Jinx

Jinx (Jinx #1)

by Sage Blackwood

3.5 stars

368 pages 
Published Jan. 8, 2013 by HarperCollins
 
This a fabulous little fantasy adventure for those kids in the middle grades. It has magic, apprentices, lessons on love and loyalty, and myriad other life lessons. The writing is spot-on for the intended audience - no cumbersome words that force kids to the dictionary - although sometimes that isn't a bad thing. When I was a kid, my parents gave me a dictionary for my birthday so I'd quite bugging them with the question "What does this word mean?"

If you have a kiddo looking for a new adventure fantasy book, this one will fit the bill nicely. No swearing or bad stuff.

I'll be reading the next in the series.

A World Without Heroes

A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1)

by Brandon Mull

4 stars

 

457 pages

Published Mar. 15, 2011 by Aladdin (first published Mar. 1, 2011)

 

For a juvenile fiction book, this one is fantastic. My 10-year-old was recommended this book by her friend, and she LOVED it! It's got action, adventure, a quest, puzzles, some gross stuff - all things that my kid loves. I also enjoyed it.

She's now well into the second one.

Let me just tell you, it warms my heart to see my kid reading a nice, fat book.

The Friday Society

The Friday Society

by Adrienne Kress

4 stars

440 pages

Published Dec. 6, 2012 by Dial 

 

 

I wavered between giving this 3 or 4 stars. I really liked how these girls - assistants to "great" men - branch out, join up and kick butt. They each used their unique abilities to fight the bad guys and save the world (well, London anyway). I also love steampunk, and there was a bit of that included inside.

I did wish the characters were a little better developed and that not so much emphasis was placed on their looks.

I did enjoy the twist at the end. The bad guy wasn't who I thought it was at all.

I appreciated the fast pace and adventures presented. But the writing was a bit weak. I almost gave up on the book in the first chapter because the voice was annoying. It got better, thankfully.

Mild swearing, no sex. So I can recommend.

Born of Illusion

Born of Illusion (Born of Illusion #1)

by Teri Brown

4 stars

373 pages

Published June 11, 2013 by Balzer & Bray

Thankfully, this can be read as is - I can almost consider it a stand-alone book. The writing was good enough that I was compelled to read the novel in two sittings.

I liked that the heroine was struggling between what she knew to be right and what she knew she needed to do to survive.

It was a bit predictable at the end. The bad guy was exactly who I thought it was going to be.

There is some mild swearing and some forays into the occult.

I am looking forward to read the next in the series.

Inheritance

Inheritance (The Inheritance Cycle #4)

by Christopher Paolini

2 stars

860 pages

Published Nov. 8, 2011 by Alfred A. Knop

 

What a boring book. Which makes me sad and a bit mad that I spent how many hours reading and reading, just to get to an "eh" ending. But do you know what really irks me?? All the freakin' loose ends!!! Who was Angela, really? Who was the woman with the sword-fighting teen-age girl? What happens to Elva when she grows up? What about the dragons? Do Eragon and Arya ever get together? Did Jeod ever get to ride Saphira? And what happens to King Orrin? Oh, sooo many loose ends ...
This book would greatly be improved with a lengthy epilogue. An EPILOGUE, I say!!!

Brisingr

Brisingr (The Inheritance Cycle #3)

by Christopher Paolini

3 stars

763 pages

Published Sept. 20, 2008 by Alfred A. Knopf

 

I re-read this book, and I have to agree with my first review of this book. SOOOOO slow!! And nothing of true substance happens. Honestly, this book could use some major condensing.

This was the slowest paced book of the three I've read. Lots of character development, but not much actually happening. I counted two battle scenes, which was far too little to keep me happy! I hope the last book will be a bit more of a page-turner.

The Accidental Sorcerer

The Accidental Sorcerer (Rogue Agent #1)

by K.E. Mills

1.5 stars

535 pages

Published Jan. 1, 2009 by Orbit (first published 2008)

 

 

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I was excited when it started out so great: humble magician gets a Bruce Banner-type zap and taps into huge reservoir of magic to become a super-sorcerer. Cool.
But then I started getting into the meat of the story - and it was flimsy. I wanted steak ...nah, a hamburger would have done, but all I got was tofu. Plain.

Blech.

My biggest complaint was the writing. Everything was italicized. It got annoying. The characters would talk to each other so intensely, but NOTHING was really said. (Note to authors ... overuse of italics is ANNOYING!!) And if you're British, the swearing was off the charts. And unnecessary. It did nothing to further the story.

And the characters ... ugh! The only one I even slightly liked was Monk. He was smart and funny - and mostly absent from the story, so he didn't have time to bug me! I despised Reg (the bird) intensely. She had nothing positive to say, ever. And Princess Melissande - the poster child for denial. Unlikeable characters, all. Even the minor characters were hateful.

