Review: Finding Molly, Volume 1: An Adventure in Catsitting by Justine Prado + GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

Hello, everybody! I'm super excited to bring you guys my stop on the blog tour for FINDING MOLLY: AN ADVENTURE IN CAT SITTING by Justine Prado hosted by YA Bound Book Tours! I always get giddy about graphic novels so this one has me a little on cloud nine.

I recieved an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of this blog tour.

Down below you'll find my full review of the graphic novel, the author and illustrator bios as well as the link to the rest of the blog tour, and finally, a GIVEAWAY! Stay tuned! Read on, bookworms!

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Add It To Goodreads!

Rating: PG

Genre: Graphic Novel

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 170

Book #1 of the Finding Molly series

Publisher: Self-published

Published: December 2016

Finding Molly: An Adventure in Catsitting is a graphic novel about Molly Sanchez-Talebi, an unemployed art school grad who hesitantly starts catsitting to pay the bills. She dreams of breaking out of suburbia and her artistic rut, but she has a lot of self-discovery to do before that happens. The comic follows her funny misadventures as she learns that maybe these (sometimes) friendly felines are just what she needs to get her life on track.

Review:

PROS:

1. I love reading graphic novels as I've said a million times before but I'll say it again. I was pretty excited when I first saw the chance to review this book and I was even more giddy about reading it. What can I say? I'm a sucker for pretty pictures. There were quite a few things that I really loved about this graphic novel and I'm excited to tell you guys all about why you should read this book ASAP. Here's the review:

2. The first thing that caught my attention about this graphic novel is that it's actually a web-comic which had a kickstarter going on to get it in print (which it succeeded at). I love finding indie gems like this one and reading new material that differs from a lot of other books I've read in the past. This was no exception. Another thing that I really loved about this graphic novel was how diverse it was, how different it was from not only graphic novels but reading material in general. Let me break down a little more.

3. First off, the book follows Molly who is our main character and has a very unique and memorable image. She's a college student working for free at a local bookstore, is a struggling starving artist with no money, wanting to move out to a place of her own and finds herself very uninspired in her artwork, catsitting to get by alive and trying to figure everything out for herself. She's a young, Hispanic girl without a stick-figure body type and even though she gets a lot of things wrong and makes mistake after mistake with trying to figure her life out, she keeps trying. I really admired her character and drive that she had, her non-cookie-cutter image and how she deals with everyday frustrations and worries. She really learns some valuable lessons when it comes to relationships, friendships, the struggles of having a somewhat unsteady job and trying to get her art career up and going in some way.

4. The graphic novel had such beautiful colors and a very fun artistic style to it that was so pleasing to the eye and went so well with the funny-upbeat-quirky storyline that made it really fun to read. I would love to have a physical copy of the graphic novel one of these days since I feel like the illustrations would pop a lot more than they did on my eReader app that I used to read the book on. It was a vibrant color pallet that I really loved and it kind of inspired me to get some sketching done and try doing a more vibrant art piece for fun to loosen up. Yes, I'm an art nerd and an "artist" (I use the artist term loosely since I haven't sketched anything in over two months) so I feel like I related to Molly a lot more because of that. She understood my pain, OKAY. 

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

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About The Author and Illustrator

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Follow The Tour!

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Review: The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing + GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

Hello, everyone! Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing and I'm so darn excited about it! Special to Fantastic Flying Book Club and Macmillian for the review copy! 

Before we start off, I was sent a physical copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of this blog tour. 

Down below are all the links to where you can purchase a copy of the book for yourself, which I suggest you do like right now, as well as the author links plus a GIVEAWAY! Yay for all the things! Now onto the review!

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Add It To Goodreads!

Rating: PG

Genre: Graphic Novel, Paranormal, Horror, Children

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 128

Untitled #1

Publisher: First Second

Published: September 13th, 2016

Charles just moved to Echo City, and some of his new neighbors give him the creeps. They sneak into his room, steal his toys, and occasionally, they try to eat him.

The place is teeming with monsters!

Lucky for Charles, Echo City has Margo Maloo, monster mediator. No matter who’s causing trouble, Margo knows exactly what to do—the neighborhood kids say monsters are afraid of her. It's a good thing, because Echo City's trolls, ogres, and ghosts all have one thing in common: they don't like Charles very much.

