Fantasy Archives - Page 17 of 21

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones: Book Review

Abdullah is the son of a carpet merchant in the city of Zanzib. His inheritance wasn't much, but he's getting by pretty well. The rest of his extended family picks on him, but it's only once a month and he can take that. One day, a mysterious stranger shows up and sells him a magic carpet. That night, Abdullah falls asleep on the carpet and wakes up in a beautiful garden with a beautiful princess named Flower-in-the-Night. As you would expect, Abdullah and Flower-in-the-Night fall in love over several nighttime visits and plan to run away together. Then an evil djinn kidnaps her. Abdullah swears to rescue her at all costs. So it's not quite Howl's Moving Castle. It was still a very engaging story with characters that I liked. Abdullah is the plucky protagonist who can only be likened to Aladdin. He's by far the poorest suitor a princess could have, but he's also the most faithful. He's the only man to go in pursuit of the evil djinn. He hits some big snags and faces down danger to save his lady-love. Flower-in-the-Night was great! She's an intriguing mixture of innocence and wisdom. She's so protected that she's never seen a man except for her father. She's spent a lot of time reading books though, and learning about the world around her. When everything starts to reach its resolution, she's the one with the ideas. The soldier was completely unexpected. He was a bit of a trickster figure and I could never put my finger on whether he was good, bad, or indifferent. He's a good guy to have on your side in a scrape, but he has a great big soft spot for the kitties. The book itself was one great big magic carpet ride of a story.…

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch: Book Review

The Lies of Locke Lamora was a hugely fun tale of a group of con artists called The Gentlemen Bastards and their lives in Camorr, a fantasy version of Venice. I'm going to say right out that I actually struggled a little with this, and that says more about my attention span at the moment than it does about the book. Locke and his group of friends are fantastically funny and amazingly great at what they do. Some of their antics just left me in admiration at the sheer *ahem* balls of what they pull off. I would read and think, "Oh, no. They aren't. Oh, yes. They are. I can't believe these guys!" And then I would frequently shake my head in admiration or burst into (mostly) silent gales of laughter. And then I would tell my husband, "You won't believe what The Gentlemen Bastards just did!" like they were real people I was talking about. Well, take out the "Gentlemen" part and he probably would have thought I was talking about a couple of people at work. :-) But anyway... The witty dialog was actually witty and layered and pointed in so many ways that I still wouldn't swear that I got it all, and I was supposed to know what was going on! Again--that's me, not the book. But it wasn't all lighthearted scams and tricks, and there were times that I was so upset with the direction that the story took, I could have thrown the book against the wall. And that's all I'll say about that. I feel like I have to throw this in here. If you're offended by language, skip this one. I didn't think it was that bad, but I'm fairly tolerant of that kind of thing. There were parts that were…

The Secret Lives of Princesses by Philippe Lechermeier: Book Review

Sure, you know all about the fairy tale princesses. There's that Cinderella chick and her pumpkin coach. Another fell asleep for a hundred years or so. And wasn't there one who had crazy-long hair? Sure, you know them. You don't know these princesses. Covering a gamut of traits, from Princess Hot-Head to Princess Eelizabeth (not a typo), you will learn all about princesses that you didn't know existed. Each princess has a lovely full-color, full-page portrait and a brief biography. Two of my favorites were Princess Paige--"She reads everything she can find: novels, poetry, philosophy, and tall tales"--and Princess of the Disorient--"Her kingdom fits her image: wacky, filled with fools, and complete with nutty celebrations." You know you're intrigued now! There are more than princesses in this book. There are all kinds of tips on princess behavior and style. Every princess needs a confidante. And exactly how does the fashionable princess outfit her elephant for traveling? This book comes complete with a diagram. Seriously, I saw a review for this and knew I had to have it. My husband obliged and got it for me for my birthday. Even though I was in the middle of a scavenger hunt for my gifts, I had to stop and pore over this book for a while. Trust me, nothing comes between me and my presents. I put it down after a few minutes (a lifetime in between gifts!) and went off to finish looking for everything else. When I had time that night, I picked this back up and started reading it again. I was surprised that it was so long. It's 92 fully-illustrated pages! I loved reading everything in it. It was just whimsically perfect for me. I adore the illustrations. At least pick it up if you see it in…

