As if being dumped down into a completely fantastical and strange world that doesn’t speak her language or play by her rules wasn’t bad enough. Noriko faces bigger enemies in this volume and feels more powerless than ever. She can’t help her friends or fight the bad guys, all she can do is be herself. But will that prove to be enough?

It turns out being herself is more powerful than Noriko originally thought, but she isn’t the only one showing her true colors. Izark finally breaks down and reveals his true self to Noriko and the result ends up shocking them both.

This volume delivers two fantastic, worth the wait, reveals. One is Izark’s long kept secret that he now shares with Noriko and the other is a flashback to Izark’s childhood and his struggles right after he left home. Both were exciting to read about and I’m glad this twist has come along, it will be interesting to see where things go from here.

The author is still interrupting herself a bit but it’s becoming less and that’s good. Her side panels throughout the volume responding to fan mail are very annoying and keep coming in during key tense and emotional scenes in the book. That I could really do without.

In the fourth book of the Belgariad, The Castle of Wizardry, all the set up from the series so far finally come to fruition and the stage is set for the final book. Picking up where the story left off Garion finds himself leading the small group as Belgarath is out of it after the last show down and Polgara is maintaining a shield to protect Errand. What follows is Garion not just making the journey into adult hood but also stepping up into a position of responsibility and authority. Garion finally grows up and it is wonderful to see.

The middle of the book does drag a bit as it gets bogged down in some very necessary but at least mostly peaceful politics. Stick with it to the last third and you will be rewarded.

This book features a major plot twist to set up the fifth and final book, and I won’t spoil it for you except to say that Garion is not the only one that does some major growing up, Ce’Nedra does as well. And, finally, we see some sparks start to really fly between our two annoying love birds.

We also finally get to journey through Drasnia and of course see the prince, Silk, in his element. The ending will leave you begging for the final book in the series.

I listened to this entire series on audio book and I just have to say that the reader for this series, Cameron Beierle, is phenomenal. Not only does he have a different, unique, and distinct voice for each of the characters but each kingdom has its own unique accent. The moment you hear him start to speak a show more line of dialogue you can tell what kingdom they are from immediately. He is an excellent reader and I can’t recommend his audio books enough. show less

When young adults leave their hometown and go off to college it can feel like they have left the planet. All of a sudden they are in a whole new town with all new people, there are new rules of engagement and you are suddenly expected to act and think very differently. Worst of all many if not all their friends and family, most importantly the ever-present parents, are now gone and they are on their own. In Beth Revis’ science fiction debut Across the Universe she manages to capture all of this perfectly as we follow Amy and her journey aboard the spaceship Godspeed. Unfortunately it is captured too well and that along with a few other hiccups resulted in this book not turning out as well as I hoped it would.

Let me start this off on a positive note, Revis can write really, really detailed and realistic scenes. The book opens with Amy watching her parents be cryogenically frozen and then experience it herself. I have extreme needle phobia, it took forever to get through those pages. Even people who don’t have needle phobia squirm through that first chapter, it is intense and present and real and that kind of talent in a writer is extremely promising. She captures the small ship, the feeling of being trapped, the abandonment all very well and you experience it along with Amy and that is very powerful.

Things go very wrong when Amy is woken up several decades too early. She discovers that the people awake on the ship have formed a dystopian society with more questions show more than answers. More frozen passengers are mysteriously being woken up and left to die in their melting ice. Amy is left with a mystery on her hands that she must solve before any more passengers are killed or before whoever tried to kill her comes back to finish the job. This is a mystery and a science fiction novel first and Revis gets the science right, she thinks through the ramifications of generations of humans living on the same small ship for 250 years and she even lays out the ship in a logical and smart way in respect to both the mystery and the science fiction.

That being said there were some problems though. The description is there, the unique plot ideas and premise is there, meanwhile the characterization, the plot pacing, the romance advertised heavily on the front cover was not. The mystery can be solved by the reader very early in the book. Many of the characters felt too true to trope and two-dimensional, like they weren’t even real people. The plot pacing was very, very slow. It took forever to get through the book and oftentimes the story seemed to be spinning its wheels. The romance between Amy and Elder seemed contrived and unrealistic, it lacked any sort of chemistry. Really the relationship took a back seat to the mystery that was front and center and that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you ignore the cover.

Focusing back on Amy, I have spoken before in reviews about YA authors that try so hard for the average teenage girl voice that they overcompensate. That happened here. Amy spent most of her time, on a space ship that she voluntarily signed up for, whining about being there. Yes, she was woken up early but most of the whine seemed to be about missing earth and sky and a boyfriend that had been dead for over 200 years by that point. She whined about missing her daddy and wanted to selfishly wake him up early even though the ship needed him at planet fall, whined about the people on the ship, and even got whiny and bratty with Eldest who had already told her he was willing to kick her off this ship since she threatened to disrupt things. It was annoying and I think more of teenagers than that. She was trapped, that I will admit. She was scared, that is fine. Her life was in danger, very much so. But address those concerns first, miss rain drops second.

I don’t really want to touch on the attempted rape scene except that it was horrible, unexpected, served next to no purpose and Amy was perfectly fine way too fast to be believable. Worst of all there was no ramifications for anyone, it was like it never happened. If you aren’t going to do the very thorny issue of attempted rape justice don’t include it in your book at all.

I’m really glad that a science fiction book for teens, and particularly teen girls, was not only written but then marketed so well. I do wish it lived up to that marketing a little better though. Dystopian fans will love the thought that went into the construction of the society in this book, science fiction fans will love the world building as far as the actual ship and the science behind many of the things that go on on-board are concerned. This is not really a romance though, there is only a dash of it and be ready for some very in-depth descriptions of some very horrifying scenes.

I received this book for free to review. show less

Whenever life hits a bump in the road or I find myself stressed out the first thing I turn to is a book. Books ground me and give me a form of escape from my present circumstances. They let me take a step back and look at my problems from another point of view and provide a much needed mental health break. While I have done this all my life I have often felt very alone in my solace in fiction, until I discovered the internet anyway. But a print book, in IRL, now that’s a different sort of validation and this is why The Heroine’s Bookshelf is ranked among my top reads this year.

In her book Erin Blakemore showcases twelve books with their fantastic heroines and authors and shows how each one can help inspire and improve our lives in different ways. She covers everything from faith to dignity, compassion, ambition… even magic. Each chapter covers one theme and talks about how both the heroine and the author embody that theme in their lives and in their books. Laura Ingalls Wilder embodies Simplicity, Charlotte Bronte and her heroine Jane Eyre show steadfastness, while Margaret Mitchell and her heroine Scarlett O’Hara fight every step of the way.

I loved how each chapter covered not just the literary heroines and their themes and adventures but also took the time to research each author as well. Often the history of an author proved to be surprising and very relevant to both the heroine they would go on to write and the theme that both they and their heroine would show more represent. Both Lizzy Bennet and Jane Austen were true to themselves against great financial and societal odds. Both Celie and Alice Walker led lives of dignity in impossible circumstances. It surprised me as well how many of these great female authors were forced to publish anonymously or under male pseudonyms and often led lives of poverty and degradation because they wanted to be true to themselves and write.

What I loved most though was how reading the chapters dedicated to my favorite books offered me insight into my own life that I hadn’t considered before. The lines she draws are fascinating to follow and I really felt like I learned a lot about my favorite literary heroines, about my beloved female authors and, within this new context, myself as well.

