4.5 stars!

My daughter did not read the first novel in this series, but she loved this second book. The plot is about two cousins, Georgia and Vincent, who can travel through paintings to visit whichever museum in which they are hung. They had an aunt who turned evil, and believe her to be deceased, but discover that she is still alive. Georgia and Vincent must use their unique gifts protect the art from their aunt. Overall, this was a fun adventure book that instills an appreciate for fine art into middle-grade readers. My daughter is already looking forward to reading the next installment!

Despite my excitement about this new release, I keep telling people to be sure to read Beneath the Swirling Sky first before they read Between Flowers and Bones, since they are a series (and book two will be appreciated so much more if you have read book one first!). But unlike many series, the second book has a different protagonist than the first book--and for the audiobook, a different narrator.

I loved getting to know Georgia in this book. I appreciated the struggles and growth of her character.

But really, I just loved a chance to hang out with these cousins again--the characters feel like kids who would be my kids' friends. I always learn so much about art in each of Carolyn's books (unlike my oldest daughter, I did not instantly know which artist was referenced when I heard the book title!).

Thank you, Carolyn, for a book that's wholesome, entertaining, and inspiring for my kids as well as myself!

** “The world is full of doubters who think the only real things are the things they can see and touch. They things they can understand.” **

Carolyn Leiloglou’s “Between Flowers and Bones” picks up immediately after “Beneath the Swirling Sky,” the first novel in her Restorationists series.

Cousins Georgia and Vincent are training to better their skills as Travelers — their family makes up a long line of Travelers (as explained in the first novel: “Traveling is stepping into a painting. Getting to walk around in the mind of an artist”). Their jobs are trying to maintain the safety and purity of art from the Distortionists, who try to steal and destroy art.

So Vincent is trying to build up his skill as an Artist and Georgia as a Navigator. The problem: Vincent seems so much better at his even better gift, which leads Georgia to feel jealous and unworthy.

But when they get drawn once again into the unknown, hidden world between paintings, they must try to work together as a team to find what is missing and defeat the evil Distortionists.

Once again Leiloglou develops a fun and suspenseful plot filled with action and intensity. She brings back her fun and quirky characters who have real worries and concerns, yet are brave and dig deep for the strength they need. She also fills “Between Flowers and Bones” with several great themes, like we all have the exact gifts we need; the importance of teamwork; the impact of feeling useless; and sometimes it is hard to ask for and accept help.

Fans of books like “The International House of Dereliction” by Jacqueline Davies and James Patterson’s “Minerva Keen’s Detective Club,” and even Kiersten White’s Sinister Summer series will love “Between Flowers and Bones.”

The talented Vivienne To adds fun illustrations to add to the story, which is due out Sept. 10.

Five stars out of five.

WaterBrook provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Between Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou is a wonderful way to teach kids about art from a new, exciting perspective. Showing the importance of art and what happens when it is distorted though a story that will stick with the reader for a lifetime. These books are perfect for young readers and will hold their attention, entertaining them while teaching them without them even knowing it. You can’t ask for better fiction than that! I would definitely recommend this book to young readers who like a good story, a little fantasy, and a lot of adventure!!

I really loved the first book in this series and and 10 year old artist reader and I loved the second even more. Could be the personal contributions we made to the with, but we were so invested in Georgia and her journey. Can't wait for the next one and we hope it focuses on Ravi!

Picking up shortly after the close of the previous book, Vincent is still becoming accustomed to his gifts. Meanwhile, Georgia feels sidelined, by all the attention that Vincent is getting, but as the danger grows will Georgia's gift be the key to saving her family?

A fun sequel that dives right back into the story, but this time from Georgia's perspective. And I really liked that creative choice. It was fun to see the Restorationists from her perspective having grown up among them her whole life. I also liked getting to see another side of Grampa, but one of my favorite characters in this book had to be Mr. Ortiz.

