1 to 20 of 1153 -
Page:
Review Date: 9/17/2009
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I wasn't sure what to expect when I got this book. It is definitely a children's chapter book; it took me maybe 20 minutes to read. Overall though it was a very good read.
This book tells the somewhat classic tale of a princess locked up by her evil father. Any price who comes to woo the princess is given an impossible task to perform, in order to win her hand in marriage. That is until a minstrel comes along and with the help of an elven/dwarfish prankster, tricks the old king in his own game.
This was a great classic fairy tale with some humorous quirks thrown. It is cleverly written and would sound wonderful read out-loud. The characters are a bit stereo-typed but each have their own unique quirks. There is a sharp sense of humor throughout the book. The pictures throughout are down in a dark medieval style that somehow still has a bit of humor in it.
Overall I think everyone would enjoy this book; no matter what your age. Kids will enjoy the castles, knights, and general fairy tale aspects of it; adults will enjoy the clever word play and interesting plot. I am glad I read it and it is a book that I will keep on my shelf to read to my son when he gets old enough to sit still for 30 minutes at a time :-)"
This book tells the somewhat classic tale of a princess locked up by her evil father. Any price who comes to woo the princess is given an impossible task to perform, in order to win her hand in marriage. That is until a minstrel comes along and with the help of an elven/dwarfish prankster, tricks the old king in his own game.
This was a great classic fairy tale with some humorous quirks thrown. It is cleverly written and would sound wonderful read out-loud. The characters are a bit stereo-typed but each have their own unique quirks. There is a sharp sense of humor throughout the book. The pictures throughout are down in a dark medieval style that somehow still has a bit of humor in it.
Overall I think everyone would enjoy this book; no matter what your age. Kids will enjoy the castles, knights, and general fairy tale aspects of it; adults will enjoy the clever word play and interesting plot. I am glad I read it and it is a book that I will keep on my shelf to read to my son when he gets old enough to sit still for 30 minutes at a time :-)"
Review Date: 1/12/2013
"I have read a few of Peter Clines books (Ex-Heroes and Ex-Patriots) and enjoyed them. I was eager to see what this new book was about. This was a very well done mystery/thriller/sci-fi/paranormal read. It is completely engaging and really keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.
I got a copy of this to listen to on audiobook. The audiobook was very, very well done. I enjoyed listening to this even more than I think I would have enjoyed reading it.
Nate has a bad job and no girlfriend and needs a new place to live after his roommates move out. One of his buddies from work tells him about this apartment that is a great deal. Nate calls and there just happens to be a unit available. It's super cheap, clean, and utilities are included. It seems like a dream come true until Nate notices strange things...like the glowing green cockroaches, the kitchen light that turns every light bulb into a black light, and the padlocks on apartment 14. Nate is drying to unravel the mystery...but at what cost?
This was a very well done and creepy book about a strange apartment that has secrets within it that are centuries old. The mystery is built slowly over time and is absolutely engaging. The characters are just regular people...kind of. As Nate talks to his neighbors he starts finding out that everyone has a few strange things in their apartment.
I really enjoyed watching the characters investigate all of the strange things they found and enjoyed how they had to piece everything together. You just never knew what "strange" thing would pop up next. Then you were forced to try and figure out how the heck it fit in with all the other strange things.
The mystery is absolutely engrossing. It was so hard to stop reading this story.
The characters are all great too. In the beginning they all seem like just normal people with not a lot of money who are dependent on the low rent the apartment building offers. As the book continues you find out they all have special skill sets and these skill sets may be exactly what is needed to unravel all these secrets.
The book is well written and easy to read. It's a blend of lot of different genres; thriller, paranormal, sci-fi, steampunk. I am not going to say a lot more about the plot because it would ruin the story.
Overall I absolutely loved this book. The mystery is so well done and makes it impossible to put the book down. The characters are just ordinary people put into an extraordinary scenario where they have to use the skills they are best at to solve this mystery. Really really loved this one. I am eager to see what Clines writes about next."
I got a copy of this to listen to on audiobook. The audiobook was very, very well done. I enjoyed listening to this even more than I think I would have enjoyed reading it.
Nate has a bad job and no girlfriend and needs a new place to live after his roommates move out. One of his buddies from work tells him about this apartment that is a great deal. Nate calls and there just happens to be a unit available. It's super cheap, clean, and utilities are included. It seems like a dream come true until Nate notices strange things...like the glowing green cockroaches, the kitchen light that turns every light bulb into a black light, and the padlocks on apartment 14. Nate is drying to unravel the mystery...but at what cost?
This was a very well done and creepy book about a strange apartment that has secrets within it that are centuries old. The mystery is built slowly over time and is absolutely engaging. The characters are just regular people...kind of. As Nate talks to his neighbors he starts finding out that everyone has a few strange things in their apartment.
I really enjoyed watching the characters investigate all of the strange things they found and enjoyed how they had to piece everything together. You just never knew what "strange" thing would pop up next. Then you were forced to try and figure out how the heck it fit in with all the other strange things.
The mystery is absolutely engrossing. It was so hard to stop reading this story.
The characters are all great too. In the beginning they all seem like just normal people with not a lot of money who are dependent on the low rent the apartment building offers. As the book continues you find out they all have special skill sets and these skill sets may be exactly what is needed to unravel all these secrets.
The book is well written and easy to read. It's a blend of lot of different genres; thriller, paranormal, sci-fi, steampunk. I am not going to say a lot more about the plot because it would ruin the story.
Overall I absolutely loved this book. The mystery is so well done and makes it impossible to put the book down. The characters are just ordinary people put into an extraordinary scenario where they have to use the skills they are best at to solve this mystery. Really really loved this one. I am eager to see what Clines writes about next."
Review Date: 6/17/2010
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I have previously read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Grahame-Smith and enjoyed it. So when I saw this book released I was interested in reading it. I listened to this on audio book which I wouldn't recommend. The narrator and Abraham Lincoln have similar voices so it is hard to tell when they switch, also I didn't get to benefit from any of the pictures that the book has. Overall it was a well done book, although it was more of a biography than a story.
I am not a huge Abraham Lincoln fan but I have read a couple books about him so I knew some of his background. Grahame-Smith has done a very good job of adding vampires to Abe Lincoln's story without hugely altering Lincoln's past. The audio book had a short interview at the end and I agree with what Grahame-Smith said when he mentioned that Abe Lincoln's history hardly needs vampires added to be incredibly interesting. The book itself switches between a narrator and actual entries from Lincoln's journals.
Saying that vampires came to the USA because of the slave trade is an interesting idea and was a good way to tie in vampirism with slavery. Grahame-Smith did a good job of making Lincoln's story very personable and he really featured what happened with Lincoln's family more than I had read in previous books. The inclusion of Lincoln's family made this book much more engaging than it would have been otherwise.
The only thing that bothered me is that I was expected more of a story about Lincoln and vampires and what I got was more of a biography. At times it got a bit boring, I didn't really want to listen to a biography. I also thought that the part added on after Lincoln's assassination was odd; but after thinking about it for a while I think it was appropriate to the rest of the story.
Overall this book is well done and interesting. Not something I would read again, but interesting all the same. You can really tell Grahame-Smith did his research and he did a good job integrating vampires with Lincoln's life story. Just be warned that this is a biography and reads more like that than a fiction novel."
I am not a huge Abraham Lincoln fan but I have read a couple books about him so I knew some of his background. Grahame-Smith has done a very good job of adding vampires to Abe Lincoln's story without hugely altering Lincoln's past. The audio book had a short interview at the end and I agree with what Grahame-Smith said when he mentioned that Abe Lincoln's history hardly needs vampires added to be incredibly interesting. The book itself switches between a narrator and actual entries from Lincoln's journals.
Saying that vampires came to the USA because of the slave trade is an interesting idea and was a good way to tie in vampirism with slavery. Grahame-Smith did a good job of making Lincoln's story very personable and he really featured what happened with Lincoln's family more than I had read in previous books. The inclusion of Lincoln's family made this book much more engaging than it would have been otherwise.
The only thing that bothered me is that I was expected more of a story about Lincoln and vampires and what I got was more of a biography. At times it got a bit boring, I didn't really want to listen to a biography. I also thought that the part added on after Lincoln's assassination was odd; but after thinking about it for a while I think it was appropriate to the rest of the story.
Overall this book is well done and interesting. Not something I would read again, but interesting all the same. You can really tell Grahame-Smith did his research and he did a good job integrating vampires with Lincoln's life story. Just be warned that this is a biography and reads more like that than a fiction novel."
Review Date: 6/17/2010
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I have previously read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Grahame-Smith and enjoyed it. So when I saw this book released I was interested in reading it. I listened to this on audio book which I wouldn't recommend. The narrator and Abraham Lincoln have similar voices so it is hard to tell when they switch, also I didn't get to benefit from any of the pictures that the book has. Overall it was a well done book, although it was more of a biography than a story.
I am not a huge Abraham Lincoln fan but I have read a couple books about him so I knew some of his background. Grahame-Smith has done a very good job of adding vampires to Abe Lincoln's story without hugely altering Lincoln's past. The audio book had a short interview at the end and I agree with what Grahame-Smith said when he mentioned that Abe Lincoln's history hardly needs vampires added to be incredibly interesting. The book itself switches between a narrator and actual entries from Lincoln's journals.
Saying that vampires came to the USA because of the slave trade is an interesting idea and was a good way to tie in vampirism with slavery. Grahame-Smith did a good job of making Lincoln's story very personable and he really featured what happened with Lincoln's family more than I had read in previous books. The inclusion of Lincoln's family made this book much more engaging than it would have been otherwise.
The only thing that bothered me is that I was expected more of a story about Lincoln and vampires and what I got was more of a biography. At times it got a bit boring, I didn't really want to listen to a biography. I also thought that the part added on after Lincoln's assassination was odd; but after thinking about it for a while I think it was appropriate to the rest of the story.
