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The Slug Queen Chronicles: Season One

S.O. Thomas (Goodreads Author)

4.50 · Rating details · 113 ratings · 55 reviews

She never believed in fairies... until one set its sights on her little brother. Now, she must risk everything to get him back.

On her twelfth birthday, Cricket Kane uncovers a chilling secret--tooth fairies have stopped collecting single teeth and have resorted to kidnapping children instead. When her brother is taken, the fairy leaves a changeling and a toxic black dust i ...more

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Published March 28th 2020

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· 113 ratings · 55 reviews

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Start your review of The Slug Queen Chronicles: Season One

Jul 26, 2020 Evelina | AvalinahsBooks rated it really liked it

Shelves: arcs-or-review-copies, neurodiverse, adventure, fantasy, magic, books-of-2020, netgalley, fiction, childrens, middle-grade

How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
4.5 stars

It was amazing! Colorful and full of imagination, with quite a scary premise and a constantly moving story which was never too slow. Beautiful illustrations too!

Cricket is always waiting for her dad to give her something her mom would have liked for her birthday, but this year she receives so much more - her mother's journal. However, she doesn't know that it will bring more trouble than joy. Cricket learns that she is special - ...more

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Jan 11, 2020 Amber rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020grreadingchallenge, netgalley-reviews

I received a complimentary copy of this eBook ARC from the author, publisher, and netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cricket has always been weird and could see smoke of all colors as well as wanted to catch the tooth fairy. When the tooth fairy a.k.a. "Gibber Snatch" kidnaps her baby brother Tristan instead of her baby teeth, Cricket goes to the land of fairies called Faeryland to go save her brother. Will she save him and her world in time or will they be all doomed? Read on and find o ...more

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Mar 24, 2020 Ejayen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, middle-grade-march-2020, fantasy

I received this book for a review.
I was putting off reading The SLug Queen because I knew nothing about it. Then I received a notification that the book was going to be published soon and I needed to review it. So I opened the book and less than a day later I finished it.
Yes, it's middle grade, so it is shorter, but I was being distracted by two books that promise to be five stars, so...
The fantasy elements were hilarious and if thought about too deeply extremely confusing. But I loved it.
The pl ...more

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May 05, 2020 Tea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

It's so late I think I will edit this when I'm not ready to fall asleep at any moment.

I will be honest and say it in the beginning that I did have some issues with this book and had a hard time getting into the story, but after a couple of chapters, the plot really got interesting, I fell in love with it.

The overall rating I'm giving it is 4 stars, though the beginning would probably get like 2 stars - that alone can tell you that the second part of the story had enchanted me.

My main issue was ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: booksirens, 2020-reads, kindle-read-shelf

I received an eARC from BookSirens, that doesn’t affect my opinion of the book, all my thoughts are my own and honest.

Cricket Kane never believed in fairies, until one sets its sights on her little brother.

A tooth fairie aka ‘Gibber Snatch’ has kidnapped her brother, leaving a toxic changeling who has infected everyone she loves. Now she has to go to a faraway magical land to save her brother and her family, but at what cost?

The Slug Queen Chronicles starts out on Cricket Kane’s twelfth birthd I received an eARC from BookSirens, that doesn’t affect my opinion of the book, all my thoughts are my own and honest.

Cricket Kane never believed in fairies, until one sets its sights on her little brother.

A tooth fairie aka ‘Gibber Snatch’ has kidnapped her brother, leaving a toxic changeling who has infected everyone she loves. Now she has to go to a faraway magical land to save her brother and her family, but at what cost?

The Slug Queen Chronicles starts out on Cricket Kane’s twelfth birthday, where she finds out she’s not crazy like she thought. She can see smoke in a different colour for each one of the senses, her Mother could see the smoke too. All her life she has wanted things from her Mother so she can feel close to her as she died when she was a baby. This year she gets her Mother’s journal, not knowing this will be the start of her magical adventure.

This was very whimsical and the pacing was just right the whole way through. This is a dark fantasy middle grade with a few turns I was not expecting. I love the world Fairyland, now known as Areyland, it was so well thought out, had so much depth to it.

I liked S.O. Thomas’s writing. it was very descriptive, easy to read and kept me captivated throughout.

