Review: Gargantis by Thomas Taylor

Gargantis
by Thomas Taylor; illustrated by Tom Booth

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Walker Books US
Publication date: May 26, 2020
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy
Series: The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea (#2)
(You can read my review of Book #1, Malamander, here!)


From the publisher:

"In the second fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea, Herbert and Violet team up to solve the mystery of Gargantis — an ancient creature of the deep with the power to create life-threatening storms.

There’s a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair. And it just might be in the Lost-and-Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, in the care of one Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder. With the help of the daring Violet Parma, ever-reliable Herbie will do his best to figure out what the Gargantis wants and who stole her treasure in the first place. In a town full of suspicious, secretive characters, it could be anyone!"

It was SO GOOD to return to Eerie-on-Sea! I loved the first book in the series, Malamander, because it was adventurous and exciting and creepy and the setting was so wonderfully depicted. And I'm delighted to report that all my favorite elements of #1 reappear just as strongly in #2, Gargantis!

This installment of Herbert and Violet's story involves a huge storm, local fisherfolk lore, a sea monster, a clockwork crab, another terrifyingly not-quite-human bad guy, and some more hints revealed about the possible fates of Herbert and Violet's parents! All of my favorite characters from the first book appeared again - including Seegol and his seaside diner, which never fails to make me really crave a good batch of fish and chips.

I really cannot rave about this series enough. If you like your middle grade fiction chock full of adventure and mystery, featuring smart and capable characters, with just enough scary stuff to give you goosebumps without keeping you up all night, all set in the most fantastically developed and deliciously eerie seaside town, THIS IS FOR YOU.


Final verdict: I'm obsessed with it! I thought this book was amazing! It's now officially one of my favorite books! I shall be shouting about it from the rooftops for days and I am currently recommending it to everyone I come in contact with!

{ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Review: Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

Mammoth
by Jill Baguchinsky

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 333
Publisher: Turner Publishing
Publication date: November 6th 2018
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, paleontology



From the publisher:

"The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat.

But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery."

Ok, a plus-size fashion blogger who is also a paleontology geek, who uses her smarts and talents to land an awesome internship? I am SOLD. I want to read more books about girls who have off-beat interests and are not afraid to follow their passions and do awesome things!!

I loved reading about Natalie and her friends at this paleontology internship. My undergrad degree was in Anthopology/Archaeology and I went to field school, so some of the paleontology parts of the book gave me some familiar vibes, and I really enjoyed reliving those memories! And I was crushed when she discovers her hero is not who he thought he was. Argh, what a devastating reality strike. I hurt alongside her - those sorts of life lessons are the worst.

The only thing that bothered me a bit was that some of Natalie's decisions made me want to pull my hair out. She landed this amazing internship, which she's really wanted and worked hard for, and then she's going to put it in jeopardy by *repeatedly* making some really poor choices that she knows she shouldn't, doing things that she knows would get her kicked out if she was discovered. I would allow *one* time, caving to peer pressure or just generally being an impulsive teen whose brain has not yet fully formed the decision-making parts. (No offense intended to any teens! Science says your brains are not done growing!) But multiple times? Girl! No!! Use your smarts and do what you know is right! You're sending my anxiety through the roof, you've come so far and I don't want you to fail!!

*deep breaths*

Ok... I'm good now. To sum it up, I did like this book and its amazingly talented main character, although I didn't like all the choices she made, and I am so serious about wanting to read more books about girls who have obscure interests and who follow those interests fiercely and bravely!  


Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Quarantine update

Hello fellow bookworms... Hope you're all doing well and staying healthy and happy. Some reports I've seen are saying COVID-19 is starting to improve in some parts of the world, so congrats to you all for doing your part and I hope you get to enjoy your summer!

Where I am... we're not there yet. I'm still hunkering down at home, only going out for groceries. It's gonna be a long summer for us. But I'm trying to stay positive and look towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

I keep thinking, I could be doing so much reading. And reviewing, and blogging... But for some reason, I'm having a reeeeally hard time focusing on books. I'm doing better with fantasy books, books that are in no way realistic and are just total escapism reads. So I'm reading some books I've had on my TBR for forever, and some stuff I might not have picked up otherwise, and I'm enjoying it. I do want to make better use of my time and catch up on books that are waiting to be reviewed, and get back into a blogging routine, but I need my brain to get in the game and *focus*.

How about you? How are your reading habits this summer? Are you tearing through books at light speed? Or are you struggling a bit like I am? Trying some new books/genres or going back to old favorites?