Overall this book is well done and interesting. Not something I would read again, but interesting all the same. You can really tell Grahame-Smith did his research and he did a good job integrating vampires with Lincoln's life story. Just be warned that this is a biography and reads more like that than a fiction novel."
I am not a huge Abraham Lincoln fan but I have read a couple books about him so I knew some of his background. Grahame-Smith has done a very good job of adding vampires to Abe Lincoln's story without hugely altering Lincoln's past. The audio book had a short interview at the end and I agree with what Grahame-Smith said when he mentioned that Abe Lincoln's history hardly needs vampires added to be incredibly interesting. The book itself switches between a narrator and actual entries from Lincoln's journals.
Saying that vampires came to the USA because of the slave trade is an interesting idea and was a good way to tie in vampirism with slavery. Grahame-Smith did a good job of making Lincoln's story very personable and he really featured what happened with Lincoln's family more than I had read in previous books. The inclusion of Lincoln's family made this book much more engaging than it would have been otherwise.
The only thing that bothered me is that I was expected more of a story about Lincoln and vampires and what I got was more of a biography. At times it got a bit boring, I didn't really want to listen to a biography. I also thought that the part added on after Lincoln's assassination was odd; but after thinking about it for a while I think it was appropriate to the rest of the story.
Overall this book is well done and interesting. Not something I would read again, but interesting all the same. You can really tell Grahame-Smith did his research and he did a good job integrating vampires with Lincoln's life story. Just be warned that this is a biography and reads more like that than a fiction novel."
Review Date: 4/16/2013
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I got a copy of this book to review through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. Thanks to Chronicles Books and Librarything for giving me a chance to review this book. This was an interesting, engaging and short read.
Paige is dead after slipping off the roof of her high school during physics class. She finds herself haunting the high school with two other ghosts, a girl named Brooke and a boy name Evan. When rumors start circulating that Paige's death was a suicide, not an accident, Paige decides theses rumors must stop. When she finds she can possess her classmates she decides to take drastic measures to correct the rumors.
Paige isn't a nice character. She is selfish and ignorant, and does a number of seedy things as a ghost to take revenge on those who have hurt her. That doesn't mean she's evil...it just means she is a ghost and confused and in pain. She is your pretty typical teenager...except she's dead.
The irony behind it all is that sometimes when she takes over people and makes them do things they wouldn't normally end up doing....welll....their lives actually end up a bit better.
This story however isn't all about Paige and her revenge. Isn't it strange that so many kids have died at one high school? There is something going on at this high school and it is up to Paige and her ghost friends to figure it out before more students die.
This was a quick read. It was engaging and decently written. One of those books that you breeze through and think, huh, well that was interesting. There isn't a lot that's super original here, but it is well done. The book also does a good job of exploring the high school landscape and the cruelties that happen there.
The story touches on a number of teenage issues; suicide, GLBT issues, bullying, and stereotyping. For the most part it does just that...touches...none of these issues are really explored in depth.
Overall a good read. It's super short, but I enjoyed it. It's an engaging story that moves quickly and has a couple good twists in the plot. Recommended to those who like high school haunting types of stories."
Paige is dead after slipping off the roof of her high school during physics class. She finds herself haunting the high school with two other ghosts, a girl named Brooke and a boy name Evan. When rumors start circulating that Paige's death was a suicide, not an accident, Paige decides theses rumors must stop. When she finds she can possess her classmates she decides to take drastic measures to correct the rumors.
Paige isn't a nice character. She is selfish and ignorant, and does a number of seedy things as a ghost to take revenge on those who have hurt her. That doesn't mean she's evil...it just means she is a ghost and confused and in pain. She is your pretty typical teenager...except she's dead.
The irony behind it all is that sometimes when she takes over people and makes them do things they wouldn't normally end up doing....welll....their lives actually end up a bit better.
This story however isn't all about Paige and her revenge. Isn't it strange that so many kids have died at one high school? There is something going on at this high school and it is up to Paige and her ghost friends to figure it out before more students die.
This was a quick read. It was engaging and decently written. One of those books that you breeze through and think, huh, well that was interesting. There isn't a lot that's super original here, but it is well done. The book also does a good job of exploring the high school landscape and the cruelties that happen there.
The story touches on a number of teenage issues; suicide, GLBT issues, bullying, and stereotyping. For the most part it does just that...touches...none of these issues are really explored in depth.
Overall a good read. It's super short, but I enjoyed it. It's an engaging story that moves quickly and has a couple good twists in the plot. Recommended to those who like high school haunting types of stories."
Review Date: 5/11/2010
"I read Paper Towns by Green and absolutely loved it. So, I decided to read his previous books as well. This was a great coming-of-age/road trip story that was quirky and entertaining. A highly recommended read. I did like Paper Towns a bit better than this book, but this book was still a great read.
Colin is a child prodigy; he learned to read at an incredibly early age, knows a magnitude of strange random facts, and is constantly anagramming in his head. He also has a quirky thing for Katherines; he has dated 19 of them and been dumped by them all. After being dumped by Katherine 19 he has fallen into a funk; his buddy Hassan decides what Colin needs is a road trip. So off they go on a road trip. Colin is determined to use the time on the road to develop a mathematical theorem that will predict how long a relationship will last.
This was a fun read. Full of interesting footnotes and quirky mathematical equations; as well as interesting characters. All of the characters are exceedingly well done. Green's writing is superb. He does a great job of putting a lot of interesting facts, a lot of quirkiness, great humor, and some coming of age lessons into this interesting read.
The book was very engaging; I never got bored. I liked all the funny facts that Colin knew, I also enjoyed Colin's struggle to work through the mathematics to predict the relationship equation.
There wasn't much that I didn't like about this book. But I did like Green's book Paper Towns better than this one, I think it is mainly the characters that make the difference. This book isn't quite as adventurous or mysterious as Paper Towns was. I never really liked Colin all that much, he was a bit self-centered...that made a difference in how I liked the book overall.
Overall this was a great read. I didn't like it as much as Paper Towns but it was close. I look forward to reading the only John Green book I haven't read yet "Looking for Alaska"."
Colin is a child prodigy; he learned to read at an incredibly early age, knows a magnitude of strange random facts, and is constantly anagramming in his head. He also has a quirky thing for Katherines; he has dated 19 of them and been dumped by them all. After being dumped by Katherine 19 he has fallen into a funk; his buddy Hassan decides what Colin needs is a road trip. So off they go on a road trip. Colin is determined to use the time on the road to develop a mathematical theorem that will predict how long a relationship will last.
This was a fun read. Full of interesting footnotes and quirky mathematical equations; as well as interesting characters. All of the characters are exceedingly well done. Green's writing is superb. He does a great job of putting a lot of interesting facts, a lot of quirkiness, great humor, and some coming of age lessons into this interesting read.
The book was very engaging; I never got bored. I liked all the funny facts that Colin knew, I also enjoyed Colin's struggle to work through the mathematics to predict the relationship equation.
There wasn't much that I didn't like about this book. But I did like Green's book Paper Towns better than this one, I think it is mainly the characters that make the difference. This book isn't quite as adventurous or mysterious as Paper Towns was. I never really liked Colin all that much, he was a bit self-centered...that made a difference in how I liked the book overall.
Overall this was a great read. I didn't like it as much as Paper Towns but it was close. I look forward to reading the only John Green book I haven't read yet "Looking for Alaska"."
Review Date: 7/6/2011
"I have been wanting to read this book forever and finally got it from the library. It was an intriguing book that brings up a ton of questions about the morality of genetic engineering and tries to answer the question of how far a parent would or should go to save their child.
Jenna wakes up from a one year coma not knowing who she is or what happened. She is told by the people who say they are her parents that she got in a terrible car accident and has been in a coma for a year. Her only link to the past is a box of videos from when she grew up. Now she has a grandmother who hates her, and parents who are afraid to let her leave the house. She needs answers to some questions. Who is she really? What really happened last year?
This book is written from Jenna's viewpoint. She is a fascinating character and it was wonderful to follow her as she started to regain her memories and piece together her story. Some of the revelatoions she makes throughout the story are seriously earth-shattering. I was absolutely enthralled by this book from the first sentence to the end of the book.
The side characters are just as engaging. All of them have secrets and are fighting their own struggles. Reading and watching all the mysteries unwind was a totally engaging experience.
The plot and topic matter are complex and make you think. This book brooches some seriously deep topics. For example how far would you go to save your child? How far should you go? How much of a person can be genetically re-engineered before they aren't human? How much of an original person needs to be left for that person to still be themselves? Should these things be regulated by individuals, the government, a separate entity?
I loved the epilogue and how it tied up all of the loose ends of the story. I just got the book The Fox Inheritance through the Amazon Vine program so I look forward to reading that book as well.
Overall just an excellent and mind-blowing story. It gives you so much to think about and was such a great read. I loved this story and think everyone should read it. It is appropriate for young adult and older. Hopefully The Fox Inheritance will be just as awesome."
Jenna wakes up from a one year coma not knowing who she is or what happened. She is told by the people who say they are her parents that she got in a terrible car accident and has been in a coma for a year. Her only link to the past is a box of videos from when she grew up. Now she has a grandmother who hates her, and parents who are afraid to let her leave the house. She needs answers to some questions. Who is she really? What really happened last year?
This book is written from Jenna's viewpoint. She is a fascinating character and it was wonderful to follow her as she started to regain her memories and piece together her story. Some of the revelatoions she makes throughout the story are seriously earth-shattering. I was absolutely enthralled by this book from the first sentence to the end of the book.
The side characters are just as engaging. All of them have secrets and are fighting their own struggles. Reading and watching all the mysteries unwind was a totally engaging experience.
The plot and topic matter are complex and make you think. This book brooches some seriously deep topics. For example how far would you go to save your child? How far should you go? How much of a person can be genetically re-engineered before they aren't human? How much of an original person needs to be left for that person to still be themselves? Should these things be regulated by individuals, the government, a separate entity?