Cricket as a character annoyed me at the start, as she was figuring out what was wrong and I could see the problem from the start, this could be because it is a middle grade and is intended for a younger audience. But Cricket grew on me as the book went on. The characters were fleshed out, but everyone in Areyland had their own motives so who should Cricket trust?

The start was the worst part for me, because of where the story started, there were a lot of questions that were answered as the story progressed and I was able to fall into the story.

Overall it was a great read, with a very solid plot and a very magical world. If you are looking for a dark fantasy middle grade definitely recommend picking this up. This book also got me out of a reading slump.

4 ⭐️

Thank you to BookSirens, S.O. Thomas and the publishers for approving me a copy. ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Anubha (BooksFullOfLife, LifeFullOfBooks) rated it really liked it

"Wait! I took off after him. Santa's a girl? Ofcourse, she is! Fenlick yelled back. But her name is not Santa, it's Kamorra-- Kamorra Claus. Her husband, Alfrigg, has been the acting santa in her absence."

This book transports you to a world with female santas, pux and pixens, cats who can talk, huge wild rabits, slugwums and most importantly fairy dust.

The plot of this book revolves around an 11 year old Cricket who's mother died just after she was born, she is living with her dad, step mom and "Wait! I took off after him. Santa's a girl? Ofcourse, she is! Fenlick yelled back. But her name is not Santa, it's Kamorra-- Kamorra Claus. Her husband, Alfrigg, has been the acting santa in her absence."

This book transports you to a world with female santas, pux and pixens, cats who can talk, huge wild rabits, slugwums and most importantly fairy dust.

The plot of this book revolves around an 11 year old Cricket who's mother died just after she was born, she is living with her dad, step mom and step brother. Her best friend Penny is a big part of her life. On her eleventh birthday her dad gives her a journal left by her mom. Cricket always could see colours that were sensory detectors, with the help of this journal she finds out that she might have inherited that from her mother. In the journal she also finds about tooth fairies and tries to experiment for herself to catch one.

The tooth fairy does show up, but instead of taking Cricket's tooth she takes her step baby brother and leaves a slugwum in his place. Later everyone around her starts behaving oddly and Cricket finds herself really alone. She then is followed by this cat who explains that the tooth fairy has been affected by aerydust instead of fairydust and Cricket has to travel to Aeryland (Polaris) to bring back her real step baby brother and everything would return to normal. And thats how she explores this new magical world, with all kind of magical creatures but she has to becautious of who she trusts as the world has been corrupted with aerydust.

The book is so so cute, its middle grade or children's so its very light fantasy yet it leaves you feel satisfied by the end. Even though its a first in the series but I do like it as a standalone as well. One not only finds themselves engaging with fantasy, but also mystery, drama, betrayals, etc. So it is a very comprehensive book. Anyone can pick this up and read so yeah recommended to all but kids would like it more.
I received an arc (advanced copy) of this book via Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 03, 2020 Jessie Bowman rated it it was amazing

One of the great joys in life is finding a book that absorbs you so completely, you don’t realize it’s ending until it has—and then you want more. The Slug Queen Chronicles: Season One by @ichigoblackbooks is exactly that book.

Every year on her birthday, Cricket receives two gifts from her dad—one from him, and one reminiscent of her mother, who died the day Cricket was born. On her twelfth birthday, she receives her mother’s journal, full of notes on the peculiar: how to catch a tooth fairy, an ...more

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Mar 11, 2020 Alex M rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

This is one I wish I'd had as a child.

Some highlights for me:

• Little illustrations of our heroine punctuated throughout
• Talking cat??!!
• Depictions of a step-family that were uncomfortable at times but totally worth it overall in terms of representation
• Magic ✨✨✨*

* Not just the fantastical elements; big black girl magic energy 🙌🏽

After Cricket discovers that the tooth fairy is real— along with a host of other mythical beings— and her plan to trap him and demand answers goes sideways, she has t ...more

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Jun 06, 2020 Barb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, children-middle-grade

Rating 3.5 Stars

I enjoy middle-grade fantasy and had high hopes for this book, but somehow ended up disappointed. I love the story line of a girls transported to a magical realm to locate her stepbrother who has been abducted by the Tooth Fairy. While there she meets Santa, boogeymen, sprites, and a host of other magical creatures, including a talking cat.

