City of Tigers by Leif Chappelle

October 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment

TIGERS
City of Tigers by Leif Chappelle
Publisher: Camel Press
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full Length (282 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

Raised by his mother in the small town of Havlandsby, young Sigurd watches the projektors make their rounds, keeping the town lit and warm in the dark, cold winters, ensuring that water fills the wells. Their communion with the elements is as old as the world itself, but the projektors are losing their influence, and fewer of them are being born. Their duties are slowly being taken over by inanimate objects—the machinae—and the people they serve are fleeing their homes in droves for the cities.

After Sigurd’s mother dies, he joins the exodus to Tigrebyn, the City of Tigers, where he must fend for himself among the petty thieves and heartless merchants. Finally Sigurd meets Ragna, who has taken it upon herself to track and protect the remaining projektors, now punished for practicing the ancient art of projeksjon and labeled conspirators against the Crown. Sigurd’s particular art is nothing as mundane as bringing forth light, warmth, and water. Sigurd can command the very air to transform the sounds in his head into complex musical compositions, conducting an invisible orchestra of instruments and effects.
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The professors at the University, who answer to the Queen, wish to use Sigurd’s gift to invent the greatest machina yet—but first they must bend the young man to their will.

Sigurd never knew his father. When his mother dies, they tell him he will have to go live with his uncle, her brother. He doesn’t like that idea, so he leaves the village and moves to the city. You can hide in the city, can’t you?

This story is a mix of machina and magic; the machina are almost steampunk in nature and the magic is done by projeksjon. The author has created a world with have and have-nots. Those that are part of the castle and the university have the machina. Those that don’t live there have to depend on their own skills to get along. The gap between the two groups is large and those who are at the bottom resent it.

Sigurd catches their attention by using a power he doesn’t know he owns. He has also found two more children his age, a brother and a sister and they have unusual powers. They also aren’t aware of it. Not knowing what they are capable of is dangerous. Sigurd somehow causes a fire in the square and becomes a wanted terrorist. He’s still not even sure he’s done it, but he has to hide.

This is a long convoluted tale. The children are caught in the middle because they are orphans. The queen and her consorts are playing games with other people’s lives. Sigurd becomes friends with the lady that leads the revolutionary group. You never really know what’s going on or who’s who.

The author’s words flow well, the story keeps you interested and wondering, and it’s a fast ride to the end. I’m afraid I’m not sure I understood the ending. It was odd to me and left me wondering about the other characters. Maybe I missed something as I read or maybe I needed a more obvious explanation, but I didn’t get it. I did enjoy the read, the world building and the characters. That made it worth reading. Why don’t you give it a try and see what you think?

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Falcon Boy and Bewilder Bird versus Dr. Don’t Know in a Battle for all the Life of all the Planets by Barnaby Taylor

October 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FALCON
Falcon Boy and Bewilder Bird versus Dr. Don’t Know in a Battle for all the Life of all the Planets by Barnaby Taylor
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (167 pages)
Age Recommendation: 8+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The world is going to be destroyed.

Everyone you know and love will be gone.

The world needs someone to step forward.

Falcon Boy is that someone.
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You must read Falcon Boy and Bewilder Bird versus Dr Don’t Know in a Battle for all the Life of all the Planets.

It’s much easier to talk about saving the world than it is to actually try to do it.

One of the most interesting things about this book has to do with how the narrator jumps from one scene to the next. Sometimes the connections between them weren’t immediately apparent. The narrator isn’t any of the main characters, so he or she has access to information that Falcon Boy and his friends do not. Some of the funniest sections involve the narrator anticipating the audience’s reaction to what is about to happen and explaining why it’s unfolding in that particular way.

There were a lot of characters in this story. At times I had trouble remembering who was who because there were so often introduced in groups. I chuckled at the short, funny backstories the author provided about them, but there were simply too many characters in the plot for something of this length and for this audience.

Speaking of a sense of humour, this book has a great one. It was clearly written for kids based on the subject matter, but there is plenty of humor to be found for adult readers as well. None of the innuendoes are at all inappropriate for its primary audience, but some of them make references that are much more likely to amuse adults than they will elementary students.

