Imagine having the ability to use paintings as doorways to other places. That's the premise behind The Restorationists fantasy series.

Between Flowers and Bones is the second book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. Engaging, packed with danger and adventure, and spilling over with allusions and insights into the art world, kids will love following along as Georgia, Vincent, and their fellow Restorationists battle the Distortionists and their warped schemes to use art for their own evil purposes. Great read for adventure lovers!

*Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for the complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this second installment in Carolyn Leiloglou's The Restorationists series. The first title had been honestly such a pleasant surprise, and this one was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I was worried it was maybe not going to live up to my expectations, as I'm not a fan of Georgia O'Keefe's art in the slightest, but I ended up enjoying this one even more.

The story starts a little while after the catastrophic events of the first, and this time readers get to follow Vincent's cousin, Georgia's perspective. She's an interesting character, has had quite a different childhood than Vincent did, and she's struggling with feelings of bitterness and jealousy over the fact that she's all of a sudden not the only child restorationist in the family any longer. I enjoyed how realistic and authentic all of her reactions were to everything coming her way, but also the way she had a big heart for her family and the monstrous responsibility they've been born with.

The story twists and turns in ways the reader won't see coming, and I found it was a wonderful, immersive read that was often hard to put down. It's nice to have another middle grade title that I can wholeheartedly recommend to Christian families to pick up for their young readers, as the content was actually clean, and the focus was on family and friendships, and working together. There's also a couple of lovely faith elements included that almost brought a tear to my eye.

Another winner for me from Carolyn Leiloglou, and now I'm left waiting (not so) patiently for the third title in the series. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year, and I can't possibly recommend it enough.

Final Rating: 5/5.

Thanks so much to Waterbrook for allowing me to advance read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher (Waterbrook) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

** "The world is full of doubters who think the only real things are the things they can see and touch. They things they can understand." **

Carolyn Leiloglou's "Between Flowers and Bones" picks up immediately after "Beneath the Swirling Sky," the first novel in her Restorationists series.

Cousins Georgia and Vincent are training to better their skills as Travelers -- their family makes up a long line of Travelers (as explained in the first novel: "Traveling is stepping into a painting. Getting to walk around in the mind of an artist"). Their jobs are trying to maintain the safety and purity of art from the Distortionists, who try to steal and destroy art.

So Vincent is trying to build up his skill as an Artist and Georgia as a Navigator. The problem: Vincent seems so much better at his even better gift, which leads Georgia to feel jealous and unworthy.

But when they get drawn once again into the unknown, hidden world between paintings, they must try to work together as a team to find what is missing and defeat the evil Distortionists.

Once again Leiloglou develops a fun and suspenseful plot filled with action and intensity. She brings back her fun and quirky characters who have real worries and concerns, yet are brave and dig deep for the strength they need. She also fills "Between Flowers and Bones" with several great themes, like we all have the exact gifts we need; the importance of teamwork; the impact of feeling useless; and sometimes it is hard to ask for and accept help.

Fans of books like "The International House of Dereliction" by Jacqueline Davies and James Patterson's "Minerva Keen's Detective Club," and even Kiersten White's Sinister Summer series will love "Between Flowers and Bones."

The talented Vivienne To adds fun illustrations to add to the story, which is due out Sept. 10.

Five stars out of five.

WaterBrook provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.