When a book is compared to great classics you are setting a very high bar from the start. The reader is expecting to be blown away and rightly should be. However, when you failure miserable at meeting that high standard, the reader is terribly disappointed. This is exactly what happened to me.
There are two main reasons I didn’t enjoy this story. First is Laura. She was very whiny. I get that her parents are no longer in the picture and she is very resentful of having to live with her grandparents whom she finds very dull. She is also not happy in school and does not have any friends. All a recipe for feeling sorry for yourself. I get that. What I have issue with is that the whininess bled over into all the aspects of the book and it became boring after the first forty pages.
Secondly, there was not much going on with the plot. It was so slow. You have to read to about the halfway point before anything happens of interest. Then the author packs everything into the latter part of the book. As it stands, I think this would have been better as a novella.
I received a free copy, from the publisher, via LibraryThing’s early reviewer program.
Shorefall, by Robert Jackson Bennett, is the follow up to Foundryside and the second installment of the Founders series. The author has once again shown us how outstanding world building, but together with great characters, can draw you into a world beyond your imagination. It is an epic fantasy tale that you are sure to enjoy.
It is three years later in Tevanne, Sancia, Orso, Berenice and Gregor are all back and they are trying to change the world. They want to make scriving available to everyone and Sancia in particular wants no more slaves. They have started their own foundry and though they are small, they are mighty. By changing the way society works they hope to break the hold that the large foundries (i.e. the Dandolos) have on the people.
They are just starting to put their plan in action when a wrench is thrown into the works. The wrench being a heirophant. The first heirophant no less and he is dead or should be. It seems that Gregor’s mother has found a way for him to live again. Now that he is here, he will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
I normally give a much longer synapsis; however, I hate spoilers and I don’t want to spoil anything for you, though I have to admit I am tempted to tell you more. This is a great plot and there are a lot of unexpected turn of events that you will not see coming and I just can’t bring myself to ruin it for you. The author used these twists creatively, and they keep you engaged. This made for an exciting read and I know you will think so too.
The characters in the book are well thought-out. I especially liked the interaction between the various characters. They felt authentic.
There is a lot to take in with this book. The rules for scriving and the way everything works will keep you on your toes. In fact, I found it a little too cumbersome at times. As such, it is the one negative for me.
You really need to read Foundryside first, if you have not already. It will get too confusing if you don’t have the first book as the background. However, if you are a lover of epic fantasy you will not mind as all reading or rereading book one before you tackle this one. The imagination it took to create this is mind blowing. Super inventive story sure to entertain. Don’t miss out on this one!
I received a free electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.
There is something extremely wonderful about this book that is hard to put into words because it is so many things all at once. The author has given the reader a great cast of characters to love and an outstanding plot to go along with it. It is just one of those stories that is sure to touch your heart.
Linus Baker has been a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY) for a long time. In his job, he investigates orphanages for magical children and makes recommendations as to whether they should remain open or be closed. He is meticulous in his reports and always follows the rules to the letter.
Linus in his off time, does nothing of note. He lives an uneventful and rather dreary life by himself with just his cat for company. Until one day when he is called to the offices of Extreme Upper Management and is assigned a case of utmost important and secrecy. He is to spend four weeks at an orphanage and while there he is to observe and provide a full report every week.
He is given a dossier on each child and not much else. There are six children in all at this particular orphanage, each one dangerous, but one child in particular is of greatest concern and who just happens to be the Antichrist. To say Linus is scared is an understatement; but, he sets aside his fears determined to do his job to the best of his ability. He becomes immersed in the day-to-day activities of the orphanage and even participates in outings. What he discovers is a very special sort of magic that has nothing, and yet everything, to do with the children.
The central theme in this book is about differences and prejudices. It explores how these prejudices affect others and how just one person can start a change. The author uses the magical children’s characters to explore the differences between individuals and how prejudices can harm. The whole thing was handled so well and the quirky, magical children will make you smile. They are able to open Linus’s eyes and he starts to see things is a new and wonderful way.
The plot was imaginative and well-paced. The author uses this fantasy setting to teach life lessons in a subtle way and I appreciated that it was not an in your face story. I also liked how the children and Author give hope to Linus. In little subtle ways, the author is asking the reader to rethink their own prejudices.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I know it will not be my last. I highly recommend this one to everybody, though I think it is more geared toward young adults. I also recommend this book to older middle grade readers who have reached this reading level because the characters will undoubtedly speak to them.
A Heart So Fierce and Broken is the second installment in the Cursebreakers series by Brigid Kemmerer. The author once again uses her amazing talent to continue the saga of Emberfall. A world where loyalty and friendships will come into question. This is a world you will want to visit again and again.
