e-ARC, 352 pages
Release Date: April 7, 2020Published by: Scholastic Press
Read from: April 15-19, 2020Stand-aloneSource: Edelweiss (I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW: N/AFor fans of: Paranormal, Action, Cats, Coco, Ghosts, Diversity, Diverse MC, MG
Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this action-packed supernatural fantasy.
For Lucely Luna, ghosts are more than just the family business.
Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late.
With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I don’t read a ton of Middle Grade, but when I find a book I’m super interested in, I add it to my TBR without another thought. And that’s exactly what happened with this one. And in the end, it was just what I needed at the time!
“Everyone thinks dying in their sleep is the most peaceful way to go, but no one ever things about being stuck in their pajamas for the rest of their afterlife.“2%
Lucely Luna sees ghosts. That works extremely well with her family’s business, the town’s Ghost Tours, run by her father. A couple days before Halloween things begin to get weird…. Well weird-er. Luce and her best friend cast a spell, but end up waking up some malicious spirits. They end up having to enlist the help of others… Like Syd’s grandmother and her cat.
“Everyone wants to paint a powerful woman out to be wicked.“20%
Ok, first and foremost, I LOVED the representation! From the power of the chancla and to the fireflies, I thought it was amazing. And that made the writing style AMAZING. There were so many quotes I pulled out while reading this. I wish I could put them ALL in my review!
“Where did you find this Babettte?” Lucely tried her best not to look too grossed out. Babette paused. “in one of the local cemeteries I think.” “In a cemetery? What kind of place is that for a book?” Syd asked. “What better place to bury the truth than with the dead?“20%
However, that is a double edged sword. Although I liked the dialogue that was in this book, I wasn’t a fan of the world building. It was just very telly and not showy at all. There were small things here and there, but it wasn’t enough to pull me in completely.
“Fear the living, mija, not the dead.“88%
I think it was because of this that I thought the plot was a little disjointed. I wasn’t really into it. It felt choppy and sometimes it seems like things came out of nowhere. It just didn’t flow to me and that bothered me.
“People are all too willing to believe an easy lie in the place of a complicated truth.”95%
For the most part, the characters and the representation were right up my alley. Definitely a middle grade I’m glad I picked up. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but definitely one I wouldn’t want any child to miss.
Overall, I give this