I will not be reading anymore in this series.

Sorcerers of the Nightwing

Sorcerers of the Nightwing (The Ravenscliff #1)

by Geoffrey Huntington

3.5 stars

421 pages

Published June 18, 2013 as an ebook by Diversion Books (originally published in 2002)

  

So I got done reading this a few days ago, and it’s been stewing in my brain ever since – invading my dreams (nay, nightmares).  I’m trying to figure out just what I liked so much about this book, since it’s not the type of book I read regularly. It’s all dark and twisty and slightly disturbing. But occasionally, I am in the mood for something like this, especially after reading something super-saccharine, like Debbie Macomber.

This edition is a re-release of  the 1^st edition, published in 2002 – and the cover of that book is deeply disturbing (and the reason I hate clowns). Had I seen that cover first, I probably wouldn’t have picked up the book. The revamped cover is less disturbing but still has a good creepy vibe to it – it will attract more readers, in my opinion. 

Sorcerers of the Nightwing is YA horror/paranormal at it’s best. The gloomy atmosphere, gross (but not gory) corpses/ghosts and town names like Misery Point add to its appeal. 

 

Teens who grew up on Goosebumps and who want a little more “creep factor” in their books will find this novel to their liking. It’s the next step in the horror progression, with Stephen King as reigning king. It is NOT a Juvenile Fiction book, though. It’s targeted towards older teens.

So a solid 3.5 stars – I docked it because pacing was a bit slow at times and the ending was confusing. Plus, a bit more background/development of the characters would have been helpful. But it is #1 in the Ravenscliff series, so more of that is probably in the successive books. Also, I HATE cliffhanger endings.

Thank you NetGalley and Diversion Books for the opportunity to review this book.

Eragon

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1)

by Christopher Paolini

4 stars 

503 pages

Published Apr. 2005, by Knopf Books for Young Readers (first published Feb. 1, 2002)  

 

I reread this book over the course of a week, and enjoyed it again. Though, now that I'm older and know the storyline, I could focus on the writing and technical aspects of the book. And although I still can't believe it was written by a teenager (what teen has the patience to write a 500 page book?), I can see a bit of immaturity in the writing style. Not that that's a wholly bad thing. It just is.
I may wait a little bit to reread the 2nd book. There's only so much fantasy I can take.

The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons

The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons

by Barbara Mariconda

2 stars

224 pages

Published Oct. 2, 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books

 

This is most definitely written as a kids' book, but the content - parents drowning and evil relatives and child abuse - was decidedly not kid-appropriate. I did like the magic angle, but the denouement was ridiculously outlandish. There will obviously be a second book, and I will NOT be reading it.

The Pyramid of Souls (Magickeepers #2)

The Pyramid of Souls (Magickeepers #2)

by Erica Kirov

2 stars

163 pages

 

I was quite a bit disappointed in this book. For such a short book (less than 200 pages), you'd think that the action/plot would be roaring from the start, but alas, with "The Pyramid of Souls," it does not.

In fact, it take half the book for any semblance of plot to kick in. And the problem/solution was exactly the same as in the first book. I hate cookie-cutter books, and this one was definitely one. I will not be reading any more in the series.

The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1)

The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1)

by Jacqueline West

3 stars

224 pages
 
For a children's book, this was very dark. And scary. And creepy. I don't think I'd let my 10 year old read it - although she does like those Goosebumps books, so maybe.
One positive is that the story can stand alone. There is no silly cliffhanger at the conclusion, but there are some loose ends that can be tied up in another book.
I doubt, though, that I'll read the next books in the series. I just wasn't super impressed.

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3)

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3)

by Kelley Armstrong

2 stars

What a disappointing ending to a series that had such potential.
What was the point of the changing colors of the crystal? Where had Mr. Bae been all that time? Didn't he ever try and get in touch with his sons? What about Chloe's dad? What about her mom?
Is Rae really gone with her mother? What happened there? What a sloppy end to a character's story.
Too many questions left unanswered. Too many plot lines dropped.

The Eternal Hourglass (Magickeepers #1)

The Eternal Hourglass (Magickeepers #1)

by Erica Kirov

4 stars

 

If you or your kiddo are looking for a fun, exciting "magic" novel, this is a fantastic choice. No swearing or sex.
Nicolai turns 13 and is whisked into a world of real magicians - his family. He starts learning how to do real magic (which I wish had been explored further), then faces the dark magician Rasputin.
I quite enjoyed the Russian angle - I haven't read any JUV/YA literature that contains this. I love learning about new things, and this just starts to touch on a vast new area!
Plus it's on the short side, so it was a quick read. I'll be reading the next in the series.