Book Bunnies

Caramel reviews Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile by Mike Maihack

Today Caramel reviews the sixth and last book in Mike Maihack’s graphic novel series Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

(Caramel already reviewed the first book Target Practice, the second book The Thief and the Sword, the third book Secret of the Time Tablets, the fourth book The Golden Lion, and the fifth book Fallen Empire in the series.)

Caramel reviews Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile by Mike Maihack. — Caramel reviews *Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile* by Mike Maihack.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, end of an era, you finally read the last book in the Cleopatra in Space series.

Caramel: Yes.

S: So tell us about it.

C: Queen of the Nile is the name of the book. It’s about Cleo learning that her mom was able to do the pink fire thingy. I’m not sure what it is exactly. But what it means is that everyone in her family who could do that thing could be the person to fulfill the prophecy.

S: Ooh, so can you remind us what the prophecy was?

C: She is supposed to save the galaxy from the evil rule of Xaius Octavian. But now we learn that all her descendants and ancestors could also be the savior. And in the end that is kind of what happens.

S: Hmm, that is not terribly clear, and I’m intrigued. But I am not going to ask you to open it up too much more because I’m afraid it will lead us to spoilers.

C: Yes, but you can feel good that the books end well.

S: That is good to know. And does Cleo eventually go back to her own time?

C: Yes, but all I’ll tell you is that she will go back when she defeats her enemy. And people think she dies in the battle, but then they look at their history books. And the rest is history, as they say.

Caramel is reading Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile by Mike Maihack. — Caramel is reading *Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile* by Mike Maihack.

S: So you enjoyed this last book, right?

C: Yes. a lot. It wrapped up the story really well. But I’m still wondering if there will be a seventh book.

S: Well, this one is supposed to be the last of the series. But as far as I understand, the animated TV series has gone to a third season. Apparently they do not follow the books very closely but you get to see Cleo and her friends figuring things out.

C: I liked the episodes we watched. Maybe I can convince you to watch more of them?

S: Hmm, we will see. So tell me your three words to describe this book.

C: Colorful, exciting, and suspenseful!

S: Ooh, that is good! So interesting things happen in this one!

C: Yes! Very much so. Lots of action and lots of things happen. It is over two hundred pages of action and fun!

S: That sounds good! So will you be reading and rereading this book, too?

C: Yep, I already read it ten times! Or maybe thirteen, not sure.

S: That is a lot. Both you and Marshmallow like rereading books! Okay, I can see you are getting into the book again, and will likely dive into your fourteenth read. So let us wrap this up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile by Mike Maihack and will miss the characters from the series. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Cleopatra in Space: Queen of the Nile* by Mike Maihack and will miss the characters from the series.

Marshmallow reviews Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has read and reviewed a large number of books by Rick Riordan already. Most recently she began reading the Magnus Chase series. Today she shares her thoughts on the first book of this series: The Sword of Summer.

(Marshmallow reviewed three books from Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; check out her reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse. Caramel reviewed the graphic novel versions of the same three. See his reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse.

Marshmallow also reviewed all five books of Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades, and The Blood of Olympus.

She also reviewed all five books of the Trials of Apollo series: The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze, The Tyrant’s Tomb, and The Tower of Nero.

You might also like to check out Marshmallow’s reviews of Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes, and The Demigod Diaries.)

Marshmallow reviews Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow reviews *Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer* by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like reading about mythology and/or have enjoyed some of Rick Riordan’s previous books, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Magnus Chase (the cousin of Annabeth Chase, one of my favorite characters from Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) finally goes to his uncle Randolph’s house. His whole life his mother told him not to. She tried to distance herself from Randolph.

The book starts two years after the death of Magnus Chase’s mother. Magnus has been living on the streets because he doesn’t want to go to his uncle. But then he sees his other uncle and his cousin Annabeth looking for him. They were sent by Randolph to look for Magnus. Magnus breaks into Randolph’s house to find the reason why. He meets Randolph, and this uncle his mother told him to avoid at all costs tells him remarkable things.