An action-packed read, rich in art history, with a solid message of how each of us have unique gifts that are all important and useful no matter how flashy, which was also tied in nicely with themes of faith and family. A great addition to the middle grade series, that left me wanting more!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this book so much! I didn’t realize when I started it that it was a sequel! I hurried and ordered the first in the series when I found out - one for me and I had one sent to my grandson across the country. We read together over FaceTime. Wonderful, imaginative world and characters - I can’t say enough about these books. Bonus - kids learn about great artists!

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

I saw this book and thought it looked interesting. Even though I am an adult I like to read this type of book to help promote for good Middle school readers. This is book two and it would have helped to have read book one in the series. In saying this I was still able to follow the story but felt I was missing things.

In this series the main characters have the gift of being able to go into paintings and travel to different places via the paintings. They have different gifts and in this book Georgia is a navigator who can choose the best route to different paintings and places. When I was a child I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and I wanted to go through my wardrobe. I believe today's child reading these books will want to be able to travel via a painting.

Their are also a sense of good and evil. With the restorationists being on the side of good with the mission of restoring distorted paintings. Georgia feels her gift is less than her cousins and feels its all about him. I love how the author shows how sometimes a person can feel insignificant but in the big picture all are important.

I would happily recommend this book to middle school aged children.

I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure-filled sequel! It was lots of fun to learn more about famous works of art as the team of Restorationists dashed through art museums around the world. Families looking for engaging read-alouds that explore art history in a fresh way will definitely want to add Between Flowers and Bones to their reading lists!

Carolyn Leiloglou has done it again! Between Flowers and Bones draws readers further into the magical world within art itself. Like the layers of the paintings her characters explore, Leiloglou masterfully textures her work with deeper thematic hues: the uniqueness of everyone, the need to belong and the stories that shape our choices. Families will be delighted and inspired to read this book together—then go visit some museums or pick up a paintbrush!

J.D. Peabody, author of The Inkwell Chronicles series

Georgia is a twelve-year-old Restorationist. It is up to her, and what is left of her family, to protect art from the evil Distortionists. Restorationists are able to walk through paintings like portals, allowing them to travel inside of any painting in order to protect them. In the second installment we find Georgia and her cousin Vincent who have recently escaped from their aunt Adelaide who has turned against them. The two must find common ground when they discover Adelaide is still alive and needs their help this time. Will they join forces with the enemy or do the right thing and work together to bring her down?
This was such a fun and enlightening book. While reading this with my 10 year-old daughter it has sparked her interest in artwork and famous painters. It has also shined a light on certain historical significance such as the Minutemen and their contributions to history. My daughter stated she can not wait for the 3rd book!

*Thank you to Carolyn Leiloglou, Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah l WaterBrook for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

I was joking with a friend of mine a couple months ago that the modern landscape of middle grade children's books is—to put it nicely—not particularly inspiring to me. Like lots of parents, I want my kids to read. Perhaps I'm picky, but reading in and of itself is not enough, though. I want my kids to read good books. What makes for a good middle grade novel? In my mind, it's at least the following:
- Originality. Plenty of authors take someone else's great ideas and reheat them in the microwave, resulting in something that might be marketable to young readers but is limp, cold in the center, and devoid of value.
- Relatable characters. The middle grade years are super tough, and there is incarnational value for my kids to read about characters who feel realistic. The protagonist's struggles make their growth all the more inspiring.
- Moral formation. This one is really hard to get right; you can do without it and end up with a fun but fluffy adventure, or you can overdo it and end up with a saccharine, preachy morality tale. If you nail it, though, it becomes the kind of book that makes you, the reader, want to live a better story.

When Carolyn Leiloglou came out with her book Beneath the Swirling Sky last year, I was suitably impressed (https://benmakuh.com/2023/05/beneath-the-swirling-sky/). It's a Christian fantasy novel for kids, but it's not just applying a moral veneer over some popular secular franchise. The novel has an agenda, but the agenda is to get kids excited about... fine art of all things! It's like if an art appreciation class had a baby with an adventure novel, and the result is actually pretty great.

