the unknown entity attacks the party as well. Carter, Avery and Avery’s sister, Emily manage to escape with a few others. The Bedouin take them in and they meet the entity named Braxis who tells them they’ve awakened an ancient evil and that they must help him in destroying it. It will be going to Cairo to get its heart and once that happens, nothing can stop it. The evil is an ancient royal named Usarhet who led a rebellion against the Pharoah and learned forbidden dark arts. Braxis is a medjai who chose to be buried with Usarhet to keep him from rising.

In Cairo, Emily learns that the heart is in England and Avery and Braxis track down Usarhet only for the mummy to destroy Braxis’ soul. Avery escapes and meets up with Emily and Carter and the three make their way to England while Avery apprises his bosses about the mummy and its purpose. In the meantime, Sam and Emily strike up a romance which Avery approves of.

There are parallels to the mummy movie, but for all that, this one stands on its own. It’s considerably longer than the other two, but no less interesting. I was at the edge of my seat throughout. I’m sad the series is at an end, but I hope that perhaps more are in the making?

If you loved fast paced, thrilling books with a darker shade of fantasy, flawed characters who try to do the right thing, ancient evil curses and historical setting, this book is perfect for you!

Review of Werewolf on the Western Front (Avery & Carter 2) by Shane Carrow

Blurb

France, 1916. Europe is riven by two years of mechanised slaughter in the Great War. Hundreds of miles of muddy trenches and chemically-polluted wasteland run from the North Sea to Switzerland. Here at the southern border, so-called Kilometre Zero is quiet. The enlisted men are too cold and tired to pursue valour, the officers too wary of upsetting their neutral Swiss neighbours. Both French and German forces are content to huddle by their fires and let their comrades fight it out further up the line.

But something is upsetting the silent, snowy peace of Kilometre Zero. Livestock are found mutilated, a night patrol suffers a grisly encounter, and a captured German deserter carries a dire warning. As the full moon rises above the Jura Mountains, American legionnaire Sam Carter and British officer Lucas Avery once again find themselves drawn into battle with a supernatural evil…

My Review

The second book of Avery & Carter series, this one happens a few years after the first. In this we have a werewolf who slaughters a whole German platoon and goes after its sole survivor, a private called Otto who is saved by Carter and his troop since they mistook him for a French deserter. Yes, Carter rejoined the legion during the war. Fun times.

Avery is on a diplomatic mission to the base while all this goes down, and he gets to question Carter and Otto whose words he believes. But the Colonel in charge of the base isn’t so open minded. Avery’s friend, Felix Leroux tells him that Carter will probably go free. But Otto as a German may not get the same treatment.

In a fit of very foolish bravado, Carter frees Otto and they try to escape the chateau where they’re incarcerated but are caught. The colonel orders them to be shot in the morning. But during the night, just as Avery tries to break them out, the werewolf attacks. The three get away in a car, but they have to find a safe place for Otto to heal since he’s been shot and a way to get rid of the monster that stalks them.

This one was just as fast paced and dark as the first. Avery and Carter make a good team and I enjoyed how innocent Otto is, and how they’re both committed to protecting him despite the war that makes him an enemy.

If you love fast paced books, fantasy on the darker side and flawed characters who make bad decisions while trying to do the right thing, this is perfect for you.

I’m off to read the third book now!

Review of Vampire on the Orient Express (Avery & Carter 1) by Shane Carrow

Blurb

Paris, 1914. American adventurer Sam Carter boards the Orient Express, departing France in style after an impulsive decision to desert the Foreign Legion. British diplomat Lucas Avery is already nursing a drink in the smoking car, resenting his assignment to the distant Ottoman Empire. Neither man expects anything more from the next three days and three thousand miles than rich food, expensive champagne and fine cigars.

But something dangerous is lurking aboard the train, hiding in plain sight among French aristocrats and German businessmen. Through fire and darkness, through blood and ice, the Orient Express is bearing an ancient evil across the continent – and not all its passengers will live to see Constantinople…

My Review

This was my first book by this author, and I wasn’t expecting much, but it was so good! It’s dark, almost horror vibes, and while I’m normally not a horror fan since I scare easily, I loved the atmosphere and the descriptions in this one.

Sam Carter, American has deserted from the legion and stolen the pay packets of his fellow soldiers. Now he’s taken a first class ticket on the Orient Express, trying to get as far away from France as possible, to Constantinople.

Lucas Avery who works for the British secret service is upset at his transfer from Paris to Constantinople, but he has no choice but to accept it. On surface, he’s either a banker or part of the diplomatic staff, whichever suits the moment. He’s also gay which is a crime in those days.

When Avery and Carter run to the aid of a young girl who was attacked, they see a vampire, but they cannot understand what it is they saw or if it even was real. Their minds were affected by the creature compelling them to look away, to not see. Though the authorities chalk the attack to some unauthorised passenger who has attacked the girl and escaped when Avery and Carter arrived, the two men know differently.

With their own secrets and worries already, they have to team up if they’re to destroy the creature. But they don’t know how, and they don’t have any resources.

Apart from the religious angle, which I don’t really believe in, and the fact that Sam is straight—lol, okay, I would have loved for them to end up together, but it’s a nice team up too—I liked everything about this. It’s a very short read but packed a punch. The whole atmosphere from the train to the snowy wastes where they chase the vampire to the cellar where Avery confronts it is very dark and spooky.

If you love fast paced books with no let up on the action, dark fantasy (the genre not the biscuit), vampires who are as evil as they were originally intended (no sparkling), flawed characters who are struggling to do the right thing even when they’re afraid, this is the book for you.

The Adventures of Legendary Heroes by Flynn Bryan

Blurb

One day, in the peaceful Wooden Village, Flynn is told by a visitor by the name of Elliot that he must save the world! The two of them meet many people on their quest, and even try to defeat the evil Team Sparkle! Will they succeed? Join them on this quest across The Great Plains! They will fight many evils, discover new things, and even save the world!

My Review

In the interest of full disclosure, this was written by a friend’s son who is 12. It’s awesome.

Flynn is not the hero of the book though it may seem so. I loved all the shenanigans with Flynn and his friends and the evil Team Sparkle led by Juniper which is the name of real life Flynn’s sister. I’m assuming all the characters are either his or Juniper’s friends and relatives!

When I saw Crystalyn, I shrieked, lol. Shaun was the only one missing and he appears in the last chapter too!

If you love a fun romp with magic and sparkles, lots of glitter, laser fights and glue guns, not to speak of swamps that eat everything and magic guns to cover everything with glitter, give this one a go! Support the 12 year old author so he can be inspired to write more!

Great fun to read and short, and extremely obviously written by a child! Immensely enjoyable!!