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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated The Final Draw in Books

Mar 26, 2025 (Updated Mar 26, 2025)  
The Final Draw
The Final Draw
Ridley Pearson | 2025 | Children
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Kingdom Kids Face Their Final Battle
Eli Finn and his friends are in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the fireworks on Friday night. But the fireworks all go off at once. And then the kids make another discovery – all the villains and henchmen have vanished from the various rides in the parks. Can they figure out the riddle they got from Tiana in time to save the magic? Or will it be lost for good?

If this is your introduction to the Kingdom Keepers universe, you will be very lost since it is the wrap up to over a dozen books across several series. But fans of the series will know what to expect here and will enjoy what we get. It’s pretty much par for the course, with lots of great scenes with Disney characters and the parks in spooky circumstances. The characters are thin, but that’s been true all along the way. Having said that, I really loved a couple of scenes with Eli and his parents that break out of some of the usual interactions with parents in middle grade books. If this does turn out to be the last adventure in the Kingdom Keepers universe, fans will be satisfied.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2623 KP) rated Record Store Reckoning in Books

Mar 9, 2023 (Updated Mar 9, 2023)  
Record Store Reckoning
Record Store Reckoning
J. C. Kenney | 2022 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Murder of a Mentor
Darcy Gaughan has just returned home from a wonderful vacation. On her first day back at work, she makes a horrible discovery, the body of her boss and mentor in his office. The evidence seems to point to suicide, or at least that’s what the police think. Darcy doesn’t buy it for a minute and starts to investigate to learn the truth. Can she figure out what really happened? Or are the police right?

I couldn’t resist a music store set cozy, and this one introduced us to some great characters. I liked Darcy and the rest of the staff, and the suspects were strong as well. I appreciated the fact that they still had motives even though the victim was generally a well-loved person. I did feel the pacing was off, including a small data dump early on, but it did build to a strong climax. I also found a lot of typos in the physical copy I bought soon after it came out. The book is still very readable, but they were annoying. Things build to a logical and fun climax. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to Darcy next.