The Golden Frog Games by Claribel A. Ortega
Seven thought life for her and her coven would be looking a little bit brighter after they completed the impossible task. Instead, things have been as difficult as she expected as a Spare. At least she’s been named the new town Uncle, but Uncle training has been hard, and there’s something weird going on with her magic. However, it’s time for the Golden Frog Games and Thorn is competing. The only problem? Someone is trying to turn Thorn into stone and accidentally getting the competition instead.
The first book in this series was spectacular, so I was very excited to read this book. We pick up a little after the first book ends, and we see that Seven has a lot going on. Uncle training is keeping her on her toes and leaving her more worried than ever. The problem? She can still talk to the monstruos, and it’s an ability that should’ve gone away after her Uncle abilities first revealed themselves. Seven has nowhere to turn because she’s already a Spare, and being able to converse with the monstruos would be taken even worse than if she was in any of the other covens.
This time around, Thorn is competing in the Golden Frog Games and is a serious contender. While she’s got Seven and Valley at her back along with all of the Spares from each town, she’s also just a kid facing the many prejudiced people who think Spares should be banned from the games. It was really nice to see Thorn really coming into her own throughout the book. She’s extremely talented and while she’s got a lot of things going against her, she’s also very determined and knows who she is and what she’s capable of. It was really nice to see Thorn get the positive attention she does get!
One of my favorite things to read about is friendships and how they come together, strengthen, or almost break apart. Seven, Thorn, and Valley are a special situation because they have so much on their plate as it is. They’re just kids and the only people they can only trust is each other, so if they’re fighting, there’s really no one to turn to with 100% honesty. I loved seeing how much they care for each other despite being at odds with each other. It’s such a good friendship to read about for middle schoolers. Everyone is a butt-toad at some point at that age, so it’s good to be able to read about friendships that overcome even the most fictional of shenanigans.
The Golden Frog Games means there’s quite a few new characters. It can cause your head to spin for a hot minute, but I promise it sorts itself out! I really liked getting to meet Spares from other towns as well as seeing that some of the towns treat Spares better. However, it turns out that people are still against Spares no matter their location. At least we get to see that there’s a movement starting to get Spares equal rights and that there’s a lot more people who have the trio’s back than they ever could’ve imagined.
All in all, this was an excellent read. The ending really throws everyone straight through all the emotions, so now I’m sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the third book!
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