I hated the Sun and Moon anime. Most of the characters were bland and annoying (I will admit, I did enjoy Sophocles' character, though) and Ash was, as usual, almost completely oblivious to the fact that he'd actually had experience with Pokémon before. But, this review isn't about the anime. It's about the manga. My library had volumes one through three, and I decided to pick them up on a whim. The plot follows Sun, an errand boy who dreams of one day earning a million dollars, and Moon, a girl who is in pursuit of new scientific discoveries. Sun is "delivering" Moon to Professor Kukui- a friend of Sun's- and the two encounter a strange Pokémon and Team Skull's Grunt on their journey. With its cute characters, unique and well-made region, and Pyukumuku- LOTS of Pyukumuku- Pokémon Sun and Moon's first installment made for a light and fun read! Whether you're a fan of the anime, video game, or TCG cards, these manga are lovely.

What would you do if you woke up in the center of a maze? Would you risk your safety to return to a life you can hardly remember? Thomas finds himself asking these questions after he wakes up with his memory wiped in the Glade- a safe haven for a group of teenage boys trapped in the middle of a maze. Every so often, a new boy will be heaved up into the Glade, and their stories will all be the same. Life goes on. That is, until the first girl turns up- with a horrifying message that affects the fate of Thomas and his comrades. So, story time: I had to read The Maze Runner for a book club at school. One of the members of the club suggested Maze Runner, since he'd watched and enjoyed the movie. Since most of the other options had already been claimed, we settled on it. Big mistake. Now, I'm not cruel enough to give this one star. The concept itself was creative and interesting, and it was what willed me to read it in the first place (besides my teacher, of course.) The plot reminded me a bit of- I know this sounds strange- people who make their pet mice and hamsters run through little cardboard mazes. Of course, the stakes were far higher in Maze Runner, and there certainly wasn't a treat at the end for the Gladers. The characters in The Maze Runner were bland, cardboard-cutout type characters. Thomas spent more time in the Glade contemplating whether or not to leave it than he did actually running the Maze- a disappointment for most, since that's what the book baited you to think it was mostly about. It was all standing, and talking, and "we do this! So strange!", and "we can say the words 'shank,' 'klunk,' and 'green bean,' and act like it's unique!" This book was a DRAG to read, and the second, the Scorch Trial, was even worse. Thank gosh that was all I had to read before we left school! (And, if you're wondering, the kid who asked us to read this ended up hating it too. He said the movie was better than the book.)

Prosper (Prosperity) Redding is the only ordinary member of his prestigious (and honestly, rather suspicious) bloodline. However, that's all about to change when he learns that one of his ancestors made a deal with a malefactor, a demon that can reside in your body and possess you at any given time, and the demon’s current “host” is- surprise- Prosper. Alastor the malefactor has sworn revenge on the Reddings after being wronged years ago. But the past is in the past, and maybe, he’s not as bad as he seems. Both devilish and delightful, The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding is a real treat! I could not put this book down. An electrifying start to the duology!

Warriors. It used to be my favorite series, but now I have a bit of a weird relationship with it. I remember reading the first series and falling in love, and then finishing it and remaining in love. Upon rereading the series, however, once I got to the New Prophecy I thought, "Wait. I actually LIKED this garbage? Where's the adventure? The drama? The magic and intrigue of the first arc?" Well, let me tell you where that went. Out the window! (or, should I say, cat flap.) Well, folks, after some bumps in the road (or mountains- just like in the HUNDREDS of chapters we get of characters walking through them) the original charm of Warriors is back! The false Bramblestar has been acting odder than ever, forcing the other Clans to exile their so-called "codebreakers." This is leading to more and more cats are joining the rebellion, and more and more believing the Bramblestar leading Thunderclan is an impostor- especially since Rootspring was able to summon the real Bramblestar's ghost at the medicine cat's half-moon meeting. Bristlefrost is acting as a spy for the rebellion- pretending to be loyal to the impostor and doing whatever he tells her to do, no matter how tyrannical it may seem. However, cats who once believed her are turning their backs on her after Bristlefrost is made deputy- a decision that may lead to even more unnecessary deaths. And Shadowsight? He's missing- and the false Bramblestar may be behind it. I was intrigued throughout the entirety of Veil of Shadows. However, I'm only giving it 4 stars because the book's title seemed too similar to A Vision of Shadows, the previous Warriors arc, and Bristlefrost and Rootspring's relationship was, to be frank, terrible. (Forbidden romance? When have we seen THAT before?) Overall, pretty good, especially compared to its previous installments. Would recommend for any Warriors fans!