Highly recommended reading for bookish types, The Heroine’s Bookshelf offers more than life lessons, it offers new insight into favorite characters, great authors and even yourself. show less

In these trying times college graduates have it particularly hard, many find themselves having to move back in with parents, taking jobs at lower pay grades or outside of their fields, and more often than not they are left feeling like they are not where they should be. I urge those people to pick up this book, because it could be a lot worse. In Running the Books Avi Steinberg shares his memories of graduating from college (with a senior thesis essay on Bugs Bunny) to eventually become a prison librarian for two years. His greenness and nonchalant attitude toward life before entering the prison to work with inmates among the stacks had me wincing but ultimately his experiences there, and the fascinating people he met, gave me a lot of food for thought. If you are looking for an in-depth analysis on American prison culture this is not that, but what it is turns out to be more than what you’d expect considering Avi’s less than auspicious start: fooling a drug test to get hired at a prison.

The book begins with all the reasons Steinberg ended up working at a prison in the first place and the introduction to what his job working there entailed. It also opens with what has to be one of my top ten favorite book openings of all time: “Pimps make the best librarians.” A lot of the opening continues in this vein with a lot of sharp wit about both prisons and libraries and the interesting place where they intersect. The memories of his time there are shared in a series of show more anecdotes that veer between being overly self-deprecating and negative towards both himself and the prisoners that he worked with, and moments of true light and hope that maybe libraries could bring some good into the lives of these convicts. Ultimately he manages to bring it together and strike a realistic tone that lies somewhere in the grey area between those two extremes.

The book really started becoming interesting when it became obvious the author had done his homework. He visited other prisons in the area, including abandoned ones, and spent some real time digging into the place of prisons in society. He compares what they are meant to do with what they actually do in an unflinching and bold way that almost makes you forget his lighthearted and almost mocking beginning.

I think the second half of the book is where he really shined though. He talks about specific stories of three inmates and the impact both the library and the prison system had on their lives. An ex-stripper now inmate who gave up her son for adoption asks Avi to help her contact him when he is admitted to prison as an adult. A pimp wants Avi’s help writing a memoir that glosses over his very real and very terrible crimes. An ex-gangster wants help putting together the paper work necessary to pitch his own cooking show, Thug Sizzle. Where those stories, and the prison system, lead him to is a reality based conclusion worth reading about.

In the end Avi Steinberg is a civilian looking from the outside in on a broken prison system through privileged eyes, and its best not to forget that reality. It is also worth noting that he was given next to no training on working with convicts before being thrown in to the deep end and his struggles reflect that. You may wince your way through reading about the trials Steinberg went through, both self-inflicted (drug test) and not (robbed by one of his former patrons out on parole) but at least you will leave the book with this one take away. You, and Avi, may not have it so great right now, but it could be worse.

I received this book for free to review. show less

Making the transformation from a shy girl to a confident woman is no easy task, especially when you are growing up amidst the fading hopes of once great Hollywood. It becomes even harder when your father leaves you for New York City, your ex-starlette mother becomes a suicidal alcoholic, and your name is Louise “Weetzie” Bat. We know Weetzie’s young adult life from the books in her Dangerous Angels series, starting with the self titled Weetzie Bat. I have given her a lot of flak in the past for the way she deals with things and her, occasionally thoughtless, outlook on life and finding happiness. I have a new appreciation for just how hard it was to make the transformation from child to woman, and manage to lead a life of hope and happiness and love in spite of her past, after reading about that difficult transition in Pink Smog.

Little Weetzie has a very difficult life once her father decides he no longer wants to be in the picture. Her mother attempts to commit suicide and then slips into a deep depression aided by alcoholism. Weetzie is left to fend for herself, cleaning their apartment, cooking their meals, trying to make sure her mother eats and bathes while trying to get her out of the funk she is in. Weetzie is rocked by her father leaving her with next to no explanation. At middle school Weetzie has to deal with bullies who couldn’t care less what she was going through. She has two friends to fall back on, but one struggles with an eating disorder and the show more other is possibly a male prostitute. All three struggle with problems bigger than themselves and there are no competent adults around to step in and help. This is very deep and heavy stuff for anyone to deal with and Weetzie must find a way to prevail or get pulled under.

Pink Smog works as a great introduction to the character of Weetzie. For a new generation unfamiliar with the Dangerous Angels series there is now a coming of age novel showing Weetzie as she was at an age they can identify with. Unlike other Weetzie Bat books this one is written within the confines of Weetzie’s perspective and is very linear and straightforward in story telling. The magical language was toned down a bit and while the magic of LA was still present it seemed muted when shown in relief next to the stark reality of the difficulties Weetzie faced. I can’t help wondering if this was deliberate, not just to tone things down for a new generation but also because Weetzie isn’t capable of seeing all the magic of the world she lives in just yet as she is in a haze from all the problems she is suddenly having to deal with at thirteen.

People that grew up with Weetzie might not like this book as well as others in the series because this was clearly written for younger fans. I recommend for old school fans to check out Necklace of Kisses if you haven’t already. I do think middle schoolers will appreciate a book that was tailor written for them and introduces a whole new generation of Weetzies to the magic of Los Angeles. Parents might want to know that while most of the above issues Weetzie deals with are glossed over to some extent there is drug use, bullying, and language as well.

Ultimately Weetzie learns to see the magic and beauty in things and it is wonderful to see a glimpse of the cool, confident high school Weetzie we meet at the beginning of Weetzie Bat. Her transformation was by no means effortless and, like I said, I have a better understanding of Weetzie now that I not only know her as the slinkster cool teen and confident adult she will be, but also as the scared overwhelmed kid she was. Reading about Weetzie overcoming her problems and coming of age into the magic, fun-loving young woman we know she can be was magical to see.

I received this book for free to review. show less

In a post-apocalyptic world plunged into an ice age after a period of dramatically shifting climate society is coming unglued. On the outskirts of this society, independent and surviving on their own, lives Willo and his family. They eke out an existence in a world turned cold by hunting, trapping and working what little farm land there is in the very brief spring and summer. Willo has gone half-savage in many ways. He wears the skull of a dog on his head, doesn’t read very much or very well, and spends most of his days out setting traps in the freezing, driving snow with an instinct for hunting honed from growing up in the midst of an ice age. It’s the only world he has ever known.

One day his family is taken by men in trucks while Willo is gone and he comes back to find that he is now all alone in this freezing wilderness. What follows is his journey to survive in the cold while finding answers for where his family has gone. What he discovers is ultimately almost more than he can understand, but is chilling for the reader that understands all too well.

This is another novel that uses phonetic spelling in speech to convey how Willo communicates and relates to the world. His thoughts are also simply arranged and laid out. This did not bother me in After the Snow as much as it did in Blood Red Road. I think, in that case, the punctuation was a deal breaker for me. In After the Snow the quote marks were left intact so it increased the readability for me and as I was able show more to enjoy the spelling for its original purpose, gaining more insight into the speaker by being able to read not just what they said but how they said it.

We see things from Willo’s point of view throughout and his point of view is pretty limited since he grew up outside of main stream society. He is left in the dark a lot about what is really going on and further more often doesn’t care because so much of what happened to bring about the ice age and society’s collapse is just completely outside of his circle of things he cares about. Willo is very practical, they are in an ice age now and that’s what needs to be dealt with, he’s concerned with survival not politics. That being said there is a lot of politics between the lines that is sailing right over Willo’s head but is there for the reader to understand and piece together. The final picture will leave you cold.

After the Snow was written in response to Snowmageddon back in 2009, when the U.K. found itself buried alive and London simply shut down for a few days. What if it kept on snowing? What if winter never ended? What would modern society do, and how would it function and survive, in the midst of an ice age? You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out.

