Reviews – Page 23 – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews Powerful by Lauren Roberts

Last year Marshmallow reviewed Powerless and Reckless by Lauren Roberts, the first two books of her Powerless trilogy. As we are getting ready for the release of the third book in the series, she finally decided to take a look at Powerful, a book published in 2024, which is set in the same world as the books of the trilogy, and placed in between the first two books chronologically.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked Lauren Roberts’ previous books or enjoy ‘romantasy’ novellas, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Adena is a seamstress. She and Paedyn found each other whilst living—or trying to continue to do so—in the slums of Ilya. (Both Adena and Paedyn are from Powerless, so readers should probably have read that book before diving into this one.) Since then, they’ve been inseparable. Lauren Roberts’ previous books centered on Paedyn but, in this novella, Adena and Mak are the main characters. Mak is a new addition to the world of the Powerless series. He shows up in this book only (so far), but many fans of the book hope he will make an appearance in the main trilogy. During the main books, Paedyn gets selected to compete in the Trials so Adena is left alone in the slums. Before, Paedyn—an adept thief—would steal food for the both of them, while Adena sold her skilled handiwork. As a result of this arrangement, Adena is unable to procure food alone. So when Mak needs help (and offers to feed her in return), she cautiously accepts. Like Paedyn, Hera who is a person very dear to Mak was also chosen for the Trials. Mak wants Adena’s help in making a guard uniform so he can sneak into the king’s castle and say goodbye to her. He and Adena become allies with a shared goal. Buuuuttt, as expected, they start sharing more than just goals…namely, feelings—the romantic kind. Apparently, their dynamic is regarded as a classic trope: the grumpy sunshine trope. I’m not too into romance, but this was well-executed. Adena is somehow the sweetest person, despite having had to grow up in the slums. Mak is sarcastic, harsh, and (in my opinion) a little too mean to her. But over time, they start to warm to one another and find that they can share things with each other that they haven’t with anyone else. But as the Trials draw to an end, readers of the Powerless series will know, so is Adena.

Marshmallow is reading Powerful by Lauren Roberts. — Marshmallow is reading *Powerful* by Lauren Roberts.

Marshmallow’s Review: This book, along with the Hunger Games trilogy, is one of the few books that have ever made me cry so hard. 🚨🚨🚨 MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT 🚨🚨🚨 In the main Powerless series, we saw Adena die, but I was in no way, shape, or form prepared for this to be so impactful. Caramel actually read this book before me and said it was really sad. But he must have a higher tolerance because this book made me contemplate how cruel the world is, that of Ilya and our own. This was a heart-shattering novella. Adena’s death in this book was much more impactful, partly because we saw her more. It shows that getting to know someone impacts how much empathy you have for them. I think books like these are necessary so we understand how human everyone is, even if you’re from different places with different beliefs. Even if you’re a bunny. Everyone deserves empathy, even if they’re not as pure and kind as Adena. I would definitely recommend this to everyone, because (like The Hunger Games and A Tale of Two Cities) I think this book has really made me think about what kind of bunny I want to be, how I want to act, how I want to live my life, and how I want to make the world a better place for all bunnies.

But this was such an emotionally devastating experience that I would not recommend it to children younger than fourteen. There is some romantic tension throughout, but it doesn’t culminate into anything too inappropriate. There is passionate kissing but nothing at the level of the Me series (which in my opinion, was a little too much). The ending is also very graphic and disturbing. Psychologically and philosophically, I found this to be a very disturbing book. This definitely made me think a lot about how humans can be cruel in ways I literally cannot seem to find words for. Again, I would not give this to a child younger than fourteen, unless they’re able to think about and comprehend the moral and emotional implications. Even without thinking about how this reflects on our world, I think this book is an amazing work of art. Considering the meaning makes this a masterpiece that reveals what is left out in so many stories. How many times has the extra who got killed off in season one gotten a story? Adena was more than that for the series, but this book pays homage to all those people who were an afterthought in the plot.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Powerful by Lauren Roberts 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Powerful* by Lauren Roberts 100%.