Due to the large number of characters there were some pacing issues that began about a third of the way through the plot. So many new faces were introduced one after the other that I had trouble adjusting to Falcon Boy and Bewilder Bird’s predicament once they came back into the plot. A glossary or appendix of some sort would have helped me keep the characters straight without slowing down the action.

The pop culture references were amusing. Almost all of them were general enough that they’ll apply to the tropes found in music and television for many years to come. The few that were more specific talk about things that I expect will remain well known for a long time.

Falcon Boy and Bewilder Bird versus Dr. Don’t Know in a Battle for all the Life of all the Planets has by far the longest title of any book I’ve reviewed here so far. Sometimes fun things come in big packages!

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Ennara and the Fallen Druid by Angela Myron

September 29, 2014 By 2 Comments

DRUID
Ennara and the Fallen Druid by Angela Myron
Publisher: Stardance Publishing
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (122 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When a mysterious curse threatens to transform everyone into shadowy demons, a magical eleven year-old girl must travel to a sunken city ruin—fighting pirates, monsters, and an undead sorcerer along the way—to find a weapon that can save her world.

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I liked Ennara immediately. She’s brave and resourceful, but she also isn’t afraid to admit it when she doesn’t know something. The explanation for why she knows so much about magic was as satisfying as it was useful. It was even more interesting to see how she reacted to spells and other incantations that she hadn’t actually tried before. I know there is a sequel in the works for this book and am looking forward to seeing what sort of adventures she has next!

There was a lot of backstory that needed to be explained before Ennara’s adventures can begin. The first twenty pages or so were dedicated to explaining her society as well as why people like her are so highly valued. In a full-length novel this amount of detail would have been perfect, but explaining all of it at the beginning of a novella weighed down the pacing at a time when I would have otherwise expected things to move along quickly.

With that being said, the worldbuilding itself was fascinating. The bad guys were deliciously scary. What made them even better was how much about them was left up to the imagination. There were basic descriptions of their abilities and looks, of course, but I liked having a few of my questions about them unanswered because it allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks. It’s rare for me to be just as interested in the villains as I am in the protagonists, but all of the ones in this tale were well worth my time.

Ennara and the Fallen Druid was a fun read. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who enjoys action-heavy fantasy.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Frostbitten by Heather Beck

September 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment

BITTEN
Frostbitten by Heather Beck
Publisher: Enchanted Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (296 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Great beauty hides dark secrets…

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Can Anastasia and Frost’s love really overcome anything, or are their fates much darker?

They say that moving to a new town can give you a fresh start in life. If only Anastasia knew what to do with hers.

The worldbuilding in this story was strong. Cedar Falls is so insular that it can be incredibly difficult for outsiders to feel welcomed there. The idea of a small town being suspicious of new people and resistant to change is a stereotype, of course, but Ms. Beck fleshed out why this particular community behaves this way so well that I never felt like anyone was being pigeonholed. The reasons provide so much fodder for plot development that Cedar Falls felt like a real place to me.

I was initially interested in Anastasia’s tale because the hints about her past were so tantalizing. Serious trouble could mean just about anything, and I couldn’t wait to figure out what it was she did that damaged her mother’s trust so completely. It was disappointing to discover what it was she did due to how little she seemed to have learned from it. There was minimal character development for anyone in this tale.

Bigotry comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s a blatantly obvious act of hostility, but it can also be communicated in incredibly subtle ways. I enjoyed this book’s exploration of what it’s like to live in a community that rejects people who stand out in some way from the crowd. The anxiety and fear that this experience can create was reproduced incredibly accurately within the characters who are dealing with it.

Frostbitten introduced me to a world that I wish I could visit again. This is a good choice for anyone in the mood for a fun, paranormal romance.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Stone of Kings by Shea McIntosh Ford

September 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment

KINGS
The Stone of Kings by Shea McIntosh Ford
Publisher: Astraea Press
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (242 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Twelve year old Ardan is hopelessly distracted because he wants to meet a real faerie. But when he gets his hands on a mysterious red book loaded with faerie spells and accidentally sends himself three hundred years into Ireland’s future, he soon learns that there are more important things on which to focus his attention. Throw in some immortal druids, fun storytelling, a touch of forbidden romance, along with the music and antics of the legendary Irish harper, Turlough O’Carolan, and you’ll become swept up in a very real Irish mythological adventure.

