Fantasy Archives - Page 16 of 21

Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris: Book Review

My seven-year-old cousin and fellow lover-of-all-things-fairy, Natalie, convinced me to read this by reciting the cover blurb to me: "Part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink." What fairy tale fan could resist that? Not this one! I loved that the defining characteristics of the characters weren't their beauty or lack thereof. Chris is intelligent, kind, and loyal. He's also an inventor. He's the first in the kingdom to use p-mail (pigeon mail). Princess Marigold is a reader, also intelligent and kind, and very concerned with making sure that she becomes a good strong ruler of her kingdom. She even asks commoners' opinions on the qualities that a good ruler should have! Even the minor characters are generally defined by their personalities, good or bad. Looks really didn't come into play at all. I found that a little refreshing. The story was a little predictable. We first meet Chris when he's a six-year-old runaway living in the woods. As he grows older, he starts to notice Princess Marigold, who he can watch as she reads on her terrace in the castle. He wants to be her friend, and he wants to know why she frequently looks unhappy. You can probably guess the general outline of the story, beginning to end, just from that. But there were still several surprises along the way that kept the story fresh. Ed the troll might have been my favorite character. Oh, I really liked Chris and Marigold, but Ed made me laugh. He loves to use common sayings, but he can never get them right. Here's one: "But now that you have your act on the ball, you can do better...All you have to do is keep your shoulder to the grindstone and your nose to the wheel." Too funny! And he's working hard to…

Random Magic by Sasha Soren: Book Review

Professor Random has sneezed Alice right out of Wonderland. He sends young Henry Witherspoon into the book to find her and put her in her place before the world as we know it comes to an end. But Henry accidentally gets sent into the wrong book. Luckily, he meets the unflappable doodle witch, Winnie Flapjack, who takes him under her wing and helps him find his missing Alice. This book is for those people who actually believe that it's about the journey and not the destination. Me? I just want to get where I'm going. The book was fun, and I enjoyed seeing where Winnie and Henry were going to end up next and how they were going to get out of their current mess. The overall plot of finding Alice isn't a very big deal in the book though. It's more of an excuse to throw everything together. I enjoy books more if everything flows together better. Winnie's solutions to problems were ingenious. Change live to dead? She can do that, no sweat. Defeat a crazy queen in chess? Sure. Take on a boat full of pirates? All in a day's work to Winnie. Henry was a different matter. He was a loyal little thing with a big heart, but he was a little slow. He never learned to just do what Winnie said; he was always questioning her. He always came out the worse for it. The pacing was a little off for my taste. Some of the vignettes dragged on too long for me. Oh! I almost forgot! The prologue is confusing. As far as I can tell, it has very little to do with the rest of the book. So just skip it. My sister grabbed this and read it while she was house-sitting for me,…

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes: Book Review

The Somnambulist features Edward Moon, a conjurer most easily compared to Sherlock Holmes, but with a freakish twist. His Watson is an 8-foot-tall mute man named--can you guess?--The Somnambulist. The pair are asked to investigate a bizarre murder in the seamier part of London at the beginning of the novel. Within pages, they have solved the murder. Or have they? This was a quick, enjoyable read. The characters may have seemed a little like stock characters at first, but they almost always turned out to be something other than they appeared. The plot was well-paced and, for me anyway, the mystery was pretty unpredictable. But, be warned. I picked this up thinking that it might be like The Alienist but set in London with a few sideshow freaks. It starts out that way, but by the end, the book wanders into solid fantasy. That wasn't a problem for me because I am a huge fan of fantasy, but I know that's not the case for a lot of mystery fans. But it did go a little over the top for me, which is part of why it's 3.5 stars instead of 4.5. Also, I was left with a lot of unanswered questions. I like to have everything pretty tidily resolved at the end. I can't even figure out why the book is titled The Somnambulist instead of The Conjurer except that it sounds cooler. If nothing else, read the first chapter of this book. It's only about a page long. Read it while you're browsing the bookstore or the library. This was the best first chapter I've read in a long time. Here's the first paragraph: "Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. It is a lurid piece of nonsense, convoluted, implausible, peopled by unconvincing characters, written in…