I loved the epilogue and how it tied up all of the loose ends of the story. I just got the book The Fox Inheritance through the Amazon Vine program so I look forward to reading that book as well.
Overall just an excellent and mind-blowing story. It gives you so much to think about and was such a great read. I loved this story and think everyone should read it. It is appropriate for young adult and older. Hopefully The Fox Inheritance will be just as awesome."
Review Date: 2/22/2011
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I am a fan of Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and have read all of the other books that she has written and enjoyed them. When I heard that she had written a new book, with super heroes I was stoked. I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. This was an interesting and very solid book, I enjoyed reading it.
Celia West is the daughter of two very famous super heroes but doesn't have any super powers herself. As such, she is frequently kidnapped (to the point where is it almost boring) to be used against her parents. She has tried very hard to lead a life of her own and has been fairly successful at it. When an old foe of her parents', The Destructor, is up for trial she gets pulled into the whole mess again as she is called both to help with the trial through her work and to testify. Celia did something when she was younger, something that was wrong, and she has been atoning for it her whole life. Now with crime on the rise again and the Destructor's trial coming up; it looks like Celia will be in the thick of it all again...no matter how hard she tries to stay out of it.
This was a very well done book. The characters are likable and easy to relate too. Celia is very down to earth, yet determined to do what's right. I was impressed with her determination and steadfastness. The side characters in the book are well done, if not exceptional, and make for a good story.
The plot of the book was well done and has some great twists in it. This ends up being more of a mystery than anything. I did like how the plot has some focus around what happens to super heroes as they decline and I liked how there was also focus around how you can be a super hero without powers.
The story gets a bit cliched at points, for example using the old "radiation gave us our powers" plot device, but for this story it works. My only other issue is that at times the writing style comes across as a bit too straight-forward and simplistic for me; but that is a small quip since I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The story wraps up nicely and I doubt we will see more books featuring Celia; although I wouldn't rule out more books set in this world. I have been finding that Vaughn always writes very solid books that are enjoyable reads. They are never exceptional and never blow me away; but they are always a solid read and I am always glad I took the time to read them.
Overall an excellent read. Loved the super hero plot elements and how Celia deals with everything even though she is powerless (so to speak). Some nice plot twists, the characters are well done and likable. If you like super heroes, or like reading about a normal person struggling in a world of powerful people this is the book for you. I will definitely be reading Vaughn's future books."
Celia West is the daughter of two very famous super heroes but doesn't have any super powers herself. As such, she is frequently kidnapped (to the point where is it almost boring) to be used against her parents. She has tried very hard to lead a life of her own and has been fairly successful at it. When an old foe of her parents', The Destructor, is up for trial she gets pulled into the whole mess again as she is called both to help with the trial through her work and to testify. Celia did something when she was younger, something that was wrong, and she has been atoning for it her whole life. Now with crime on the rise again and the Destructor's trial coming up; it looks like Celia will be in the thick of it all again...no matter how hard she tries to stay out of it.
This was a very well done book. The characters are likable and easy to relate too. Celia is very down to earth, yet determined to do what's right. I was impressed with her determination and steadfastness. The side characters in the book are well done, if not exceptional, and make for a good story.
The plot of the book was well done and has some great twists in it. This ends up being more of a mystery than anything. I did like how the plot has some focus around what happens to super heroes as they decline and I liked how there was also focus around how you can be a super hero without powers.
The story gets a bit cliched at points, for example using the old "radiation gave us our powers" plot device, but for this story it works. My only other issue is that at times the writing style comes across as a bit too straight-forward and simplistic for me; but that is a small quip since I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The story wraps up nicely and I doubt we will see more books featuring Celia; although I wouldn't rule out more books set in this world. I have been finding that Vaughn always writes very solid books that are enjoyable reads. They are never exceptional and never blow me away; but they are always a solid read and I am always glad I took the time to read them.
Overall an excellent read. Loved the super hero plot elements and how Celia deals with everything even though she is powerless (so to speak). Some nice plot twists, the characters are well done and likable. If you like super heroes, or like reading about a normal person struggling in a world of powerful people this is the book for you. I will definitely be reading Vaughn's future books."
Review Date: 12/13/2010
"I got a copy of this book through Around the World ARC Tours. I was eager to read this conclusion to the Evernight series. It was a great book and concluded the series well; a lot happens in this book and there is more action than in previous books.
The third book left us at a total cliffhanger; Bianca had turned Wraith and Lucas is left for dead. Bianca has to decide to let Lucas live or to turn him. The decision happens in the first couple pages of the book (so I am not spoiling it here). Unfortunately Lucas is one of the hungry vampires and every day is a struggle for him; him and Bianca return to Evernight where Lucas seeks sanctuary. Miss Bethany eagerly grants him sanctuary, but there are other problems. Evernight is like a trap for Bianca, Bianca is being pressured by the wraiths to fulfill a higher purpose, and Miss Bethany has a dark plan afoot.
If you have read the other books in the series then you have to read this book. The third book, Hourglass, leaves you in a horrible place but this book does an excellent job resolving that.
Most of the book takes place back at Evernight as the character struggle to figure out the link between Miss Bethany and the Wraiths. All the characters that you love and adore are back and wonderful. The plot was fantastic, engaging and kept you guessing as to how everything would turn out.
There were a couple plot elements that I truly enjoyed I loved learning more about the Wraiths, how they work, and what there purpose is. I loved learning about what made Bianca special as someone who was basically born Wraith. The combination of powers between the Vampires and Wraiths and how they are interconnected was fascinating. The way everything is tied together and resolved at the end was clever and satisfying.
There were a couple small things that bugged me a bit. The pace of this novel is pretty deliberate, it is better than the first couple, but still slow. I am pretty resigned to this at this point because I think it is just how this author writes. Also some things revolving around Charity remain unresolved at the end of the book and I was hoping for some clearer resolution there.
Overall I think fans of this series will be very happy. It is an enjoyable read, very creative, nice plot twists, and an excellent ending to this series. If you are a fan of this series, pick up this book as soon as it releases!"
The third book left us at a total cliffhanger; Bianca had turned Wraith and Lucas is left for dead. Bianca has to decide to let Lucas live or to turn him. The decision happens in the first couple pages of the book (so I am not spoiling it here). Unfortunately Lucas is one of the hungry vampires and every day is a struggle for him; him and Bianca return to Evernight where Lucas seeks sanctuary. Miss Bethany eagerly grants him sanctuary, but there are other problems. Evernight is like a trap for Bianca, Bianca is being pressured by the wraiths to fulfill a higher purpose, and Miss Bethany has a dark plan afoot.
If you have read the other books in the series then you have to read this book. The third book, Hourglass, leaves you in a horrible place but this book does an excellent job resolving that.
Most of the book takes place back at Evernight as the character struggle to figure out the link between Miss Bethany and the Wraiths. All the characters that you love and adore are back and wonderful. The plot was fantastic, engaging and kept you guessing as to how everything would turn out.
There were a couple plot elements that I truly enjoyed I loved learning more about the Wraiths, how they work, and what there purpose is. I loved learning about what made Bianca special as someone who was basically born Wraith. The combination of powers between the Vampires and Wraiths and how they are interconnected was fascinating. The way everything is tied together and resolved at the end was clever and satisfying.
There were a couple small things that bugged me a bit. The pace of this novel is pretty deliberate, it is better than the first couple, but still slow. I am pretty resigned to this at this point because I think it is just how this author writes. Also some things revolving around Charity remain unresolved at the end of the book and I was hoping for some clearer resolution there.
Overall I think fans of this series will be very happy. It is an enjoyable read, very creative, nice plot twists, and an excellent ending to this series. If you are a fan of this series, pick up this book as soon as it releases!"
Review Date: 6/27/2010
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I love fairy tale retellings, so I was excited to read this modern day retelling of Snow White. This ended up being an okay book but definitely didn't blow me away. The book was fairly engaging but not all that fairy tale like; I found the interpretation of the fairy tale to be a bit bizarre.
Megan's life changed as a result of a horrible car crash. Her father is in a coma, her mom is obsessed with doing dancing routines with their dog, and Megan is haunted by the ghost of her twin sister Remy. When Megan's boyfriend Ryan gets a job with his best friend Samantha to work at The Land of Enchantment (a fairy tale themed amusement park); Megan decides to get a job there too in order to keep on eye on Ryan and his supposed "friendship" with Samantha. Once Megan accepts the job things start getting bizarre. Remy's ghost really starts cranking up the heat and showing Megan gory and bizarre images; then Megan meets Luke who can also see Remy's ghost. Megan also meets the overly jealous Ari. Now it is up to Megan to figure out what Remy wants before things get out of hand and people start dying.
The premise of this novel is a bit bizarre. Just the fact that Megan gets a job with her boyfriend because she doesn't trust him doesn't make her a very likable character. The whole point of this book is to show how jealousy can destroy a person and it does that in spades. Oh and also supposedly there is a curse that involves a magic mirror that has been influencing Ari's family.
The writing is pretty average and the book itself is fairly engaging. I never really got bored with it but the plot is a bit confused. First Megan is trying to figure out what Remy is trying to tell her, then she is convinced that letting her dad die is the way to get Remy of her case. Somehow this all leads up to a serial killer being on the loose. Woven into all this is a lot of teenage angsting about how Megan should be faithful to Ryan even though she has the hots for Luke and Ryan obviously wants to get with Samantha anyway. I personally don't get into all the teenage relationship blather, but that is probably because I am not a teenager anymore...actually I don't think I got into when I was a teenager either...
The characterization is okay, I liked Luke a lot but the rest of the characters are pretty grey in tone.
Overall the book was okay. It was a fairly engaging read and was interesting. It was not at all fairy-tale like but was done more like a ghost/serial killer murder mystery kind of thing. It was actually pretty creepy at parts. It loosely ties into the Snow White story. Everything about this book was just okay. If you are into murder mysteries and fairy tale retellings you might really enjoy this book. I personally didn't love it and won't be reading anything else by Marrone. I would recommend Beastly by Alex Flinn or Briar Rose by Jane Yolen if you are into modern day fairy tale retellings that actually stick with the fairy tale and have some depth of meaning to them."