Caramel reviews The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee

Today Caramel reviews The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum, written by Lisa Yee. First published in 2024, The Misfits is illustrated by Dan Santat. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum, written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat. — Caramel reviews *The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum*, written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat.

Sprinkles: Caramel, today we are talking about The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum. So tell me a bit about it.

Caramel: This book is about a group of kids that are slightly weird, but not that weird, they’re somewhere in the middle.

S: What do you mean?

C: They are scarily smart, but kind of not the smartest when it comes to social things.

S: I see. Okay, and given the title, I am thinking they feel like they do not fit in with the regular kids.

C: Yeah, they are a little different.

S: Okay, so they are a group of kids who are different. And are they now in a new school for different kids like themselves? Kind of like Harry Potter going to Hogwarts?

C: A little, Yes, so they are in this new school for other kids like themselves. And then they get into some unintentional trouble with an enemy that steals some very important gem. Then they are gathered together by some special teachers who train them as an anti-espionage and spy squad so that they can find the one who stole the gem.

S: Wow! When you first started telling me about them, I thought maybe this book was kind of like The Unteachables by Gordon Korman, which Marshmallow reviewed a while back. But then you are telling me makes me think more about another book you reviewed yourself: N.E.R.D.S. by Michale Buckley.

C: Yep. And also all the Spy School books! And you know how much I love the Spy School books!

S: Yes, yes, I do.

Caramel is reading The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum, written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat. — Caramel is reading *The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum*, written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat.

S: So all of that bodes well for this book, I am guessing.

C: Yep! If I was Marshmallow, I would rate it 99% or 100%.

S: Okay, I am so glad you enjoyed this book. But tell me, what did you think of the illustrations?

C: I liked them! They were very sketchbook-y, which I love!

S: They are drawn by Dan Santat! And you have already read and reviewed so many books by him! The Cookie Fiasco and Harold and Hog Pretend for Real! and The Aquanaut. You also reviewed Drawn Together, which was written by Minh Le and drawn by Dan Santat. That was a picture book but it was also a joint project, a collaboration between two people, like this book you are reviewing now.

C: Well, for some reason I had not noticed that! But it sure explains why I loved these drawings so much!

S: I think it does, too. Santat does have a particular style. His drawings look simple but they are very expressive.

C: Yep.

S: So maybe this is a good place to wrap up this review. Would you recommend this book to other young bunnies?

C: Yes, I definitely would. It is a lot of fun to read. But also, everyone feels like they don’t belong sometimes, and then you read this book and feel that you are not alone. A lot of other people feel alone, too. And maybe one day you,too, will find your squad.

S: True words Caramel! Okay, let us end here then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum, written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat and recommends it to all young bunnies, especially those who sometimes feel like they just do not fit. — Caramel loved reading *The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum*, written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat and recommends it to all young bunnies, especially those who sometimes feel like they just do not fit.

Marshmallow reviews There’s A Hair In My Dirt! A Worm’s Story by Gary Larson

Today Marshmallow is reviewing There’s A Hair In My Dirt! A Worm’s Story by Gary Larson, first published in 1998. A fan of Larson’s The Far Side, Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, tell us a bit about what you thought when you first saw this book.

Marshmallow: I felt very surprised that Gary Larson had written a children’s book. I really like his Far Side comics, and we have a collection of them at home –and maybe we should review them some time!

S: Yes, maybe we should some day. But you are right. Larson is most well-known for his Far Side cartoons. But then you read this book and realized that maybe it is not quite a children’s book, right?

M: Nope. Do not have your children read this book!

S: Wait! Really? I mean, it is a bit rough for younger bunnies, and it is quite long for them, too, at 64 page, but older bunnies like yourself can appreciate it, I thought.

M: Yeah, I guess so. But it is kind of dark and even morbid. Then again, it is kind of a fable, with some underlying messages, which are thought-provoking. You are right, I guess bunnies my age and the like might appreciate the book. But I was definitely surprised and was not expecting how dark it would get.

