Description: Redding High School is filled with bullies and fairies and one lonely ghost. Imogene is a new girl in school. She has left her reputation and her switchblade behind and is making an effort to fit into her new setting. She makes friends with Maxine, a self-described smart kid who the popular kids love to hate. The popular kids also love to hate Imogene, so the two new friends work to stay out of the way of the bullies. Although small in stature, Imogene has a mouth and an attitude that allow her to maintain a survival mode, but Maxine is an easy target. The bullies are only half the problem at Redding High School. The other problem is that the school is home to faeries, not the pretty kind but the kind of troublesome creatures found in Irish legends. The faeries are living in the school with Adrian Dumbrell, the ghost of a student who fell to his death outside the building. Adrian was also bullied by students and he hangs out in the hallways, too afraid to move on to the next world. Imogene and her quick wit have attracted the notice of the ghost, the faeries and the anathimim, soul-stealing creatures of the darkness. It takes Maxine and Adrian along with Imogene's family members, boyfriend, and imaginary childhood friend to save Imogene from the supernatural bad guys.
Note: Description taken from bn.com
Review: "The Blue Girl" is an excellent urban fantasy that rather resembles Holly Black's Modern Tales of Faerie, only a bit less gritty. The characters are well-done and distinct. Maxine's quieter character could easily have fallen into the background, paling in comparison to the colorful personality of Imogene, but de Lint does an admirable job at keeping what could have been a boring character interesting and full of development. The only character I could never quite sympathize with is Adrian - he struck me as whiny and rather stupid. On the other hand, I loved the romantic interests of the story, Imogene's brother and her boyfriend, Thomas, and felt that they deserved a bit more stage time than they received. The plot was a bit simplistic - I thought there could have been more twists and turns - but what's there is vividly detailed and unique. "The Blue Girl" is a fantastic book for fantasy fans.
Description: Elaine "Ellie" Harrison is fuming over her parents choice to take a sabbatical from their professor duties at the beginning of the school year, just in time to make Ellie's life take a complete 360. Not only is she forced to move to Washington, DC, but she has to leave behind her closest friends, and create a new identity for herself. Hopefully one that will leave an impression on her new classmates. But Avalon High is an exact replica of every other high school in America. It's students are classified in the same way: jocks, cheerleaders, class president...But suddenly Ellie finds herself mixed up with the cool crowd. Now she's hanging with Lance the jock, Jennifer the cheerleader, and Will, quarterback and senior class president. But the more Ellie spends time with her newfound friends, the more she realizes that their lives are mimicking history. History from centuries ago. Like the time when King Arthur ruled. Now, Ellie must figure out how to stop a chain of events that is destined to leave everyone around her in tears, or worse...dead.
Note: Description from Erika Sorocco on amazon.com
Review: Meg Cabot's teen books never seem to go wrong, and "Avalon High" is no exception. As always, Cabot's characterization is fantastic; Ellie is a great character with the perfect mix of wry smarts, hormonal crushing, and eye-rolling exasperation towards her parents, and Will is yet another drool-worthy hero. The modern-day-King-Arthur thing has been done, but not in quite this way, and the premise is excellent. The plot is good too; my only criticism is that it takes way too long for the magic element to be fully introduced in the story. I would've liked that to come earlier on, or for more plot to come after the realization that yes, they're really the reincarnations of people from the time of Camelot, which is obvious to the reader right from the start. Despite that though, the romance development makes up for the lack of magical development. "Avalon High" is a great read.
Description: Years ago, Stacey had nightmares about a little girl she babysat for. Then the girl was murdered, exactly as Stacey's dreams had shown. Now, at boarding school, it's happening again. This time Stacy is dreaming about her roommate and best friend, Drea. And when Drea reveals that she's been getting mysterious phone calls, Stacey starts to worry for Drea's life. With the time until Drea's stalker plans to get her ticking down, Stacey must do all she can to figure out what her dreams are trying to tell her, before it's too late.
Review: I love the premise for this book, and had been trying to get ahold of a copy for quite some time (because I am too cheap to buy my own books). Well, I finally read it, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. The story is all angst and no plot. Nothing really happened to make me want to keep turning pages, except my desire for something to happen. "Maybe if I read another chapter, something interesting will occur." Stacey's character was nothing but angst and hormones, and her friends Drea and Amber never endeared themselves to me. Drea seems like a selfish brat, and Amber is just plain annoying. I couldn't stand having friends like those. I never noticed either of them doing anything very friend-like. Despite this, I still love the premise, and because of that I'll give the series another go. Hopefully the second installment will be more exciting than the first, and maybe there will actually be an interesting character.
Description: Luneta is tired of living in dull Orkney with her mother and father (who happens to be the most boring knight of King Arthur's Round Table). She prides herself on always getting what she wants, so when the opportunity presents itself, she jumps at the chance to stay at a family friend's castle near Camelot. Her handsome cousin, Sir Ywain - a young knight seeking adventure- arrives just in time to escort her to King Arthur's court.
Along the way they pick up a knight-turned-fool named Rhience, whose wit and audacity set many a puffed-up personality in its place. Before arriving at Lady Laudine's castle, the trio stops at Camelot, where they hear the story of the Storm Stone, a magical object deep in the forest that soon sweeps everyone into a web of love, betrayal, and more than a bit of magic.
Note: Description from the book jacket.
Review: "The Lioness and Her Knight" is a great addition to Gerald Morris's Squire's Tales series; as always, the book is laugh-out-loud hilarious with a great plot and a satisfying romance. Luneta is a little more passive than I would have liked, being dragged hither and yon by circumstances and not of her own volition, but she is still a good character, intelligent but with her own human foibles (she prizes her ability to manipulate people and loves to meddle in others' affairs). The character that really made the book for me was Rhience, whose amusing quips and sarcasm kept me giggling throughout the whole book, but whose more serious side was also apparent (but not to Luneta, unfortunately). As mentioned, I would have liked to see Luneta be more of a driving factor in the plot, but the story was decent nevertheless. One of the great things about the Squire's Tales series is that every book (except possibly the second one) can be read as a stand-alone; knowledge of the happenings of previous books is not necessary when reading a later book, though it can be amusing (for example, Luneta's parents were the stars of the third book in the series, and it was fun to see how they interact as a middle aged married couple). "The Lioness and Her Knight" is definitely worth the read, and if you like it, you'll love the rest of the series as well.
Description: When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.
But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-colored powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, timid and sensitive Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet.
When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been dealing, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honorable. And as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.
Note: Description from the book jacket, copied from amazon.com
Review: Holly Black has yet another winning novel in her follow-up to "Tithe: A Modern Tale of Faerie". "Valiant" is very different from its predecessor (the characters from "Tithe" only appear briefly near the end of the book), but still retains its fantastic punk faerietale vibe. The NYC setting is perfection, and the faeries fit right in. Val wasn't a strong enough main character for me, but I liked the book anyway because of its unique premise and plot. The best thing about "Valiant", in my opinion, is Ravus. He's a troll, complete with green skin, claws, and fangs, yet Val still likes him (yes, likes likes him). I like that, for once, the love interest isn't traditionally beautiful. The mystery surrounding the faerie deaths made a good plot - full of exciting twists and turns, but not overwhelming with nonstop action. "Valiant" is sure to win over readers of all sorts.
Description: Gwen, 17, has returned to a small beach community seven years after the scandal that forced her family to flee. Now she's spending the summer working at her grandmother's inn and hoping to put the past behind her. The very first morning she's there, however, she meets Jesse, a boy who claims he already knows her, and knows what happened all those years ago. Overcome by her attraction to him, Gwen spends more and more time with him and realizes that he has secrets he isn't telling her. When Gwen finds out who Jesse really is, there will be an impossible decision for her to make, and either choice may end in heartbreak.