According to Randolph, the Norse gods are real, and Magnus is descended from one of them. (Sound familiar? Yes, so in the vein of the previous Riordan series, we are again thinking of ancient myths; this time, though, the mythology we are diving into is the Norse one.)

Marshmallow is reading Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer* by Rick Riordan.

Randolph drives Magnus to Longfellow Bridge and tells him that he needs to retrieve a sword from the bottom of the bay, a sword that belonged to Magnus’s father. Magnus retrieves the sword, and just in time. A fire giant appears on the bridge and starts to destroy it. Magnus attacks the giant, whose name is Surt, and is mortally wounded. Big spoiler alert! Magnus dies, though he takes Surt down with him.

Magnus wakes up in a hotel: Hotel Valhalla. He learns that this is the place where the einherjar, the chosen warriors of Odin, wait for Ragnarök, the final battle in which the gods will die and all nine of the Norse worlds will end. Magnus is brought to the hotel by Samirah Al-Abbas, better known as Sam. Sam is a Valkyrie whose job is to bring the honorable dead to Valhalla.

However, Magnus cannot stay in Valhalla for long. His two friends, Blitzen and Hearthstone, who lived on the street with him appear and tell him that they are actually a dwarf and an elf, respectively. They convince him to leave Hotel Valhalla and they set out. Magnus and his friends must retrieve the sword he had found in the harbor. When he plummeted from the bridge with Surt, he had lost the sword.

When the trio retrieve the sword, they find out that there is a much larger problem going on. But I can’t tell what it is, you have to read the book!

Marshmallow’s Review: The Sword of Summer is a great book. It has the same humor and magic as Riordan’s other books. I thought that all of the characters are likable and maybe relatable at some level, though their lives are so different from the general population’s.

I thought the plot was well written. Also I found this book to be a great entry point into the nine worlds of Norse mythology. I had not read much about Norse mythology before so the whole context was new and it was quite exciting to learn.

I admit that I hesitated a while before diving into the Magnus Chase series. I have really loved the stories of the Greek demigods in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Roman demigods in the Heroes of Olympus series. I was not ready to let them go and dive into a new world and get immersed in the adventures of a totally new set of characters. I was skeptical that I could enjoy them as much. But The Sword of Summer was just as exciting and just as captivating as the other Riordan books, and I can’t wait to read and tell you about the rest of the books in the series.

I recommend this book highly to younger readers and older ones alike. I know for example that Sprinkles will love it.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer* by Rick Riordan 100%.

Caramel reviews The Brightest Night (Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes

Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of The Brightest Night (Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

Caramel has already reviewed the graphic novel versions of the first four books of Tui Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series; below he shares his thoughts on the fifth book in the series, published recently as a graphic novel: The Brightest Night. As in the first four graphic novelizations, this book is adapted by Barry Deutsch and Rachel Swirsky, art work is by Mike Holmes, color is by Maarta Laiho.

In the following Sprinkles is taking notes and is asking questions.

You might like to check out Caramel’s reviews of The Dragonet Prophecy, The Lost Heir, The Hidden Kingdom, and The Dark Secret before moving forward.

Caramel reviews The Brightest Night (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel reviews *The Brightest Night* (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

Sprinkles: Okay, Caramel. You finally got your paws on the fifth graphic novel based on the Wings of Fire series.

Caramel: Yup. I had told you I was waiting for it for a while when we were talking about the original version of the Dragonet Prophecy.

S: So was it all that you hoped for?

C: Yup. This is the fifth and last book of the prophecy series. So that was cool! Sunny found her mom and dad, and a lot of things are now clear.

S: Tell me about that. So does the prophecy story tie up well?

C: Yes. All the dragonets are well and things are all tied up well. They even set up a school at Jade Mountain.

S: So the five books tell a good story all together, right?

C: Yes.

S: Now that you read all five as graphic novels, will you go back and read the original five as well?

C: I am more curious about the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth books!

S: Hmm, maybe you should read the original books before we dive into the full series?

C: It is so hard to wait though…

S: Okay, we can talk about that later. For now, tell me if the author leaves any doors open for the following books.

C: Yes. I think the next five books are about Jade Mountain.

S: Hmm, I see. Wikipedia tells us that the second story arc is called the Jade Mountain Prophecy.

