Review of The Subtle Beauty by Ann Hunter

The Subtle Beauty

Crowns of Twelve Book 1
By Ann Hunter

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Number of Pages: 170

Season Read: Summer


Synopsis:(From Amazon)
A cursed prince. A vain beauty. Glory is the seventh daughter of Balthazar, High King of the Twelve Kingdoms. Glory hopes that - of all her sisters - she can escape the fate of a loveless marriage. But on the night she plans to elope with the royal falconer, her world comes crashing down: Her father announces Glory's betrothal to Eoghan of the Blood Realm - a prince no one has ever seen. The prince is said to be a recluse, cursed and deformed by the gods for the sins of his power-hungry father. Yet when Glory is trapped in Blackthorn Keep she discovers that not everything is what she expected. An insulting gryphon, a persistent ghost, and a secret plan to usurp the prince keep Glory reeling. Can she overcome her vanity to learn that what you want isn’t necessarily what you need—and save the cursed prince?


Review:
The very beginning of the novel was hard to grasp, seeming unimportant and hard to get through.  Although the setting is done quite well, it seems that the Celtic vibe Hunter is aiming for is lost the further in one reads.  Once the fairy tale characters begin to appear, it becomes a bit easier to understand, and to empathize with Xander.  I actually really enjoyed our "bad guy", Sylus, because although warned, Xander does decide to visit him anyway.  Is Sylus really the bad guy, or does he simply let others find the darkness in themselves?

Once deeper into the story, it's hard not to care for Glory's attempted suitor, Colin.  Poor Colin leaves his job and ventures to save Glory, so that they can live out a life they had planned, but he shifts and changes throughout the way.  When Glory is brought to Blackthorn Keep she realizes that although she wanted desperately for Colin, in the end, perhaps she is better off there.  Despite Colin's actions in trying to save Glory, it's hard to forget just how cruel she had originally been to him when he faces horrible consequences.  The relationship between Colin and Glory is an excellent representation of infatuation, where looks provide the sole basis of love.

I like that Glory isn't a like-able character, but most will be able to relate to her.  She has personality, and she grows throughout the book, much like many of us do in life.  Glory learns that her father has more of an understanding and reasoning for what he does than she is aware of, and that getting everything you want isn't the answer to happiness.

There are lots of fun fairy tale retellings hiding throughout this book, and while I don't want to say exactly what, I will say that oh, Beauty and the Beast, but perhaps reversed.  There are more ways to be a beast than merely appearances.

If you love fairy tales, fantasy, intrigue and surprises, you definitely need to find a copy of this book!



Author Bio: (from Amazon)
Multi-award winning author, Ann Hunter, is the creator of the young adult fantasy series Crowns of the Twelve (including the novels The Subtle Beauty, Moonlight, Fallen, with A Piece of Sky, Ashes, and The Rose In The Briar to follow). She likes cherry so
da with chocolate ice cream, is a mom first and a writer second, has a secret identity, and thinks the Twilight movies are cheesier than cheez whiz (which is why they are her guilty pleasure!)

She lives in a cozy Utah home with her two awesome kids and epic husband.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HER HOMEPAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/authorannhunter

AND MAILING LIST:
http://eepurl.com/VZsFn




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Review of The Hollow by Jessica Verday

The Hollow

Book 1 in The Hollow Trilogy

By Jessica Verday

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult
Number of Pages: 528

Time Spent Reading: Two Days

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is too quick to accept that Kristen is dead... and rumors fly that her death was no accident.  Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone.  Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life.  Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again... but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend.  How could Kristen have kept silent about so much?  And could this secret have led to her death?  As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her--one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.


"A death could change so many things for so many people.  It was heartbreaking." -The Hollow by Jessica Verday

Review:
This book is one of the most realistic and gripping stories about grieving a sudden death.  Despite what Abbey says and does, it is obvious that her head is full of her best friend all the time.  Like many dealing with death, Abbey can't seem to come to terms with the fact that Kristen is actually gone, and she isn't coming back.  She tries to continue on like everything is normal, but in many ways she feels guilty for continuing life while her friend is gone.  Having a book show how much death can tear a person apart is amazing, and I think that this book needed to be written.  While this book isn't a guide for what to do when grieving, it shows that slowly things change, and you have to try to move on, even though it seems impossible.

