Fantasy Archives - Page 14 of 21

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan: Book Review

Annabeth has finally gotten her own quest. She must lead a group through the Labyrinth to find Daedalus, its creator, and ask for help defending the camp from Luke and Kronos's minions. She's only supposed to ask two people to help her, but she insists that Percy, Grover, and Tyson all come along. Of course the Labyrinth is as confusing as expected, full of traps, pitfalls, and Kronos's monsters. I was glad to have Annabeth back! I really missed her in The Titan's Curse, and this time she was practically the star of the show. But she's crazy-jealous and that did get a little old. I don't blame her. But, still, this is Annabeth. I don't associate insecurity with her. I don't know that I have a whole lot different to say from my reviews of the other books in the series. I still love these characters, I still love Percy's narration, and I still frantically turn pages to get to the end. I did love the way Daedalus and the Labyrinth were portrayed. I had forgotten that he created the Labyrinth in the first place. The emotion in these "kid's books" always surprises me. There's the adrenaline from the battles and humor from Percy being a smartass. But this one had some genuinely sad and bittersweet moments too. Again, highly recommended for "kids" of all ages. My reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse. Read an excerpt. Find author Rick Riordan on his website, his blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Buy The Battle of the Labyrinth at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links…

Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop: Book Review

In a society that seems to be loosely based on the habits of black widow spiders, the strong females have eliminated all but the weakest males and females, leaving only a few strong males to strengthen their bloodlines. This has been going on for centuries. But the coming of a female with power that has never even been imagined has been foretold. Daemon and his brother, Lucivar, have endured slavery and unimaginable cruelty by holding onto the hope that they would one day get to serve this Witch. Saetan has endured centuries of a half-life ruling over Hell, holding onto the hope that this Witch, the daughter of his soul, will come to him. She finally appears, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them. I loved this. It took me a little while to get into it because I have a very low tolerance for learning a whole new culture just to read a fantasy book. My limits were pushed at the beginning, but I got through it, and I'm so glad I did. Little Jaenelle, Daemon, Surreal, Tersa, Lucivar, and even Saetan were complex, likable characters. Yes, you read that right--Saetan was likable. Think of him as being more like Hades, god of a shadowy underworld, than like Satan, Prince of Darkness and ruler of the fire-and-brimstone-eternal-damnation Hell. And, oh my goodnes, Daemon. What can I say about Daemon? He's hot as hell, and I think I have the beginnings of a full-fledged book crush. *Fanning myself* Okay, moving on. Once I got into the story, I truly could not stop reading, and once I finished, I was exhausted. The plot just kept building and building, and I got more and more tense, waiting to see what was going to happen next. I would recommend…

Instructions by Neil Gaiman: Book Review

This is Neil Gaiman's poem, "Instructions" bound as a picture book and illustrated by Charles Vess. I love this. I have to admit that when I first came across Gaiman's poem in Fragile Things, I read it, thought it was pretty cool, and moved on, both in the book and in my head. It wasn't until I met Charles Vess at a book signing for Drawing Down the Moon and he told us about this project that I really got excited about the whole thing. He had prints of his artwork for us to look at. As I flipped through them, I knew this was going to be something special. And it is. Basically instructions for surviving a fairy tale, Gaiman weaves many themes into this short-ish poem. Help who you can. Don't trust those who seem untrustworthy. Trust yourself. Come home at the end. And suddenly you realize that he could be (is?) talking about how to live your life well. And you are reminded again what a master Gaiman is. As for the illustrations--perfection. I love Vess's artwork. It has such a perfect fairy tale feel to it. And when you sit down to really look at just one of these illustrations, you are blown away by the amount of subtle detail worked in. I highly, highly recommend this. Children will love it, and so will readers of any age who understand that the truest advice can be found in "children's books." Find author Neil Gaiman on his website for young readers, his blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Buy Instructions at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore, and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on…