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey: Book Review

Elena Klovis is badly mistreated by her stepmother. She is forced to clean the house, cook the food, and dress her stepmother and her two stepsisters, while she herself dresses in rags and goes hungry. Sound familiar? That's because Elena is supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella. But her "Prince Charming" is completely wrong for her. So magic just keeps building and building around her. Finally, Elena's Fairy Godmother steps in with a most unusual offer. Elena's life is changed in a way that she could never have foretold. But will there eventually be a happily-ever-after for her? I loved the whole concept of this story. I love fairy tales and I love to see twists on fairy tales. This one was a lot of fun and it really wasn't very predictable. It was a fun, light read, and I would recommend it to other fans of fairy tales. Two things though: First, I was sort of thinking that my little cousin, a fan of all things princess and fairy, might enjoy having this book read aloud to her. Then I got to the sex scenes. There were probably only two, and they were pretty lightweight, but they were still there, so keep that in mind if you're thinking of the little princess in your life. Second, I've read several of Mercedes Lackey's books, and I would love to be her copyeditor. She absolutely kills me. She generally tells interesting, original stories, but the copyeditor whose red ink swirls through my veins cringes through her books. I would disable her italics key right off the bat. I don't mind the convention she uses of having a character's thoughts in italics. That actually makes things a little clearer. But I'm glancing through the book right now and it's almost impossible to…

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce: Book Review

Scarlett March was horribly scarred when she defended her younger sister from a Fenris (werewolf) when they were both young. They lost their beloved grandmother in the same attack. With guidance from the local woodsman, Pa Reynolds, and with Silas Reynolds as a partner, the March sisters become deadly Fenris hunters. Now that the girls are in their older teens, something has the wolves out in masses. Scarlett, Rosie, and Silas decide they can do the most damage by moving to Atlanta, the center of all this wolfish activity, and hunting there. But what bait can they use? Feminine wiles just aren't working as well here for some reason. Oh, I'm so torn on this rating. I couldn't put the book down. Even when the trio was in the library studying, trying to figure out how to beat the wolves to whatever it is they're looking for, there was still some drama going on between them that kept me entertained. Knocking it back is the fact that I knew exactly what was going to happen. I didn't know how it was going to play out, but once I found out what the wolves were searching for, I got it. There were tons of clues scattered throughout that just kept confirming what I thought. I could have overlooked that and still kept it at four stars, but the resolution felt a little--forced? That's probably the best word. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that the wolves' behavior made zero sense to me. Scarlett was the strongest character in the story, but I just couldn't bring myself to like her. She was too focused and too intent on how her way of life was the only viable way. She accuses Rosie of being selfish, but she's completely…

Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson: Book Review

Something isn't quite right in the Oakenwyld. The fairies are terrified to go outside, they're losing their creativity, and their numbers are dwindling. Young Bryony has a chance face-to-face meeting with a human that leaves the other fairies aghast and Bryony remorseful but curious. After Bryony comes of age, Queen Amaryllis appoints her as the Queen's Hunter. Bryony is thrilled. Now she gets to venture out of the tree on legitimate business every day and see a bit of the wider world. She starts to question the way things are, and soon she finds herself torn between not wanting to endanger her friends and trying to find out if she can help them lead a better life. I enjoyed this. I love fairy tales and I love the idea of fairies. Unfortunately, most of the modern books I pick up about fairies disappoint me. They're so very dark and dangerous. I want to see the cute little flower fairies. (Why, yes, I do think Disney Fairies are the cutest things ever!) This delivered the cute fairies with flowery names while also giving me a mystery that kept my attention. This is probably more of a middle-grade book than a young-adult book, but I still couldn't guess how everything was going to tie together and end up. There's a little darkness, a little twisty-ness, but nothing that went too overboard. Bryony is such a feisty little thing, I couldn't help but love her. She's practically fearless. Fearless can lead to stupidity in real life, and it happened a little with Bryony too. She would occasionally get over-confident and she'd pay the consequences and learn from her mistakes. She isn't content with hearing, "That's the way things are," she wants to know why things are the way they are and if it…

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly: Book Review

“Um, and what about ‘happily ever after’?” asked David, a little uncertainly. “What does that mean?” “Eaten quickly,” said Brother Number One. That should give you an idea what you’re up against with this novel. Twelve-year-old David finds himself in a fairytale kingdom one night, but this kingdom isn’t exactly the way he expected it would be after reading his favorite stories. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings, so I was biased in favor of this from the beginning. But this novel worked in several different ways. On the surface, it could just be read as a big adventure story/mash-up of a lot of the classic fairy tales. But David learns a lot about confronting his fears, jealousies, and all the worst parts of himself. I have to say that the tone was fairly dark throughout, so I really had no idea how everything was going to turn out in the end. There were funny moments, and Snow White’s part absolutely cracked me up. It was worth reading this for that scene alone! Apparently, some editions have some sort of appendix at the back with all the original fairy tales and how they were worked into the story. My copy, the blue one, for what it’s worth, doesn’t have any of that. I think it would definitely be worth it to look for the editions with the extra information. The red ones? I’m sure I got the obvious references, but there may have been some that I completely missed. I highly recommend this, especially if you like a well-written remake of fairy tales.

