Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio

This was an absurdly adorable story. I was expecting it to be quirky cute, but I didn't expect it to be this adorable! I actually read it while on the shinkansen, so if you're interested in reading my thoughts as it happened, you can do so here.

Warren the 13th is about this adorable bellhop/jack of all trades for this old, now run-down hotel. Although Warren is the heir to the hotel, he's too young to assume the mantel of responsibility, so his lazy uncle has taken over. His uncle isn't a bad guy, but his new aunt Anaconda is - she's literally a witch! One day, a mysterious stranger checks in (first time in five years!), and his Aunt Anaconda's search for the All Seeing Eye intensifies.

To me, the story alone was delightful. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but the book still had a twist that shocked me. For the record, I was eventually right, but that twist really threw me off for a moment. There's a fairly large cast of characters, but they all have their distinct personalities, and I never got them confused, even though this was a short book.

What made the book really stand out, though, were the illustrations. The book is filled with illustrations, with I think about one or two on every page. Or at least, it felt that way. The illustrations really brought the world to life. My Netgalley version is an ebook and incomplete (for the last two chapters-ish), but I can totally see this as a beautiful hardback or paperback, with glossy paper for the illustrations.

Overall, this short little book is a delightful read. I love the characters, and the story was much more interesting that I expected. I hope that we'll be seeing more adventures from Warren the 13th in the future.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.