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones: Book Review

"In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes." So begins Howl's Moving Castle. Our protagonist, Sophie Hatter, is well aware of the fate awaiting the oldest child. But circumstances force her to set out to seek her fortune despite the fact that she is the oldest of three daughters. This is one of those books that reminds you of the magic that made you fall in love with reading in the first place. Just look at that opening paragraph. Who can resist the lure of that? I immediately felt it calling me on to find out what does happen to the eldest. Overall, this was a charming fairy tale. And like all good fairy tales, everyone comes out a little wiser in the end. But what I really liked about this particular fairy tale is that Sophie was not a helpless maiden in distress. She was saved from quite a few jams, but she did just as much saving with her quick wits. But at the same time, she was a flawed character who made mistakes but ultimately learned from them. This was one of those books that left me with a satisfied smile at the end. I think it would be fun for both the young and the young-at-heart. I highly recommend it and I'll be looking for the sequel. Reviewed April 6, 2009 Read an excerpt. Read my review of Castle in the Air, the next book in the loose series. My Character Connection post about Sophie. Buy Howl's Moving Castle at Malaprop’s |…

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale: Book Review

I loved this. I finished it with a huge smile on my face and that contentment that comes from a story well told. It's like enjoying a feast for the reader's soul. I had heard so many good things about this book, I went into it with very high expectations. I have to admit that I wasn't too sure what to think at first. The...

Jack of Kinrowan by Charles de Lint: Book Review

In Jack the Giant Killer, the first of two novels in this collection, Jacky Rowan has just realized that her life is not going where she wants it to go. She drifts along, refusing to take care of her life and just staying at home doing nothing. She decides to change her life after a nasty breakup. In a fit of pique, she goes out drinking alone. Staggering home, she sees a little man being chased by 9 men on motorcycles. She tries to help him, but the little man is killed. She runs to a nearby house to try to get help, but no one answers the door. She runs back to where the little man's body was, only to see it disappear, leaving behind only a red cap. The next day, she almost convinces herself that the alcohol was just making her see things that weren't there, but she can't explain where she got the cap from. She puts it on and starts to see people straight out of Faerie. She eventually finds out that the Unseelie Court has been getting stronger and stronger and has actually stolen the local Laird's daughter. The Seelie Court is so weak that everyone is afraid to go in search of the poor girl. Jacky decides to just go looking herself. With a hob's stitcheries giving her invisibility and swiftness, the help of her best friend Kate, and a whole heap of a Jack's luck, Jacky sets out to set the local Faerie courts to rights. I loved how Jack becomes Jacky in this story. Who says women can't be clever, lucky tricksters? She fills the role of Jack perfectly, coming up with ingenious solutions to problems and avoiding pitfalls in the tradition of the best fairy tales. I also loved how…

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: Book Review

Picking up where the first book left off, the Seven Kingdoms are in chaos. There are now three claimants to the Iron Throne and the North has declared something of a war of independence on the rest of the country. This book has almost everything. Treachery, loyalty, conspiracies, conspiracies within conspiracies, turncoats, power plays, twists, turns, you name it. The only thing I find to be missing is a love story. I don't need much, but in a book this epic in scope, it feels like somebody should be in love with somebody else and want to talk about it. It's a small thing though, and I'm more than willing to overlook it since Martin does everything else so well. I found it a little daunting when I realized that there are 28 pages of characters at the end of the book. That's right. Twenty-eight. But I found the main characters very easy to keep track of. It probably helps that I'm not someone who needs to know exactly how each minor character fits into which family. I found the cast of characters to be very manageable, and I don't think I have a huge tolerance for books with too many characters. Speaking of characters, I loved watching how some of the characters grow throughout the book. As I recall, there wasn't a whole lot of character growth in the first book, but I guess the author was mostly worried about laying a good foundation for his story. So watching the sometimes surprising ways that some of my favorites developed was intriguing. And I was left with my heart aching for the path one character is forced to follow. I think causing that kind of emotional investment in your characters is one of the marks of a great author. Another…

