Fantasy Archives - Page 8 of 21 - Introverted Reader

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: Book Review

Gemma Doyle is living in India, but she desperately wants to move back to England. As 16-year-old girls will do, she's bickering constantly with her mother over it. One day, in the midst of an Indian market, tragedy strikes and Gemma gets sent back to England. But she also starts having strange visions. Can the mysterious young man who has followed her from India help explain anything to her? At the right age, I would probably have given it more. But from where I am now, the basic premise of girl-fighting-to-fit-in-with-the-popular-crowd has been done too often. I give the author props for giving it some fantastical overtones that caught my attention, but that doesn't hide the fact that this has sort of been done before. I think part of my problem with the book also comes from the fact that I don't know a whole lot more about these visions now that I've finished the book than I did when I started. This was obviously written to be a part of a series because very little is actually explained. I'm definitely curious enough to keep reading, but I'm a little irritated that so little was revealed. I hope the rest of the series clarifies more. Reviewed March 30, 2009 If you're wondering, I still haven't read any further in the series and don't think I'm going to. Read an excerpt. Find author Libba Bray on her website, her blog, Facebook, and Twitter. Buy A Great and Terrible Beauty at Malaprop’s | Better World Books Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement! I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in…

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood: Book Review

The Bliss family has a secret. A lot of bakeries say that their pastries are like magic but their pastries really are magic. Oldest daughter Rose loves helping out in the kitchen but she hasn't been allowed to do much more than fetch ingredients and she's never been entrusted with any magical recipes. But when both parents are called away for a week to help a neighboring town, they leave Rose with a key to the magic recipe book. Coincidentally, their long-lost "aunt" Lily rolls into town just as the Bliss parents are leaving and she seems awfully curious about the bakery... What a cute read! I just loved it! Rose is the responsible one in the family and it's starting to wear on her. She's a little tired of watching her brothers have all the fun while she isn't even allowed to do any real baking. Anyone can bake a scone; Rose wants to bake a love muffin. The misadventures the Bliss children have while their parents are gone just amused me to no end. Their solutions to their problems are more and more creative but they just cause bigger and badder problems. Aunt Lily is just enough of a suspicious character to keep Rose on alert, but she's smooth enough that Rose is able to forget about her for little bits of time too. It's obvious she's up to something, it's just not entirely obvious how she intends to do it. The siblings learn lessons about family and listening to their parents and trusting their instincts and each other, but the book does not beat you over the head with them. This was cute enough that I looked forward to getting on the elliptical machine so I'd have time to read it. Need I say more? I'll be…

Tithe by Holly Black: Book Review

Kaye Fierch's mom is a wannabe rocker. When her latest boyfriend attacks her, Kaye and her mom are left with no choice but to move back in with Kaye's grandmother, who lives on the shore. When Kaye was younger and they lived there, she had a lot of faerie friends. Now she's looking for them again and she can't find them. Then she finds an injured knight of the Unseelie Court in the woods and assists him. Now it seems like everyone in faerie needs something from her. Some even want to put her in danger. First of all, I am no longer a young adult, so I'm not exactly the target audience for this. I do usually enjoy YA books though. This one was just okay. For some reason, the underage drinking and partying that goes on in just a few scenes bothered me. Also, the characters and the story weren't fleshed out all that well. I feel like the author was onto a good story, but she could have done more with it. I'm left trying to decide if she did it on purpose. This could be aimed at much younger readers than I think. And it is a faerie tale. Traditional faerie tales seem to be pretty simple, from what I remember. So that could be the case. But really, I was left a little dissatisfied that the book felt like it was lacking something. I won't be reading the next one. Reviewed November 17, 2008 Read an excerpt. Find author Holly Black on her website, her blog, and Twitter. Buy Tithe at Malaprop’s | Better World Books Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads. Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for…

Magyk by Angie Sage: Book Review

The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart. Another book I've waited too long to review... Magyk was a lot of fun to read! Funny and suspenseful, I kept turning the pages right through to the end. That means a lot when you consider that I read it while striding away on the elliptical machine at the gym. The Heap family reminded me a lot of the Weasleys--there were about a million of them, they were talented, and they were poor. But they loved each other a lot and that made everything okay. I guessed pretty early what was going on but this is a book written for the middle grades; they might not guess as quickly. I've had a lot of practice at this kind of thing! I need to track down the rest of the series soon. I need to see what's going to happen next! I recommend this for boys and girls from around the age of 10 and up. They should all tear through it the same way I did! Read an excerpt. Find author Angie Sage on Twitter and…

Journey to Inuyama by Lian Hearn: Book Review

Picking up exactly where Episode 1 left off, Episode 2 finds Takeo and Kaede en route to a marriage at Lord Iida's stronghold. Takeo is still bent on revenge and Kaede is just trying to survive this brutal world of men. There's still a lot of potential in this series, it's just not getting places very fast. I must be losing my patience for series books as I get older! Kaede is growing fast and I wish more of the story was told from her point of view. Takeo has stalled out a little. I do think he's going to get better throughout the series though. I like Kaede's heart. I was very disappointed in the direction that Shigeru and Lady Maruyama's story went. I guess the Lady's actions make sense within the context of her culture, but I expected more from her. And I think that's really all I have to say. Readers who like books set in Japan will probably be pretty happy with it. I don't have a huge need to continue with the series, but you never know. My review of The Sword of the Warrior (Episode 1) Buy Across the Nightingale Floor: Journey to Inuyama at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

