First off the artwork in this book is amazing and I loved that part of it. However this book was a little odd for me. I read this one prior to reading to the kids and was a little iffy about it. They enjoyed it though they didn't seem as interested during.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Kinda weird book, liked the art but the story was odd

I enjoyed reading this book. The illustrations are gorgeous.

I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

A witch, Carmina is allergic to her cat thanks to a hex by another magic-user named Hector. But with the help of one of her cats, Castor, she may have found a solution.
I thought the artwork was nice but the story was too long for a picture book. Also, I didn't like the story overall Carmina's actions against her cats is not the kind of message I want to send to my students about problem-solving.

Lizard Brew, while beautifully illustrated, was actually quite involved and difficult to follow for a children’s book. The plot is quite confusing. Why exactly are we allergic to cats? Who is your friend? Who is this man who put a hex on you? I wasn’t quite sure where the story was going at times. As a children’s book, I feel as though the plot falls short and it would definitely cause children some confusion. But as an illustrated work, it was wonderful and the pictures themself are quite engaging and almost tell their own story.

While it never comes right out and and says “Witch” Carmina is a witch. Her friend has been hexed with allergies to her cat. And Carmina’s curious cats keep bringing her dead lizards. As an adult I liked this story, but it’s windy, and gets lost in itself. It’s too long for most picture books, has no rhyme and changes topics. It’s almost like talking to your grandmother. Overall I liked it, and I love the illustrations, but It will never be mainstream read.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Lizards Brew is the sequel to Bonnie Stanards book Cats Fur. I found this book more enjoyable than book 1 as I seems to have more information about what is happening. These books are definitely books for everyone and are quite dark. I've enjoyed this series and hope there will be a third book too.

Surprisingly, I liked this one much better than Cat's Fur! It's like a proper sequel to that book. And this one is much more wholesome and longer. I liked how this one is more well done.

I love the illustrations! It's so apt for the season!

All the Halloween vibes here!

The old witch is trying to brew a cure for her running nose and to create something to cure a hex.

I can totally relate with her lonely times when one's sick and alone.

The cats seem a little less in this one but still way too many to be taken cared of by a lone, old woman.

However,I didn't like the lizard brewing part. I know it's witch brewing classic recipe but no, no lizards be harmed fictional or fantastical it may be. Kids don't need to know lizards be brewed like that. Yes, the animal protection vibes sprang up out of nowhere.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

We come back to the tale of Carmina, the witch, and her allergy to cats. In this follow up, to Bonnie Stanard's "Cat's Fur" we find out the source of Carmina and Sagmarilla's cat allergies and this is the quest of Carmina to solve the problem.
“Lizard Brew,” once again has some of the most beautiful and detailed illustrations by illustrator Marlaena Shannon which draw you into the book and the story. I found myself going back just to look at the pictures.
The story itself is well told and explains why Carmina and Sagmarilla have their new allergy to cats when they did not have it before. (You'll have to read to find out what happened) Carmina is frustrated with her allergy and does not understand why one of her many cats, Caster keeps bringing her green lizards. Rather than question the cats’ efforts, she takes the lizards and stores them for the future.
As we get into the book Carmina decides to create a potion for curing the witches’ allergies. Unfortunately, the potion is not complete so she opts for a Dreams Potion to send to Sagmarilla hoping it will make her friend feel better. While she is making the potion, she hears voices telling her to listen to her cats because they are trying to help her.
Carmina eventually falls asleep and after a dream that gives her some hints: she wakes and realizes her cats had been trying to help her the entire time to cure her allergy. All is well when she finds the right ingredient to add to the potion which has literally been in her hands the whole book. Eventually she is cured, and all is right for Carmina. We can only imagine that she will send her friend some of this magical potion or the recipe and make her well too.
I really liked this book; the story was told well, and there was much more depth to this story than the first. That is to be expected though, as the first book's story was a poem written by the author. "Lizard Brew" is a perfect way to follow the previous book and its story, however, this could be read on its own without having read the first book at all. Both books together, or this one on its own would be good gifts for Halloween or any child who loves witches, cats, or Halloween. I think the author and illustrator worked well together to create a wonderful, magical book for children.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this electronic edition of the book in exchange for my honest reviews.

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. I just wish it had a different or more clearly written story to go with it. From page one I was really confused as to what was going on, and now I see there's another book called Cat's Fur by this author which apparently comes just before this one? Expect there is no where in the description that says that... The story just doesn't flow well and is sort of disjointed and jumps around, like one minute the witch is looking for a cure for a hex that's made her (and her friend? I'm still not clear on that...) allergic to her cats, and then suddenly she's like "Meh, this potion for good dreams looks cool, I'll just make that." Uh... What? That being said, my 4 and 6 year old stayed pretty engaged through the most of the book, despite having a lot of text on each page and the book being fairly long. I think maybe they're too young to have noticed the bits where the story didn't make much sense, haha.