Review:

PROS:

1. When I first saw the cover of this book, I was pretty much sold right then because of the illustrative style. When I actually read the synopsis of the book, I was already clearing a spot on my bookshelves. I'm a lover of graphic novels and will pretty much read whatever I can get my hands on as far as that goes, sometimes finding a new favorite every now and then. I was so excited when this book arrived in the mail and I was even more excited to read it. So, here's my review!

2. I just loved the characters so much! Charles was a fun little guy to follow throughout the story since he's not too happy about the idea of moving to a new place and isn't any more excited when he learns there's a troll hiding in his closet. His journalistic habits cause him to snoop around to figure out what else is going on in his apartment building which leads him to meeting the infamous Margo Maloo, the girl monster mediator that all monsters are afraid of. She helps Charles with his monster problem and allows Charles to tag along on two more cases so long as he doesn't get eaten by an ogre or something. I loved Margo and thought she was very much of a professional when it came to dealing with monsters and was very mature for her age. Nothing fazed her and she was a problem solver.

3. I love the illustrations in this book as well as all the colors used and it's totally one of my favorite graphic novels art wise. The storytelling was great and funny, witty and adventurous while still being fun and relaxing to read. It's a great start to this graphic novel series and I'm very much interested to see what happens next in the story of Margo Maloo. I think readers of all ages will be able to enjoy this one since it's about monsters, mystery, friendship and most importantly, that there really are monsters hiding in your closet, but it doesn't mean it's a bad thing.

4. Overall, this was a very fun read and I can't wait for the next book already. If you want something quick and entertaining to read then I suggest picking this one up since it's both of those things and so much more! 

You Can Purchase The Book Here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Book Depository

Kobo Books

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EXCERPT:

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About The Author:

Drew Weing lives in Athens, GA with his wife, cartoonist Eleanor Davis, and too many cats. He makes comics for print and online, among which are the nautical graphic novel Set to Sea, the infinite canvas webcomic Pup, and the early reader comic Flop to the Top, which he co-authored with his wife. 

Author Links:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

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Instagram

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Graphic Novel Recommendations!

Hello, everybody! Today I wanted to recommend some graphic novels to you all! I've written up some children's books and summer reading recommendations in the past but I've never actually recommended some graphic novels. I adore graphic novels since I love seeing stories come to life either cinematically or through awesome illustrations so I love finding a new one to pick up! 

I also really like reading manga but since I feel like I haven't read enough to recommend any to you guys, we'll stick with graphic novels for today.

I hope you guys end up finding some books that peak your interest and maybe check some of them out! Here are my personal recommendations!

Title: Anya's Ghost

Author: Vera Brosgol

Add It To Goodreads!

Review: My Thoughts

Synopsis: Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part.

Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.

Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.

Or so she thinks. Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut from author/artist Vera Brosgol.

Title: Friends With Boys

Author: Faith Erin Hicks

Add It To Goodreads!

Review: My Thoughts

Synopsis: After years of homeschooling, Maggie is starting high school. It's pretty terrifying.

Maggie's big brothers are there to watch her back, but ever since Mom left it just hasn't been the same. 

Besides her brothers, Maggie's never had any real friends before. Lucy and Alistair don't have lots of friends either. But they eat lunch with her at school and bring her along on their small-town adventures.

Missing mothers...distant brothers...high school...new friends... It's a lot to deal with. But there's just one more thing. MAGGIE IS HAUNTED.

Title: The Adventures Of Superhero Girl

Author: Faith Erin Hicks

Add It To Goodreads!

Review: My Thoughts

Synopsis: What if you can leap tall buildings and defeat alien monsters with your bare hands, but you buy your capes at secondhand stores, and have a weakness for kittens, and a snarky comment from Skeptical Guy can ruin a whole afternoon? Cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks brings her skills in character design and sharp, charming humor to the trials and tribulations of a young, superhero battling monsters both supernatural and mundane in an all-too-ordinary world.

Title: Awkward

Author: Svetlana Chmakova

Add It To Goodreads!

Review: My Thoughts

Synopsis: Cardinal rule #1 for surviving school: Don't get noticed by the mean kids.

Cardinal rule #2 for surviving school: Seek out groups with similar interests and join them.

On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start calling her the "nerder girlfriend." How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away!

Falling back on rule two and surrounding herself with new friends in the art club, Peppi still can't help feeling ashamed about the way she treated Jaime. Things are already awkward enough between the two, but to make matters worse, he's a member of her own club's archrivals--the science club! And when the two clubs go to war, Peppi realizes that sometimes you have to break the rules to survive middle school! 

