The Mystery of the Rainbow Flowers – Melissa Burovac

★★★★

“Where are we?” Matthew asked in a whisper.

Siblings Lucy and Matthew were spending a perfectly ordinary (if not a bit hot and exhausting) day doing yard work.

It’s boring. They’re tired. And just when they are almost done…Matthew spots something strange.

A strange sight caught his eye…a small flower blooming…the colors mixing like the top of a rainbow.

Lucy and Harley, their dog, come over and the children (plus pooch) are whisked away to whole new world.

It’s somewhat similar…and yet wholly different.

The bugs are enormous, the fish even moreso. And while there’s no denying that this new world is beautiful, it is deadly.

Sleep was forgotten as the children watched the fight for life.

Lucy, Matthew and Harley are missing home more with every step. The longer they stay, the harder it will be to find a way back.

Into the forest they went with the barely audible sounds of running paws leading them on.

This book ended up being a lot of fun!

It had a quasi-Narnia, semi-Epic with a smidge of Arrietty – and I adored it.

The world-building was so neat.

I loved the way Burovac crafted all of the creatures – with the giant ants and spiders and that scene with the fish! They made for a very memorable backdrop to Matthew and Lucy’s story.

I honestly wish this concept was really run with. We get just a taste of what this world could be and while I enjoyed it, I also felt like there could’ve been more.

There was so much more out there to explore and it feels like we just barely scratched the surface.

The characters were rather fun and realistic. The siblings were flawed – but in just the right way.

I loved that Lucy was a bit over-the-top (which is consistent with the preteen world view) and Matthew was a bit of a brat (but also consistent with his position as little brother). And Harley? He was 110% perfect.

The three of them played off each other really well and helped bring dimension to the book

I think this would fit right in with what I read during this age range. All in all, I think this one was a huge success!

With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Interested in this one from Melissa Burovac? Buy it here:  Amazon