Welcome to Litsy!

Oof. This one was tough. This book suffered from a number of things, ranging from weak characters, overplotting, incoherency, etc. etc. I‘d say the no. 1 issue was the utter passivity of the MC. Everything in this book happens to her or despite her, rather than because of her (apart from perhaps the last 20 pages). I almost bailed several times throughout. I can‘t say it was too terrible for words, but neither can I recommend it.

I wanted to like this one more than I did, but it had too much going on and the story suffered for it. The creepy ghost story element was fun and reminded me of Coraline. I liked the idea of setting the story during the London Blitz, but there was this whole secondary plotline with British and German spies that felt like an afterthought. The author would have done better to focus on just the Gothic horror story. #MiddleGradeMarchThroughTime

I finally gave up. The story has good bones. I wanted to like it, but couldn‘t get past the horrible editing. Historical inaccuracies are a pet peeve with me and this is FULL of them - set in the 1940s UK, children swear frequently (unlikely), she uses too many modern American terms (like sweater instead of jumper), upper middle class children talk back to / question their teachers, etc. I just couldn‘t buy into it. Moving on for #MiddleGradeMarch

My first read for #MiddleGradeMarch. I‘m a few chapters in and loving it! Excited to see what everyone is reading this month.

Cute and quick read. The atmosphere was delightfully dark and foreboding. It left a few unanswered questions which made me wish there was another. A delightful sort of spooky story that was slightly reminiscent of Coraline. Plus that cover is gorgeous!

It‘s been raining books in my letterbox lately ☔️

And this is one that I‘m rather looking forward to!

#bookmail

This was a nice atmospheric read for October. It was a bit schematic but I still liked it a lot. It would probably be awesome for older kids. #spooktober (Photo credit: Janetfox.com)

Audio walk in stunning autumn weather...

Just started this on Audible and it already sounds like the perfect Halloween audiobook. ❤️🎃

More #middlegrade #audio #horror here! This one has really mixed reviews on Litsy and Goodreads, but I enjoyed it. Children are sent to a Scottish castle during the London Blitz of WWII. Think The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe if, instead of Narnia, the children found sinister magic closer to home...

I got my biopsy today. I should get the results some time next week. I'm distracting myself with this lovely read for #RIPXII while I wait.

I learned long ago that in order to read peacefully in this house, one must use a book decoy. In other words, the cat gets her own book to claim while I curl up with the book I'm actually trying to read. It takes some maneuvering, but I'm becoming an expert in the field. Today's #bookdecoy is The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle (while I work through HP#3). #librarybook #bookcat #readinglife #HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban #amreading

I was excited for the unique magical premise of the chatelaine and the haunting setting of a castle in the Scottish Highlands. This was a solid read but the story never really hooked me or kept me up late reading the way my favorites do.

A spooky story about a power-mad woman who steals children's souls. I liked that it was set against the backdrop of children escaping the London blitz and ending up in a far more dangerous place. The story did get a bit convoluted at times, as the Lady's past dealings with the Magister were brought in little by little. Also, Kat is a clever girl, but seemed to stumble upon magical solutions a bit too easily.

I love the cover & had high hopes for this. A gothic ghost story about children sent to a Scottish castle during the London Blitz sounded like just my kind of book. Sadly, I gave up after 3 chapters because I couldn't handle all the run on sentences and sentence fragments.

No way this cover looks like it's for a book published in 2016. Hope that means it will be a unique treasure--just getting started....

Children of England's blitz are evacuated to a Scotland haunted castle governed by a shady woman (played by Cate Blanchett in my head). This turned out to be a great rainy day read, which would've been perfect if it ever rained here. A bit of a popcorn read. All the anticipated themes and elements I like in creepy YA castle books.

This spooky, atmospheric novel has all the elements of a good scary story: a dark, cold castle, isolated children, a guardian more machine than human. This book needs more love!! #ScaryReads #litsy #AllHallowsRead

I just want to keep reading and will the rain to come and have a hot cocoa with marshmallows and bourbon. ☕️

It took me a while to get through this one because life got in the way, but I really enjoyed it. I loved Kat, the main character; her tenacity and chutzpah kept me cheering for her the whole time. This is a great book for readers who want a good mystery with some supernatural elements mixed in. Highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's interesting to read this, juxtaposed against the Star Wars movies I've been watching this week. I'm reminded of Darth Vader and his transformation from man to machine. Speaks to our fears, doesn't it? While we are afraid of our humanity, of showing too many emotions and making too many mistakes, the alternative - being mechanical - is even more frightening.

Loved this spooky, atmospheric story and its heroine Kat. Really delicious book.

Loved this spooky, atmospheric story and its heroine Kat. Really delicious book.

Happy National Booklovers Day!!!

Picked this up while I was at the bookstore. I mean, come on.

This might be a suitable read aloud with my daughter now that we've finished Order of the Phoenix.

Suspenseful. Strong female protagonist. Would recommend for anyone who enjoyed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. If you read the book you will know why I included my charm bracelet in the pic. Charms play a significant part in this novel.