I found it hard to connect with Cricket, the main character. She was not particularly sympathetic even though she was basically losing her fam ...more

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Apr 19, 2020 Alexandra [[The Hungry Book Dragon]] rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm not really a big fan of middle grade, and that might be because I've outgrown that genre of fiction novels. However, I am a big sucker for anything fey, and this book is full of magic and wonder. The Slug Queen Chronicles gave me massive Alice and Wonderland vibes in the way the different characters were introduced, how they interacted in the various scenes and the mirror imagery of different worlds.

S.O. Thomas' imagination is incredible, and the chapter illustrations are beautiful. They're ...more

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Apr 17, 2020 Miranda rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Slug Queen Chronicles: Season One by S.O. Thomas

Summary

Cricket has always been able to see the dust. Different colors of dust mean different things to her, and her family and best friend have accepted and embraced this. When Cricket turns twelve, her father gifts her a journal that belonged to her mother. Cricket learns that her mother was also able to see this dust, that her mother knew a little bit more about where this dust came from. Cricket attempts to catch what her mother calls a gibb ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Pam Chantrell rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

This is a well-written book reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland or Narnia with its fantasy themes. It mostly reminded me of The Labyrinth film with the older sister rescuing her little baby brother from the forces of evil. Definitely recommended for middle graders.

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Oct 09, 2020 Sarah rated it it was amazing

The Slug Queen Chronicles is a wonderful adventure that is enjoyable for kids and adults as well.

The book follows the adventures of Cricket, a kid who has the power to see brightly colored "dust" which other people can't see. On her 12th birthday, she learns that her mother (who died when she was born) shared this talent. She is given her mother's journal and sets out to try and learn more about her strange abilities. But when a creature from the mysterious world of Aeryland abducts her baby bro The Slug Queen Chronicles is a wonderful adventure that is enjoyable for kids and adults as well.

The book follows the adventures of Cricket, a kid who has the power to see brightly colored "dust" which other people can't see. On her 12th birthday, she learns that her mother (who died when she was born) shared this talent. She is given her mother's journal and sets out to try and learn more about her strange abilities. But when a creature from the mysterious world of Aeryland abducts her baby brother and leaves chaos in its wake, only Cricket can save her family by traveling to this strange world and finding her brother. In the process, she meets friends and foes, and has magical adventures.

Aeryland was a fascinating world, and the colorful characters Cricket meets there were vividly portrayed. I was riveted, often reading late into the night about the predicaments and challenges that Cricket faced as she tried to find her brother. In a world full of magic, Cricket needs to learn fast how to deal with all kinds of challenges as well as determine who can and can't be trusted - and as her companion Flitwick the cat tells her, "Nothing is what it seems."

Cricket was very likeable and I rooted for her to find her brother. I felt for her when she faced disappointment and heartbreak and celebrated with her when she faced adversity and survived. The other characters were also really interesting and well drawn.

If I have a criticism, it is that Cricket was slow to pick up on a few things that were clear to me early on in the story. There were red flags about certain things an characters that she missed. But I have to remember that she is a child, not an adult, and doesn't have the same experience in dealing with people that an adult would. A kid may not pick up on signs of trustworthiness (or lack of) an adult would see. So I decided not to let that make me take off a star. There were times I was a little frustrated Cricket didn't pick up on things, and if this hadn't been a kid's book that might have factored into my review. But really, it was a minor point. I still really enjoyed the book.

I highly recommend this book to children and adults who like fantasy novels. It might be a good book for parents to read aloud to their children. However, it has a few scenes that are a little scary for very young children. Also, the plot is fairly complex with multiple characters to keep track of- easy for most middle grade readers to follow, I think, but it would be confusing to very young children.

I was really impressed with this book and enjoyed it a lot. I will be watching for more books from this author. If she decides to write a series featuring this character, I will be first in line to buy it. Overall: Highly recommended.

