Pixieland Diaries

Pixieland Diaries #1

by Christina Bauer

"Never had this much fun while reading a book" - Diary of a Wannabe Writer
"Loved meeting this sassy, sweet-and-sour pixie and her nemesis/crush/dream" - Book Junkie Reads
"Sassy, cute and smart" - Michelle Meng’s Reviews

***WARNING***

If you don't like pixies, don't read this diary.

If you don't like loud-mouthed pixies who are really cool but sometimes get told they're immature (for no reason), then definitely stop reading.

Oh, and if you're His Awfulness The Elf Prince ‘Dare’ Darius, then you can kiss my butt. My hatred for you burns with the fire of a thousand suns. Thanks for getting me kicked out of Pixieland and exiled to attend some rando human high school on Earth. You’re the worst, even if you have a cute smile. And nice eyes. Your hair looks okay sometimes, too. But you’re still a creep and I loathe you.

And to everyone else: if you’ve read this far, then you better finish my entire diary.

My story is supernatural, whacked-out, and overall awesome.

“Christina has done it again!! I am MADLY in love with Calla and the Pixieland Diaries!” - Acme Teen Books

PIXIELAND DIARIES
1. Pixieland Diaries
2. Calla
3. Dare

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Fae

360 pages, ebook

First published March 31, 2020

About the author

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes young adult romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too. Christina lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby. She loves to connect with her fans at ChristinaBauerAuthor.com.

ANGELBOUND ORIGINS
About a quasi (part demon and part human) girl who loves kicking butt in Purgatory's Arena
1. Angel bound
2. Scala
3. Acca
4. Thrax
5. The Dark Lands
6. The Brutal Time
7. Armageddon
8. Quasi Redux
9. Clockwork Igni
10. Lady Reaper
11. Reaper Games
12. Angry Gods

ANGELBOUND OFFSPRING
The next generation takes on Heaven, Hell, and everything in between
1. Maxon
2. Portia
3. Zinnia
4. Rhodes
5. Kaps
6. Mack
7. Huntress
8. Gage
*This is a finished series

ANGELBOUND LINCOLN
Events of Angelbound from Lincoln's POV
1. Duty Bound
2. Lincoln
3. Trickster
4. Baculum
5. Angelfire

ANGELBOUND XAVIER TRILOGY
The story of the Archangel Xavier
1. Archenemy
2. Archnemesis
3. Archangel

FAIRY TALES OF THE MAGICORUM
Modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance
1. Wolves And Roses

2. Moonlight And Midtown

3. Slippers And Thieves

4. Shifters And Glyphs

5. Bandits And Ball Gowns

6. Fire And Cinder

7. Fairies And Frosting

8. Towers And Tithes
9. Mirrors And Mysteries
10. Rapunzels And Powers

DIMENSION DRIFT
Dystopian adventures with science, snark, and hot aliens
1. Scythe
2. Umbra
3. Alien Minds
4. ECHO Academy
*This is a completed series

PIXIELAND DIARIES
The story of sassy pixie, Calla, and her elf crush, Dare
1. Pixieland Diaries
2. Calla
3. Dare
*This is a completed series

BEHOLDER
Where a medieval farm girl discovers necromancy and true love
1. Cursed
2. Concealed
3. Cherished
4. Crowned
5. Cradled
*This is a completed series

VAMPIRES OF THE DAEMONVERSE
Adult fantasy written under my pen name, CEE BEE
1. Violins and Vampires
2. Veils and Vampires
3. Vixens and Vampires
4. Valor and Vampires

Reviews

[CCAM&GZM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Act mysterious – always
Be frivolous – never

Funny thing is that I wanted to start the review with a warning of my own but checking the blurb I had to give up... but... to follow Calla's example... I'll add a second warning anyway: If you don't want to like pixies, don't read this diary!

Now, both warnings were given and I can tell you that the "diary format" was used before here and there, but in this case, C.Bauer nailed it!

I, Calla, do hereby seriously promise to fully describe each eentsy beentsy thing that happens to me. No excuses. No exceptions.
I shall record every detail, unless I pretty much told it already.
And/or it’s boring.

