Literature Young Adult Fiction » 4.5-5 Treasure Chests http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com YA Readers Reviewing Books. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:41:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-iron-daughter-by-julie-kagawa/ http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/review-the-iron-daughter-by-julie-kagawa/#comments Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:35:32 +0000 First Mate Keira http://www.literatureyoungadultfiction.com/?p=1151

by First Mate Keira

Title:The Iron Daughter (Book 2 in Iron Fey Series)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Format: Kindle ebook
Page Count: 304 (Paperback)
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: Meghan Chase is prisoner in the Winter Court waiting for Queen Mab to request her presence. She’s having trouble accessing the glamour… in fact she can’t even make the air shimmer. It’s as if going to the Iron Court and coming into her powers never happened. She doesn’t know why this is happening and she doesn’t know where Ash has gone or why when he comes back he’s so cold and distant. When the Scepter of the Seasons is stolen and the Crown Prince is murdered Queen Mab imprisons Meghan in ice, refusing to listen to her story that the Iron Fey did it, and calls for war on the Summer Court. A new battle to save the Nevernever begins, but first Meghan’s got to free herself.

Why I started this book:

I love the first novel and short story of Iron Fey Series and requested the book from the publisher.

Likes:

  • Grimalkin is still my favorite snarky cat. I love him to pieces.
  • Iron Horse comes back and is developed past the steaming loudmouth from the first book and really becomes quite likable. It makes his fate very sad.
  • Puck recovers and is back to his usual merrymaking and has a blast fighting against the Iron Fey. He declares himself to Meghan and they share some kisses.
  • Ash is the damaged hero of my dreams. He’s constantly struggling with himself. He knows he should push Meghan away and does so but then he does what he feels and that’s pulling her closer.
  • Virus is one fun power tripping bad gal. Too bad she can’t be swayed to the good side; she’d make an excellent lieutenant.
  • The double crossing and back stabbing betrayal of certain members of the Winter Court. Hehe. Nobody saw that coming did they? Wink.
  • Meghan’s accidental discovery of Iron glamour.

Toss-Up:

  • Leanesidhe is a toss-up for me. I’m not for or against her at this point. She’s very interesting being the first fey to build a Court for herself outside of the Nevernever by using the In-Between. She’s helpful because it’s in her best interests, but if it’s not, watch out!

Dislikes:

  • It seemed obvious to me why Ash was acting as he was to Meghan and considering he told her time and again he’d have to act a certain way in the Winter Court, so when she acts surprised and is hurt I just wanted to shake her. That girl thought up all sorts of wrong reasons why he’s cold and distant (mean) to her instead of just listening to him and going with what he said. He was very upfront and was trying to protect her from the shenanigans that would have happened had others known of his interest.
  • The Puck/Meghan relationship isn’t fleshed out convincingly enough to make this a strong love triangle. The decision seems so clear and in the end Meghan really didn’t have a choice to make, she already knew what she was going to do.

Last Minute Thoughts: I’m ready for The Iron Queen. Are you?

Buy: The Iron Daughter (Paperback), The Iron Daughter (Kindle)

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

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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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by First Mate Keira

Title: Winter’s Passage (Book 1.5 in Iron Fey Series)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Format: Kindle ebook
File Size: 211 KB
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: Winter’s Passage explores the gap of time between Iron King and Iron Daughter. If you remember, Meghan Chase made a deal with Ash, prince of the Winter court, to go with him willingly back with him to the heart of Unseelie territory and into Queen Mab. Winter’s Passage starts when Ash comes to collect on this promise. The journey is not without its challenges. On the way to Tir na nog an ancient rarely seen enemy begins to hunt them…and according to Ash nobody ever wins against it.

Why I started this book:

I just finished reading Iron King and wanted to know what happened next and didn’t want to wait for the release of Iron Daughter. I got a copy from the publisher. It's a free ebook for a limited time online and might still be—you will have to check it out.

Likes:

  • The ancient scary enemy is the Big Bad Wolf. Kagawa writes deliciously thrilling fight scenes between the Big Bad Wolf, Ash, and Meghan.
  • That Meghan isn’t a complete dead weight in a fight. Yay girl power!
  • When Meghan doesn’t abandon Ash during a golden opportunity, it confuses him and yet shows him just how human she is… which frightens him because he knows this loyalty of hers will get her hurt in his home court. Poor faery boy.
  • The continuance of Meg and Ash’s relationship. He drops his icy demeanor around her and they get very close. You can’t question his love for her even if his loyalties must go to his mother, Queen Mab.
  • I think fans of the series should read this before starting Iron Daughter because it’s very illuminating, and while portions of it are found in reminisce on Meghan’s part in the second book, they have a stronger punch set within the novella.

