{Book Review} THE 2ND BEST HAUNTED HOTEL ON MERCER STREET

 

The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street

Standalone

Cory Putman Oakes

Middle Grade Paranormal

304 Pages

Blurb:

A family-run haunted hotel’s livelihood is threatened when a bigger haunted hotel opens nearby in this hilarious, spooky story

Twelve-year-old Willow Ivan’s family has run the Hotel Ivan for four hundred years. Through thick and thin, they’ve held on tight to their title as the Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street. That is, until the Hauntery—a corporate chain of haunted hotels—moves in down the street. As the Ivan’s business fades, so do their ghostly staff. And Willow begins to worry that The Ivan’s days are numbered.

Then Willow meets Evie, a Hauntery ghost who’s forced to play the part of a Spooky Little Girl even though she longs to be a Terrifying Phantasm. So when Willow offers her a job at The Ivan, Evie accepts—but she doesn’t tell Willow that she’s still working for The Ivan’s competition, for fear of losing her new job and friend.

Together, the girls come up with a plan to save The Ivan. But with The Ivan ghosts already fading and Evie’s secret threatening to come out, will it be too late?

My Review:

I don't read a lot of middle grade books but I couldn't resist this one after I saw it on bookstagram. I only wish I would have read it during the Halloween season.

Willow's family has run the Ivan Hotel on Mercer Street for 400 years. They've held tight to their title of best haunted hotel until The Hauntery, a corporate chain of haunted hotels moves in down the street - to a Victorian mansion that Willow swears wasn't there before. On top of that, the Ivan has seen better days, Willow's dad is locked in grief after the death of Willow's mother, and some of their resident ghosts are starting to fade and move on. Willow has to think of something before the Ivan is put out of business.

Enter Evie. Evie is a Hauntery ghost stuck forever in the role of "spooky little girl" even though she dreams of being a "terrifying phantasm." When she meets Willow she sees her chance to achieve her dream and help Willow in the process. But The Hauntery has driven other family-run establishments out of business in the past and it won't play fair in the battle of the haunted hotels. 

I loved everything about this book. It was interesting to see world-building where ghosts were the norm and even an essential part of big corporate industry. This book was cute, interesting, and shockingly emotional. Picture me, a 28-year-old woman tearing up over several of the ghosts Moving On. I was a blubbering mess! 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Blurb:

Her story is a phenomenon. Her life is a disaster.

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

My Review:

This book was, in a word, perfect! 

Eliza is the creator of the insanely popular webcomic, Monstrous Sea but her parents don't understand why she'd rather spend all of her time working on her "hobby" and talking to people online than being out in the world and doing athletic things like her two younger brothers. At school, Eliza is the "weird girl" who never talks. 

That is until Wallace Warland transfers to her school and she stands up for him when two of their classmates are picking on him. It turns out Wallace, the guy who doesn't like to talk much either, is a huge fan of Monstrous Sea - in fact, he's one of the most popular fanfiction writers of Monstrous Sea! 

Eliza allows herself to form a friendship with Wallace but as the two grow closer she's afraid to tell him her secret - that she's the creator of the webcomic he loves so much. As the stress and pressure on Eliza begin to build, will she be able to keep her secret identity a secret? Or will her life implode in front of her very eyes?

I'm not a fan of comic books so I wasn't sure I would like Eliza and Her Monsters but after loving this book as much as I did I can only wonder why I didn't pick it up sooner. We all know what it's like to fangirl over a series we love, but this book shows the behind the scenes life of the creator we rarely get to see. 

As both a blogger and an author, I could relate to Eliza's intensity for her craft and her anxiety over getting her work done on time so I feel like I really could understand Eliza and her viewpoint on the world around her. 

Wallace was an unusual character but I liked him - from his quiet silence and means of communicating mostly through notes to when the reader learns more about the reason why he is the way he is. If anyone would be a perfect fit for Eliza, Wallace was wonderfully developed. 

I loved the background characters and the things they added to the story, except for Eliza's parents. They were the kind of bookish parents that I hate - they're so wrapped up in their passions that they don't understand what's important to their children and I really wanted to reach into the book and smack them on more than one occasion.

Overall, I devoured this book quickly and loved both the author's writing style and the illustrations in the book to represent Eliza's comic. This book is about fandom, embracing who you are, and letting others in even though you don't want to and I loved every minute of it. 

My Rating:

5 of 5 Stars!