I think is already obvious that as we'll navigate through the troubled court schemes (peppered with likes and dislikes) trying to solve mysteries and find secretly prisoned kings, solve natural dangers and deal with heart problems, we will smile, a lot. From knowing, clement smiles to full roars of laughs, we will try them all. It's not possible in another way with Calla.

But pay attention, many things happen in a vivid pace and we must keep it up! All information received is important and put to use later on. What seems strange or somehow incorrect will be solved when need it.

Enjoy "tracking" the metamorphosis of our sweet, witty, prankish heroine from the old in the new Calla or better said in...

“So I’m the New-Old Me.”

http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.com/202...

[ReadingInPyjamas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pixieland Diaries is the first book I've read by Christina Bauer and it was a very enjoyable and easy to follow story. The blurb intrigued me a lot because I love fae tales and I'm happy I got the chance to read it.

The writing style is unique and as the title suggests this book is exactly that, a diary. The story is told from Calla's point of view. She narrates her adventures and let me tell you.. she's one badass pixie, she always gets into trouble and now she finds herself exiled because of her behavior and things get even more interesting from there.

I'm used to reading a bit more adult versions of the land of the Fae but this book was funny, engaging and the characters were very well rounded so I liked it a lot. It captured my attention enough that I am interested to read more in the series.


*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved Calla

I said it once, now I am willing to say it again. Meeting Calla was just what I needed and on a bigger scale than the first time I meet her in her sampler. Call was even more laugh out loud fun. She was still the sassy, sweet -and-sour pixie that I meet in back in January. I found that with this one I got a much larger dose. I loved her. She was fun. She was mouthy. She was sassy. Meeting Dare was just as pleasant and I had imagined it to be. I could fully get Calla's side of things. PIXIE power. Calla love her. Diaries forever. Vivid world.

[Red Ink Book Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pixieland Diaries (Book 1, The Pixieland Diaries) - Christina Bauer

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

Christina Bauer is an American author who writes many fantasy stories. Besides the “Angelbound Offspring” series she has also written the “Pixieland Diaries” and the “Beholder” series plus many more.



Calla is an almost 16-year-old faeling living in Pixieland with the two pixies entrusted with her care, since her human parents abandoned her. Her friend is Dare, well actually Prince Darius of the Winter Realm. He is cute and is soon to announce his future wife, but unfortunately for Calla all he sees is her as a friend, nothing more.

Yet there are bigger problems on the horizon for young Calla. Lazare, the Protector of the Summer Realm, is once again plotting to kill Calla, but this time he is really stepping it up.

And to add to her growing list of problems, the blight of the ley lines is spreading faster and the only one who could do anything to help, is in a magical slumber, and if that wasn’t enough, their body has been hidden away.

So now Calla must find the one person who can help rid the lands of the blight, stop Lazare from killing her and get Dare to see her as more than just a friend or a little sister. Calla will face many trials and perils, but she will also unexpectedly uncover the identities of her parents – the truth absolutely rocks Calla.



“Pixieland Diaries” is a YA fantasy story about a young girl finding herself and discovering what she is really capable of. The story was short and written in the style of a diary - as the name does kind of suggest – so every chapter is a new diary entry. While I know it is a YA novel and the main character of the story is almost 16 – the dialogue style and interactions had a very juvenile quality to them, and I really didn’t enjoy it. This is definitely the sort of story that would be better suited for a much younger audience. That isn't to say someone else wouldn’t enjoy it, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

[Nextbookaroundthecorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christina is an author of many stories. From multiple dimensions in the Drift Series, to shifters and wizards in the Fairytales from the Magicorum. And now pixies, yay! Where the Drift Series are somewhat hard to follow (maybe my mind isn't prepared for the dystopian stories), Pixieland Diaries is very easy to follow. It is the diary of bad ass pixie Calla, who is up to no good. (She would probably be best friends with Harry Potter). She is a powerful pixie who likes to pull pranks.
However, her latest antics have gotten her exiled. Not thanks to her former best friend and hotter than hell, broody prince Dare. He can kiss her cute pink but and Calla will not be brought down by such a small matter as exile, dead threats and the world ending because of a mysterious disease. Neh, Calla will fix it all, because she is pretty awesome.
Does Call succeed? Read her diary and find out for yourself! Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

[Alexandra Harber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book with high expectations and somehow this managed to smash them all and then some!

