Book Review: The Harp of the Grey Rose

He is the Songweaver, but before he was a master of song he was merely Cerin of Wran Cheaping—a seventeen-year-old orphan raised by a wildland witch. Then he encountered the Maid of the Grey Rose—the lone survivor of the war that devastated the Trembling Lands and the promised bride of Yarac Stone-Slayer, the feared and terrible Waster. The mysterious beauty captured Cerin’s heart, drawing him into a world both dark and deadly, until, armed with only a tinkerblade and the magic of song, he would take on a man’s challenge . . . and choose a treacherous path toward a magnificent destiny. The Harp of the Grey Rose is award-winning fantasist Charles de Lint’s first novel, long out of print—and it hints of the wonderful stories to come.

Book Review: The Riddle of the Wren

Minda Sealy is afraid of her own nightmares. Then, one night, while asleep, she meets Jan, the Lord of the Moors, who has been imprisoned by Ildran the Dream-master-the same being who traps Minda. In exchange for her promise to free him, Jan gives Minda three tokens. She sets out, leaving the safety of her old life to begin a journey from world to world, both to save Jan and to solve "the riddle of the Wren"-which is the riddle of her very self. The Riddle of the Wren was Charles de Lint's first novel, and has been unavailable for years. Fans and newcomers alike will relish it.

Review

Book Review: Priscilla the Great

If you think your middle school years are awkward and traumatic, 

try going through them with fire shooting out of your fingers!

Meet Priscilla Sumner, an ordinary seventh grader with extraordinary gifts. As if middle school isn’t hard enough, not only does Priscilla have to fight pimples and bullies, but genetically enhanced assassins trying to kill her and her family. Armed with wit, strength, and a genius best friend, Priscilla must defeat the Selliwood Institute, an organization dead set on turning children into killing machines.

Add an older brother annoyingly obsessed with Christina Aguilera, mischievous baby twin brothers who could scare the sin off of Satan, and parents more puzzling than a Rubik’s cube in the Bermuda triangle and expect a smoking page-turner!

I was asked to review Priscilla the Great by the author, Sybil Nelson. And it took me way too long to get to. I was almost kicking myself for not reading it sooner, as it was fabulous. It was the best middle grade novel I’ve read in a long time.

Priscilla, aka Priss, is a fiery, red-head about to enter seventh grade. She has an older brother, Josh, and twin terrors in the form of her little brothers Charlie and Chester. Her best friend, Tai, is brilliant, and her other friend Kyle, is… well… he’s your typical gross tween boy. Turns out he can be charming, too. As if life isn’t enough trouble during middle school years, Priscilla learns she can shoot fire out of her fingers by accidentally setting a towel on fire at her friend’s pool party. Thankfully, no one sees.

As much as Priscilla likes her powers, she feels alone. No one else in her family seems to have any abilities beyond that of a normal person. And fire shooting is just the beginning. Soon she discovers she can hear conversations happening in the next room. But when she’s kidnapped, she learns she is not the only “superhero” in her family.

Trust me when I tell you that you want to read this book. It’s smart and funny and you’ll love this cast of characters. This isn’t your typical middle grade book.

And be sure to check out The Kiss of Life and Too Little Too Late, books two and three in this series. There is also a book called Twin Shorts, which includes short stories set in this world and is currently free on Amazon.

Book Review: Catching Fire

I recently read THE HUNGER GAMES. And while I did not love it, I liked it enough to continue the series. I’m glad I already had CATCHING FIRE on my shelf. I picked it up almost right away. I read it in six hours and loved it. I have to admit that I was concerned. Many friends of mine who had read THE HUNGER GAMES and loved it weren't huge fans of CATCHING FIRE. Imagine my surprise when I liked it more.

Katniss is back at home after The Hunger Games, and she and Peeta are about to go on tour. The thing I love about these two is that they are rebels. They continually act out, even though they know that it could cause punishment, including death. I love that we got to see more Gale in this one, though he still didn't get enough "screen time".

There was one scene that caused tears. Poor Gale! I can completely understand why Katniss is so torn between her two guys. Both are fantastic. I am still unable to choose sides. Currently still Team Katniss! And even though I was late to the party, I'm glad I was. This way, I didn't have to wait a year!

And again... Down with the Capitol!

Synopsis:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

So, apparently... I'm late to the party... again. I've been told by countless friends and bloggers that I need to read THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. My best friend raved about it. But... dystopian books really aren't my thing. I decided to pick it up anyway, and it's been sitting on my shelf for a couple years.

With the release of MOCKINGJAY and the frenzy surrounding it, I decided to start reading. As with other dystopian novels, I had a hard time getting into the book. Figuring out what their world was like and trying to get a grasp on the situation. All I can say is... I'm really glad I don't live in this world.

A boy and girl from each district are chosen every year to fight to the death in a televised event. All contestants range from ages 12 to 18. And only one can survive. Katniss volunteered to go to The Hunger Games, in the place of her little sister, Prim. And Peeta was chosen to go along as well to represent District 12. There is an interesting dynamic between these two characters. It's written from Katniss' point of view, so you don't always know what Peeta's thinking. But then, you don't always know exactly what Katniss is thinking, either.

They are given the royal treatment as they prepare for the games, and their mentor, a previous winner from District 12, is a drunk. (Although I did really enjoy Haymitch). Their team tries to prepare them. They get tossed into an arena and are expected to kill every other teen there. How can anyone be prepared for that?

So, yeah... this book definitely didn't seem like something I'd enjoy reading. But the writing was fantastic. I enjoyed many of the characters and look forward to getting to know them better, especially Gale. A few scenes made me weepy, and once made me actually cry. While I liked the book, I didn't love it as many of my friends did. But I'm definitely glad I took the time to read it, and I already pulled CATCHING FIRE from my shelf. I definitely recommend it.

I loved the names in this book, especially Katniss Everdeen.

There are three "teams" fans of this series has chosen: Team Peeta, Team Gale, and Team Katniss. I see a lot of people on Peeta's team, but I don't feel Gale was given a good enough shot. So I'm reserving my right to choose a team affiliation until later. Temporarily though, I'm Team Katniss.

Down with the Capitol!

Synopsis:

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

I looked for the official book trailer, but could not find one. There might not be one, but this video is great, so if you haven't read it, you'll get a sense of the excitement and action included.

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters

THE SEA OF MONSTERS is even better than the first book the in Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Rick Riordan does an excellent job of taking Greek myth and putting it in the modern world. Humans don't see the monsters and the weirdness because of the mist... which skews the human's perception. The way he does this makes it seem like it could really happen. And who knows... it could be happening.

We have a new character introduced in this book: Tyson. I really like this new addition to Percy's team. You can kinda tell from the his introduction that he's not quite what Percy thinks he is. Human, he is not. But you'll have to read this yourself to find out what he is.

A highly recommended read... I can't wait for the next one!

Synopsis:

After a year spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson - a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.

But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half=Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters - the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia - only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name... the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends - Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson - must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family - one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.