C: Yes, I want to read those too!

Caramel is reading The Brightest Night (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. — Caramel is reading *The Brightest Night* (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes.

S: Okay, so then we an conclude that you liked this fifth book.

C: Yes.

S: So what three words would you use to describe it?

C: Colorful, exciting, and NightWings. Those are all over the place in this book.

S: Okay, I guess we can accept that. So who is your favorite character in the book?

C: Well, I like all of them. Thorn, Sunny, Clay, Tsunami, Glory, and Peril. All the main dragons. And Starflight. He is also a main character, and I like him too.

S: Hmm, so that is not being too selective.

C: Well, I do like all of them. They are all so interesting!

S: Okay, then. I guess we will let that be. And probably this is a good place to wrap things up. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading The Brightest Night (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. He might now need to go back to the original books to satisfy his curiosity about what is next. — Caramel enjoyed reading *The Brightest Night* (the graphic novel version of Book Five of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes. He might now need to go back to the original books to satisfy his curiosity about what is next.

Marshmallow reviews Sheets by Brenna Thummler

Today Marshmallow reviews the 2018 graphic novel Sheets by Brenna Thummler.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about ghosts and friendship, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Marjorie Glatt has a lot of problems in her life. She has to run her deceased mother’s laundromat to support her brother and father, she has to deal with mean kids at school, and she has to battle Mr. Saubertuck, a rude man who is trying to take Marj’s laundromat and convert it into his yoga spa. Mr. Saubertuck sabotages her laundromat, making her lose her customers and their trust. And school isn’t much better. She doesn’t have any friends and one girl in particular, Tessi, is very mean to her.

However, her life is about to change when Wendell arrives. Wendell is a ghost who escaped from the land of the dead. For Wendell, the laundromat is a playground compared to the dreary Land of the Dead. However, Wendell gets a little carried away and starts to hurt Marj’s business. He makes a blanket fort with the sheets Marj just washed for her customers. They get dirty again and it makes Marj look both bad and like a liar when she tells her customers that it was the wind. At this point , Marj doesn’t know anything about ghosts, but she gets suspicious when Tessi’s dress for a recital gets dyed red. We learn that Mr. Saubertuck put red dye into the detergent to ruin Marj’s business. When Wendell tried to dispose of the dye, he spilled it accidentally on Tessi’s dress. Marj, understandably, gets upset at him.

Will Mr. Saubertuck drive Marj out of her mother’s business? And will Wendell and Marj ever be able to become friends? You need to read to find out!

Marshmallow is reading Sheets by Brenna Thummler. — Marshmallow is reading *Sheets* by Brenna Thummler.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that Sheets is a very interesting book. The author Brenna Thummler has created a very unique book and it was definitely a fun read. I liked how the author created two very interesting worlds; both the Land of the Dead and the real world were both realistic but had a touch of fantasy and fiction.

Sheets is a graphic novel which made it very easy to read and also showed me what the characters and their world look like. I think that the author’s portrayal of Mr. Saubertuck made him a very dislikeable character. He is self-centered and presumptuous. I felt really sympathetic toward Marj when he kept saying stuff like, “I won’t be paying you. Your family will have a room in my extravagant five-star spa and yoga resort, remember?” (Keep in mind, his “extravagant five-star spa and yoga resort” hasn’t even been established yet.)

I felt really sad for Wendell because he is a small child who, we learn, died at the young age of eleven. He is immature, playful, and not ready to face death. He makes up stories about how he died which he tells to the other ghosts in the Land of the Dead. We don’t learn how he really died until Marj looks it up on the Internet. I felt sad that Wendell died, especially after we learned that Marj had met him before when she was lost in a corn maze.

There is another book from this author, Brenna Thummler, called Delicates, published in 2021, which explores the friendship of Marj and Wendell further. I haven’t read it yet; I just finished Sheets this week! However, I would enjoy the chance to read about Marj and Wendell once more.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow enjoyed reading Sheets by Brenna Thummler and rates it 95%. — Marshmallow enjoyed reading *Sheets* by Brenna Thummler and rates it 95%.