Calla is one of my favourite characters to read about, she is funny, unique and definitely relatable!

This is such a fun and easy read, it’s definitely a series I’ll come back to re-read when I need a pick-me-up! And this says a lot because I don’t usually do re-reads!

Christina Bauer is an author I’m going to be watching from now on! Now an auto-buy author for me.

If you enjoy young adult, fantasy and pixies this is the book/series/author for you.

[Andrea Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calla is everything. Everything I love about the idea of a pixie and then some. Reading her diary was a laugh riot and a totally amazing adventure. If you need a pick-me-up story right now, this is it!

[Kate Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

I volunteered to read this book in exchange for a honest review. This is the first book about pixies that i have read. It is well written and the characters well described. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I absolutely enjoyed the main character Calla. This book gripped my attention from the first page. It is a really good book. I can not wait to read more by this author. This story will get your attention quickly.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sassy, cute and smart. The fantasy lovers will enjoy this one as they follow adventures and the action. Highly recommended!

[Karen (BaronessBookTrove) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the YA Bound Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Pixieland Diaries by Christina Bauer is a whimsical tale of what life for a faeling is. I had some high exceptions for this book, and it met all of them.
Will Calla be able to save Pixieland?
Calla
Calla is our main character that is born to human parents who live near ley lines, so she happens to be a fairy. She is a whimsical character that I loved reading from her point-of-view. There comes the whole thing of her being nice than trying to be mean as her Pixie parents want from her. It's hard to not want to prank. 

What I like about Calla is that her voice is so unique and so bright that the reader gets a clear vision of her. Another thing that I like about her is that she is funny and that it helps with individual parts.
The Story
We follow Calla on the many adventures that she has somehow gotten roped into doing. We also learn a lot about her heritage with her. Another thing that I like about this book is that we learn things with Calla, who just turns sixteen. Calla is a great character, and I can't wait to read more in this series.
Five Stars
Pixieland Diaries by Christina Bauer is a fantastic book that I had a lovely time reading. I loved everything that was happening in the book, and it was done in a way that it didn't make me cringe. Ms. Bauer is definitely an author that I will be watching for from now on. 

I am giving this book five stars and recommending it to anyone that likes to read fantasy young adult books about fairies.


Pixieland Diaries Sampler
Dear Dairy,

When we last left my life, I'd just accepted a magical visit from my future husband the elf prince Dare. After that, a small sphere of blue light appears nearby. The shape expands until it turns into what I call Ghost-Dare. Technically, this is his astral body projecting into my bedroom for a visit.

Ghost-Dare is just catchier, in my opinion.

For a moment, I drink in the sight of him. Even though he's semi-transparent, Ghost-Dare is still rather attractive. Like all winter elves, the prince is crazy tall and ripped with muscle. As always, Dare's longish dark hair perfectly highlights the straight cut of his jawline. Today he wears his standard black armor and a fur-trimmed cloak. It's really a shame that the winter realm is so cold. I never get to see the guy in shorts.

Dare's teeth turn super pointy while his nails stretch into extra-long claws. That's a winter elf thing; it means he's upset. "I just left a meeting with the summer court," Dare says in his rumbly voice. "I have terrible news."

"Let me guess. Lazare is sending an assassin after me."

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I'm incredibly wise about a lot of things. It goes along with being grown-up and mysterious." There, that told him. "Anything else?"

"I'll be at Lazare's court for some days." He raises his hand, showing off the scar on his palm. "I may not be able to accept your requests to talk. At least, not right away."

That's unusual. Dare is always ready for my summons. "Oh? Anything I should know about?"

"Perhaps." Dare rakes his fingers through his messy hair. That's a sure sign he's hiding something. "I don't want to say until I'm certain."

"Let me guess. Does it have to do with naming your bride?"

"Calla." Even as a ghost, I can see him blush.

