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Kita–Part I: Princess of Orith
Kita
Art and story by William Brenner
The protagonist of Kita is Tommy, a boy full of imagination. He fantasizes about the Kingdom of Orith. After school one day, he and his stuffed friend, Mr. Bear, head to the imaginary Green Root where they become involved in a conflict with wolves who are trying to take over the town. Mr. Bear is the last living Keeper, and Tommy is the last member of the King’s Guard. Their roles are to locate the rightful heir to Orith’s throne.
The divisions of the novel are:
Chapter 1: Kingdom in Crisis—attacks and a council meeting to determine Orith’s future
Chapter 2: Royal Lineage—Thaddius, Chief Librarian of the archives, leads the team on an adventure to prove there is a descendent of the previous leaders
Chapter 3: Adoption—the warrior princess Kita needs a home.
Kita is a graphic novel written and illustrated by the very talented Will Brenner. The story is told with an appropriate combination of drawings and text; sometimes only illustrations are needed to move the story forward. The graphics are very detailed and show well the expressions and moods of the characters. The story moves between Tommy’s real life and the life he creates in his dreams and in his imagination. Although those worlds are very different, they also overlap. For example, the wolves bully the other animal characters, and Tommy’s cousin Ricky and some of Tommy’s classmates bully Tommy. Some of the characters are likable, and others are villains. Kita’s original owner is a prime example of an uncaring pet owner. Tommy’s parents want to be supportive, but are not always successful at trying to understand him. Perhaps they are just overstretched in their responsibilities. I base that perception on the dinners served—mom brings home takeout for their meals.
This is a fun graphic novel that lets the reader escape into a fantasy world. I think middle graders, teens, and young adults would particularly enjoy this trip to Orith. The Epilogue has a great hook to attract readers to return to the series for Kita: Part 2 which is still in the preparation stages.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Graphic Novel, Fantasy
Notes: Middle Grades (ages 10+)
Publication: April 7, 2025—Great Bellows
Memorable Lines:
“Many things aren’t as they should be. But hang on to hope, young Guard of the King. It will be made right, even if it looks different than you expect. And how exciting that you may yet play a part in that.”
Rediscovering Christmas–finding joy after tragedy
Rediscovering Christmas
by Mindy Obenhaus
What does it take to weaken a Christian’s faith in God? In the case of Tori Stallings it was the death of her husband and her mother and the complete destruction of her home by fire. These sequential catastrophes in just a few years time left Tori devastated despite the support she had from friends, family and co-workers.
Tori had learned to be independent over the years as her confident and dashing husband Joel devoted more time to his country than to his family. His quiet brother Micah quit the military when his brother died to try to pick up the pieces for Tori and her son Aiden. His secret is that his friendship with Tori was more than that when they hit their teenage years, but he kept his crush hidden when she was obviously attracted to Joel.
Tori and Micah are thrown together when she loses her home and she and Aiden move into the family home Micah shares with his mom. Aiden, an adorable six year old, never really knew much of his dad, and Uncle Micah became the father substitute in his life, a relationship Micah and Aiden both enjoyed.
Although there is a growing attraction, Tori and Micah need to get over the feeling they are doing something wrong since Tori is his brother’s widow. Also, Tori is angry with God, and Micah knows that he can’t pursue a relationship with her until she works through her anger and realizes she needs to put her trust for the future in God’s hands.
There are multiple obstacles to be overcome and lots of good people to help them as they face the issues that come when disasters strike and faith is tested.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: 1. It was only when I reached the notes at the end of the book that I realized that this book (#6) is the last of the Hope Crossing series, so it certainly could be read as a stand alone.
2. This was my last Christmasy book for 2024 and it made a fitting ending. Faith and having the heart of a servant were threads all through the book. In the process of righting her relationship with God, Tori also rediscovered the joy of the Christmas season with help from Micah. Christmas decorations and traditions reestablished for their first Christmas after the fire helped Tori rediscover Christmas as well.
Publication: November 26, 2024—Harlequin
Memorable Lines:
None of them spoke because there’d been nothing to say. There was no room for platitudes at a time like this. He was certain Tori would hear her fair share of those over the coming days, weeks and months. But he and his mom cared about her too much for that. Sometimes the best thing you could do was to let someone cry.
“…you’ve faced more than your fair share of loss in recent years. It stands to reason that you’d be hurting and angry. But be aware, my friend, while you might try to run from God, you can’t outrun Him. And I know this for a fact because He loved me enough to pursue me even when I chose not to trust Him.”
“We’re not called to understand everything that happens in our lives. We’re called to trust Him with our lives, come what may.”
A Certain Darkness–could WWI have ended sooner?