The problem with magical objects is that they don’t always do what’s expected of them.
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I’d never heard of Turlough O’Carolan before, so it was a little bit of a surprise when I realized that this character actually represents a real person instead of a mythical or legendary one. His backstory is clearly explained early on in this tale for which I was grateful. I would have never caught the reference otherwise, and it only took a few pages to catch me up on the most important details of his life.

The plot regularly jumps between two story lines that are set a few hundred years apart from one another. The transitions between these settings were sometimes abrupt. At times I had trouble settling into what was happening next because my focus had been pulled away from the characters in the distant past (or future) at such a tense time in their journey.

It was fascinating to see how Ardan reacts to being thrown so far into the future. He is mesmerized by many things that I take for granted in my everyday life, from the Internet to painkillers. The author did a great job at focusing this reader’s attention on just how strange our world would be to someone deeply unfamiliar with it

At times the romantic subplot clashed with everything else that was going on. It’s not typically something I expect to find in books written for this age group anyway, but the particulars of this specific relationship were extra puzzling for me. I never would have thought that the characters involved in it would have found one another attractive given all of the differences between them.

Faeries have always fascinated me. Knowing that they play such an integral part in this story was one of the reasons why I was so interested in reading it. While I already knew almost all of the superstitions about them that were mentioned in the plot, it was fun to see how the Irish culture’s ideas about them differ from the legends of other lands.

I’d recommend The Stone of Kings to middle grade and adult readers alike. This is the kind of fantasy story that I’d expect to appeal to a wide age range. It’s something I’d suggest to anyone who doesn’t typically read children’s fiction.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Love’s Prey by Meg Xuemei X

September 23, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000037_00023]
Love’s Prey by Meg Xuemei X
Publisher: Silver Wheel Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (201 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Xirena’s life has never been an easy one. Deemed a thief, a brute, and a slut by one’s own family and schoolmates might take its toll on your average fifteen-year-old, but Xirena makes no apologies. Then she meets seventeen-year-old Kai, smoking hot and hell-bent on seducing her. But Xirena isn’t having it. Kai must prove to Xirena that his attraction is something more. When he does, Xirena opens to him. Softens around the edges.
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Problem is, Kai’s ex-girlfriends are none too happy about this. They won’t allow anyone, especially an outcast, to have the boy they want and will stop at nothing to ruin Xirena. But Xirena stands her ground even if it means wrecking her one and only chance of escaping these backwoods forever.

Love is an incredibly powerful thing. Can it really heal every wound though?

Xirena’s abusive home life reveals itself almost immediately. Some of my favorite scenes in this book show how she’s learned to survive in such a dysfunctional environment. The coping mechanisms that work for her at home don’t always get the same results from emotionally healthy people. Knowing this part of her history so early on also made Xirena’s character development even more interesting than it would have been otherwise.

This book is full of poetry. The characters quote classic pieces of it to each other from memory and sometimes even write new ones. It was surprising to see it pop up in contexts that really surprised me. Most of the poetry I’ve read doesn’t cover the kinds of topics that it does in this tale. While the dialogue in those sections was beautiful, it was also distracting. I was never quite sure if it was intended to be a stylized version of how these characters actually speak or if I was supposed to assume they were literally speaking those exact words.

The budding romance between Xirena and Kai is sweet. The fact that he was older than her and much more worldly made me raise an eyebrow at first, but I was quite pleased to see how respectfully Kai treated her. He is careful to never cross the boundaries Xirena sets with him. That made me like him even more than I would have otherwise.

I’ll be recommending Love’s Prey to the people I know who don’t usually read stories about romance or teenagers. This is a solid introduction to either genre for anyone who is curious about them but not sure where to begin.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Jessamine’s Folly by S.G. Roger

September 16, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FOLLY
Jessamine’s Folly by S.G. Roger
Publisher: Idunn Court Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Historical
Length: Short Story (102 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

After her estate is entailed away, Jessamine Foster has no choice but to live with relatives who detest her. When her aunt gives her an ultimatum to leave, Jessamine accepts a position as companion to Lord Kirkendale’s sister—even though she’s been warned her predecessors can’t seem to resist the earl’s exceptional good looks. Can Jessamine manage to hold onto her job without losing her heart?