The pieces fall together. For Dare to ensure I'm his future wife, he must meet with Lazare. After all, summer fae are more powerful than winter. Most likely, Lazare thought Dare would wed one of his yucky daughters. What a horror show those three are. Dare will offer some concessions so Lazare will accept a different choice of wife. Magic wands, most likely. Those store power and are crazy expensive. I nod once to myself, confident I have it all worked out. And once everything is set with Lazare, Dare will spring his surprise proposal on me. What a sweetie.

"I completely understand." It's an effort not to blab my discovery, but I don't want to ruin Dare's plan. "I'll be fine while you're gone."

All signs of blush leave his face. Ghost-Dare fixes me with a serious look. "Listen to me carefully."

I shift in my bed and lean forward, as if I want to listen better. Which is sort of true. However, the movement also gives me the change to rearrange my blankets in a way that best shows off my pretty PJs.

"Go on," I say solemnly.

"Lazare won't stop sending assassins. Be on your guard. Summon me if you need me." Ghost-Dare raises his hand once more. The scar on his palm glows blue with power. "I will always find you."

Sweet, but not a proposal. I slap on a fake smile. "How nice."

"There's more, Calla." Ghost-Dare float-walks even nearer and—at last—I know this is it. His heartfelt confession.

All of a sudden, it's hard to pull enough air into my lungs. "Yes?"

"I've always noticed you," says Ghost-Dare.

"Of course." I look up at him through my lashes. According to my kissy novels, this particular glance works well for romance. "You see me as—"

"The little sister I never knew I wanted," finishes Ghost-Dare.

"What?" I can't believe this.

"You're the only trustworthy person in my life. As an elf prince, you've no idea what that means. No matter what happens, I'll always protect you."

"Oh." The words echo through my mind.

Protect.

Not love.

Not marry.

Protect.

With that, it's official. My life sucks. Pulling the covers over my head, I scrunch lower on the mattress. "Got it," I say through the comforter. "I'll stay safe."

"Am I being dismissed?"

"I ate galla root for dinner and you know how filling that is. Bye, Dare."

"Rest well, little hob."

Ugh. Little hob is a nickname from when we were kids. Like I need reminding that Dare's frosty pea brain has me stuck at six years old. To show my displeasure, I pull down the covers and stick out my tongue once more. That will show him, part deux.

Ghost-Dare grins, and it's a great look on him. Who am I kidding? Every expression works on this guy. A moment later, Dare's cloudy self dissolves from the room. Which is fine. Now I can get some rest. Only trouble is, the more I think about it, the more I keep wondering about Dare's visit to the summer elves.

Fat chance of falling asleep now.

-Calla


The Next Book CALLA Comes Out July 28, 2020

Then there is Dare (#3) and Ivy (#4).

Giveaway
Prize: Monster House Books and Swag

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Organized By:

Thank you for stopping by to check out Pixieland Diaries by Christina Bauer.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Seanean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Calla is a faeling. This means that she has human parents who abandoned her because she was born with magic. She was born with magic because her parents lived just a little too close to the realm of Pixieland.

So, being "just" a faeling means that Calla has been fostered by the fae, raised by the fae, taught by the fae, but she doesn't have the evil intentions her parents hold dear and all she really wants to do is play pranks on others.

Well... that and stare at Darius "Dare" the Winter Court's heir apparent.

Unfortunately, being 16 and looking 9 mean that he doesn't ever stare back at Calla.

And it also means that people don't believe that she's anything more than a pest.

She'll show them...

Final thoughts: Nope. Not for me. Calla is an unlikable character who behaves like she's on a triple espresso dosed with speed and a ton of sugar. It seems like the writer may have been too since there are sooo many errors in this thing. Even for an ARC, this is riddled with things like the names changing between sentences, spelling mix-ups (i.e. not to drag instead of not to brag) and, in the middle of a sentence there was an apostrophe-s just sitting there. No reason at all. Just 's. WHY???? The plot is random with things popping out of nowhere. The characters are bare. Why is she writing in her diary the entire time? Stuck in a void and unable to do anything at all? Write in her diary. HOW? About to go into battle! Stop everything so she can write in her diary!!!
And, the thing I hate most SPOILER ALERT!!!! When she finds out she's not a tiny pixie, but a full elf with the bod to match (the glamour she didn't even know she had being stripped away), suddenly Dare is more than a little interested. Tiny, flat pixie... ignore. Boobs and curves? Go for it!!! Same person but changed appearance and suddenly he takes an interest. Ummm. No.

