I don't give away spoilers in my reviews. I am admittedly not usually the reader who loves fantasy but I knew from reviews that I wanted to read When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley. The cover is eye-catching with the graphic of Benny and the merman. I loved the oceanic colors used for it. Benny is on his own in life after losing his aunt. He has come to America and is working as a blacksmith. Benny has difficulties with his breathing and being in an environment such as a metal shop really affects his health. Benny is a talented blacksmith and his art is noticed by the owner of one of the local amusement parks - Luna Park in Coney Island. Benny is hired to build a large tank for a new exhibit and isn't told of all the details. Benny finds himself becoming attached to the new exhibit - a real merman from the ocean. I loved Benny's compassion and moral struggles within himself and with the merman. The other characters in the book that make up the menagerie were also such a great group of characters to read about. My two favorite parts in this book were the illustrations and the storyline. The illustrations added to the story and worked together with the cover. I usually don't read much fantasy but this was such a good story. (from my Goodreads review)

My first Stephanie Wrobel thriller - she has an excellent method of building mystery with very interesting and unusual settings - this one had me on edge from the start. I plan to read all her books.

A mix of short tales of fantasy. Magical and delightful to read each story. Love, rivalry, and magical tales that keep you entertained and wanting more!

Renegades is a super exciting book about heroes and villains. It follows Nova, who hates the Renegades, and Adrian, who’s one of them but has a big secret vigilante identity. The story is full of action, cool powers, and twists that keep you hooked. I liked how it made you think about what makes someone a hero or a villain. If you like superhero stories with a twist, this book is worth reading.

It’s a wonderful and funny book that makes you smile on every page!!!!!! :)

Translated from Italian, this gives the impression (possibly mistaken) that all disagreements are settled by repeatedly hitting and punching those who disagree. The brilliant friend drops out of school, marries wealth, becomes unrecognizable, but is perhaps brilliant.

This book was alright. I liked it but I also found it a little too predictable. I didn’t enjoy it too, too much but it wasn’t terrible. It was a little enjoyable but I found it a bit boring.

New Heights picks up right where the first book left off and shows Arthur training hard to become stronger in a world full of magic and danger. The action scenes are awesome, and we get to see Arthur level up his powers in some really cool ways. What I liked most is that the book isn’t just about fighting—it also shows Arthur trying to protect his family and figure out who he wants to be. Even though he has crazy powers, he still struggles with things like responsibility and growing up. If you like fantasy with magic, battles, and character growth, New Heights is a great read. I liked it even more than the first book.

This book is a little like Lake Wobegon in some parts and quite dark in other parts.

I have always loved school arcs in fantasy series as I get to see the character develop and interact with others at their age. This is especially true with Aurthor as soon after he joins the school he humbles an angry teacher and becomes the professor for that class, which was really cool.