Note: Everything except the last sentence stolen from amazon.com
Review: "Seven Tears into the Sea" is a mythical story brought into the present day. The premise is interesting, and the book's mysterious prologue sucks the reader in. However, after that, things get less interesting. Gwen, the main character, has no distinguishing characteristics at all. Jesse is a good character, but not fully developed. The plot is exactly as simplistic as a typical fairy tale, and I wish it had more twists and turns. The ending was unsatisfying. Despite all that, however, the present-day myth aspect was interesting enough to keep me reading, and I did enjoy parts of this book. Myth and fairy tale loves will find something of value in "Seven Tears into the Sea". If you enjoy the Once Upon a Time books, you'll probably like this one as well.
Description: Eleven-year-old Roddy has nothing but hard work in the ropeworks to look forward to for the next five years, but when he meets a displaced king and his three daughters, things start looking up for Roddy. King Ivars has come to the new world looking for unusual things. "The land of ten thousand charms," he calls it. And strange things are certainly happening in the small town where they're living. The Parliament of Crows gathers to choose their new king, and Roddy is somehow able to understand this. King Ivars, sensing that Roddy is more special than he seems, takes him into his own home. When one of the princesses catches the eye of a royal monster, a curse is laid on the old king. Either she marries him, or her father dies. Roddy will have to use all his wits to rescue the beautiful princess from the evil monster.
Review: This book could have been really good...but it wasn't. It reads like a bad fairy tale, with wooden characters and a strange but simplistic plot. Parts of this book were interesting, but none of those parts were explored at all. For example, Roddy is obviously a magical being of some sort, since he can understand crows. There's also a sort of symbolic crowning within the book. However, it's never explained who Roddy is or why he can do such magical things. "Ten Thousand Charms" might be worth the read for fairy tale fans, but only when there's nothing better around.
Description: When Wendy finds a pair of sunglasses on the ground that seem to match her prescription exactly, she has no idea what she's in for. When she breaks her regular glasses the next day and is forced to wear the new sunglasses, Wendy can suddenly see things that no one else can see. Like dead people. And little blue mischief-makers. And that the most popular girl in school, Tiffanie, looks like she's been dead for thirty years. And then there's Julian. Wendy's always thought of him as a little geeky, but with the glasses on, he's really, really hot (if you can get past the pointy ears...). When Tiffanie and Julian start acting suspiciously interested in Wendy's new glasses, she runs away from them...right into another world. If Wendy's to survive her adventure, she'll have figure out who the bad guys really are, and then screw up some courage to rescue the good guys.
Review: The unique premise of this book makes it intriguing right off the bat. Magical glasses? Little blue guys? What? The book grabs your attention, and sucks you in. Wendy is a little bit of a boring main character, but I like the fact that she's not Supergirl. She's not superbrave or superstrong or even superintelligent; she's just your average girl. The interesting premise moves into a somewhat simplistic plot, but the story is still enjoyable enough. The ending seems a little open-ended (leaving room for a sequel, perhaps?), and is a little anticlimatic. Some of the magic in the book isn't really significant to the plot, like Wendy seeing dead people. Why do the glasses let her do that? It doesn't really fit with the purpose of the glasses, as stated towards the end of the book. Overall, "Now You See It..." is an excellent science fiction/fantasy novel for younger teens. For older teens, it may be a little lacking in excitement, but is still worth the read.
Description: Bryn, a grubby, carefree stonecutter's daughter, is awed when she's chosen to become a handmaiden at the Temple of the Oracle by the Master Priest himself. And at the Ceremony of Birds, when the fate of the students are revealed by whether a bird choses to gift a male acolyte or female handmaiden with a feather, Bryn is wind-chosen, a gift so rare that none know its full potential. But when rich, haughty Clea, the daughter of one of the realm's most powerful lords, places Bryn under a curse, she may never feel the wind again. And there are problems even more pressing than Bryn's dwindling prophecy skills, as the health of the realm's ailing princess fades and hope for a cure becomes more and more distant. When Bryn and her friends unearth a plot being aided by the Temple of the Oracle itself, it will be up to them to make sure it's stopped, at any cost.
Review: "The Light of the Oracle" is one of the best fantasies I've read in a very long time. The book is suppodedly a companion to Hanley's "The Seer and the Sword" and "The Healer's Keep", but the connection is distant and reading the other two books is by no means necessary to fully enjoy this one (in fact, unless you know the other books well, you may not notice the connection at all). Bryn is a sweet character, and the others are unique and interesting as well. The plot is slightly obvious, but the twists and turns Bryn takes as she studies at the Temple of the Oracle make up for general knowledge of what the evil plot is from the beginning. However, what really makes this book great is its fantasy elements. The prophecies and bird-gifts are thought out and work well together. I enjoyed discovering this new magical world right alongside Bryn. My review can't do this book justice. Go out and read "The Light of the Oracle" for yourself, right now!
Description: Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield has been preparing for queenship her whole life, but, at age fourteen, she feels entirely unprepared to take over the country when her father dies in a suicide mission against an invading army to buy time for Thirrin to make war plans and find allies. The mighty Polypontian Empire has never lost a conquest since its army has been headed by the brilliant military strategist Scipio Bellorum, and the comparatively tiny nation of the Icemark will be just another conquered nation before long, unless Thirrin can gain some valuable allies over the long northern winter. Thirrin, along with her young advisor, Oskan Witch's Son, who has magic of his own, must journey into the haunted Land-of-the-Ghosts and attempt to win allies of the Wolf-Folk, the Vampire King and Queen, and many other strange and legendary creatures, some of whom were recently enemies of the Icemark. Thirrin's strange alliance is powerful, but there are doubts about the intentions of some allies, and the sheer numbers of the Polypontian armies, along with their brilliant commander, may yet win the day if Thirrin cannot bridge the gaps between several very different peoples.
Review: The fantasy elements in this book are amazing - it takes a Viking-like society, pits the Roman Empire against it, throws in werewolves, vampires, fae, amazons, witches, and giant talking snow leopards as allies, and makes it work. The main character is one of the strongest female characters I've ever seen - her battle skill isn't about overcoming prejudice against women, she just is a warrior. Despite that, the book is incredibly long, incredibly hard to get into, and sometimes repetetive. I feel that it would have benefitted from a lot of stripping down. There were many unecessary scenes, especially battles. This book is not one that you can read cover-to-cover; you have to stop and set it down every few chapters and come back to it later. Also, the characters aren't quite lifelike enough for the reader to relate to entirely. However, the sheer creativeness of Hill's fantasy world makes "The Cry of the Icemark" worth the read, if you can manage to wade through all 480 pages.
Description: At age fourteen, every Tharn must take the Wizard Test to determine whether they have any talent for magic. Dayven wants to fail the test very badly. He wants to continue his service as a Watcherlad, eventually becoming a Guardian, like his father. Wizards are deceitful and alter men's destinies, tempting them away from their true path. When Dayven is proven to have an aptitude for magic, he's horrified, but when his lord instructs him to spy on the wizards, he's given an opportunity to redeem himself. Apprenticed to an unconventional wizard named Reddick, Dayven journeys to the Cenzar enemy city, where an army prepares to march on Dayven's home, the Town-within-the-Walls, which the Tharns invaded three generations ago. There Dayven learns that there are multiple sides to every story, and wizards aren't as evil as he thought. Dayven will be faced with an impossible decision, and his choice will alter the fates of two entire peoples.
