Tanya Karen GoughRezensionen

I really liked this fantasy book about a young girl and a group of basement brownies trying to find a way to save the world in which the Brownies live from being destroyed by an evil witch.

Brownies and witches and family lost...oh my! It's a mixed bag on the character cast list for certain but all your favorites are there, ready and willing to guide you through this topsy turvy adventure. The story line bounces between reality and dreams, landing squarely on the shoulders of the "somewhere in between". Just when you think you know which way its going, POOF...something else changes to alter your path. It was really quite GOOD!

Emma is a sweetheart! So brave and strong despite her slight size nd with love that knows no bounds for those that endear themselves to her. Her Dad is not one to forget either though his role in the story is more sideline than starring. He's one of those parents that is actually trying to do the best he can for his daughter...and their strong relationship is one of the reasons that Emily is able to find her way back when things get shaky.

I loved the counterpart aspect between Over and Under beings; exploring how their other halves lived was ironic, curious and sometimes down right funny! The blend of cultures and beliefs such as Roman and Greek gods/goddesses was interesting as well and showed how there's room for all when consideration for each other is given. The story takes curious twists and turns much like the roots that run beneath Emily's new home but they all lead back to one conclusion...a highly addictive story that will have readers of all ages smiling from the brownie banter, cringing from the Gorgeous Gang, fighting for those they love and in general...having a great time between the pages.

If you enjoy stories with a blend of reality and fantasy, filled with brownies sometimes think they know everything and evil witches out to make more than "little-girl-stew", this is definitely the book for you. Emily will capture your heart as will her new brownie friends as you journey from Over to Under in a life altering quest to save pretty much everything from falling into the clutches of evil.


**review copy received in exchange for my honest review - full post can be seen on my site**

Root Bound is a Middle Grade fantasy about a young girl who moves around a lot with her musical father. Their new move is to a city and strange things are happening. There is a creepy old lady, a mysterious door that is randomly cracked open, and an old house that may have sneezed. Emma finds herself whisked away into a world she believed to be imaginary and people that live in it that she only thought were real in her dreams.

Emma is an adorable character, she is self conscious about how new kids see her in new places, but also very determined and strong when she ends up in the new magical world helping and fulfilling the Brownie's prophecy.

I found the Brownies funny and entertaining to read about and the evil witch was very creepy. Leading up to the action in the book, I found my heart-rate rising as the evil was gaining ground on Emma and her new friends, and curious about the mysterious door. The author did a wonderful job of creating this magical world.

The first few chapters of the book were fairly slow, and it was difficult to get through them, but all of a sudden the plot takes off and you don't want to stop reading. I think that young readers will enjoy this adventure. It reminded me of the Spiderwick Chronicles with the mythical creatures and maybe even The Borrowers.

Brownies and witches and family lost...oh my! It's a mixed bag on the character cast list for certain but all your favorites are there, ready and willing to guide you through this topsy turvy adventure. The story line bounces between reality and dreams, landing squarely on the shoulders of the "somewhere in between". Just when you think you know which way its going, POOF...something else changes to alter your path. It was really quite GOOD!

Emma is a sweetheart! So brave and strong despite her slight size nd with love that knows no bounds for those that endear themselves to her. Her Dad is not one to forget either though his role in the story is more sideline than starring. He's one of those parents that is actually trying to do the best he can for his daughter...and their strong relationship is one of the reasons that Emily is able to find her way back when things get shaky.

I loved the counterpart aspect between Over and Under beings; exploring how their other halves lived was ironic, curious and sometimes down right funny! The blend of cultures and beliefs such as Roman and Greek gods/goddesses was interesting as well and showed how there's room for all when consideration for each other is given. The story takes curious twists and turns much like the roots that run beneath Emily's new home but they all lead back to one conclusion...a highly addictive story that will have readers of all ages smiling from the brownie banter, cringing from the Gorgeous Gang, fighting for those they love and in general...having a great time between the pages.

If you enjoy stories with a blend of reality and fantasy, filled with brownies sometimes think they know everything and evil witches out to make more than "little-girl-stew", this is definitely the book for you. Emily will capture your heart as will her new brownie friends as you journey from Over to Under in a life altering quest to save pretty much everything from falling into the clutches of evil.

**review copy received in exchange for my honest review - full post can be seen on my site**

I really liked this fantasy book about a young girl and a group of basement brownies trying to find a way to save the world in which the Brownies live from being destroyed by an evil witch.

I won this in a LibraryThing giveaway, and I didn't finish it because it's just not my kind of story. I think it seems way more fantasy than the description. I think my son might actually like it though- so I am going to pass it along to him. Despite the genre not being for me, the writing was good and I liked the characters!

I was drawn to Root Bound for two reasons. One, it's a MG fantasy title, and as a librarian working with elementary students, I'm always on the lookout for MG titles they might enjoy, and two, the summary mentions mythology, and as anyone who follows my reviews can probably tell you, I love mythology. So, as far as I was concerned, this book already had two marks in its favor.

For the most part, I did enjoy this book. I very much liked Emma. Her father has a very transient job (he's a musician), and it's caused him and Emma to move a lot. I loved Emma's outlook and the way she just made the best of everything. It has to be so incredibly hard to pick up and move all the time, leaving behind friends and family, and constantly having to figure out how to fit in with a new place or group of people. Her thought process surrounding her first few days at her new school were spot-on and perfect and I felt so terrible for her, especially when she caught the attention of some truly horrible girls.

I also very much loved the world in Root Bound. So much thought and detail went into its creation and development, from the Brownie Burrows, to the witch and how she came into being, to the gift that Emma has and the special skills she possesses. I loved how the author weaved in the mythological elements, from Hades (in this case, Hades refers to the Underworld and not the god) and Ceres, and the way she was still suffering after all this time with having to give up her daughter for those six months. I also love how Emma uses her knowledge from a book to best the badies at one point!

However, that world-building was also what, for me, caused a bit of a ratings drop. Fantasy books need to have a strong foundation in order for the reader to understand the world and what's happening, but in the case of Root Bound, I couldn't help but feel that there was perhaps too MUCH detail. All of the description made the story itself drag in places, and I found myself skimming over parts. Don't get me wrong; the world and the characters populating Under and Emma's journey through this new land were a lot of fun to read, full of adventure and action, but I really feel that the rooms and places they visited perhaps could have done with a little less information in order to help the story flow a bit better. Of course, your mileage may vary, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

While I think that ultimately this book may be a bit confusing for younger readers, I still very much enjoyed Emma's character and her cast of motley adventurers. I'm definitely curious about what's next for Emma and her friends!

A copy of this book was provided by Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

I had some difficultly getting into the story. There were portions where the conversation between the participants went on longer than it should have. It became redundant. Also there were portions of the story that went nowhere and could have been left out. I loved the ending and feel that with some editing this could be a fantastic book.