Rating: 2/5 (and that's pushing it)

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am received an ARC of this book in order to read an ARC of CALLA (Book2) and in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

*contains spoilers*
I feel like I need to preface this with - my reading experiences in the last 6mths have been limited, Covid-19 has made reading more of a challenge and I wish it wasn't but I cannot ignore this in my review because I feel like if I was reading this at a different time I would have had a different experience. Reading has been on the back burner essentially, and so it has taken me longer to read books that would normally be devoured in a few days.

I love Christina Bauer's other series - Angelbound and the subsequent books that extend from that universe - so when this Arc was offered I jumped at the opportunity without looking to see if this book would be a good fit for me. This was a little bit of a risk to start with combined with my reading slump it meant It has taken me several weeks to read.

Calla is a new breed of Main Character that I am not that familiar with, she doesnt fit the mold of abandoned heroine, traumatic childhood. I'm so thankful for that, we get a light hearted character who loves to play pranks and look out for her friends and actually finds it tricky to be nasty. She shows compassion and attributes this to her human-ness. But overall she has had a loving childhood for a faeling.

The story is written in a diary format, so her voice comes across strongly - If you don't like Calla, you wont like the book. Her cheeky-ness is fun and the story was easy to follow but I just wanted more, if often felt like a running summary because the format lent itself for Calla to brush over things that happened. Her tone meant that the stakes were often not there too - and the nature of a diary meant she was writing about the past and she was safe in the future so I was never concerned for Calla.

Her love interest is outlined in the book and there are fears for some sort of love triangle at the start but this doesn't happen and I actually want to read the next book to see where the potential romance goes as the surface was only touched. I'm more concerned its something sinister - but I guess I have to read the next book to see.

Overall the book was enjoyable to read but it won't become one of my favourite Christina Bauer books.
Saying that I am looking forward to starting book2 - Calla.

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf

Pixieland Diaries begins a charming, sassy series told in a “diary-style” of writing. While I’m not a huge reader of Fantasy or YA, there was something about the combination of that cover and the description that kept drawing me back time and time again. Perhaps a bit of pixie magic at work, who knows, but I had fun with Calla’s story and that really is the point of any story I read.

Calla is a faeling, a pixie born to human parents who ends up in the pixie realm with a very interesting young life. She’s got a heart of gold hidden behind sarcasm, pranks, and definitely sass, lots and lots of sass. She’s not really good at evilness, but she is a prank queen in the making. So much so that her antics get her kicked out of her home and on a quest to find her real parents, get revenge on Dare, and perhaps do some growing up and into her powers along the way.

But… I think Calla should tell you the rest in her own words.

As I said, I had fun with Calla’s story. There are definitely laugh out loud moments and lots of knowing smiles as well. I liked this little pixie and would follow this series as it is released. If you’re not a fan of or haven’t read anything in the diary-style then it might take a bit of getting used to at first, but hang in there for this is a lively, entertaining tale you won’t want to miss.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Monster House Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

[Aishwarya Arun Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pixieland Diaries by #christinabauer is a hilarious read that you'll all love the minute you start reading it. From delightful characters to a unique writing style, this book was written in the form of a series of diary entries by Calla, the pixie.
Calla is a prankster who hardly takes anything in her life seriously. She's always running pranks at the royals of the court like shaving their heads off. Pixies are supposed to be mean and evil but Calla always plays a prank to make the elves realize how badly they treat humans.

The diary entries are laugh out loud crazy to read and will make you want more of Calla's amazing life. The book is full of sketches that Calla draws while being imprisoned multiple times.

Calla is on a path to awaken King Tristan and discover the secrets of her parentage. She's accompanied by the handsome Prince Darius and Calla can't help but swoon at him.

This is a unique story with fascinating characters. Most importantly it'll make you laugh and that's kinda important now in these dark times.