Megan's life changed as a result of a horrible car crash. Her father is in a coma, her mom is obsessed with doing dancing routines with their dog, and Megan is haunted by the ghost of her twin sister Remy. When Megan's boyfriend Ryan gets a job with his best friend Samantha to work at The Land of Enchantment (a fairy tale themed amusement park); Megan decides to get a job there too in order to keep on eye on Ryan and his supposed "friendship" with Samantha. Once Megan accepts the job things start getting bizarre. Remy's ghost really starts cranking up the heat and showing Megan gory and bizarre images; then Megan meets Luke who can also see Remy's ghost. Megan also meets the overly jealous Ari. Now it is up to Megan to figure out what Remy wants before things get out of hand and people start dying.
The premise of this novel is a bit bizarre. Just the fact that Megan gets a job with her boyfriend because she doesn't trust him doesn't make her a very likable character. The whole point of this book is to show how jealousy can destroy a person and it does that in spades. Oh and also supposedly there is a curse that involves a magic mirror that has been influencing Ari's family.
The writing is pretty average and the book itself is fairly engaging. I never really got bored with it but the plot is a bit confused. First Megan is trying to figure out what Remy is trying to tell her, then she is convinced that letting her dad die is the way to get Remy of her case. Somehow this all leads up to a serial killer being on the loose. Woven into all this is a lot of teenage angsting about how Megan should be faithful to Ryan even though she has the hots for Luke and Ryan obviously wants to get with Samantha anyway. I personally don't get into all the teenage relationship blather, but that is probably because I am not a teenager anymore...actually I don't think I got into when I was a teenager either...
The characterization is okay, I liked Luke a lot but the rest of the characters are pretty grey in tone.
Overall the book was okay. It was a fairly engaging read and was interesting. It was not at all fairy-tale like but was done more like a ghost/serial killer murder mystery kind of thing. It was actually pretty creepy at parts. It loosely ties into the Snow White story. Everything about this book was just okay. If you are into murder mysteries and fairy tale retellings you might really enjoy this book. I personally didn't love it and won't be reading anything else by Marrone. I would recommend Beastly by Alex Flinn or Briar Rose by Jane Yolen if you are into modern day fairy tale retellings that actually stick with the fairy tale and have some depth of meaning to them."
Review Date: 6/22/2012
"I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program for review. This was a creative and interesting book that combines mythology, cyberpunk, and political activism.
Alif is the name for a young Arab-Indian hacker who generally spends his days protecting his clients from surveillance and censoring. Alif has also fallen in love with young aristocratic woman. Suddenly things fall apart for Alif; his lover spurns him and the State agency known as the Hand infiltrates his system. Alif ends up on the run. He meets with his lover one last time and she gives his a strange book. Who knew that Djinn really existed? Alif is forced to flee through both our world and a magical one as he tries to stop the Hand from destroying both his work and that of his friends.
This book reminds a lot of previous books you might have read; but is a unique combination of all of these books. There is a bit of Gaiman's Neverwhere in here in how the city of the djinn is hidden within Alif's city, there are also the quirky characters and flight from unknown evil. There is a bit of Stephenson's Snow Crash in here as well, which shows in the hacking sequences and in the rebellion towards the government. This story is part mythology, part cyberpunk, and part political statement all set in the Middle East.
That being said it was different than anything I have ever read before. It gave some interesting incite into Middle Eastern politics and culture. At the same time it also references some unique mythology from that region. This is not a book you read quickly, this is a book that you need to think through...at times it gets a bit dense.
This is a creative story, as I said I've never read anything like this before. The characters are all pretty good and interesting; although this is more a plot driven story than a character driven one. I don't know a ton about the Middle East and it was incredibly interesting how the culture was blended in to the rest of the story. Practical issues, like how women eat around their veils, were mentioned in the telling; there are just a lot of interesting cultural things that I never really considered before.
Additionally this story bluntly discusses a lot of other issues in the Middle East region; repression, sexism, censorship, corruption, and separation of social casts. This ended up making the story somewhat educational, despite the fact it is a fantasy.
This is also a wonderful fantasy/urban fantasy. Alif walks in and out of the world of the djinn; it is an interesting concept and an unique world. I love how Alif discovers a new way to program that he believes he has learned from the djinn's book of stories.
My only complaints would be at times the book is a bit dense and towards the middle-end of the book I thought the pacing was a bit slow. Also, although the characters are fairly well done, they weren't characters that totally engaged me and pulled me into the story. They were interesting, but I never really cared a lot about them.
Overall an excellent urban fantasy/cyberpunk/political story. This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. I loved how Middle Eastern culture was blended into this fantasy and how we get to see some scenes of every day life. I loved even more that the mythology of this region was highly incorporated into this story. Then of course there were the glorious hacker scenes; where it is code against code to see who saves the world. My only complaints are that the story is dense (which makes it a slow read at times) and the characters were decent, yet not highly compelling. Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy/cyberpunk or for those who are just interesting in Middle Eastern culture."
Alif is the name for a young Arab-Indian hacker who generally spends his days protecting his clients from surveillance and censoring. Alif has also fallen in love with young aristocratic woman. Suddenly things fall apart for Alif; his lover spurns him and the State agency known as the Hand infiltrates his system. Alif ends up on the run. He meets with his lover one last time and she gives his a strange book. Who knew that Djinn really existed? Alif is forced to flee through both our world and a magical one as he tries to stop the Hand from destroying both his work and that of his friends.
This book reminds a lot of previous books you might have read; but is a unique combination of all of these books. There is a bit of Gaiman's Neverwhere in here in how the city of the djinn is hidden within Alif's city, there are also the quirky characters and flight from unknown evil. There is a bit of Stephenson's Snow Crash in here as well, which shows in the hacking sequences and in the rebellion towards the government. This story is part mythology, part cyberpunk, and part political statement all set in the Middle East.
That being said it was different than anything I have ever read before. It gave some interesting incite into Middle Eastern politics and culture. At the same time it also references some unique mythology from that region. This is not a book you read quickly, this is a book that you need to think through...at times it gets a bit dense.
This is a creative story, as I said I've never read anything like this before. The characters are all pretty good and interesting; although this is more a plot driven story than a character driven one. I don't know a ton about the Middle East and it was incredibly interesting how the culture was blended in to the rest of the story. Practical issues, like how women eat around their veils, were mentioned in the telling; there are just a lot of interesting cultural things that I never really considered before.
Additionally this story bluntly discusses a lot of other issues in the Middle East region; repression, sexism, censorship, corruption, and separation of social casts. This ended up making the story somewhat educational, despite the fact it is a fantasy.
This is also a wonderful fantasy/urban fantasy. Alif walks in and out of the world of the djinn; it is an interesting concept and an unique world. I love how Alif discovers a new way to program that he believes he has learned from the djinn's book of stories.
My only complaints would be at times the book is a bit dense and towards the middle-end of the book I thought the pacing was a bit slow. Also, although the characters are fairly well done, they weren't characters that totally engaged me and pulled me into the story. They were interesting, but I never really cared a lot about them.
Overall an excellent urban fantasy/cyberpunk/political story. This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. I loved how Middle Eastern culture was blended into this fantasy and how we get to see some scenes of every day life. I loved even more that the mythology of this region was highly incorporated into this story. Then of course there were the glorious hacker scenes; where it is code against code to see who saves the world. My only complaints are that the story is dense (which makes it a slow read at times) and the characters were decent, yet not highly compelling. Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy/cyberpunk or for those who are just interesting in Middle Eastern culture."
Review Date: 9/29/2011
"I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. This was a great book, well written and engaging, a little scary too. There was only one major flaw with the story that kept me from absolutely loving this book.
Max, his sister, and his mother live together in Middleton. Middleton is supposedly one of the few cities left where humanity is doing pretty well. When Max and his family come back from a funeral in Atlanta, Max notices something strange about Ally's classmates. Ally's classmates don't play, they don't laugh, they are like perfect little robots. Then Max finds out about a vaccination initiative in the school system. The children are being given vaccines that make them easier to teach; they are less likely to question things and obey everything. For now Max and his sister are safe, but it won't be long until the vaccines are given to older kids as well. Then Max and his family will have to make a choice; stay and fight, be vaccinated, or flee.
Max is a fun character. He is super smart but also a prankster and kind of obnoxious. He loves his family though, and despite all the trouble he gets in to, you can really tell. His little sister, Ally, is adorable and also a lot of fun. His mother is a strong woman but is caught between protecting her family by keeping her job and protecting her family by going against the system.
The story is easy to read and very well written, the plot was engaging and the tension was constantly building as more and more kids are vaccinated and zombiefied. It was a hard book to put down and really drew me in.
Parts of this story are very creepy; both from a kid's point of view and from a parent's point of view. The parents aren't given a choice; the vaccination is mandatory (much like most current day vaccinations) but without any science to back them up. When kids have bad reactions to the vaccination it is brushed off and ignored. When Max's mom tries to speak out against the vaccinations it is implied that she is mentally unfit to take care of her children and that if she continues to be a problem they will be taken away from her. As I said very subtly creepy and terrifying.
The book brings up a lot of issues about race (Max and his family are black), freedom of speech, and free will. There is lots to ponder and think about here.
I have one absolutely huge problem with this book that made the story very hard for me to accept. While there are a couple mummers of adults being upset by the vaccinations (one teacher bemoans the lack of creativity in his new zombified class, and Max's mom speaks out against it during an info session at school) the vast majority of adults seem pleased by it. I find this incredibly hard to believe. Knowing how protective parents are of their kids, I can not believe there isn't more retaliation. I mean happy laughing young children are turned into blank-faced robots. Seriously? Is any parent going to tolerate that?
