Hey, friends! Mackenzie and Shari here. We’re always mentioning how fun it would be to do more joint posts, so we’re taking every opportunity to do one. 😉

M: I definitely say something like this every time the month comes to an end but like, how is January over?? I swear we JUST started 2019. APPARENTLY, time has no regard for my feelings so a month has passed already.

S: Tell me about it! It hurts me because I just want the days to SLOW DOWN so I can enjoy them more, you know? It looks like we both had a great reading month though — let’s share our wrap-up!

Here’s our set of mini reviews this week!

Shari’s Minis:

"Hilarious and charming. The most lovable duo since Frog and Toad." --NYT-bestselling creator of the Dog Man and Captain Underpants series, Dav Pilkey

Narwhal and Jelly . . . and Otty?! Exuberant Narwhal and skeptical Jelly test the waters of adding a new friend to their pod when they meet Otty the super-adventurous otter in the fourth book of this blockbuster early graphic novel series!

Dive into three new stories about the joy of adventure and the power of friendship! In the first story, Otty the otter makes her debut splash; while Narwhal greets her with immediate enthusiasm, Jelly's not so sure about her...mostly because he worries she'll take his place as Narwhal's best friend. Readers will easily see why Narwhal's so excited to meet Otty, a boisterous explorer who even has an aunt who's a real live sea captain! But readers will also relate to Jelly's uneasiness seeing his best friend making a new pal.

Jelly tries to work out his jealousy in story two, and in story three, the new trio say "Ahoy, adventure!" and discover they all have more in common than they thought . . . including a love of waffles! Jelly also takes over the "Super Waffle and Strawberry Sidekick" comic providing a sidekick's-eye-view of defeating the dreaded dEVILed egg!

If any of you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you have heard me talk about Tamora Pierce at one point. If you somehow missed that or don’t follow me on Instagram, then here’s the gist of what I say when I talk about her: “SHE’S MY FAVORITE AUTHOR YOU HAVE TO READ HER BOOKS!” She’s written a lotttt of books, and started back in 1983, when YA was barely a category of books. I feel like she is one of the pioneers of YA, and especially of female young adult heroes. Since she has so many books out (and in the same universe) a lot of people have asked me where the best place to start is. I thought I’d make a little guide to help with that! And to hopefully convince you to read her books 😈

Happy Release Day to The Gilded Wolves! 🎉

If you follow me on any of my social media accounts, you may have seen me talk about this book in all its green and gold gorgeousness. I absolutely loved this book. Kirkus calls it “an opulent heist adventure that will leave readers voracious for more” and I’m officially one of those readers. 🙋🏻‍♀️

If you’re curious about whether or not this book is for you, I’m here at your service! Here’s my spoiler-free review:

Welcome to our first Monday Minis! We’ve decided to create this little blog meme to create space for mini reviews — the reviews that don’t quite warrant a full post but are just as important. 💛 You’re welcome to join us! All you have to do is post your mini reviews on Mondays and that’s it!

So without further ado, here are the first Minis!