Book Review: Malice in Ovenland vol #1

Book: Malice in Ovenland volume #1 (issues #1-4) written and illustrated by Micheline Hess

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Lily Brown is a bright, curious, energetic young girl from Queens, New York. When her mom forces her to stay home for the summer and do chores, Lily fumes. Little did she know that the greasy oven in the kitchen was going to give her more excitement and adventure than she could possibly handle.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

This was a fun little adventure. Malice in Ovenland is a fresh take on Alice in Wonderland with Lily Brown dreading the start of her summer vacation. Because instead of going somewhere fun for the summer like her friends she was going to be at home doing chores and studying. As she was attempting to do her last chore on the list, cleaning the oven, something strange happened. First her earring somehow dropped into the oven but when she went into the oven to try to find it she wound up falling into a very strange land.

Down below the surface is a land full of creatures that live and thrive in a greasy environment. Lily soon found out that the grease has nearly stopped running as well as the greasy food has become very scarce. Being in Ovenland was scary enough but to make matters worse, the Queen of the Frites accused Lily of being the one who has stopped the grease. She was soon imprisoned in the haunted dungeon, to escape her ordeal she got some surprising help from a ghost, Chef Gristle.

Escaping the prison took her even further into the creepy tunnels where she stumbled upon a wonderfully delicious secret Chef Gristle had been working on. Lily's escape didn't go unnoticed, the Queen sent her Royal guards or Royal Rangers as they're called, after her. Lily got some additional help from a downtrodden little Frite named Crumb and a bug named Max.

This delightful story is filled with action and adventure and plenty of humor that's sure to appeal to younger readers. I like Lily, she's adorable, smart, quirky and very resourceful. I noticed that there is a healthy food vibe incorporated into the story and not so surprisingly it's actually a very important aspect to it. I love the illustrations, they are bright and colorful and have a cartoony look to them.

Although, I believe this is geared towards children I think it's a fun read for all ages.