The Sword of the Warrior by Lian Hearn: Book Review

Tomasu is out wandering the mountains where his village is located, as he has countless times before, but this time when he comes back, a warlord has destroyed it and apparently killed all the inhabitants. Tomasu makes his escape after embarrassing the warlord and earning his eternal enmity. A kind stranger on the trail Tomasu takes out of the village helps him get away and the fates of the pair become entwined. Kaede is a hostage in another warlord's castle. She's been treated horribly but after a violent incident, she is finally allowed to live with the family rather than the servants. She is soon after told that she will marry a lord whom she has never met. She reluctantly sets out to meet him. The four stars are more for promise than actual delivery. This first "episode," as it's labeled, is really just setup. I liked Tomasu, or Takeo as he comes to be known, and Kaede. They're gathering a group of strong supporting characters around them as well. The stage is set for a lot of intrigue and action. I love the feel of this little book. It has a great cover and it's just the right size to be easily held and hauled around. I love books that are small. I'm interested to see where all of this goes. There's a magic system that is more hinted at than seen and I can't wait to see more of that. I want to see the woman Kaede becomes; I think she'll be formidable. Takeo is well on the way to his full power but I still can't wait to see more of him. The setting of not-quite-Japan is fascinating as well. My biggest complaint is that the book seriously just stopped. My copy has a "preview" of the…

Songs of Love & Death edited by George R. R. Martin: Book Review

4 Stars. As with almost any anthology, there were stories that I loved and some that just didn't do anything for me. I was a little afraid that it would start to get depressing (star-crossed love just doesn't sound happy, now does it?) but there was a good balance of happy and sad endings. Favorite story: "Hurt Me" by [...]

The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain: Book Review

When The Wish Giver comes to the Coven Tree church social, four townspeople exchange 50 cents each for one wish. They can't even begin to dream how their wishes will affect their lives. I remember loving this book when I was in about fifth grade. I couldn't remember a thing about the story but I remember how much I loved this book. It held up well! As a young reader, I doubt that I noticed that the story is a cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for, I just liked the fanciful way that the wishes turned out. Polly wishes that people would like her and smile when they see her. Rowena wishes that a handsome traveling salesman would put down roots in their town. Adam wishes for water all over his parents' farm. They get what they wish for, all right! This was a quick, easy read for me and I'm pretty sure I smiled all the way through, reliving the magic I felt as a young reader. The illustrations by Andrew Glass are great too. There's one picture of the traveling salesman in particular that still sends a chill down my spine! I wholehearted recommend this for younger readers. It's a fun story that would be a delight to read aloud with a child. Banned/Challenged: The Wish Giver shows up in the 99th spot in the top 100 most-frequently banned/challenged books from 1990-1999. I can't find a reason why, so I'm going to take a stab at it. Read the second paragraph of the book: "Witches have abounded in this part of New England since colonial days, when Cotton Mather held his witch trials in Salem to be rid of them. The very name of our village comes from the huge, twisted tree down at the…

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo: Book Review

Despereaux was born different. He's super-small and his eyes opened right away. And as he grows older, he's decidedly un-mousy in his behavior. In fact, he falls in love with Princess Pea. What will he do for her? I was drawn into this dreamy fairy tale from the first page. I can't say that I fell in love with any of the characters; that doesn't really seem to happen in true fairy tales. But I did fall in love with the book and all the gently-taught lessons it contained. There are lessons about individuality vs conformity, courage, honorable defiance, love, forgiveness, loyalty, envy, and judgment. And they're all presented so subtly that kids probably won't realize they're learning anything. There were several quotes I loved that will show you the heart at the center of this story. "Reader, you must know that an interesting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform." "The sound of the king's music made Despereaux's soul grow large and light inside of him." "Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light." "Reader, do you think it is a terrible thing to hope when there is really no reason to hope at all? Or is it (as the soldier said about happiness) something that you might just as well do, since, in the end, it really makes no difference to anyone but you?" I loved this little fairy tale with a big heart and recommend it. It would be perfect for parents to read aloud with their children. Reviewed May 25, 2009 Read an excerpt. Find author Kate DiCamillo on her website. Buy The Tale of Despereaux at Malaprop’s | Better World Books Friday…

Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham: Book Review

All our familiar storybook characters have had to leave their homelands because an evil creature known as the Adversary has destroyed them. They have all converged on New York. In order to fit into mainstream society, there are some pretty stringent rules in effect. Snow White is effectively in control but her right-hand "man" is Bigby, otherwise know as the Big Bad Wolf. Jack the Giant Killer comes tearing into their headquarters one day with a story of finding Rose Red, his on-again off-again girlfriend and Snow's sister, missing from her apartment, which is covered in blood. Has there been a murder? Who did it? The first thing that struck me is how very much Snow White in the opening pages of this graphic novel looks like Regina/The Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time. My husband was even struck by it when I showed him. I know that doesn't have much to do with anything, I just found it amusing. Anyway, I really liked this story and the world that Willingham has built here. I am a fan of Once Upon a Time, so the idea of storybook characters living in our world is familiar to me. Still, this take is slightly different (and first--I just came to them backwards). They aren't cut off from the world in a little out-of-the-way town; most of them are living in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world. I liked seeing how their personalities allowed them to thrive or not in that setting. I was surprised by the mystery and had absolutely no idea "whodunnit." I was also amused by the characters gathering at the end for the classic "parlor scene" so familiar to fans of the cozy mystery. I liked the art a lot as well. I…