BTW: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ...more

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Jul 01, 2020 Michelle Hogmire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thank you to BookSirens for a finished copy of S.O. Thomas' middle-grade novel The Slug Queen Chronicles: Season One (pub date April 2, 2020) in exchange for an honest review:

Cricket Kane has an enormous problem: the tooth fairy stole her baby brother Tristan, but no one believes it. Cricket, a young Black girl, has always been an outsider. Her mother died in childbirth, so she lives with her father and her stepmom Janice; she can also see strange different-colored dust that seems to be invisibl Thank you to BookSirens for a finished copy of S.O. Thomas' middle-grade novel The Slug Queen Chronicles: Season One (pub date April 2, 2020) in exchange for an honest review:

Cricket Kane has an enormous problem: the tooth fairy stole her baby brother Tristan, but no one believes it. Cricket, a young Black girl, has always been an outsider. Her mother died in childbirth, so she lives with her father and her stepmom Janice; she can also see strange different-colored dust that seems to be invisible to everyone else. On Cricket's twelfth birthday, her father gives her her mother's diary, which reveals that her mom could also see the dust. The journal goes on to make some shocking claims about familiar fairytale creatures. Tooth fairies? Actually a creepy critter called a "gibber snatch." Genies? Really hobnobs. Oh, and it's not "Santa, but "a santa." And they're normally women. When a gibber snatch steals her baby brother, instead of taking her tooth, and replaces him with a gross changeling called a slugwump, Cricket will have to go on a wild journey to Fairyland (recently transformed into Aeryland) to get him back.

Turns out the dust that Cricket can see is fairydust. But it's been corrupted into a different substance called aerydust and the santa is missing, so Cricket will have to solve this mystery and help Fairyland while she's looking for her brother. An eccentric and eclectic cast of characters joins her along the way, including a snarky talking cat named Fenlick Whiskbur, a temporary male santa named Alfrigg, pux and pixen, a woman who lives in a house atop an enormous walking chicken, and a mysterious boy in a red cloak. Only time will tell which of these creatures can be trusted--and which are lying foes.

The expository backstory and plot elements can be a bit confusing to follow at times, but overall The Slug Queen Chronicles is a really entertaining and enjoyable ride through a weird world of fairytale inversions. Plus, it's genuinely scary for a middle-grade novel! After the gibber snatch takes Tristan, it leaves behind a black dust that makes Cricket's family (and her best friend Penny) not believe her. Her father turns into a listless zombie and her stepmom is frighteningly cruel, which creates some truly terrifying scenes.

I'd also be remiss not to mention the book's illustrator, Corina Alvarez Loeblich, whose wonderful intricately lined drawings (particularly her beautiful images of Black hair) add a lot to the story. This diverse middle-grade book depicts Black girl magic quite literally and importantly, and we can always use more of that. ...more

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Jan 30, 2020 Melanie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, kindle, netgalley, middle-grade

I think it has been so long since I have read a middle grade book that I went into this one expecting a book more for my kids (elementary age). After the initial shock of finding this a little darker and more mature than I expected, I actually really enjoyed it. The Slug Queen is a middle grade book that brings all of our fairy tales into question. This book transports the reader into a fantastic world where nothing is as it seems and anything can be possible with female santas, talking cats and I think it has been so long since I have read a middle grade book that I went into this one expecting a book more for my kids (elementary age). After the initial shock of finding this a little darker and more mature than I expected, I actually really enjoyed it. The Slug Queen is a middle grade book that brings all of our fairy tales into question. This book transports the reader into a fantastic world where nothing is as it seems and anything can be possible with female santas, talking cats and giant wild rabbits.

Cricket is an 11 year girl who has always been a little different, she can see colored dust when no one else does. All her life she thought it was all in her head until she receives her mom’s old journal for a birthday present. The journal opened up Cricket’s eyes to the fact that her mom could also see the colored dust (along with her childhood friend) and performed experiments to find out what the color’s meant. Cricket performs one of the experiments to catch the tooth fairy (a gibber snatch), but instead of taking the tooth the gibber snatch took her baby brother, Tristan. When the Gibber Snatch left behind a fake Tristan there was a release of black fairy dust which caused people to behave strangely and cruelly. After her life gets turned upside down with the black dust, she is visited by an invisible talking cat who explains to her what has happened to Tristan and how she can get him back. The cat leads Cricket on a journey into Aeryland where the dust has already started to effect the inhabitants so nothing is as it seems and she doesn’t know who to trust. The rest of the story is filled with action, new friends, mystery and betrayal; definitely enough to keep you entertained.

As I said earlier, this is definitely for middle grade kids since the story gets a little too dark for little ones when the aerydust is involved, not to mention some of those names for the different creatures are tongue twisters for an inexperienced reader. Even though this was only season 1 of the chronicles, it can be read as a stand-alone since everything gets resolved by the end.
*I received an Advanced Copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
...more

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Mar 23, 2020 Lily | Literary Lily rated it really liked it

Shelves: autism-rep

Check out my blog for more reviews and other bookish content!