Unfortunately, there are multiple times that the promise of the book is disrupted by either badly turned phrases, unimportant details, and a level of immaturity one doesn't expect from a sixteen year old.  Abbey, despite being completely capable of mixing and creating her own perfumes, does not do her own laundry, instead relying on her working mother to do it.  Sometimes one wonders how incapable a sixteen year old can be, given this excerpt from chapter 15, "All I came across were leftovers and lunch meat.  Why couldn't I find anything to eat?  We never had any food in the house."  The way Abbey acts around her mother, expecting to have her mood catered to with every turn, also seems pretty unrealistic.  Even though Abbey has gone through the loss of her best friend, that doesn't mean that she shouldn't be able to do anything on her own.


I did really enjoy this story, as it does a very good job of showing that dealing with death is really hard, and not everyone takes it the right way.  Another book that does really well with death, with a hint of supernatural (like this one), is Annette Curtis Klause's The Silver Kiss, which I would especially recommend to anyone who is experiencing a loved one pass away from illness.





Author Information: (From Amazon)
Jessica Verday is the New York Times best-selling author of The Hollow trilogy, The Beautiful and the Damned, and Of Monsters & Madness. She believes a shoe isn't a shoe unless it has a three-inch heel, and nothing beats a great pair of boots. When not daydreaming about moving into a library of her own, she can be found working on her next story, stalking antique stores, or buying vintage furniture.

You can learn more about Jessica at http://www.jessicaverday.com










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Review of The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Master Magician

The Paper Magician: Book III

By Charlie N. Holmberg

Star Rating: 

Date/Time Started: 6/6/2015 4:52 pm
Date/Time Finished: 6/8/2015 1:15 am

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 224

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
Throughout her studies, Ceony Twill has harbored a secret, one she's kept from even her mentor, Emery Thane.  She's discovered how to practice forms of magic other than her own--an ability long thought impossible.

When all seems set of Ceony to complete her apprenticeship and pass her upcoming final magician's exam, life quickly becomes complicated.  To avoid favoritism, Emery sends her to another paper magician for testing, a Folder who despises Emery and cares even less for his apprentice.  To make matters worse, a murderous criminal from Ceony's past escapes imprisonment.  Now she must track the power-hungry convict across England before he can take his revenge.  With her life and loved ones hanging in the balance, Ceony must face a criminal who wields the one magic that she does not, and it may prove more powerful than all of her skills combined.

Review:
Like all of the books in this series, this was hard to set down.  Ceony seems to have a nice depth of character in this book, showcasing that she has fears that she isn't willing to sit back and let happen.  While most will argue that Ceony needs to plan better instead of running forward and jumping into sticky situations without a plan, most can empathize with wanting to keep their family safe.  Besides running into danger, Ceony showcases her impatience and temper on more than one occasion.  I, for one, find it refreshing to find a protagonist who isn't perfect, and who sometimes has to collect herself and apologize for being brash, as I have had to in the past as well.

WARNING: Ending spoiler ahead.

I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed with the ending.  After seeing Ceony and Emery go through so much together, we are shown their proposal, and are left with the assumption that what she saw in the fortuity box will come to pass.  I would have loved some sort of epilogue, showcasing what Ceony decided to do with her career.

Author Information:
Charlie N. Holmberg has a BA in English with a minor in editing.  She likes Star Trek and hopes to someday own a dog.  She is married and has a child.  The Paper Magician was her ninth book, but first to get published.

For more information on Charlie N. Holmberg, see her author page or go to her website.

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Review of The Dream Keeper by Mikey Brooks

The Dream Keeper

The Dream Keeper Chronicles: Book I

By Mikey Brooks

Star Rating: 

Date/Time Started: May
Date/Time Finished: June

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Young People Fantasy
Number of Pages: 302

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
Dreams: Dorothy called it Oz, Alice called it Wonderland, but Nightmares call it HOME.

When an evil shifter takes over the gateway to the realm of Dreams, it falls to 14-year-olds Parker and Kaelyn to stop him.  Their only hope lies in Gladamyr, the Dream Keeper, but can they trust a nightmare to save their world?


