Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
Raven Birchfield is new to the small town of Half Horse, Illinois. Raven, her mother and little brother, have inherited her Aunt Bestla's house along with all of it's belongings. Now Raven is the new kid at school and just wants to fade into the background. However, Raven attracts the attention of popular and pretty Janelle all too quickly when she is caught staring at Janelle's boyfriend, Dex. To make matters worse, Raven has dug up a strange box in her backyard, opposite a graveyard. The box contains a book of children's stories and a necklace. After Raven finds the box she begins to hear whispers of the name Mary in the wind and becomes very attached to a watering can in her shed. Eventually the force of Mary takes over and Raven learns what it's like to have her every desire granted.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary is a young adult fantasy that creatively uses nursery rhymes as a vehicle for suspense and a tool to help facilitate change. The story is fast paced a quick read. The preface quickly interested me in the story as Raven said that she was the Mary in the nursery rhyme, whether she liked it or not. Raven's character is a junior in high school and she is facing a lot of the same issues a typical high school does. However, the story is narrated from her point of view and her voice and inner-monologue seems a little more juvenile than the age she should be. Although, through becoming Mary, Raven does grow and I hope to see the impacts of this in the next book. I did like the device of the nursery rhyme characters, the book and crystal transporting Raven. There is some explanation of how it works and why, but I hope there will be even more questions answered in the rest of the series.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary is a young adult fantasy that creatively uses nursery rhymes as a vehicle for suspense and a tool to help facilitate change. The story is fast paced a quick read. The preface quickly interested me in the story as Raven said that she was the Mary in the nursery rhyme, whether she liked it or not. Raven's character is a junior in high school and she is facing a lot of the same issues a typical high school does. However, the story is narrated from her point of view and her voice and inner-monologue seems a little more juvenile than the age she should be. Although, through becoming Mary, Raven does grow and I hope to see the impacts of this in the next book. I did like the device of the nursery rhyme characters, the book and crystal transporting Raven. There is some explanation of how it works and why, but I hope there will be even more questions answered in the rest of the series.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Muffet
Raven Birchfield is just recovering from her possession by Mary from the nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary Quite Contrary. After finding an old book of rhymes and a pendant that her Aunt Bestla left behind, Raven has been taken control of by the characters in order to be taught a lesson. This time, Patience Muffet has gotten a hold of Raven's best friend Candy. Raven doesn't know that Candy's home life is in turmoil, especially with her stepfather,making her the perfect victim for Patience. On top of that, Raven unexpectedly starts getting attention from football player, Brett. Candy happens to have a huge crush on Brett and is hurt by Raven's behavior.
Muffet is the second book in the young adult paranormal series, Once Upon a Rhyme. I highly encourage reading the first book, Mary, Mary to begin with in order to get to know Raven and Candy as well as how the nursery rhyme book works. Muffet picks up shortly after the first book leaves off and focuses on Candy, but is still mainly told from Raven's point of view. I was surprised that Raven still seemed immature and didn't put the clues together about what was happening with Candy's stepfather a little more quickly. However, I did like the lesson that Patience Muffet provided to the girls. I especially liked Patience's look in the other realm. Although, I'm still wondering about how the nursery rhyme book works and why a graveyard of 16th century English people ended up in Illinois. I hope the Raven keep learning from the lessons and hopefully her little brother will learn something in the next book as well.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Muffet is the second book in the young adult paranormal series, Once Upon a Rhyme. I highly encourage reading the first book, Mary, Mary to begin with in order to get to know Raven and Candy as well as how the nursery rhyme book works. Muffet picks up shortly after the first book leaves off and focuses on Candy, but is still mainly told from Raven's point of view. I was surprised that Raven still seemed immature and didn't put the clues together about what was happening with Candy's stepfather a little more quickly. However, I did like the lesson that Patience Muffet provided to the girls. I especially liked Patience's look in the other realm. Although, I'm still wondering about how the nursery rhyme book works and why a graveyard of 16th century English people ended up in Illinois. I hope the Raven keep learning from the lessons and hopefully her little brother will learn something in the next book as well.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Blue
Raven Birchfield's life isn't getting any easier. After dealing with a possession by Mary of the nursery rhyme Mary, Mary Quite Contrary and helping her best friend Candy through a possession by Little Miss Muffet, it seems that it is her brother Johnny's turn. After Raven's mom forgets about Johnny's birthday, Raven rushes to find him a present. After sifting through her Aunt Bestla's things, Raven finds a blue bomber jacket that she knows Johnny will adore. Raven figures out just a little too late that the jacket is connected to Little Boy Blue and her brother has turned into an overconfident, boastful, thief. To top it off, Raven and Johnny's father who left on Johnny's seventh birthday has return inexplicably and their mother accepts him back with no questions.
Blue is the third book in the Once Upon a Rhyme series and should definitely be read after Mary, Mary and Muffet in order to get to know the characters and how the nursery rhyme possessions work. Blue follows the same pattern as the first two books; however, now Raven has a better understanding of how things work and a friend she can trust with the craziness. Blue's possession was a little different since his evil characteristics weren't shown outright. Raven and Candy liked Johnny a lot better as Blue and so did he, but Blue's possession was the darkest and had the most potential for harm. I'm still confused about how a bomber jacket is tied to a 16th century historical figure as well as why the graveyard exists. Although, the intrigue has built up with the return of Raven's father as well as the growing connection that Raven's classmate Dex seems to have with everything.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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