Literature Young Adult Fiction » Coming of Age

Review: Lost (The Magic Thief, Book 2) by Sarah Prineas

First Mate Keira — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:44:18 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: Lost (The Magic Thief, Book 2)
Author: Sarah Prineas
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Greg Steinbruner
Listening Length: 6 hours and 22 minutes
Grade Reading Level: Grade 5+

Summary: Pyrotechnics and magic do not mix. They combust! Big huge explosions! The kind that get you an order of exile. But without his locus magicalicus Conn can’t communicate with the magic without literally fireworks. Nevery warns him that his experimentation will blow up in his face, but Conn doesn’t listen. There’s an evil spreading terror by turning people into stone within the city and Conn just knows that the magic knows what’s going on if only he could understand.

Why I started this book:

Because I enjoyed the first Magic Thief book so much and I wanted to read the next one.

Likes:

I like the idea of magic as a living being with magic spells being part of its inherent language. That’s pretty unique.
This story really enlarges Conn’s character. He grows up and faces tough situations and makes equally tough decisions.
Love Benet and his concern for the boy. He’s a good mediator between Conn and Nevery.
Love Greg Steinbruner as the narrator now that I’m used to him.

Dislikes:

One of the bad guys commits suicide. A little too easy to get rid of him in that way but was written in a believable manner so the complaint is a small one.

Last Minute Thoughts: What does Wellmet’s magical being think of this evil magical being? I guess I'll find out soon!

Buy: The Magic Thief: Lost

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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Review: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

First Mate Keira — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:40:33 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: A Little Princess
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 266 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 4-8

Summary: Sara Crewe, a little girl who grew up in India is taken to London by her father to attend Miss Minchin’s Seminary for Girls. Sara must learn to live on her own and navigate the schoolroom and its students. Good thing she’s good at storytelling, playing pretend and supposing or life would be tough for this odd little heiress.

Why I started this book:

I have loved the 1995 movie for ages and ages. Heard it was a book (how did this escape me?) and decided to pick it up and read it.

Likes:

It’s surprisingly easy to read and while there are a few big words here and there that might slip the grasp of a younger child, it is a breeze to get through. A rarity I’ve found in classics.
There’s a more believable reason for Sara to become a beggar than in the movies where the government seems to have unfairly seized everything. In the book he loses it on speculation for diamond mines.
The sparrows outside her attic window and the rat family inside the walls.
Ermengarde as the friend and Lavinia as the enemy.

Toss-Up:

Sara is so immensely likeable because of how kind she is and how brave she is and how she handles herself in the face of adversity and tough situations. Sometimes she’s so strong you break for her. The book can be very sad at times. I cried once or twice wile reading her supposing about being a Princess when she was practically a beggar.
Sara’s relationship with Lottie as her “mother.” That didn’t gel so well with me.
Becky. Surprising.

Dislikes:

Miss Amelia is not nearly so likeable a character in the books as she’s in the movie versions of this story. I was sad about that.
The father is actually dead as opposed to the movies (Shirley Temple's The Little Princess and A Little Princess 1995) where he suffers amnesia from a war wound.

Last Minute Thoughts: This would be a great story to read at bedtime, a chapter or two at a time.

Buy: A Little Princess

Rating: 3 Treasure Chests (at least compared to the A Little Princess 1995 movie)

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Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

First Mate Keira — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:52:52 +0000

Reviewed First Mate Keira

Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author: Brian Selznick
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 533 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 3-6

Summary: Hugo Cabret is an orphan and he lives inside the walls at a train station in Paris. His uncle had trained him to fix the station’s clocks before he disappeared. Now Hugo runs around doing his uncle’s job and steals when necessary for food and drink and sometimes from a toymaker for parts to a mysterious invention. If he could get it working perhaps he will find one last message from his deceased father.

Why I started this book:

I saw the movie (Eep! I know movie before book! Shame on me, but it happens.)

