Literature Young Adult Fiction » Fantasy

Review: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation

First Mate Keira — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:12:16 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse
Author: Kaleb Nation
Page Count: 464 pages
Format: Hardback
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Bran Hambric is different from other boys and doesn’t even know the true extent of it. He was found as impossible as it might sound in a locked bank vault. Sewey Wilomas, the man who found him takes him home as he must under the Finders Keepers law. Eight years have passed and Bran still doesn’t know who his mother is or how he came to be in the city of Dunce’s third bank. All he has for a clue is a scrap of paper with his name on it directing him “To Clarence.”

Why I Started This Book:

I began this book for a number of reasons. The first is that I have been off and on watching Kaleb on YouTube and Twitter because of his Twilight involvement and he's just plain fun, his novel was sure to be too. Second, he’s approximately my age and wrote a fantasy story with a very interesting concept, how could I not support that by picking up the book? Third – who doesn’t crave a Harry Potter fix? Bran Hambric promised to be one and fulfilled it.

Note: While receiving this book early as a reader copy from the publisher, it is the final consumer version of the book.

Likes:

Bran Hambric is set in the city of Dunce, a place that outlawed mages and gnomes and all things etcetera. Who couldn’t like something as silly sounding as that? Plus it’s the perfect setup to include all three!
Sewey’s cursing: “Great Rot!” and “Great Moby!” Sewey is excellent for humor and spouting off the town’s ideology. He blames everything bad on gnomes.
Polland the gnome. He’s a good character. I hope to see more of him in future Bran Hambric novels.
The five kinds of magic: mental, physical, mortal, illusions, and natural.
Shambles. Guessed his importance right off the bat and then doubted it until I got to the ending of the story.
The bad guy #1 and in particular the Farfield curse. Very spooky.
The cover! It's gorgeous! The illustrator was obviously influenced by Harry Potter but it still reads as it's own universe. Love.

Dislikes:

The first 20-100 pages are really tough. Mainly because of the grammar issues that cropped up repeatedly. Most particularly the improper use of ‘and’ and ‘but’ in several long sentences. The author should have reversed the choice or gone with a smaller two letter transition word instead. Another issue was the occasional switching mid sentences between characters. For instance – Shambles would do something then the second part would be about Joris' actions however the subjective personal pronouns would still be reflecting back on Shambles.
Mabel’s hypochondria. For some, I see this being humorous and fun, for me not so much. I was over it by the third time it was mentioned and she went crazy trying to ingest her body weight in them. Figuratively of course.
The #1 bad guy didn’t seem to understand how to convince Bran to join the dark side as it were. He had 'compelling' arguments but they weren’t really tailored to what Bran truly desired which the bad guy should have known having been in Bran’s head.

Last minute thoughts: There are quite a few parallels to Harry Potter. I will be listing some in bullet format below, so for those not wishing to be spoiled I expect you to click away immediately.

Harry and Bran are in the care of families who don’t acknowledge them and both take the place as a sort of house elf. Bran however is treated much better by the Wilomas family than Harry by the Dursley’s.
Harry and Bran were vessels for the bad guy’s soul.
Their mothers were instrumental in saving them once from the baddies.
The major bad guys, Voldemort and Baslyn, do what they can to control the magical world and to defy death. Baslyn’s main magical power is concentrated on mortal magics.
Shambles while more similar to Golem than Dobby is of equal importance to Bran Hambric as they were to their stories.

Buy: Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse (Hardback), Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse (Audio Book)

Book Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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Review: Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels, Book 1) by R.J. Anderson

First Mate Keira — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:34:04 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels, Book 1)
Author: R.J. Anderson
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 340 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 5-7

Summary: After the infamous Sundering, faery world is falling apart. Magics, talents, and skills once in abundance are not gone forever from the oak tree. There’s even sickness called the Silencing. As the population dwindles and life becomes more and more barren of life’s richness, one faery is determined to make a difference and to live outside of the fear facing the rest of the population. She calls herself Knife.

Why I started this book:

This book was recommended by a librarian at my local library.

Likes:

I like that Knife is a strong heroine. She learns, she grows, she fights, she hunts, she creates, she saves others, and she stands her ground. She even falls in love.
The relationship between Knife (faery) and Paul (human) is cute. It starts as friendship and grows into something more as Knife and Paul learn more about each other and bond to one another. I like that he’s trustworthy.
In fact I like that the queen faery is trustworthy too (and her previous Hunter and her steward), I thought perhaps she’d be evil (or they would be evil), but the sinister overtones are not what they appear. Good twist!