Title: Through The Woods

Author: Emily Carroll

Add It To Goodreads!

Review: My Thoughts

Synopsis: 'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.'

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.

These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.

Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...

Favorite Books of 2015!

Hey everybody! I hope everyone had an awesome holiday weekend and avoided the mistletoe like the plague . . . okay maybe that was just me. Anyhoo, I've been seeing so many awesome posts on my favorite blogs about their favorite books and authors of this year and I thought it'd be fun to show you guys what some of my favorite books were this year. Here are my 15 favorite books of 2015! I hope y'all enjoy!

STAND ALONES:

These four books are a collection of 2015 releases and I loved all of them!! Vanishing Girls was so good and had such an awesome plot twist that I can't believe I didn't see coming. Saint Anything is probably my new favorite book by my favorite author, Sarah Dessen! It was very emotional as well as meaningful and I just loved every second of it. The Last Time We Say Goodbye literally had me sobbing into my pillow for AN HOUR after reading the last page. OH. MY. WORD. Made You Up was just fantastic, almost as much as the beautiful cover. I loved how different of a story it was and how all of these book explored mental illnesses such as suicide and schizophrenia. 

These last four stand alones are ones that I can't even handle because I loved them so much. Hello, I Love You is pretty much another Anna and the French Kiss but with KPOP and awesome food and I freaking loved it. It's one of my favorite contemporaries by far and I'm so eager to reread it in 2016! The Vanishing Season was such a beautiful story and I seriously recommend it to anyone who wants a hauntingly beautifully told novel that is just riddled with mystery. What Happened To Goodbye was a reread for me since Sarah Dessen is my favorite author of all time and I felt like picking up one of her books. I really loved it the second time around! And finally, we have Confess which was my first ever Colleen Hoover that I not only read but touched. Like seriously, I've never laid a finger on one of her books before buying this one. I have to say. I can see why everyone is nuts for this talented author, like WOW.

SEQUELS:

Oh my gosh how I loved every single one of these books! P.S I Still Love You is the second book in the To All The Boys I've Loved Before duology by Jenny Han and I can't even with how amazing it was. I really loved it so much more than the first book and it had me wanting more of the characters and their story. The Rose Society is the second book in The Young Elites series by Marie Lu and OH MY GOSH I loved it. This series by another of my favorite authors is just so good and I'm dying to find out how the series ends with the third book coming out next year! Winter is the final book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer and it was 800+ pages of pure perfection. Enough said. Sanctum is the second book in the Asylum series by Madeleine Roux and if you love Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, you'll devour this series. It's creepy, dark, mysterious and utterly shocking.

GRAPHIC NOVELS:

I love graphic novels so much so of course I have to feature some of my favorites that I read this year. Anya's Ghost is probably my favorite out of the bunch and I recently reread it around Halloween and loved it just as much as the first time. I highly recommend this one! Through The Woods is the creepiest graphic novel I think I've ever read which just made me love it even more. I love all things horror so this one was right up my dark, creepy ally and I loved it so darn much! Friends With Boys is the definition of my life which is why I adored it. It's one of my favorites, I recommend it and I plan on rereading all of these again in the future.

So those were my favorite books of 2015! What book was your top favorite of the year? If I had to choose, I would probably say mine was Winter, hands down. Let me know what your favorite book(s) were of 2015 in the comments or leave a link to your post so I can stalk your blogs! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

FULL REVIEWS of all books listed are available on my blog!

Review: Through The Woods by Emily Carroll (GN)

Through The Woods by Emily Carroll

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror, Fantasy

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 208

Stand Alone

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Published: July 15, 2014

'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.'

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.
These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.
Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...

Review:

PROS:

1. I've been seeing this graphic novel around for the past few months and I have no idea why I waited so long to read it. Now that the Halloween spirit is starting to seep into the fall season itself, I've been craving something scary in book form. I've seen plenty of horror movies to last me a few lifetimes so I wanted to find more creepy reads instead to satisfy my craving for the scare factor. And I'm so happy that I finally did so with this book! Here's the review:

2.   Usually I save the art talk for last but this time around. I just need to focus on it first for a second. Going into this book, I honestly thought it was going to be more of 'structured' style of illustrations like most graphic novels are with certain layouts and blocked in text. I was so intrigued by the art I was seeing, however, when I first opened it up and began reading. It actually caught me a little by surprise. I loved how loose and free the illustrations felt and how creepy they were because of just that alone. Add in the cool color pallet that really used bold reds and blues to make certain things pop and you have a book that's just entertaining to stare at. The text was also free flowing and looked almost handwritten onto the pictures in a scratchy font that made things a little creepier. 