I received a free e-ARC of this book from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for my honest review

This book is exactly what I wish I'd had when I was younger! We have an austistic MC (I'm assuming this because that isn't written on the page, but seemed to be the case and the author's twitter states she is autistic) and it's NOT a teenage white boy who is amazing at maths! I absolutely adored Cricket and loved how casually she men Check out my blog for more reviews and other bookish content!

I received a free e-ARC of this book from the publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for my honest review

This book is exactly what I wish I'd had when I was younger! We have an austistic MC (I'm assuming this because that isn't written on the page, but seemed to be the case and the author's twitter states she is autistic) and it's NOT a teenage white boy who is amazing at maths! I absolutely adored Cricket and loved how casually she mentions features of her autism, how they impact her and how she navigates the world. And yet this book isn't /about/ autism, which I also loved. It's a fantastical, faery-filled adventure that happens to have an autistic MC and other disabled side characters. It was also lovely that features of Cricket's autism essentially get worked into the magic of the world and make her unique and special in a way that doesn't dehumanise her. So refreshing, so needed, such a great message.

I also loved the world Thomas has created in this book. Whilst I sometimes found the world-building a little lacking here and there, I was able to keep up 90% of the time and it didn't impede my enjoyment of the book. There were so many different unique and interesting elements that drew me in and kept me reading. This isn't just another carbon copy fantasy world; it's a collection of little pieces from different fairytales and folklore weaved together into a new, vibrant world that you really get invested in.

The reason I haven't given The Slug Queen Chronicles 5 stars is that I do think there needed to be little more worldbuilding at the start. I'm still not really sure how the Santas fit into this world, or what the role of the Helpers is. Like I said, this doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the book, it just made me a bit confused about how this world really functioned, hence the four stars.

I would highly recommend this book, both to adults and children. It's so lovely to see an autistic girl of colour being the main character in a fantasy adventure story and I would love it if more people got to meet Cricket and go on this adventure with her! ...more

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Oct 27, 2020 thebookishlawyer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Hello my book witches and witchlings!! #myquestion What's your favourite illustrated book so far? I know there can't be one! I love reading illustrated books and by far they're my favourite kind of books. This month I read 'The Slug Queen Chronicles', Season 1 by S.O. Thomas. The illustrations by Corina Alvarez Loeblich are phenomenal. It's my first illustrated e-book and I wasn't the least disappointed. It was magical to read this one. It's a MG Fantasy and Season 1 has twenty eight Episodes.

T Hello my book witches and witchlings!! #myquestion What's your favourite illustrated book so far? I know there can't be one! I love reading illustrated books and by far they're my favourite kind of books. This month I read 'The Slug Queen Chronicles', Season 1 by S.O. Thomas. The illustrations by Corina Alvarez Loeblich are phenomenal. It's my first illustrated e-book and I wasn't the least disappointed. It was magical to read this one. It's a MG Fantasy and Season 1 has twenty eight Episodes.

The story of this book is about Cricket, a little girl who lost her mother very early in life, and now lives with her father and step-mom and a little baby brother, she now has. Cricket's father gives her, her deceased mom's journal. Cricket always receives a gift that has a special connection to her mother on her birthday, but this journal is by far the best one she'd ever gotten. From the journal she finds out that her mother was special and she could also see the coloured dusts for different smells, just like she can. The journal also speaks of a magical land filled with many enchanted creatures. Knowing more from her mom's journal, Cricket and her best friend Penny sets a trap for a gibber-snatch, but things doesn't go as planned. The gibber-snatch abducts her little brother and poisons her father, step-mom and Penny. And Cricket can see back dust all over her home, her parents and on Penny. And they all start to behave very rudely with her and disbelieves anything she says.

Determined to make things right, Cricket embarks upon a journey to this magical place. And on the way she meets Fenlick, a graceful cat who can talk. Fenlick starts to guide her and this was one of the best episodes of this season. This one was full of twists and suspence, that kept me reading through the night. I loved this book in totality, with so many different characters that I cherished. And the illustrations made it so easier to imagine this world while I was reading. Do pick this one up of you get a chance.

Thank you Booksirens for this amazing ARC. I enjoyed this so much!

