Literature Young Adult Fiction » YA Genre

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: Witch’s Brew by Heidi R. Kling

SusanSurgeon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:15:03 +0000

KINDLE CONTEST: Find out how you could WIN A KINDLE WITH SPECIAL OFFERS!!!

by Susan the Surgeon, guest reviewer

Title: Witch’s Brew
Author: Heidi R. Kling
Format: Active digital fiction for Kindle (It’s brand new!)
Grade Reading Level: Grades 10-12/Ages 15+

Summary:

The Curse

One tragic battle led to a 100 year old curse. Now the witches (Daughters of Light) and warlocks (Sons of Darkness) must find a way to break the curse or forfeit their powers forever.

The Struggle

Lily and Logan are sworn enemies. To be in each other’s company is strictly forbidden. This passionate pull shouldn’t be happening. Their connection shouldn’t exist. Do they break the rules to save all the spellspinners, or deny the emotions brewing between them? As they struggle, fate spins and time slips. Retreating is no longer an option. They’re breaking the rules!!!

Why I Started This Book:

I’m a huge fan of literary witches; hence my keen interest. The new active digital fiction for Kindle also spoke to my curious nature. Glad I listened when it spoke.

Likes:

I loved the choice points in the story, and that I chose what happened next.
Finally! An author who explored the warlock origin.
Logan has a tattoo that only appears when his body heat rises. (Grin).
Lily and Logan share telepathic powers and can have mental conversations. I thought that was cool!
The author knows how to express the sense of urgency in the story, and her vivid descriptions are really great.
It has a powerful cliffhanger ending that will leave you craving more.

Dislikes:

I wanted more! (See cliffhanger in likes). Yes, I’m contradicting myself, but it really is a pro and a con.

Last Minute Thoughts: In a battle I managed to snatch powers off a warlock, and can now wield his powers of prediction. I’m predicting you’ll be powerless to resist this new series. The Spellspinners of Melas County will blow you away. Be forewarned, there’s a new group of magic users in the literary world. And they’re not like the others!

Buy: Witch's Brew - Spellspinners 1

Book Rating: 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: Twilight (Twilight, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer

CaptainYarr — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:32:33 +0000

by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Page Count: 498
Format: Paper back
Grade Reading Level: 9 - 12

Summary: Bella Swan moves to a small town called Forks in Washington, USA and meets a different boy, Edward Cullen. He’s more than a little different; he’s a vampire. Bella doesn’t know this, yet but as she gets more clues she figures it all out. Once she does, Bella and Edward sit down for a heart to heart talk. It creates a whole new relationship. Will Edward and Bella fall in love? Will he lose control and kill Bella? Read to find out!

Why did you read the book:

I read this book because I wanted to see the movie, and in order to see the movie my eldest sister told me I had to read the book and so that’s exactly what I did.

Likes:

I enjoy the idea of vampires in a romance novel! He loves you so much he wants to drink your blood - that's hot.
I love all of the characters in this book, it wouldn’t be Twilight as we know it without them all. The Cullens are a great part of the book. They are a fantastic family.
Edward’s and Bella’s chemistry is one of the best parts of the book. It’s AWESOME! Won't spoil you further you have to read the book for yourself!
One of the best parts of this book is the action! It’s probably the BEST (and only) action filled romance book I’ve ever read. James is scary.

Dislikes:

I don’t like Jacob Black! He likes Bella and loathes Edward, it just doesn’t make sense who (how can you not LOVE Edward Cullen?!?). Go team Edward!

Buy: Twilight (paperback), The Twilight Saga Collection in Hardback (Books 1-4)

Book Rating: I give this book 4 ½ treasure chests! It was greatly written and every part caught my attention!