Likes:

In the book we see that Hugo steals because he can’t cash in his uncle’s checks. The movie sort of implies that the uncle has taken them without given Hugo any.
This book is full of illustrations done in a way to imply motion picture story tabling. This makes the book great for kids who don’t normally read big books. There are 284 pictures in the book's 533 pages. Plus they help tell the story! Cool!
The typography settings and page layouts sometimes fill the whole page, but there are a lot of pages with just a little amount of text on them. Another great reason kids who don’t read big books would like this one.

Dislikes:

Hugo does not invent the invention so the title is a bit of a misnomer. He fixes an automaton his late father found in a museum.

Book vs. Movie:

(Not all differences, but some that stood out)

In the book, Hugo and Isabelle are extremely antagonistic with each other and try very hard to get the other to reveal their secrets. The movie gives them more time to become friends, but also the script has them confiding into each other willingly for the most part.
In the book, Hugo and Isabelle have an adult friend sneak them into the movies. In the movie, Hugo insists on showing her a film (something she’s never seen before) and gets them into the theater by picking a lock. They are later caught and tossed out.
In the movie, Hugo persuades Isabelle to let him use her heart shaped key to start the automaton, but in the book, Hugo steals the key from Isabelle, which leads us back to the first bullet on this list.

Final Thoughts: I like the fleshed out story in the movie over the book. It appealed to me more.

Buy: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Rating: 2.5 Treasure Chests

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Review: The Magic Thief (The Magic Thief, Book 1) by Sarah Prineas

First Mate Keira — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:20:15 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: The Magic Thief
Author: Sarah Prineas
Format: Audio Book
Listening Length: 7 hours and 32 minutes
Narrator: Greg Steinbruner
Grade Reading Level: Ages 8-14

Summary: Connwaer is a thief. He’s lived for a very long time on the streets of Twilight, avoiding his evil uncle, for all intents and purposes, an orphan. One night he pickpockets a locus magicalicus surprising the wizard who owned it for he should have dropped dead on contact. Nevery Flinglas finds the boy interesting and takes the boy on as his apprentice. The only glitch is that Conn needs a locus stone of his own or he can’t learn magic. But learning magic is almost the least of Conn’s worries because it seems even if he does find his stone, chances are he won’t be able to use it because something or someone is stealing the magic right out of Wellmet.

Why I started this book:

I can’t exactly recall what drew me to this book. I either saw it on my library’s website or on Goodreads under the recommendation section. No matter! I saw it and got it and read it in that order.

Likes:

Conn!!! He’s awesome! There should be more thief YA books!
Benet’s rapport with Connwaer. It’s cute, but real. Conn is like the annoying younger brother. Benet is a quiet cornerstone.
Conn knows what he’s willing and capable of doing or learning and what he isn’t and sticks to that with consistency. It’s refreshing. I liked that he wasn’t willing to be a servant and when it seemed that was his only option he was willing to walk away despite all the positives of staying.

Toss-Up:

Greg Steinbruner’s way of reading took some getting used to. I can’t tell if it’s his natural way of reading or perhaps how he decided or was directed to act. The accent for the speech in Wellmet could be entirely made up and thus explain why it was so weird. I got used to it eventually. Even grew to like it.

Dislike:

When Conn is kept by the city’s police in a cell and feed him tons and tons of truth potion to get him to talk. Good thing Nevery is on his side or the poor kid could have been killed by “neglect”.

Buy: The Magic Thief

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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Review: Exile by Anne Ousterlund

First Mate Keira — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:30:50 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: Exile
Author: Anne Ousterlund
Format: Trade Paperback
Page Count: 304 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 7-12

Summary: Aurelia has exiled herself from the court in the last book, bearing her name, when she refused to marry the creepy king of a neighboring kingdom. She plans to tour the country of Tyralt (her soon-to-be kingdom) and visit the whole of it to get a feel for the people from every part. Almost immediately she suffers another assassination attempt. Who’s behind it this time? Can it be that her sister, Melony, has their father’s support now? Is there nobody she can trust? Well there’s one… Robert.

Why I started this book:

I was given a copy by the author.

Likes:

The growing relationship between Robert and Aurelia. It’s sweet and grounded with room to blossom.
Aurelia’s ability to charm those around her even when they’re hostile. A good quality for a leader.
The trip up the Gate… I mean the gauntlet. Very vivid imagery and sad too when they come to the wagon wedged into the rock.
The desert tribes sequence was one of my favorites. Loved it.

Dislikes:

The first assassination attempt in this book leads to a major melt down for Aurelia. Luckily it doesn’t last forever.
Aurelia’s real mother. Talk about a trying parent. That woman needs a kick in the rear and someone to shake some sense into her.
I got tired of the guilt both Robert and Aurelia visited time and again for doing what they had to do in order to survive the final confrontations in the previous book. A little was fine, even expected, but it dragged the story down and made it more somber.

Last Minute Thoughts: Robert takes a while to confess his love, but you’ll love it when he does. She too is pretty reserved until she isn’t. This can be at times very frustrating! I’m so glad he finally made a move and stood his ground not willing to be cowed because of her title. Who’s ready for the next book? I am! I want to know more about the new Heir of Vashone.

Buy: Exile

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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Review: Aurelia by Anne Osterlund

Review: The Dream Maker in the Desert by Marie Krushing

First Mate Keira — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:59:01 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: The Dream Maker in the Desert (Society Series, Book 1)
Author: Marie Krushing
Format: Trade Paperback
Page Count: 527
Grade Reading Level: 7+ Grade

Summary: Emmet Watts was an outcast in school. Students labeled him a freak and as a result nobody was brave enough to be his friend. One night while taking out the garbage, Emmet is confronted by a creepy man and rescued from him by a team of others. In the world he’s whisked away to, Emmet learns one thing was true. He was a freak – a superhero with powers as yet undiscovered. He’s given a choice. He can return home, no questions asked or he can stay and discover who he was really meant to be. In the end there was only one choice Emmet could live with…

Why I started this book:

It was offered to LYAF as an ARC which we accepted.

Likes:

This is a very boy friendly novel and book series with lots of action, fighting, sparring, and a general cool factor due to superhero powers. It’s even got elements that will make it girl friendly too.
Chris is Emmet’s mentor and team captain within the Society and is a pretty awesome guy. He trains Emmet, defends him, sticks up for him, and talks sense into him whenever the occasion demands it. That makes him a very good friend. His superpower is night vision but that also makes darkness his greatest fear.
The Kelly/Emmet relationship is cute and I definitely want to see it developed more.
It was very cool to see what superheroes feared. I already mentioned Chris' fear, I won't mention the others. You will have to read and find out for yourself.
Braeden is a well drawn bad guy. I liked very much how Krushing used his power to manipulate fears and dreams against him at the end. I wasn’t expecting it at all.

Dislikes:

While wrapping up the first Society series novel in a very clean and tidy way, I have to wonder who will be running the Dark Ones next? I can think of two from those mentioned already in the series, but they were followers first, it might be hard to reconcile them as leaders in the next book.
Kenny is the standard YA school bully. I feel he needs a little more to his character. He’s not really a threat and is drawn in a rather pathetic light as his arrogance and entitlement make him delusional. There’s no way right now he’d stand a chance against Emmet ever yet he keeps picking (verbal) fights. I want him to get superpowers. That would up the rivalry.

Last Minute Thoughts: The Society series is slated to be a trilogy. I’m interested in seeing what happens to our hero, Emmet Watts.

Buy: The Dream Maker in the Desert

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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Review: Vamped by Lucienne Diver

First Mate Keira — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:46:22 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: Vamped
Author: Lucienne Diver
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 230 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grade 8+

Summary: After a make-out session at an after prom party with suddenly hot Bobby, Gina wakes up inside a coffin. She’s a vampire! Luckily Bobby’s there to meet her on the other side with necessities – clothes! But that’s when her luck runs out. Her first night as a vampire doesn’t go so well when they get captured and dragged to Mellisande’s secret lair filled with newborn teenagers, including her nemesis, who’s now all wrapped around Chaz, her ex-honey.

Why I started this book:

Saw it on the shelf in the library and it looked funny.

Likes:

Gina is hilarious. She’s constantly running snarky commentary in her head or saying it out loud. She’s a heroine you can go shopping with and go out with for a bite.
I like that she stays with chess geek Bobby even after finding hunky Chaz turned.
It’s lighthearted and fun. Just take a look at the back blurb.
The humor reminds me a little bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Legally Blonde, which I have to say is a fun mix. (Warning: the vampire mythology is different from Buffy.)

Dislikes:

It drags a little in the middle.
The creepy psychic creature.
Gina’s automatic love for Bobby is a bit strange. Why does she love him? Or for that matter why does he love her?
Lack of world-building when it came to the Council, prophecy, vampire powers, and the medallion that tested their strength.

Buy: Vamped

Rating: 2.5 Treasure Chests

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Audio Review: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson, Book 1) by Rick Riordan

First Mate Keira — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:57:16 +0000

by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer.

Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Narrator: Jesse Bernstein
# CDs / Minutes: 8 CDs (10 hours, 12 minutes)
Format: Unabridged Audio CDs
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Audio Preview: Download Clip (Right click, save as.)

Summary: Percy Jackson is your average kid, except as he’s about to find out, he’s the son of a Greek god. This would explain his dyslexia and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). It’s a sign of his heritage. All offspring of the gods are marked by it, their natural language being ancient Greek. If finding out he’s a demigod isn’t strange enough, Percy discovers he’s been setup to take the blame of stealing Zeus’ master lightning bolt. The only way to prove his innocence is to go on a quest and retrieve it. The odds don’t look so good for Percy.

Why I Started This Book:

I’ve been seeing the title of this book in many places and decided what better way to be introduced to it officially than by audio cd? I knew nothing going into the book.

Likes:

Percy is average. His learning disabilities apply to the English language but come in handy in other ways.
If you want a way to learn about Greek mythology that’s fun and easy to understand, Percy Jackson and his quest to discover the lightning thief, is a good way to go. No need to remember the “uses.”
The Greek gods will exist as long as Western culture exists. They are not meant to be metaphysical God. They are simply humanlike immortals.
Jesse Bernstein, the reader, sounds exactly like how I imagine a 12 year old boy like to sound. He has excellent kid voices.

Dislikes:

I’m coming from finishing Artemis Fowl, boy genius, and I can’t help but cringe at some of the inane questions/comments/concerns Percy brings up.
I am definitely too old to enjoy this book fully. This series is designed to teach children about the Greek mythology which I already know quite a bit about having learned about them in high school. It really struck a nerve when Percy had a semester if not a year in real school studying the myths and he didn't recognize Medusa when he stumbled upon her statue warehouse! Grr…
I was able to figure out the Oracle’s prophecy within a chapter of having heard it. I had two ideas and the first was right.
The only voice Jesse Bernstein narrated that gave me any pause was his voice for Zeus. It was very weird. I was not a fan.

Buy: The Lightning Thief (audio book), The Lightning Thief (paperback), Lightning Thief (Deluxe Edition), Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

Book Rating: 2.5 Treasure Chests for anyone over the age of fourteen. 4 Treasure Chests for those under fourteen.

Keira runs a book review blog for readers by readers on romance novels entitled Love Romance Passion. She’s been reading romance since she was in her teens and began blogging about romance so she could share her passion for her favorite genre. She loves reading paranormal, Regency, historical America, and highlander most of all and completely adores blind and wounded heroes.