The Amazon synopsis misses so very much of what makes this book so amazing!  Since I'm not 100% behind the amazon part, I'm going to give a bit of my own synopsis before going on to the review.

My synposis:
Kaelyn is the new girl in town.  It's pretty rough, but she loves her zany aunt who took her in.  The kids in school won't even give her a chance because they assume she's a loser, because her aunt is so weird.  Parker Bennett is popular, and considered one of the best gamers in his grade.  His mom doesn't understand, and thinks he should spend more time on his studies and less on video games.

Meanwhile, in another world, parallel to our own, the creatures of our Dreams are waging a war.  We may have created them, but some are not happy with how balanced things are in Dreams.  The Nightmares want to take over, and only Dream Keepers can keep everything from shifting.  But what will happen when the only Nightmare who became a Dream Keeper is the only one left?


Review:
This book is an example of a perfect modern fantasy book.  Not only are there issues in Dreams, but Kaelyn and Parker face obstacles in the world of a teenager.  Parker has to learn how to balance his time so he gets to have both his homework done and an opportunity for gaming.  Kaelyn learns that while you can say you don't care about how mean people are, that doesn't mean you should let people be cruel to you.

In the world of Dreams both Kaelyn and Parker have the opportunity of seeing how their interests and hobbies can potentially help them in the real world and in potentially dangerous situations.  While the book doesn't outright advocate playing video games, it shows that doing so can help with your critical thinking skills.  The book also shows that you can get power from reading, and that if you retain the knowledge, you can get far.

Another major problem that The Dream Keeper faces is that of divorcee parents.  Parker finds himself almost always left alone, to his own devices, or sent to a psychiatrist.  While Parker's mom is trying to do what she thinks is best for him, it's made very clear that both his parents are off in a faraway world of business, leaving little time and attention for him in their lives.  Upon reflection, one could realize that living with people that are glued to technology and electronics such as their cell phones and laptops, it is only logical that Parker would find solace in electronic stimulation in the form of video games, while Kaelyn, whose aunt lives simply, seems to adore reading.

The only questionable thing, in my opinion, is where the last name Bennett comes from.  I know it's a Pride and Prejudice reference, but I do not feel it is completely necessary or warranted.  Does it resonate with young people and young adults today, that may not yet have been exposed to the novel?  What makes the Bennett reference confusing, is that Parker's last name is Bennett, and he at one point explains that his mother kept her last name, Bennett-- but there are also a few references, including in Dreams, of her being Lizzy Gonzalez.  This may be on purpose, to draw the reader in.  I hope to learn more about this from reading the rest of the series.  Kudos to Mikey Brooks for actually using the proper spelling from the book of Elizabeth's nickname, "Lizzy", and not the current commonly used "Lizzie" (As seen in the YouTube Sensations The Lizzie Bennett Diaries- a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice that is AMAZING).


Author Information:
Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as an adult.  On occasion you'll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up.  He is an award winning author of the middle grade fantasy adventure series The Dream Keeper Chronicles.  His other middle-grade books include: The Gates of Atlantis: Battle for Acropolis and The Stone of Valhalla.  His picture books include the best selling ABC Adventures: Magical Creatures, Trouble with Bernie, and Bean's Dragons.

Mikey has a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works full time as a freelance illustrator, cover designer, and author.  His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murlas.  He loves to daydream with his three daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create.  As a member of the Emblazoners, he is one of many authors devoted to 'writing stories on the hearts of children' (emblazoners.com).  You can find more about him and his books at www.insidemikeysworld.com.



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Review of Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix

Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen

Old Kingdom (Prequel to Sabriel)

By Garth Nix

Star Rating: 

Date/Time Started: 5/10/2015
Date/Time Finished: 5/11/2015

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Number of Pages: 400

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen, and most important, to the King.  She dreams of living a simple life but discovers that this is hard to achieve when a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city, her parents want to marry her off to a killer, and there is a plot brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan.  When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers.  Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage, and save the King?

Review:
I remember, when I was younger, that Garth Nix's Abhorsen series was one of my absolute favourites.  This hasn't changed.  In fact, Clariel also is on the book shelf of my favourite novels.  While Clariel may not be quite as dramatic or empathetic as Sabriel, one cannot help but feel for the girl, who wants something simple, and who is always told no.  When someone is given a good reason for their desires being squashed, it often helps sooth the ache, but what if your only available options become things you never, ever want to become?

