This was a huge nostalgia read for me and it did not disappoint! I was a kid when the first Candy Shop Wars book came out and a teenager when the second one was released. I wasn’t sure if there would be a third, so this was a pleasant surprise when I found it on NetGalley!

When a magical carnival starts up in town, the resident magicians are suspicious. Luckily our Blue Falcon gang is able to investigate. When they discover that the carnival is owned by the third White sibling things get dicey fast. The boundaries between the real world and the dream land start to thin and mysterious objects keep cropping up where they shouldn’t. Can the gang figure out what’s going on before reality as we know it is destroyed?

I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely a children’s book in that it doesn’t deal with sensitive or mature content. And as an adult I really enjoyed it. The language did not feel too childish, the story was well written, and it has a solid, easy to follow plot. The characters are likable, and their problems felt realistic and were resolved in a believable way. My inner child wishes the magical candy was real, I mean who wouldn’t want to fly or be able to travel through mirrors!?

Brandon Mull is a talented author and this is perfect if you enjoyed the Fablehaven series, the Beyonders, Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson. This would make a great book to read as a family, or for a bedtime story for older children. I can’t wait for my kids to get older so that I can read it with them too! This will definitely be a re-read for me.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own.

After waiting years for the culmination of the Candy Shop War Trilogy what can one really say? It is like biding goodbye to a good friend, it always feels sad. But the ending was absolutely satisfying, including an unexpected but pleasant closure.
Carnival Quest was a “sweet” ride, with fun twists and turns, like a roller coaster. I can’t wait to see what new adventure Mull comes up with next.

ARC Copy...quite I am late to the party with this series but I am aware if the main world build element of candies with magical powers which I though was well done and fun. Like the protagonists too...I was wondering and on edge over is the carnival evil or not, which I reader liked. I am feeling the characters emotions too.

Nate, Trevor, Summer, and Pigeon are back for their third adventure when the mysterious Dreams and Screams International Carnival comes to town. With the carnival blocking all outside magic, they must learn the secrets of how it works. When people start disappearing and dreams manifesting in reality, they must act quickly to discover how to shut the carnival down.

This is a great series for young readers, and this third installment is a wonderful addition. It boasts relatable characters, candy that gives you superpowers, and saving the world from evil. Everything kids love. Now all we need is a Candy Shop recipe book. Who wouldn’t want to try Mr. Stott’s tasty milk shakes and ice cream? I’d even give Belinda’s white fudge and Jonas’s nacho cheese a try.

Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon are back!!! These four are such a great group of friends. I have enjoyed watching them in the three Candy Shop War books. They didn't all know each other in the first book, but watching their friendship and trust build, especially through the many adventures they've experienced, has been fun. I've been eyeing the first two books in this trilogy for years. I've heard nonstop great things about them, but just hadn't picked them up yet. My kiddos had piles of books already planned out for our family read alouds that I just never made it to these. Then I held off thinking we'd listen to the audiobooks of them as we travel and then plans would go awry. So you can be when I saw this third book was available as an advanced copy that I jumped on it, knowing I'd need to go back and read the first two books. I jumped on my device and downloaded the first two in audiobook and dove right in! I loved them! I laughed and made lots of guesses trying to figure out all of the happenings.

The White family is back at it. In the first book, it was Belinda White who was causing mischief in her desire to stay youthful. The second book we were met with her brother and his desire to basically rule the world. Now we have their sister Camilla White come to town with her delightfully fun and every changing Carnival. This group of friends, aka The Blue Falcons, are up against another White to save themselves, their friends and families and all of those disappearing Carnival goers.

Such a creative adventure. I keep thinking throughout all three books that some of these magical candies would be pretty fun to try out. Just for fun and not for trying to save the world, thank you very much! I was again pulled into the story and surprised by all of the twists and turns. Great job Brandon Mull!!! Thanks for sharing your imagination and stories with us readers! It is much appreciated. I'm excited to recommend this trilogy to all of my friends with middle grade readers, and yeah anybody at any age who enjoys this genre! And I'm really excited to see what comes next from this author! I've read his other series and loved them!

Content: Clean. Some moments of mild peril. Magic.

I received a copy from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

This book was much like the other candy shop war books. Brandon Mull always has fun characters and plot twists.

