On her 12th birthday, Cricket is given a gift that shows her unusual abilities were shared by someone close to her. However, when Cricket and her best friend start to experiment with her gift, the people around her start behaving very oddly, there is black dust everywhere, and her baby brother has been replaced by some "thing." A talking cat tells Cricket she is the only one who can save her brother and stop the dust from spreading. However, Cricket must follow him into a strange land where Santa, fairies, and other magical creatures are real. Can Cricket find her baby brother and stop the dust before it's too late?

I loved the imagination and detail that went into this book. It reminded me, at times, of the movie Labyrinth that I loved as a teenager. I loved how Cricket constantly found the courage to step outside her comfort zone even though it was not easy to know who to trust. I also liked how people with different abilities were championed in this book. I look forward to reading future installments in this series.

I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. #TheSlugQueenChronicles #NetGalley

This is a well-written book reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland or Narnia with its fantasy themes. It mostly reminded me of The Labyrinth film with the older sister rescuing her little baby brother from the forces of evil. Definitely recommended for middle graders.

I absolutely loved this book! It made me think of Alice in Wonderland but Faeryland! Adorable and fun and I know my younger sister would really enjoy this.

There is so much depth to this story it’s not just beginning middle and end, it’s so so much more. I loved the style of writing and the authors ability to story tell, can’t wait to read more :)

trigger warning
<spoiler> child neglect while under unfluence of magic, gaslighting </spoiler>

Cricket has been able to see strange dust her whole life. On her birthday, her father gives her her late mother's diary, and she discovers that her mother, too, saw this - and it's fairy dust!
She attempts to summon a fairy, and succeeds. It takes her brother.

This was fun. The first part felt like the Ocean at the End of the Lane with the magic troubles with parents, then we got a bit of Alice in Wonderland - even the speaking and disappearing cat was there! - and we found ourselves in fairyland.

Basically, this is a fun middle grade adventure, only the protagonist is a person of colour. Which is awesome. Every child should be able to look in a book and see themselves.

I like the characters, the plot, the writing style, the illustrations. I want to return for Season Two and see what happens next.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks for NetGalley and BooksGo Social for the ebook provided.

The book reminds me of Alice In Wonderland mix with a little bit of Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone story, but in a darker and more heartwarming side. The premises are quite good in the beginning, Cricket wants to find his little brother Tristan and she wants her family and her best friend are back to their normal attitudes. Unfortunately I lost my interest when the story reached where Cricket left the house and she found more magical and unusual stuff around her, in order wants to reach the Aeryland. Too many and long description of magical stuff, endless journey and some parts not quite understandable “how I imagine this?”. Little bit stressful for me.

It probably will be a good book for others but not for me.

There are so many layers to this story. Nothing is said just to be said. It all has meaning and everything is connected. That said, at times it does cause a bit of sensory and informational overload, but even that feels intentional. Cricket seems to have some sort of sensory processing disorder. She can't regulate her senses and she tends to get overwhelmed easily. At the start of the story, before she travels to aeryland, she avoids things that overwhelm her. She sits outside during lunch because there's too much going on. The normal hubbub of the kids being kids, the smells, things that don't bother most people are too much for her.

But when her family is in danger, she goes on this intense journey, which I suspect would not be as intense if another kid without her sensory issues had accepted this call to action. In Aeryland everything is overwhelming to Cricket and even though her instinct is to keep avoiding, she overides that instinct because her family needs her. Cricket takes in so much information. Because it's in first person, I found I was overwhelmed when she was overwhelmed which was a fair amount. I was confused when she was confused. I felt her fear down to my bones and found that my breathing increased as hers did.

At first I didn't like it. At times it left me feeling almost dizzy. But there was a point when I realized Cricket doesn't like it either, but this is part of who she is. Even with her shade powers, she can't magically make the world less overwhelming. She can't turn it off. I have a newfound appreciation for anyone who goes through life unfiltered like that.

Even though it's a lot for her, Cricket perseveres and manoeuvers her way to a happy ending by being herself. I love that her growth had nothing to do with overcoming who she is at her core. Her sensory issues remain relatively unchanged from start to finish. Her growth had more to do with learning to see life from different perspectives and understanding that we all have reasons for acting the way that we do, as misguided as they might be at times.

Cricket doesn't understand why Nokomis would offer to sacrifice something so important for a girl she's only just met until she's put in the same situation and finally understands that's what you do for the people you care about. It's not just a conscious choice, it's an instinct you can't understand until you experience it for yourself. She also realizes that she hadn't considered what her brother might be going through and she feels awful that she's been so wrapped up in her own view of things. And when Fenlick apologizes at the end, she makes the connection that she was guilty of the same thing and this allows her to forgive him. It's a beautiful story in all of its complexity that I think both kids and adults alike will enjoy. I also think it brings an important issue to the forefront. Can we allow ourselves to see life from someone else's perspective as a way to better understand their actions and experience?

Many thanks for the ARC from the publisher in exchange for honest review.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this title and requested it as the description was intriguing.
However, I found the plot very hard to follow and almost too fast paced for me. It felt like it was trying to squeeze too much into the book.
I am sorry but I didn’t enjoy reading it and found it to be a bit stressful actually.