- @thebookishlawyer ...more

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Mar 31, 2020 Michelle Cerone rated it it was amazing

What if the tooth fairy took children instead of teeth? That is exactly what happens in this middle-grade fantasy by S.O. Thomas. And only one girl can stop the horror.

Cricket Kane has always been different, but she never knew why. That is until her twelfth birthday when her father gives her a journal. The journal belonged to her mother who died right after Cricket was born. Cricket soon learns a terrible secret—the tooth fairy has been sending gibber snatches to kidnap children and replacing t ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Morgan rated it it was amazing

There are so many layers to this story. Nothing is said just to be said. It all has meaning and everything is connected. That said, at times it does cause a bit of sensory and informational overload, but even that feels intentional. Cricket seems to have some sort of sensory processing disorder. She can't regulate her senses and she tends to get overwhelmed easily. At the start of the story, before she travels to aeryland, she avoids things that overwhelm her. She sits outside during lunch becau There are so many layers to this story. Nothing is said just to be said. It all has meaning and everything is connected. That said, at times it does cause a bit of sensory and informational overload, but even that feels intentional. Cricket seems to have some sort of sensory processing disorder. She can't regulate her senses and she tends to get overwhelmed easily. At the start of the story, before she travels to aeryland, she avoids things that overwhelm her. She sits outside during lunch because there's too much going on. The normal hubbub of the kids being kids, the smells, things that don't bother most people are too much for her.

But when her family is in danger, she goes on this intense journey, which I suspect would not be as intense if another kid without her sensory issues had accepted this call to action. In Aeryland everything is overwhelming to Cricket and even though her instinct is to keep avoiding, she overides that instinct because her family needs her. Cricket takes in so much information. Because it's in first person, I found I was overwhelmed when she was overwhelmed which was a fair amount. I was confused when she was confused. I felt her fear down to my bones and found that my breathing increased as hers did.

At first I didn't like it. At times it left me feeling almost dizzy. But there was a point when I realized Cricket doesn't like it either, but this is part of who she is. Even with her shade powers, she can't magically make the world less overwhelming. She can't turn it off. I have a newfound appreciation for anyone who goes through life unfiltered like that.

Even though it's a lot for her, Cricket perseveres and manoeuvers her way to a happy ending by being herself. I love that her growth had nothing to do with overcoming who she is at her core. Her sensory issues remain relatively unchanged from start to finish. Her growth had more to do with learning to see life from different perspectives and understanding that we all have reasons for acting the way that we do, as misguided as they might be at times.

Cricket doesn't understand why Nokomis would offer to sacrifice something so important for a girl she's only just met until she's put in the same situation and finally understands that's what you do for the people you care about. It's not just a conscious choice, it's an instinct you can't understand until you experience it for yourself. She also realizes that she hadn't considered what her brother might be going through and she feels awful that she's been so wrapped up in her own view of things. And when Fenlick apologizes at the end, she makes the connection that she was guilty of the same thing and this allows her to forgive him. It's a beautiful story in all of its complexity that I think both kids and adults alike will enjoy. I also think it brings an important issue to the forefront. Can we allow ourselves to see life from someone else's perspective as a way to better understand their actions and experience?

Many thanks for the ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 LitPick Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

The Slug Queen Chronicles is a book about a girl named Cricket. She gets a gift from her father: her deceased mother’s journal. It describes a mysterious land of boogies, night terrors, hobgobs, gibber snatch, and the Santa. Cricket and her friend, Penny, try to set a trap for a gibber snatch. They wake up in the night and hear a thump in Cricket’s brother Tristan’s room. They sneak in, and they see him in his crib. All appears normal, except that there is a gibber snatch over his bed. It disapp ...more

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Jan 28, 2020 Marla rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s, netgalley, arc

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc for review.

This is a tough one for me to review. I think I went into it expecting it to be more elementary aged, and it's definitely a middle grade book. There are some issues that I have with it, most prominently the way that Cricket's stepmom treats her after she is affected by the aerydust; I understand it for the purpose of the story, and they do resolve their relationship at the end, but it was very difficult to read.

