How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid by Mick Bogerman

How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid by Mick Bogerman
Series: Slug Pie Story, #2
Publisher: Slug Pie Stories, LLC
Format: Paperback
Pages: 141
Source: Publisher for review.

All Mick Bogerman wanted to do was teach his little brother how to swim in the coolest swimming pool in town. He didn’t ask to take care of a bunch of Sea-Monkeys while he was there. He certainly didn’t mean to morph one of them into a mermaid by feeding it genetically enhanced super food. No one is more surprised than Mick when the creature starts luring unsuspecting adults into the deep end of the pool. Adults who don’t resurface.
Join Mick as he battles a powerful adversary: a bloodthirsty mermaid who hypnotizes with a golden gaze, shatters glass with a piercing shriek, and reveals her true menacing self by the light of a full moon.

 

I loved this book as much as I loved the first in the series. In this installment we get to follow Mick and Finley around as they deal with a mermaid. This installment had more moments of suspense where I was wondering just how Mick and Finley were going to survive the ordeal they got themselves into.

 

This story was written in a how to style guide like the first, this one however was longer and seemed to be more detailed than the first book in the series. This was a great thing because I really wanted to spend more time reading about the boys shenanigans and all of the trouble they got themselves into.

 

I didn't really like PJ in the beginning. He was selfish and snooty, and really only thought about himself and what he wanted. He really grew on me as the book went on however and I'm really hoping that there is more of him in the third book. I'm also really looking forward to seeing more of Mick and Finley's adventures.

 

Much like the first book in this series, this novel is full of humor and suspense with monsters thrown in that Mick has to deal with. These books really fly by as you're reading them and I highly recommend them if you're a middle grade reader or just want a quick fun story. I will definitely be picking up the third book when it comes out and continuing on with this series.

 



**Copy provided via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.**

How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete by Mick Bogerman

How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete by Mick Bogerman
Series: Slug Pie Story, #1
Publisher: Slug Pie Stories, LLC
Format: Paperback
Pages: 91
Source: Publisher for review.

Armed with a pitchfork, miner’s hat, and map, Mick Bogerman dares to hunt for pirate treasure in Zombie Cave. His little brother Finley is tied up at the beach. Literally--Mick tied him up. No one needs a little brother tagging along when you’re going to slay the undead.
But Mick soon wishes he’d taken some human company with him, because lurking in every corner, reaching from every crevice, is another hungry corpse. No wonder the place is named Zombie Cave! And finding treasure in the twisty tunnels is a lot harder when your map disintegrates. And man-oh-man the cold, dark tide chases fast. But the worst part about fighting off ravenous flesh-eaters is the one monster deadlier than a regular zombie . . . the worst of the worst . . . Pirate Pete.

 

I absolutely adore Middle Grade fiction and this book was no exception. It was quick and funny and suspenseful at points. I was either hoping that Mick got out of the situation alright or laughing at something that he said.

 

The plot of this book is really awesome and is what immediately had me accepting the review offer. A boy goes into a cave that is overrun by pirate zombies all to get the treasure that is inside to help his mom so she can quit one of her jobs. It isn't all action and fighting which I really liked since it had a lot of humor in it as well.

 

The way the story is told is unique as well. Each chapter is set up like a step on how to get through zombie cave and defeat the pirates which made it really fun. The story is told from Mick's point of view so it's not completely in list format so you do actually get a great story out of it as well. The book wraps up nicely and doesn't leave any loose ends so the next book is a completely new adventure.

 

I loved Mick and his brother Finley. Mick was impulsive and funny while Finley was the thinker and planner. They made a great team and I enjoyed reading about their adventure. I am looking forward to the rest of the books in this series and will definitely be reading them as they are released.

 



 

**Copy provided via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.**

The Royals, Volume 1: Eddie by Missy Kirtley

The Royals, Volume 1: Eddie by Missy Kirtley
Series: The Royals, #1
Publisher: Createspace
Format: Paperback
Pages: 62
Source: Author for review.

The Royal family's fortune came from the Royal Car Company, founded by Charles Royal I. His son took over the company, married, and had six children. As close to American Royalty as possible, due to the fame of the company that bears their name, the children grew up in the spotlight. How much or how little it affected them is yet to be seen.

The eldest of the Royal children, Charles, purchased a house in Burbank, California, sight unseen. His younger brother, Eddie, is helping set up the home for his arrival. When Eddie sees a beautiful, young woman in the window next door he is instantly smitten. When he starts asking about her he's told that only an old woman lives in that house. Who is the woman on the other side of the fence? Will Eddie get to the bottom of this mystery?

 

I loved the idea of fairy tales set in the real world without magic, dragons, witches etc, which is exactly why I agreed to read and review this book when I was offered the chance. I loved the story and the characters and how it just flowed. The plot was really cool as well, a boy setting up a house for his brother and sees a girl who he just falls for, but nobody else seems to know that she lives there and he's doing anything to try to get to know her.

I never saw the ending coming either. I figured something totally different was going to end up happening and I was pleasantly surprised by the route the story took. Even though this was a really short novelette, it still managed to reel me in and keep me entertained. I found myself really loving the characters and was really routing for them and hoping that things turned out okay in the end.

If you like short stories that really focus on the characters then I highly recommend this one. It kind of had a little mystery to it as to who the girl was and it had a really adorable ending. The only issue that I had with the story is that I wish it was longer, but I cannot wait until I can read the second book in the series and get to know another one of the characters.

**Copy provided via the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.**

Guardian's Nightmare by Darren Simon

Guardian's Nightmare by Darren Simon
Series: N/A
Publisher: Divertir Publishing LLC.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 169
Source: Author for review.

Charlee Smelton is an average thirteen-year-old girl struggling to adapt after her family moves to San Francisco. She thinks her biggest obstacle is facing the bullies who brand her a nerd and a dweeb. She's wrong. Her life is about to change-for the worse. First, she receives a gift of the ugliest, most old fashioned bike she has ever seen. Try as she might to ditch it in the city, she just can't seem to escape that very mysterious two-wheeler. Then come the visions of a world across a dimensional divide, a princess in fear for her life and a dark knight pursuing her. Are they just dreams or something more? For Charlee, everything she ever thought she knew about herself soon crumbles as she starts down a path to discover her true self, and she will need that hunk-of-junk bike more than she could ever imagine. Without it, she might not be able to find the hero in herself-the hero she must become to save her friends, family, her city-the world-from an evil only she can defeat. An evil she allows into this world.

Don't let the two star review fool you, I did enjoy this book. It just would have worked better for me if I was younger. I feel like this book is better suited for a younger audience and that they would enjoy the fantasy and suspense immensely.

The plot was really cool. Finding out that you're more than what you seem to be and having to battle supernatural forces is what every kid dreams about right? It is also pretty fast paced and there weren't any points in which I found myself bored or wishing the book was over.

For the most part I liked the characters, obviously I didn't really like the villain of the book but you're not really supposed to anyway. Charlee did get on my nerves at points with her complaining and treating her dad so badly but they weren't big enough issues with her that made me hate her or the book.

The story takes place on Earth but mentions another world where these supernatural forces come from that was really interesting to read about and everything else besides that was really easy to grasp because it's all things we deal with on a daily basis (you know besides an evil being that wants to hurt you).


If you have a middle grade reader I suggest you check this one out. It has elements of suspense that will leave a young reader eager to find out more and just enough fantasy to make it interesting but not enough that will confuse the reader.

 

**Copy provided via the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.**