Book Review - The Pack by Lisi Harrison

 

The girls that board the Charm House or the Center for Human-Animal Reform and Manners, are there because they have an animal light inside them that needs to be tamed. Sadie is the new girl and she just wants to stay out of trouble and blend in with the rest of the students. That is until she learns she has the Lion light and a group of popular girls include her in their group called the Pack.  Sadie finds herself at the center of attention and is consumed by social drama. The Charm school is supposed to be a sanctuary but, someone is targeting the girls. Will Sadie be able to help find the mastermind?

The book was a fun read and had a few unexpected twists. It was interesting seeing Sadie accept her abilities and her powers to lead and not be just a follower. Some of the dialogue between the girls at the school were funny but, might be too much for some children/readers. For example, Lindsey and the other girls remark on each others physical appearance or Sadie gets bullied because her hair doesn't look appealing, it might seem like bullying. Instead of tampering the comments about physical appearance, they seem to enjoy making remarks about it to each other. Overall, it's a fun read and I would read other books in the series.

Book Review - Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions (Auntie Poldi, #1) by Mario Giordano

Photo credit -Amazon

Aunt Poldi decides to retire to Sicily on her sixtieth birthday after dealing with her fair share of pain and heartbreak. She wanted to relax the day few remaining days by drinking herself into a stupor while enjoying the view of the sea. However, life never goes as one expects it to.

When a friend and handyman goes missing and is eventually discovered murdered; Poldi takes matters in her own hands and try to solve the murder. After asking one too many questions, she finds herself stuck in the middle of the murder investigation. Will Poldi be able to figure out who the real murderer is?

I have read a many books that were written in a different language and then translated into English for US consumption. There a very few books translated books I find enjoyable because you miss maybe of the hidden meanings that are sometimes lost during translations and sometimes the jokes do not make much sense. I also found the amount of details a bit overwhelming and detract from the story. Along with their being a lot of chance coincidences and not any investigation really done from Poldi. I also don't understand why she rushes into things and then screams for "help" or thinks she is dying. It was an interesting novel but not one I would re-read again.

**Disclosure - I received an unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**