The Fairy Folk and She by Mary-Anne Grosse Ivie: Book Review

The old woman who lives in a shoe is overwhelmed. Her children are hungry. She decides to pay a visit to Razzlewitch and ask for help. Razzlewitch agrees to help in exchange for the old woman's oldest daughter, Lisa. If Lisa will come cook and clean for Razzlewitch, the other children will be fed and clothed. Lisa agrees but wonders what she's gotten into when she finds herself in a strange new world. This was a lovely little fairy tale. It starts with the old woman who lived in a shoe, but then it becomes its own story. Like all good fairy tale heroines, Lisa grows and comes into her own throughout the book. She has surprising talents that she must learn to use. She must also learn to trust herself. She meets a whole host of magical beings who, for the most part, end up being gentle teachers for her. There's an element of darkness too. Lisa, and her new neighbors, learn that appearances aren't everything. They must work together to overcome the threat of darkness in their fairy tale land. There's a very sweet love story at the heart of the book also. I just loved how this played out. I recommend this for those who are fond of their happily ever afters and who are in search of a gentle, lovely read. Thanks to the author for sending me a copy for review.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer: Book Review

Calla Tor is the alpha of her teen Guardian (werewolf) pack. She knows the rules and she enforces them. So why does she break them multiple times in one day by saving a normal teenage boy and letting him see her shift? And why are her masters, the Keepers, so interested in this same guy? Oh, I'm torn on rating this one! On the one hand, I tore through it, eagerly waiting to see what was going to happen with Calla, Shay, and Ren. On the other hand, I'm tired of teenage love triangles, and I'm really, really sick of cliffhangers. I liked Calla as a protagonist, but I can't say that I bought her as an alpha personality. We're told that she's an alpha, but we only see her at a time when she's starting to question everything she knows about her life. That leaves her a little insecure. Maybe I'm just thinking that alpha=bitch (Hee hee! It should in a werewolf!), but she doesn't seem to have a whole lot of control over her pack. She's pretty clueless about what they get up to. Her younger brother knows more about their lives than she does. That's not the sign of a great leader. Shay and Ren were great, but they were almost interchangeable to me. Calla lusted after them both, they both lusted after her, they both constantly challenged her, but I didn't see her offering a whole lot of challenge in return. They were both able to convince her to do what they wanted pretty easily. I liked them both, so I can't come out as Team Ren or Team Shay. I'm kind of left thinking that if she feels so similarly about both of them, neither of them should be the guy for her. I got…

The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan: Book Review

Annabeth and the goddess Artemis are missing. Percy, Thalia, and Grover embark on a quest to find them before the winter solstice, just a few days away. Artemis is needed to vote at a meeting of the gods about the Titan issue. And well, Annabeth is Annabeth, and her friends are worried about her. I've waited too long to write this review! I hate it when that happens! This is another page turner in the Percy Jackson series, and it took lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I loved getting to know Thalia better. I had figured out some basic things about her, just knowing her background, but getting to see her in action was great! She and Percy are a little too much alike to click together well, but they're still friends and they still look out for each other. Annabeth was largely absent though, and I did miss her a lot. There is some setup for the rest of the series, and I am curious to see where all this is going. Oh, and the monster everyone is worried about? What a shocker that was! Highly recommended for fans of the series, and everyone should be a fan of this series!

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston: Book Review

I'm taking a break from all my Banned Books Week reviews to post about an excellent book that is being released tomorrow! Check it out! What if the Big Bad Wolf was framed? That's all the synopsis I want to give, but I'll give you more. Henry Whelp is a good wolf. He's never gotten into any trouble. Nevertheless, he finds himself in juvie after he breaks a truck window. His father is the Big Bad Wolf of Little Red Riding Hood fame, and everyone is just waiting for Henry to go bad. Henry eventually finds out that his father believes he was framed. See, George was working for Dust City's version of the mafia. They make their money by selling synthetic fairy dust to the population now that the fairies have disappeared. But what exactly caused them to disappear in the first place? I love the whole idea of this book. The synopsis reminds me a little of Jasper Fforde's Nursery Crime series. I enjoy those, so I thought this could be a winner for me and it was. Henry is a nice guy who just can't get a break. He ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time pretty frequently. He tries to do his best, but no one is looking for that; they're only looking for his mistakes. He finally just has to take matters into his own hands and start following the clues to their conclusion. Along the way he meets a female wolf, Fiona. Fiona is a smart little hottie. She actually sees the best in Henry. Her brother is a real trouble-maker, but he actually has some good points, so she's used to looking for the good in people. The mystery twisted and turned and I had no idea where it was…

