Book Review: The Photographer II, The Dark Room by Barbara Steiner

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The Photographer II: The Dark Room  by Barbara Steiner is a sequel that picks up where the last book left off, and Derrick is living in a new town under an assumed name. He has opened up a photography studio and has some new tricks up his sleeve. Will he get away with murder? Typically, I find myself let down by sequels, but I have to say that Barbara Steiner out did herself because I actually ended up liking it better than the first book. It had some V.C. Andrews vibes going on, which gave it some extra oomph. Along with those vibes, it carried over some of the sci-fi elements from the original story.  I enjoyed the characters a lot better this time around and disliked Derrick even more, if that's even possible. The story was a bit more believable with the exception of the obvious sci-fi elements. If you know, you know. Five out of five stars is what I gave The Photographer II:  The Dark Room by Barbara Steiner.  Follow Us On Social Media
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Book Review: Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill

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Book Review Secret Spells Diary of an Accidental Witch #4 Perdita Cargill Honor Cargill

Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) written by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill, Illustrated by Katie Saunders is told from the perspective of eleven year old Bea via her diary entries and is about the main character and her classmates preparing for the Winter Solstice Grand Tournament, and they will be competing against a non-magical school, so no magic will be allowed! Which school will win?

A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley for giving me an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Secret Spells (Diary of an Accidental Witch, #4) by Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill and Illustrated by Katie Saunders for free in exchange for my honest review. I was intrigued by the book title and cover art and was thrilled to be approved to read this book.

This book is somewhat similar to The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy. The main character goes to a school for witches where there are some mishaps while casting some spells. Those are really the only similarities between the two books.

I liked the way the story was told in a diary entry format as I feel like this makes it easier for the target audience of six to nine year olds to read and process the storyline. It could be read as a stand alone book, but I would recommend reading the series in order just so you have the entire backstory up front.

Despite Secret Spells being a fantasy novel for children, I felt like how the characters reacted to different situations was quite believable. With that being said, the reader doesn't really get an in depth look at the characters, but I guess that's to be expected in a book for young readers. Four out of five stars.

 

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