*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Fitz has stolen money from his drug dealing boss. Fitz is also what is called a 'Chronicler', someone with the gift of hearing the voices of gods, something he's always put down to hallucinations. He learns that he the only Chronicler left and as such a hot commodity within the 'god' community. He's on the run being aided by the god of the internet in an effort to stop the ultimate bad guy gaining control of him and therefore humanity.

Urban fantasy that was a lot of fun, lots of black humour and the mythology interwoven into the plot was done well, keeping me engaged in the story in moments when the action was lighter.
Recommended.

 

Judd Winick's series continues with book 4 titled Waking the Monsters and we find ourselves back with HiLo and his friends as they continue to fight off the monsters that are being unleashed on earth by Razorwark. Two heroes are born: Comet and Star Burst. This is the book where we finally discover just exactly why Razorwark wants to destroy humanity and where all of the robots are coming from. If you've been following the series from the beginning, you'll be happy to learn that Gina finally expresses her true feelings about being a cheerleader to her mom. Eagle-eyed readers should pay special attention to the background of the illustrations for an especially funny jab at the U.S. government (unless you're a Trump supporter in which case you probably won't think it's that funny). It continues to be an action packed, humorous book about friendship and doing the right thing. Winick knows how to capture his audience's attention and keep it even when books are spread out (the next is sadly not due out until 2019). You're not even ready for the ending of this one, guys! I think the best part about reading the HiLo series is that I have quite a few kids here at the branch that are reading it right along with me. Since I'm always here I have the benefit of reading it first so when they come and check out the shelves and see it I can gush about how much they're going to like it. (Maybe I crow over reading it before them a bit but that's neither here nor there.) 10/10 for readability and 'inside' jokes + making a connection with my kids.

 

What I'm Currently Reading: The Murderer's Ape by Jakob Wegelius

 

This Book is Full of Monsters - Guido Va... This is a Book Full of Monsters is reminiscent of There is a Monster at the End of this book in general feel. However, the illustrations are much more fun (full page color and suitably gross) and the book feels more interactive. The last 3 pages (right before the diploma for being brave enough to read the book) are particularly well-done.

This is a Book Full of Monsters is a great, fun read to share with your little ones. The illustrations are great, the words are easy to read, and it’s a cute way to confront the ‘scary things’ out there or under your bed.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley for review consideration.
Read: May 4, 2017

Chicago Monsters: A Search-and-Find Book... Chicago Monsters is the next entry in the Finding Monsters series by Carine Laforest and Lucille Danis Drouot. It’s an intriguing idea – to sneakily teach kids more about famous locations under the guise of having them carefully looking for monsters hidden in the scenes. It is, indeed, an intriguing idea, but unfortunately, I wasn’t fond of the execution.

One of the biggest things that bothered me was that Chicago Monsters just abruptly ends after a beach scene. There’s no wrap up at all. Not even one of those cheesy “Congratulations, you’ve found all the monsters in Chicago” type pages. It just ends on a beach scene and that is that. I think if it had some sort of ending which officially brought things to an end, it would be a lot less jarring.

The illustrations are good. The Chicago Monsters are mostly easy to spot (as an adult at least), but there were a couple pages where I didn’t find all of them. My child successfully found all of them but one when she looked. The text included on the pages is very basic. Basically names and locations with very little other information given. This is definitely targeted at small readers and will not appeal to older children.

Disclaimer: I received a copy free from Netgalley for review consideration.