Things I enjoyed about this book:
1. Characters like Calla and Bilge - I completely adored how Bilge called everyone it unless they were in mortal danger and then Bilge went to addressing Calla as 'my Calla'. Extremely cute.
2. The Fun Quotient - This book is a series of fun adventures and Calla's narration makes it even funnier.
3. Castle of Badassdom - At one point Calla builds a castle named Castle of Badassdom which is such a unique name. I absolutely loved it.

You must definitely read this sassy book!

[Have Coffee Need Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pixieland Diaries is so adorably cute. In my reading notes, I wrote: imagine if in the old movie Clueless Cher were a Pixie.

That is Calla. She is kind-hearted, if not a bit selfish. But she is just a fifteen--almost sixteen-year-old, five-foot-tall, pink hair, violet-eyed prankster, who isn't good at being as evil as she is supposed to be. Her heart is a little too troubled by unfairness and iniquity of the old council buggers, determining so much of her life for her when she is so young and wise.

Written in the unique format of diary format entries for chapters, it changes the reader/narrator relationship, and a more intimate exchange occurs as the reader becomes a party to the secrets Calla is penning into her diaries.



Much like any Coming-of-Age story, we have the epic triangle of heart stuff, and Griff, Dare, and Calla are magical. This is first love, so it's finicky and impossible to pick a book boyfriend between the two, but I'm okay picking a team, and I'm on Team Dare. ...or no, Team Griff.
Oh no! I guess I'm torn about this too.

Pixieland Diaries is a great YA read safe for middle graders on up. Calla is working on a lot of the same issues of self-improvement we all work on every day but especially face in those horrible teen years. Oh, boy, were those years awful; Calla is handling her teens much better than I did.

I highly recommend this book!

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pixieland Diaries tells the story of a pixie, Calla as she writes the day to day things that are happening in her life as told in her own words in her dairy. Calla is a smart, funny, witty, sweet and sassy pixie.

She likes to pull pranks all the time. Her mouth is always getting her in trouble. She can be mean at times. But she is can also be so sweet. Calla doesn’t like hurting pixies or humans but she will if the situation calls for it.

Calla likes to play jokes on people so much that she is on the verge of getting herself kicked out of Pixieland. She does try so hard for her parents to do the right thing but can she?

Calla knows that she is adopted and wants to go look for her parents. Calla needs to know who she is. She has some leads that she follows up on with the help of a new friend.

Oh and she is a very jealous pixie and doesn’t like anyone trying to take her man. Calla has the hots for The Elf Prince Darius or Dare as she calls him. But she can get very mad at him too and trust me you wouldn’t want to see Calla mad just ask Dare.

I fell in love with Pixieland Dairies and Calla from the first page and once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. I loved the fae world and the magic and the ley lines, oh so amazingly awesome.

I love Calla’s wittiness and her sassiness. I loved reading your diary Calla and am anticipating reading more of your diary, hope to hear from you soon Calla. I think you and I are going to be great friends, pixie girl. After reading your diary Calla you are like a song stuck in my head and heart instead of a song it is a pixie.

I highly, highly recommend Pixieland Diaries to all pixie, fae, and fantasy fans and to anyone looking for a great funny read. One click your copy of Pixieland Diaries today to begin this amazing journey in the fae world!

[Inga Lady Of Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all I must admit that I was disappointed because synopsis of this book was very misleading. I wanted to read this book because it promised hate-to-love trope between pixie and a elf prince, who got her exiled of Pixieland and banished to Erth to attend high school. But that was NOT what happened at all. Because this was a friends-to-lovers kind of story, where the pixie Calla got herself kicked out of Pixieland, and she was kind of not only crushing but even obsessed with her friend - elf prince Darius. Also she was not exiled to Earth, and her punishment was not to attend human high school. She went a couple of times to human high school as part of her quest and nothing else.

Main point is that this was entirely different story than the synopsis promised, and this felt very much like middle grade story not a young adult one, except the unnecessary romance made it have some YA vibe.

The main character Calla was a cute little mischievous pixie, but at the same time she did get a bit annoying and frustrating, so I just couldn't connect with her. She acted very much like a 10 year old and not a teen. I had those eye-roll moments countless times, also there were a few scenes where I just had to suppress my disbelieve.

