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Book Review

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Publisher's Note:

Dark secrets and unnatural magic abound when a twelve-year-old girl ventures into a bog full of monsters to break a mysterious curse. Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim). But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog. Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever expected, and she’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it’s too late.…

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The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

by Mary Averling

Reviewer: Cindy M
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 12+

Overall Book Review:

Right from the eerie beginnings of this story in the decrepit and disintegrating Unnatural History Museum, the reader will start to sense that not is all as it seems. The author does an excellent job of creating a foreboding and gray ambience around Eelgrass Bog, which serves as the backdrop to a mystery and a curse. Something is up, it is mysterious, and it doesn’t make sense. The writing literally compels one to read on. Additionally, Kess, the protagonist, is a fabulous character. With an abundance of determination and grit, she musters up courage when it is needed.

This book has a bit of a unique vibe to it. It is part fantasy, part mystery, and part supernatural with the faintest whiff of horror and somehow it all seems completely possible.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy Provided by the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: 1 religious profanity

Violence/Gore: Many references to a pickled head with its lips stiched shut and floating in a pickle jar; description of skeletons; description of a few gross things such as an individual spitting out worms; report of the death of family members due to illness; report of death of family member due to age; report of death of family members due to accident; falling items cause injuries to characters; piles of human bones; magical creatures/individuals chase with intent to do harm to characters; character knocks a pursuer unconscious;

Sex/Nudity: Character references her two dads (same-sex couple); several separate references to a twelve-year-old girl having a girlfriend, liking another twelve-year-old girl romantically; girl imagines what it would be like to hold another girl’s hand and blushes; picture of a boy and girl holding hands; girl who romantically likes another girl hugs her and holds her hand, but mainly to comfort her; girl thinks about how she feels (romantically) about another girl; two girls verbally express that they like each other romantically; girl asks another girl on a date and she agrees; reference that some creatures don’t wear anything at all (non-sexual); girl kisses another girl; innuendo.

Mature Subject Matter:

Bullying, neglect/abandonment of minors, supernatural, death of family members, same-sex attraction.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

Ingredients put in tea to make individuals sleepy.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
1
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
2
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
2
10

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About the Reviewer

Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!

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