Cricket is a yo ...more

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Sep 18, 2020 Billy Buttons rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Slug Queen Chronicles
Author: S O Thomas

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 17
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the readers:
17 would read another book by this author.
16 thought the cover was good or excellent.
17 felt it was easy to follow.
17 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 K.C. Finn rated it it was amazing

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Slug Queen Chronicles is a work of playful fantasy fiction written for middle grade aged children, and it was penned by author S. O. Thomas. Billed as Season One of the chronicles, the opening to the story sees twelve year old Cricket Kane face a dangerous magical adventure as she learns the truth: fairies do exist, and they’re much more terrifying than you’d think. When Cricket’s brother is kidnapped and a toxic dust takes his place and infects her ...more

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May 02, 2020 Mindy rated it liked it

Shelves: other

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookGoSocial through NetGalley. Thanks for providing me the opportunity to review.

Cricket has always been able to see the dust. Different colors of dust mean different things to her, and her family and best friend have accepted and embraced this. When Cricket turns twelve, her father gifts her a journal that belonged to her mother. Cricket learns that her mother was also able to see this dust, that her mother knew a little bit more about where th ...more

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Mar 26, 2020 DarkBetweenPages rated it it was amazing

Genre: Middle-grade | Fantasy| Fairy-tales| Fiction

5 out of 5 Stars!

A ᖴᗩIᖇY-TᗩᒪE ᗯOᑎᗪEᖇᒪᗩᑎᗪ!

The Slug Queen Chronicles is packed full of fairy-tale goodness! From Santa to the Tooth-fairy to The House with Chicken Legs… My son and I adored this read.

Be sure to have your concentration hat on when you read this fabulous series. The Slug Queen Chronicles introduces so many characters through-out and it may get a bit confusing at times but it is so worth it in the end.

S.O. Thomas has created a fascin ...more

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Jun 26, 2020 Sally Griffin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

This is one of those times I really wish I could give half stars.. The Slug Queen Chronicles doesn't quite reach 4 stars but its really not a 3 star either.

The concept is fantastic. A real Alice in Wonderland vibe but more enjoyable if I'm honest. I adore Cricket. She's one of the better main characters I've read in a while. I really appreciate how she was written, I suspect she is intended to be autistic but its not specified. I love this as many children may not be yet be diagnosed, or have a ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 na rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, middle-grade, arc

Thank you to BookSirens and S.O Thomas for providing me an advance review copy!

actual rating: 3.5 stars

So, it was said in the description that this book is perfect for fans of Nevermoor, Coraline and The Land of Stories. And as a fan of all those books, I can confirm it does have a touch of all the three books mentioned; going on magical land, being seen as the cause of catastrophe, somehow-evil stepmother. (I must say, it also has a touch of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Wildwood too, so ...more

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May 26, 2020 Hayley L. Morgan rated it liked it

Shelves: for-reviewing

A fun kids book.
I loved how the main character, Cricket, questioned her sanity after seeing strange trails of coloured dust around her house. After reading her late mother's journal researching into the strange dust, Cricket's world takes a crazy turn.

The poor girl suffers through real cruelty at the hands of her family under the influence of magic, yet still she remains strong. Really impressive for a twielve-year-old! It was slow in the beginning, though i did enjoy some of her uncovering th ...more

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Apr 07, 2020 Rebeka rated it really liked it

Thank you for Booksirens for an eARC!

This book was a surprise for me. Easily readable and for being a Middle-Grade book it’s fantasy elements were close to YA or Adult style. It was hilarious and confusing at the same: all you knew about kids’ fairy tales and legends, in this book they are totally twisted ( Santa is girl, slugworms are real, talking cats and tooth fairies taking revenge).

The whole book follows Cricket , who lives with her dad and step-mom and step-brother. Every year on her birt ...more

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May 27, 2020 Pene Geard rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a middle-grade book about a girl who finds out her mother used to talk to fairies. She sets a trap to catch a tooth fairy that unfortunately leads to her having to travel to Fairyland to try to save her brother.

Things I liked:
* Neurodivergent main character who doesn't like hugs or being touched, and isn't great with understanding emotions
* The main character can also see fairy dust, and I thought that idea had a lot of potential
* Strong themes of friendship
* The interpretation of fairyl ...more

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About S.O. Thomas

S.O. Thomas

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S. O. Thomas is the author of the middle grade novels #GraveyardChallenge, book 5 in the FrightVision series, and The Slug Queen Chronicles. She was part of the 2018 summer #WriteMentor program.

With her infectious energy and a penchant for the peculiar, no one has ever accused S. O. of being mundane. She has a B.F.A. in Fashion Design. She spends her days designing creepy-cute clothes. At night, ...more