To honor a promise made to his dying father, Lord Kirkendale agrees to an arranged marriage to a woman he cannot love. Although he is resigned to a life without sentiment, the arrival of his sister’s new companion awakens a slumbering passion. Can he find a way to secure his own happiness without sacrificing his family’s honor, or will his broken promise result in the ruination of the person he loves most?

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As soon as I read the opening scene, I couldn’t wait to learn what would happen next. A funeral definitely isn’t a typical setting for a young adult novel. It was a good choice for this one, though, as it made me eager to find out what was going on. My first impressions of the characters who attended it were as accurate as they were entertaining.

The title of this book was confusing to me. There were plenty of follies to go around in the plot, but none of them belonged to Jessamine. She was no more responsible for her parents’ death than she was for her reduced station in life afterwards. I never did understand what the author was getting at with this particular title and would have liked to know more about why it was chosen.

Jessamine’s temper problems made me like her even more than I might have otherwise. She came across as an incredibly proper woman for the time and place in which she lived. It was nice to see how she behaved when she wasn’t on her best behavior, though, because it made her so relatable. Sometimes a flaw can seem so large that it’s impossible to imagine what life would be without it. This part of her personality was written well.

It would have been helpful to have more character development in this tale. Everyone other than Jessamine tended to be portrayed in two-dimensional ways. The other characters were either written as good and kind or selfish and cruel. There was little room on either side for the complex emotions, behaviors, or motivations that I would have preferred to see.

Amelie, the young woman that Jessamine is hired to chaperone, was a highlight of this story for me. Her sharp sense of humor made me smile more than once. I especially enjoyed the scenes that involved Jessamine’s conversations with her. Their friendship was as warm as it was genuine.

I’d recommend Jessamine’s Folly to anyone in the mood for something romantic and historical.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery by R.M. Clark

September 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FIELD
The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery by R.M. Clark
Publisher: MB Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (130 pages)
Age Recommendation: 8+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Twelve-year-old April O’Day’s summer has gotten off to a flying start. As the new bat retriever for the Harpoons, her hometown’s minor league team, she’s fetching bats and doling out great advice to players and coaches alike. In a word, she’s becoming indispensable. But mysterious things are happening at Haney Field, which April and her best friend – and fellow baseball enthusiast – Darren Plummer are determined to uncover. As they quickly learn, this is no ordinary season. In fact, it’s a whole new ball game.

Sometimes the past refuses to stay buried.
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I liked April immediately. It was nice to meet a young adult character who doesn’t have any special powers or access to magical devices. April is quite well-read for her age, but other than that she’s a completely ordinary girl who has to rely on her own intelligence and resourcefulness to figure out what’s happening on Haney field.

It seemed odd to me that April had such a hard time finding out more information about the Negro Leagues at first. It would have made more sense a generation or two ago, but the Internet is full of people who are avid fans of all kinds of things. I’ve discovered blogs and websites about much more obscure historical events than this one. This is a minor criticism of an otherwise compelling story though.

The baseball glossary was a nice touch. I know almost nothing about that sport and would have had some trouble figuring out what certain characters were talking about without it. The concepts it discusses seem to be fairly basic, but it’s a good tool for those of us who need that kind of refresher.

The age recommendation for this tale needs an explanation. April is twelve, but she comes across as someone younger than that because of what she is and is not interested in. Eight is the youngest age I’d recommend this book to, though, due to some paranormal themes that might be a little too frightening for younger readers.

The Secret at Haney Field: A Baseball Mystery is a great choice for anyone who loves baseball or a spooky ghost story. I had a good time reading it and will be recommending it family members and young friends in this age range!

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Last Generation by Ben Robertson

September 8, 2014 By 2 Comments

LAST
The Last Generation by Ben Robertson
Publisher: Menadena Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (368 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

There is no death, only a change of worlds.