A Certain Darkness
by Anna Lee Huber
Lord Ardmore—a good name for an evil person. Although he is not physically present in A Certain Darkness, his influence and machinations pervade the events of this spy novel. Verity Kent and her husband Sidney are a rich and glamorous couple who are both well known in the intelligence circle for undercover work for the British during WWI. Sidney is also a war hero. In this book, they are once more called into service by their country to discover potentially damaging evidence.
In this action packed drama, Verity and Sidney don’t know whom to trust as they try to uncover how a murder occurred on a train and in a jail cell without anyone seeing either crime. Verity is a polyglot, a helpful skill as the couple interacts with French, German, Dutch, and Flemish speakers. One of my favorite scenes involves Verity speaking in their language to someone who is previously unaware that she can understand their conversations with others—rather embarrassing for the speaker.
The plot is complicated because the events that occurred during and after the war are quite complex. Just when I thought I wasn’t enjoying the book because of the intricate historical references, the action and intrigue picked up and I couldn’t wait to read what would happen next.
Both characters suffer from the horrors and stresses of the war, but there are some mental and emotional breakthroughs for both of them in this book. Whereas in the first book I read in the series (#2) I found the couple rather frivolous, I have come to like and respect both of them as I have gotten to know them better. There has also been more character development with each book. If you are interested in history or like spy mysteries, you will enjoy this series including A Certain Darkness. It closes out with a very important hook that will keep me and other readers anxious to read the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Notes: 1. #6 in the Verity Kent Mystery Series. I do not recommend this book as a standalone. There is just too much necessary background provided in the previous books.
2. Clean.
3. One of the themes of this book concerns the ending of WWI. I did an Internet search on this topic and found this is a concern for some historians. In her introduction, Huber lists a recently published nonfiction book on this subject that she used as a resource for her fiction book.
Publication: August 30, 2022—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
Much of intelligence gathering in general was accepting that there were few total victories, few clear choices of right and wrong. Everything was shaded in gray. One had to make judgment calls, constantly wagering possible sacrifices versus gains. Sometimes you got it right and sometimes you got it wrong. But whatever the outcome, you had to swallow the guilt and disgust such decisions and compromises at times wrought.
I recognized what game he was playing, for he’d learned it from the best. After all, Lord Ardmore didn’t simply aim to outwit his opponents, but to corrupt and demoralize them. To turn them against themselves, against their very morals.
“I’d accepted long ago that the war was utterly senseless.” His voice rasped as if being dragged from the depths of his lungs. “That I was simply stuck. Just a little cog in a great monstrous machine that couldn’t be stopped and would one day consume me as well.”
In Peppermint Peril–tea and mysteries
In Peppermint Peril
by Joy Avon
We’ve got a new cozy mystery series for Christmas and to start out the new year. Joy Avon brings her heroine, Callie Aspen, back from a busy career as a tour guide traveling the world to her hometown of Heart’s Harbor where her Aunt Iphy runs the Book Tea Shop, a delightful place for a cup of something hot and an edible treat containing a book related clue.
Although there are lots of interesting characters, the plot’s the thing as this mystery evolves from a tea party hosted by ninety-three year old Dorothea Finster, mistress at Haywood Hall. Everyone who attends has different expectations and some result in criminal mayhem. There are romances and friendships old and new, a cake with several layers of mystery, a cute rescue dog, and political and financial shenanigans.
Usually I can take or leave recipes at the end of a cozy mystery. In Peppermint Peril doesn’t have any, but in this case I would have enjoyed a recipe for a creation that Aunt Iphy calls “The Duel” because it has “two pastries vying to be the tastiest” on the same plate. Both feature chocolate! One has a light brown base and a beige mousse that incorporates salted caramel. It is topped with a chocolate chip cookie and roasted nuts; is is soft and crispy at the same time. The other has a dark chocolate foundation and fresh raspberries topped with white chocolate. It sounds like a delicious masterpiece of culinary creativity just made for the person who wants a taste of more than one dessert on the menu.
Callie does a lot of talking to ferret out the criminal, and she works in conjunction with local Deputy Falk. He shares more about the case than he should to try to deter her from the dangerous investigation, but Callie just becomes more determined to solve the mystery and refuses to stay out of harm’s way.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #1 in the Book Tea Shop Mystery Series
Publication: November 23, 2018—Crooked Lane Books
Memorable Lines:
The world around her looked like it had come straight out of a fairy tale illustration; trees laced with frost; every stem of grass, every branch and bramble powdered with the snow that had fallen last night and had been scattered by the strong wind.
Still single herself and uncertain whether she’d ever have a family, Callie could relate to the feeling. At times she felt perfectly happy with her life, and then suddenly she felt something missing and wanted to change everything.
Tick-tock. The relentless rhythm of time. Reminding them of a lot of years that had slipped away and all the time that had not been spent with people it could have been spent with.
education pathways 