Grey is missing, and Rhen and Harper fear that upon killing
Lilith he is stuck in our world. No one knows that he is in hiding and working
as a stable boy. His job has always been to protect the king at all costs. Now
he hides to protect the king because he fears what will happen if anyone finds
out he can do magic. He is afraid to admit to himself that there is truth in
the rumors about a true heir to Emberfall.
Grey believes that Rhen should be the heir to Emberfall. Now
that Rhen has Harper by his side the kingdom should start to thrive again. Yet,
there is still the threat of Karis Luran. Therefore, when the king’s men
finally find Grey and through a strange turn of events he ends up of the wrong
side of the fence. He will have to choose sides. Will he be loyal to Rhen or to
Emberfall?
There is much to love in this story. First, I was so glad we
finally learned more about the stoic Grey. His character was underdeveloped in
the first book and now I have a true sense of who he is. In addition, there were several new characters
introduced in this book that helped round out the story. The author is particularly
adept at adding those minor characters that enhance the story. Kudos to her for
a job well done.
The plot was just as good at the first book and there were
several surprises that I was not expecting. The pace of the book was relatively
fast. There was only one spot I felt the story could have moved a little
faster. However, I get that it had to happen in order for the character
development to occur and it is so minor thing. In the end, I appreciated the characters
more because of it and can easily call it was a willing sacrifice.
A Heart So Fierce
and Broken is such an imaginative, entertaining story I know you will fall in
love with the characters and the world, just as I did. I highly recommend this
book to all lovers of fantasy. If you have not done so already, I suggest you
read the first book in the series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, beforehand
because you don’t want to miss out on anything in this delightful tale.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a coming-of-age story that I can only be described as a cross between Ground Hogs Day and Beauty and the Beast. It is hands down one of the best fairy tales I have read in a while. Meant as a retelling, it goes above and beyond the original.
Prince Rhen of Emberfall has been cursed to relive the same autumn
season of his eighteenth year over and over again by a powerful enchantress. To
break the curse, all he has to do is make a girl fall in love with him. Of
course, the enchantress throws a further twist into her game by having Rhen
turn into a terrible monster at the close of each season. Despite this, Rhen has
been arrogant enough to believe it would be easy. Born of privilege he is used
to everything being easy. As season after season goes by with no true love, he
is losing hope and now he is running out of time because the enchantress has
said this will be the last season.
Grey, Rhen’s Caption of the Guard and protector, is given
the ability to cross over to our world. At the beginning of each season he
brings back a girl for Rhen in the hopes that it will be the one this time. With
the stakes even higher this season, he must get the right girl. However, fate
is against him when a girl with a limp prevents him from returning to Emberfall
with the intended girl. Instead Grey is forced to abduct Harper.
Harper has not had an easy life. She was born with cerebral
palsy and limps profoundly. Her father has deserted the family and left enormous
debts with a loan shark. And to top it off, her mother is dying of cancer. Her
brother is the only thing good thing right now in her life. He is actually
working for the loan shark to pay off the debt. So, when Grey abducts her, her
main concern is not in helping Rhen but returning home before her mother dies. Therefore,
Rhen is going to have to pull off a miracle to break the curse.
I am totally in love with this book. I liked everything
about the book, the prose, plot, characters and world building were so, so good.
I can’t think of anything that I didn’t like about the book, which is unusual
for me. Even with books I love, there is normally some little nitpicky thing I
don’t care for, not the case here.
Of course, the
characters were my favorite part. The author did a wonderful job of making me love
them all. It is such a fabulous thing when I totally get the characters. The
plot is also worthy of a comment since it worked so well with the characters
and there was enough intrigue and twists to keep me reading and engaged. I just
had to know how Harper was going to handle things once she found out about the
true nature of the curse. Totally looking forward to reading book two.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and fairy
tales. This is a book that should be at the top of TBR list.
The Night Circus, by Erin Morganstern, is an amazing debut novel. This is one of my favorite books this year, maybe in several years. The story is magical, imaginative and totally entertaining. If this is a debut novel, think what the author still has in store for us!
Celia Bowen is the daughter of a famous magician. She has
been in training with her father from an early age. Therefore, it comes as no
surprise that when Le Cirque des Reves auditions magicians she shines and is
quickly hired. But the circus is more than just a circus. It is a competition
between two young magicians, Celia being one of them.
For Celia and Marco, the competing magician, the rules of
the competition have always been vague. They know the circus is the venue but
they are not sure how a winner will be determined. They each craft fantastical
shows under the black and white stripped tents. A magical feast for the eyes
and senses. There is just one little, tiny problem, Celia and Marco fall in
love and in this story there can only be one winner.
I dare not say more, least I ruin this fantastic story. What
I can tell you is, I was hooked within the first five pages. The book has all
the things I love from a great read: outstanding plot, awesome characters, and
surprising twists and an overall air of magic.