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn: Book Review

Kitty Norville is a late-night DJ who stumbles upon a popular idea for a talk show--"The Midnight Hour" in which she and her listeners discuss any and all thing supernatural. And the girl knows what she's talking about. She's a werewolf. Unfortunately, her new-found success brings her some unwanted attention. Her Alpha and the master of the local vampire family want her off the air. Someone hires a werewolf hunter to take her out. And Kitty has just found out that there's a rogue wolf in town making everyone else look bad. This was good. It was. My issues with it were purely my own and don't even necessarily make sense. I admit it. First, I personally didn't care too much for the narration by Marguerite Gavin. It was very consciously cadenced and very staccato, even when that style didn't feel appropriate for what she was reading. It just felt like she was trying too hard. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to stick with this at first, but I did and it bothered me less as time went on. Now for the big thing, and the thing that makes the least sense. I didn't like the pack dynamics. My head knows that a pack of werewolves would interact in exactly this manner. There would be an alpha and his female, and they would punish and reward as they chose. Strength would be a big factor in status. There would be power struggles. My heart just doesn't like reading about any man slamming a woman around and then having sex with her as a reward. I just can't get past it. That part definitely improved as Kitty grew more confident, and that was one of the points of the book, but it really did push my…

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan: Book Review

Something is wrong at Camp Half-Blood. Can Percy fix it? I loved the first in the series, and I really, really liked this one. But I would have preferred to have an original story within the framework of Greek mythology in the modern world rather than have a re-telling of The Odyssey, no matter how original. Because that's what this amounted to. The Odyssey, starring Percy Jackson and set in the 21st century. I know this is a kid's book, but the foreshadowing in here was very clunky. "I didn't know it at the time, but my mom and I would never get to have our afternoon talk. In fact, I wouldn't be seeing home for a long, long time." See? There's really no other word but clunky. I love Percy as a storyteller. He can be dry, infantile, hilarious, sarcastic, reflective, you name it. Everything a great character should be. But his humor probably isn't for everyone. Here's a description I loved: "I could smell the [monster]--a sickening combination of wet sheep wool and rotten meat and that weird sour body odor only monsters have, like a skunk that's been living off Mexican food." Juvenile? Yes. My sense of humor? Absolutely. And let's not forget the chapter titles. "Demon Pigeons Attack" "Party Ponies Invade" Curious? You should be. But there is a slightly more serious thread underneath all this that helps Percy learn the value of family, and reinforces the value of friendship. There's a new character introduced here: Tyson. I loved this little guy. This is a very strong continuation of the series and I highly recommend them. Reviewed May 25, 2009 My review of The Lightning Thief. Read an excerpt. Find author Rick Riordan on his website, his blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Buy The Sea of Monsters…

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis: Book Review

Kat Stephenson is the youngest in her family, but she just might be the most opinionated. Stepmama is trying to improve the family's fortunes by marrying off the eldest daughter, Elissa, to a rich lord. Kat doesn't like it and she sets out to stop it. Little does she realize that she has inherited her mother's magical abilities. Strange things keep happening around her and she just can't stay out of trouble. But she's determined to have her way. What a cute book! I loved it! Kat is (mostly) adorable. Even when she was irritating me with her absolute refusal to listen to anyone else, I had to admire her for being consistent and standing up for what she believed in. The story itself took one unpredictable twist after another, and I found that I had finished it before I was ready to be done with it. I loved the juxtaposition of Kat's incorrigible self and her magic against the backdrop of Regency England. Society has no idea what it's in for! I'm still not entirely sure exactly what it is a mysterious group of magicians want Kat to do. I felt a little bad for them, but at the same time, they never explained themselves. Maybe Kat didn't give them the opportunity, but still. Who are they? I guess that's what sequels are for! Kat is by far the star of the show, but I also liked her next oldest sister a lot. Just as feisty, but perhaps even more devious, Angeline is a force to be reckoned with. Elisa is a little bit too prim and proper, but her desire to be a Gothic heroine got a giggle or two out of me. I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel to this book, and I highly recommend it. It's…