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Marshmallow reviews Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Today Marshmallow reviews a brand new book, Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery , written by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo and published in 2024.

The book bunnies are delighted to be reviewing this book as part of a Blog Tour for Murder by Milkshake organized by WOW! Women On Writing.

Marshmallow reviews Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. — Marshmallow reviews *Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery* by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like mystery books about unexpected detectives and murders, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Genevieve Winterland’s passion is bringing joy to others through her job working at her father’s Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour in Pinewood, Arizona. As a high school senior approaching graduation, she already knows that she wants to spend her life as a business owner (getting a business degree through online courses), continuing the shop her father created. However, her father doesn’t want her to make any hasty decisions, especially since he worries he has influenced them too much. Wishing that she explores the world outside of Pinewood, he convinces her to apply to colleges that require her to leave her hometown. But before any of this can come to fruition, there is plenty of learning to do before graduation.

At school (before Genevieve’s shift starts), drama about a teaching position unfolds. The economy teacher Mr. Garcia is fired for violence against a student, and popular substitute teacher Miss Love is hired to fill in. However (through methods of borderline espionage), Genevieve learns that Miss Love is receiving death threats. Soon after this discovery, Miss Love goes missing and is replaced by the extremely unpopular substitute, Ms. Pierce. Ms. Pierce says a couple suspicious things that raise Genevieve’s interest, and after some investigation, Genevieve becomes convinced that Ms. Pierce must have been the one sending the death threats.

Meanwhile, a string of robberies have been shaking Pinewood residents’ sense of security and safety in this small town. So to protect Genevieve while she works, her father hires a second worker during her shift. This worker, Tyler, is moody, quick to anger, and clearly doesn’t want to work at Sweet Dreams. After a bizarre reaction to a comment, Tyler becomes a object of suspicion for Genevieve.

With her best friend Brandon (whose family owns the Hidden Treasures Bookshop across the street from Sweet Dreams) and Butterscotch (an abandoned dog whom Brandon’s family has temporarily taken in), Genevieve is determined to find out why and where Miss Love is and why Ms. Pierce is (supposedly) sending the death threats. However, soon a shocking death shakes up her deconstruction of the whole mystery and the town of Pinewood. Genevieve must uncover the truth before it’s too late. (Dun dun dun!!!)

Marshmallow is reading Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. — Marshmallow is reading *Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery* by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo.

Marshmallow’s Review: This book is difficult to place in terms of mystery genre. Some might say it is a cozy mystery (which I just learned is a genre), and it does have most of the elements of that type. As far as I understand, this genre is supposed to be soft and sweet. However, I wouldn’t let this book’s soft and sweet setting fool you into thinking that it is not a serious mystery. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and I definitely didn’t see most of them coming. The characters are all deeply developed, and the cutesy aspects of the book (which I really liked) should not make you underestimate the complexity of the full plot. I originally thought the murder would be pretty open-and-shut and was surprised that there was a ton of pages afterwards. However, the twists kept coming, and I am quite satisfied with the ending. While I originally may have thought this was a simpler story, the “softness” of the story setting and other aspects made the mystery much more startling and intriguing. I look forward to reading the next book of this series!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Murder by Milkshake: A Sweet Dreams Mystery* by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo 100%.

Caramel reviews Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

Earlier this year Caramel reviewed the graphic novel version of Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia. A few weeks later he sat down and read the original book and reviewed it for the book bunnies blog. Today he is talking about the second book in the series, Tristan Strong Destroys the World, first published in 2020. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I remember you read and really enjoyed Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. This is a sequel of sorts, right? Can you tell us the main story?

Caramel: I can, yes; the question is: will I?

S: Okay, I can see you are going to be a bit cheeky today.

C: Yes.

S: Alright, cheeky is fine but we do have a review to post. So please tell me a bit about the book.

C: Okay. This book is about Tristan Strong, who was the main character in the first book. He is still in Alabama, living with his grandparents. In the first book he punched a hole in the sky and traveled into a world of magic and myth called Alke. In this book his grandma gets kidnapped in the real world. So Tristan goes to this other world to get help.

S: Is the kidnapping related to Tristan’s actions in this other world?

