The Oddmire, Book 2: The Unready Queen

This was the perfect sequel to the first Oddmire book. The story continues a few months after the first adventure finished, Cole and Tinn go back to school, Fable continues to learn about magic in the woods. Everything seems to be back to normal, but it's not, especially now that people are chopping down the Wild Wood.

The Unready Queen definitely is Fable's book. Although all other characters get some limelight, the story is about Fable's development. Some scenes reminded me of Pippi Longstocking; Fable is just as amazing a character as Pippi.

I received an eARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I picked up this book to read a little before bed, and after three hours and multiple pleas from my husband to turn out the lights, I finished it.

This. Was. Phenomenal. If William Ritter never writes another book to this series, I would not be unhappy in the slightest because it was THAT good. The Changeling was great. It was a romp that set up the characters, and made you love them. The Unready Queen feels like going home. It brought back every memory I had of a child, roaming my own woods, making up worlds ad creatures that lived among the trees, except in Fable's woods, the magical creatures actually exist.

Tinn and Cole share a good bit of page time, but this story is solidly Fable's, and it's a story of her evolving into a truly strong young woman, one who loves her mother dearly, stands up for herself, and accepts everyone. Fable truly shows an admirable heart in this, straddling the human and magical world, wanting to live in both at all times. She's a force of nature, a child who makes mistakes and learns from them, and a loving daughter. I said this in my review for The Changeling, and I'll say it again in this one: strong moms are such a win. The tender relationship shown between Raina and Fable as well as Annie's continued adoration and all-encompassing love of both Tinn and Cole is actual goals. It's wonderful reading a story with such positive parent/children scenes as a strong backbone for the story as this is a story originally written for a younger audience who needs this kind of affirmation for their own parent/child relationship.

If you never pick up another Ritter book, at least pick up The Changeling and then this one. It's so worth it. Wholesome, sweet, with kid jokes/humor, well-written characters, and a great plot, it's a story for all ages.