Unicorn Famous by Dana Simpson

Another fabulous book from Dana Simpson. Though the stories show the life of a grade schooler, she doesn't talk down to them and even includes a glossary in every book because her vocabulary might be above their reading level.

Phoebe and Marigold are back again talking about unicorn fashion and going to the goblin awards as well as a water park. We learn more about unicorn lore including what unicorns used to think about thunder and a story about caring what others think. 

One of my favorite storylines is the relationship between Phoebe and her frenemy Dakota. I'm loving seeing how they went from mean girl and the person she bullied to both of them slowly growing. 

Four and a half stars

This book comes out April 6, 2021

Follows Virtual Unicorn Experience

Followed by Unicorn Playlist

ARC kindly provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing

Opinions are my own

Reread May 2022

March Rereads

As always, opinions are my own

 

Dragon Actually by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Kin #1

This book came out September 1st, 2008

Followed by About a Dragon

Hard copy of mine

About a Dragon by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Kin #2

This book came out December 1st, 2008
Follows Dragon Actually
Followed by What a Dragon Should Know
Hard copy of mine

What a Dragon Should Know by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Kin #3

This book came out September 1st, 2009
Follows About a Dragon
Followed by Last Dragon Standing
Hard copy of mine

Last Dragon Standing by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Kin #4

Three stars

This book came out September 7th, 2010
Follows What a Dragon Should Know
Followed by The Dragon Who Loved Me

Hard copy of mine

The Dragon who Loved Me by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Kin #5

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 1st, 2011
Follows Last Dragon Standing
Followed by How to Drive a Dragon Crazy

Hard copy of mine

How to Drive a Dragon Crazy by G. A. Aiken

Dragon Kin #6

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 4th, 2012
Follows Dragon Who Loved Me
Followed by Light My Fire

Hard copy of mine

Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

I hadn't read other books in the series and I did feel like I missed parts of the romance between Maud Demille and Armand, the Marshal of House Krahr, but the story swept me up quickly anyway. (When I read the other books later, this book was even better). The world building is amazing and the look into made up politics is... beyond. I lapped it up.
Maud had been married to a vampire whose bid to take over his family's house was rejected and so were he, Maud, and their daughter. Maud wasn't as concerned for herself but she was shocked that her daughter had been kicked out as well. Of course, Helen is half-vampire, half-human but that shouldn't have mattered to a species that usually reveres its children. She is exiled to a planet where the living is hard and water is scarce. Her husband has been killed and Maud is working on avenging him in a slow and methodical manner. 
The book begins with Maud's sister, Dina, coming to rescue them, but then there are swaths of story missing because they are in other books. What we get to see here is Maud and Armand figure out their relationship when Maud travels to his family's stronghold and begins to see whether and how she can fit in with his life.

Four stars
Follows One Fell Sweep
Followed by Sweep of the Heart
This book came out December 2018
Ebook of my own on Kindle
Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022, July 2022 as Graphic Audiobook from Libby, September 2022 as Audible book, December 2022

Sweep with Me by Ilona Andrews

The biggest Innkeeper holiday is coming up and it's a doozy. A celebration of the day that the innkeepers signed a treaty to start hosting alien beings on earth. It's a day that any creature may claim a room at any inn. 
One of her guests is from a race that rarely comes to Earth; an inkeeper might never see it in their time serving an inn. This particular Drifan is a liege, the leader of her group. And she has a meeting set up with a very rich, very shady developer.
Dina is also dealing with a natural hunter, a Medamouth, which would be fine if she didn't have a brace of Koo-Kos (very chicken and prey-like) also visiting. 
I wish this book had been longer but it was a nice little bite that expanded the world even if some of the storylines weren't necessarily needed. 

Four stars

Follows Sweep of the Blade

This book came out December 20th, 2016

Ebook of my own on Kindle

Opinions are my own

Reread in January 2022 as ebook, July 2022, December 2022 as ebook from Libby

One Fell Sweep by Ilona Andrews

Sean has returned and he and Dina are just getting settled into being Inkeepers when she gets an SOS from her sister. The one who married a space vampire but couldn't come back when their parents disappeared. But she's family. So Dina rounds up her her werewolf and asks for a favor from a friend and heads toward the furthest reaches of space to rescue her sister from a planet inhabited by exiles. She barely gets her sister and niece off planet and back to Earth when a being, one of the last of it's kind arrives at the inn. So, now, while getting her sister back to normal and teaching her niece about the Inn, she's also warding off a ruthless species that is intent on killing her guest.
A nice conclusion to the first part of the series while already setting up Dina's sister's stories. Definitely read this series in order but definitely read this series.

Four stars

Follows Sweep in Peace

Followed by Sweep with Me

This book came out November 13, 2015

Ebook of my own on Kindle

Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022, July 2022, December 2022 as Graphic Audio from Libby

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

I think that it is definitely worth investing in at least the first three books of the Innkeeper Chronicles. The fourth book is also amazing but the first three tell Dina and Sean's story. In this book, Dina has been asked to host a summit. Not just any summit, but one between warring factions of alien beings. There are familiar friends (and enemies). And we get to meet a group called the Hope-Crushing Horde. 

Of course, why would any of this be easy? Especially since Dina still isn't sure what has happened to Sean after he left at the end of the last book to explore the Universe. She's just trying to cope as best she can while keeping warring groups under control. But the Arbitrator, the one who set up the summit, may not have told her everything she will need to know in order to survive.

Four stars

Follows Clean Sweep

Followed by One Fell Sweep

This book came out November 13, 2015

Ebook of my own on Kindle

Opinions are my own

Reread January 2022, July 2022, December 2022 as Graphic Audio from Libby

Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews

I read the fourth book in this series first and did feel like I missed some things. Plus, I love Ilona Andrews so I figured, why not read the whole series? And I'm so glad I did. I highly suggest getting at least the first three books at one time because the books, okay on their own, really shine as a trilogy.
This book is great with setting up the world building. We've got Dina Demille who is an innkeeper. Her parents disappeared and she's wondering where they are. Her sister married and moved away. Her brother is a wanderer. Maybe not a hard world to build until you realize that Dina is actually linked to her inn and that they people that stay at her inn are beings from other planets using Earth as a place to stop on their travels. 
From the opening chapter, we actually get a glimpse of this one Dina approaches one of her neighbors. Something has been killing dogs in the neighborhood and she wants Sean Evans to take care of it. At first, he denies responsibility (and the fact that he's a werewolf) but she finds him staking his territory on her apple trees later that night. It's a hilarious encounter that only gets better.

Three stars

Followed by Sweep in Peace

eBook of mine on Kindle

This book came out December 2nd, 2013

Opinions are my own

Reread July 4 as GraphicBook audiobook -- Very Fun