Dislikes:

There are references to suicide and drug overdose in the novel. It’s not as bad as it could be but it’s there anyway.
Are there any male faeries? Perhaps this will be answered in later in the trilogy.
The sequels are not focused on Knife and Paul… sniff. I am very sad about this. I really want to explore more into their romance now that one big mystery was handled and also too the size difference.

Buy: Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels)

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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Review: The Royal Treatment (Princess for Hire #2) by Lindsey Leavitt

First Mate Keira — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:38:41 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: The Royal Treatment (Princess for Hire #2)
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Format: Digital ebook
Page Count: 272 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 6–8

Summary: Desi Bascomb's job as a princess double or stand-in was in jeopardy from her actions helping out Level 1 princesses, but luckily everything got sorted out. Now that she’s done some BEST work (Betterment of Elite Sub Training) she can advance to the more glamorous Level 2 princesses.

But things aren’t all rosy within the Facade Agency and Desi knows something fishy is going on when it comes to magic, but isn’t sure enough of herself to confront upper management about it. Why is magic used only on royals and makeup and bubble transports?

Meanwhile, Desi just wants a chance to see her Prince Karl again, even if a romance between them is against the rules, and star in her school’s production of Midsummer’s Night Dream. She gets her chance when she subs for the princess dating Karl’s brother and lands a role in the play starring opposite her friend’s crush… life couldn’t get more complicated!

Why I started this book:

I read and loved Princess for Hire and asked the publisher for an ARC, which they gave me.

Likes:

Desi is a good friend and a strong female character. She’s interested in doing the right thing for herself and her princesses, even if it means sticking her neck out to do it.
I liked how the relationships on the home front were handled between Desi, her mother, Reed, Celeste, and Kylee. They were fun and genuine. Overall a great line up of characters that are very likeable.
- Her mother is concerned and doesn’t want Desi to feel rejected when she starts prepping Celeste for beauty pageants.
- Celeste is still the snarky frenemy. I didn't like her all that much in the first book, but she's revealed more human in this one, which I like. Will she remain a frenemy or become a friend again because of Desi’s help?
- Kylee is there for Desi. How many girls are out there that would take your weird hobby jumping in stride? There’s no falling out between them over boys, which is great too.
- Reed is clearly enjoying Desi’s company and wants more, but she’s a little clueless and still in crush-mode with Karl.
The time spent at Celeste’s beauty pageant and Desi’s debut as a Watcher for Facade was awesome. Got to love somebody who’s that excited and clueless.
I loved how Prince Karl and Desi’s crush was handled. OMGosh that ending is spectacular. I can’t wait for Princess for Hire #3!

Last Minute Thoughts: Even better than Princess for Hire, The Royal Treatment will take you further into a magical world that you won’t want to leave!

Buy: Princess for Hire: The Royal Treatment

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

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Review: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Review: Rapacia (The Second Circle of Heck) by Dale E. Basye

First Mate Keira — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:29:45 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: Rapacia (The Second Circle of Heck)
Author: Dale E. Basye
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 384 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 5-8

Summary: Milton is back on the surface, but is having troubles maintaining the energy that keeps him together and in the present. A science experiment with a bug zapper gets him the energy he needs but also makes him jittery and edgy. He’s trying to figure out if Heck was a dream or a reality of the afterlife and is attempting to reach Damian, the bully who got him killed in the first place. Meanwhile Marlo has been transferred out of the first circle of Heck into the second known as Rapacia for all the girls and boys who like to steal. Speaking of stealing, Marlo desperately wants to please this metallic bunny and grab the Hopeless Diamonds as they’re being transferred. Can she do it? Should she do it?

Why I started this book:

I wanted to know what happened next to Milton!

Likes:

Instead of Nirvana its Mallvana – the perfect place for shoppers in the afterlife!
The Dante approach to Heck is well done.
It’s got a good balance of humor to gothic.

Toss Up:

Many witticisms reference pop culture but are bound make more sense to older readers than they do for younger readers. Some even went over my head.

Dislikes:

The Grabbit. Creepy bugger isn’t he? I don’t like his rhyming.
The beginning was exceptionally hard to get through and I’ve read the first book. I’m not sure exactly what made it difficult, but I kept putting it down until I finally got passed the opening and got to the meat of the story.

Buy: Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck

Rating: 2 Treasure Chests

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Review: Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go (The Nine Circles of Heck, Book 1) by Dale E. Basye

Movie Review: Beastly starring Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer

First Mate Keira — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:19:21 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: Beastly
Director: Daniel Barnz
Duration: 86 minutes
Rating: PG-13

Summary: Kyle Kingsbury is a vain and arrogant young boy. He really steps in it when he unknowingly meets and antagonizes a witch at school going by Kendra. On the night of a school dance he’s bewitched to appear as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. His one saving grace is the fact that he gave a scholarship girl the rose corsage he intended for his date. That one good deed buys him a chance to get out of his beastly predicament… but it’s got a time limit. Can he find someone to love and love him in return before a year is up?