I received this book for free to review. show less

Wow! Everything in this volume has reached new heights and I really think the series is starting to come into its own. Noriko and Izark find themselves in some pretty precarious situations after they were separated in the previous volume. What happens next was worth having in its own volume. Wow is all I can say without spoiling things, just wow.

The art was beautiful, varied and interesting. I loved the depiction of magic and the beautiful ways the layout often told the story. The story has some fascinating plot twists and reveals and new things are discovered about Noriko and Izark. What Noriko’s presence as the Awakening means for Izark and the people of this world remains unexplained but what is discovered definitely is food for thought.

The author has still not completely broken herself of telling things occasionally that she thought she couldn’t draw adequately but these explanations just took you out of the story and were often superfluous. I trust both this author and the story she has to tell implicitly, she doesn’t need to second guess herself! If I see it’s a different time of day somewhere else or two people decide to drink coffee I’m going to go with it. Quit interrupting yourself with asides explaining minutiae and tell the story!

Also the side panels talking about scenes from her childhood that she is not completely sure actually happened or not are a bit unnerving. I’m not sure why those are there either. I don’t mind if panels like that are at show more the beginning or end of a book but in the middle of a story is a bit distracting. Still looking forward to volume five though, I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for Noriko and Izark next! show less

Picking up the third volume in the From Far Away series I thought I had a pretty good handle on where things were headed. We had a teenage couple set up against some pretty corrupt and evil governmental figures and some sort of magical prophecy bound them together. So I was stunned that within the first five pages Izark left Noriko! Their separation allows them to grow individually as they each go on their own adventures and yet something magical still ties them together. Not to mention that even through the language barrier Noriko is beginning to realize it and just how much danger that puts them both in.

There was also some adorable flash backs that showed the couple before they split up and it shows that they have grown in their relationship together. Though Noriko’s grasp of the new language is tenuous at best. They were still very cute to read about, though worrisome too as the more Noriko grows and learns about the world she has been transported too, the more danger there is of her letting slip to others just where she came from and how she got there.

This volume ends leaves you on the edge of your seat as the characters each are in the midst of their own dangerous adventure. But even though they are separated Noriko at least has not been totally abandoned and she finds strength in new allies as tries to survive in spite of an alien world’s political plots and machinations that want her dead, if they only found out just who she was.

P.S. About 1/3rd of this volume show more cuts away from From Far Away and tells a completely different story set in the real world about unrelated characters. Not sure why but thought I would warn potential buyers about the deviation from the plot. Fourth volume picks up with From Far Away again and we never hear about the real world characters ever again. show less

I was torn on a lot of this book and I feel very much on the outside because so many people I really respect love this book to absolute pieces. I guess I feel like I am missing something because this book didn’t click with me as it does with many others and so I recommend right off the bat to weigh my words with all the positive reviews given and give this book an honest shot. After all I did finish the book and it’s nearly 500 pages long! Also keep in mind I am reviewing the advance copy of the book which is about 50 pages longer than the final copy that went to press so perhaps much of what I didn’t like ended up on the cutting room floor.

So, Blood Red Road is a unique take on the dystopians that have swept the YA genre for the past several years. The book is written in a “poetically minimal” style which is to say the writing is largely spelled out phonetically in an American southern drawl and there are no quote marks to denote speaking versus action anywhere in the text. The phonetic spelling actually reminded me a lot of reading Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It had a way of bringing you into the world and seeing it more from the characters point of view just because you have a great understanding of the way they communicated and got their thoughts across. That part I loved. I’m being a total kill joy here but the lack of quote marks on the other hand was just frustrating and made reading it a bit of a slog, especially because I was show more trying to read parts of it aloud to my husband and it just proved frustrating for both of us without that marker showing where speech ends and action begins. I understand where the need for it stylistically came from, but I think the end result, for a 500 page book, was just overkill.

This is a difficult book though, it’s meant to be. It is a difficult story, about a difficult world, in a difficult period of history (well, future), with difficult characters. The main character, Saba, is a rough and tough girl who grew up in a desert next to a constantly shrinking lake. One day a sandstorm blows up and with it comes riders in black. They kill her father, her only surviving parent, and kidnap her brother. Saba must take her younger sister Emmi and find Lugh in a world gone mad from an apocalypse no one remembers and a drug nearly everyone seems to take. Saba is stubborn and fiercely loyal to her twin and incredibly brave. She is also almost cold and heartless and looks upon her little sister with a loathing I almost couldn’t stomach.

Saba must take off across the desert to find Lugh and on her quest we see more and more of the post-apocalyptic world. Some things were surprising and interestingly new. There is an all female fighting force called the Free Hawks that fights back against the injustices of the world. There is also Saba's experiences fighting to the death in the cages she ends up locked up in that gives an opportunity for unique character development. So much of the rest of it though was predictable and a little too true to trope. I mean I am a fantasy/sci-fi nut, tropes normally doesn’t bother me and if there is a new and interesting spin on it I will swallow the book in gulps, I don’t care. But there were parts that were just so predictable and then they stayed predictable there wasn’t a twist. It was especially bad when the tropes had their predictable endings foreshadowed in the text. Like the freaky couple Saba and her sister met outside the city, and the deus ex-machina ending to the book.

There was also the really, really, really long beginning before the plot finally took off and the story started. I’m suspecting this is where a lot of the book got cut. It took 173 pages for me to get into this book and that is a very long time to wait to get interested in a story. Your mileage may vary, again, give this book a shot so many people must like it for a reason!

To get into some things I definitely loved about this book lets talk about the characters again, especially Saba and the Free Hawks. I know I listed her as a hard character to like, and she is, but she also doesn’t need you to like her. She is a survivor. She is a fierce fighter, she is wily and smart when she needs to be, and is stubborn (which cuts both ways in her case). The Free Hawks are amazing and fierce and band together and fight for a good cause and what is there not to love in that? The women in this book are in a word awesome. They are everything a woman would be in a post apocalyptic world: fierce, brave, formidable, intelligent, loyal, strategic, they are just incredible and it was amazing to read about them and the havoc they wreck in a world run by a crazy man and his legions of drugged followers.

That’s not to say that all men are bad guys in this book because now we come to Jack. Can I be honest and say the guy came across as a bit of a creep to me? He was condescending, dickish, a bit of a know it all and smug as hell. But he also helped Saba to realize she was being a bit of a prick too, especially to Emmi and that was worthwhile to me. These characters realistically grow and change throughout the novel and that was another huge strong point in the novel’s favor.

But at the end of the day, when faced with the prospect of hunting down a final copy of the novel and reading it all over again, I realized this really isn’t the book for me. I wasn’t even interested in skimming it again. I was so relieved to be done with it. I also have no interest really in continuing with the series as I shrink at just thinking about reading another huge book with no quotation marks and a predictable plot.

Blood Red Road is a difficult book that takes place in a world where just surviving is hard and dangerous work, the characters are prickly and untrusting, and the land is arid and filled with the remnants of a society (ours) that has truly failed. It is a unique premise from every other dystopian YA book published recently and faces a world similar and yet very alien to our own. If that sounds interesting than give it a shot, don’t let me rain on this parade as my views are very much in the minority.

I received this book for free to review. show less

It’s always a little difficult to review a fantasy book that is smack dab in the middle of a series and Magician’s Gambit is no exception. Fortunately it is quite different from the two books that came before it. For one the standard plot arc of entering a new kingdom and having Garion be the only one observant enough to notice a coup or a nefarious character attempting to instigate war is not present. Instead the book opens with the story being told from the view-point of Ce’Nedra, the Tolnedran princess who ran away from her father only to find herself mixed up in Belgarath’s quest for the Orb. While both Garion and Ce’Nedra have come a long way since they met, they are still very much teenagers and spend most of this book squabbling in one way or another. It is on one hand cute but on the other quickly becomes mildly annoying.