Review: "The Wizard Test" is an entertaining, if short, fantasy that contains a valuable message about seeing things from other points of view. Bell's fantasy world is a little simplistic, but still believable and interesting enough. Dayven is sometimes bad-tempered and petulant, but he's a decent character who faces tough decisions and changes throughout the story. His interactions with the other characters are real enough, if a little stilted. The other characters can be a little distant; I would've liked to have gotten to know them better. "The Wizard Test" has its shortcomings, but none of them are enough to detract from its overall entertainment value as an interesting fantasy with a moral that transcends genre.
Rating: 4
Description: Thaniel, just seventeen, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline - his friend and mentor - track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Alaizabel is half-crazed, lovely, and possessed. Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet - attracting evil and drawing horrors from ever dark corneer. Cathaline and Thaniel must discover its cause - and defend humanity at all costs.
Note: Description yanked from amazon.com
Review: Chris Wooding has created an intricate world full of believable mosters (both wych-kin and human) that will appeal to readers of fantasy and horror alike. The characters can fall a little flat, and Alaizabel, the so-called heroine of the book, seems incredibly wimpy and helpless to me (despite being described as strong and courageous within the book), but the unique setting and interesting plot more than make up for any character shortcomings. The plot moves along at a very nice pace - fast enough to keep the reader interested, but slow enough that we can pause to take in the intricacies of the alternate history-type world as well. The ending climactic sequence especially is a page-turner that will keep readers up way past bedtime. "The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray" is definitely worth checking out.
Rating: 4
Description: Artemesia is the daughter of a pirate queen, and she's sick of practicing deportment at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens. Escaping from the school, she hunts up her mother's crew and breezily commands them out to sea in a leaky boat. Unfortunately, Art's memories of her early life may not be accurate-her seasick crew are actors, and Art's infamous mother was the darling of the stage in a pirate drama. But fiery, pistol-proof Art soon shapes her men into the cleverest pirate crew afloat. And when they meet the dread ship Enemy and her beautiful, treacherous captain, Goldie Girl, Art is certain that her memories are real. The Seven Seas aren't large enough for two pirate queens: Art will have the battle of her life to win her mother's title--and the race for the most fabulous treasure in pirate lore.
Note: Lazily stole this description from amazon.com
Review: "Piratica" is a completely new take on the typical pirate with a heart of gold story. The book is set in a slightly skewed historic England. I don't see why the author couldn't have set it in real historic England, but the difference doesn't detract from the plot at all. Art is a feisty, intelligent character who will get readers laughing with her and cheering her along on her escapades. Her discovery of her mother's true profession tugs at the heartstrings just enough. Art's pirate crew are characterized in a perfect place between realistic and over-the-top. The villains are perfectly villanous and they get a fitting punishment for their dirty deeds. The only character I found lacking was Felix, mysterious semi-romantic interest of Art's. He never became fully real to me, and I wasn't sure exactly what the author was going for with his and Art's relationship. I wanted to like him, but I just never felt like I got to know him. The plot was an exciting series of adventures that were just this side of unbelievable. The only part that I found a little off was the final search for the treasure. The riddle was all fine and good, but it seemed like the pirates found it much too quickly and easily after all they went through to find the place itself. Nevertheless, the story ends in a very satisfactory manner. "Piratica" is a rollicking high seas adventure is the perfect read for lovers of pirates and strong heroines.
Rating: 2
Description: Kerry is having the best summer of her life, living and working with a wonderful group of very different college students. But then she finds an unconscious, bleeding man beneath the bushes in front of the group house, and everything changes. Daniel Blessing is a witch, and he's alternately hunting and being hunted by a very powerful evil witch named Season. And because Kerry and her friends sheltered Daniel, they're now at risk too. Neither Kerry nor her housemates believe in witches and magic, but they're forced into reluctant acceptence when they see magic with their own eyes. Kerry feels drawn to Daniel as she's never been drawn to anyone before, and she finds that she doesn't particularly mind that she's now on the run from the world's most powerful evil witch, so long as Daniel is there with her. Daniel has been chasing Season for centuries, and he won't stop until one of them is dead. Kerry and her friends must put aside their differences and leave behind the lives they've always known if they want to survive the summer.
Review: I thought that the premise of this book was interesting, but the promise it showed quickly dissipated in the face of an overly simplistic plot and boring, whiny characters. The blending of magic and real life is not believable. Daniel, the only character that I felt had any real depth, let me down in the end by making stupid and out-of-character mistakes. The ending is unexpectedly abrupt and doesn't provide any sort of closure. I have very little desire to read the next installment in the quartet, but I might pick it up sometime when I'm bored and out of other things to read. If you want to read something similar, only better executed, try the Sweep series.
Rating: 2
Description: Thirteen-year-old Alison is a very ordinary girl whose history has only one spot of darkness - the night her mother died in a terrible car crash, with Ali as a passenger. However, all that ordinariness is put into question when Ali's world-view is thrown into chaos with the entrance of several fantastical creatures including a dumb but lovable troll and a sly leprechaun, complete with green skin. Ali learns that there is another world parallel to hers, and that the beings that inhabit that world (elves, fairies, trolls, and leprechauns, to name a few) are preparing an invasion of the human world. Ali must become a hero, bringing her friends, both her old human friends and her new magical companions, along on a journey through a mountain that contains dangers that Ali must face with heretofore hidden magical powers. She must gain possession of an ancient magical relic that is the only thing that can close the portal between the two worlds and save Earth from destruction.
Review: The premise of this book is interesting enough, but its execution leaves much to be desired. The magical elements, while agonized over in the main character's mind, are not fully explained and are therefore unbelievable. Ali herself is an unsatisfying character who alternates between helplessness and arrogant bitchiness, and her discovery of who she really is is forced and unnatural, not at all fitting with the whiny teenager the book presents her as. Ali's companions on her journey are decently characterized but play only a very minimal role in the story and seem to serve as backdrop to Ali's adventures (the book would've lost very little, plot-wise, if they had been excluded altogether). The plot moves along, sometimes quickly and sometimes way too slowly, and it would be acceptable if the reader cared about the characters. However, without relateable and interesting characters, this book is severely lacking in much of anything. I would recommend this book to very young teens, as I feel that I would have enjoyed this book much more if I had read it when I was 12-13. It reminds me vaguely of T.A. Barron's "The Ancient One", so fans of that may think "Alosha" worth a look. Overall, however, "Alosha" is an unsatisfying book whose real world elements do not mesh with its fantasy elements well at all.
Rating: 4
Description: Calwyn and her friends are content on their new island, where Calwyn hopes to start a school for chanters. Darrow, however, has taken off in his boat, sunk deep into a depression in the wake of his former friend's death. Heben, a young Merithuran, has come in search of the chanters with the hope of enlisting them on a quest to free Merithuran's chanter children, who are taken away to an undisclosed location whenever they are discovered. The group travels to the Palace of Cobwebs, deep in the Merithuran desert, where court intrigue is the name of the game, and Calwyn's magic will not help her penetrate the nobles' inner circle. A conspiracy is in progress, and when Darrow journeys after Calwyn, he joins what may be a dangerous group of rebels in order to infiltrate the Black Palace, a place Darrow escaped with Samis and hoped never to return to again. Calwyn and her friends want only to free Merithuros' chanter children, but does Darrow have something else in mind?
Review: The second book in the Chanters of Tremaris Trilogy (see "The Singer of All Songs"), this book is a very satisfying second installment, perhaps even surpassing its predecessor. Constable's fantasy world is perfectly fleshed out, but the reader is not hit with a barrage of useless detail. Each character, from major to minor, is unique and relateable in their own way, though Darrow remains stubbornly broody and disappointing (he doesn't deserve Calwyn). This book featured Halasaa much more prominently, and I enjoyed learning more about him and his personality and magics (I find myself wanting a Calwyn/Halasaa pairing to emerge). The plot is original and interesting, progressing fast enough to keep the reader interested, but there's still plenty of exploration of the fantasy world's magics and culture, which are exquisitely wrought. The ending leaves the reader hungering for the next installment. I want more from Kate Constable... Right now!