Guest review by Jaime (age 6):
What was your favorite part? "The throat part, the healin' throat part where she was all better. Also, I like the potions one too. I would definitely take one of those because then I wouldn't have nightmares."
Where there any parts you didn't like? "Nope, nothin'. I like everything."


Guest review by Link (age 4):
"Good, it was so good. My favorite part was the potion, the dream potion."
Where there any parts you didn't like? "There's nothin' bad about the book."

I found the illustrations a little creepy at times. The illustrator did a wonderful job making the old man and woman look old! The cats were really cute and it is a really good storyline about a lady who wants to rid herself of her cat allergy.

Poor Carmina is a witch who has been hexed so that she is allergic to her cats! She spends most of the picture book avoiding her cats until she realizes they are trying to help her break the spell. At the beginning of the picture book, I was a little confused because it was not explained until a couple of pages in that Carmina and her friend Sagmarilla were both hexed to be allergic to their cats. After this, I began to follow the storyline better. The illustrations were muted in color to give the picture book a spooky, slightly creepy feel. Overall, I thought this was a fun storybook for the Halloween/fall season because it deals with witches, cats, and potions. However, this would probably not be the first book that I would recommend if someone was looking for a fall-themed picture book.

Lizard Brew is a picturebook about Carmine and her cats. Carmina is a witch and is hexed by Hector so that she is allergic to cats. Her friend Sagmarilla shares the same fate. Carmina starts sneezing and is having headache around her cats. How can a witch live away from her cats?

One of her cats, Caster starts bringing her dead lizards. Will Carmina be able to figure out the potion for removing her allergy? Why does Caster keep bringing dead lizards?

Surprisingly this a book that I can’t figure out whether I liked or not. The story is simple but seemed disconnected in a few places. The illustrations are one of a kind. This book is apt for reading around Halloween time, with a witch, cats, lizards, spells and brews.

**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

The artwork was interesting, but I felt as if this was a little dark for children. Maybe children from the 1980s who grew up with Labyrinth, but definitely not children from 2020.

The words seemed to be overly crowded onto the page, maybe if it had been spread out more, it would have been a little bit of an easier time to read.

Overall, even though the description says there is a prequel, it almost feels as if the prequel should have been combined with this book to make a complete story. It just feels incomplete, as if someone wanted to rush production on this book.

Wonderfully llustrated and an imaginative story. Castor the cat helps Carmina to find a cure for her allergies.

I have never read such a clunky, awkward, children's story. Poorly written, awkwardly illustrated, this is not a book I would ever recommend. A children's book should have good pacing and a smooth flow; this work had neither. What it does have is a completely unlovable main character and a story that never really takes off or lands.

A book to avoid, my friends.

This is a cute an imaginative story with some beautiful imagery. I will admit I was a bit lost at the beginning and found the story to be a bit long for a children’s book. However, it’s a neat story (a witch becomes allergic to her cats and goes in a quest to undo a hex). I loved the natural elements. I don’t know if I’d recommend this one though, for the right audience (lovers of Halloween and spooky stories), then perhaps this is the right book. For me it misses the mark, but the beautiful artwork made up for it.

What a quirky little story. I appreciate that it's not simply filled with mainstream cutesy creatures and beautiful witches, but considers and accepts wrinkles, sneezes and aging. I"m afraid this one will be a tough sell for most children due to this same lack of diva witches. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and the story, though simple, has a touching level of heart.

Lizard Brew by Bonnie Stanard was an interesting read.

I really enjoyed the illustrations and really felt they added to the book.

I was a little confused about this story. I do not know if this was due to it being the second in the series or just not finding it that interesting. I did not find the idea of a witch being allergic to her cats overly exciting. Secondly, I wasn’t sure if this book was for adults or children. It seemed too dark for children, but not interesting enough for an adult.

I think some might enjoy this, but it just was not for me. The illustrations were beautiful though.

I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA.) All opinions are 100% my own.

This is the second book that I have read by this author and I did prefer this to the previous one but it is still a story that didn't work for me.

The story is quite dark, as are the images which do suit the story but I will be honest it is not one that I would re-read and not one that I would read with my daughter.

It is 2.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 3 stars for Goodreads and Amazon - just not one that worked for me.