What romance is within the novel isn't really that of the main protagonist, but the typical old view of strengthening ties through matrimony.  Clariel won't let anyone stand in her way, especially when she has nothing to lose, though she realizes that perhaps she has more allies than she originally thought.


Author Information:

Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant, and literary agent.  He spent five years in the Australian Army Reserve.  He became a full time writer in 2001, and more than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world.  His works have been translated into 40 languages.  His books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, The Bookseller, The Australian, and The Sunday Times.  He lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two children.

To fine more of Garth Nix' books, please feel free to go to his amazon page.




It's hard to go from a book you love so very much, to anything else.  Which is why it took me until now, almost a full month later, to write this review.  And it took me until last week, to finally start something new.  While I did start another book soon after Clariel, which I will finish at some point, it is written for a slightly younger audience than I generally read for.  



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Review of Charlie N. Holmberg's The Glass Magician

The Glass Magician

The Paper Magician: Book 2

By Charlie N. Holmberg

Star Rating: 

Date/Time Started: 4/16/2015 at 11:19am
Date/Time Finished: 4/17/2015 at 3:09pm

Genre: Adult Fantasy
Number of Pages: 222

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
Three months after returning Magician Emery Thane's heart to his body, Ceony Twill is well on her way to becoming a Folder.  Unfortunately, not all of Ceony's thoughts have been focused on paper magic.  Though she was promised romance by a fortuity box, Ceony still hasn't broken the teacher-student barrier with Emery, despite their growing closeness.

When a magician with a penchant for revenge believes that Ceony possesses a secret, he vows to discover it... even if it tears apart the very fabric of their magical world.  After a series of attacks target Ceony and catch those she holds most dear in the crossfire, Ceony knows she must find the true limits of her powers... and keep her knowledge from falling into wayward hands.


Review:
This book showcases what so many people look for in a relationship and for their future; someone they have something in common with, and can learn from and grow with.  Relationships are a give and take, and while Emery doesn't seem to have romantic notions for Ceony, they are still growing and learning more about each other.  Like many in love, Ceony will do anything to protect Emery, and those she cares about.  Who wouldn't do whatever it took to keep their family safe?  This book is totally relatable, easy to fall into and incredibly hard to set down.  If you've already read The Paper Magician, you must to read this book.

Author Information:
Charlie N. Holmberg has a BA in English with a minor in editing.  She likes Star Trek and hopes to someday own a dog.  She is married and has a child.  The Paper Magician was her ninth book, but first to get published.

For more information on Charlie N. Holmberg, see her author page.

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Review of Jim Butcher's Skin Game

Skin Game

The Dresden Files: Book 15

By Jim Butcher

Star Rating: 

Genre: Adult Fantasy
Number of Pages: 464

Synopsis:(From Amazon)
Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him might want him to do.  Usually it's something awful.

He doesn't know the half of it...

Mab has just traded Harry's skills to pay off one of her debts.  And now he must help a group of supernatural villains--led by one of Harry's mos dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone--to break into the highest-security vault in town, so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It's a smash and grab job to recover the liter Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world--which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character.  Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about.  And he's dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience.  Especially Harry.

Dresden has always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess--assuming his own allies don't end up killing him before his enemies get the chance...


Review:

Not only does Dresden think that something evil has infested his brain--he also has been led to believe that it will kill him.  The only person that can help is Molly, whom Mab has been keeping away.  If Harry helps Mab, she will hopefully let Molly see him in time to save him.  Meanwhile, Dresden has to find someone he trusts to watch his back in the Underworld.  After one friend gets injured before the true descent has begun, one has to wonder if Dresden will be able to get out of the Underworld alive.

For now, this is all... but there will be more!

Author Information: 

The Dresden Files are the first books that Jim Butcher managed to get published.  He is also the author of the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, Cinder spires.  He is a gamer, including tabletop, video games, as well as LARP.  He still lives in his hometown, Independence, Missouri.

For a more detailed biography of Jim Butcher, as well as a way to purchase his books, see his Amazon page.

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