Rating: 4
Description: John and Philippa are twins who look absolutely nothing alike, and that's the way they like it. They consider themselves entirely ordinary, but when their wisdom teeth come in at the age of twelve and strange things start to happen around them, the twins begin to realize that they aren't quite as normal as they thought. It is revealed that John and Philippa are djinn, beings who can do magic and grant wishes. They are sent to learn about djinnhood from their Uncle Nimrod, who takes them to Egypt, where a rival group of evil djinn are hunting for seventy missing djinn who, if released from captivity, would tip the balance between good luck and bad luck, on the side of whomever finds them. John and Philippa are very new djinn, but together, they may be the only thing that can defeat an ancient evil and chalk one up for the side of good (luck).
Review: "The Akhenaten Adventure" is a wonderful modern fantasy with a very new premise. John and Philippa are relatively realistic twelve-year-olds, though they do accept the fact that they're djinn uncommonly fast and with very little fuss. The plot is original, and moves along at a nice clip that will keep the reader interested without overwhelming with too much happening at once. My only problem with the plot is that John and Philippa don't save the day by themselves. They merely attend the event while their uncle does most of the work. However, the adventures the twins have while learning what it means to be djinn will keep readers turning pages despite the all-too-realistic way that they're kept out of the way when the dangerous stuff is going on. Kerr's eccentric new world and unique premise will have definite appeal for readers of all ages.
Rating: 3
Description: In an old Norwegian village, a highly superstitious mother tries to protect her youngest child, Rose, from a dire prophecy; as the various characters take turns narrating the story, it is readily apparent that no one else takes the superstitions seriously. Nevertheless, Rose is "different" in many ways, from her purple eyes to her passion for weaving, which leads her to make a cloak patterned with a "wind rose" (a mapmaker's symbol indicating the direction of the winds). She also seems to attract the attention of a white bear, and when the bear finally approaches her, offering to make her poor family prosper and to restore her ill sister's health if Rose will come away with him, she finds the offer impossible to resist. The bear takes Rose away to a castle where a mystery unfolds, and when Rose breaks a rule she knows shouldn't have been broken, she must travel to an even farther place in order to right her wrong.
Note: Description stolen from bn.com because I was lazy. The last sentence is mine, because that description didn't describe much past the first third of the book.
Review: "East" is a decent enough retelling, though the story moves at a very unsteady pace. The beginning drags on forever - I got very sick of waiting for something to happen, and I was tired of reading everything seven times, from different points of view. I fervently wish that the book were narrated by Rose alone, with maybe a bit of the white bear in there to spice things up. Once things do start to happen, the story moves at an almost too-fast pace. The second half of the book is by far superior to the first half, and the adventures Rose has in the trolls' domain to the north kept me turning pages. Rose is an interesting and resourceful heroine, and the bear is mysterious yet relateable, even in his lumbering internal bear-speak (he narrates in sentence fragments). Overall, "East" is worth the read if you can wade past the first half of the book, which more or less serves to set the stage for the second, better half.
Rating: 3
Description: Mina is a girl born from the union of day and night, light and darkness, and for her entire life she has lived with her mother, Queen of the Night, her only friend a peasant boy named Lapin who is able to play a set of magical bells said to be able to call the musician's true love to their side. It was agreed at her birth that, upon Mina's sixteenth birthday, she would go to live with her father at his court. He wants to choose a husband for her. However, King Sarastro, fearing that his wife won't hold to her end of the deal, breaks the bargain himself by stealing Mina away the evening before her birthday. In revenge, her mother asks Lapin to play the bells on behalf of Mina, calling her true love and spoiling Sarastro's plans for her marriage. At her father's court, Mina meets the man her father intends her to marry, as well as the girl who loves him, Gayna, who Sarastro has raised since her parents died when she was an infant. In the meantime, Tern, a young prince, is called away from home by the sound of bells. Can Mina escape the fate her father wants for her and live happily ever after?
Review: This book is one of the better ones in the Once Upon a Time series (see "Midnight Pearls" and "Scarlet Moon"), but it is still a very fluffy fairytale. The book is too short and could benefit from a much more involved plot (though I've never seen the opera the book was based on). However, despite its length (or lack thereof), "Sunlight and Shadow" manages to incorporate quite a bit of character development, and we get to know and love all of the main characters, who take turns narrating the book (Mina, Lapin, Gayna, and Tern). Each of the four main characters are strong and likeable, though Lapin and Tern are a little too similar. "Sunlight and Shadow" is definitely worth the read for anyone interested in a light reworking of a great story.
Rating: 2.5
Description: Originally published in Great Britain as three separate volumes, Fisher's ice-coated saga tells of an evil sorceress and her lust for power. The witch Gudrun, the Snow-walker of the title, has come to the Jarlshold from the far north and used her magic to overthrow the Wulfings, the rightful rulers, and install her husband as "Lord Jarl," as a puppet leader. Most of the subjects live in dire fear of the new regime, but young Jessa, from the Wulfing lineage, whose father was killed in the coup, speaks her mind in front of the Jarl. She and her cousin, Thorkil, are now "old enough to be dangerous," so the ruler exiles them to a faraway outpost where Gudrun has imprisoned her son, Kari, since his youth. "The child is a monster," say the rumors. But Jessa learns otherwise: "[Kari] has her powers. [That's] the reason she locked her son away and never even let him be seen." After Gudrun kills the Jarl, the four know they have little time before she shows up there. Over the course of the three books, Kari confronts Gudrun, who flees the Jarlshold; the witch sends monsters to seek revenge; and the books build to the inevitable mother vs. son showdown.
Note: This description is from Publisher's Weekly - the book was so meh I couldn't really remember exactly what it was about
Review: This book is entirely uninteresting. I liked the premise, and the individual plot elements are decent enough, but the action skips around a lot - there is sometimes a lot happening all at once, then there are long periods of drawn-out nothingness. There are parts that feel as though more should be happening. Considering that the book involves Norse mythology, you'd think the characters would meet lots of interesting creatures, but the few they do encounter seem to serve no purpose at all except to liven up the book a bit (they don't manage it). Despite these things, the plot would be palatable if it weren't for that fact that the characters are all very flat and their interactions are stilted and boring. There is little to no character development in anyone other than Kari, and he isn't even the main character. "Snow-Walker" should only be read by the hard-core fantasy or Norse literature fan that's out of other things to read.
Rating: 3.5
Description: Kate and Cecy are back, along with their new spouses, Thomas and James, and they're into even more adventure and intrigue, this time on the Continent. Things start to go wrong almost immediately, and soon the newlyweds find themselves embroiled in a plot to take over Europe, magically. Luckily, Cecy has discovered a heretofore undiscovered talent for magic. And, surprisingly, it would seem that Kate is the exact opposite of a wizard - someone who actually negates magic. The cousins will both need to utilize their unique talents before their Grand Tour is over, or Europe may fall into the hands of some really unsavory characters.
Review: This sequel to "Sorcery and Cecelia" is not quite as delightful as its predecessor, but is still an enjoyable read. "Sorcery and Cecelia" ended in such a way that a sequel was unnecessary, but fans of the first book will find it a welcome addition. The plot is intricate and well-described, but strung out a little too much. Kate and Cecy are still pretty hard to tell apart, which is annoying, since the book is all written in first person, alternating between the two. My pet peeve about this book is that, while the women are newlyweds, there is very, very little talk about sex. I didn't expect graphic sex scenes or anything like that, but I expected there to be mention of it. It's very unrealistic that there isn't, except for a brief interlude between Cecy and James. Most especially because Kate's writings are supposedly from her diary. It seems like Stevermer went out of her way to not mention sex. There are also a few pieces that don't quite fit - things that don't have anything to do with the story but which the authors forgot to remove during editing. This book is sort of like author-written fanfiction - an unnecessary sequel to a book with a perfect ending, but welcome simply because you never wanted the first book to end.
Rating: 3.5
Description: Ron A.K.A. Wolfboy is back in this sequel to "Elsewhere", and he's out to find Leda, the elf who cursed him, and get her to reverse her spell. However, mysterious things are happening in Bordertown, and there's a hunt on for Florida, a little girl who just happens to be the lost heir to Faerie, and the people after her probably don't have her best interests at heart. It's up to Wolfboy and his friends to protect her, but in the end, she may be beyond anyone's help. Wolfboy meets up with Leda again, and she leads him on a wild ride into the magical forests of Nevernever, where many things will be revealed, including the ultimate fate of Florida and the cure for Ron's curse.
Review: I loved "Elsewhere", and this book is a semi-satisfying sequel to it. Bordertown is as interesting as ever, and the addition of more Elflands culture was welcome. I still loved Florida, and Ron wasn't quite so much of an idiot. However, the whole end part of the book, from the time Florida goes missing on, was very unsatisfying to me. The relationship between Florida and Leda fit in with the plot, but I didn't like it because while Florida is my favorite character, Leda is a bitch. I did like how the curse turned out, however. That part of the ending was unexpected and perfect in that it wasn't perfect. "Nevernever" is a nice sequel for fans of "Elsewhere", but shouldn't be read as a stand-alone.
Rating: 4.5
Description: When Ron runs away to Bordertown, the place between Earth and Faerie where magic works more often than technology, his stated goal is to find his brother, Tony, who disappeared several years ago. But Bordertown is even stranger than Ron expected, and he ends up sidetracked, living in a run-down house affectionately called Castle Pup along with many of Bordertown's misfits and working at a used bookstore called Elsewhere. He is befriended by several Bordertown denizens, including the cool, confident Mooner and his sister Wiseguy; Elsewhere's owner, the armless-but-not-crippled Mickey; and a little girl who calls herself Florida and might just be the lost heir to Faerie. And when disaster strikes and Ron loses everything he'd found in Bordertown, he loses himself too, and it will be up to him (and maybe a cruel spell) to find himself again. And when he does, he'll have to learn to live with the person he has become, for good or bad.
Review: My description doesn't do this book justice. It is fantastic, in every sense of the word. Bordertown is one of the best worlds I've ever read about (and for a fantasy freak like me, that is saying something), and the incredible host of characters who inhabit it are worthy of mention as well. Ron is a complete idiot, but what teenage boy isn't? And characters like Mickey and Florida more than make up for Ron's lack of greatness. The plot could use a little work - while it's fast-paced enough, it's a little too simplistic, and the whole Tony thing is unecessary and only detracts from Ron's other experiences. Overall, however, I'd recommend "Elsewhere" in a heartbeat.
Rating: 4
Description: Clovermead Wickward, the 12-year-old daughter of a country innkeeper, dreams of adventure. When a traveling stranger comes to the inn and teaches her sword fighting, her dreams become desires. Shortly thereafter, a nun of the Lady Moon visits and reveals a vision in which the girl discovers a long-lost object. When Clovermead finds a brooch, her father is clearly upset and advises her to keep it hidden. Not long after, a bear tooth with unknown powers comes into her possession and she adds it to the leather cord she wears around her neck. These things foretell a great change in the Wickwards' lives. Clovermead learns that her father stole a gem from the ruler of a nearby kingdom. When his past crime is uncovered, father and daughter set out on a journey to undo the wrong and to find a safe haven. The trip takes them through a variety of trials, including an attack by bears during which Clovermead discovers her uncanny ability to communicate with them and her bear tooth's strange powers. The second half of the story takes on a higher intensity. The tooth draws blood and strength from its victim while making itself almost irresistible to Clovermead. She is caught up in a fierce and gruesome struggle between the nuns of Lady Moon and the evil followers of Lord Ursus and must decide which of the forces deserves her loyalty.
Note: This description is ripped off of amazon.com because I was too lazy to write my own.
Review: "Clovermead" is an excellent fantasy. It gets hard to do new things with the same old genre, but David Randall succeeds admirably. Clovermead is wonderful character who is very easy to love, and the other characters, especially Sorrel, are well-done as well. What really makes this book great is that none of its characters are perfect, which is a stumbling block to many fantasies. Indeed, Clovermead is almost overtaken by evil forces, and the fact that she has to fight evil from within herself is a refreshingly new take on fantasy. The plot is good, but definitely not complete! The only real bad thing about this book is that it ends without a real conclusion. Hopefully, the lack of ending will be taken care of in future books, but for now, it leaves the reader frustratingly unsatisfied.
Rating: 3
Description: Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him. Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.
Note: This description is ripped off of amazon.com because I am too lazy to write my own.
Review: "The Amulet of Samarkand" is a unique take on alternate history. In fact, it is so unique that it borders on weird, but falls short of unreadable. The characters are interesting, but not as interesting as they could be. They're a little bland, but still enjoyable to read about. The plot is very odd and sometimes nonsensical. However, despite all that, there is an indefinable something about this book that makes it interesting. Perhaps the setting, or the unusual premise. I don't know what it is, but it makes this book enjoyable. It's not typical fantasy, and so could be read by anyone, not just fantasy fans.
Rating: 1.5
Description: When she was a child, Ruth was brutally attacked by a green-eyed wolf in the woods on the path to her grandmother's house. Her legs still bear the scars of the assault, but Ruth has grown into a young woman, learning the trade of her father, a blacksmith, after her brother leaves for the Crusades and learning herb lore from her grandmother, whom the village has labeled a witch. When Ruth's cousin Peter returns from the Crusades with the news that her brother has died, Ruth is devastated, but when the young Earl, William, enters her family's blacksmith's shop, Ruth cannot help but be drawn to the man who, far from being disgusted by her profession and sharp tongue, seems intrigued. William is fascinated by Ruth and begins to make up excuses to see her, but he knows that their relationship is doomed to end, as William's family suffers under a curse that would put Ruth in danger. When a series of brutal killings take place in the very wood where Ruth was attacked as a child, the village looks for the same wolf that is responsible for Ruth's scars. When Ruth learns William's secret, that he is the wolf who caused her so much pain, she must look to her heart to tell her what action to take.
Review: After reading the author's book "Midnight Pearls", I was expecting a light, interesting retelling of a fairytale. What I found in "Scarlet Moon" was a dull, dark, and somewhat confusing story. Ruth is a somewhat interesting character, but she is never developed to the extent that she could have been, and all the other characters are pale and flat. I was never able to bring myself to care for them one way or the other. What little plot there is mostly revolves around the revelation of William's secret, but it's obvious from his and Ruth's very first meeting that he's a werewolf. While the ending is surprising, it's still rather stupid and is never explained to my satisfaction. Overall, I'd only recommend "Scarlet Moon" if you're desperate for a fairytale retelling or a ginormous fan of the "Once Upon A Time" series (of which this book is a part).
Rating: 4.5
Description: Kate and Cecelia are teenage cousins, best friends, and ladies of polite society. Kate is sent to London with her beautiful sister Georgina who is making her debut during the London social "season" while Cecelia remains at home in Essex. Through the letters they send back and forth, readers meet the mysterious and unnerving James Tarleton who spies on Cecelia and has motives that are less than noble. We see Kate rescue the magical Marquis of Schofield from an almost certain poisoning through a bewitched chocolate pot and in turn accept his engagement offer in an effort to fend off an evil plot against Dorothea, a lovely Tarleton cousin with a wicked stepmother. And we see the secrets of Sir Hilary Bedrick's family tree unravel and trap both Cecelia and her brother Oliver in a web of magic.
Note: This description is blatantly ripped off one of the editorial reviews on bn.com, as I was too lazy to write my own.
Review: "Sorcery and Cecelia" is a delightful romp through an early nineteenth century England full of magic and intrigue. Cecy and Kate are both adorable main characters, even if they are a tad too similar sometimes. The other characters are also well-developed, with their own agendas and hang-ups, though Thomas and James are also a little too similar. I find it fascinating that the authors wrote this amazing story without either one ever knowing anything about what the other was writing! The plot is intricate and new elements are introduced all the time, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat without pushing them all the way off with too much action or making them fall asleep with too much detail. "Sorcery and Cecelia" is a must read for fantasy fans of all ages.
Rating: 4
Description: Princess Lenora lives in Gepeth, where everyone can change their surroundings to be whatever they want them to be...but no one ever does! All Lenora ever hears about is the Balance, and how she shouldn't have turned her father's hair green or made the chairs talk. Lenora takes refuge in her own made-up worlds, but now something seems to be going wrong with her powers. Things are getting out of control, and what does that strange red-haired boy she saw in a pool have to do with it? Prince Coren of Andilla has grown up around people who can read each other's minds and create whatever they want in their heads. The whole country lives inside their imaginations while the realm falls apart around them. Coren, who has vowed not to use his powers, is getting sick of lumpy beds and gruel, so when his parents suggest a marriage to a foreign princess in a land where no one can read minds, he doesn't think it's such a bad idea. But it turns out that that marriage is to Lenora, the notoriously reckless and headstrong Gepethian princess. On Coren and Lenora's wedding day, Lenora catches sight of a world in a pond, and she can't resist jumping right into it...taking Coren along for the ride. The world of Grag is run by a scheming man called Hevak, but Lenora is completely wom over by his slick charm, while Coren is wished right out of existence by Hevak's powers. Lenora will have to remember Coren and wish him back before he forgets who he is himself and is lost forever. What's more, Coren isn't the only one Hevak has ever wished out of existence, and multitudes of other people need their help as well.
Review: "Of Two Minds" is a completely original fantasy about two completely different characters. Coren is the shy, dependable sort (ironically red-haired) while Lenora is the outspoken hellion. The contrasts make their interactions very memorable. The different magical powers are interesting and, while still identifiably fantasy, unique. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you interested, but it ends much too soon. This book is a good read, but it would have been much better if the plot had been fleshed out significantly.
Rating: 3
Description: Chloe King was a normal teenager, up until the day she fell off San Francisco's Coit Tower and survived without so much as a scratch. Ever since then, Chloe has been doing things she never would have done before, like waltzing into an 18+ club as if she owned the place, and brazenly courting not one, but two guys. After her club adventure, she finds out that a guy she'd scratched the night before is terribly sick. And Chloe has been noticing even more strange things about herself, like an ability to run really fast for very long distances. Then she notices the claws. Chloe seems to have turned into some sort of Catwoman, and another cat-person seems to have noticed, as he guides Chloe in learning how to use her new kitty superpowers. But Chloe realizes that it's not just her mysterious night-time friend who knows what she is when she's attacked in the street by a man wielding throwing stars. Chloe is in deadly danger, and someone she thinks she knows may not turn out to be who they seem. Can Chloe figure out the truth in time to save herself?
Review: The first in a new series called "The Nine Lives of Chloe King", at first glance this book seems like just another stupid teen series book. However, "The Fallen" may surprise you. While maybe a bit too stereotypically teenagerish, Chloe is nevertheless real and reacts to situations in ways that any regular kid-turned superkitty might. The villain is unclear until the end, and even then there's some blurring. The idea of a catwoman-type hero is unlike the typical modern fantasy, where magic generally rules. Chloe's kitty-cat superpowers are a pleasant change from that vein of fantasy. Overall, "The Fallen" is worth checking out, and hopefully the sequels will be equally good.
Rating: 4
Description: Calwyn is a young ice priestess in Antaris, an isolated mountain community, when she comes across an injured young man while singing the renewing chantments for Antaris's magical wall. The other priestesses feel threatened by Darrow, but Calwyn is intrigued by the mysterious chanter. He tells her of an evil sorcerer who intends to be the Singer of All Songs, master of all nine powers of the land of Tremaris, who will gather the chantments without regard for their singers. And when he reaches Antaris, destroying the only home Calwyn has ever known, she leaves the mountains with Darrow on a quest to stop him. Calwyn meets many new people, and encounters strange new chantments, including those of iron, wind, beast, and seeming, the magic of illusion. Calwyn becomes more and more powerful with each new chantment she learns, but will it be enough to stop the self-styled Singer of All Songs?
Review: "The Singer of All Songs" is a marvelous fantasy. The world itself seems to be typical fantasy realm, but the form of the magic is unique and interesting, and the author masterfully pulls you into the chantments, until you can almost hear the music. The characters other than Calwyn sometimes pale into the background, and Darrow, the male lead, is irritatingly broody, but it's not bad enough to detract from the story. "The Singer of All Songs" is well worth the read, and I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy!
Rating: 3
Description: On Jemma's fourteenth birthday, she gets into a petty fight with her mother about leaving India to go to school in England. Minutes later, after storming off in a huff, Jemma is overtaken by a vision of her mother plunging a dagger into her own breast to avoid being devoured by a giant snake. Horrified, Jemma runs to the place she saw in her vision, only to find a crowd surrounding her mother's dead body. Ironically, after her mother's death, Jemma is sent to school in England, just like she wanted. But Spence Academy is not the school Jemma had imagined. The students are cruel, the headmistress is worse, and Jemma is still having visions. Sometimes she sees her mother, always just out of reach. And a strange boy, one Jemma saw in India just before her mother's death, is hanging around the school among a band of gypsies. When Jemma finds the diary of a schoolgirl from the past, telling of great magics and a secret society called the Order, Jemma is swept into a decades-old mystery, bringing three classmates along for the ride in a deadly struggle against the very power that caused her mother's death.
Review: The plot of this book is original and well-thought-out, but it seemed rather dreary to me. The whole thing struck me as having a sort of bad horror movie feel to it. The characters were distant and unreachable; I was unable to get into their heads properly. Despite that, I kept reading because of the originality. I'd no clue what was going on (in a good way), and I wanted to find out. Overall, this book is good enough for me to look into reading the sequel when it comes out, but it's nothing to get too excited over.
Rating: 4
Description: Fourteen-year-old Cosmo Hill is an orphan, unwanted from birth and sent to the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys. At Clarissa Frayne, the children engage in sometimes dangerous product testing, and Cosmo realizes that he'll be dead in a matter of years if he doesn't get out. So when the opportunity to escape presents itself, Cosmo leaps at the chance. Unfortunately, this leads to him being electrocuted and left for dead on a rooftop watching a glowing blue thing suck the life from him. Luckily, just before Cosmo gives himself up for dead, the Supernaturalists arrive. The Supernaturalists are a group of kids (except for Ditto, who is in his twenties but looks like a kindergartener due to an experiment gone wrong) who patrol Satellite City looking for the blue things, which they call Parasites. It seems that only a few people can see the Parasites, who are attracted to pain, and Cosmo is one of them. Having nothing better to do, Cosmo joins up and helps the Supernaturalists in their quest to rid the city of the life-sucking entities. But rather than disappearing, the Parasites seem to be increasing in number, faster than the Supernaturalists can blast them into oblivion. The kids get more and more desperate to wipe out the Parasites once and for all, but when they discover new information about their foes, they find that they may face an even greater challenge than they had imagined.