Why I watched this movie:

I read the book last year when I heard it was coming out in theaters. I love Beauty and the Beast stories.

Likes:

I loved Alex Pettyfer. I thought he did really well. He’s what made the movie for me. He and Vanessa work together best during the ending sequence when she discovers who he really was all along. I liked seeing them travel the world together in the little montage.
The makeup for the movie is fantastic. I much prefer the wild tattoos and scars over a hairy form. In a cartoon, it would and did work, but it would look fake or very Cousin It. I confirmed for sure that his eyebrows say embrace suck. Embrace suck a phrase used in the movie at the beginning by both Kyle and Kendra.
Neil Patrick Harris is funny in his part as the blind tutor. He could have been used more, but that’s just me.

Toss-Up:

I liked the housekeeper getting green cards at the end of the film for her children. However, the housekeeper was supposed to be another form of the witch, Kendra, and this was changed from the book to the movie.

Dislikes:

I didn’t really like Mary-Kate Olsen in the film. She looked like how I pictured the character, but she was weird or made the character overly weird for me.
The movie lacks the charm of the book overall and has some awkward dialogue/scenes that don’t fit as well as they could.

Buy: Beastly

Rating: 3 Treasure Chests

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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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Audio Review: Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (Book 3) by Eoin Colfer

First Mate Keira — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:35:31 +0000

by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer

Title: Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code, Book 3
Author: Eoin Colfer
Narrator: Nathaniel Parker
# CDs / Minutes: 6 CDs (6 hours, 54 minutes)
Format: Unabridged Compact Disc
Grade Reading Level: 6.2; Ages 10-17

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

Summary: Thirteen year old Artemis is in need of fairy help! His big plan to increase the Fowl’s finances with stolen fairy technology backfires in a really bad way. Bulter is (mostly) dead and Artemis has to find a way to save him, recover the twice stolen technology and the only way to do it is get fairy help. Their help comes at a very steep price; Artemis and his crew must sacrifice all knowledge of fairies and anything related to fairies that might trigger their memory later.

Why I Started This Book:

I finished listening to book two at three in the morning. The next day I went out to the library as soon as it opened to get the next in the series. I tried to get four at the same time but had to put it on hold as it was unavailable at the time.

Likes:

Foaly, Artemis, and Jon Spiro are all very smart and are presented as thinking individuals. Granted, Spiro has to make mistakes; all bad guys do and he is eventually caught due to increasing surety and arrogance of his position as top dog.
Mulch Diggums returns again! He’s really growing on me, farting and all. I loved his Oscar stealing crime spree, very funny.
The ending. Artemis proves once again just how clever a sucker he really is by outsmarting the fairies once more.

Dislikes:

What happened to Bulter, poor dutiful Butler! I wonder if that’ll get fixed somehow in the next book.

Buy: The Eternity Code (audio book), The Eternity Code (paperback), Artemis Fowl Boxed Set

Buy on Audible: Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code

Book Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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 Atlantis Complex (Artemis Fowl Book 7) by Eoin Colfer

Audio Review: Artemis Fowl (Book 1) by Eoin Colfer

First Mate Keira — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:15:22 +0000

by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer.

Title: Artemis Fowl (Book 1)
Author: Eoin Colfer
Narrator: Nathaniel Parker
# CDs / Minutes: 5 CDs (approximately 72 min. each)
Format: Unabridged Compact Disc
Grade Reading Level: 6.2; Ages 10-17

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

Summary: Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind with a few parental issues. His father is missing and presumed dead. His mother has reverted to a childlike state to cope and never leaves her room in Fowl Manor. Artemis Fowl is determined to bring the Fowl Estate back to its former glory and he’s going to do that by doing what no other human has ever succeeded at doing… he’s going to extort the fairy people!

Why I Started This Book:

I began this book series because I heard an awful lot about it. One friend described it as getting a Harry Potter fix and since I was in desperate need of that I went to the library’s young adult section to find it. I decided on the audio format because I had an opportunity to listen for several hours on a road trip.

Likes:

Eoin Colfer is extremely clever when it comes to world building. I quite liked his use of current myths like a leprechaun and turning it into Lower Elements Police reconnaissance or more commonly LEP-recon, the fairy police force.
Nathaniel Parker is an amazing reader. He is so good with voices and acting that the story fairly leaps out of the speakers and starts materializing in front of you. He is as good as Jim Dale in my opinion.

