Review of The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool by P.J. LaRue

 The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool 
by P.J. LaRue

The Mystic Princesses is a good story for early readers as the plot line is fun and adventurous. The Mystic Princesses all have their own magical powers inherited from the God or Goddess parents and will be used to protect Harmonie whom the Children of Ares are after. I really enjoyed the girls all practicing their different magical abilities. The abilities are all very different and will invoke the imagination of those reading about these unique princesses.
There were some issues that I had while reading the book. It skimmed past the full introductions of the Mystic Princesses so I had a hard time visualizing what the girls looked like and what their personalities were like. Also, a lot of the situations they were in seemed a little rushed, like the book was compressed down so it jumped through big periods of time and then would focus on little situations that didn't really focus on the plot. It also read very, "next, after, then, last" which distracted from the story. Maybe a different choice of words to progress through the story may have helped.
Overall I could see my young daughter really getting into the princesses and their fun powers. Especially the part about riding dolphins and sliding down rainbows!
I received an copy of this book in return for my honest opinion, which this is.

Goodreads Review

Review of Mike And The Dog-Gone Labradoodle

Mike and The Dog-Gone Labradoodle
By Emlyn Chand
When Mike discovers that his secret crush, Nic's  (Nicole,) dog has gone missing he is on the case. After failing to find her dog, Baxter, on his first outing, Mike's twin sister along with some of their friends put on their thinking caps and head out to look for clues as to where the dog could have gone. The relationship between Mike and his twin sister, Maddie is totally believable for a 12 year old boy. They're total opposites and he just doesn't get her smart 'weirdness.' How Mike describes his feelings for Nic and his interactions with his friends also really puts you in his shoes. All of the characters have fun and humorous personalities and the descriptions of them really give you an image of this newly found group of friends. It was a great lead into how The Pet Shop Society was formed and, I feel, would really engage readers 7-11 to read more of the series. This was a simple chapter book that was engaging as well as thought provoking and would take the child on a fun adventure.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, which this is.

Goodreads - Mike And The Dog-Gone Labradoodle

Annie's Homegrown Organic Creamy Tomato Soup and Bunny Pasta

I received Annie's Homegrown Organic Creamy Tomato Soup and Bunny Pasta for free to review through Influenster! We love grilled cheese and tomato soup so this was a great try. The taste and texture were similar to our regular tomato soup so bonus that it's organic and still tastes good! The pasta bunnies were a cute, fun addition to the soup, however my 5 year old was not a super fan of the texture. She said she liked them as long as they weren't with a bite of soup so she just fished them out but at least still ate them. A great choice in soup especially if organic is what you're looking for! Annie's makes several different products that you can check out on their website Annie's. Join in the delicious fun!!

Book review- 'Magelica's Voyage' and 'Magelica's Voyage - The Rescue'

I received a copy of both the 1st and 2nd books in the Magelica's Voyage series for free from the author in exchange for my honest review.  Added bonus you get the review from my 5 year old daughter as well as I read both books out loud to her.

Magelica's Voyage:

My 5 year old daughters review: I really liked the book. I liked the pictures because they were pretty and took me on an adventure. I loved when she met Queen Raya and got the necklace with the silver feathers. I liked the necklace because it was magic and could take her back to the Isle of the Dreams.

My review: The illustrations in the book were very colorful and as my daughter said, "took me on an adventure." The colors are vivid and add to the story. Magelica, who was hatched from an egg and raised by her adoptive mom Gri, had always wondered where she actually came from and who her parents were. One night a loveable, fuzzy creature named Odin shows up and takes her on an urgent journey to the Isle of Dreams to help Queen Raya. The Isle of Dreams happens to be a village on the back of a huge turtle which has stopped swimming in the sea and Magelica has been brought to help the turtle. The story was simple enough for my 5 year old understand but creative enough to be a fun journey as I read it to her. The characters were likeable and full of fantasy and magic, a few times I did wish their was a little more description to the environment or what Magelica was thinking about, but overall I would recommend the book for a young child. It is a simple and engaging chapter book that children would thoroughly enjoy. I think the only thing that I wish was changed, and this is totally just me knowing how I feel in my bathrobe, is that Magelica is in her bathrobe through the whole book and as you'll find out also in the second book. My daughter also noticed this as she loves looking at the way the characters dress. Surely she had time for a wardrobe change? 

Magelica's Voyage - The Rescue:

My 5 year old daughter's review: I really like the part where the Prince met Magelica because I think the boy loved her. I also liked that he also got a feather necklace so they could stay connected. I liked all of the pictures, they took me on an adventure too.