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Review: If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? by Melissa Kantor

First Mate Keira — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:14:08 +0000

Reviewed by First Mate Keira

Title: If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?
Author: Melissa Kantor
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 283 pages
Grade Reading Level: Grades 7-9

Summary: Lucy Norton is a modern day Cinderella. Forced to move from San Francisco to Long Island because of her dad’s remarriage, she’s struggling to find her balance in a life she doesn’t want. With her dad constantly out of state due to work, it’s a lot harder than it should be. Her stepmom asks like a totally different person when he’s not around. It’s clear the stepmom wants to be rid of her. Add in her two wicked little stepsisters and Lucy’s just wondering where the heck her prince is to complete the fairy tale.

Why I started this book:

Goodreads recommended it to me based on my TBR pile.

Likes:

I like how Lucy comes to the rescue for her twin stepsisters in the book. It was a smart move on the stepsisters part to call someone to get them out of trouble. Kids take note! Ever find yourself somewhere you don’t want to be make that phone call.
I like that Lucy shares a strong interest in common with each of the guy’s she likes and that like her back. Conner Pearson (most popular guy at school, but who’s too old for her) is on the basketball team and Lucy is crazy about basketball. While Lucy and Sam Wolff share a passion for art – creating it and discussing other artists.
I appreciated the fact that the friendships she makes with two girls while she’s popular stick with her when she’s no longer dating the popular boy.

Dislikes:

I was hoping for a stepmom would appeared horrible but really wasn’t. But she actually is and it’s kind of an unfair reputation. Not all stepmoms are wicked, just this one. She refused to furnish or let Lucy furnish her room until it benefited her to have it done when a friend would need to use it, honed in on all the daughter’s phone time with her dad instead of waiting for them to be done, punished or reprimanded her for small infractions while letting her own daughters get away with everything, it’s a huge double standard.
Oh and at one point at a party she forces Lucy to dress up like the help and take people’s coats and serve them food without bothering to introduce her as her husband’s daughter. Seriously? The father lets her get away with that and that’s just wrong!

Buy: If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?

Rating: 3 Treasure Chests

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Review: The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking Like a Professional by Philip Yaffe

First Mate Keira — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:14:02 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking Like a Professional
Author: Philip Yaffe
Format: Ebook
Page Count: 288 pages
Grade Reading Level: 9^th Grade+

Why I read this book:

I was offered a review copy by the author. In addition, I was interested in learning the secret to effective expository writing… *cough* acing that pesky term paper *cough*

Why you should read this book:

Ever wanted to write the perfect term paper or ace a weighty presentation? Philip Yaffe’s The Gettysburg Approach will give the keys to successful writing to any student wishing to learn and willing to do the legwork. The text itself is a useful example of all of the principles, tips, and instructions the author explains throughout the book.

Early emphasis is on clarity, conciseness, and density. Formulas define what these words mean with instructions and exercises for applying them to your writing. Later Yaffe covers the differences between writing and speaking and how to make slide show presentations work for the speaker and listener alike.

Yaffe employs repetition and summation throughout the book to get points across and make sure they stick. Appendixes A-M continue the lessons from the main text of the book and provide plenty of practice to make sure you get what to do.

Aimed at college freshmen, Gettysburg Approach would also be good for high school students. Beyond the student application, I believe this book to be a good investment for new teachers wishing to keep students engaged. In addition, it would be good for presenters, speakers, and professionals that rely heavily on written communication.

Favorite Sections:

Author’s Story – How he learned to write (from complexity to effectiveness)
Inverted Pyramid – A journalism technique that gives busy readers what they want fast.
Line by Line Analysis – Specifically when Yaffe covers Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Shakespeare’s Mark Anthony soliloquy about the death of Caesar and the comparison between the two speeches
Lewis Carol’s Jabborwocky Poem – How nonsense can achieve an expository feel and be solidly constructed at the same time

Last Minute Thoughts: This is nitpicky, but I wish attention, attention span, or focus, was used in place of mind control throughout the book. Personally it jolted me out of the reading because it seemed at times the prevalent idea appeared to be mind control, not effective writing, though gaining and retaining reader attention resulted from professional writing. I have no interest in mind control.