The Clearing by Heather Davis: Book Review

Amy doesn't have a whole lot going for her in Seattle. She's just come out of a disastrous relationship and her friends don't believe her when she tells them how bad it was for her. She decides to try to get a fresh start by moving in with her great-aunt Mae in a little town called Rockville. Amy's been hurt so badly that it's hard for her to open up enough to even make friends. When she's out throwing sticks for the dog one day, Amy notices a band of fog at the back of the property that never goes away. She goes through the fog and meets Henry, a strangely-dressed boy who she immediately feels comfortable with. He becomes her only good friend in this little town, but no one seems to have ever even heard of him. I just loved this, and in a way I'm surprised. There are some fantasy elements here, but this is more of a love story and that is usually not my thing at all. No, now that I think about it, the romance wasn't even entirely the point. It's more about Amy getting past this huge hurt in her past and learning to take care of herself first. That is the kind of thing I like, and that's what the appeal was. Whew! I was afraid I was getting soft there for a minute! I obviously read my share of YA books, but I tend to stick to fantasy. In that genre, there are tons of "bad boys" that the heroines fall all over. Now, I like me a bad boy or two, but they can't be all bad, and some of these guys I've come across are all bad. You won't really find me bashing Edward, but I found Patch from…

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson: Book Review

Adrianne's father died a few years ago, leaving her and her sister, mother and aunt practically destitute. Adrianne blames herself for the family's misfortune. She works hard and tries her best to take care of everyone. One night, her younger sister runs out of the house and gets caught in a raging storm. Adrianne goes to the shore looking for her and finds her in the arms of a mermaid. The mermaid scratches up Adrianne's wrist but eventually lets Cecily go. This is only the beginning of Adrianne's entanglement with the mermaid. I really enjoyed this. It has the feel of a fairy tale, and is influenced by a few, but it was still something I truly enjoyed reading. But then, I'm a huge sucker for fairy tales. Adrianne is a great character. She's trying so hard to provide for her family, but she's only about 14 years old. Mistakes happen. She keeps trying and trying but she can't seem to catch a break. She's hopelessly in love with a boy who only has eyes for the village beauty, something that Adrianne in her dirt and rags will never be. She looks out for her sister, mothers her mom, and is a saint for putting up with her nasty aunt. She's a character that I would like to know. In fact, I wanted the story to go on just a little longer; I wanted to know what her life was going to look like in the future. I ripped through this book, but about 3/4 of the way through, the story got bogged down in description. If I were an author, I would have a hard time reining in the descriptors in a book like this too, but honestly, the story started to drag for me. I'm pretty good at…

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer: Book Review

Unless you've been hiding deep, deep, deep under a rock, you know that Eclipse comes out today. Well, tonight, actually. I thought I would post my review of the book. Let me say first of all that I've become a reluctant Twilight fan. You won't find me shouting my love for Edward, Bella, or Jacob from the rooftops. You're most likely to find me rolling my eyes as I listen to co-workers whom I've never seen reading anything else talk about what an amazing writer Meyer is and drool over Edward. But whenever I've read one of these books, I (mostly) haven't been able to bring myself to put it down. For the record, I haven't seen any of the movies, nor do I intend to. Although I have admired my share of pics of Jacob's abs. :-) I have wrestled with my rating for this brick of a book. On one hand, Meyer really is not the greatest writer out there, and I noticed it here. And Edward really is so controlling that it's frightening at times. And Bella can be nauseatingly gushy. Yes, I'm looking at the sentence, "I wrenched the door out of my way--ridiculously eager--and there he was, my personal miracle." Ugh. Cue the eye-rolling and gagging. But once I just sort of let that go and went with the story, I read most of this 629-page book today. I couldn't look away. So it would be 3 stars for all the things that irritated me, but I'm bumping it up to 4 stars for being compulsively readable. And that really sums it up. That and I think the epilogue was a cheat to keep all the Jacob fans reading the series. I'll declare myself to be a member of Team Jacob right here. Edward, when…