Dislikes:

I don’t know if I’d call it an out and out dislike but there’s a lot of body humor in the book. Girls will probably find the flatulence-emitting dwarf a bit over the top as I did. However in Mulch Diggums’ defense he does bring a lot of humor to the story.

Last minute thoughts: Artemis Fowl is similar to Harry Potter in its setup. The first book places young Artemis at age eleven. In the next he’s age twelve and so on.

Buy: Artemis Fowl (Audio Book), Artemis Fowl (paperback), or Artemis Fowl Boxed Set

Buy on Audible: Artemis Fowl: Artemis Fowl, Book 1

Book Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

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Review: Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go (The Nine Circles of Heck, Book 1) by Dale E. Basye

First Mate Keira — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:37:32 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go (The Nine Circles of Heck, Book 1)
Author: Dale E. Basye
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 304 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: The afterlife isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. A bureaucratic error sends Milton down to Heck with his sister Marlo. There’s no way he deserves to be here – just look at his file – one measly little Post-It note saying he was duped by his kleptomaniac sister into stealing right before they died. But as Milton learns, it’s not your first impression that counts the most in the afterlife but your last.

Why I started this book:

They die in a marshmallow explosion! The humor of this book drew me in and I checked it out from the library.

Likes:

There is a lot of humor in the story from the infamous marshmallow explosion to acronym fun to a toad like principal named Bea Elsa Bubb and her three headed tiny canine.
Milton and Marlo’s sibling relationship – are they fighting each other or for each other? It’s typical but loving.
I like how it ends. I like that some characters were willing to sacrifice a chance of escape to ensure one got away. Surely that means they’re redeemable and/or redeemed right?
The bully reminds me a lot of Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. Love it!

Dislikes:

Some of the world building didn’t sit right with me because it seemed like small infractions were being punished endlessly and I’m guessing that’s why Milton is down there to right these wrongs, but I don’t know for sure.
Also I think some references might be more for adults than younger readers when the author refers to certain famous dead people, but I could be wrong. I love that Nixon teaching ethics, but do kids know why it's so funny?

Buy: Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go

Rating: 3 Treasure Chests

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Audio Review: Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony (Book 5) by Eoin Colfer

First Mate Keira — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:10:35 +0000

by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer

Title: Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, Book 5
Author: Eoin Colfer
Narrator: Nathaniel Parker
# CDs (Minutes): 7 CDs (8 hours, 24 minutes)
Format: Unabridged Compact Disc
Grade Reading Level: 6.2; Ages 10-17

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

Summary: The aliens are returning… well they’re demons now, but that’s beside the point. The magic that held them apart from the world for 10,000 years is deteriorating and the time/dimension jumping demons are starting to make their presence known and Level 8 is going to fix it. Level 8 is the fairy’s version of MI6 and Foaly is their new ‘Quartermaster.’ Recruiting Holly Short, Mulch Diggums, and Artemis Fowl to help, they’re in a race against time itself to save the world.

Why I Started This Book:

By this point it should be pretty obvious that I like the Artemis Fowl series and listening to Nathaniel Parker. I got this audio book from the library and listened to it instead of radio while working. My likes and dislikes are going to include some biggish spoilers so beware.

Likes:

Artemis gets fairy magic in this book. Now he’s like Superhuman and it’s pretty cool when and how he got it in the time travel tunnel.
I’m a huge fan of Artemis/Holly as a potential love interest so when the time and dimensional travel ended and they each had one eye switched with out with the other I was going “Woohoo!”
Nathaniel’s voice for #1 the mage imp is very well done. He comes across like a kid but he isn’t squeaky or weird sounding.

Dislikes:

Minerva, who is the young female version of Artemis. I can’t really explain why I dislike her. Maybe it’s because she represents potential trouble to my hoped for Arty/Holly pairing. Maybe it’s because she’s so cold or maybe because I don’t like thinking that a 12 year old girl can be that creepy. I was not a fan of her.
It’s amazing how many different things were going on in this book. It’s not really a bad thing, just some of it is hard to follow when listening. You really have to pay attention in this one and perhaps even skip back a track or two to listen again.

Buy: The Lost Colony (Audio Book), The Lost Colony (paperback), Artemis Fowl Boxed Set

Buy on Audible: The Lost Colony: Artemis Fowl, Book 5

Book Rating: 4 Treasure Chests

. Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer: Audio Book 7Cds 9780739336809

US $8.95

2d 16h 16m

NEW Artemis Fowl: the Lost Colony - Colfer, Eoin/ Parke

US $22.12

28d 11h 30m

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer (2006, Hardcover)

US $10.00

2d 22h 23m