Changeless by Gail Carriger: Book Review

Alexia Maccon, née Tarrabotti, is awakened one morning by her husband bellowing out orders and questions. He doesn't take time to answer her questions, but of course she finds out what's going on later. Something or someone has found a way to completely negate whatever magic makes supernatural beings, well--supernatural. This has London in an uproar. When the phenomenon seems to be traveling north to Scotland, Lord Maccon sets out in that direction too. He wants to investigate further, plus he needs to check in with his old pack. Alexia just can't be left behind, so one dirigible ride later, she joins him up there to find the pack in disarray. Another fun entry into The Parasol Protectorate! I swear I smiled and giggled the whole way through. Alexia is just as hardheaded and Lord Maccon is just as Alpha. Yum-mmmeeeee. *Waggling eyebrows lasciviously* Alexia is settling into her role as the Woolsey pack's Alpha female with ease. It's a role she was practically made for. There's one confrontation with a member of the pack who has just returned from India that left me laughing. She handled him as only Alexia can. She manages to get herself into even more trouble this time around, believe it or not. A strange French inventor, Madame Lefoux, makes an appearance too. We're never quite sure what her role is in everything, but she had me hopelessly intrigued. She is to Alexia as Q is to Bond. Talk about a tricked-out parasol! She hooks Alexia up! MacGyver would be jealous of this thing! She's wonderfully eccentric and I couldn't help but love her even as I wondered about her loyalties. Ivy Hisselpenny and Alexia's sister Felicity have a much-larger role in this book, and all I have to say about that is, "Poor Tunstell.…

The Doll’s House by Neil Gaiman: Book Review

Dream's kingdom is being threatened by a vortex, an entity that can rip apart the Dreaming. He also finds out that a few of his major, and monstrous, subjects, have escaped his kingdom. He must look for them all and save the day before it's too late. This was better than Preludes and Nocturnes, but still not quite a four. The arc of the story flowed much more smoothly. This volume really encompasses one big storyline rather than the three or four rather disjointed ones found in the first volume. This one was definitely creepy--I'm desperately hoping that the Corinthian stays out of my nightmares!--but it wasn't as over-the-top horrifying as Preludes. All pluses in my book. I also liked the way Gaiman took a storyline from the first collection that I had completely forgotten about and expanded it into something unexpected but fitting. I liked that we got to see a little more of the family dynamics among Dream's family, the Endless Ones. They aren't really gods because gods die; these beings don't. They have always been around and they always will be. Some of Dream's past is told, and we're left with the feeling that his younger siblings aren't through messing with him and the other two Eldest. I'm not a big fan of the art of the actual story. The colors are a little too garish. Sandman is still very cool, but the other characters, (well, except for the Corinthian) were just too much. This was written and illustrated in the late '80's, early '90's though, so that probably has something to do with it. I did, again, find myself poring over Dave McKean's gorgeous cover illustrations. I really, really like the mixed-media work he did for these. I'll try one more.

Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman: Book Review

A magus trying to capture Death captures her younger brother, Dream, instead. He's trapped like a goldfish in a bowl for 70 years, a time when the "sleepy sickness" took over the earth. Some people slept through a lifetime. But the Sandman has patience and he has time to plan his revenge. I haven't read that many graphic novels. Really, I've only read graphic novel memoirs and Coraline. So this genre is pretty new to me. I wasn't hugely impressed, but that's just me. Although I have read a lot of reviews that say this first volume is just okay and it gets better from here. I like the basic idea of the story, and I have to say that I am hugely impressed by all the myth and story Gaiman has worked into the storyline. I know I missed some of it, but what I caught was seamlessly integrated and impressive in its scope. By the end, it had gotten way too dark and disturbing for my taste. That's all I'll say. I did like the way that The Sandman is depicted. He looks very badass (and somehow like Gaiman himself, but maybe I'm projecting) and I do like the long, flowing cape. I also love the covers that Dave McKean did. I stopped at every one to inspect it carefully, and I honestly rarely do that with artwork in books. That's really all I have to say. Judging by this one, I probably wouldn't continue with the series. There's just enough potential, and I've heard just enough about the rest of the series for me to give one or two more volumes a try. Those who are well-established fans of graphic novels will probably like it more than I did.