If prose could sparkle this book would glow. Every time I
picked the book up, I felt like I was walking into it instead of just reading
about the characters, locations, etc. Not often does a book do this to me and
it is a very special thing when it does.
As I mentioned above, this book is among my favorites reads this year. Not only was the story interesting and new, the author’s prose was effortless. If you have not had the opportunity to read this yet, I don’t know what you are waiting for.
I received a free copy in a Read It Forward giveaway.
Cursed, by Thomas Wheeler, is a retelling of King Arthur told from the POV of Nimue, The Lady of the Lake in the original tale. There has been a steady stream of retellings over the years, but I don’t recall one told from the POV of Niume. So I was intrigued and wanted to read this one and see how it stacked up. It is a unique retelling of King Arthur, which I found interesting.
Nimue is the daughter of one of the leaders of her Druid
tribe. She should have an inherited status within the tribe, instead she is an
outcast. She is feared because of the magic she can command and there are others
that fear her and her kind also. The Red Paladins have been systematically
killing and destroying homes of Fey. When they arrive at Nimue’s village to
destroy it, her mother gives Nimue a sword and tells her to find Merlin and
give him the sword.
When she embarks on the journey she meets Arthur, a rogue
warrior, who aides her. She also discovers that the sword is very powerful and
she wishes to use it to save her people who are being massacred throughout the
country. When she discovers a group of Fey hiding in a cave they recognize the
sword she carries. It is an old sword with old Fey magic. She is anointed the
Queen and is seen as the savior of her kind. The question is will she be strong
enough to be everything they need her to be.
The story had so much potential. Unfortunately, the
characters were flat and didn’t fit the plot. I was so wanting a strong
heroine; however, Nimue I found to be a lack luster leader. I was expecting a
more Joan of Arc type character but was given a poor imitation instead. Merlin was a drunk and Arthur acted more like
a hormone infused teenager. In my opinion, the minor characters were better.
The plot was good, but the execution was not the best. The
POVs changed among the major characters as the story progressed and there was
not always a smooth transition between them. This made the story feel kind of
jerky instead and winding and flowing evenly throughout. The pace was good
which helped a little to overcome some of the issues.
There is a lot of art work in this book. Since my copy is an
ARC some art was not present. However, from what I did have, I can tell you the
art was more suited to a graphic novel. I was expecting so much more and was
greatly disappointed.
Even with the short comings I enjoyed this one; but, it will never be on any of my favorites list. This is a middle grade book but because of the violence and other subjects it is better suited to the older middle grade reader. I recommend it to those middle grade readers who like graphic novels because this book has a graphic novel feel.
I received an ARC copy at BookExpo 2019, from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.
Malamander by Thomas Taylor is a magical middle grade fantasy story that will sweep you up. The author has created an imaginative world with interesting and endearing characters that is sure to please any age reader. Hands down the best middle grade book I read this year.
Herbert Lemon, aka Herbie, is the Lost-and-Founder at the Grand
Nautilus Hotel that is part of the small community of Eerie-on-the-Sea. When an
item is left or lost at the hotel it comes to Herbie and it is his job to reunite
the lost item with the owner. He sees all kinds of lost items including one
Violet Parma who one winter’s day slips in through the hotel’s cellar window. Violet
may just be the most unusual thing in Herbie’s collection of unusual things.
Violet has come in search of her parents that went missing when
she was a baby, while guests at the hotel. She tells Herbie that she has come
hundreds of miles to enlist his help finding her parents. When Herbie insists,
he is a finder of lost things not lost people, she rebuffs him saying he is a “detective”
and the only one she knows who can help her.
Of course, with Violet comes a lot of things not the least
of which is the mystery of her parents’ disappearance. There is the man with
the hook that is after her for unknown reasons and the monster, called
Malamander, that appears on the beach at night in winter. These are just two
more of the mysteries surrounding her. Herbie will have to be a very good
detective to figure out this puzzle.
Love this story! It has an interesting plot with enough twists
to hold any readers’ attention. The magical elements that abound in the book
are many and include a mermonkey who tells you what book to read at the local
book store and there is Lady Kraken’s, the hotel owner, cameraluna that she
uses to see what is happening in town and a host of interesting people to round
out the plot.
The characters were very well done, especially so for the
intended audience. Herbie and Violet are just the type of characters that will
have you cheering for them. The supporting ones, such as Mrs. Hanniver owner of
the Eerie Book Dispensary, lend the story more mystery and allure and enhance
the plot to perfection.
This is the perfect story for middle graders and adults alike.
