Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 253
September 8, 2020
Review: DIARY OF A 5TH GRADE BULLY by Beth Riwa
“Some people think I’m a bully because I’m big and been in a lot of fights.” But they’re wrong.
This is the bully’s story. He’s actually a kid that stands up for himself and lives with confidence.
At first, he talks about the great use of a diary and the benefits of nobody else reading it but you. Yes, writing is very therapeutic. His entries detail his life as a 5th grader dealing with school, kids, teachers, and parents. He mostly talks about what’s funny and what he learns, but he goes off-topic a lot so there’s no real flow.
I liked the little cartoons that were embedded. The overall experience of this book brings you back to what it was like as a kid.
An okay read.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: MISTY AND MIA: THE SUPER GIRL TWINS by Ivette Corza
Misty and Mia, the super twins, were flower girls in their dad’s upcoming wedding.
The text was simple and easy to follow. The pictures in this book were more artistic and stylized with a mosaic look. Kind of interesting, but I’m not sure how appropriate it is for a children’s book.
Story just basically shows the fun in a celebration—in this case, a wedding.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: THE GINGERBREAD GIRL by Ivette Corza and Misty Arielle
Simple story of a gingerbread girl. The drawings were flat and lifeless. There was even one that looked like a smudgy photographic image of the Mona Lisa. Not sure what that was about. It was kind of creepy. Seriously, where did these pictures come from? But mostly you saw the same dull image of the gingerbread girl.
Kind of boring. I mean the narrative was okay, I guess. But the pictures are what make or break a children’s story. They basically ARE the story.
My rating: 2 stars
Review: THE JOURNEY OF PRINCESS TIA by Tia
“Happiness and strength is something you earn.” That is what Princess Tia had to learn in her journey.
The illustrations were simple, colorful, and clean-cut, but I think they would benefited with more liveliness, so they wouldn’t be too stagnant and stiff. Also, some of the pictures didn’t quite illustrate the action in a particular scene. For instance, in the part where Princess Tia leaves and feels that first instinct of fear, the picture shows a smiling maid and brooding butler standing next to a piano. Shouldn’t it have shown the princess with a look of fear on her face and anxiety in her pose? And what about adding some close-up shots, like when Tia first meets the helpful mouse? That’s would’ve been nice to see.
I liked the concept of a young girl venturing out, looking for fun and adventure. Of course, she learns the hard way that there are dangers she must be wary of. Being aware is a good thing for children to learn. “True life wasn’t easy at all.”
An okay little tale.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: SCAREDY BAT AND THE MISSING JELLYFISH by Marina J. Bowman
Ellie was going on a class trip to Jelly Fish Lake, where a lot of the jellyfish were going missing. Sounds like another mystery case for the little vampire detective.
Nice colorful illustrations! A fun and easy read!
My rating: 4 stars
August 23, 2020
Review: FIRST LAST FOREVER: A collection of first date disasters
Quick, quirky short stories. Some were good, some were not.“Speed Freaks” recounts one woman’s night of speed dating. A woman has a date with the devil—literally! And kids scheme a Parent Trap.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: HAPPILY EVER AFTER DO OVER by J.S. Baker
Did I marry the right person? Rebecca is alone on the brink of divorce and in love with 2 men. She married one, but not the other. What would’ve happened if she chose the other?
This thing had a slow start. I mean, it’s pretty bad when the prologue is more interesting than the first few chapters.
We read through all about her and Ethan in the past, which is not very exciting.
My god it’s long! So BORING!
My rating: 1 star
Review: THREE LAST FIRST DATES by Kate O’Keefe
Marissa Jones is totally committed to not being committed. No one but Mr. Absolutely Right would do for her. At the urging of her best friends, she agreed to 3 dates in 1 day. It’s such an annoying girl club that filters throughout the scenes and dialogue. I feel dumb just reading it. Not even remotely funny. All they do is talk about guys and dating. Why couldn’t she just stay a commitment phobe?
Such a waste of time and I couldn’t even get through the first chapter.
My rating: 1 star
August 19, 2020
Blog Tour: LOST GIRL by Holly Kammier
Murder Mystery
Date Published: January 15th, 2020
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
An appalling act of violence and an unsolved double-murder.Small-town investigative reporter, Shelby Day, is determined to hunt a killer. As her search draws closer to uncovering the twisted truth, she begins receiving ominous warnings to stay quiet and drop the story. The young journalist is in danger. Her charming cameraman and best-friend, a person with his own secret past, says he wants to protect her. But Shelby is headstrong and dodging anything that could lead to love. She can't allow anyone to distract her as she fights for the two women who deserve justice.She never expects along the way she'll have to stop and save herself.Ticktock… If Shelby doesn’t solve the crime soon, she’ll become the killer’s next victim.
About the Author
Holly Kammier is the international best-selling author of Kingston Court, Choosing Hope, and Lost Girl. Co-Founder of Acorn Publishing, the UCLA honors graduate is an accomplished writing coach and a former journalist who has worked everywhere from CNN in Washington, D.C. and KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, to the NBC affiliate in small-town Medford, Oregon.
Lost Girl and Choosing Hope are cross-over novels to Kingston Court, with overlapping characters and locations.
The California native and mother of teenage boys, lives in San Diego, California close to her large family (she is one of eight siblings) and friends.
You can visit her online at
Alongside her focused training and career in dance, writing has always been one of Courtney’s passions. She knew she would write a book—although she never imagined her memoir would take such a twisted turn.
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August 10, 2020
Review: THE WITCHES OF VEGAS by Mark Rosendorf
Image Graphic designed by Sandra Lopez
Where can Witches and their vampire mentor practice their powers without being discovered or persecuted?By using their magic, the Witches of Vegas become the number one act performing on the Las Vegas Strip—a great achievement for them, but not so much for the magicians—who can't possibly keep pace.
Isis Rivera is the adopted fifteen-year old daughter of The Witches of Vegas. Zack Galloway is the teenage nephew and assistant to the last magician left in the city. Although they should be rivals, when Valeria, a four-hundred-year-old witch with a long-seeded grudge against humanity arrives in Sin-City, both teens act to bring their families together to stop the evil hag in her tracks.
But can the combined witches' powers and the ingenuity of the magicians be enough to stop Valeria from taking over the city and possibly the world?
My review: Isis Rivera was a foster child chased away for being “the devil.” Sebastian finds her, saving her, and takes her to “the others.” She joins The Witches of Vegas, a group that puts on a great show with real magic, making them the #1 show in Vegas.
Zack is a 15-year old from a rival magic act. His uncle was once the greatest magician back in the day and now he was struggling to keep his act together. With The Witches of Vegas selling out nightly, it was leaving him broke. A snide reporter rolls into town looking to expose The Witches of Vegas, and Zack is to be a pawn in the grand scheme of things. He starts by befriending Isis in order to find out their secrets. Turns out that Zack really liked Isis and didn’t want to hurt her.
Meanwhile, a dangerous and rogue vampire was roaming the streets and must be stopped. The interesting part was the witches’ show was not just for entertainment; it was a training ground to practice their craft for when the threat comes.
The witches’ final show would be the greatest yet.
I liked the premise and how magic was weaved throughout the whole story.
A good read!
My rating: 4 stars