The character that saves the day is Silk, the prince of Drasnia, he is witty and sly and is officially dubbed the Guide of the group by the prophecy that binds them all together. His one line zingers, clever machinations and jokes were very entertaining to read about and he was in danger of stealing the show as he quite nearly outshone our beloved main characters.

The quest in this book proves to take an interesting turn as they are all headed to the Vale of Aldur, Belgarath’s and Polgara’s home. Along the way new countries are discovered that are again unlike any we have seen before, Maragor is a country now devoid of people as they show more have all been wiped out by the Tolnedrans years and years before. Now the god of those people weeps and mourns their loss and drives anyone mad who dares enter. They also discover Ulgoland, a country that entirely lives underground and worships the god UL. A new character is introduced here, the religious zealot Relg.

Relg is another great character if for no other reason that the stuff he spouts out about his strict religion, his rigid beliefs, and his struggles with his attempts to be pious and prudish while at the same time being a bit of a disgusting man proves to be hilarious religious commentary.

This third book is truly a twist from what has come before and has the adventure kick up another notch in the quest for the Orb with some very entertaining characters brought in along the way. Several major stand offs finally came to a head and ended with a truly stunning surprise that leaves you wondering what must yet be in store for Garion and his friends. show less

This book caught my eye for its clean, well styled cover and hooked me with its promise of a simple and concise biography of Jane Austen written for young adults. I love Jane Austen and am a huge fan of her novels, their movies, and their many spin offs. But, aside from what I knew from watching Becoming Jane, I didn’t know too much about the author herself. This book was the perfect toe in the pool and revealed Jane Austen in a way that was engaging and interesting and left me eager to re-read her novels again with this new information in mind.

The biography begins with a summary of Jane’s younger years with her family, her earlier writing, and the many moves she was forced to make throughout her life being both poor and dependent as she was a single woman. It was fascinating reading about her extended relations and their exciting lives. Jane’s life, though, was not as exciting. She was left a constant observer on the sidelines. She was witty though and snippets of her letters showing her sharp, occasionally acerbic wit, are sprinkled throughout the narrative.

The book also has lots of historical background explaining the political and social rules of the day and there are plenty of illustrations both from the period and from Jane’s letters, books, and the movies made from her books throughout.

Finally, the biography takes us through each of Jane Austen’s works. It covers how each was published, the book’s history and reasons for being written, a summary of the show more book, and its reception in Jane Austen’s time. This re-awakened my interest in Austen’s novels all over again to get this very interesting history of each book, including works that were never finished or published.

The book was accessible and easy to read. The illustrations and explanations kept the events in Jane Austen’s life entertaining and understandable for someone who might only have a passing knowledge of the author and her era. The history of each of the books was the best part of the biography in my opinion and it was fascinating to read what Austen thought of her own books through her letters, and to read about their reception during her life time. I highly recommend this book for teen readers who have just been introduced to Austen, or older readers who aren’t big on biographies but would like an accessible primer to Jane Austen’s life. This is an easy, light read that can finished in only a few hours, but leaves a sparked interest in the author and in her works.

I received this book for free to review. show less

I was expecting things to maybe slow down a little and we step back and really get to see this world poor Noriko has gotten plunked down into but unfortunately for the characters, and fortunately for us, the adventure picks up. Izark is struck by a strange, sudden illness and Noriko finds herself floundering in her attempts to help him because of the language barrier in place. She is forced to mime her intentions and more often than not she misinterprets what is being said around her and reacts inappropriately.

But that isn’t the biggest problem they face, because now that Izark is considered out of commission the robbers we met in the previous volume decide now would be a great time to strike and attempt to kill Izark before he can kill them. What follows is frankly stunning, and I won’t spoil it but it shows some fantastic character reveal for Izark and some real character growth for Noriko. The scared little girl from Japan, actually proves she can do and be more than just a helpless, hapless female in constant need of saving. Her actions are purely defensive and show quick thinking and a lot of nerve. I have high hopes for Noriko as the series progresses.

My only negative points were the same ones I have with a lot of manga and that is occasionally there is too much telling and not enough showing. A man who had been badly hurt in the previous volume gets hurt again and cries out that, “My wounds have reopened!” Another time characters fix tea and one character show more explains to the other as they are making it that it’s so they can stay up late almost as if he is more speaking to the audience and not the other character. I’m never sure if that is the author putting that in or bad translation or what. Another problem I had was the author put several autobiographical comments in panels throughout this volume. It was disconcerting and kept pulling me out of the story. I love reading author’s notes at the beginning or short fun comics at the end that talk about the author personally or their process, but I have no interest in having injected in the middle of a fight scene that the author likes Jackie Chan movies. It also made me take a moment when we got back story on Noriko to realize what was going on because it was in the same tone as the autobiographical comments before. I almost skipped over the back story thinking it was more author trivia and not character history germane to the plot.

I hate to sound so negative about a series I am really starting to enjoy! The mystery around Izark deepens, Noriko is learning how to stand up for herself, and the fantasy elements and possibilities of the world continue to grow. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to these teens next. show less

When you are as much of a fan of fantasy as I am you end up reading about a lot of awesome adventures, surreal magic, fantastical worlds, and thrilling battles, you also unfortunately read a lot of sexist crap. Women can do this, they can't do that. Women either marry or go into the convent or become a shrew. Women can't fight, can't defend themselves, can't learn certain trades, can't rule, can't lead, can't strategize, can't go anywhere alone, or do anything without men's approval. It. Gets. Grating. This coming from someone who loves fantasy but who also gets a little sick of being told what her gender can and can't do all the time.

Then comes Graceling. What am awesome, surreal, fantastical, and thrilling breath of fresh air! Graceling is set in a medieval era Europeanish world called The Seven Kingdoms. There are wonderfully complex politics at play and fiendish plots afoot and then we get to the people. Certain people within the various kingdoms are called Gracelings, these people have been Graced with a specific talent. Our main character, Katsa, learns at the tender age of eight that she has been Graced with the talent of killing people when she accidentally kills her step cousin who was making unwanted advances.

She is then trained by her uncle the King and instead of being given a position of prominence in the kingdom for being Graced she is treated more as a lap dog that gets sent to do the dirty work. This all changes when she meets Po, a prince who has been show more Graced with combat skills. Plots are uncovered, alliances are threatened, politics come into play and soon Katsa finds herself involved in a quest to save a kidnapped child. Her special Grace is needed desperately, but is it in the way she expects?

I loved this book. Carried all the way through was this fantastic feminist message that shined through Katsa. She was tough and spirited though granted she was a little wild at the beginning, but that's to be expected after being treated like an animal by her uncle's court. She was feared and mistreated more for her Grace than her gender, which was refreshing. While she was strong she also had true heart that made her endearing and human. The romance also was wonderful to read about. It was built up slowly and believably and remained respectful of them both, so rare in YA romance. It was a welcome addition to the story.

The world she was in was amazing as well, and not just because of the fascinating concept of Gracelings or the complex politics of the Seven Kingdoms. Marriage was a choice for women, not a need. Men were permitted the luxury of feeling and even of crying when all was lost. Gender conformity was not an over-driving need as it is traditionally in fantasy and that was true straight to the last and I'm glad the author made that tough call. That is not to say that all was roses. There were still unwanted sexual advances and comments made about various young women, there were still attempts at forced/arranged marriages, and there were still kingdoms that chose not to educate or empower their women or teach them how to protect themselves. But for a fantasy book, a genre famous for brutally enforcing gender roles, this book was amazingly progressive. It made Graceling a wonderful and magical rare breed of truly empowering fantasy centered around a truly powerful woman. I loved it and look forward to reading the other books set in this magical world. show less

Queen of Sorcery picks up where Pawn of Prophecy left off with the ever-growing group headed by Belgarath, along with his daughter Polgara and her charge Garion, chasing the stolen Orb of Aldur. The adventure continues, and small skirmishes and battles ensue as the group travels on theie quest. Intrigue is uncovered in far off cities. Whole new cultures are shown, very different from the ones we knew before. Plus new characters are introduced that promise to delight and vex us all.

