Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

 

Beetle is a goblin-witch who’s homeschooled my her grandmother, and learns magic from her. But she doesn’t have a crystal for sorcery, and doesn’t know how to ride a broom properly, and can’t make potions well, and so far, learning magic has just been a pain. At least she has her best friend, Blob Ghost (or BG), a ghost that haunts her local mall. Unfortunately, BG can’t ever leave the mall, and they don’t know how to get out.
As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, Beetle’s old best friend, Kat, is coming to her town for a sorcery apprenticeship from her aunt, Marla Hollowbone. Kat never stands up to her aunt, even when she’s belittling and uncaring, because she knows more than Kat does. As if that wasn’t enough, her aunt plans to tear down the mall that BG is living in. If they don’t get out in time, they might come to an unfortunate end.
Will Beetle find out a way to save BG, master magic, and convince Kat to stand up for herself? Or will everything come crashing down?

I loved this book!!!! The colors were definitely my favorite part of the book- there’s lots of warm and intense oranges and reds, and the contrast of the calm blues and blacks really tie the illustrations together. When it comes to plot, my favorite character is Katerina, also known as Kat. She’s a very level headed, calm, and cool character, but not boring in any way. Even though she’s a very good witch, she doesn’t brag about it often, and is usually modest.
I will say, I couldn't really connect or relate to this story since everything was so unique and strange, while the real world is more plain. But that strangeness and uniqueness is what made it so interesting!

I would recommend this book this book to anyone who loves fantasy, warm, bright colors, and nicely designed, unique characters.

Review by Mia O.