The characters, some actions and part of the book felt juvenile and with very strong middle grade vibe. This book would have worked much better as a middle grade fantasy with some adventure, danger and the quest. Therefore, the romance was unnecessary and not well done as there were no sparks and chemistry between Calla and Darius. Calla just had this sometimes obsessive and delusional crush on him at the beginning, which was a bit annoying sometimes because he saw her as a kid sister. But later on when the dynamics between them changed it kind of felt a little bit off.

At times the pace of the story was a little bit slow and I got bored. However, the writing itself wasn't bad. Also there were some fun, some sweet and some surprising moments. It just took more than 200 pages for me to finally get into the story, to star caring and felling anything. It became better at the end with some secrets unveiled and couple of intriguing twists. Overall it was a fun story just not what I expected and wanted to read.

So if you are looking for a fun and sassy YA supernatural story about pixies with some hate-to-love romance trope, then this is not it. But if you don't mind a fun and cute middle grade adventure story with a quest and a bit of friends-to-lovers romance then you can give this book a try.

[Eclectic · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these crazy times, I was glad I chose to read this cute and zany read about a pixie prankster named Calla.

Calla is trouble with a capital T, but she has a soft heart and needs to fake some evil so the Elven High Council doesn't give her another big lecture on another one of her silly pranks such as transforming the council's shampoo into hair remover. Not listening to good advice, she ends up destroying the castle owned by her arch-nemesis, Lazare and she is exiled from Pixieland and thrown into a blue prison without her powers. But in true Calla fashion, she finds a way to break free and goes on an adventure to find a king while causing havoc everywhere she goes. 

This fast-paced fantasy is told with Calla's diary and is hilarious and refreshing. Ms. Bauer's clever and witty characters are well-developed and oh, so imaginative. The drawings in the book are a great addition that brought many of the characters to life.  I don't read YA fantasy nearly enough, and I realized what I had been missing.  A fantastic tale full of hobgoblins, faelings, elves, and a little pixie who could.

Thank you to Ms. Bauer for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

[Mrs. Kenyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calla is a faeling. She was born to human parents who spent a great deal of time near ley lines and the result was a fairy child. She has been raised by Poppa and Muti and they hope she will one day become a regular fae. There aren’t many faelings. The only other faeling lived for 1,000’s of years and recently died. Faelings are known for their soft hearts, so Calla has to fake her evil and she does this with constant pranks. After a prank gone wrong gets her banished into the ley lines, Calla quickly learns that she must figure out another way to live in Faerie. What will Calla learn about herself during this quest?

Pixieland Diaries is the first book in the Pixieland Diaries series. Bauer has created a story that is more in the relaxed and fun beach read genre than a high fantasy, yet I found myself enjoying the antics of Calla as she went on her quest of self-discovery. Calla may be a troublesome young faeling at the start of this diary, but readers will see her mature as she faces many hard facts about herself and those she loves. I enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the second book (Calla) to be released in July 2020.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these times of seriousness and chaos in the outside world, this book was exactly what I needed. It was a super quick and easy read, filled with silliness and triumph over evil!

Calla is a pixie who just can't help herself when there is the opportunity to play a prank, no matter what the cost. One such prank puts her over her limit and ends with her being trapped in pixie weirdo blue prison. That doesn't keep a good pixie down, especially one with ley line powers. There are quests, love triangles, and general badness for Calla to persevere through - and oh does she ever!

This book was a wonderful refreshing breath of fresh air! The humor was young, but not annoying, and I was seriously rooting for Calla the whole way through. I can't say a single bad thing about this book, and that's a feat in and of itself. I can't wait to see what Calla does and where she heads next in the adventure that is her life.

[Elayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute (not) Pixie growing up with 2 extremely elderly parents inside an acorn - but she has change her size dramatically to fit in. Yes, this Pixie can be multiple sizes. And she is caught up in the usual wars between Fairy Courts, PixieLand and and others of the Fae persuasion.
She is now coming into her majority - which is quite young, but she has been training for more time than others realise and has some very interesting abilities - including being able to manipulate Ley lines. And she proves to have a lot of power and oomph when needed. Not as sweet as her enemies believed.
It seems, according to the Lore, that if you live near Ley Lines - as her village does - humans can have Changeling children, and that is what she believes she is.
This is a rather cute YA story. Well told with lots of magic and suitable storytelling for this age group.