The second book in the Belgariad promises to be very different from the one before because Garion is no longer just a young child as he was in the first book. Time has passed and little Garion is growing up. There are a lot more teen angst style growing pains in this book than the last as a result. Especially as he struggles with his Aunt’s true identity, and his own.

Several new cultures are introduced as well and all of them provide their own complex controversies. The Dryads who look like children but are extremely sexually active. The starving and suffering of the serfs in Mimbre is juxtaposed with the “honorable” knights that rule them. And finally Nyissa – a country that highly values snakes and the concept of immortality, when they aren’t taking drugs or poisoning one another – features another highly sexualized being in the form of their “queen” who has ruled Nyissa for generations, or has she?

In amongst all of this though there are some gems for feminists to appreciate, show more just a few though. The largest being Polgara herself. She sews for the enjoyment of it, loves to wear pretty dresses, and be told she is beautiful, but she is also a very powerful and very wise sorceress and when she says jump the kings of the world do so immediately. I like that this shows that you can embrace femininity and still be considered worthy of power and respect. Something not often shown in any fiction let alone an 80′s high fantasy novel.

While the beginning of this novel seems to show a repeat of some of the same events of the last one (a plot is uncovered, Garion is in the middle of things again, new characters join the quest) there are a lot of new twists and turns as well. This is an enjoyable read that builds on the world of Pawn of Prophecy and promises more to come in the next book as the quest continues to reclaim the Orb of Aldur. show less

I am sharing this review for posterity’s sake, this is the very first review I ever wrote and posted online. I blogged this review over ten years ago on December 13, 2001. I meant to post it here on its ten year anniversary but the holidays got in the way. Instead I am posting it today to kick off a new year with. This review is full of spoilers (seriously, it spoils just about the whole book) and is really more of a book report than a review but I can definitely see some of my beginnings in this and so I decided what better way to start a new year than with my start in book blogging. Enjoy!

“The French Mathematician” started out life as a project that was submitted for a Master of Arts degree entitled “A Fictional Biography of the French Mathematician Evariste Galois 1811-1832″. The author, Tom Petsinis set out to link the humanities and the sciences in a piece of writing that would tell the tragic tale of Evariste Galois in such a way so that writing majors might be able understand the type of mathematics that Evariste fathered and also the man himself. Petsinis is a professor who teaches mathematics at the University of Technology. And, he came across Evariste’s story while attending a lecture on Group Theory, a branch of mathematics based on Galois’s discoveries. The book is a well-written three-part biography with an excellent choice in writing style. It is very accurate for a book about whose subject there is such a small amount of information available show more on. Following is a summary and review of the various parts of “The French Mathematician” in the order that they appear in the book, for the most part.

There is no introduction, just acknowledgements of the support of various professors during the undertaking of this endeavor.
The first chapter is written as though it should be tacked on to the end, but is instead written at the beginning. The conclusion, on the other hand, simply gives what the fate of Evariste’s discoveries was to be.

Part one summarizes Evariste’s introduction and love affair with mathematics, his undying faith in the “x” and the power of that “x” to replace the cross and change the world to a place of order. Something Evariste believed would come about with the (French) Revolution. That the revolution would lead from chaos to mathematical precision. He believed in the power of mathematics.

Part two shows Evariste’s change of loyalties as he is swept up into the revolution. With the death of his father on his conscience and a need to prove himself and make himself great after being locked behind school walls during the outbreak of violence in the streets of Paris. He forsakes mathematics for the sword and the flame, wreaking buildings and joining various Republican organizations. He seems crazed at this point, thinking violence and a complete rebuilding of the French empire will be the only path to a Republican era.

Part three illustrates Evariste’s slow return to mathematics. He still clings to his Republican ideals but he begins slowly coming around to recognizing and nurturing his love of mathematics. He begins to write and submit works again and even holds a series of public speeches where he lays out his theories and proofs for his work. Throughout this section you watch as he is torn between mathematics and republican ideals. And he never really decides either way when he is arrested and imprisoned for six months for his part in the revolution. While in prison he becomes very sick so he is transferred to a hospital where he meets and falls in love with the Doctor’s daughter. Unfortunately she is only flirting with him and when her fiance (one of Evariste’s good friends) returns to Paris, his friend is forced to challenge Evariste to a duel.

I find that the writing is reminiscent of the style of writing popular during Evariste’s time (1811-1832). Prone to detail and more advanced diction then what is commonly known today, the book could almost pass for the diary/notebook the author “claims” it is. Unfortunately when referring to acts of a sexual nature the writer approaches the subject more blatantly than a writer of the nineteenth century would and uses far less subtltey. “The French Mathematician” is an excellent read that is recommended for English and Math majors alike. show less

I was surprised and delighted by how much enjoyment I got out of this book. I love fairy tale stories and re-tellings of all stripes but to find one like this was magical indeed and it was such a joy to read. Entwined is a re-telling of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses set in a Victorian era kingdom. There is a castle and balls, there are beautiful dresses and magic, and of course there is lots and lots of dancing. Underneath it all there lurks a danger that threatens to destroy everything.

The eldest princess Azaela has eleven younger sisters each named after a flower alphabetically, Bramble, Clover and so on. This ends up being a wonderful way to have several very different sisters and also an easy way for the reader to keep track of just which sister is being spoken of by the letter her name starts with. The author juggles a cast of twelve princesses beautifully and you never get bored with them. Their mother the Queen was a beautiful dancer and taught each of them how to do all sorts of different dances so that the princesses equate the love of their mother with the joy of dance. When the queen dies in childbirth with the youngest princess, Lily, things take a dark turn in the castle. The King is devastated and puts the castle into mourning, closing up the windows, dressing the family in black, and absolutely forbidding dancing. The princesses grieve the death of their mother, and the sudden emotional distance of their father, and want to celebrate and show more remember her through dance, but how can they when they have been forbidden?

What follows is a wonderful story featuring a magic castle, twelve princesses, unwanted suitors, a mystery to be solved, and a sinister evil that threatens everything the princesses love. Azaela was such a strong heroine, she took such fantastic charge in the wake of her mother’s death in caring for her younger sisters as best she could. Her sisters were a joy to read about as well from stubborn cranky Bramble, to shy sweet Clover, to even little Lily taking her first steps in the dance. The suitors who attempt to solve the mystery were also a joy to read about because, let’s face it, there was some real comedy gold to be had right there. A single princess they could deal with, but twelve?

This was a wonderful book and I recommend it to any one that takes joy in reading fairy tales, especially rewritten ones. The magic the story wove around me made the pages fly past and for a long book (nearly 500 pages!) it almost seemed too short by the time I was done. This story of several strong young women who manage to keep their family together through increasing odds was a great joy to read. I highly recommend it.

