The Little Book of Pocket Spells: Everyday Magic for the Modern Witch by Akasha Moon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Little Book of Pocket Spells is a highly recommended read for those who are still new with New Age or Wicca. This 150-page is filled with interesting information and I learned a lot from perusing this small book. I discover about the power of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and lavender; even garlic and onions are also helpful in cleaning an area. Furthermore, some spells were written in this tiny book such as charms for wealth, grief, and protecting a child.

The Boy from Tomorrow by Camille DeAngelis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've watched several movies before that have the same theme just like in this novel, such as the Hollywood movies Frequency and The Butterfly Effect, and Korean movies Ditto and Il Mare. Thus, I was not expecting much when I've asked for the reading copy of this from the publisher.

This book really did exceeds my expectations because of how impressive Camille DeAngelis in writing it. Readers will be hooked once they start reading the story of the incredible friendship of Alec to the Clifford sisters, Josie and Cassie, even there's a 100-year gap. And in spite of the fact that they will never all get to meet at present time, the ending is still absolutely great and heartwarming.

The Boy from Tomorrow may be categorized as a children's fiction or a middle-grade book, but adult readers will surely enjoy this amazing novel — it is a great and highly recommended for light-reading. Lastly, it is so easy to decide that this is one of the books that I can put into my favorites this year because how I really enjoyed reading it.

The Gallery of Wonders: Books for kids: A magical children's fantasy series. by Marc Remus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holly O' Flanigan lives with her distant relatives, the Smorall's, in Donkleywood; her parents died in an accident when she was still a baby so she never got the chance to know them. She used to live with her grandfather, Nikolas, but she was taken from him by the government because they perceived that he was unfit to take care of Holly. Instead of a relative, the Smoralls treat her like a maid and they made her sleep and always hide in the attic after she's done with her chores.

Her grandfather is a painter and lives alone in his studio and Holly inherits her grandfather's passion for painting. However, she thought that she is not good because she lacks the skill and talent. Unfortunately, there was a fire in her grandpa's studio and he jumped out of the building. Prior to that, Holly and her friend, Brian, saw a peculiar man and creatures outside. The next day, Holly received a package with a letter and it contains several things: a jar of white powder, a gadget with a funnel-like attached in the side, and a book that is an Encyclopedia of Magora written on it.

Holly's life changed once she received the said package. Unexpectedly, Holly and her friends Brian and Rufus; together with her obnoxious classmate Amanda; and nosy neighbor, Ms. Hubbleworth, they were all transported to Lake Santima in Cuspidor when a painting became a portal in Holly's attic.

The Gallery of Wonders is the first book in The Magora Book Series, and while reading, it greatly reminds of the well-known classic book series of Chronicles of Narnia. Moreover, I can't help but compare it to the Harry Potter series because there's a Cliffony Academy of the Arts, prophecy, talking tree house, and animated creatures such as trolls and griffins in the story. I reckon that Marc Remus' huge inspirations for writing are C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling because of the flow of the story and several similarities in some instances. Despite that, middle graders, young adult readers, and those who are fond of fantasy and adventure stories will enjoy this novel.

The Lion and the Bride #1 by Mika Sakurano

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I've requested a reading copy of this manga from the publisher, I knew that the plot might be a just like some romcom TV series. But I what I didn't expect is that even though that it's like that, reading has taken me by surprised me because of how entertained I was on reading the banters between Yua and her stepson/classmate Subaru.

As for me, I think Yua's hasty decision of accepting Ryo's marriage proposal is a big no-no. And I bet that there's no love involved when Yua decided to get married. Meanwhile, Subaru mentioned that Ryo, his father, only pity Yua because she's already an orphan and that no one's there to take care of her. A bit harsh but I think I agree with Subaru's opinion.

In addition, it's quite predictable that there would be a love triangle in Ryo, Yua, and Subaru's setup. But what's not foreseeable is whether Yua and Ryo will divorce in the end because Yua chose Subaru, or Yua will stay with Ryo. And I reckon that is what readers are anticipating in the succeeding volumes to be released in this manga series.

In general, if you like reading the romantic-comedy genre, The Lion and the Bride is a great manga and good for light-reading.

