Tag: four star

fantasy, Four Star Book, graphic novel, Horror, middle grade

The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York
  • Author: Kory Merritt
  • Book Form: Ebook
  • Pages: 128
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
  • Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, Graphic Novel
  • Rating: ★★★★


Discover the horrible fate of Jonathan York as he sets out on his journey through a spooky forest with an alarming party of travelmates!

Jonathan York has led a boring life — a pointless degree from the community college, a lackluster job at the General Store, and never any desire for something more exciting. But when fate leaves him stranded in a sinister land, he finds himself seeking an adventure of his own. Along the way he encounters ghoulish thieves, ravenous swamp monsters, a dastardly ice cream conspiracy, and a necromancer bent on human sacrifice.

In this beautifully illustrated, four-color novel, Jonathan York’s life takes a decidedly spooky turn!

– goodreads

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a huge graphic novel reader. Honestly, I read them when I think I won’t finish Book Battle criteria. They’re just not really my thing. But man, am I glad I picked this one up.

The art is amazing. It gives off a very creepy, Nightmare Before Christmas type vibe. That was exciting since that’s been my favorite movie since I was like, three.

The story was just as good as the art! Jonathan York gets lost in a swamp. He and three other people find shelter with an old man and woman, if they tell them a story. Jonathan doesn’t have a story worth telling, so he gets kicked out and ends up in a very story-worthy adventure.

I can see how this reads a middle grade. This is all about finding yourself, overcoming your fears, and not living life on the safe, boring side. I was enthralled with the book from the very first page and couldn’t put it down.

I would recommend this to anyone who has kids struggling with who they are, or even adults! Also, anyone who likes Nightmare Before Christmas-esque art will love this!

Until next time…

contemporary, Four Star Book, Historical Fiction, poetry

White Rose Review

Courtney/Enchanted.to.Read.You
  • Title: White Rose
  • Author: Kip Wilson
  • Book Form: Physical ARC
  • Pages: 368
  • Publisher: Versify
  • Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Poetry
  • Rating: ★★★★


A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.

Disillusioned by the propaganda of Nazi Germany, Sophie Scholl, her brother, and his fellow soldiers formed the White Rose, a group that wrote and distributed anonymous letters criticizing the Nazi regime and calling for action from their fellow German citizens. The following year, Sophie and her brother were arrested for treason and interrogated for information about their collaborators.

– Goodreads

Thank you to Versify for a free copy of White Rose in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh man. Where do I even start. First, let’s talk about this cover. It’s beautiful. I love the solitary girl standing with her hand in the air. A sign of resistance and doing what’s right, because really, that’s what this book is all about.

Next, I loved that the novel was written in prose. I felt like it gave such depth to the story and just really punched it home.

This is a story about Sophie, who is a German during WW2. She doesn’t like what her government is doing, especially pertaining to the Jewish people. Sophie decides to do something about it.

White Rose is based on a true story. It’s so interesting to see a novel from a German’s point of view. Most WW2 novels I read are from a Jewish pov. I loved that change and I loved that it showed not all Germans were bad. There were some who disagreed and tried to fight the regime, even if it meant capture and death.

I loved that this was a story of resistence. It’s a story of fighting the power, knowing what is happening is wrong, and doing something about it. It’s a story of standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, regardless of the consequences. It’s such a powerful tale, and so timely.

In the back of the novel, there was a list of characters included. It let you know the fates of all the characters in the novel in real life. That was so interesting to me. It made me fully realize these were REAL people who did REAL things in the face of adversity and an all encompassing power trying to repress anyone who wasn’t “perfect”.

I would recommend this book again and again. It was a quick read since it was written in prose, but it was SO POWERFUL. It left me wanting to do more, be more, speak up more.

Until next time…