[MG] REVIEWS: Spirit Hunters & A Dash of Trouble 💭 Magic, Ghosts, & One of the Best MG Books I’ve Read in a While

Title: Spirit Hunters
Author: Ellen Oh
Pages: 288

Release Date: July 25th 2017
Publisher: HaperCollins
Format: Audiobook

Genre: Middle Grade | Horror
Goodreads Rating:  4.02 (of 1592 ratings)

representation: biracial MCs (Korean), black side character
content warnings: violence, death, murder

After a few lackluster MG reads, I was determined to go back to basics: my love of a good ghostie middle grade books. This one seemed like a good one to go with, but I found it to be not quite what I was looking for. I will say, though, that this is one of the best amount of ghostie content that I’ve read in a book in a while. Most of the time there is too little amount of the ghosts and haunting, and this brought it allllllllll.

This book definitely was an easy read, and if I had been reading it physically, I would have breezed through it. There were moments that definitely could have gotten spooky, for sure, but I think I would have been freaked reading as middle grade book since there was a lot of horror filled moments and a lot more violent ghosts then I was prepared for. I did like how this story did take on a lot of issues, and I loved the friendship aspects that were introduced into the story.

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One of the bigger issues that I had was that I felt like plots or characters would kind of pop up here and there, and I wanted a little more backing on it before something new was introduced or something was brought up again for so long again. I also never really connected as much as I wanted to be with the characters and the plot.

I have been debating back and forth a lot on the rating for this one, and I still can’t come up with my exact thoughts on it. I think had I read it physically, I would have a clearer image of what I thought. Tbh, I hadn’t really thought that an audiobook could change a rating for me, but this one really wasn’t my cup of tea. Therefore, I don’t think I really can come up with an actual proper rating. An Elsa Rating!

Title: A Dash of Trouble
Author: Anna Meriano
Pages: 320

Release Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Format: ebook

Genre: Middle Grade | Fantasy
Goodreads Rating:  4.11 (of 1464 ratings)

representation: Latinx main characters
content warnings: death of loved one (for side character and shown off the page)

This book also just feels like its own brand of magic. The cooking and cultural aspects of it took it to a whole other level, and seriously, the book makes you feel like you devoured an entire bag of sugar with its sweetness. But don’t get me wrong – Leo is a realistic heroine, and she makes her own fair share of mistakes. But like the moral of any story, she learns from them and does better. Although I was a little confused at a few lacking consequences at a few parts.

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I think what I loved the most about this book was the heart! There is so much of it to go along – between finding new friends to reconnecting with old ones to owning up to your own mistakes in those friendships. It’s about family – finding your place in it, loving each member in their own way, and getting closer. It’s about a girl growing up and learning the consequences of her actions, but also who she is as a person. It combined all of these up into a beautiful story that, yes, has mischief but love is the foundation. I loved the characters in this story, and you will easily fall in love with them as well and feel immersed in the love they have for each other. Family is such a big part of it, and I loved it so much.

Overall, this was such a fun story, and I definitely encourage you to pick up if you want to read about mischief, love, sugar, and magic (that sometimes go wrong). You won’t be disappointed. Now, I need to go binge read the next two of these in the series. An Aurora Rating!

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