3. This book has five different short stories, six if you count the very last four or five pages that was counted more as an epilogue, and I loved every single one of them! One thing I really loved was how original each tale was. Some of the short stories were more paranormal whereas some dealt with actual beasts lurking in the shadows of the woods just waiting to strike. The woods were definitely a big part of every story which was nice because it tied all the stories together in a way. All the stories were surprising in their not-so-concluded endings and I loved that. In all the stories, I couldn't believe how they ended and it just left me wanting to know what happened next even though that story was over. I would love to see all of the short stories somehow become their own graphic novel. They were very dark, sinister at times and even a little freaky. 

4. This graphic novel is very imaginative and a PERFECT read for October or if you're just looking for something creepy to read at night. This book actually had me a little creeped out and that's coming from a girl who loves scary movies and yet never gets scared in any of them. I think this book has a little something for everybody. Whether you like ghost stories, urban legends or Boogeyman-esque tales, I think you'll love this one for sure!

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email. Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Review: Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova (Graphic Novel)

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova

Rating: PG

Genre: Graphic Novel

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

Page Count: 224

Stand Alone

Publisher: Yen Press

Published: July 21, 2015

Cardinal rule #1 for surviving school: Don't get noticed by the mean kids.

Cardinal rule #2 for surviving school: Seek out groups with similar interests and join them.

On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start calling her the "nerder girlfriend." How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away!
Falling back on rule two and surrounding herself with new friends in the art club, Peppi still can't help feeling ashamed about the way she treated Jaime. Things are already awkward enough between the two, but to make matters worse, he's a member of her own club's archrivals--the science club! And when the two clubs go to war, Peppi realizes that sometimes you have to break the rules to survive middle school!

Rating:

PROS:

1. First off, can we just talk about how adorable the cover is? Okay, let's get serious. It's been a little slow for me seeing as I haven't been reading many graphic novels lately due to school, reading slumps, art projects etc. So I was very happy to find this lovely book to get me back into the reading of graphic novels and of course, I ended up finding yet another that I plan on adding to my shelf! Let's get this review started!

2. First, I want to talk about the characters. I really loved all their characters and their goofy, silly and very determined personalities. I loved that the kids viewed their science teacher as an evil genius and their art teacher as a bit of a loser whom they loved anyway. It was funny to see how bubbly and weird some of the kids where in this book (they are in middle school after all) and I loved how the science geeks and art nerds had their own ways of expressing themselves. I really loved our two main characters Peppi and Jaime. I thought Peppi was really sweet, very creative and even a little dramatic. She was a really fun character to follow and I loved seeing her deal with real life lessons about making new friends and learning to stand up for her friends and go for what she really wants. Jaime was quiet and a bit of a geek but he was the kind of best friend I'd want to have myself. He didn't like conflict and he was a bit awkward around people but he knew what he liked and didn't let people change him. 

3. I loved the story line so much because of many reasons! I loved that it talks about a really relatable subject of rivaling clubs in middle school and the subject of who to befriend and who to stay away from was very well explored in an entertaining way.  Peppi really wanted to apologize to and become friends with Jaime but things got complicated once she discovered he was part of the Science Club, the soul adversaries of her Art Club. The story line played out really well and I loved that it wasn't predictable like some can be. It dealt with two rivaling clubs that were hungry for bloodshed and tears and will go to any lengths to beat each other for the spot of being included in the School Club Fair. Even if it means all out war and sabotage. 

4. I really loved the art in this book as well! I loved how 'fun' it was and how it gave off an innocent, almost goofy, feel to the book just on its own. I really loved the colors used in the illustrations and how it was mainly muted pinks and greys with pops of bright colors in the clothing of the characters and their surroundings. I really love just staring at the illustrations which might seem kind of weird, but whatever. I loved all the detailing of the facial expressions which made me laugh most often and I really enjoyed how clear it all was and how easy it was to read. 

5. Overall, I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a simple, funny and quick graphic novel to pick up should you ever need something to lift your mood. It's tons of fun to read, even more fun to look at and who doesn't love a funny and goofy read?

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I hope you guys enjoyed this book review! If you have any other book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email. Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!