Buy: Winter's Passage (Kindle)

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

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by First Mate Keira

Title:The Iron King
Author: Julie Kagawa
Format: Kindle Ebook
Page Count: 368 (Paperback)
Grade Reading Level: Grade 7+

Summary: Meghan Chase is just your ordinary unpopular girl trying to navigate the hierarchy of high school, get her driver’s permit, and possibly a date with the hottest boy. Her best friend, Robin Goodfellow, calls her princess, an endearment she despises. What she doesn’t know is just how apt that nickname is because she is the bastard daughter of Oberon, King of the Seelie fairies and of Summer. When her younger half brother, Ethan, is kidnapped and taken to the Nevernever, Robin sheds his glamour and reveals that he is her protector and Puck, yes that Puck, from Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In very little time Meghan finds her whole world turned upside down and that rescuing her brother will require help, loads of help, in the form of a cat, an Unseelie prince, and her best friend.

Why I started this book:

I requested a reader copy from the publisher because I love romances and was eager to read something from Harlequin’s new teen romance line. I picked this novel also because I had seen the title appear a lot on the YA blogosphere.

Likes:

  • Julie Kagawa is absolutely brilliant. Her world building is vibrant, full and lively, and it literally leaps off the page. I enjoyed her new type of fairy species—a masterful stroke that really gives the story a new dimension. I would go into more details but it’s so much more fun discovering the answer for yourself.
  • Ash, the Unseelie prince, is a spectacularly drawn character. He’s that aloof hero whose motives are hard to determine. He hides a soft heart behind a cold hard façade and makes for a truly forbidden love interest. Yum.
  • Puck, he’s the wayward merrymaker who at times isn’t the best judge of when too far is too far. I have a feeling he’s also in love with Meghan but as of yet hasn’t made his feelings known and Meghan views him as her best friend, not a love interest.
  • Grimalkin or Grim, the cat. He reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and is another fantastic well drawn character. He’s sarcastic, condescending, and witty. He trades favors and barters without a plan seemingly in mind in order to extract another promise or favor from someone else. You can find him wherever something interesting is taking place.

Last Minute Thoughts: The worst part of the book is that it ended! The next in novel in the series cannot come too quickly for me. I can’t wait to read The Iron Daughter.

Buy: The Iron King (Harlequin Teen)

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

P.S. The Iron King is the perfect story to read for any Twilight fan looking for a new series to love.

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Academy 7
Author: Anne Osterlund
Format: Trade Paperback
Page Count: 259
Grade Reading Level: Grade 8 +

Summary: Academy 7 is like Star Wars meets Harry Potter. Two kids, Aerin and Dane, must overcome great odds to attend and survive their first year in the universe’s most prestigious school. Aerin must hide her true background, that of a fugitive slave from an X-Level planet. Dane must outwit his father, one of the Alliance's most powerful leaders, who loathes him and favors his elder brother. Both are excellent students and compete for top grade in every class. Trickery abounds and their only hope is to navigate it together.

Why I started this book:

I bought Academy 7 for something to read on a road trip.

Likes:

  • The world-building is swift, complete, and extremely interesting. It’s fun to see that in a world so advanced there’s still budget problems which result in a crumbling school that still manages to keep and maintain advance computers. I can’t wait to see how certain factors play out.
  • Aerin is a strong female character. She excels at computers and fighting, attributes rarely given to heroines. She’s also fragile, constantly worried about exposure. She comes to realize she knows almost nothing about her parents and with Dane’s help is determined to unlock the secret.
  • Dane is the typical cocky good-looking rich and popular boy. His life however isn’t as pretty as it seems. His father hates him and he’s not entirely sure why. The only planet he has called home until school, isn’t a place he can ever return to—not if he wants to live to see another day.
  • I loved the fighting classes. Aerin whipping Dane over and over again is really quite fun. I also like that Dane isn’t so insecure about it. He actually proposes a deal to help her learn Alliance history in exchange for more beat downs (training to be a better fighter).

Dislikes:

  • I think the mean girl of the school was dropped a little too soon. I don’t know who is going to take her place and cause friction in the future.