Throughout the book most of the adults are happy that their children are so much easier to handle and take so much less energy to deal with. Really? I understand this is aimed at a middle grade crowd, but how many parents out there would accept their children being turned into robots...and not only accept it but be happy about it? I just can't accept this premise for the story; especially in the given society where people are doing fairly well and not desperately trying to eke out a living.
Another minor problem I had with this book was another thing I had trouble finding believable. How could you get a drug that would react with the majority of kids in such a way that it would make them all talk and act the same? All the kids in this book parrot each other after being vaccinated and are eerily the same. I understand a drug making kids more open to suggestions; but having them all act the same and like robots because of a drug is a bit of a stretch.
So far one major flaw, why are the parents/adults so accepting of their kids being brainwashed? Especially when it occurs in such and abrupt way over such a small amount of time. If you can suspend your disbelief of this major assumption, then this is a great book. It wraps up nicely, there could be a sequel to it, but most things are concluded well...no cliffhangers or anything.
Overall a fascinating idea and world. It is super creepy to consider schools requiring parents to zombify/vaccinate their children. I enjoyed the characters, the book was well written, and the premise was interesting. I just couldn't suspend my belief enough to buy into the fact that normal parents would applaud their children having their personalities and creative taken away; there would be more of an uproar. I also had trouble believing that a drug could make all children act and talk exactly the same way. So, while this was well-written and interesting I had a lot of trouble buying into the premise of the story. Still it was a great read; I would recommend for fans of dystopian stories."
Max, his sister, and his mother live together in Middleton. Middleton is supposedly one of the few cities left where humanity is doing pretty well. When Max and his family come back from a funeral in Atlanta, Max notices something strange about Ally's classmates. Ally's classmates don't play, they don't laugh, they are like perfect little robots. Then Max finds out about a vaccination initiative in the school system. The children are being given vaccines that make them easier to teach; they are less likely to question things and obey everything. For now Max and his sister are safe, but it won't be long until the vaccines are given to older kids as well. Then Max and his family will have to make a choice; stay and fight, be vaccinated, or flee.
Max is a fun character. He is super smart but also a prankster and kind of obnoxious. He loves his family though, and despite all the trouble he gets in to, you can really tell. His little sister, Ally, is adorable and also a lot of fun. His mother is a strong woman but is caught between protecting her family by keeping her job and protecting her family by going against the system.
The story is easy to read and very well written, the plot was engaging and the tension was constantly building as more and more kids are vaccinated and zombiefied. It was a hard book to put down and really drew me in.
Parts of this story are very creepy; both from a kid's point of view and from a parent's point of view. The parents aren't given a choice; the vaccination is mandatory (much like most current day vaccinations) but without any science to back them up. When kids have bad reactions to the vaccination it is brushed off and ignored. When Max's mom tries to speak out against the vaccinations it is implied that she is mentally unfit to take care of her children and that if she continues to be a problem they will be taken away from her. As I said very subtly creepy and terrifying.
The book brings up a lot of issues about race (Max and his family are black), freedom of speech, and free will. There is lots to ponder and think about here.
I have one absolutely huge problem with this book that made the story very hard for me to accept. While there are a couple mummers of adults being upset by the vaccinations (one teacher bemoans the lack of creativity in his new zombified class, and Max's mom speaks out against it during an info session at school) the vast majority of adults seem pleased by it. I find this incredibly hard to believe. Knowing how protective parents are of their kids, I can not believe there isn't more retaliation. I mean happy laughing young children are turned into blank-faced robots. Seriously? Is any parent going to tolerate that?
Throughout the book most of the adults are happy that their children are so much easier to handle and take so much less energy to deal with. Really? I understand this is aimed at a middle grade crowd, but how many parents out there would accept their children being turned into robots...and not only accept it but be happy about it? I just can't accept this premise for the story; especially in the given society where people are doing fairly well and not desperately trying to eke out a living.
Another minor problem I had with this book was another thing I had trouble finding believable. How could you get a drug that would react with the majority of kids in such a way that it would make them all talk and act the same? All the kids in this book parrot each other after being vaccinated and are eerily the same. I understand a drug making kids more open to suggestions; but having them all act the same and like robots because of a drug is a bit of a stretch.
So far one major flaw, why are the parents/adults so accepting of their kids being brainwashed? Especially when it occurs in such and abrupt way over such a small amount of time. If you can suspend your disbelief of this major assumption, then this is a great book. It wraps up nicely, there could be a sequel to it, but most things are concluded well...no cliffhangers or anything.
Overall a fascinating idea and world. It is super creepy to consider schools requiring parents to zombify/vaccinate their children. I enjoyed the characters, the book was well written, and the premise was interesting. I just couldn't suspend my belief enough to buy into the fact that normal parents would applaud their children having their personalities and creative taken away; there would be more of an uproar. I also had trouble believing that a drug could make all children act and talk exactly the same way. So, while this was well-written and interesting I had a lot of trouble buying into the premise of the story. Still it was a great read; I would recommend for fans of dystopian stories."
Review Date: 9/25/2011
"I got an advanced reading copy of this book signed by the author at Book Expo America. I have been looking forward to reading it for some time. It was an excellent book; exquisitely written and creative. It was a slow but wonderful read.
Violet is a genius at building mechanical contraptions and wants desperately to go to the Illyria school for genius students; only problem is Illyria doesn't admit women. So Violet, along with her twin brother Ashton, and their friend Jack, devise a devious plan. Violet will pretend to be Ashton and attend Illyria, if she can get in. Once at Illyria Violet's end of the year project will be the least of her troubles. There are killer automatons in the basements, the Duke of Illyria's ward has fallen in love with Violet-as-a-man, and Violet is in love with the Duke.
Fans of Jane Austen or The Importance of Being Earnest that love a bit of a steampunk twist to their witty banter will love this book. Being that it is written in that more flowery type of Victorian style this is a slow read and things move very deliberately at parts of the book. That being said the description and writing style is absolutely exquisite. The witty banter between the characters is wonderful and lots of fun to read. The mystery behind the school's basement, along with all the crazy "who loves who" twisting of the plot kept me completely engaged.
The characters are wonderful. I loved them all. Especially Violet, Ashton, and Jack. These are smart, funny, heartfelt characters that I really loved getting to know. Even side characters are complex and fun to read about. The book switches viewpoint quite a bit, although the majority of the story is told from Violet's point of view. I didn't find the viewpoint switching distracting or anything, although there were a couple times that I desperately wanted to know what would happen to Violet next and scanned through another character's viewpoint as fast as I could to get back to her.
There are a lot of fun steampunk devices in this book along with interesting chemical and biological experiments. I enjoyed them all and at times was reminded a bit of the magical shenanigans at Hogwart's with Ron's trickster older twin brothers. Being a chemist/engineer and a woman, I loved that Violet worked so hard to get women at a technical level equal to her fellow male students. This book really clicked with me and I really enjoyed the premise behind it.
When I started the book I hoped that more of it was going to be focused on the mystery behind the school's basement; in the end I thought the whole mystery behind the basement was a bit anti-climatic. I was surprised that the majority of the story focused on Violet's day to day life and all the excitement that held for everyone involved. I was incredibly pleased at the ending of the book; the readers are treated to a rather spectacular battle scene that had more action in a few pages than in the entirety of the rest of the book.
The book ended wonderfully. Everything was nicely wrapped up. I am not certain if a sequel is planned, but the book was wrapped up well-enough that one isn't needed. I think the book would be appropriate for older young adults and up; there is some swearing, some bawdy humor, and some discussion of sex acts.
Overall this was a spectacular read. The book is exquisitely written with beautiful descriptions and witty dialogue that really make the story come alive; this makes this book a slow read but a wonderful one. The characters are absolutely wonderful; I was especially drawn to Violet and her desire to make it as a technically adept woman in a male dominated field. The intertwining love stories remind of The Importance of Being Earnest or even some of Jane Austen's works. Those who love that type of Victorian style of writing should check this out. Fans of steampunk stories should check this out as well, there are a ton of wonderful devices in this book. Fans of stories about young woman dressing as men to make it in a all male school may also want to check out The Education of Bet (fluffier than this book but still a fun read). I will definitely be reading future books by Rossen."
Violet is a genius at building mechanical contraptions and wants desperately to go to the Illyria school for genius students; only problem is Illyria doesn't admit women. So Violet, along with her twin brother Ashton, and their friend Jack, devise a devious plan. Violet will pretend to be Ashton and attend Illyria, if she can get in. Once at Illyria Violet's end of the year project will be the least of her troubles. There are killer automatons in the basements, the Duke of Illyria's ward has fallen in love with Violet-as-a-man, and Violet is in love with the Duke.
Fans of Jane Austen or The Importance of Being Earnest that love a bit of a steampunk twist to their witty banter will love this book. Being that it is written in that more flowery type of Victorian style this is a slow read and things move very deliberately at parts of the book. That being said the description and writing style is absolutely exquisite. The witty banter between the characters is wonderful and lots of fun to read. The mystery behind the school's basement, along with all the crazy "who loves who" twisting of the plot kept me completely engaged.
The characters are wonderful. I loved them all. Especially Violet, Ashton, and Jack. These are smart, funny, heartfelt characters that I really loved getting to know. Even side characters are complex and fun to read about. The book switches viewpoint quite a bit, although the majority of the story is told from Violet's point of view. I didn't find the viewpoint switching distracting or anything, although there were a couple times that I desperately wanted to know what would happen to Violet next and scanned through another character's viewpoint as fast as I could to get back to her.
There are a lot of fun steampunk devices in this book along with interesting chemical and biological experiments. I enjoyed them all and at times was reminded a bit of the magical shenanigans at Hogwart's with Ron's trickster older twin brothers. Being a chemist/engineer and a woman, I loved that Violet worked so hard to get women at a technical level equal to her fellow male students. This book really clicked with me and I really enjoyed the premise behind it.
When I started the book I hoped that more of it was going to be focused on the mystery behind the school's basement; in the end I thought the whole mystery behind the basement was a bit anti-climatic. I was surprised that the majority of the story focused on Violet's day to day life and all the excitement that held for everyone involved. I was incredibly pleased at the ending of the book; the readers are treated to a rather spectacular battle scene that had more action in a few pages than in the entirety of the rest of the book.