I received this book for free to review. show less

The one thing I love about Japanese fantasy is that while it may contain a few of the familiar fantasy tropes we know and love there are still many surprises and unexpected twists that keep the story fresh, interesting, and enchanting. From Far Away has all of this and more as young Noriko falls victim to a terrorist attack, a bomb left in an unattended bag in the street goes off and sends her flying into a magical world far away. Many things are the same as our world and yet there is an eerie difference in the golden forest she finds herself in that manifests when she is set upon but huge flesh-eating worms! Luckily at that moment she is saved by a handsome but mysterious man named Izark. Who is this man? Who is this Awakening everyone is speaking of, in a language that Noriko can't understand? Most importantly, where is she and how is she ever going to get home?

From Far Away is a unique and engaging story about an ordinary girl thrust into a fantastical world where it turns out she might not be so ordinary. The world is beautiful and strange, there are flying dinosaurs and gigantic worms and enchanted forests, everyone speaks a strange language and the politics of the people who inhabit it are as complex as they are deadly. There is a blind sage child that can see the future, mighty warriors with super human strength, and poor Noriko a normal human teen in the middle of it all just trying to maintain sanity while she mourns all she has lost and deals with a new and show more frightening world she has gained.

The art is absolutely beautiful in this manga. The details are wonderful and the use of clouds and wind, stars and balls of light to convey a magical occurrence are wonderful to view. The story is fantastical and a joy to read and the premise has me excited to see what is going to happen to Noriko and Izark next. My only complaint is that sometimes the author jerks you out of the story to explain something to you. Like what single and double lines around speech bubbles mean and then inverts it part way through the story, and stops again to explain that too. I didn't like being pulled out of the story like that. Other than that one deviation from the storyline the rest was a great and exciting read and I look forward to proceeding with this (finished!) manga. show less

The series The Belgariad was my first introduction into the world of high fantasy when I was a kid. While it sticks to standard fantasy fair it does so in a way that is accessible to a younger reader. It is also just a fun book to read. There is adventure and magic, warriors and sorcerers and evil gods, and a boy in the middle of it all who starts to realize he is no ordinary boy.

Any fan of Lord of the Rings would love this series as it is a fun, light hearted introduction to high fantasy. Any fan of Harry Potter would recognize a lot of Garion was years later placed in Harry. They were both young boys who had their parents murdered when they were babies and were placed in the care of their aunts. They are both surprised to find that they are not ordinary little boys when adventure comes at last into their lives and they discover they are capable of more than they ever suspected.

When the Orb of Aldur is stolen and the old storyteller comes to fetch Aunt Pol to help go and find it they take Garion, and surprisingly enough the blacksmith Durnik, and head off on an adventure in an attempt to reclaim it. They meet up with a prince turned spy named Silk and a giant bear of a man named Barak. There is magic, intrigue and fighting and when the band finds themselves arrested they end up at royal court. Then things get really interesting.

Throughout there is lots of sly humor and witty dialogue, jabs at other high fantasy novels, and some fantastic set up for what promises to be an show more entertaining series.

Highly recommended for young fantasy fans, or fans that are ready to expand from Harry Potter into high fantasy. If your younger reader finds the prologue difficult to get into, feel free to skip it and just start at chapter one. The prologues in all the books in this series are quotes from scrolls about the history of the world and can be tough reading straight out of the box for a younger reader. Get into the adventure first and then when they want to know what all this Orb business is about go back and read that prologue, it will make a lot more sense. show less

At first the idea seemed too far fetched and a little hokey. In the style of 1950′s science fiction the by-line on the back read: “They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies… Now they’re coming for you.” But when I cracked open the cover I was immediately sucked into a post-robopocalyptic world where humans and robots were fighting a final battle to determine who would have dominion over the earth. The story from start to finish was intense, horrifying, and kept me turning pages needing to find out what happened next. Robopocalypse is a thriller that keeps an incredibly tight and fast paced plot while managing to span several human resistance groups around the globe. It also manages to both be bone chillingly horrifying in this fight against impossible odds and yet still display rays of hope in the fight for humanity.

While the very initial premise, the creation of Archos and the worldwide network he is able to access, is beyond the current realm of possibility the rest of the story proved all too plausible: the auto-cars "glitching" and getting into high speed crashes to kill their inhabitants, cellphone GPS being used to track humans, shutting down all digital networks to remove all communication. Each and every piece of technology we use every day is twisted and used against us to ease the systematic wiping out of humans in the course of the takeover. This book is amazing in its ability to tap into every latent fear about technology show more humanity has ever had. If the opening of this book doesn't make you consider the lifestyle of a Luddite for a moment or two, the description of the takeover, "Zero Hour," certainly will.

The resistance though, that is the book's true heart. To keep the book fast paced and yet tell this story on a world wide level you zip back and forth between different factions and groups of people in America, in England, in Afghanistan and in Japan. Often this means that just as you are getting to the moment of a discovery before the dreaded Zero Hour, or just as someone has discovered a haven afterwards, or the survivors form a new nation in the ashes (in other words the real "meat and potatoes" of a good long book) the author cuts away to talk about the next faction. This is a very fast paced, hair raising, thriller of a novel so some sacrifices in story telling had to be made to keep the plot tight and the story moving.

Another thing I admired about all these factions was their racial diversity, their very different world views that they brought to the business of banding together as humans, their surviving. There was also a part of me that was really tickled that in the ashes of the United States the most solid faction of survivors came from the Osage Native American reservation so, as they were all that was left, they became a beacon of light and hope and protection for other survivors. My favorite character though had to be Takeo Nomura, the robot scientist from Japan. He was a mouse of man that preferred talking to robots over people, but he was one of the survivors because he knew robots inside and out and constructed his own robot army to defend himself and the other survivors in Tokyo.

I won't talk any more about their stories or I'll spoil it but let it suffice to say this was an incredibly enjoyable, if hair raising, read. Whether you are a tech-geek like I am, or are convinced that if you own a cellphone you will have drunk the kool-aid, then I think you will enjoy this book. The title may say this is a book about robots, but really this is a book about humanity and how when we have our back against the wall our untapped ability to think fast, be wily, be unpredictable, but most of all, bond together and survive can outwit even the most artificially intelligent of opponents. This is easily one of my best reads this year.

I received this book for free to review. show less

The finale continues in Volume 24 as Hohenheim confronts the dwarf in the flask, now a powerful homunculus striving for more, hoping to end this last battle before it has a chance to truly begin. The surprise Hohenheim has up his sleeve is both awe inspiring amazing and completely heartbreaking. What the dwarf in the flask has up his sleeve though might prove too much for Hohenheim to face alone.

The battle above ground isn't going much better. The palace is captured and victory seems to finally be at hand, but we should know better by now as the rug is pulled out from under us. King Bradley survived his assassination attempt and is now set to turn the tide. A battle ensues that involves devastating causalities and surprising reappearances of old friends to try and stem the onslaught as the military attempts to recapture the palace.

What none of them seem to realize is they are nothing but pawns in plans to completely demolish the entire nation to grant immortality to the upper echelons in the corrupt Amestris government. Our heroes even lose sight of this end goal and in getting lost in the battles with the immortal dolls, the central soldiers, and various homunculi they risk forgetting what they are really up against. The cliffhanger ending reminds us all there is much, much more to come.

I admit it, I have a bit of a kink when it comes to girls masquerading as guys and managing to pull it off. Especially during times when, historically, it was believed that women were incapable of even a fraction of what men were capable of. To shed the dress and don some breeches and go about the country side takes moxie and young Leon, er, Leonie has that in spades. Her story is wildly entertaining to read about and yet Georgette Heyer manages to kick it up another notch by adding in court intrigue, a debauched rake, and an ancient score that needs to be settled. Little Leonie finds herself in the middle of a whirlwind of scandal and only with the help of her savior, the Duke, does she have a chance to survive.