This year Leiloglou is continuing the adventure in the sequel, Between Flowers and Bones. While the first novel is a nod to the work of Vincent Van Gogh, this one is inspired by the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. The two cousins from the first book show up again with more adventures, more lessons learned the hard way, and more growing up. Over the course of the novel they learn the importance of humility, family, friendship, and forgiveness.

It's a solid follow-up to her first book, expanding the boundaries of her Restorationists world and the limits of Vincent and Georgia's friendship. I know my kids are going to love it!

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of a fair, unbiased review.

"Between Flowers and Bones" by Carolyn Beiloglou is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of life, death, and the fragile beauty that exists between the two. Beiloglou's exquisite prose and evocative imagery paint a vivid portrait of a world where darkness and light intersect, where the delicate petals of flowers contrast with the starkness of bones. Through a series of interconnected stories, the author delves deep into the human experience, exploring themes of love, loss, and resilience with sensitivity and grace. Each tale is imbued with a sense of longing and melancholy, yet also with a glimmer of hope that shines through the darkness. Beiloglou's characters are achingly real, their struggles and triumphs resonating with authenticity and depth. "Between Flowers and Bones" is a mesmerizing read that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned, inviting readers to contemplate the fragile beauty of existence and the eternal dance between life and death.

Thank you netgalley, the publisher, and the author!

As with the first book the second in the series was just as great. I love the whole concept of their gifts having to do with saving and protecting art because I believe art is so important. This book was told from Georgia's point of view and with her having feelings of not being good enough and being jealous of Vincent's in her opinion better gift. I'm excited for the third book to be released.

I loved this book. This book in the series is written from Georgia's perspective. For the longest time, Georgia has been the only child in the family who has had a Gift. Now that Vincent also has a Gift, his gift as an Artist is better than hers as a Navigator. Georgia is tired of everyone focusing on training Vincent, but the adults won't let them go on any real missions. When tragedy strikes their family, Georgia and Vincent are the only ones who will be able to help and must learn to work together to bring back their missing family members. Will Georgia and Vincent be able to help their family and the Restorationists organization at large, or will they fail and inadvertently let the Distortionists win? This is such a great middle grades series that those who love The Chronicles of Narnia will enjoy.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Another inventive book in this kids' series! Very neat the way they are able to travel!! People are not being honest in this book, and it causes some difficult relationships and situations. More intrigue and mystery. Now I'm waiting for book 3!!!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy of this book! All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The second in a series about youngsters who are able to travel into paintings. What a clever idea! The author uses these books as an opportunity to expose readers to concepts about fine art like perspective, as well as specific artists (e.g. Georgia o'Keeffe andVan Gogh), museums (e.g. the Louvre and the Gardner), and specific paintings (e.g. The Tree of Crows by Friedrich). In theory, this could be a good way to get kids excited about art and interested in reading more about it on their own. In reality, all of these references and inclusions feel almost like a checklist to get as much in there as possible, so the story suffers because it's being built around all of those elements. It's always a tough balance to create content that includes a lot of outside elements, and in this case, the needle tipped too far to one side. The result is that the inclusions of those elements (painting titles, artists, etc) don't feel organic to the story itself.

I also found the writing a bit dry flat throughout. The characters didn't have particularly distinct personalities from one another. There was a nice variety in characters' ages (e.g. a grandmother, parents, etc...not just children) and diversity (some dialogue is written in Spanish; there are references to Indian culture).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review. This review will be cross-posted to my social media accounts closer to the book release date.

A couple of things: In the first 4-5 chapters, there was too much exposition between dialogue, to the point that I had to keep backtracking to make sense of the conversation. I suggest you create a prologue and throw all that backstory in there so you don't slow down the plot Second, the term 'after all' was used by Georgia but you also had Adelaide say it. Don't. And third, the parents' role was not that useful. I would have used Gramps from the beginning and ditched the parents. He is much more colorful and interesting. Overall, I would love the story if these things were rectified. I also don't like the title. It doesn't seem to fit the story.
As requested, I will not review this on any other platform.