Black Women Who Dared by Naomi M. Moyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kudos to Second Story Press for coming up with kind of book that lists down some of the notable Black women and groups that made a mark as feminists and fighting bigotry, slavery, as well as improving the society. Ten of these remarkable Black women and groups are The Coloured Women's Club in Montreal, Quebec; Nashville-born musician Jackie Shane; Sylvia Estes Stark; The Hour-a-Day- Study Club that was formed by 15-Black mothers in Windsor, Ontario; the first Black woman who established a business in Vancouver; Jamaica-born Sherona Hall; the Black Cross Nurses in 1920; Mary Miles Bibbs; Chloe Cooley; and the group Blockorama.

This marvelous and colorful 10-page collection is both written and illustrated by Naomi M. Moyer. The book may appeal more to middle graders who are aged 10 to 12, and young adults because of its serious content and that it could also set as an inspiration to them. It would be great if there is any plan for the second volume of this book because I believe that kids should be inspired more by the story of other noteworthy feminist personalities.

The Forbidden Harbour V1 by Teresa Radic

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Forbidden Harbour was first published in Italy in 2015 and is divided into four parts. Europe Comics has finally made it possible for a lot of readers to understand it by releasing the English version of the graphic novel. It is about the story of a teen boy, Abel, who was rescued in the ocean one night after the disappearance of Captain Stevenson from the navy ship, Explorer.

When Abel was saved, he can't remember anything aside from his name. William Roberts, the first officer of the ship, took him under his care by making him a cabin boy. When they returned to England, Abel saw the so-called Forbidden Harbour. One of the crew told him that not everyone could see it and that only a few could see and enter it.

When they got in the town, William introduced Abel to the three daughters left by the missing Captain, who also owns the Albatross Inn. Abel stayed in that family lodge and look for jobs to pay to for his accommodation. The second daughter of the Captain, Heather, introduced Abel to Rebecca, the one who manages the brothel in town. Later, he does some errands for Rebecca such as buying supplies in the market and reading her poems. It is Rebecca who told Abel what is happening to him and that they are in the same situation. She slowly makes Abel aware that he has some tasks to do and it's up to him to know what he should do.

I like the story of Forbidden Harbour, however, the poems in the story is a bit hard to comprehend and that it could be much better if the penciled illustrations were colored to make them livelier. The ending of this first part is a huge cliffhanger also which is a great dismay to me. Overall, I'm giving this a 3-star rating, but I'm still hopeful that the second installment would be much better and is action-packed.

Bright Shining Moment by Deb Loughead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bright Shining Moment is about the story of a sixth grader Adeline Sauriol, or Aline to her family and acquaintances, who lives in Hittonburg, Ottawa. She was being bullied by one of her classmates, Jeanine, who is from Mechanicsville which is the poorest area in their village. And one of her wishes is to be able to contribute to the charity box in their class someday. However, their family isn't that wealthy also because they also need money for their daily expenses.

Then one day, Aline finally decided to steal a dime from her mother's purse, but when she came to school, the charity box was already gone. Aline and her cousin, Lucille, bought a 10-cent worth of candies instead of returning it to her mother. And one thing leads to another because her secrets and lies started to pile up.

I might have found Aline's story adorable such as how to frighten she was keeping her secrets, but in reality, it is not. Being bully is the biggest problem she encountered, and I like how the story addressed it and on how to handle it. Bullies are bullies because they have unsolved problems in their lives, or they are trying to hide the horrible or miserable situation they are in. Compassion and love is an effective way to solve bullying because revenge and violence will not resolve it, instead, it will become more serious in the long run. And that is what one of the lessons readers could acquire from reading this wonderful children's book. This is highly recommendable for middle graders, but young adults and older readers will undeniably adore reading Aline's story in this book.

Sister BFFs by Philippa Rice

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sister BFFs is a graphic novel that shows the sisterly bond of the author, Philippa, and her younger sister, Holly. Their funny relationship banters, and moments were definitely amusing to read. My sister and I's relationship is way different from Philippa and her sister's because I guess we're a bit serious especially when giving advice or opinion.

As for the author, their bond is more on the hilarious and silly side and that they are not afraid to talk about anything, and on trying new things. A lot of women could be able to relate to this graphic novel, particularly those who have one or two sisters and has a comical connection with them.