Blog Tour: ARC Review Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley

Title: Midnight at the Barclay Hotel
Series: n/a
Author: Fleur Bradley
Illustrator: Xavier Bonet
Source/Format: Author; E-ARC
More Details: Mystery, Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Viking; August 25 2020

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

When JJ Jacobson convinced his mom to accept a surprise invitation to an all-expenses-paid weekend getaway at the illustrious Barclay Hotel, he never imagined that he'd find himself in the midst of a murder mystery. He thought he was in for a run-of-the-mill weekend ghost hunting at the most haunted spot in town, but when he arrives at the Barclay Hotel and his mother is blamed for the hotel owner's death, he realizes his weekend is going to be anything but ordinary.

Now, with the help of his new friends, Penny and Emma, JJ has to track down a killer, clear his mother's name, and maybe even meet a ghost or two along the way.

Midnight at the Barclay Hotel is Fleur Bradley’s most recent middle grade novel. It features beautifully crafted illustrations by Xavier Bonet. Five people are selected to enjoy a weekend stay at the Barclay Hotel. However, everyone ends up pulled into a murder mystery. When We saw the synopsis, we knew we would be into it.

Adri: The beginning got to the point, introducing the reader to all the important places and characters –like JJ, Penny, and Emma among others. Not too long after, I found myself sucked into the story and had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to get to the end to find out what was really going on at the Barclay Hotel. Even though I did predict a few things, it did not take away my enjoyment. I still found myself guessing with each reveal.

Andrea: I absolutely love Fleur Bradley’s writing style. She does an amazing job of writing middle grade books with just the right amount of suspense and adventure. I was first introduced to her work when I reviewed the Double Vision series, which was an exciting adventure that I highly recommend. As for Midnight at the Barclay Hotel, it didn’t disappoint. Each character’s profile added a layer of suspense. Although the story seemed predictable, it just wasn’t that simple.

Adri: The next thing I really like was the chemistry between the characters. JJ has a dislike of reading but loves ghost hunting; Penny loves reading but is skeptical of ghost; and Emma just wants kids her age to hang out with. This created a nice balance of personalities. And I can’t forget the relationship that that JJ has with his mother and Penny her grandfather. I have my reasons but I think they’re kind of spoiler-y, so…

Andrea: I have to agree with you the characters had amazing chemistry. JJ’s sense of adventure, Penny’s insecurities, and the fact that Emma was simply peculiar created an amazing team of Junior sleuths. I also liked the characters’ growth as the story progressed.

Andrea & Adri: Anyway, Midnight at the Barclay Hotel was a fun read. We recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting to you. We especially recommend it if a young reader is interested in murder mysteries and paranormal/ghost hunting.

Thanks for reading.

About the author...

Fleur Bradley is passionate about two things: mysteries and getting kids to read, and she regularly speaks at librarian and educator conferences on reaching reluctant readers. Originally from the Netherlands, Fleur now lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and two daughters, and entirely too many cats.

For more information on Fleur and her books, visit www.ftbradley.com, and on Twitter @FTBradleyAuthor.

Follow along with the Midnight at the Barclay Hotel blog tour: 

Aug. 3rd: Book review at Always in the Middle

Aug. 11th: An interview at MG Bookvillage

Aug 14th: Book review at Charlotte’s Library

Aug. 16th: Guest post: Fleur talks about reaching reluctant readers at Unleashing Readers

Aug. 17th: Review at Secret Files of Fairday Morrow blog

Aug. 18th: Review and giveaway at MG Mojo

Aug. 19th.: Interview and giveaway at From the Mixed-Up Files

Aug. 21st: Book review at Our Thoughts Precisely.

Aug. 23rd: Interview and giveaway at Spooky MG

Aug. 24th: Interview at YA Booknerd

Facebook Live Book Launch on Aug. 25th!

Aug. 25th: Writer's Digest Author Spotlight

Sept. 4th : Fleur talks about getting out of your comfort zone on Kirby Larson’s blog
Sept. 8th: Fleur outlines how to develop a compelling MG concept at Writer's Digest

Disclaimer: This E-copy of the book was provided by the Author for this review, thank you!

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Review: Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Spartan Frost (Click title for Synopsis)
Source/Format: Purchased/ itunes digital edition
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington Publishing Corporation, June 25, 2013






My Thoughts:

     I’m glad that Jennifer Estep decided to do a Novella from Logan Quinn’s point of view, because I always wondered what was going on in his head.  Spartan Frost really showed how Logan was struggling with what happened at the end of Crimson Frost.  Out of everything he seemed to be struggling with his guilt over what happened to Gwen, the most.  The only thing about Spartan Frost is that it was more about Logan and not necessarily how he felt about Gwen.  Sure, we get small pieces of his emotions, as well as some insight into the things he liked about her, but otherwise it was focused primarily on him and his father.  Spartan Frost was a nice bridge to fill the gap between Crimson Frost and the upcoming release, Midnight Frost.  I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but what I do know is that there will be plenty Reapers of Chaos showing up all over the place.