Marshmallow is reading There's A Hair In My Dirt! A Worm's Story by Gary Larson. — Marshmallow is reading *There’s A Hair In My Dirt! A Worm’s Story* by Gary Larson.

S: Okay, so maybe we should start from the beginning and tell our readers what the book is about.

M: Sure. This book is about a little earthworm who is eating his dirt dinner in his family’s hole in the ground. And he finds a hair in his dirt and starts complaining to his earthworm parents. He hates being an earthworm, he hates living underground. He hates not having legs and having to eat dirt. And so on.

S: Totally understandable of course.

M: Of course. But then his father starts to tell him a story about a girl named Harriet. And then the rest of the book is basically Harriet’s story. Harriet lives near a forest and goes through the forest one day, seeing all sorts of animals interacting with one another, and she always has a positive outlook, thinking about Nature admiringly and yet not really comprehending what is really going on around her.

S: Yes, the foreword for the book is written by the famous biologist Edward O. Wilson and he writes “The maiden, as you will see as the narrative unfolds, might have enjoyed her saunter better if she understood.”

M: And it is not just a matter of enjoying; it costs her dearly that she does not understand. It is a little disturbing actually, because Harriet loves Nature, or what she thinks it is. And she wants to help and she is trying to be a good steward of living things, but since she does not know how things are all connected, she ends up harming the forest and herself.

S: This reminds me of this song “We Are All Connected” which some people made by putting together a few words from four outstanding science communicators:

M: Yeah, I like that song!

S: But let us not go further into the story because I think we might be getting too close to giving away some of the plot. Tell me, Marshmallow, what did you think about the illustrations?

M: It is in full color, and obviously it is Gary Larson, so all characters are distinctive, and they have very evocative expressions. It is very amusing to study them actually. The topic is complicated and nuanced, that we are all connected, and that, as Edward O. Wilson puts it, “Life is tough!” But Gary Larson’s drawings are often hilarious and you can’t help but laugh on almost every single page. Or raise your eyebrows in a shocked and yet amused manner. The mother earthworm is wearing those cat-eye glasses!

S: I know, right? Each page is itself a Far Side comic, almost. But they are all telling a coherent story, and it is an important one.

M: I agree. I do not really love the last page, but I agree. The message is important. And no, if you get a hold of this book, please do not just turn it to the last page to see what I mean! It will work much better if you read the book in the proper way.

S: And I agree with you, Marshmallow. This is a thought provoking book, not as light reading as one might imagine, but definitely amusing to look at, too. So maybe this is a good place to wrap up our review. What do you think?

M: Sure. Let’s.

S: What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates There's A Hair In My Dirt! A Worm's Story by Gary Larson 100%. — Marshmallow rates *There’s A Hair In My Dirt! A Worm’s Story* by Gary Larson 100%.

Caramel reviews The Giver by Lois Lowry

Today Caramel reviews a book he read in school: The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Published originally in 1993, the book has already become a classic, read by many students across the United States; it has also won the Newberry Medal in 1994. Sprinkles, who has not had the chance to read the book yet, is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about The Giver, a book you have read and discussed in school over the course of a few weeks.

Caramel: Yup.

S: So let us start at the beginning. Can you tell our readers what the book is about?

C: Yes, sure. This book is about Jonas, a boy that lives in a community that controls the lives of those that live in the community.

S: I see. In what ways are they controlled? Can you give some examples?

C: They are not able to decide who they marry or choose their jobs. Even their death is controlled! The leaders get to choose who dies and when. They also choose the names of the newborn children. So the world of those who live in the community is very controlled, and they basically have no choice in anything.

S: Oh my goodness! When you first began with people not getting to choose who they marry or what their jobs should be, I was going to say that that has been the case in many societies throughout history, but then things got even more and more restrictive. No wonder this book is classified as a dystopian novel. Which according to my trusty dictionary means “an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice.”

C: Yup, it sure does make sense, doesn’t it? But there is more. The people are also taking drugs to not have any emotions. Color is also taken from their lives, so at least they are not racist. But seriously, they are supposedly doing all this so everyone is equal, but it is pretty depressing.