Last Minute Thoughts: Academy 7 is the possible start of a trilogy (woohoo!), but the author has admitted it takes her a lot of time to write her stories and currently she is working on a sequel to another story. I hope she finishes it soon because I want to know what happens next for Aerin and Dane.

Buy: Academy 7

Rating: 4.5 Treasure Chests

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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: The Dark Side of Nowhere
Author: Neal Shusterman
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 192
Grade Reading Level: Grades 6-9

Summary: Jason has always lived in the same town his whole life and thinks it's so boring. But when Jason's friend, Ethan dies from a burst appendicitis everything changes. Not only is everyone sad that he's gone but something really weird happens. Grant, the janitor tells Jason that Ethan isn't dead. Is he right? How is that possible? Then Jason is given a robotic-like glove by Grant and finds out that his whole life has been a lie. Everybody he knows, including himself, are aliens!

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because it was a book we were reading in class before school got out for the year. We didn't get to finish it so I decided to cheek it out of the library.

Likes:

  • The writing in this book was phenomenal! I was at the end of my seat after every chapter. I could understand how the characters felt and their whole experience. It was like I was there in the same situation.
  • I liked how his parents never lied. He told Jason the truth about them through a bedtime story, he just didn't know it was true.
  • The cover of this book is way awesome and fits the suspenseful  haunting quality of the story.
  • The book's main point is what it means to be human.

Last minute thoughts: I wouldn't suggest anyone under sixth grade read this book. It's very dark and I don't know if they would understand everything or just be completely creeped out.

Neal Shusterman is my favorite author at the moment! I look forward to reading more of his books!

Buy: The Dark Side of Nowhere

Book Rating: I give this book 5 treasure chests!

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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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by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Dread Locks
Author: Neal Shusterman
Format: Paperback
# of pages: 176
Grade Reading Level:

Summary: Parker Baer is spoiled. He has everything he's ever wanted and then some. But the only problem is that he thinks his life is dull and boring. He rethinks this observation after a girl named Tara moves in the house across from them alone. If that wasn't suspicious enough, she has hair that is almost lifelike, as if she has snakes for hair. She always wears sunglasses and claims she has a bad eye condition. Her house is full of beautiful “sculpted” statues… with fingerprints? She stares people down as if they're prey and she changes people with her eyes. All Tara wants is a friend and that friend is going to be Parker, whether he likes it or not. Once Tara (Medusa) takes Parker under her wing and changes him into her kind he becomes immortal. But he realizes that he doesn't want this! Can he escape and change what Tara has done? Will Tara get her friend? Will the people she's changed be turned back to normal?

Why I Started the Book:

I started this book because it was assigned as a school reading book.

Likes:

  • I enjoyed the reading this book. I was kept on the edge of my chair in suspense. I'm defiantly going to be reading the sequel and other books by Neal Shusterman!
  • On the back of this book it said it was a mix between the three little bears and Medusa. And I love how these different stories joined together.
  • This book was both predictable and unpredictable. It was predictable because I knew it was Medusa and she was going to do bad and turn everyone into statues but besides that I had no idea what else would happen. Since we were reading together as a class we weren't allowed to read ahead. It was terrible! The waiting was killing me!

Dislikes:

  • I wish the ending was different and that Parker's choice had been something else. I can't say what without giving the ending away.

Buy: Dread Locks #1 (Dark Fusion)

Book Rating: I give this Book 4.5 Stars!

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by First Mate Keira

Title: Dragon Spear
Author: Jessica Day George
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 246
Grade Reading Level: 5th-9th Grade

Summary: Love is in the air. Creel is designing her wedding dress and planning her marriage to Prince Luka. During their engagement, Shadras and some dragons swoop in to take Luka, Creel, and her brother to the new kingdom of the dragons. All seems to be going well until a very pregnant Velika gets kidnapped by a team of dragons and humans.

Why I started this book:

Dragon Spear is the sequel to Dragon Flight and is the third book of the Dragon Adventure trilogy.

Likes:

  • Just when you think Jessica George Day couldn’t expand more on dragon lore she does. What I think is neat is how well this idea fits into the first two books because she hadn’t planned on doing anything after Dragon Slippers.
  • The Temple of the First Queen – very cool place. I would love to see it translated into a movie set.
  • Creel’s kind and generous heart. She does something at the end of the book that would just kill me to do and I applaud her for it.
  • Fainting Goats! Jessica had this on her website:

Dislikes:

  • It’s over. Sniff.

Last Minute Thoughts: If you liked Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, you will love this trilogy.

Buy: Dragon Spear (Dragon Adventures)

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

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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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