I have loved all of Georgette Heyer's gender benders, The Corinthian, The Masqueraders and now I can add These Old Shades to the line up. Her historical novels are so filled with period detail you feel like you really are in the century she is portraying. While it may be a stretch to believe that such characters as the Duke and Leonie can manage to pull off their very scandalous story then just remember it is France from before the time of Napoleon. The dissatisfied lower classes had to become dissatisfied somehow and some of the upper crust's hi-jinks definitely contributed to that.

Speaking of class differences that was one of the only problems I had with this story. The classism displayed by the characters, while accurate for the time, in some ways I think went show more a bit too far. The Duke loves Leonie and at the same time expresses disgust and distaste for the people in the class she was raised in. There was some character development as well that made the characters themselves reflect the very traits that distinguish them as being a commoner or a noble even in situations where it would be far fetched to believe it. In the nature versus nurture argument These Old Shades falls firmly on the side of nature and I can't say any more or will risk spoiling it.

Georgette Heyer makes you fall in love with her characters even if they really don't deserve it. Whether it is a debauched rake who is addressed as Satan (and rightfully so) on a number of occasions, or a headstrong girl who thinks little of everyone save for her savior the Duke Heyer will make them lovable and you will care what happens to them even if you don't agree with them, their ideals, or their lifestyle choices. The romance turned out to be very sweet and left me wondering what will happen to them down the road. Thankfully I don't have to wonder long because this is the first in a trilogy. Next is Devil's Cub followed by An Infamous Army each taking place generations later. I look forward to it! show less

Everyone is in the thick of battle now and all of the characters are really showing what they are capable of under pressure. Alphonse has to face a difficult moral decision in his battle against Pride. Various others in this city either face off against the zombie army within or wage an information campaign without to get the people of Central city to understand they are under attack from their own government. But the main focus of this volume is the showdown between Mustang and Hughes’s murderer Envy.

I love how there is still character development happening even this late in the series. It is never too late to grow or change or have a new side of yourself be shown in impossible and highly charged circumstances. The choices that the characters are forced to make and the growing that results was not just emotionally charged and beautifully drawn but it was realistic as well.

Things are getting violent and almost gory here leading up to the end but I couldn't help noticing that amongst the gore and all of the fighting over and over again the faces of these characters remains the main focus, what they feel and experience and how this is changing them as they fight to save Amestris and their lives. This battle is not over yet.

I’ve been on a bit of a Shakespeare kick recently and so I was surprised to stumble across this book, Caliban’s Hour by one of my favorite authors Tad Williams. It is a short novella written from the point of view of Caliban giving his history and version of events from the play The Tempest. For those familiar with his work his novels tend to be on the longish side, and so to read a book only 200 pages long was interesting to say the least. Especially since the entire book is just a single night with Caliban cornering Prospero’s daughter Miranda and pouring out his whole life story with the intent of killing her at the end, but first making her understand why.

It was fascinating to read about Caliban's past as a child growing up with a mute mother on an abandoned island seamlessly woven into his story within the confines of the play. Even that though was redone from this new point of view. Caliban is not nearly as sinister as he would be portrayed and how could he be when before Prospero and Miranda had arrived he had never seen another human being aside from his mother and couldn't even speak? The new explanation of what really happened at that island was a very interesting reinterpretation of the tale.

I do think that if you have not read or seen The Tempest then this book might be a little confusing especially towards the end. As the play nears its climax the slow and methodical pace of the book speeds up incredibly to the point where the things that happened show more seemed too fantastical to be believed. It robbed the point of view of some of its credibility.

The book's ending though, which takes place years after the close of the play, was very well done and that saved this book for me. A note on the cover though, disregard it completely. It is not what it looks like at all and I'm sure some fans of Shakespeare and fantasy were scared away from what is really a fantastic book. The publisher did this book a great disservice by slapping a trashy romance novel cover on this book. If it wasn't for the familiar name (and I actually did wonder if it was the Tad Williams and had to check myself) I would not have bothered to pick up this book at all. I'm glad I did though. show less

The final battle has begun! Ed and Al are now both reunited with their father and with King Bradley out of the picture the rest of the band has begun to make their move in Central. I loved these scenes in particular because they show how far these soldiers have come in this series and it was great to see familiar faces reunited once more. Perhaps more familiar faces than I was originally counting on even! It’s also nice to see that the lessons from Ishbala have not been forgotten and while yes they are waging war they are doing so by using all of their considerable skill and training to only injure and not kill their enemies as they initiate the take over. Well almost all of them aren’t killing their enemies.

The one thing that totally freaked me out (like there wasn't plenty what with the end of the world being imminent and all) was the dolls. Did I say dolls? That's what they call them but really they are freaky alchemical flesh eating zombies. Yeah. Those get unleashed in this volume too, and if you thought they were freaky when we first saw them a few volumes back, you have not seen anything yet.

Even with everything happening at once it seems there is still plenty of time for suspense. There are still battles yet to come and Ed and Al's father is proving to be a total BAMF in this volume. Being a human philosopher's stone has its perks apparently and the things he can do blows all of the lessons we have learned about alchemy so far out of the water. But will it be show more enough to defeat the dwarf in the glass? That remains to be seen. show less

This book was an amazing middle grade coming of age novel and I loved it! From the author that penned Coraline comes The Graveyard Book a book about a young boy whose parents are brutally murdered (off camera) when he is a baby and left unattended he wanders into a graveyard. To protect the boy from the serial killer Jack the graveyard inhabitants adopt him and raise him as their own. They even give him a name of their choosing, Nobody. He grows up surrounded by ghosts and ghouls and other creatures more mysterious and left unnamed. Somehow with their help he must grow up and learn about this world and with the help of the dead be given the tools he needs to live his own life, hopefully before the serial killer comes back and snuffs it out permanently.

I loved the storytelling and the research that went into this book. I loved the history and little side stories we are teased with all along Bod's way as he grows up in a graveyard full of ghosts with memories and histories and stories to tell. I loved the illustrations as well. I thought they were lovely and well done and matched the mood of the book perfectly.

I was surprised at how sinister the opening was with the serial killer gripping a knife in the opening scenes. But the tension proved to be written well and it never went too over the top with it. Also for a book about ghosts, ghouls and things both dead and undead I thought the book managed to keep things interesting and light instead of getting bogged down in show more macabre. For example in one scene Bod explores a very old part of the graveyard that has been reclaimed by the forest preserve and ends up falling 20 feet into an open grave and twisting his ankle on a casket. I would be screaming at this point but Bod is not because the ghost from the casket comes out and turns out to be a doctor and insists on checking Bod's ankle for injuries before going to fetch help.

Because this is a book that deals with death there is a lot of discussion about what that means and the relationship between the living and the dead. I, for one, thought that being raised in a graveyard meant that Bod got to have a very enlightened understanding about life and death because of this at a very young age. He knows its going to happen someday, as it does to all of us, and he doesn't fear it because most of his friends are dead. I think this book could work out well to open up a dialog about death with a child as well as about life.

Neil Gaiman credits The Jungle Book at the end of this book as inspiration for The Graveyard Book but I was forcibly put in mind of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Both well written middle grade novels about a young boy coming of age. Both protagonists also facing death at the hands of one man who killed their family. This is one of the best books I have read all year even though it is not at all for my age range. I highly recommend it for children of all ages. Also I thought this book particularly lent itself to being read aloud as well. Combined with the illustrations it makes a great story to read with your children, though perhaps not just before bed. show less

The good guys have regrouped, they have fitted the pieces of the puzzle together and they have developed a plan to beat the homunculii and their father, they have also made a very bold first move going on the offensive finally to try and end this war swiftly and with minimum losses on their side. Action is finally happening in this volume and things are starting to look dire. Both sides have unexpected aces up their sleeves and both have a few more tricks left in them. The good guys target? King Bradley. The bad guys target? Alphonse!