This was such a good book, and a wonderful finale to this series! The Candy Shop War is one of my favorite series, and while having a new book come out ten years later can be nerve-wracking, this hit the mark exactly! It had the same <em>feeling</em> as the previous books, while feeling like a whole new story that wasn't simply rehashing the same thing yet again. While I would love more books in the universe (perhaps even following a new group of friends!), I'm satisfied with this book as the end.

But on the whole this series is great. It hits all the childhood nostalgia boxes, and is just a really great time. This series is definitely Brandon Mull's least popular, but in my opinion it's one of his best!

A thrilling conclusion to the Candy Shop War as we meet the last White sibling and explore a dreamlike carnival. I think what really stood out to me in this book was the fully dream like nature of the carnival, with twisting roads and secret areas that only would make sense in a dream. Add in magic candy and an evil witch and you had me sold.

I just reviewed Carnival Quest by Brandon Mull. #CarnivalQuest #NetGalley

Love Brandon Mull's books and this was no exception. Another great read that you can't put down!

You may know Brandon Mull as the author of the Fablehaven series or as the mind behind The Five Kingdoms books, or you may have never even heard of him.

Now I present to you The Candy Shop War series, a delicious look into the world of magic confectionery, set in Colson, CA. Books one and two of the series have been known for a few years, but now 2023 will be bringing you another installment of The Candy Shop War.

This time, the Blue Falcons: Nate, Trevor, Summer, and Pigeon—whose real name is is Paul—face the Dreams and Screams Carnival, run by another notorious member of the White family. They must pit their wits against those of magicians, swindlers, and, as is to be expected at a carnival, clowns. Are you brave enough to join them?

To find out, await publication of the book in March 2023!

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Nate, who is about to start 6th grade at the new Diablo View Middle School in Colson with his friends Summer, Trevor and Pigeon. He's had some disturbing dreams that involve Mozag turning into an aardvark, and his informant, Rocco the sea gull (who talks to him after he east magical kibble) indicates that there are some mysteries goings on, so he's not overly surprised to see John Dart working in the school cafeteria as Lunch Lord. But there's also a lot going on at school. There's a new boy, Zac, and his sidekick Benji. Zac is a social media influencer who has millions of followers, and he feels a need to let everyone know about that. He befriends Nate, and offers his new friend tickets to the carnival that has been setting up. Zac has to take some videos and post for his sponsors. When Nate and the kids visit the Candy Shop and talk to Mr. Stott, he's concerned about the carnvial, he's concerned, and refuses to let Lindy (the former evil Belinda White) go anywhere near. Nate and his friends try to harness their own magic to stay safe, and work closely with John, Mr. Stott, and Sandra to ensure their safety. The carnival is heavily warded, and some of their magic won't work, so they are intrigued by the tickets and coins. The coins are very rare, but so are the opportunities to use them. They investigate the carnival thoroughly while Zac is making his videos, and uncover some disturbing people and some magical things. Preston White, the emcee, is fronting the business for Camilla White, so the children are on high alert. Somehow, the carnival is recruiting children who are sleeping, and the boundaries between dreams and realities are blurred. In other towns where the carnival has operated, people have gone missing, and it looks like this will happen in Colson if Nate and his friends can't figure out who is really behind Camilla's carnival and what their real goal is. Stott and Dart decide that Nate should fall asleep inside the carnival so that he can have access to all of the secret rooms. Sandra gives him a bracelet that will help her stay in contact with him if he needs to be rescued. It's a scary proposition, but Nate knows better than anyone that if someone wants to make all of your dreams come true, there is bound to be a price to pay. How high will Nate's price be?
Strengths: This starts with a map of the carnival that is actually easy to read and rather interesting; I almost wanted a map of Colson, and I NEVER want maps, so congratulations to the artist! It's good to see Nate and his friends at school, and John Dart's Lunch Lord was a fun touch. Including the social media influencer Zac was a fun choice that will draw in modern readers. The fact that the school planned a trip to an evil carnival made me laugh! There were a lot of really good lines, including the best description of clowns that I have ever seen: (from the E ARC) "Clowns are a disturbing kind of funny," Pigeon said. "Their happiness is contrived. It's all paint and giggles. You never know when they'll snap." I snort-laughed several times at some of the lines. There is plenty of mystery and clues, and a lot of magical details and background to sort through to solve the mystery, and a very satisying conclusion. If you've stuck around long enough to read the whole series, you will not be disappointed. Could this work as a stand alone? It actually might not be too bad without the first two, although it's much better if you are able to get The Candyshop War and Arcade Quest.
Weaknesses: I personally would have liked this better had it been a little shorter. There's a lot of details about running around the carnival and also about the nature of dreams vs. reality that bogged the middle of this down a bit. Of course, fantasy is not my genre of choice. Fantasy fans will wish the book was longer. I do wish there had been more interactions with Nate's parents and his sister Cheryl. We see them only briefly, and I kid of missed them. The grandparents in Fablehaven are my favorite part!
What I really think: I'll purchase this one for old time's sake, and it will see enough circulation to justify that cost. The first book still skeeves me out, although this one wasn't quite as bad. I've spent the last fifteen years recommending this series to students by telling them I hate it and that they shouldn't take candy from strangers, and the students have loved the book. Me? I'm never going anywhere NEAR any carnivals that come to my town. Readers of Arden's Small Spaces will find this a good series to pursue once they have finished Empty Smiles.