C: Yes. A bad creature from that other world is the one who kidnaps the grandma. So Tristan Strong asks for help from Gum Baby.

S: I remember you said Gum Baby was really annoying.

C: She is a little, yeah, but she is now a good friend to Tristan. So there is that.

S: I see. So do we meet any new mythological characters?

C: Yes, one particular one, but I can’t tell you.

S: Why? Because he is the villain?

C: I can neither confirm nor deny. I retain the right to remain silent.

S: Hmm, that sounds suspicious, but I will not push you further in this direction.

C: Don’t.

Caramel is reading Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia. — Caramel is reading *Tristan Strong Destroys the World* by Kwame Mbalia.

S: Okay, then. What else will you tell us about the book?

C: It is again a very long book. It has 390 pages!

S: That is a long book, especially for a little bunny like you!

C: But it is very exciting so I read it very fast.

S: Oh that sounds good!

C: Yes. I think the book is very good. I especially like Tristan Strong. He is funny. And he likes his grandma a lot. I like my grandmas a lot too. I have two!

S: Yes, you are lucky that way! So do we get to meet the grandma before or after she is kidnapped?

C: Both. But I won’t say too much more so I do not spoil things.

S: Well, I imagine Tristan Strong and Gum Baby will save the grandma, but maybe it is okay if you do not say it explicitly.

C: Thank you.

S: Alright. What else do you want to tell us?

C: I really liked the book. But it ends with a cliffhanger again! So now I have to read the third book.

S: I see. But is the main story of the book tied up well enough at least?

C: Yes.

S: So if you were to describe the book in three to five words, what would you say?

C: Fun, fast-paced read about an adventure full of myth and legend.

S: Hmm, I think that is quite a few words more than I asked for, but that is alright. So let us wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia and is curious about what Tristan will do next. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Tristan Strong Destroys the World* by Kwame Mbalia and is curious about what Tristan will do next.

Caramel reviews I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li

For his first review for the new season, Caramel chose a beautiful picture book, I Lived Inside A Whale by Xin Li, first published in 2024 and promptly awarded the Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Award. As always, Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, we are back! You found a neat book to talk about today. Tell us a bit about I Lived Inside a Whale.

Caramel: It is about a girl; we don’t know her name. But she finds the world too noisy. And so she makes a boat and goes into the ocean and finds a great blue whale and starts to live inside it.

S: Wait, so she wants to be alone and so she gets herself swallowed up by a whale?

C: Yes, kind of. But it is not a violent swallowing. She learns that the heart of a whale is huge so the inside of the whale must be large enough for her to live on her own. So she goes into one.

S: That is kind of fantastical.

C: Yes. Like in a fantasy, you mean, right?

S: Yes. I mean it is not really believable.

C: Sprinkles, this is just a story. So weird things happen. But the point is she finds peace and quiet inside the whale. Until a boy comes in.

S: Wait, so the whale swallows another child, whole?

C: Yes. And the boy is not very quiet at first. But he listens to the girl and leaves her be for a bit so when she feels comfortable she can talk to him.

S: I see. This seeking out a quiet place reminds me of a book you reviewed before.

C: Which one are you thinking of?

S: I was thinking of Albert’s Quiet Quest.

C: Oh, yes. It has been a long time since then, but you are right. The boy in that story also wanted to be in a quiet place to read, and his home and his friends were all too loud.

Caramel is reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li. — Caramel is reading *I Lived Inside a Whale* by Xin Li.

S: So what do you think the main point of this book is?

C: I don’t know, but I think one of the points is about how some bunnies want to be quiet and want space for themselves, and we should give them that space.

S: Yes, I can see how you would get that from how the little boy understands the little girl’s need for quiet and then how the two of them end up getting along so well.

C: Yes. And she tells stories, many many stories. So maybe when she has the space and quiet to think and so on, she can also speak up and say important and interesting things.

S: I can see that. So we should provide space for everyone to have a chance to contribute, for them to tell their stories.

C: Yes.

S: That is so sweet, Caramel! I also loved the color scheme and the drawings in this book. What did you think?

C: I liked it too. There is a lot of color. It is a very colorful book.