Edward and Winry also are drawn side by side for the first time in a while and it is to find that Ed has grown a great deal. I loved reading those panels and watching the two of them interact one last time before the battle. The journey that started with Ed and Al trying to get their bodies back has changed a great deal and taken a back seat with their attempts to save Amestris. The brothers are both growing up as they are putting others first before their own concerns even as Al's body deteriorates and Ed is running out of tricks to try and keep them both alive.

I'm looking forward to what is going to happen next. So much is at risk right now and we have had the rug pulled out from under us often enough to know that people can and will get hurt and be killed in this series. There are no guarantees.

I realized going into this that The World Above is intended to be a light, fluffy read for young teens. The entire Once Upon A Time series is all made up of fairy tale books retold in a literary manner within a relatively sanitary and safe fairy tale world. Even knowing all this I still took issue with the book because, well, it’s boring.

In The World Above Jack has a twin sister who is the main character of the book. All of the Once Upon A Time books have a female protagonist. Following things from her point of view proves… dull. Jack leaves on the adventure while Gen, the sensible one, stays at home. Weeks pass where Jack climbs a beanstalk, meets a giant and his beautiful normal sized sister, discovers the charged political environment of a different magical world, and brings back a magical goose and sack. But we are not following Jack, we are following Gen. So while all of that is going on “off camera” we are told in great detail about Gen’s adventures cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening, and making lists for next years harvest. This proves to contain all of the adventure and excitement one expects from watching paint dry.

But wait, it gets worse. When Jack leaves a second time to attempt to gain the harp from the evil king who killed Jack and Gen's father he doesn't return. Gen must go on an adventure herself. She climbs her own beanstalk and immediately meets the giant's beautiful sister. Her brother the giant left with Jack to get the harp and they have show more both been missing for weeks. So the girls set off together on an adventure and things risk becoming exciting. Thankfully we dodge this bullet as the girls are captured by, wait for it, Robin and his band of merry men.

Well, it's not really Robin, but its an excellent attempt to mash up the fairy tale and the legend. It's actually Robert the evil king's son who has changed his name to Robin because no one will suspect he is the king's son with a different name, amirite? He then ran away to hide in the woods and now steals money from the rich to give to the poor. He also, by the way, takes over Gen's little adventure and runs things from here on out. The book makes painfully careful attempts to not be sexist in either word or thought but the actions scream it at every turn.

I won't spoil the ending but it actually does manage to get even worse from here. The ending itself manages to make the entire lead up to it seem like over reaction and needless melodrama, pain, and suffering. It's really, really bad. Even the epilogue after it that attempts to wrap up the plot holes still manages to miss a few.

That being said, If I was in elementary school, or maybe even middle school, this book would have rocked my world. For a teen book it really seems to me to be more written at that level. For younger, reluctant readers who are into fairy tales this series will probably work out well. For me though there is a difference between keeping it light and safe for the helicopter parents out there and boring the kid out of their mind with a story too shy and careful to liven up the pages. show less

We are now approaching the beginning of the end. The good guys have regained their footing and are starting a counter strike that is going to lead us right through the finale. Ed proves that he is a total bad ass. Again. Al meets up with someone from his past and gets some much needed answers concerning the history of the homunculi. And, speaking of the homunculi, some major things happen within their ranks as well. The humor is back and things start to take a much more positive spin as people realize they can bond together and with hard work can overcome their difficulties no matter how outnumbered or outmatched they are.

The last few pages set a fantastic note for the ending of the series (though I realize that is still several volumes away) and human wit, stubbornness, and sheer nerve prove to be a very powerful combination when coming up against an immortal enemy that has been plotting the human's downfall for centuries. Though the homunculi still have some truly terrifying cards up their sleeve that might prove to be more formidable than the humans are prepared to deal with. We will just have to see.

This novel manages to change the entire tone of the series from one of fear on the run from a foe with supernatural means and horrific ends to a new one of hope against impossible odds. Whether or not they prove to be successful in overcoming the homunculi, and maybe even getting Ed's and Al's bodies back into the bargain, remains to be seen.

This book left me feeling half and half about it. On the one hand there is this super strong heroine with this wicked awesome back story and world built around her that is fascinating to read about. On the other hand, there were some unrealistic elements and some of the character building left something to be desired. The plot was super fast paced and it was an awesome page turner, but the fast plot left out some elements that could have made this story a lot better. So, I’m torn on a lot of it.

In Nightshade we have a story of a girl named Calla who is Guardian. That means she can change into a wolf at will. She is the alpha of a pack of teen wolves and is strong, sure of herself, and rules the pack with an iron will and a don't mess with me attitude. She has been betrothed to a boy named Ren who is the alpha of his own pack of teen wolves and they are set to be mated on their 18th birthdays, which just happens to fall on All Hallows Eve. Things get complicated when Calla saves a human boy named Shay who is hiking up on the mountain that she is patrolling, against the express wishes of the Keepers whom she guards for, and then starts to fall for his mysterious boy when he shows up at school not long after.

The plot gets interesting when it delves into the world surrounding Calla and the two boys she now loves. Who are the Keepers and why do they need Guardians? Who are the Searches and why is this boy so important to everyone involved when he is only human? Why is show more information restricted from the Guardians? Are they really only slaves? There is also this great fast paced plot where you are left guessing straight up until the end what is really going on and who Calla will choose to be with.

That's where a lot of the negative comes out too. These are three of the horniest teenagers on the planet. Calla gets her horny on with both boys a lot in this book. Ren seems to push boundaries with her and pressures her a lot to show off how experienced he is. Shay gets further with Calla but at least claims to have more respect for her than that, though his actions belie his words sometimes. I got a little exasperated with Calla for going from being a strong alpha with a ton of confidence to being unable to simply make a decision and stick with it when it came to two boys. They both pushed her around (Ren sexually and physically, Shay mentally and idealogically) and they both wanted her and she just went with both of them for the longest time in the book which was frustrating to read about. I also found two incidents a little hard to believe with Calla and Shay, one was where they were laying out on a public library's floor making out, awkward for the librarian I'm sure, and secondly when they stop to kiss and feel each other up while fleeing for their lives, which I find very hard to believe any one would do. Also, to the reviews that say this book is safe for 12 years olds because there is "just kissing", I personally do not consider partial disrobing and getting to second (and hinting at third) base to be "just kissing".

I liked the feminist themes and the concept of slavery and freedom in the book but I also wondered if trying so hard to be a free and sexual being with two boys at once ended up undoing a lot of what made Calla so awesome in the beginning. She had such a strong and decisive attitude in her life and a no nonsense approach to leading her pack. When things turned to matters of love and the fight with her mother over dressing proactively (the mother wants her to, she doesn't want to) Calla loses a lot of her spirit and in the end starts having decisions taken out of her hands by the boys in her life left and right. It was a bit frustrating to read about. I liked Shay a little better because he at least tried to have respect for Calla, even though he did push her to tell him things that could get her killed and discover more things that could again get her killed. But, In the end, the one that seemed to have the least respect for her own mind on things was Calla herself and that was sad to see.

Fans of Twilight will probably enjoy this book a lot, as will fans of other YA paranormal fantasy novels. I do think that this book is best suited for 10th grade and up, personally. I am interested in seeing where this book goes next, largely thanks to the huge cliffhanger! But, I think too much of it bothered me to really enjoy it as much as others perhaps will.

I received this book for free to review. show less