The book ended wonderfully. Everything was nicely wrapped up. I am not certain if a sequel is planned, but the book was wrapped up well-enough that one isn't needed. I think the book would be appropriate for older young adults and up; there is some swearing, some bawdy humor, and some discussion of sex acts.
Overall this was a spectacular read. The book is exquisitely written with beautiful descriptions and witty dialogue that really make the story come alive; this makes this book a slow read but a wonderful one. The characters are absolutely wonderful; I was especially drawn to Violet and her desire to make it as a technically adept woman in a male dominated field. The intertwining love stories remind of The Importance of Being Earnest or even some of Jane Austen's works. Those who love that type of Victorian style of writing should check this out. Fans of steampunk stories should check this out as well, there are a ton of wonderful devices in this book. Fans of stories about young woman dressing as men to make it in a all male school may also want to check out The Education of Bet (fluffier than this book but still a fun read). I will definitely be reading future books by Rossen."
Review Date: 3/26/2012
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I had been wanted to read this book for some time. I loved zombie books and this one had a great premise. It was an entertaining book that ended up being more about dealing with other people than smashing up zombies...although there is a lot of zombie smashing as well.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was very well done. They have different voice actors for the different voices and blog comments. I highly recommend listening to this if you like audiobooks.
Alison is at work at a bookstore when it happens. People start turning into mindless zombies and eating each other. Luckily the break room is where the safe is and has a huge reinforced metal door. Now Alison is trapped with her co-workers in the bookstore break room. As the world crumbles apart outside, Alison decides to start a blog detailing the day to day events. Alison's story is submitted to a book being written about American heroes during the zombie crisis. As the reader we read it as blog entries.
There are a few things that are really interesting about the way this book is done. Firstly since Alison's story is being submitted for inclusion in a book about American heroes, we know that eventually humanity recovers from the horrible events that took place during Alison's life. Just that gives this book a more hopeful feel than many other zombie books I have read.
Secondly the book is done as blog entries. This is similar to Mira Grant's Newsflesh series, but much different in tone. Alison's entries are more like a personal diary. Also interesting is that comments to Alison's blog are posted at the end of each entry. From these comments we get to see what is happening to the rest of the world; we hear about how other people are surviving and how the rest of the world is fairing.
Alison is an awesome character. She is your typical grad student but she will do what needs being done. No matter how gross or gory. I was a little surprised in the beginning of the book at the inaction of her coworkers. None of her coworkers did anything, they were all victims...Alison had to spur them into action. I found this to be kind of unrealistic; I mean I can't imagine my coworkers ever being that apathetic but I guess I work with engineers not book store employees...so it may just be different.
Most of this book isn't about slaying zombies. It's about making a life for yourself in the chaos and dealing with all of the people (good and bad) that cross your life. As with many zombie books, in the end the zombies aren't the problem...it's all the crazy people you have to deal with in a society that has completely broken down that are the problem.
Is this book gory, heck yeah! Is it sad at times? Yep. But there are also some interesting revelations about life and the meaning of it in here too. There is also a sweet romance between Alison and one of the men she meets that offsets a lot of the violence. I should mention this is a book for adults. Alison swears a lot (I mean boatloads) and sex is discussed quite a bit (although there isn't anything really explicit). There are also some surgery scenes that made me squirm.
The end of the book is pretty predictable, but that being said this is one of the more hopeful zombie books that I have read. Things actually end in a somewhat hopeful way.
Overall this is a very good read. The story is told in a creative way and I really enjoyed Alison as a character. Alison is a tough, ax-toting survivor, but along the way she learns a lot about herself and those around her. There is a sweet romance in here, lots of crazy escapes, and lots of chopping up zombies with axes. I still enjoyed The Angels are the Reapers and Night of the Living Trekkies better; but I would still highly recommend this book to zombie fans out there."
I listened to this on audiobook and it was very well done. They have different voice actors for the different voices and blog comments. I highly recommend listening to this if you like audiobooks.
Alison is at work at a bookstore when it happens. People start turning into mindless zombies and eating each other. Luckily the break room is where the safe is and has a huge reinforced metal door. Now Alison is trapped with her co-workers in the bookstore break room. As the world crumbles apart outside, Alison decides to start a blog detailing the day to day events. Alison's story is submitted to a book being written about American heroes during the zombie crisis. As the reader we read it as blog entries.
There are a few things that are really interesting about the way this book is done. Firstly since Alison's story is being submitted for inclusion in a book about American heroes, we know that eventually humanity recovers from the horrible events that took place during Alison's life. Just that gives this book a more hopeful feel than many other zombie books I have read.
Secondly the book is done as blog entries. This is similar to Mira Grant's Newsflesh series, but much different in tone. Alison's entries are more like a personal diary. Also interesting is that comments to Alison's blog are posted at the end of each entry. From these comments we get to see what is happening to the rest of the world; we hear about how other people are surviving and how the rest of the world is fairing.
Alison is an awesome character. She is your typical grad student but she will do what needs being done. No matter how gross or gory. I was a little surprised in the beginning of the book at the inaction of her coworkers. None of her coworkers did anything, they were all victims...Alison had to spur them into action. I found this to be kind of unrealistic; I mean I can't imagine my coworkers ever being that apathetic but I guess I work with engineers not book store employees...so it may just be different.
Most of this book isn't about slaying zombies. It's about making a life for yourself in the chaos and dealing with all of the people (good and bad) that cross your life. As with many zombie books, in the end the zombies aren't the problem...it's all the crazy people you have to deal with in a society that has completely broken down that are the problem.
Is this book gory, heck yeah! Is it sad at times? Yep. But there are also some interesting revelations about life and the meaning of it in here too. There is also a sweet romance between Alison and one of the men she meets that offsets a lot of the violence. I should mention this is a book for adults. Alison swears a lot (I mean boatloads) and sex is discussed quite a bit (although there isn't anything really explicit). There are also some surgery scenes that made me squirm.
The end of the book is pretty predictable, but that being said this is one of the more hopeful zombie books that I have read. Things actually end in a somewhat hopeful way.
Overall this is a very good read. The story is told in a creative way and I really enjoyed Alison as a character. Alison is a tough, ax-toting survivor, but along the way she learns a lot about herself and those around her. There is a sweet romance in here, lots of crazy escapes, and lots of chopping up zombies with axes. I still enjoyed The Angels are the Reapers and Night of the Living Trekkies better; but I would still highly recommend this book to zombie fans out there."
Review Date: 10/31/2011
"I got a copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. This book takes place in the same world as the other Mistborn novels but is set 300 years after the original trilogy. It was a good story; very different from the previous three books in that it has more of a wild west mystery feel to it. You do not need to read the previous books in the Mistborn trilogy to enjoy this book (but you should because they were awesome).
It is 300 years after the original trilogy. Waxillium Ladrian is forced to leave his life as a lawman in the Roughs to take his place as the lord of a large noble household. Waxillium is unique in that he is twin-born; able to use both Allomancy and Feruchemy. Unable to completely leave the law enforcement to the city watch Waxillium is drawn into a mystery involving stolen train cars and kidnapped women when his fiance-to-be is kidnapped. The characters from the previous trilogy are mentioned mainly as historical figures.
Some quick comments on the audiobook format. I got this on CDs from the publisher (usually I download onto my phone from audible.com). The performance was very well done; the characters had distinct voices and were easy to follow. The only thing I didn't like was the CD format itself. The CDs end literally mid-sentence; this was confusing and obnoxious. The packaging was also nothing exciting. The outer box is nice but the CDs are in cardboard inserts inside. The inserts weren't all that great looking and they didn't do a good job of holding the CDs in. CDs fell out very easily and I had to hunt them out from under the seat in my car more than once. So I would recommend downloading this audiobook and not getting the CD format if you can. Now on to the story itself.
This is pretty much nothing like the original epic fantasy Mistborn trilogy. It is set up as being a politically complicated mystery and has a very Western feel to it with lots of gun-slinging and numerous shoot-outs. It is an interesting world and the gun fights are a lot of fun, especially with all of the allomancy and feruchemy that's thrown in there.
As with previous novels Sanderson does an excellent job of creating characters that are interesting and easy to relate to. I didn't like any of these characters as much as the characters in the previous Mistborn novels; but they were solid. Waxillium has that whole noble man gone cowboy thing going on for him. His buddy Wayne gives off a sidekick vibe and provides a lot of comic relief. The lady who tags along on their adventures, Marasi, is fun too. She is plucky but realistically tentative at points. Some of the types of allomancy and feruchemy that these characters wield is very creative and fun.
The story itself had a well-done plot that had a lot of surprises revealed as it went on. I enjoyed the twisty turny aspect of it. The action scenes were incredible; excellent description and very creative. There were a few times where the story was a bit slow. Part of that was I was just expecting something more complicated because, well, it is a Sanderson book. This isn't a super complicated story. It is pretty much a straightforward mystery.
The story is tied up nicely but there were some major plot points that weren't resolved at the end of the book. This makes me think that maybe this is the start of another trilogy or something like that? As far as I know Sanderson hasn't commented on another book being published in addition to this one, but with some of the things left unresolved I have got to believe there will be another book in this series.
Overall this was a decent read. Sanderson is a wonderful writer and he does a great job coming up with wonderful characters, a creative world, and a fun plot. Think of this as more Sanderson-light and you won't be disappointed. The book is more a straight up mystery than anything else, although there are a lot of politics and intrigue woven throughout as well. This book is some fun filler and a nice diversion while we wait for the next epic Sanderson book. I am guessing there will be follow-up to this book given that many things are left unresolved at the end of this story. A must read for Sanderson fans and for fans of western-fantasy-mysteries."
