Book Review :: The Dragon's Descent (An Ether Novel) by Laurice E. Molinari

The Dragon's Descent is the third book in the Ether series. The Ether novels are Laurice E. Molinari's first novels. (Prior to these, she was most known for her script writing for movies such as My Girl, The Brady Bunch Movie, and more.)

Because The Dragon's Descent is a "tween" book, I am going to hand this over to my daughter for the review (*spoilers included*):

The Dragon's Descent is the third book in the Ether series. In this book, Vero returns to the Ether, the realm of angels, and is told that the journey he has been dreading must finally take place. Vero is the only guardian angel who is worthy enough to search for the Book of Raziel, a blue sapphire that was lost long ago by Raziel himself. Raziel remembers nothing about the book's whereabouts and begs Vero to help him. Vero, his sister (Clover), and his friend (Tack) all work together to find the book and return it to its rightful owners. Traitors, enemies, and other struggles fall upon the three, but they soon fulfill their journey and Vero must leave the earth, and become a full-fledged guardian angel. 

I asked my daughter a few questions about The Dragon's Descent - here they are with her responses:

Was the book interesting?

It wasn't my favorite.

Do you plan to read it again?

Maybe.

What did you like about this book?

I liked the end, where Vero went to meet with God.

What (if anything) did you NOT like about this book?

I'm not exactly sure. I just didn't like it as much as the other books.

Would you recommend this book to others your age?

Yes.

What ages do you think would enjoy this book best?

10 to 12

Any other comments?

My favorite one is the Pillars of Fire.

Out of a total of 5 possible stars, what would you rate this book?

3 stars.

My son (who has loved the entire Ether series) told me that this book was probably his favorite of the three, and he would rate it 5 stars. We're meeting in the middle of both opinions and rating this 4 stars.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Book Review :: Inspire Bible - LARGE Print Edition, NLT

If you've been wanting to try Bible art & journaling but need the Bible font to be a bit easier on the eyes - you are in luck! The Inspire Bible Large Print Edition is now available!

(If you haven't read my review for the original edition of the Inspire Bible, please take a minute to check it out.)

The Inspire Bible Large Print Edition is not only larger print, but also measures larger overall (thickness, height, and width) than the original. The hardcover on the Inspire Bible Large Print Edition is more blue than the teal cover of the standard print hardcover, and the decorative edges of the pages are more blue than teal as well.

To really get a feel for this Bible (and the other versions of the Inspire Bible), please check out my comparison video:

(And if you haven't seen my original flip-through video for the standard print Inspire Bible, please be sure to check it out.)

When I say I like the Inspire Bible, it's true. Not only am I enjoying mine, but my daughter also bought one after seeing mine and we've given some as gifts to friends and family, too. I absolutely recommend the Inspire Bible (standard print or large print).

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Ink Blot Shop, LLC is on YouTube!

I've got more fun news to share...Ink Blot Shop, LLC is now on YouTube!

There are a few videos up on the Ink Blot Shop, LLC channel already, with more to come!

And, while you are over on YouTube, check out my Ink Blots by TRD channel as well. Both will feature different content, so be sure to subscribe to both!

Happy viewing!

Floral Monogram Card

I'm so excited about my new stamp venture, and while I originally intended these stamps to be used for Bible art & journaling, I just couldn't help but use them to make a card. 

For this card I used my new This & That stamp set, and masked the stamped images into the letter D (which was hand drawn with the help of a stencil). I used some Prismacolor pencils to do some quick coloring, and then layered my stamped & colored piece onto a piece of colored cardstock. It all came together fairly quickly and I love the colorful result!

Thanks for dropping by today!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 80#; Brilliant White 130#); My Favorite Things (Orange Zest - Prestige Cardstock);
Stamps: Ink Blot Shop, LLC (This & That); 
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black); 
Colored Pencils: Prismacolor (Premier Colored Pencils);
Pen: Faber-Castell (PITT Artist Pen - F);
Stencil: Dana Tanamachi (DIY Type);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Introducing...Ink Blot Shop, LLC!

I've been having lots of "adventures" through Bible art & journaling, but I think this may just be the biggest one yet. 

Introducing...

That's right! I've now got my own line of clear stamps designed exclusively to work for Bible art & journaling. (But they are great for cards, too!) I'm so excited about this new venture and hope that you will love it, too!

I'd be so grateful if you'd head over and show your support by liking the Ink Blot Shop, LLC page on Facebook.

And when you are ready, please take a little time to check out the shop here.

Thank you - and have a great day!

Book Review :: I Can Be Kind: My First Manners Book (A Lift-the-Flap Book) by Amie Carlson, illustrated by Heather Heyworth

I Can Be Kind is a "lift-the-flap" book about manners. 

First, I'd like to address the "lift-the-flap" portion of the book. When I see something in the "my first book" range and called "lift-the-flap", I immediately picture it as some sort of board book or at least a book with heavy-weight coated cardstock pages with shaped flaps. I Can Be Kind, however, is a paperback book (8" x 8") with standard book-weight pages. The "flaps" are actually extra-long pages that have been folded over to fit within the cover size. Each of the flaps is on the right-hand page of each two-page spread. (With the flap opened, that side of the two-page spread measures 12 1/2".) 

The pages in I Can Be Kind are all full-color, coated pages. The drawings are cute, in the style as shown on the cover. Each two-page spread in I Can Be Kind has a sentence on the left page (about something that can be done that shows good manners - including others, letting others go first, saying please and thank you, etc.), and under the flap on the right is a corresponding Bible verse (from the New Living Translation/NLT). 

Although this book is cute and the idea is good, I am not sure I would recommend buying it at the full retail price - simply because of the thin pages. However, if you can find this on sale, go ahead and pick up a copy. 

FTC Declaration: Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

Do you love being rewarded? Be sure to check out TyndaleRewards.com!

Book Review :: 101 Ways to Have Fun: Things You Can Do with Friends, Anytime! by Editors of Faithgirlz! and Girls' Life magazine

101 Ways to Have Fun by Editors of Faithgirlz! and Girls' Life Mag is a magazine-style book geared toward tweens. 

Because 101 Ways to Have Fun is a "tween" book, I am going to hand this over to my daughter for the review:

This book is a great way to have fun when you're bored. It contains DIY projects, fun snacks, and nail ideas. It gives you things to do by yourself, things to do with friends, ways to make money, and ideas on how to throw a party. This books seems like the activities need to be planned, rather than pulling out this book and looking for things to do right away.

I asked my daughter a few questions about 101 Ways to Have Fun - here they are with her responses:

Was the book interesting?

Not really.

Do you plan to read it again?

Not really.

What did you like about this book?

Some of the things that were supposed to help you calm down.

What (if anything) did you NOT like about this book?

Most things needed to be planned instead of just doing it right away.

Would you recommend this book to others your age?

No.

What ages do you think would enjoy this book best?

10 to 12

Any other comments about this book?

No.

Out of a total of 5 possible stars, what would you rate this book?

3 stars.

FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.