Review: What a crazy life!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 2, 2012
I picked this book up after hearing it mentioned many times as a good, fun read.  I wasn't sure when I'd get to it, but when you're a book hoarder, one more never hurts.  Well, the day soon came when I felt like I needed something light, funny, and silly - and this fit the bill excactly!  I found myself drawn in immediately, and didn't want to stop until I made it all the way through.The human characters are totally believable, though just a tiny bit sterotyped.  Kate is the quintessential suburban soccer mom, except in her case, it isn't soccer - it might be dragon jousting or unicorn riding.  Supporting characters - Richard, Charles, Mr. Morton, Kate's kids - are all delightfully quirky and yet are drawn so well that they could easily be the guy next door.  After all, what do you *really* know about the guy next door?  The magical animals - especially the Freckles - play a large part in the story, and they're also portrayed well - the anthromorphic qualities the author gives them fit in perfectly, and don't override the potential for fun that can be found in any animal's personality.The plot was actually quite thin and trite, but I was having so much fun following along with Kate and her critters that I seldom noticed, and when I did - I didn't really care!  This is a book that's all about the characters and their interactions, much more so than about any plot or substantial storyline.  While this was a fun, light story, it wasn't all rainbows and flowers - there was an undercurrent of seriousness, and hints of things that were deeper, darker, and more deadly than Kate's suburban lifestyle would lead the reader to believe.  And we also learn that happy, silly, soccer-mom Kate has a past, though the author doesn't go into detail.Highly recommended for light reading to anyone (of any age) who likes their stories character-driven, and likes the characters to be real 'characters'!Note on Kindle formatting:  Excellent.  I do not recall noting any issues whatsoever.