REVIEW: The Salamander Spell by E.D. Baker

I mentioned in my 6 Favorite Series of All Time post the Frog Princess series by E.D. Baker. I read the original four-book series in middle school but it has stuck with me until now and I still love it just as much.
I recently found out that there are four more books that are part of this series! Imagine my excitement knowing the magic has yet to end! These books do not follow the same plot and characters are the first four, but instead are prequels and future stories.
The Salamander Spell is the first of these newer books and it is a prequel to the original series. So, if you read this review and feel interested in this book, you can definitely read it before reading the others. And then tell me all about it because I need someone to geek out about it with!

The Short Story:

This book is sweet and charming, magical and delightful. If you like middle grade, fantasy, magic, perfectly innocent romance and friendships, and a little bit of mischief, give this series a try. If you need to get out of a reading slump, this should be your go-to choice!

The Long Story:

This book follows Grassina, the aunt of the main heroine in the original series. Grassina is present in that series as well, but here she is a young girl of 13. Her older sister, Chartreuse, is in training to become queen and the Green Witch. The Green Witch of Greater Greensward is the protector of the entire kingdom, the kindest magic-wielder, and the most powerful witch there is. Unfortunately, Chartreuse has not come into her magic yet and a whole lot of problems are happening in Greater Greensward. Grassina and Chartreuse's mother has been struck by a family curse and not-so-friendly  magical creatures have come to reside in the forest surrounding the kingdom. It starts to appear, to everyone's dismay, as though Grassina is possibly the only one who can fix anything. Along the way of trying to undo the wrongs and defeat the dangers threatening her life and her family, she meets several great friends and learns that love is stronger and friends are true.
Now, doesn't that just sound like the most sugar-sweet little book you've ever heard about? (Answer: YES). And it is such a satisfying read. It moves so quickly without feeling rushed and keeps you interested. The characters are charming and well-crafted. Perhaps they could be more complex, but this is a middle grade story and not a very long one at that. It reads just like a fairytale and is perfect for fans of Disney movies and retellings. 
My one and only thought that isn't entirely positive is that the romance went from zero to one hundred in about three pages. BUT the author justified the insta-love and I was happy with it. 
If you like fantasy middle grade that is light and easy to read, please give this series a try. Start here OR start with The Frog Princess, I don't think it matters and you'll love either one!

5/5 stars.

Happy reading!

REVIEW: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

This week and weekend have been completely crazy for me! I worked all week and had to prep for a long weekend trip to St. Louis for my cousin's wedding. So, me being me, I decided to make my week even more ridiculous and add a Tolkien novel to the mix. Let me tell you, that was not a good idea. I like to really dive in and enjoy works by Tolkien because they are so dense and complex and fantastical, but this week I was simply not able to do that. I liked Lord of the Rings quite a lot, and thought myself a "fan" of Tolkien stories. But... it turns out I might just like Lord of the Rings itself.

Let's get into how I felt about this book... keeping in mind the environment in which I was reading it.

The Short Story:

The Silmarillion is complicated and extensive, but rich and lovely as well. The book lacks in a clear plotline sometimes and I found myself getting lost. If you like Tolkien's other novels (for obvious example, Lord of the Rings), you might like this. If you LOVE Tolkien's other novels, you will almost definitely love this.

The Long Story:

This book is essentially the history of the world in which the Lord of the Rings is set, from the creation of the world until the Third Age (which is when Lord of the Rings happens). Tolkien wrote this novel over the course of his life as a way of world-building for his own personal use, so it contains every legend and every story that he could come up with to set up the world we all know and love. Before Sauron, there was Melkor, also known as Morgoth. Similar kind of guy. There was another guy who created these highly powerful gems called Silmarils. Melkor wanted them. Bad stuff happened. And then a whole lot of other stuff that might or might not be related also happened. We see the creation and history of dwarves, elves, and men. We get an immense (read: PHENOMENALLY IMMENSE) history of this world and for those of you who cannot get enough of Middle Earth and its inhabitants and their shenanigans, give this a try. 

It really does start with the very beginning, which is very reminiscent of the Bible (logical, since Tolkien is Catholic). The creation story in this book is BEAUTIFUL and it made me totally convinced I was going to adore this book and never want to put it down. 

However... then the story took a turn and it became hard for me to read. In the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, we get tons of character development and detailed scenes and plot structures that make sense (even if travel scenes seem to take years sometimes...). In the Silmarillion, that isn't the case. It is so general it almost reads like a textbook. Lots of overviews of this thing that happened but not so many personal details or relationships or emotions. It made it hard to read.

I tried and tried, but I found myself falling asleep unintentionally and only reading a few pages at a time. So at the recommendation of @arielleahlm on Instagram, I tried listening to a podcast of it. I liked this at first, but it was too discussion-based for my taste. So then I tried an audiobook and this was exactly what I needed!!! I started moving through it a lot faster and I had an entire 13-hour road trip during which to listen to and finish this book. It was awesome.

While this change of pace did help me get into the book, I still unfortunately didn't love it. I'm quite disappointed because I had been so excited for it, but it felt too distanced from characters for me. It felt very much like an outsider's perspective on the stories and that made me feel the disconnect and care less about what was happening. 

I liked this book to some degree, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't my style. Maybe at another time in my reading life when I have more time to take my time on this I could re-read it... but I'm not feeling it right now. 

I do recommend this book very highly to fans of Tolkien's world-building and writing style because in those ways it is just like the Lord of the Rings!

2.5/5 stars.

BOOKISH TIP: if a book is hard to read, try different formats. It might help.

What has been your most disappointing read? Or your most surprisingly awesome read??

Happy reading!