Entries Tagged 'G-I' ↓
August 10th, 2010 — 2.5-3 Treasure Chests, Book Review, Family Life, Fantasy, Friends, G-I, Mystery
by First Mate Keira
Title: 13 Treasures
Author: Michelle Harrison
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 355
Grade Reading Level: Grade 5–8
Summary: Tanya knows that at age 13 she can no longer get away with talking to faeries or about them in front of others as both adults and kids couldn’t see them. Only her. She’d been tormented by them for years and the bullying wasn’t going to ever stop as far as she could see. When she tried to write about them in a journal, they discovered it and punished her. That punishment woke her mother which lead to more punishment… she was being sent away to live with her grandmother. The grandmother she is certain hates her and never wants her to visit. Oh and her grandmother’s place is stuffed with faeries inside and outside the house… talk about jumping from frying pan into the fire.
Why I started this book:
It looked really cute on the library shelf. Cover is very nice.
Likes:
- Tanya’s and Fabian’s friendship. They work together to solve the mystery of the girl in the woods. The girl, Morwenna Bloom, had gone missing ages ago and but her disappearance was blamed on Fabian’s grandfather. The town thinks he killed her, but there’s no proof. Or is there?
- Oberon is a good dog. He had a lot of personality infused in his character with just a few lines.
Dislikes:
- Raven, Gredin, Feathercap, and Mizhog, the bullying faeries that pick on Tanya.
- Morwenna Bloom. I just knew she wasn’t the sweet missing girl she’s made out to be throughout the story.
- Another thing I didn't get was feeling bad for changelings and trying to help them.
- Florence’s relationship with her granddaughter. The motivations were explained in the conclusion of the story, but it seemed rather weak to me.
- The 13 treasures the story is titled after appear in the novel as a charm bracelet to go with a legend. It didn’t do anything… I kept expecting it to end up being the real treasures shrunk down, but it was just jewelry.
- The concept of guardian faeries was very contradicting in terms of world-building. In the end I didn’t quite understand how if one or several of the faeries were on Tanya’s side how they could condone tormenting and torturing her. It didn’t make much sense to me.
Buy: 13 Treasures
Rating: 2.5 Treasure Chests
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July 29th, 2010 — 4.5-5 Treasure Chests, Book Review, Fantasy, G-I, Romance, School Situations
by First Mate Keira
Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Format: Kindle ebook
Page Count: 336 pages (Hardback)
Grade Reading Level: Grade 8+
Summary: Sophie has known for a couple of years that she’s a witch. She loves the way magic feels tingling up from her soles to her fingertips. It’s a rush. Unfortunately for Sophie a love spell gone horribly wrong gets her sentenced to Hecate (affectionately Hex Hall) the reform school for irresponsible Prodigium (witches, faeries, and shapeshifters). There she meets 3 beautiful mean Dark Witches who want her to join their coven, makes friends with the school pariah, makes enemies of the Vandy, and crushes on the most popular if annoying boy in the whole school all the while dark and scary things are taking place up in the girl’s dormitory.
Why I started this book:
Read the summary – it looked cute. I’ve also seen the title around a lot in the YA blogosphere.
Likes:
- Hawkins is absolutely hysterical. In my Kindle version I must have highlighted three or four phrases and considered doing so to another six. I especially liked: “I don’t need eyes to see you. I see you with the eyes of my heart! Felicia! My heart!” (That’s just remembering though I think it’s pretty accurate.)
- Sophie Mercer is a huge dork and the source of most of the humor in the story as it’s told in first person. She’s great and her sarcastic and witty barbs will leave you in stitches.
- Archer Cross is a yummy hero. Of course he’s the popular unattainable guy who is dating Elodie who is out to get Sophie, but hey you can only fault his taste in women not the guy himself. There’s definitely more to him than what meets the eye and that includes the big shocker at the end.
- Jenna the 15 year old vampire girl who loves pink.
Dislikes:
- It was done so cutely it’s hard to really put this as a dislike, but Sophie is a potty mouth and cursed a lot.
- Classes weren’t done in any real detail except the first Defense class.
- Of the 3 Dark Witch popular girls only Elodie was truly fleshed out. I thought some of the faeries were crueler and could have been used to create more drama.
Favorite Quote: “I don’t need eyes to see you! I see you with the eyes of my heart, Felicia! My HEART!”
Last Minute Thoughts: Looking forward to book two, which is maybe, possibly, titled Demonglass. It's hard to tell the author's blog is a little disorganized and a quick look at her website code doesn't open some of the links.
Buy: Hex Hall (Book 1) (Hardback)
, Hex Hall (Book One) (Kindle)
Rating: 4.5 Treasure Chests
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June 13th, 2010 — 1-2 Treasure Chests, Book Review, Fantasy, G-I, Romance
by First Mate Keira
Title: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Author: Jessica Day George
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 328
Grade Reading Level: 7th-10th Grade
Summary: Pika, the unnamed girl, is the youngest child in a large family. She lives in a place that has seen too much winter and not enough summer. On the day she releases a White Deer and is granted a boon, Pika’s life changes forever. She can talk to animals, she understands them and they her. News of her ability has traveled far so far it captures the attention of a giant polar bear who commands her to come away with him.
