Last week wrapped up my spotlight on Out of Abaton, and that means this week I get to announce the winner of the giveaway!  There must be something in my blood that’s half fortune hunter because I get a little giddy when I get to announce a winner, like I’m about to open a treasure chest and getting butterflies on your behalf.  So, let’s get our drum roll–

*clashing cacophony of sound*

Er, yeah.  Thanks…we’ll work on that.  And the winner is:

Cindy, from Cindy Reads a Lot!  Congratulations, Cindy!  I truly believe that you’ll love it, and will get it in the mail asap.  Thank you again to both John and his publisher for letting me have the fun of a giveaway, and share this beautiful book with all of you!

Now, on to another fun book, which has been waiting in the wings since Christmas and is excited to step on stage and take its turn in the spotlight.  Today we’re taking a look at Half Upon a Time, by James Riley.

Just as the cover suggests, this book has no problem poking fun at itself.  A very tongue in cheek fairy tale mashup, it is told from the perspective of Jack, the Thirteenth by that name, who is not–unequivocally not–interested in being an adventurer.  For one thing, he’s terrible at adventure training, and not just cause he accidentally gets the fake princess ‘killed’ and flunks every test.  For another, he has no interest in pursuing it given how infamous his dad is, after climbing a bean stock and stealing from a giant.  However, his grandfather won’t listen to Jack’s protests, and the fates seem to be conspiring against him as well.  So, he soon finds himself careening around the country trying to reunite May, aka the Princess of Punk, to her grandmother and save them both in the process.

The story was a huge hit with my daughter, who went on to gobble down the next two in the series, as well.  And, I think it will grow on me, just as The Hero’s Guide series did.  It took me ’til book two or three to really get into that one, too.  In the case of Half Upon a Time, I did really enjoy the first book.  It’s very clever, with a fabulous kind of twisty logic applied to the character’s problems and a way of tying odd plot threads back in just when you least expect it.  It also did a great job of referencing the fairy tale world and tropes without ever hitting them too on the nose.  And of course, it was super funny!  I just…didn’t find myself connecting with it as deeply as I might have liked.  When I set it down and had walked away, the scenes didn’t stay with me.  I enjoyed the characters, but they never truly came to life for me.

But, let’s see what Apricot-kitty has to say:

“Are you sure the scenes didn’t stay with you?  One hundred percent positive that the next time you see a miniature gingerbread house, you won’t think twice before licking it?  I know that’s a scene I won’t forget, and I also really loved the twist at the end.  A cat likes to look into the darkness, and watch for what could be hiding there.”

Does that make any of you shiver, a little, or is it just me?  Cats can be a bit…uncanny, even a cat as sunny as Apricot-kitty!  Anyway, yes, she’s right, I will never look on a Gingerbread house in quite the same way again.  And in fact, that’s something else this book did really well–it kept a perfect balance between light and dark, so that readers who don’t want to have nightmares from their books could still enjoy it, but readers who aren’t wild about fluffy pink stories could dig it, too.  Truly, I think it’s the kind of book most readers would love!  I hope you guys will pick it up, and report back what you thought of it. 🙂

For more Marvelous Middle Grade Monday spotlights, reviews, interviews and giveaways, stop by Shannon Messenger’s blog, and happy reading!

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