Aru isn't a rich snob like the other kids at her prep school. So, it only makes sense that she'd pretend to be one, right? Wrong. While the little white lies she's spewed about having a chauffeur in Paris, or a yacht, or a mansion (when in reality she lives in a Hindu mythology museum her mom curates) haven't had any dire consequences so far... this one might. What was it? She may have said the museum's Lamp of Bharata was cursed. And in a desperate attempt to prove herself to her classmates, she may have released a vengeful demon into the Otherworld and frozen the entire human population in time. No problem, though, because Aru is actually a reincarnation of one of the five Pandava brothers! (Now THAT's a thing you can brag about to your classmates.) Along with ornery pigeon Boo and quirky but lovable Mini, Aru needs to save both worlds- with only a golden Ping-Pong ball and Spider-man pajamas. How will she do that? Find out! This book made me laugh so hard, because the humor and characters are so genuine to actual kids, and don't seem like they're acting way older than they really are (like most books portray them.) It also taught me things I never knew about Hindu mythology! Would recommend!

I wasn't sure whether or not I should post individual reviews on each book in the trilogy.... I ultimately decided to kill three birds with one stone- er, book review. (They DO say the pen is mightier than the sword.) As someone who's read all the FunJungle novels and is currently in the middle of the Spy School series, I'd have to say the Moon Base Alpha books were by far the best. I wish Stuart Gibbs made more, but alas! He didn't. Anyway, it's the future, and Dashiell (Dash) Gibson (fun fact! he's named after Stuart's son) lives on a space station. On the MOON. Sounds like a dream experience, right? Wrong. The food is horrible, and there's only so much you can do with your virtual reality systems. So, Dash resorts to what any 12 year-old kid would do to pass the time- solving mysteries! Each book is chock-full of twists, turns, action, and laughter. Even if you're not into space, (I'm not! I thought I'd like FunJungle better, because I'm an animal lover, but I didn't!) you should still give this book a try. With its quirky characters, astounding world-building, and sensational suspense, Moon Base Alpha is one of the best series I've ever read!

I got this book when I was a mere youngling- 7 years later, I'm still obsessed with it! It's incredibly informative, and I especially like the pronunciations (who knew I'd been pronouncing Yveltal wrong all these years?) and how easy it is to navigate through all the Pokemon. A must-have for any Pokefan!

It isn't often that a book makes you stop and remember someone you've lost in a new light- but this one sure did. Coyote and her father, Rodeo, have been traveling cross-country in a school bus in an attempt to leave the loss of Coyote's mother and sisters behind them. Their names have been changed, and any thought of their deceased family has been pushed away- at least, for Coyote's dad, that is. Coyote still thinks of them every day, and one memory that's especially vivid is the time capsule she, her mom, and her sisters buried in a park in her hometown- well, what used to be her hometown. After receiving a call from her grandma that the park is being destroyed- and the capsule will be gone with it- Coyote hatches a plan to travel all the way back to Montana, while satisfying the needs of the motley crew she meets along the journey. This book made me laugh! It made me cry! It was refreshing, cozy, and sweet, the equivalent of hot chocolate for the soul (or a slushie, if you're Coyote!) 5/5!