K Kibbee

Olive Abernathy is a spitfire of girl who just turned 13 in the summer of 1979. She’s feisty, cantankerous, and not afraid to speak what’s on her mind. The one thing she longs for most is to get away from her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana where to be an Abernathy means to be shunned, spit upon, and avoided at all costs.

When Olive’s mother punches out the mother of Olive’s best and only friend, Henry, Olive feels she’ll never survive the embarrassment of her “redneck” mother’s actions. When the call comes late that same night that Olive's beloved grandfather has died, she decides it's time to leave Louisiana and the Abernathy name behind for good. Olive stops by Henry's to say goodbye and, like any best friend would, he immediately packs up his suitcase and joins her... wherever they may be going. However, Olive and Henry may have gotten more than they bargained for as they traverse the country in a "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles"-like adventure.

Note that as a child of the '70's, I did notice some anachronisms, however, I can say that Kibbee's knowledge of the cultural references of the era was fairly astounding. Also, I did bristle a bit at the classic Northerner's prejudicial views of Southerners, yet it wasn't bad enough to make me put the book down.

Joyfully drenched in colorful language (Olive's Mama has a saying for everything!), Kibbee richly portrays both place and time. Pull out your ViewFinders, GenX-er's - it's time for solid wallop of nostalgia.… (altro)

Lang's Labyrinth is the third and final book of Forests of Fae series. If mystery, fantasy and eerie creatures are your cup of tea, I would strongly suggest you to check this story out. It is about the disturbing truth behind the fae world and the friendship that develops between thirteen year old Anne and Grace. As they unravel the dark mysteries surrounding a ghost town in rural Washington, their lives get intertwined with those creatures we call fairies. As with the previous 2 books, I loved how the tension builds up and keeps you on your toes. At some point I started doubting all of the characters but at least had a hunch about how things would end... but I was wrong, the story kept surprising me until the very end. This is the kind of book I would have loved to read with my siblings before going to bed. Instead I read it alone, at midnight, and it was great. I requested an eArc from Incorgnito Publishing Press in exchange of a fair review.… (altro)

Forests of the fae is the first book of a story about a girl called Anne who, by a series of events, starts unraveling the mysteries of a ghost town in Washington. As she gets deeper and deeper involved with this supernatural world, fairies, magic and unsolved mysteries emerge. Oh, but don't be fooled by the idea of whimsical pixies wearing pink tutu skirts, as Anne says: "Boy, did Disney have it wrong"...

I love how the story evolves from a typical "city girl is sent to small town to live with her relatives and obnoxious cousin" to a thicker plot with a lot of mysterious characters and twists and turns throughout the rest of the story. It keeps you hooked from the beginning. The storytelling is great as well, it speeds up and slows down matching the swiftness of events or the struggles in Anne's journey and has a cinematic feel to it. A must-read series for urban fantasy fans.… (altro)