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Review: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

First Mate Keira — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:04:34 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: The Unwritten Rule
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 210
Grade Reading Level: 9^th Grade +

Summary: All girls grow up knowing the unwritten rule. That you don’t date your friend’s exes is pretty much a given… but what about wanting to be with the guy while your friend is still dating him?

Why I started this book:

Saw some hype of it in the YA blogosphere a few months or so ago, sadly I can’t remember which blog anymore as I got the book from the library only very recently.

Likes:

The protagonist’s parents had evidence of a real life. The mother was involved in cooking and culinary contests. The father was a professor. They also were good parents and were still together and happy to be that way.
Ryan had wanted to break off his relationship to the friend from practically the beginning. In fact he was unwittingly roped into the relationship and was too shy and good mannered to break it off.
Sarah’s voice was sweet and heartbreaking as she worried about her friendship, her parents, and her friend’s boyfriend.

Dislikes:

Brianna hates her mom but is exactly like her mom. She belittles Sarah under the guise of kindness. She cheats on Ryan and yet insists she loves him and wants to stay with him.
The fact that Brianna cheated does in no way excuse or really justify Sarah’s and Ryan’s behavior. Cheating is never the answer. However while I don’t condone such behavior in real life I was very much rooting for the two.

Final Thoughts: Greg and Brianna deserve each other and Elizabeth Scott does a great job exploring one of life’s social dating rules.

Buy: The Unwritten Rule

Rating: 3 Treasure Chests

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Review: The Lost Gate (Mither Mages, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card

First Mate Keira — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:26:58 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: The Lost Gate (Mither Mages, Book 1)
Author: Orson Scott Card
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 350 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 15+

Summary: Danny North was part of legend. Or at least his family was. As for Danny? Yeah, not so much. Danny as the son of two very powerful magical parents should be extrodinary. Only he isn’t. He’s talentless at anything magical, but anything normal and he’s great – school, languages, all that he knows and picks up on quickly, but he’d trade it all in for a chance to be special. And yet, while he doesn’t know it, Danny North is special. Very special. With a magical talent that could get him killed. To live he must go into exile. To survive he must master the forbidden magic that he possesses.

Why I started this book:

I really enjoyed Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (though I couldn’t get into Bean’s sequel story because it was too gory for me) and I thought upon reading the summary that this would be perfect for me because I’m more inclined to reading fantasy than science fiction.

Likes:

I like how magical power as it waned over the centuries began to be despised by those that craved more of it. Every magical family line wanted to host the next Gatemage who could open a Gate (with power boosting attributes) to the distant planet they all once hailed from... and yet it was forbidden to host a Gatemage and all should be (and were if known) killed on sight... because every family feared another family would get the Gatemage first.
I like the strong mechanics of the science behind the magic. It has rules. It follows logic, if you understand it. It makes sense on paper. It makes sense in the story. I like how minor Gate magicians begin popping up and learning their powers all because Danny is a Gagemage and they can finally access their own powers because of the presence of his Gates.
I like how Danny defeats the main threat of this novel. It was clever, well thought out, and heavily foreshadowed if one paid attention. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the big threat hadn’t a clue because said threat didn’t get an outside view of how a similar incident played out, even though the threat was a part of those very same incidents.

Dislikes:

There’s a lot of unnecessary side characters, particularly the horny married (prostitute? Ex-prostitute?) woman who sexual assualts (but not to the conclusion of the act) Danny in the course of the novel. I mean, what gives? Seriously. Totally irrelevant.
Also I felt that Danny lacked a strong moral code. He breaks into places with his magic, because he can, because it’s undetectable. He hurts people who threatened (I can’t help but think this to be very un-Harry Potter-like if you get my drift.)

Last Minute Thoughts: I am definitely going to read the next book. I hope it is as good as this one was.

Buy: The Lost Gate (Mither Mages)

Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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