The Last Generation is the story of Bridget, a half-Norse, half-Inuit girl growing up in Greenland around 1500. For 500 years, Bridget’s Viking ancestors lived in Greenland but now that is about to change as the Norse people disappear from Greenland. Bridget holds the key to the survival of her father’s people, but no one will listen to a girl, much less a girl whose mother was a Skraeling. Thus begins Bridget’s adventure in the age of discovery at the edge of the new world.

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Learning about sixteenth century Norse culture from Bridget’s perspective was fascinating. I knew almost nothing about this chapter in history before reading The Last Generation, so I was glad to find such detailed descriptions of their homes, clothing, religion, and customs. Certain words weren’t translated into English immediately. I enjoyed figuring out their meanings based on context clues because it required me to pay close attention to the text and immerse myself in Bridget’s culture.

The plot regularly spent too much time focusing on what was going on in Bridget’s mind. I would have preferred to know more about what was happening around her during the most exciting moments of this adventure instead. Bridget encounters a lot of things that most girls from her culture never have the chance to experience due to the strict rules they have about gender roles. The moments when the plot wiggles free from Bridget’s ruminations to gives glimpses of how her friends and family members saw certain events were some of my favorite scenes in this tale.

There is a strong and diverse supporting cast in this novel. Bridget visits so many different places that it’s difficult to talk about them without giving away spoilers, but I was pleased with how much time was spent describing the various settings and secondary characters. I had such clear images of them in my mind that at times it was almost as if I were watching a movie instead of reading a story.

It was tricky to figure out the best age recommendation for this book. Bridget is seventeen when the action begins, but girls in her culture seem to grow up more slowly than they do in our time in certain ways. Her interests and thought patterns reminded me of how people a few years younger than her tend to behave. I’m not entirely sure if this is the age range the author was thinking of while he was writing, but the plot is appropriate for younger teens.

I’d recommend The Last Generation to young adult and adult readers alike. This is the kind of adventure that can appeal to a wide audience, and it is something I’ll be suggesting to friends who don’t normally read this genre.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Crossfire by Andrea Domanski

September 4, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FIRE
Crossfire by Andrea Domanski
The Omega Group Series Book One
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (265 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Birthdays suck!

For her eighteenth, Mirissa Colson receives a package from the mother who abandoned her over a decade ago. The family secret it reveals transforms her life from trying on prom dresses to battling an ancient race of demons. Thanks, Mom.

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When she’s called on to save the world—literally—Mirissa finds she has a lot more in her arsenal than just a mean roundhouse kick. Burgeoning powers she previously thought impossible, like controlling the elements and sensory expansion, give her some confidence. But when she is propelled into a world teeming with preternatural beings—all with powers of their own—she finds herself outmatched and outgunned.

CROSSFIRE is a coming of age tale that bridges the gap between the world we think we know, and the one that lies just beneath the surface.

Mirissa Colson has been raised, from the time she was seven, by her father. She has always thought that her mother abandoned them both. But when she reaches eighteen, she learns the real truth, her family’s secret, and that secret reveals an entire world that she never knew existed. She learns about the Greek gods, demi-gods, and preternatural beings, both good and evil. And she learns that she has extraordinary powers meant to help her fulfill a prophecy, that she must save the world.

Crossfire is a thriller, with non-stop action. Mirissa is kidnapped and has to escape. Then she undergoes training and there are mock battles. And there are enough real battles to fill several lifetimes. Each battle is described in complete detail, blow by blow, and I have to admit, I grew tired of all the very detailed descriptions. I know nothing about martial arts, so the dynamics of the fights didn’t really draw me in. I would have liked to have seen more character development, and more details about the relationships Mirissa forms.

Nevertheless, the plot is well-crafted and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel, reading it in one sitting. It is a coming of age story and a dramatic one at that. Mirissa has to absorb a great deal of information in a short amount of time and she ends up having to figure a lot of things out for herself, in the heat of battle. She is fighting not only for her own life, but for the lives of her father and friends as well, and the tension builds all the way through the novel to a heart-stopping conclusion.

I also liked the mythological aspect of this story and I felt that the history of the ancient world was well-researched. Discovering how Artemis and other deities have lived over the years until the present was fun. Discovering how the ancient gods are still operating in our world was intriguing.

Fantasy readers are sure to enjoy this exciting story, and I look forward to the next in this thrilling series.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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