Why I started this book:
I chose this book because the novel promised to be a written version of the Norwegian Beauty and Beast fable White Bear, King Valemon legend. I also love and own The Polar Bear King
movie. And also, because I really liked the Dragon Adventure trilogy by the author.
Likes:
- That Pika didn’t have children and lose them the way the original tale goes.
- When Prince Asher says (paraphrase), “How could I not love you after sleeping beside you, sharing your meals, and listening to you talk about your family for a year?”
- The trolls fascination with tools. That was a good explanation and required no magic outside of their own to explain in the story.
- Rollo, Pika’s wolf. I liked him as a character and guard dog.
Dislikes:
- That Prince Asher was silent and dead asleep every night and that most of their conversations were limited when he was a polar bear even though Pika had the ability to hear and understand animals. Hans Peter’s sleep talking should have gone to Prince Asher. Overall too much tell and not enough show in the story for the romance to be convincing.
- That Pika didn’t connect the human man and the polar bear despite constantly reading the troll language in the main hallway.
- The multiple Polar Bear princes and silly females who always stupidly spy on the Isbjorn at night. It makes sense as the Troll Princess has lived for over 3000 years, but I felt it too much especially with Pika’s brother having been one.
Buy: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow
Rating: 2 Treasure Chests
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June 11th, 2010 — 4.5-5 Treasure Chests, Action & Adventure, Book Review, G-I, S-T, School Situations, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Steampunk, YA Genre
by First Mate Keira
Title: Knightley Academy
Author: Violet Haberdasher (aka Robyn Schneider)
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 469
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Summary: The Midsummer School for Boys is cursed. Not a single student has been accepted to Knightley Academy in years… and this year is no different as a servant boy is the one called to knighthood.
Knightley Academy explores social and national prejudices. The world has overtones of racism, classism, religious intolerance, and more. The world is stable for now but is on the cusp of change and I have a feeling Henry and his friends will be that change.
Why I started this book:
I came by this book in a completely random fashion. I saw this huge fat spine on the new YA releases bookshelves at the library while searching for something for my sisters. Picked it up, read the cover, said to self – sounds like Harry Potter without magic! Checked out. Consumed.
Likes:
- The quartet: Henry Grim (first commoner ever allowed training to become a knight), Frankie Winter (a finishing school dropout), Roham Mehta (an Indian boy adopted into a wealthy ducal family), and Adam Beckerman (a Jewish boy skilled with a foil.)
- Lord Havelock, the military professor and head teacher for the first years. He reminds me of Snape, but far more fair and willing to own his errors. I particularly enjoy his Havelook of Doom +2.*
- The Victorian England Steampunk world filled with the odd combination of progress and backwardness.
- Valmont: he’s a bully but he’s not a complete ninnyhead.
- Knight classes! Military History is just the beginning --- one of my favorite classes next to Fencing and Languages.
- The Inter-School Competition and Henry’s discovery of a super secret hidden room that spells out T-R-O-U-B-L-E and gives the trilogy its long plot arc.
(* Doom +2 is a card in the Munchkin
card game.)
Last Minute Thoughts: If you’ve read Harry Potter and liked it, you will like this novel. The books have parallels but they are not the same story. Haberdasher will surprise you with her twists and turns. This is a perfect story for boys, but girls will like it just as much!
Buy: Knightley Academy
Rating: 5 Treasure Chests
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May 20th, 2010 — 4.5-5 Treasure Chests, Action & Adventure, Book Review, Fantasy, G-I, YA Genre
by First Mate Keira
Title: Dragon Flight
Author: Jessica Day George
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 255
Grade Reading Level: 5th-9th Grade
Summary: Luka is in Citatie as an ambassador for Feravel on his father’s behalf when suddenly relations between Feravel and Citatie disintegrate without warning. This is very bad because Citatie has a huge trained dragon army and they’re going to use it to take out Feravel and all who stand in their way. Luckily Creel, the heroine of the First Dragon War, is on Feravel’s side.
Why I started this book:
I started Dragon Flight because I loved Dragon Slippers. It’s the second book in the trilogy and revisits all the same characters from the first novel.
Likes:
- Dragon history is expanded and flushed out more as we learn of Shardas’ brother, the silver dragon known as Krashath.
- For not imagining she would ever write a sequel, Jessica Day George is very consistent when it comes to her characters.
- The romance between Creel and Luka is sweet and mature. They look out for each other and work well together.
- Without giving too much away - I loved the setup for the Second Dragon War and I liked its conclusion. Too bad certain humans are a royal pain in the hinny, but I have a feeling this latest development will be expanded upon in the third book.
Dislikes:
- I’m more or less indifferent to Marta, Creel’s friend and business partner in the dressmaker shop. It’s hard to back up as it’s really just a feeling as opposed to anything in the text.
Last Minute Thoughts: Can’t wait to read Dragon Spear, the last in the set.
Buy: Dragon Flight (Dragon Adventures)
Rating: 5 Treasure Chests
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