"On one fateful summer night, a shocking and unexpected event transforms the residents of a small New England town." Judged by the cover it's the discovery of a headless woman sitting on the dock. Is she the headless horseman's girlfriend? Is that what happened? He lost his head over her? Well they sure can't put their heads together and solve that problem...or can they? This cover tells me the author and publisher consider that a woman's mind is completely unimportant. All that's of value are her primary and secondary sexual organs. No. Just no. And again, no.
Friday, August 13, 2021
Duke by Rozlan Mohd Noor
"When two people are gunned down in a locked car stuck in traffic, inspector Mislan suspects there's more to the case than it seems." OMG! What a genius he is! Barf.
The Single Matchmaker by JJ Arias
"Libby has finally inherited her family's matchmaking empire - but it's all at risk when her fiancé dumps her. To save her reputation, she ropes Reagan into being her pretend girlfriend." So she dishonestly seeks to save her business instead of simply finding a new match using her own business and hold that up as an example? What a fucking moron! Barf.
16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber
"In cozy Cedar Cove, family court judge Olivia sets the town abuzz with a ruling - and attracts the attention of newspaper editor Jack" yet another dumbass novel that is so unimaginative that it stoops to using the go-to, most overused heroic dumbass name ever: 'Jack'. His name is Jack Mehoff and as a news reporter he's jacked into the system. He's going to hijack judge Olivia's attention, and she won't be able to do jack about it. Yawn.
Pieces of Her by Robert J Walker
I would have read this, but I didn't want to get arrested for being a J Walker.... "When a child disappears without a trace while on a hiking trip in the woods, retired detective Jim Irons must face his own painful past to find answers in this haunting new crime thriller." Oh look - a detective with a painful past! How thoroughly original. Barf.
State of Emergency by Marc Cameron
What an original title! "After a two-pronged strike against the United States and Russia, elite Air Force agent Jericho Quinn" stop right there. No. Just no. Jericho? Seriously? Author Brad Thor thinks this is "Awesome" so we're given to understand. Remind me never to read anything he's written, either.
Dark Room by Heidi McLaughlin, LP Dover
"Wealthy Parker visits a sex club and indulges in the Dark Room - where talking is forbidden. But when anonymous sex with his best friend's sister, Mia, fulfills all his wildest fantasies, will they break the rules to be together?" How sweet! They can share their doses of penicillin. Barf.
Gracie's Secret by Jill Childs
An author named Childs writes a book about a child! "When her three-year-old daughter is nearly killed in a car accident, Jen is furious at the woman who was driving: Ella, her ex-husband's girlfriend. And soon, a devastating secret could come to light" That Gracie isn't her ex's child? No surprises there.
Steamborn: The Complete Trilogy by Eric R Asher
Jacob, a tinker's apprentice, has never ventured beyond Ancora's walls - but an enemy invasion forces him to embrace his destiny." Which is to run away beyond the walls? Is this another steampunk story that has little to no steam - and isn't even steamy?! Nothing could be rasher....
The Weight of a Thousand Oceans by Jillian Webster
"In a flooded near-future, Maia lives an isolated life" No, relaly? "dreaming of a brighter tomorrow - and of a land her grandfather insists is just a myth." Lemme guess: that land is the USA? Yawn.
The Chocolate Works by Geoffrey Knight
"Chicago businessman Henry has no idea what to do with the roadside diner he inherited from his uncle. But when he meets an irresistible chocolatier named Levi, he senses a sweet, delicious future for the restaurant... and himself!" Seriously?
A Vicarage Reunion by Kate Hewitt
Kate Blew it with this one - it makes three strikes for me with her. "Grappling with a recent loss, Esther leaves her stoic husband and moves in with her parents." Way to go, Esther! Ditch the guy right when he's at his most vulnerable. "But just as she begins to navigate her new, single life, Will shows up on her doorstep - prepared to do anything to win her back." Of course he is, because god forbid the Biblically named Esther will manage life on her own without some guy to rescue her. I wonder if anyone's told God's Will what a cold bitch his fantasy girl has become over the years? And he's trying to win her back? What went wrong the first time?
Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron
This is no work of Byron! "When Maggie returns to her family's Louisiana bed-and-breakfast, she must find out who killed two of the guests before she goes to jail for the crime." Nope. It doesn't work like that lady Byron. The prosecutors have to prove you guilty. You don't have to prove you're innocent. Yawn. And 'Plantation Shudders'? Really? No. Just no.
Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton, James Patterson
So in the news on CNN's website yesterday was a story about Dolly Parton writing her own novel - which is fake news in my opinion, since she's working with James Patterson. To me, this means he's the one actually doing the writing, and presumably picking Dolly's brains as he goes. Of course he's going to get more sales if the fiction is that Dolly is writing it.
I don't know for sure: that's just a guess. Who knows, maybe she's teaching him a thing or two about writing. The novel is about a young woman who moves to Nashville to follow her dream of becoming a musician, so there's nothing original there at all. It's not even a stretch! There's some hint about her dark past following her, but again, nothing new there either. This plot has been done to death already.
The real fiction here is that the article claims that Patterson, who I don't like as an author, is America's number one bestselling author. What they're basing that on isn't revealed, but every news outlet is parroting it. Investigative journalism is dead, because that honor surely goes to someone like Danielle Steel or Harold Robbins in terms of total book sales? Patterson comes way down the list below them. I guess it's possible they're talking recent sales, in which case Patterson may be higher up the list, but it's still dishonest, because then you have to figure in people like Dean Koontz and Stephen King who are still currently writing and selling novels and have higher sales than Patterson, so whence the 'number one bestselling'? It sounds like numnber two to me.
Doubtlessly this novel will be a bestseller because of the big names involved, but I sure have no intention of ever reading it. It's another unoriginal and unimaginative yawner.
Paradise Crime Mysteries: Books 1-3 by Toby Neal
We're told this is from a USA Today bestselling author who is "persistently riveting" according to the illiterate fucks at Kirkus Reviews. Persistently riveting? Really? Is that a thing? As opposed to what? On-and-off riveting? Part-time riveting? Occasionally riveting? The story is "As bodies wash up on beaches and people vanish without a trace, Lei Texeira must track down killers who lurk in paradise." Yeah good luck with that. This is purportedly, "An unputdownable collection of reads set in Hawaii," but I'll pass. I'm really looking for something that's every other day riveting. This persistent riveting is really only half-gripping.
Changing Lines by RJ Scott, VL Locey
It took two to come up with this work of genius! "When hockey wunderkind Tennant Rowe meets his new coach, he knows he's in trouble. Jared Madsen is nine years older than Tennant, impossibly attractive, and - worst of all - his brother's off-limits best friend. Is their chemistry worth the risk?" What risk? Dumbass authors need to get over this brother's best friend is off-limits horseshit. That's not a thing. It sure as hell isn't rule. No, the problem here is that Jared is an authority figure in a positon of power over Tennant and that's the problem these idiots are missing. Barf. And Tennant Rowe, really? What is he - a rental?
Gauntlet Fall by Maddy Edwards
"Determined to find her missing brother, Samantha leaves her isolated village behind and disguises herself as a boy to attend the Harknell School, where she'll train to become a Gauntlet Runner." How original. One question: WTF is a gauntlet runner? They deliver gloves during a Covid lockdown?
The Empire of Gold by SA Chakraborty
"After Daevabad is brutally conquered and stripped of its magic, healer Nahri and exiled prince Ali must find a way to save their city." Prince Ali? Really? That's the most original name this author can come up with? But take it from me, Ali, if you were so dumb that you let your city get conquered - and you had magic??? - you're way too late to do anything about it. Go be a cliché, dude. It's what you were made for.
A Man of Shadows by Jeff Noon
"John Nyquist searches for a missing girl in a city divided into one district of permanent daylight and another of endless night." In a novel written by a guy named Jeff Noon? Really? Can you say Alex Proyas - Dark City?
Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis
"When Emmie learns that her best friend, Lucas, is planning on marrying someone else, her life is turned upside down." Yep, that's what kind of a dumb fuck Emmie is: so self-absorbed that she doesn't have a clue what her supposed best friend is up to. And Jodi Picoult apparently found this "Delightful"? That tells me all I need to know about her writing, too.
Chance Encounters: The Collection by L Moone
"When total strangers experience a night of erotic bliss together, is love at first sight doomed to fade - or will their desire fuel a life-changing passion? A red-hot collection of romances!" The only thing red hot here is the burning in their sex organs due to the infections these assholes inevitably picked up from having unprotected sex with complete strangers. yawn.
Rise of the Sparrows by Sarina Langer
Read indifferently by Leanne Yau, this audiobook started out quite engagingly, but proved to be such a plodding story after reading a little further into it that I DNF'd it after chapter 25, which was about halfway through. I had thought I'd make it to the end and give it a positive review, but the problem was that the story was slow, and main character Rachel's constant and repetitive dissection of events became thoroughly tedious and irritating in short order. I really began to dislike her and the inevitable an unoriginal male interest, named ridiculously, Kale. The predictability of the story on top of Rachel's stupidity was a big negative for me, too.
Set in a fantasy medieval world where there are X-men...um mutant children...who have unlikely powers, such as the usual sketchy ability to see the future, fire coming from someone's hands, and so on, was not something I would reject the novel out of hand for, but how an author handles these things is important and clearly this author had no intention of offering any sort of an explanation for the powers. Additionally, the disgust and rejection of such mutant children by the villagers was predictable, but a likely consequence, especially back in such superstitious times.
The problem here was that the complete lack of anyone who might have been even slightly sympathetic was far too much of an extreme, but it's what authors predictably do in such stories and it's inauthentic. I mean there were so many of these 'mutant' children that it was hard to believe they were so universally rejected. It's like everyone is the same and there are no gray areas, and I'm so tired of that trope - and of authors who are so lacking in imagination that they cannot make it a bit more realistic.
Talking of which, I had to wonder who these stories were aimed at because it read like middle grade, Rachael being barely high-school age, and Cephy, the younger mutant she took up with, about ten years old, yet the story was discussing torture and rape and so on, as though this were a young adult or new adult novel. Anyway, the plot has it that the two girls are not welcome in the city because of Cephy's wanton destruction of her entire family in a burning incident when she got pissed off, and form which semes seems to ahve suffered no negative consequences whatseover. So they escape into the nearby forest, pursued by the White Guard, sent by King Eric and these guys are so caricatured that they could be cartoon characters. Cephy also burns those dudes to a crisp.
They're taken in by a witch who seems welcoming, but who you know from the start has her own agenda and it's not favorable to the kids. Unaccountably this witch hands them over to 'heroic guy' Kale for no apparent reason, and this is supposedly the good guy, yet he creeps around scaring Rachael without any rationale for his behavior at all. He's the trope creepy love interest who is always there as though he's stalking Rachael, yet while she agonizes over every possible threat to her and Cephy, she never once thinks there's anything wrong with his behavior. Go figure.
One major problem with Rachael is that she has supposedly lived on the streets of the city for most of her years, yet she seems dumb as a brick at times with no street smarts whatsoever, and her so-called visions of the future are the usual clichéd half-assed vague 'seeings' that really tell her nothing useful at all and are essentially no better than a hunch. She claims at one point not to rely on them, and at another how reliable they are so again, go figure!
I realize of course I'm not of the youthful age range this story is aimed at (whatever that is), but for my own perspective, I had no interest in finishing this, let alone reading a whole series of this nature, so I cannot commend it based on my experience of it. The acronym for the title is RotS, and that's how it went for me I'm sorry to report.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Closely Harbored Secrets by Bree Baker
"On the island of Charm, North Carolina, Everly Swan serves up iced tea and desserts at the Seaside Café. But when a haunted historic walking tour ends in murder, Everly takes a break from the tea shop to hunt for a killer!" Why? Are there no police? This couldn't be any more cozy if it tried - the island of Charm? Really? Everyly Swan? Really? Barf.
Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West
"When 16-year-old kitchen maid Bristal learns she's a powerful, immortal sorcerer, she's drawn into an epic clash of good versus evil!" She's am immortal sorcerer and didn't know it? And this woman's name is 'Bristal'? Seriously? In Cockney rhyming slang, Bristols are breasts - from Bristol city - titty. Any novel with a title like this one is guaranteed to be exactyl like all other novels with titles like this. Avoid them like the plague because the authors haven't got an original idea in their brains - obviously, otherwise they'd be writing about that idea instead cloning the work of scores of other unimaginative authors who've gone before them.
Cause to Kill by Blake Pierce
Leine Basso Thrillers: Volume 1 by DV Berkom
"Former assassin Leine Basso wants a fresh start away from the dangerous world of crime, but fate has other plans." Want to take a guess at how many times this exact same story has been written? I don't because I'd inevitably estimate way too low.
Still Water by Amy Stuart
"Women seek refuge in High River - but when a mother and her son disappear, Clare O'Dey's search unveils layers of deception. Can she find the truth in a town full of secrets?" Nope. She will fail and the story will have no resolution and no ending! Yeah right. Why even ask? Does the author think we're stupid? Or is it the publisher? Or just the idiot who wrote the book blurb? Any which way I don't want a novel that advertizes itself with the bald (and I have to say utterly inaccurate) assumption that I'm a dumb-ass.
You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
"Mia has recurring dreams about a mysterious stranger - and when she moves to a small town, they meet." What a shock! I never expected that! Yawn.
Wonderstruck by Allie Therin
"When a powerful supernatural force threatens Manhattan, Arthur and Rory set off on a mission to save humanity. As they journey to Paris to destroy an ancient magic relic before it falls into the wrong hands, their love will be tested like never before." I doubt it, but they made a smart move: Manhattan threatened? Move to Paris! Sounds like a plan.
The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by LJ Smith
"First in a New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit TV show The Vampire Diaries!" I'm so glad they corrected me on that. I thought it had spawned the long-running oil tycoon series, Dallas! But there's nothing new here: it's the same cliché and the same trope and the same tedious cookie-cutter characters and vampiric bulshit. "Elena falls for Stefan, the mysterious new guy in school" So, nothign new here. "...but soon discovers that he’s a vampire on the run from his dangerous brother, Damon." Like I said, not a fucking thing new here. No wonder the author's reduced to trying to unload it for two bucks a pop in a discount book flyer. Yawn.
Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson
The story is that "When caterer Goldy Schulz investigates a murder at the local library, can she prove a dead woman is responsible for the crime?" And my question is: why the fuck is a murder being investigated by a caterer? Does she plan on dishing out justice? I think this story would be immeasurably better if the title was "What's cooking, Goldie?"
The Pool Boy by Nikki Sloane
"After a messy divorce, Erika decides to take a day to relax by the pool - and is caught sunbathing naked by her pool boy! A USA Today bestselling author serves up a red-hot story of forbidden passion." How is this forbidden exactly? On second thought, who gives a fuck?
Where Are You by Sally Bryan
"Erin and Gia have a passion for the ages - until Gia disappears without a trace. When the memory of her lost lover comes back to haunt her 10 years later, Erin's feelings ignite all over again." She sounds like a psycho.
The Château of Happily Ever Afters by Jaimie Admans
"When her elderly neighbor, Eulalie, passes away," Eulalie, really? She named after a musical instrument or something? "Wendy is shocked to learn she’s inherited Eulalie’s French château." I'll bet. "But there’s a catch" No, really? "She has to share the castle with Eulalie’s irritating nephew, Julian!" Of course she must because it's the dumbest idea ever, so why not? Rather than turn it down, she lets herself be forced into compliance. Another tamed and obedient female character created by another unimaginative female author whose cookie-cutter writing copies every other novel where the MC falls for an irritating guy. "Can the unlikely housemates overcome their differences?" Oh for fuck's sake. Seriously? Why not just title the novel dumpster fire and be doen with it? "A laugh-out-loud read." I doubt it.
Cutthroat Cupcakes by Cate Lawley
I recently read and enjoyed Vegan Vamp by this author, although I would not want to read a series about it. Unfortunately, this book blurb makes this story seem thoroughly dumb. "When a cursed cupcake is used to kill, candy shop owner Lina is accused of being a witch and deemed the prime suspect. Now she’ll have to face her magical prowess and ensure the real killer gets their just desserts" Yeah. The witch cursed the cakes! And the warlock who works the case is a distraction! And this is the start of a series called the 'Cursed Candy Mysteries' - seriously? What, she's going to accidentally curse something in every volume which ends up with someone dying and there's a series? Because god forbid we should ever have anymore stand-alone novels. What a nightmare that would be. Barf.
Select by Marit Weisenberg
After Julia jeopardizes the future of her secret community of wealthy superhumans, she’s forced to attend public high school as punishment." Public high school is a punishment? What the fuck? Is that what this snotty author thinks of public schools? of course she meets "enigmatic John" and "everything changes…" except for the fact that this is yet another stupid, unimaginative YA piece of garbage. No wonder Kirkus thought it was "A spellbinding Romeo and Juliet retelling with “a mighty twist at the end to look forward to.” That, right there, is enough to make me avoid this one. And of course if there's one more thing we need in this world it's yet another stupid-ass retelling of Dumb-ass Romeo meets idiotic Juliette in which the couple live.
Mr Big by Nana Malone
"Many different women know Zach as Mr Big, but to Emma, he’s her older brother’s best friend." Where the fuck did that dumbass rule come from? That your best friend can't date your sister? It's in all these uninventive cookie-cutter novels, but it doesn't exist in the real world. And Mr Big, really? Why not have the author's name be Banana Malone and your main character named Ivor Hugedick? Barf.
Three Stupid Weddings by Ann Gallagher
The inevitably "Recovering from a breakup," guy, who is ironically named Victor, "isn't ready for romance, which - given his matchmaking family and the three upcoming weddings he has to attend - is terrible! Good thing he has his best friend, Dom, to play pretend boyfriend. But there's one complication: There's nothing pretend about Dom's true feelings for Victor." Dom and Victor? Really? This this a gay romance of a BDSM story - or is it both? I'll pass.
Bite Me by Christopher Moore
"Abby Normal" (really?) "and her undead friends must save San Francisco from a monstrous vampyre cat in this 'wildly funny' New York Times bestseller (Charlaine Harris)" If this is Charlaine Harris's idea of wildly funny, then it's good enough for me - to avoid it like the plague. In this case we need less of Moore. Roger that.
The Dog Share by Fiona Gibson
"When empty nester Suzy" That's how your main charcter is viewed? In a negative light like that? Who wants to read about a character the book blurb writer evidently hates or at least disrepsects? Anyway, "when Suzy befriends a terrier named Scout on the Scottish island she calls home, her life takes a turn for the better. But can Scout lead her to newfound romance?" No. The dog will lead her to a life of misery and suicidal impulses as the rabid dog slaughters everyone on the island. Yes of course she's going to find romance. What kind of a dumb-ass question is that - and what does it say about what an author and/or publisher think of their readers that they persistently ask brain-dead questions like that? And why do most all of these stupid descriptions start with 'when'??! Plus, how the fuck does a stray dog end up on an island and why isn't Suzy trying to find the actual owner instead of romance?
Beyond by Maureen A Miller
Maureen is a Miller? I thought she was a writer! Just kidding. This book is described as "A page-turning book" - what book isn't a page turning book? I guess if it were a short story occupying one side of one page it wouldn't be, but that would be a really slim book, and you'd turn the page anyway, just trying to figure out where the rest of the book was!
Here's the unoriginal story: "The day after her high school graduation, Aimee Patterson is accidentally abducted by a group of humanoid aliens. She won't be returned to Earth for five years - but when she meets handsome warrior Zak, she must choose between her home and an unknown future" Right because a relationship with your alien abductor is perfect. This is YA at its dumbest, trashiest, worst. Aimee evidently doesn't give a shit about who she left behind or who is grieving over her disappearance. And an alien named Zak? I assume there will be some weird alien name that sounds like Zak, so that's what dumb-ass Aimee calls him as opposed to actually making an effort to learn his language. In the film version, he will also speak with an American accent! LOL!
The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett
"Izzy and Sam have never forgotten the moment they met - it was Sam's wedding day. When fate brings them together again 14 years later, can they claim the happiness they missed out on so long ago?" Is that really a serious question? It's tired trope time again, folks!
Wide Awake by KB Anne
"First in a series!" Of course it is! "When Gigi's grandmother reveals their magical lineage, Gigi is suddenly dealing with visions, a shadowy stranger, and a spell book her best friend is obsessed with" I;ll bet she wishes grammie did reveal a goddamned thing, tha tlittle shit! And I'll also bet that shadowy stranger is her bad-boy love interest. Yet another unimaginative and unoriginal take on am already worn-out trope. I much prefer my strangers well-lit - because when they're drunk they're funny as hell.
Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan
This blurb says, "The lives of a cleric, a prince, and a mage intertwine as they seek to assassinate a king" Why? Why can't the mage do it all by his or herself using magic? Or is this yet another dumb-ass fantasy wherein magic has its arbitrary limitations? And if Emily is a Duncan why does she go by Emily? Now there's the real story! Just kidding!
Love Always, Wild by AM Johnson
AM Johnson? Really? This novel's description blithely informs us that "Wilder never forgot his college love, Jax, the man who disappeared from his life nearly a decade ago. Now a successful author, Wilder has turned his heartbreak into a literary masterpiece. But he never expected Jax to read his book and seek him out" That's funny because every single reader (of book or blurb) fully-expected exactly that. So why is Wilder (Wilder, really?) so stupid. And Jax? Honestly? This is exactly what I'd expect from an author who publishes under the name 'Johnson'. I'm looking forward to the next effort by PM Johnson. Not sure about reading PMS Johnson.
Max and the Multiverse by Zachry Wheeler
"After a strange accident, Max begins slipping between alternate universes in his sleep - with a talking cat by his side." No. Just no.
The Ninja by Eric Van Lustbader
Eric Van Lustbader is a name that's always amused me. A Douglas Bader I can respect, but a Lustbader? I dunno! But it's not the name that's at issue here, it's the dumbass book blurb as usual in a non-review. The description asks, "When a ruthless serial killer targets people close to him, can martial arts expert Nicholas Linnear use his skills to take down a powerful villain?" What's he going to do? Kick the crap out of everyone until one of them confesses? I'm not convinced a linear inquiry is going to work! What if he needs to make a leap of logic? LOL! No, let the cops handle it.
Death Overdue by Allison Brook
Time for some more non-reviews where I look at idiotic bookd escriptions fpor fun! In this novel "Clover Ridge's newest librarian joins a former librarian's ghost to investigate two murders." A two-fer! Well, that's different I guess. In a way! In other ways it's precisely the same as all other books of this nature with interfering busybodies who have no business getting involved, running around impeding and otherwise trashing a police murder investigation for their own petty and pathetic reasons. I'll guarantee that this librarian - the living one - does no library work except maybe for a token gesture at it in each volume, but it doesn't really matter because no one is going to frequent a library where the patrons are always being murdered!
Buzz, Sting, Bite by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
This audiobook, read delightfully by Kristin Milward, is a wonderful overview of the insect world and the importance of all of them - even the annoying ones! Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is a professor of conservation biology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences located about 10 miles south of Oslo. She writes well, and with a nice sense of humor which isn't lost in the English translation that I listened to.
There are nine main chapters, the title of each being self-explanatory:
- Small Creatures, Smart Design: Insect Anatomy
- Six Legged Sex: Dating, Mating, Parenting
- Eat or be Eaten: Insects in the Food Chain
- Insects and Plants: a Never-Ending Race
- Busy Flies, Flavorsome Bugs: Insects in Our Food
- The Circle of Life - And Death: Insects as Janitors
- From Silk to Shellac: Industries of Insects
- Lifesavers, Pioneers, and Nobel Prize Winners: Insights From Insects
- Insects and us; What's Next?
Here are some quotes directly from the book description - which for once in a rare while is accurate and useful: "Most of us know that we would not have honey without honeybees, but without the pinhead-sized chocolate midge, cocoa flowers would not pollinate. No cocoa, no chocolate." "Blowfly larva can clean difficult wounds; flour beetle larva can digest plastic; several species of insects have been essential to the development of antibiotics." "There are insects that have ears on their knees, eyes on their penises, and tongues under their feet." What's not to love about a book like this?! I commend it heartily.
Matias and the Cloud by Jorge Palomera
From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.
Argentine author Palomera has delivered a colorful, inventive, and charming wordless picture book here, about a young boy who has a fabulous birthday, and who gets down to the last of his presents and discovers that someone has sent him a cloud! Naturally he wants to play with this, and in much the same way as a kid who abandons the present and turns the box into a multipurpose toy, Matias does the same thing, but in this case actually with the present, turning the cloud into several fun toys, including a beard and bushy eyebrows, and a bed for his dog.
The cloud doesn't appear until about two-thirds the way through the story, but it's fun when it does, and Matias proves himself to be a clever kid. I can imagine an adult reading this with their own child and inventing other ways to enjoy a cloud, had we one available. I commend this as a fun and accessible story which will stimulate all imaginations.
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