My review: Magelica takes us on an another magical journey after dreaming about something bad that was happening. This time Magelica is oof to help save the handsome Prince William who is lost at sea. Magelica continures to learn to believe in herself through the journey and keep confidence in her abilities. I like when she said, "If I really believe, if I really want it, it will work." What a good message for these young readers. I liked the bit of humor that the Prince also brought to this book. Another enjoyable character to get to know. He was also a good example of keeping your hopes up and staying positive. Beautiful, vivid illustrations that really take you on the rescue, however why is she journeying again in a bathrobe? She would seem a little more fantasy in a fairy-like dress. Once again great story and character building. Simple and yet engaging for young readers. I normally read to my daughter to help her fall asleep at night but she loved these stories so much that I could never get her to go to sleep because she would get so caught up in the story. I would recommend this book as a read aloud for younger children and as a simple chapter book for a reader. 

Review of Cottonelle® Flushable Cleansing Cloths

So I got to try some 10 pack travel size samples of Cottonelle® Flushable Cleansing Cloths through Crowdtap for free in return for my honest review. Not only were the packs fashionably designed but they worked great too! One wipe did the job and they weren't overly wet or too dry. They had a pleasant scent and were gentle on the skin. I also love this little travel pack that fits great in the car, your purse, diaper bag, etc. You never know when you might have a bathroom emergency camping, at the store, beach, wherever! So convenient that they're flushable as well. Thanks Cottonelle! Another great product. 

Review of the Book The Contaminants - A New Dakota Series by Devin K. Smyth

I received this eBook for free in exchange for my honest review, which this is.

Contaminants is a dysotopian read based on the world going into chaos and war. This was caused primarily by a discovery of a new energy source, called Osmosynthesis, relieving the need of oil. A chain of events from this discovery led to a nuclear war and the need for the earth's environment and population to be 'reset.' The book begins in the present aboard a space ship 3 years after this reset. The ships supplies are being depleated and scientists are trying to figure out if their reset experiment on the earth was successful and if they could soon safely return to the earth. After seeing hope of human life still on earth they do return to asses the situation and teenager, Jessil and her siblings hoping to find their father who was left behind. We find out further that Jessil's friend, Saraj, has a father with alternate plans and we discover whether or not human life exists and if the planet really is habitable.

We go through the story with two teenage characters points of view, Jessil and Soraj. I liked the two different points of view and that each chapter began with telling you which point of view we were reading, the day (in reference to when the calamity started) and the time. This made it easier to stay on track with the characters and also to know when the story jumps back to the past or how much time has elapsed in their journey. 

It was a thought out futuristic plot and explained how the world got to that point. The earth as it was and how it is now was explained. The only detail I wish there was more of was what the characters looked like and their personalities. There was brief discussion about some of there characteristics in the beginning but not much more into it than that so I struggled a little with picturing then in the story and how they would react to situations. Also when we went in-between Jessil and Saraj it seems like how Saraj saw Jessil was very contrary to her actions when you read through her point of view. Perhaps just Saraj's lack of real observation? Or too much observation being the son of an uptight scientist? 

I was also a little confused about Jessil and Saraj's relationship. It seemed like a brother-sister type friendship where he just looks out for her but then Jessil's brother, Ben, makes a sarcastic comment about them just kissing and getting it over with but I don't ever recall any romantic thoughts or comments coming from either Jessil or Saraj. Did Been see something happening that they hadn't realized yet. It is called Contaminants - The New Dakota Series so perhaps we'll see relationship clarification further in the book series and hopefully there will be more books. I really enjoyed this book and read through it quickly wanting to know what was happening next.

You can also see my review here on amazon and a link to the book. Enjoy! Amazon 

Review of Oreida Easy Tater Tots

I got the opportunity to try @Oreida Easy Tater Tots courtesy of @Influenster and #Oreidapotatoes. The box was specially designed to crisp the tater tots in the microwave in only 3 1/2 mins. The microwave people!! No waiting for an oven to preheat or starving while waiting for baking and you still get the crispy crunchy outside. Super amazing what a microwave can do with a magic box to cook things in. These were really great for a quick lunch side when you're having the same old boring sandwich. Really impressive. The only thing I wish is that you got more than one use our of the box. I'm not sure how you could do that but they were a pretty good price for what you got to feed your kids as a snack or side. Thanks Oreida! They also have fries too!