Brandon Mull has done it again! This was awesome. The plot was well-paced and captivating from start to finish. My kids and I highly recommend this fun and quick read! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Brandon Mull was one of my favorite authors when I was a lot younger, and I have always loved his book. This one was no different! It is a book any age can enjoy.

Brandon Mull has done it again. Another fun fantastical middle-aged book perfect for readers of all ages. This is the third installment of his candy shop war series. The world's Brandon creates are so colorful and magical that the reader can't help but feel like they are part of the story. I can't wait to share this one with my own kids!

Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon are part of the Blue Falcons, a club which fights evil magicians by using magical candy. When the mysterious, Dreams and Screams Carnival shows up in town, the club soon discovers that Camilla, one of the evil magical siblings, is behind it. Soon parts of people’s dreams are becoming a part of the carnival, but also the town. Many feel compelled to return. With evil carnival workers, a funhouse, and evil magicians running amok, the trio must enlist the help of magical enforcers and candy to stop Camilla. Wil they succeed?
The characters are engaging and entertaining. The plot is well-developed and full of twists and turns. Mixing a Disney-esque adventure with local amusement park elements to the story, Mull continues to build an intriguing world that will appeal to fantasy fans. Readers who like magic, adventure, and mysteries will enjoy reading this book.

Brilliant, as always! I love how fun this series is, and how much it engages reluctant readers. I can always get my kids who don’t like reading hooked on a Brandon Mull book. This is definitely going in my personal and classroom libraries.

I always enjoy reading a book from Brandon Mull, it's a great concept and always has a unique plot. The characters in this story worked in the Candy Shop War world. I enjoyed reading this and the previous books in this series. Brandon Mull has a great writing style that works with the fantasy genre. I'm excited to see where Brandon Mull goes next.

"You are a superhero,” Zac said reverently. “I’m just a kid who got conned into helping an evil magician because I liked her candy,” Summer said. “Same with Nate and the others. We ended up defeating her. We stopped another evil magician this summer. He was running Arcadeland.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was pretty lackluster compared to the other books in the series.

The characters were pretty flat. While they weren’t the most complex in the other books, they had personalities and motives that made them well-rounded characters. There was none of that in this book. And it felt like Pigeon was barely there, which sucks because he’s my favorite character. Or his dog. :(

I also don’t feel great about Lindy’s ending. Besides the fact that she and Mr. Scott we’re barely in the book at all, I felt like her ending completely erased all of the development she had in Book 2, which is really disappointing.

It also felt like nothing happened in the book, despite the conflict being a ‘world-ending’ one, as said by the characters. I was waiting for the exposition to be over, and I realized I was like 65% of the way in. Even the climax felt like exposition rather than a climax to both the book and the series.

The book also didn’t really expand much on the magic system. It kind of made the magic boring, in fact.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend the first two books. The series definitely deserved a better finale, though. I’m not mad I read it, but I doubt I’ll reread it.

I will miss this series though, especially Pigeon and his dog.

This is a great addition to the Candy Wars series! Always well written and engaging, Brandon Mull hits it out of the park with this fun new addition. Easy and fun to read. I enjoyed this as an adult and my children all enjoyed it also! Fantastic book! A must read!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this read. I’ve been a fan of Brandon Mull since the beginning and this book doesn’t disappoint! This was an engrossing read! My kids will definitely enjoy this! Now I’m excited to see what his next, new series will be!