It is 300 years after the original trilogy. Waxillium Ladrian is forced to leave his life as a lawman in the Roughs to take his place as the lord of a large noble household. Waxillium is unique in that he is twin-born; able to use both Allomancy and Feruchemy. Unable to completely leave the law enforcement to the city watch Waxillium is drawn into a mystery involving stolen train cars and kidnapped women when his fiance-to-be is kidnapped. The characters from the previous trilogy are mentioned mainly as historical figures.
Some quick comments on the audiobook format. I got this on CDs from the publisher (usually I download onto my phone from audible.com). The performance was very well done; the characters had distinct voices and were easy to follow. The only thing I didn't like was the CD format itself. The CDs end literally mid-sentence; this was confusing and obnoxious. The packaging was also nothing exciting. The outer box is nice but the CDs are in cardboard inserts inside. The inserts weren't all that great looking and they didn't do a good job of holding the CDs in. CDs fell out very easily and I had to hunt them out from under the seat in my car more than once. So I would recommend downloading this audiobook and not getting the CD format if you can. Now on to the story itself.
This is pretty much nothing like the original epic fantasy Mistborn trilogy. It is set up as being a politically complicated mystery and has a very Western feel to it with lots of gun-slinging and numerous shoot-outs. It is an interesting world and the gun fights are a lot of fun, especially with all of the allomancy and feruchemy that's thrown in there.
As with previous novels Sanderson does an excellent job of creating characters that are interesting and easy to relate to. I didn't like any of these characters as much as the characters in the previous Mistborn novels; but they were solid. Waxillium has that whole noble man gone cowboy thing going on for him. His buddy Wayne gives off a sidekick vibe and provides a lot of comic relief. The lady who tags along on their adventures, Marasi, is fun too. She is plucky but realistically tentative at points. Some of the types of allomancy and feruchemy that these characters wield is very creative and fun.
The story itself had a well-done plot that had a lot of surprises revealed as it went on. I enjoyed the twisty turny aspect of it. The action scenes were incredible; excellent description and very creative. There were a few times where the story was a bit slow. Part of that was I was just expecting something more complicated because, well, it is a Sanderson book. This isn't a super complicated story. It is pretty much a straightforward mystery.
The story is tied up nicely but there were some major plot points that weren't resolved at the end of the book. This makes me think that maybe this is the start of another trilogy or something like that? As far as I know Sanderson hasn't commented on another book being published in addition to this one, but with some of the things left unresolved I have got to believe there will be another book in this series.
Overall this was a decent read. Sanderson is a wonderful writer and he does a great job coming up with wonderful characters, a creative world, and a fun plot. Think of this as more Sanderson-light and you won't be disappointed. The book is more a straight up mystery than anything else, although there are a lot of politics and intrigue woven throughout as well. This book is some fun filler and a nice diversion while we wait for the next epic Sanderson book. I am guessing there will be follow-up to this book given that many things are left unresolved at the end of this story. A must read for Sanderson fans and for fans of western-fantasy-mysteries."
Review Date: 10/3/2011
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
"I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine Program. This is the third book in the Sandman Slim series by Kadrey. I have absolutely adored all of the Sandman Slim books; they have a grittiness to them that you don't find in many other books and are incredibly creative and interesting...not to mention absolutely hilarious at times.
Stark (Sandman Slim) is enjoying the peace that has come after he annihilated all of the zombies in the entire world (I know, Stark never does thing small does he?). Well of course things never remain calm for long. Stark is called to look in to a demonic possession of a boy. Crazy thing is that the demon that's possessed this boy seems to know Stark. Could this be a simple demon posession? Of course not, all roads lead to Hell and this little twist is no exception to the rule.
I absolutely love these books. I love Stark's witty, sarcastic, and absolutely hilarious comments. Yes, you need a dark sense of humor to laugh at this book...but if you have that there is so much to laugh at. It is all written in such a clever, sarcastic, and just absolutely wonderful way. As with previous books there is swearing, sex, violence, violence, and did I say violence? in spades...those with weak stomachs you may want to read elsewhere.
Stark is everything anyone could want in a half-angelic anti-hero. His angelic side is constantly trying to rope him into saving the innocent; which Stark can be talked into if it lines up with taking care of his own personal vendettas. Candy (the Jade) is in this story a lot more too, which is great. I missed her is the second book and she is exactly who Stark needs. Who better to back him up than a woman who can liquefy the men/demons who piss her off and eat them for dinner?
This whole book reads like something between a gritty Noire movie and a gory horror film. Everything everyone says is a bit over the top and you never know what you are going to run into next. At points the story reminds me of The Nightside series by Simon Green; you never know what deity, what devil, or what reality you are going to find yourself in next. The story always keeps you guessing and keeps you on your toes and is just absolutely wonderful.
So, yeah, I pretty much loved everything about this book. There were some parts when Stark is down in Hell that dragged a bit and we have a lot of Hellion Generals' names thrown at us which are a bit hard to keep track of. That being said, this is probably the weakest of the Sandman Slim books. Given how much I absolutely love these book though even the weakest book in this series is spades above most other books out there.
Overall I just loved it and gobbled it up and can't wait for more. This book isn't for everyone; it is full of violence, swearing, and Stark is offensive (yet oddly noble) in numerous ways. If you like your urban fantasy gritty, down-and-drity, full of craziness, with mind-blowing action, and surprising twists then this is the book for you. Don't start with this book though, go back and read the first two books first; Sandman Slim and Kill The Dead are just as awesome. If you are a Nightside fan, a Dresden Files fan, or a Spellbent fan come and check this series out!"
Stark (Sandman Slim) is enjoying the peace that has come after he annihilated all of the zombies in the entire world (I know, Stark never does thing small does he?). Well of course things never remain calm for long. Stark is called to look in to a demonic possession of a boy. Crazy thing is that the demon that's possessed this boy seems to know Stark. Could this be a simple demon posession? Of course not, all roads lead to Hell and this little twist is no exception to the rule.
I absolutely love these books. I love Stark's witty, sarcastic, and absolutely hilarious comments. Yes, you need a dark sense of humor to laugh at this book...but if you have that there is so much to laugh at. It is all written in such a clever, sarcastic, and just absolutely wonderful way. As with previous books there is swearing, sex, violence, violence, and did I say violence? in spades...those with weak stomachs you may want to read elsewhere.
Stark is everything anyone could want in a half-angelic anti-hero. His angelic side is constantly trying to rope him into saving the innocent; which Stark can be talked into if it lines up with taking care of his own personal vendettas. Candy (the Jade) is in this story a lot more too, which is great. I missed her is the second book and she is exactly who Stark needs. Who better to back him up than a woman who can liquefy the men/demons who piss her off and eat them for dinner?
This whole book reads like something between a gritty Noire movie and a gory horror film. Everything everyone says is a bit over the top and you never know what you are going to run into next. At points the story reminds me of The Nightside series by Simon Green; you never know what deity, what devil, or what reality you are going to find yourself in next. The story always keeps you guessing and keeps you on your toes and is just absolutely wonderful.
So, yeah, I pretty much loved everything about this book. There were some parts when Stark is down in Hell that dragged a bit and we have a lot of Hellion Generals' names thrown at us which are a bit hard to keep track of. That being said, this is probably the weakest of the Sandman Slim books. Given how much I absolutely love these book though even the weakest book in this series is spades above most other books out there.
Overall I just loved it and gobbled it up and can't wait for more. This book isn't for everyone; it is full of violence, swearing, and Stark is offensive (yet oddly noble) in numerous ways. If you like your urban fantasy gritty, down-and-drity, full of craziness, with mind-blowing action, and surprising twists then this is the book for you. Don't start with this book though, go back and read the first two books first; Sandman Slim and Kill The Dead are just as awesome. If you are a Nightside fan, a Dresden Files fan, or a Spellbent fan come and check this series out!"
Review Date: 5/17/2011
"This was a fun and enchanting read. Those you enjoy princess/fairy tale type stories you will definitely enjoy this book. It was a sweet tale full of twists and turns with lovable characters.
Lucinda is being raised by her Uncle, who is a jeweler, and her Aunt who hates and abuses her. She used to be the daughter of nobility but her parents' untimely death destroyed all of that. When her uncle passes away Lucinda is forced out of the house by her aunt and ends up moving in with the Amaranth witch. Now Lucinda is tasked with retrieving a special jewel and gets entangled with evil judges, a handsome price, a dashing thief, and a goat who acts like a dog.
This book was an excellent light fairy tale read. The plot is incredibly well woven and full of magic and mystery. There are some wonderful twists at the end which really keep the reader guessing. The characters are all well-done and likable. Lucinda has a good amount of spunk and a nice sense of humor that keeps things fun. The writing style is easy to read and very engaging. The book is appropriate for middle grade and older readers.
All of the characters in this book were interesting and fun. You have to love the charming prince and the thieving rogue; sure they are kind of typical to a fairy tale story like this but they were really well-done in this story and lots of fun to read about.
Overall this was just a very fun and entertaining read. A wonderful light read for fairy tale lovers out there. If you like this book you might also be interested in Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, or any of Tamora Pierce's books."
Lucinda is being raised by her Uncle, who is a jeweler, and her Aunt who hates and abuses her. She used to be the daughter of nobility but her parents' untimely death destroyed all of that. When her uncle passes away Lucinda is forced out of the house by her aunt and ends up moving in with the Amaranth witch. Now Lucinda is tasked with retrieving a special jewel and gets entangled with evil judges, a handsome price, a dashing thief, and a goat who acts like a dog.
This book was an excellent light fairy tale read. The plot is incredibly well woven and full of magic and mystery. There are some wonderful twists at the end which really keep the reader guessing. The characters are all well-done and likable. Lucinda has a good amount of spunk and a nice sense of humor that keeps things fun. The writing style is easy to read and very engaging. The book is appropriate for middle grade and older readers.
All of the characters in this book were interesting and fun. You have to love the charming prince and the thieving rogue; sure they are kind of typical to a fairy tale story like this but they were really well-done in this story and lots of fun to read about.