So entertaining and the magical astrosphere in the book along with the
characters make for an outstanding book. It is age appropriate for all readers
and I highly recommend to all lovers of magical adventure tales.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
A truly heart-breaking and enthralling story is the only way to describe The Tiger Catcher by Paullina Simons. It is a gratifying romance story and it explores the lengths to which a person will go to be with the one they love.
Julian is living a happy and successful life in Los Angeles.
He is surround by family and friends that love him and has a long-standing
girlfriend that everyone expects him to marry. Then a chance encounter, at a
New York City theatre, with a young girl named Josephine changes everything.
When Julian returns to L. A. he can’t stop thinking about
Josephine. Then one day she waltzes right into his life and his heart. As far
as Julian is concerned the world has not only stopped but melted away. He is so
absorbed with Josephine that he forgets to go to work or write his daily Mr.
Know-It-All newsletter. Yet, the fates have other plans and when Josephine is
lost to Julian, he falls into a stupor and nothing is able to bring him back to
reality.
Julian dreams frequently of Josephine. In his dreams, he is
always at a café and she sees him and is walking towards him but is never able
to reach him. He believes that the café is in London. Therefore, he moves to
London in search of her. After a year and a half, and many miles of walking
London’s streets for the café in his dream, he is no closer to answers than he
was in L. A. That is until he meets a shaman who gives Julian the means to find
Josephine. There is a catch, the trip is dangerous and he will have to give up
everything and everyone he knows and loves.
I loved the characters in this book. Julian was especially
well done. I liked how the author showed us the depth of his love and then the
pain and sorrow of his loss. It was raw and very real to me. In addition, the
story had just enough fantasy and realism to suit my tastes.
The only negative I found was the plot. It dragged a little
in the middle. Ms. Simons’s writing is always a little on the verbose side; however,
here it was a bit heavy handed. Despite this, I was already so invested in the
story that I had to know what happened. Therefore, I rushed to get to the end
and then I had to noodle on the book for a bit before I picked up another one. It
is always a good sign when a book makes me ponder for a bit after I finish it.
I enjoyed this book a lot. I also feel it is not in the same
league as The Bronze Horseman, which is one of my all-time favorites. Tough
I still found the story compelling and entertaining. I am looking forward to
the next installment in the series and I hope the wait is not too long.
The Tiger Catcher is the perfect book for fans of The
Time Traveler’s Wife, Paullina Simons and/or romance with a touch of magic.
I received a free copy from the publisher, via Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Writers of the Future Vol. 35, edited by David
Farland, is an anthology of Sci-Fi and Fantasy short stories by up-and-coming
new authors. In total there are twelve stories chosen from an international
writing contest conducted on a quarterly schedule. Therefore, the top 3 stories
from each quarter is what appears in the volume. In addition, this volume contains short
stories from established, well-known writers and advice for new writers and
illustrators.
The book also contains illustrations for each short story.
The illustrations are chosen in the same way as the short stories and I felt
were a nice bonus to the book. I also liked that each story was prefaced by a short
introduction to both the writer and illustrator. I enjoyed learning about these
debut authors and illustrators in the industry.
In an effort at brevity I am going to touch on only two of
my favorite stories in this collection. The first story I want to talk about is
Release From Service by Rustin Lovewell, illustrated by Emerson Rabbitt.
In this Fantasy story, a young man must choose between what he has been trained
for most of his life and what he knows is right even though the choice will cost
him his life.
What I liked about the story was the character development. I
prefer character driven stories over plot driven and this story is a perfect
example of how a good author does not need a hundred plus pages to give the
reader a character that is relatable. It also helped that the plot was spot on.
This story I would rate as five stars.
The next story I want to talk about is a Sci-Fi story, Super-Duper Moon Girl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler written by Wulf Moon and illustrated by Alice Wang. This story actually made me cry. It is about a young girl living on the moon with her parents. She is the sole surviving student of a school bombing that left her unable to breathe on her own. She has an AI unit in the shape of a dog who breathes for her and is her protector. Yet, some times protectors are too good at what they do. This is also a five-star story. Same as the previous story, I loved the character and felt a real connection.
There are other stories that I feel rated five stars or
close and some I would give a four too. There was only one I was not crazy
about and that was Yellow Submarine. I felt the plot was not very inventive. Yet,
the prose was good. I would rate that one as three stars.
As a whole, I was surprised at the quality of the writing and illustrations. There was a big variety in this collection and the stories were, for the most part, first-rate. Therefore, it made me want to read the next story and the next, until the end, which came a bit too quickly for me. I am left with the quandary of how to rate the book overall. As a whole, I would rate this collection as 4 stars, maybe even pushing 4.5.
I highly recommend this anthology to lovers of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. There is something to love in every story and the illustrations were fabulous. I am excited to see what the future holders for these new authors and illustrators and once you read this collection I suspect you will be too.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