Review: "The Supernaturalist" is an amazing science fiction/fantasy story set in a semi-realistic, but still unique, future. The Parasites are well-imagined paranormal entities, and the Supernaturalists are wonderfully different with their own personalities and goals, but still a functional team. The plot is full of delightful twists that will leave the reader gasping, and the ending will leave them hungry for more. Here's hoping for a sequel.
Rating: 3
Description: Wren is away visiting her aunt when the evil king Andreus attacks her home country of Meldrith. Her friend, the princess Teressa, finds her parents, the king and queen, murdered after waking from a drugged sleep. Prince Connor manages to escape with his trainer and a group of other trainees. And Tyron is at the magic school when it is attacked, all the more senior mages killed in the initial wave. With the adults of the country either dead or occupied in petty power struggles, it is up to the four friends, along with a loyal base of young people, to come together to make sure that Andreus and his army are defeated. This is easier said than done, as the teenagers are up against not only an enemy sorcerer and his army, but the adults of Meldrith who think that Teressa is too young and inexperienced to be their monarch. What's more, the four friends are growing up, and teenage hormones don't care that they're in the midst of a war. Can the four friends put aside their emotions and gather enough allies to overcome the biggest evil Meldrith has ever faced?
Review: "Wren's War" is much better than "Wren's Quest", but falls far short of the first book in the series, "Wren to the Rescue". The plot picked up and went at a better pace than the previous book, but I missed the interactions between the four kids when they all went off to do their own part to aid in the war effort. Also, I kept being thrown off by the semi-incestual relationship between Tess and Connor (Connor is Tess's uncle). This book was much more fulfilling than its prequel, but left me wanting more when it was over. Luckily, I recently learned that Sherwood Smith is writing a new installment. I look forward to reading the next book when it comes out and finding out what ultimately happens with Wren and Connor and Tyron and Teressa.
Rating: 3
Description: Wren expects the worst when she takes her Basics Test at Cantirmoor's Magic School, but even she hadn't imagined a magical attack by an unknown sorcerer. But it would seem that someone wants Wren dead, and the most likely candidate is the evil sorcerer king Andreus, whose dastardly plot Wren and her friends thwarted just months before. What's more, Prince Connor was framed for the attack. Wren had been planning a quest to search for her family, but now her journey is doubly important, as she's the bait to try to draw out the sorcerer. Connor accompanies her, and it's a good thing he does, because almost as soon as they leave the pair are being chased by not one but two parties of armed men. Meanwhile, Princess Teressa and the sorcerer Tyron are working to unmask conspirators within Meldrith's court at great personal danger. Will the children be able to draw out the sorcerer and stop him before he succeeds in his goal?
Review: This book was a good continuation of "Wren to the Rescue", but it's very much a middle book. The character development makes it worth the read, but the plot is a little lacking and the book seems to be just tiding the reader over until the next volume in the series. I loved being able to get to know Connor better, but Tess is as elusive a character as ever, and Tyron is still kind of boring. I'd recommend this book to fans of "Wren to the Rescue", but only as a bridge between this book and the rest of the series and for the Connor/Wren storyline.
Rating: 3.5
Description: Wren is just an ordinary orphan, enjoying life and waiting for the opportunity to slip away from the orphanage and have adventures when she finds out that her best friend, Tess, is really Princess Teressa, heir to the throne of Meldrith. Tess has been hidden at the orphanage ever since she was a baby because an evil sorcerer king has vowed to take any child of the king of Meldrith in revenge for a rescue made years ago. But now Tess is going home for good, and Wren is invited to come along to keep the princess company. Excited at the prospect of adventures (and an evil sorcerer king with a grudge certainly sounds adventurous), Wren jumps at the chance. But when Tess is kidnapped by the evil Andreus, Wren is no longer having fun. After determining that the adults of Meldrith don't seem to be doing much to help Tess, Wren sets off to rescue her friend herself, along with sorcerer apprentice Tyron and the young Prince Connor, Tess's uncle. As they journey to Senna Lirwan, where Andreus rules, they face many challenges, sent from both Andreus and from people in Meldrith who do not desire Teressa's return. In the end, each of the children will have their own role to play in Tess's rescue. But can they reach the princess and get her out right under the nose of most powerful sorcerer in the known world?
Review: "Wren to the Rescue" is full of harrowing adventure and magic. While some of the adventure seems run-of-the-mill fantasy and the plot doesn't really deviate from the "get from point A to point B, rescue princess, return to point A", it's engaging enough nevertheless. Wren, Tess, Tyron, and Connor each have their own distinctive personalities (though Tess is a bit dull), and each has their own unique talents to bring to the story. While not overly distinctive from other fantasy, "Wren to the Rescue" is still an enjoyable read.
Rating: 3
Description: When she was an infant, Pearl was found by a fisherman on the ocean in the middle of an unnatural storm. With her pale skin and hair and her ungainly limbs, she has been an outcast in her village her whole life. Her only friend is James, prince and heir to the realm, who knows what it's like to be stared at and thought of as something Other. Pearl and James' relationship seems to be changing, but their budding romance is interrupted by a series of events that threaten both Pearl and the kingdom itself. Two strangers, Kale and Faye, appear, claiming to be merpeople in search of a missing princess, Adriana, Kale's betrothed. Kale is certain that Pearl is the missing mermaid, and his presence stirs strange memories within Pearl. Faye has set her sights on James, and will stop at nothing to win his love. But in the meantime, evil looms from two sides as an evil sea witch and a scheming noble each enact their own murderous plots to bring down their respective royalties. When the storm clears, you may be surprised to see where Pearl and James end up.
Review: "Midnight Pearls" is a creative retelling of the tale of the Little Mermaid. The characters are a little misty and undefined, but you'll find yourself caught up in their story nonetheless. Pearl is an enigmatic but believable and identifiable main character (we all know what it's like to long to fit in). The book is short and would probably be better with a little filling out, but it's good enough for a quick read, and it's worth it to hear a version of the story with no singing lobsters and moping fish. And don't think you know how it all comes out in the end - this story has enough unexpected twists to keep you interested the whole way through.
Rating: 4
Description: It all starts with a note tucked in with the geography books: SOMEONE IN THIS CLASS IS A WITCH. Mr. Crossley thinks it's a cruel prank, but the students of 6B begin to wonder when their music class is interrupted by a storm of different bird species. Is there a witch in 6B? The answer, as it soon becomes apparent, is a resounding yes. But who could it be? The popular choice is Nan Pilgrim, named after and descended from the famous archwitch Dulcinea Wilkes. But there's also Nirupam Singh, the strange boy from India, Charles Morgan, whose evil glare has intimidated more than one unlucky person, Estelle Green, whose parents used to help witches escape their fate of burning, and many more. It could be just about anyone. When the existence of the witch becomes obvious, the administration calls in every witch's worst nightmare: inquisitors. Will the witch of 6B be caught, just in time for Bonfire Night? But of course the burning (pardon the pun) question on everyone's mind is: Who is it? The answer may surprise you.
Review: "Witch Week", the final novel in the Chronicles of Chrestomanci (see "The Lives of Christopher Chant", "Charmed Life", and "The Magicians of Caprona"), is a fun read. However, don't go into it expecting it to be like the other books in the series - "Witch Week" takes place in a whole different world, and is written in an entirely different tone. The book is full of quirky characters and humorous incidents. The students of 6B are all individuals with their own beliefs and agendas. The book ends creatively and somewhat unexpectedly. Like the other Chrestomanci novels, "Witch Week" can stand alone - in fact, I read "Witch Week" before the other Chrestomanci books and didn't even know there was more for over a year. However, once you've read one Chrestomanci book, you'll want to read them all.
