[MG] MINI(ish)-REVIEWS: Midsummer’s Mayhem & Watch Hollow 💭 Macaroons and Meh

Title: Midsummer’s Mayhem
Author: Rajani LaRocca
Pages: 352

Release Date: June 11th 2019
Publisher: Yellow Jacket
Format: Hardcover

Genre: Fantasy, Retelling
Goodreads Rating:  4.28 (of 496 ratings)

representation: biracial (half Indian) MC, Indian side characters
content warnings: n/a

I enjoy A Midsummer Night’s Dream and baking, so I thought this would be the perfect read! However, I was left feeling lacking with this one. I felt there was a lot going on with the plot (with some things left really unanswered), the characters weren’t all that charming, and it really didn’t leave me with any feeling other than, well, I really wanted some macaroons. I wanted to feel the enhancement and magic that flows both through middle grade, Shakespeare, and baking, but really, it kind of felt too juvenile at times and lackluster.

There were some intriguing and captivating parts, but they were in a lot of plot points and writing that I had issues with. I did enjoy the baking references, and LaRocca did describe some appetizing treats. I wish there was more of it throughout. I also wish I had a little more context to the original Shakespeare play, because I had forgotten a decent amount of it. I definitely had some bumps with this story in between those few good moments. A Cinderella rating!

Title: Watch Hollow
Author: Gregory Funaro
Pages: 320

Release Date: February 12th 2019
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Audiobook

Genre: Middle Grade, Horror
Goodreads Rating:  3.86 (of 585 ratings)

representation: n/a
content warnings: n/a

Well…this was a book. I was looking for a read that would bring the spooky and the atmosphere, and this sounded promising. However, it really just was…well, it was was? I really tried to invest myself in this book, and no matter what, I just couldn’t get myself into it.

There really wasn’t anything specifically wrong with it. The atmosphere and mood was properly done, and it was an interesting storyline. However, nothing connected me to the plot, characters, or writing. I listened to 4+ hours of it, and I still can’t tell you anything or any feeling I had when reading it. Again, nothing bad, but just overall, not a jam. A Pocahontas rating to the extreme. 

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What do you think? Let’s discuss in the comments below!