[books are love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received in exchange for a honest review.

This was a hoot. The book is written like a diary where Calla is telling us her days and what she believes is lessons to learn for herself and sometimes us. We go through how she ends up where she is and learning why Pixieland is where it is now. She has mysteries of her parentage solved but also more come about. We have her romance and her practical jokes. She is sly and cunning but also sweet and funny.

Calla puts everyone through alot and herself through the ringer as she tries to save Pixieland and find out the truth as to what is going on. The story is fun and entertaining and Calla has you in stitches with her thoughts and ways. I love watching her go on her adventure to find out the truth while she is outside of Pixieland and how from the outside she is able to save her home and reveal what is really going on.

A fun tale.

[Miju Rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I sincerely thank Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book even though I didn't end up loving it. You wanted an honest review, so here it is:

I have been liking this book from the start. I was interested in a story about a pixie and an elf-prince being in love. But that is not what we get. We get her trying to be a mean pixie and causing a lot of trouble. I don't really see the reason behind the trouble she causes. She keeps saying in her diary that she has human parents but I don't understand how a pixie can have human parents. This book wasn't really what I wanted to read about. I thought this book would have a survival adventure and it would be great. It was kind of boring most of the time. I was trying to remember what the pixie's name was and I couldn't really remember her name. I had to look it up on my phone and I was like "oh". I think that shows how much I don't really remember what I read about and how bored I was and disinterested in the story. Although I was having fun reading at first, it started to become boring...

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was provided to me via Netgalley and Xpresso Reads Tours in return for an honest review.

Calla is a prankster with a good heart, even when her adoptive parents wish she could be crueler. But at times she can be so naive and childlike, nothing like you would expect a 16-year-old to act. It's easy to see her as a twelve-year-old. Dare is a bit more fun to read about, his character stands out more at times.

That being said, like all of the other books I've read by Christina, this was just as enjoyable. While the writing could use some work, the story is fun. The diary entry style is also something unique that you don't see a lot in books for younger readers.

[Jess (oracle_of_madness) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calla is a sassy Pixie whose pranks have gotten her in trouble. The cover art really expresses Calla’s personality perfectly and is one of the reasons I requested this book from Netgalley.
This was such a fun read! I had a blast following Calla on her amazing adventures. The world is currently going through a difficult time and this was a breath of fresh air for me. I needed some Calla in my life!
I cannot recommend this book more! Coming out very soon and I suggest everyone makes room for Pixieland Diaries on their TBR list!
Thanks for reading my review and happy reading!!!

[Myreadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Monster House Books and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

You have to like loud talking, really cool and immature elves to read this book.

It features Calla who was expelled from Pixieland to go to a human high school on earth.

I immediately hooked on the story, which is so gripping, addictive, captivating, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters. Can't wait to read the whole series.

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finally starting a series at the beginning instead of the middle with Ms. Bauer, I'm thinking this series is not written for people like me. The writing style of breaking through the 4th wall (see this blog post) even if it is through a Diary entry doesn't work for me. I don't like it. I suffered through each diary entry to get to the action.

To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website.

[Monster House Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calla is an independent gal with her own ideas about how to fix the world with pranks and magic. She's got snark, sass, and the ability to conjure creatures like my little Bunny-saurus. Oh, there's also an elf prince in there because ROMANCE. LOL fun and a well-rounded heroine to boot... don't miss the PIXIELAND DIARIES!

[Anna Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since this is fantasy instead of Sci Fi it took me longer to get into it than it usually takes me to get into Ms. Bauer's books. However, I ended up enjoying it significantly and look forward to others in the series. I liked the characters and the story line.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Am I the target audience for Pixieland? Doubtful. But I liked it anyway. Was it as good as Angelbound? Not in my opinion. YMMV.

Last thing. Now I really really want a bunny-saurus...

*ARC via netgalley in exchange for my agreement to post an honest, unbiased review*