Buy: The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking Like a Professional (print)

Rating: 5 Treasure Chests

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Review: C. Y. A.: Covert Youth Agency: The Sext Crime by Jason Ancona

First Mate Keira — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:59:28 +0000

by First Mate Keira

Title: The Sext Crime: C.Y.A.: Covert Youth Agency (Volume 2)
Author: Jason Ancona
Format: Digital ebook
Page Count: 280 pages
Grade Reading Level: Ages 8-14

Summary: When senior class presidential candidate, Meredith, is blackmailed into quitting the election race, she gets her best friend and campaign manager to contact the C.Y.A. (Covert Youth Angency). Peter "Pi" Samuels and his friends (Delilah Lightman and Ben "Tollhouse" Gaw), run the C.Y.A. and in this second installment face challenges they’re unprepared to handle. Trenton High School is a hotbed of trouble just waiting to explode at the least sign of disturbance.

Why I started this book:

I was given a copy by the author.

Likes:

Ancona took a real issue (sexting) amongst teens today and plugged it successfully into his story without being pious (which would turn off kids) or flippant (which would turn off adults). He uses humor to keep things light, but points out the seriousness and consequences of participating in the act.
Lightman going shopping with the girls and finding out undercover isn’t always fun. Haha.
Pi going to the dance and playing it cool with Vera and her friends.

Dislikes:

I miss the opening from Case of Tangled Love where the characters are introduced in a stylized “Case File” summary like way. I thought that was very clever and quickly brought readers into the C.Y.A as if they were agents too.
Tollhouse is a good agent for the C.Y.A. but I’m concerned by his chameleon behavior. He caves easily to situations and suggestions to blend into the group. I hope one day he’ll join a group and change them for the better, because essentially he’s a good kid.

Last Minute Thoughts: You should read The Case of Tangled Love before starting The Sext Crime as they follow each other sequentially and The Sext Crime makes references periodically to The Case of Tangled Love. Can’t wait for round three!

Buy: The Sext Crime (C.Y.A. : Covert Youth Agency)

Rating: 3.5 Treasure Chests

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Review: Debugging Tori Redding by Jason Ancona

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

Review: Boys are Dogs by Leslie Margolis

CaptainYarr — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:47:12 +0000

by Captain Lyaf Yarr

Title: Boys are Dogs
Author: Leslie Margolis
Page Count: 195
Format: Hardback
Grade Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: Annabelle is going into 6^th grade at her first coed (boys and girls) school. She and her mom move in with her mom's boyfriend (a.k.a. Dweeble), and because of the big move they get her a dog. The dog isn't trained and is a big problem, but not the only problem. The boys aren’t exactly as she imagined. In fact they're worse! Much, much, worse! Just like wild dogs. Now Annablles’ job is not only to train her new dog but to train all the boys at school.

Why I Started This Book:

I began this book because, it was on a list of books I had to read for school. I started this one first because it looked the most amusing and was the most appealing to me.

Likes:

I enjoyed reading the parts of this book when Annabelle was reading her dog training book and Leslie wrote what she was reading. I got to learn 10 times more information than if it wasn’t written.
I liked reading from Annabelle’s point of view, and getting to hear what she was thinking. She sounded like my idea of a 6^th grader starting a new school. I could have been her friend.
I liked this book because Annabelle is in 6^th grade, and so am I. So while I was reading I could relate to her problems as if they were my own. Well, maybe not all, as I've always been in coed schooling.

Dislikes:

I didn’t like the ending. Why you ask? Well it wasn’t exactly how I thought it would end, and I thought there was a better alternative.

Buy: Boys Are Dogs (paperback)

Book Rating: I give this book 4 treasure cheats! It interested me the whole time I was reading. It was fun reading what someone else thinks about boys. I would like to read Leslie’s other book called "Girls Acting Catty."

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30 Book Series for Boys You Shouldn’t Miss, Part 3