Rating: 4
Description: For as long as anyone can remember, the Montanas and the Petrocchis have been Caprona's two leading spellhouses. Unfortunately, the two casas hate each other with a passion. When Caprona's spells start going bad right when the city-state is on the brink of war, each casa blames the other and neither is interested in working together to find out what's really going on. And when young Tonino Montana and Angelica Petrocchi, each house's worst spellcaster, are both kidnapped, each casa believes that the culprit is the other. It will be up to the casas' young people to work past their prejudice, both for Tonino and Angelica and for Caprona itself, for only when Montanas and Petrocchis work together can the powerful enchanter who is weakening the city be stopped and war avoided.
Review: The third book in the Chronicles of Chresomanci (see "Charmed Life" and "The Lives of Christopher Chant"), "The Magicians of Caprona" does not disappoint. While very different from the previous two books, the story is intriguing and unique. The evil that threatens Caprona is a secondary antagonist to the houses' own prejudice, which makes for an interestingly original story. The characters in the story are not quite as enjoyable as in the other Chronicles, but the plot makes up for it. Fans of Chrestomanci may be disappointed that the enchanter plays such a minor role, but they should enjoy the story nevertheless.
Rating: 4.5
Description: For as long as he can remember, Chrisopher Chant has been visiting the Anywheres while he sleeps at night. So when his Uncle Ralph starts taking an interest in him and asks him to run a few errands in the other worlds, Chrisopher is proud to help. The errands themselves are pretty boring - just loading things from the Anywheres to bring back to his world - but Chrisopher quickly strikes up a friendship with his uncle's man, Tacroy, and with a young girl acting as a goddess in human form in one of the worlds. But the Anywheres are dangerous, and Christopher has several close calls, including a spear through the chest and being burned by a dragon. Coincidentally, a similar incident always happens in his own world after being injured in an Anywhere (being impaled by a curtain pole and a fire spell gone wrong). Eventually, Christopher begins to realize that he's not just an ordinary boy, and his Uncle Ralph's "errands" aren't as innocent as he had thought. In the end it's up to Christopher to stop his uncle's scheme and save all the worlds from disaster.
Review: A prequel to "Charmed Life", but well able to stand on its own, "The Lives of Christopher Chant" is a delightfully fun book with plenty of adventure, and some humor thrown in. Each of Christopher's Anywheres is unique, and the idea of multiple worlds is logical and well thought out. Christopher is a great character, though he does sometimes act younger than his age would suggest (I often found myself thinking of him as a six-year-old when he was supposed to be about twelve). However, the age problem doesn't really detract from the story at all, and the story is wonderful. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in fantasy, aged pre-teen to senior citizen.
Rating: 4
Description: Cat Chant is used to living in the shadow of his older sister, Gwendolen, a powerful witch. So when his parents die in a boating accident and the children are sent to live at Chrestomanci Castle, home to a powerful enchanter in charge of the regulation of magic, Cat tags along while Gwendolen embarks on a crusade to get the powerful magicians at the castle to notice her obvious talent. But Gwendolen is up to no good, and after several warnings and a particularly horrible incident, her magic is taken away. Even without her magic, however, Gwendolen somehow manages to get herself into another world, pulling a whole string of Gwendolen doubles along with her. Janet, Gwendolen's replacement, is much nicer to Cat, but they have trouble keeping the switch a secret. In the meantime, the pair get caught up in a plot that has Gwendolen at the center of it, a scheme that could disrupt not only Chrestomanci Castle, but several worlds, and it's up to Cat, who may not be as insignificant as he thought, to save the day.
Review: "Charmed Life" is a wonderful fantasy with memorable characters and a great new world. Cat is an adorable protagonist, and Gwendolen is a believable, petty villain who's a refreshing change from the usual evil. Each character is fantastically unique and well-developed without going over the top on minor character development. The plot, while it doesn't really go anywhere (pretty much the whole book takes place at Chrestomanci Castle), is nevertheless engaging. The world the book takes place in is a charming mix of historical England and a fantastical world of magic and dragons. "Charmed Life" will appeal to fantasy lovers, but can, and should, be enjoyed by others as well.
Rating: 2
Description: Annie Ireland is shocked when the doll she's taking care of for her Life Skills class saves her from a house fire by shouting at her to wake up and get out of the house. However, she's even more shocked when a humorous story she wrote for English class causes her to be arrested. Annie is sent to jail for a week along with her friend Roach Boy (or Arby), who stood up for her in court. When they get out, their parents ship them off to the Back to Basics Center, a wilderness school for "problem" kids. Luckily, Annie is allowed to bring her doll. Pantagruel Primo, Esquire (P.P. for short) is really a leprechaun imprisoned in the doll by his arch-nemesis, Slurpagar the Quaint, and he's dedicated to helping Annie and Arby get out of the mess they were unfairly thrown into. The Back to Basics Center is a less-than-fun boot camp-type school, and the other kids in their group are certainly "troubled". Not to mention Brad and Sophie, the sadistic counselors, and money-hungry Dr. Smithers and his wife Dolores, who run the camp. Can Annie, Arby, and Primo escape from the Center with their sanity intact, and will Slurpagar the Quaint ever return P.P. to his former self?
Review: A bizarre, satirical book, "Hard Time" puts a never-before-seen twist on fantasy. However, the fantasy seems like a side note and isn't developed enough to make it worthwhile. Primo seems like a plot device that's used for humor and to get Annie and Arby out of tight spots that they certainly could have gotten out of themselves with a little imagination, and his story distracts from the overall tale of the teens. This book could have done well as a straight satire, but in trying to incorporate fantasy and humor and dumbing down the story, the author loses most of any value the book may have had.
Rating: 3
Description: Ella went to the ball, danced with Prince Charming, and was carried off to the castle, leaving the stepevils behind. So now she'll get married and live happily ever after, right? Wrong. Ella must undergo hours of boring lessons in things like etiquette and royal geneology to prepare her to be queen, and she longs to get out of the dingy castle for just a few minutes. And she and the prince have nothing to talk about. The only good things about life in the castle are regular meals and her friends, a servant girl named Mary and her young tutor, Jed. Ella begins to question her desire to marry the prince, but is the decision really hers to make? When Ella uncovers some uncomfortable information about the royal family, it's up to her to take her fate into her own hands and figure out what happily ever after means to her.
Review: This is a good book for anyone who's ever thought that Prince Charming seemed like a bit of a bore or wondered what happened after the carriage pulled out of Cinderella's village. "Just Ella" is a creative, fast-paced sequel to the traditional fairy tale, but the plot leaves something to be desired. The book has a great premise wth plenty of opportunity for plot twists and adventure, which the author fails to take advantage of. The spunky heroine will get readers cheering her on, but the ending will leave them saying, "That's all?"
Rating: 3.5
Description: Midge isn't sure what to expect when she's sent off to spend the summer with her Uncle Brian on Mill Brook Farm, but she certainly doesn't anticipate discovering a miniature winged horse that needs her help. Soon, Midge finds herself dragged into a world she never knew existed, the world of the Various - five tribes of little people that have lived in the woods on Uncle Brian's property for ages, but now find themselves threatened by the encroachment of the Gorji (humans). Midge, the first Gorji to enter the Royal Forest since the legendary Celandine, is greeted with curiosity, apprehension, fear, and even, in some cases, outright hostility. Can Midge help the Various while managing to steer clear of those who see only a Gorji giant, the cause of all their troubles?
Review: "The Various" is a fairy tale unlike any other, and while the plot is not very exciting, it's easy to get caught up in the respective stories of Midge and the Various as each begins to explore the world of the other. Midge is a believable heroine who doesn't do things beyond the capabilities of the twelve-year-old that she is, and the Various are a unique people with a fleshed-out culture that makes sense in their environment. "The Various" is a pleasant, if tame, fairy story, and I look forward to reading the further adventures of Midge and the Various.