S: I think a lot of little bunnies could read this with their big bunnies and they would enjoy it a lot.

C: Yep, I agree. Maybe we can read it together.

S: Would be nice Caramel! So let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: The book bunnies are back! Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading I Lived Inside a Whale by Xin Li and recommends it to all young bunnies who need a bit of quiet sometimes. — Caramel loved reading *I Lived Inside a Whale* by Xin Li and recommends it to all young bunnies who need a bit of quiet sometimes.

Marshmallow reviews Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Marshmallow has already reviewed the first two books of the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Today she reviews the third and last book: Mockingjay, first published in 2010. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

(Marshmallow wants to warn readers that there may be some spoilers in what follows.)

Marshmallow reviews Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. — Marshmallow reviews *Mockingjay* by Suzanne Collins.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, as your first post post-summer break, you chose to tell us a bit about Mockingjay. Let’s get started.

Marshmallow: Sure. Mockingjay is the third and final book in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series. And I think it wraps up the story really realistically. It does not simplify or dismiss the bloodiness and complications of revolutions.

S: Okay, let us step back. So being the third book in a series, readers should probably have read the first two books, right?

M: Yes. So they should definitely have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. The story begins more or less when the second book ends. So Katniss Everdeen is the champion of District 12 in the seventy-fourth Hunger Games at the end of the first book, and then in the second book, she is forced to take part in the seventy-fifth one. And she and Peeta, her partner from District 12, survive that game too. But at the end of the second book, we are kind of left at a cliffhanger, because it seems that Katniss is taken by rebels, and Peeta is taken by the forces from the Capitol. So when the third book starts, Katniss is with the rebels from District 13. Oh, we should say there may be some spoilers here.

S: Okay, I will add a note to the beginning of the post about that. So wait, District 13. Wasn’t that destroyed in the rebellion against the Capitol seventy-five years ago, before the Games began?

M: So that is what everyone thought, but in reality they had survived and they went underground. Literally they began to live under the ground, and they are pretty strong because they have nuclear power. And they support the rebels. So Katniss learns about all this at the very end of the second book.

S: I see.

M: Then this book is about the rebels trying to take down the Capitol and President Snow, while Katniss has a lot of mixed feelings about being involved.

S: How come?

M: Well, she has suffered a lot of trauma, her entire District was destroyed, and she is seriously injured. She has healed but has many permanent scars, physical and emotional. Also Peeta is in the hands of the Capitol, and she is scared of how they might be torturing him.

S: I see.

Marshmallow is reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. — Marshmallow is reading *Mockingjay* by Suzanne Collins.

S: So the narrative is still first person, right? We still see the world and the events through Katniss’ eyes?

M: Yes. And that was one of the reasons why the book shook me so much. The reader is going through all the emotional stuff together with Katniss.

S: I know. I saw how shaken you were by the end of the book.

M: Yes. Even though in some ways the end can be called a happy end, I was very unsettled about everything. Because Collins, the author, does not spare any details. She makes things so realistic. Both sides do terrible things, and there is really no winner. Lots of losers, but even those one could say won have so many permanent scars inside and out…

S: I understand. So all in all, it was a very powerful read it seems like.

M: Yes, I was emotionally very moved. The series, I think, is very important for all bunnies to read, at some point, because it shows how horrific all human suffering is and how violence is never, should never, be the answer. And it also shows how trauma, pain, and violence can shape others to become like the ones who hurt them.

S: Those are some tough lessons Marshmallow. I am guessing you think this book is not very suitable for very young bunnies.

M: I don’t know. I have friends who read this when they were twelve and they loved it. But personally I was affected very strongly by this book, and I think that maybe it is better suited to older bunnies than twelve.

S: That makes sense to me. It is also possible that people of different ages can read the book at different levels. But all in all, did you like this book as the end of the series? Having read all three, are you going to recommend people to do so themselves?

M: Yes. I definitely think so. I’d rate Mockingjay 100%, but also I think this whole series is very important. Not just a good book series to read, but as I said before, it is important for young people to be aware of the horrors of war, violence, human suffering.

S: Thank you, that works for me. So let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: We are back! And stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Mockingjay* by Suzanne Collins 100%.