S: Wow! That is really disturbing. Marshmallow had read and reviewed Brave New World where the people also had access to a drug called soma but there the drug was to just make them not feel bad things. That was also bad, of course, and it numbed them and made them more complacent, but forcing people not to have any emotions, and not to even see color, sounds really terrible.

C: This is kind of a next level of control from Brave New World, even Nineteen Eighty-Four, I think. I mean I have not yet read those books, but from what Marshmallow wrote in her reviews, I have got a pretty good idea of what is going on.

S: Well, it seems you did understand them well enough. And of course you should read them at some point, too. But you are making a good comparison, Caramel. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, maybe there they do not mess with feelings in the same way; rather they break people who have attachments to other people and make them love the Big Brother only.

C: In The Giver, too, they have a Big Brother-like leadership group. So for example, if you speak out against them once, you are “released.” Or injected with a deadly poison. The same happens with twins: one is kept, and the other is killed.

Caramel is reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. — Caramel is reading *The Giver* by Lois Lowry.

S: Alright so in this dystopian world, what is going on? You told us the setting. Now tell us the plot, the events.

C: Sure. So in the beginning, Jonas, the main character, starts to notice some weird things, For example, he starts to see some color. Like he has an apple and it for a moment becomes red. And then his friend Fiona is in color, too. But remember they could not see color before.

S: It must be shocking to start seeing things in color if you had never seen color before. I remember the first color TV I saw, and I was so excited. But I could at least see color outside a TV screen before.

C: Yep, it made him think that he was going crazy.

S: I bet! So then he starts asking questions and trying to understand what is going on with him and with his community and learns some really big secrets?

C: Hey, I was just going to say that! You stole my line Sprinkles.

S: Well, I have read my fair share of dystopian novels.

C: That is probably true. I have not read as many books as you.

S: Well, you are still a very little bunny. And so you have many years to catch up. I bet you will catch up and pass me in just a few years…

C: Maybe, just maybe.

S: Anyways, so what did you think? Did you enjoy reading this book?

C: Yep, it was a good book, except for chapters 11-13. I thought those were a bit too mushy, so I only skimmed through them. I am not sure I missed much.

S: I am guessing you are using mushy the same way Marshmallow uses it so some close romantic relationships were involved?

C; Yeah, but it really did get a bit too mushy for me.

S: Okay, I understand. So I would expect that there was some character development and such in those sections, so you probably did miss some things like that. But that’s alright. About the main setting and the story though, did things feel a bit too tense for you while you were reading it? Too depressing? It feels like it is a really oppressive world.

C: Yeah, it is really oppressive. So I did not enjoy it like fun and games because it is about a very harsh world, but the story is very interesting, so I kept on reading. Also I had to read it. It was for school, remember?

S: Yes, true that. But for example, do you think I should read the book, too? Do you think other young bunnies should read it?

C: It is probably better suited, I suppose, for those bunnies that are not too young, but somewhere in the tweens or teens, everyone over ten or something should find it an interesting book, too. So yes, Sprinkles, you should definitely read it!

S: Hmm, my last dystopian novels were the Hunger Games books that I read after Marshmallow recommended them. I guess I should look into this one, too. Did you know that there are apparently three other books from the same author that take place in the same world as The Giver? Do you think we should look into getting a copy of one of those for you?

C: Maybe, but I think that this is kind of conclusive, and works really well as its own thing.

S: Oh, so no cliffhangers. That is great! And maybe you can take a break and look at some other worlds and stories for a bit.

C: I’d like that. Maybe I will get to read a totally different type of book next week. We might at some point come back and revisit Jonas’s world though. I could like that, too.

S: Sounds good. This might be a good place to wrap up this review Caramel. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel has enjoyed reading The Giver by Lois Lowry and is curious about the other books its author wrote as sequels. — Caramel has enjoyed reading *The Giver* by Lois Lowry and is curious about the other books its author wrote as sequels.