Overall this was just a very fun and entertaining read. A wonderful light read for fairy tale lovers out there. If you like this book you might also be interested in Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, or any of Tamora Pierce's books."
Review Date: 9/1/2011
"This is the fourth book in the Amulet series by Kibuishi. I love this series and this book added even more to the story.
Emily and her friends travel to Cielis to hopefully get help from the Council to fight the Elf King. Things don't go as planned and Emily is thrown into a contest against other Stonekeepers to see who is worthy of a seat on the council. During this the Elf King's son is thrown into jail, and Emily's shipmates are left wandering the strangely empty town of Cielis.
This installment didn't progress the story as far as other installments have, mainly because our group of characters gets split up for the majority of the story. We also don't get to spend much time with the characters we know and love (much of the story follows Emily and she is separated from everyone else); but we do meet some interesting new characters.
Emily meets a few other Stonekeepers, so it was interesting to see how the other Stonekeepers wield their Stones. Emily also seems to have come to an uneasy balance with her Stone and is starting to trust its advice more than she used to. The plot takes some unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing and wondering how everything will pan out in the end.
Miskit and Cogsley have some interesting adventures of their own and acquire an adorable new little dragon friend. Can't wait to see what their new little dragon friend turns into over time!
The illustration is colorful, beautiful and wonderful...as it has been for all of the books in this series. I love the artwork in these books, they are just so wonderful to look at. There is still a little bit of a steampunk element in this book, but not as much as in previous books.
Overall another wonderful installment in this series. Beautiful artwork, great characters, a fascinating world, and a story that keeps getting better and better. The story doesn't progress as much in this installment as it has in previous ones; mainly because the characters are split up for the majority of the story. I still really enjoyed reading this and can't wait to see what happens next."
Emily and her friends travel to Cielis to hopefully get help from the Council to fight the Elf King. Things don't go as planned and Emily is thrown into a contest against other Stonekeepers to see who is worthy of a seat on the council. During this the Elf King's son is thrown into jail, and Emily's shipmates are left wandering the strangely empty town of Cielis.
This installment didn't progress the story as far as other installments have, mainly because our group of characters gets split up for the majority of the story. We also don't get to spend much time with the characters we know and love (much of the story follows Emily and she is separated from everyone else); but we do meet some interesting new characters.
Emily meets a few other Stonekeepers, so it was interesting to see how the other Stonekeepers wield their Stones. Emily also seems to have come to an uneasy balance with her Stone and is starting to trust its advice more than she used to. The plot takes some unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing and wondering how everything will pan out in the end.
Miskit and Cogsley have some interesting adventures of their own and acquire an adorable new little dragon friend. Can't wait to see what their new little dragon friend turns into over time!
The illustration is colorful, beautiful and wonderful...as it has been for all of the books in this series. I love the artwork in these books, they are just so wonderful to look at. There is still a little bit of a steampunk element in this book, but not as much as in previous books.
Overall another wonderful installment in this series. Beautiful artwork, great characters, a fascinating world, and a story that keeps getting better and better. The story doesn't progress as much in this installment as it has in previous ones; mainly because the characters are split up for the majority of the story. I still really enjoyed reading this and can't wait to see what happens next."
Review Date: 7/9/2012
"I got an eGalley of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. I have absolutely loved the Amulet series but Kibuishi and was sooo excited to get this book to read early.
This book focuses more on Max than on Emily. Emily and crew are preparing to defend Cielis in the coming war with the Elves. In this book we learn more history about how the war with the Elves started. We also learn a ton about Max's history and about exactly what the Amulets are.
I loved this book; the drawings were spectacular and the story is absolutely excellent. I am constantly in awe of Kibuishi's artistic ability; the drawings are just absolutely awesome and match the tone of the story so well.
This is the book where we get to hear Max's back story and find out why Max is serving the Elf King. This does an excellent job of generating sympathy for Max. It helps as readers understand his position and how he got there and makes the story even more interesting.
The story continues to have a steampunk feel to it as well. Both sides of the war are preparing awesome new weapon-like entities that will truly make it a battle of epic proportions.
Emily also gains more understanding as to exactly what the Amulet is and where it comes from. This was interesting to finally have some insight on.
Additionally there is a nice map in the back of the book which gives us a better idea of where all of these events are taking place spatially.
Overall an absolutely beautiful and epic addition to this series. I enjoyed the spectacular illustration and the way the story is broadened even more in preparation for the final war between Cielis and the Elves. This series is highly recommended to readers middle grade and older who enjoy fantasy stories."
This book focuses more on Max than on Emily. Emily and crew are preparing to defend Cielis in the coming war with the Elves. In this book we learn more history about how the war with the Elves started. We also learn a ton about Max's history and about exactly what the Amulets are.
I loved this book; the drawings were spectacular and the story is absolutely excellent. I am constantly in awe of Kibuishi's artistic ability; the drawings are just absolutely awesome and match the tone of the story so well.
This is the book where we get to hear Max's back story and find out why Max is serving the Elf King. This does an excellent job of generating sympathy for Max. It helps as readers understand his position and how he got there and makes the story even more interesting.
The story continues to have a steampunk feel to it as well. Both sides of the war are preparing awesome new weapon-like entities that will truly make it a battle of epic proportions.
Emily also gains more understanding as to exactly what the Amulet is and where it comes from. This was interesting to finally have some insight on.
Additionally there is a nice map in the back of the book which gives us a better idea of where all of these events are taking place spatially.
Overall an absolutely beautiful and epic addition to this series. I enjoyed the spectacular illustration and the way the story is broadened even more in preparation for the final war between Cielis and the Elves. This series is highly recommended to readers middle grade and older who enjoy fantasy stories."
Review Date: 12/2/2010
"I picked this up at the library as I was perusing through graphic novels appropriate for kids. This one looked neat, had great artwork, and didn't seem too complicated for a young child. We ended up not reading it together because it got a bit too scary for my son, but I read it on my own and really enjoyed it!
Emily and Navin are moving into their mother's old childhood house; after the death of their father in a car accident their mother can't afford their old house and they are being forced to move. In this house Emily finds a mysterious Amulet. There are also dark things in this house and Emily, Navin, and their mom accidentally find themselves thrust into a paralell world. When their mother is captured by a monster it is up to Emily and Navin to save her; the Amulet proves itself to be a great tool...but it also seems to have motives of its own.
I tried reading this graphic novel with my four year old son and he was enchanted by the drawings and the story; unfortunately with parents getting hurt/killed and monsters creeping through dark house it just got too scary for him. He is very into some of the Leap Frog Tag books that are graphic novels and so I thought this would be a neat book for him; but I would recommend this to kids in the 7 or older age range. It's just a bit too scary for younger kids and some of the concepts underlying the story flew right over my son's head.
The art in this graphic novel is well done; the characters are a bit sketchier than I am used to seeing but the color is done really well and the environments are beautiful. The story is definitely of the dark fantasy variety. You have creepy houses, mysterious monsters, and kids fighting to survive.
I enjoyed the fantasy and adventure elements; kids journeying to another world and questing to save their mother. I also enjoyed the added complexity of the Amulet and how it seemed to have a personality of its own. Emily and Nevin are great characters; they each have their own strengths and bring good things to the story. Emily has a lot of adolescent issues she is working through; she feels displaced and abandoned because of the move and her father dying. The story gets increasingly complex and has enough subtle undertones to keep me interested as an adult. The pace was wonderful, there were no slow parts here.
This book ties up the main story but starts up another story that will continue on in the next book. I thought the drawing of the characters could have been a bit better but was very impressed by the backgrounds. There are some creative ideas here and some we have seen before.
Overall I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I will definitely be reading the next one. I think this would be appropriate for ages 7 and up; it is a bit too scary for younger kids. Reading this book has made me take a look at other of Kibuishi's works; I would like to read his Flight series at some point too. Fans of adventure and fantasy will find a lot here to love. This book had a dark fairy tale quality to it that keeps the reader engaged and wondering."
Emily and Navin are moving into their mother's old childhood house; after the death of their father in a car accident their mother can't afford their old house and they are being forced to move. In this house Emily finds a mysterious Amulet. There are also dark things in this house and Emily, Navin, and their mom accidentally find themselves thrust into a paralell world. When their mother is captured by a monster it is up to Emily and Navin to save her; the Amulet proves itself to be a great tool...but it also seems to have motives of its own.
I tried reading this graphic novel with my four year old son and he was enchanted by the drawings and the story; unfortunately with parents getting hurt/killed and monsters creeping through dark house it just got too scary for him. He is very into some of the Leap Frog Tag books that are graphic novels and so I thought this would be a neat book for him; but I would recommend this to kids in the 7 or older age range. It's just a bit too scary for younger kids and some of the concepts underlying the story flew right over my son's head.
The art in this graphic novel is well done; the characters are a bit sketchier than I am used to seeing but the color is done really well and the environments are beautiful. The story is definitely of the dark fantasy variety. You have creepy houses, mysterious monsters, and kids fighting to survive.
I enjoyed the fantasy and adventure elements; kids journeying to another world and questing to save their mother. I also enjoyed the added complexity of the Amulet and how it seemed to have a personality of its own. Emily and Nevin are great characters; they each have their own strengths and bring good things to the story. Emily has a lot of adolescent issues she is working through; she feels displaced and abandoned because of the move and her father dying. The story gets increasingly complex and has enough subtle undertones to keep me interested as an adult. The pace was wonderful, there were no slow parts here.
This book ties up the main story but starts up another story that will continue on in the next book. I thought the drawing of the characters could have been a bit better but was very impressed by the backgrounds. There are some creative ideas here and some we have seen before.
Overall I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I will definitely be reading the next one. I think this would be appropriate for ages 7 and up; it is a bit too scary for younger kids. Reading this book has made me take a look at other of Kibuishi's works; I would like to read his Flight series at some point too. Fans of adventure and fantasy will find a lot here to love. This book had a dark fairy tale quality to it that keeps the reader engaged and wondering."
1 to 20 of 1153 -
Page: