I read all the 3 books together back to back in half a day, so I thought I should review them together. Children’s books suitable for ages 8 – 11 years.

All the 3 are the stories involving Braidy von Althuis and his family. They sure are a bunch of weirdos with Braidy and his mom being the only sane ones. The characters are

• Grandma who is a powerful Fae whose soul is in the puppet
• Aunt Liz swamp creature with wooden teeth and bones due to her mother’s curse
• Uncle Rolo a ghost cursed by his mother the puppet Fae
• Cousin Blockhead who has a wooden block instead of a human head, adopted by Liz
• Father Boris who has a flame for head who is a Barghest
• Mother is a teacher at Braidy’s school and the only human.

Book 1 – Braidy von Althuis and the Pesky Pest Controller

My first book by Cassidy Dwelis, showed me the life of Braidy where he was bullied in school, beaten up at least once a week, and with no friends. Braidy tugged at my heart strings as I have been that lonely kid too. But things changed when classmate Kara entered his life, and he could tell her the truth about his family… The first part of the story was fabulous and heart wrenching. Bullying and its repercussions were written quite sensitively by Cassidy. I wanted to hug and protect Braidy.

The book then went on to magic with the father losing control and turning into its inner bad self due to a spell. Braidy and his family soon helped to break the spell. Cassidy’s writing had me a bit confused about the characters and the plot. Everything stretched the believability factor.

I struggled a bit to get into the flow of the story, it lacked the cohesiveness and a sense of adventure that I was looking for. But on the whole, it was a good beginning to the series. So went on to read book 2

Book 2 – Braidy von Althuis and the Gullible Ghost Hunter

This story started with entry of the ghost hunter into the town, which had the dead uncle Rolo’s ghost in a fritz… Things really started happening in this book from the very beginning especially with the entry of an old flame who believed Rolo to be alive. Braidy seeing other ghosts, Rolo suddenly turning bad and creating portal while saving his ex now current girlfriend, and grandma disappearing.

Book 2 was loads of fun, the story flowed well, there was suspense and a sense of mystery pervading the entire story. It was obvious that author Cassidy Dwelis was more comfortable and confident in this round. The characters were well established. They were more lovable too. Cassidy showed beautifully through her writing how families ought to be, helping and standing up for each other. I quite enjoyed this book and read it in an hour.

Book 3 – Braidy von Althuis and the Dastardly Djinn

This was loads of fun with the appearance of a djinni who spoke in Hindi initially. The story had a changed family equation with the disappearance of the grandma and nearly the entire family in search of her in Europe. Only Braidy, mum, and Blockhead were at home, while cleaning, a ceramic container was found which had the djinn.

One wish and Blockhead became normal with a human head which caused a whole lot of problems. To reverse the wish, Braidy and cousin had to find the djinn, travel far, face dangers, and then learn important facts.

The book filled me with the spirit of adventure, who amongst us wouldn’t like a djinn and wishes story?!! There was action and self reliance, and I liked the confidence that Braidy exuded in this book, especially while dealing with the nasnas. There was also a sense of acceptance and self-worth which reading this book left me with. Cassidy did end this book with a delicious cliffhanger of sorts. I knew that I would crave for the next one in the series…

Overall a fun third book of a good series.

I received a digital copy of the books from the author, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!!

All my reviews can be found here

Elaborate storytelling is something that has entertained humankind since its start and Cassidy’s goal is to take the words on the page and forge them to life, like a star being born. Using a variety of media, Cassidy uses her hands to weave magic on the canvas and visualize elements extant before only in dreams. By utilizing an expressive and traditionally-inspired quality to her work, Cassidy brings worlds and characters of all sorts into existence. Cassidy Dwelis currently resides in Colorado, and has recently earned a BFA in both Illustration and Game Art. Cassidy’s dream is to help others bring their imagination to life

Publisher: Precursor Publishing