Fablehaven

 This is a book that I'm glad I picked up. I am reading it to my son and he is very invested in it as well. 

Fablehaven is about a brother and sister who go to live with their grandparents for a few weeks while their parents are away during the summer. Grandpa Sorenson has some strict rules around his Connecticut home, especially to stay out of the woods because there is a tick infestation and he doesn't want them to get hurt. Kendra is more than willing to stay near the house reading and figuring out the little mystery Grandpa Sorenson gave her with the keys in the playroom, while Seth on the other had has a hard time doing what he's told. Off adventuring he goes while everyone's back is turned and finds a pond that is imaculately cared for and an old lady hidden deep in the woods. Muriel gnaws at a rope and talks to the little creatures that surround her. Why is she out there and what else is Grandpa Sorenson hiding. What Seth and Kendra end up finding out is that Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson are caretakers of a magical preserve. The butterflies that are constantly flittering around the gardens are actually fairies and Muriel is a witch bound to her little hut by strong magics to keep the rest of Fablehaven safe. But when Seth doesn't listen to the rules Grandpa and the other adults get taken and it's up to Seth and Kendra and a chicken to find the adults of Fablehaven before Fablehaven is destroyed. 

This was a great book. The world building behind all of the light and dark creatures in the Fablehaven preserve was grasped both my son and I. The time goes by too quickly before we have to get ready for school in the morning (when I read to him). Each plot twist and turn was fun to explore. 

I particularly like bookish Kendra and adventurous Seth. They are foils in a way to each other, as siblings often are. And although Seth is often portrayed as reckless and doesn't listen to the rules, you can see how he isn't an awful person. We get to see his reasonings, even if some of them aren't as honorable as moral would dictate. As the story progresses, he learns (as all children should) that our actions have consequences and we will end up having to live with them.  

Vow of Thieves

 The second book of the Dance of Thieves series by Mary E. Pearson. 

Can I just say, "Wow." 

Kazi and Jase make their way back to Tor's Watch. New hope and a love of life in their wings. But when a mysteriously dead bird falls from the sky with a note from Jase's sister saying that their home is under attack and their brother is dead, everything starts going wrong. They had only been gone for a month, maybe two and suddenly everything Jase knew is gone. They make their way to town which has had parts of it demolished and then comes the arrows. Kazi orders Jase's horse to run, but she's unable to get away. Both wounded, Kazi under arrest and dying, and Jase.... His case is unknown. Who's taken over the city? Where are the Ballengers? Who's survived? Who hasn't? 

This was very well done. I've not had any real problems with any of the books I've listened to by Mary E. Pearson. The characters are great, the worldbuilding is awesome, and the moments of who to trust, who not to, and questions of "How crazy is this guy!?" It was great. 

The only thing I wish had been revealed (better) than it was is the age of the King. I honestly thought he was a lot older (when I was reading the first book). Nope! He's a young guy (because of course he is). Not knowing how old he was changed a lot of things in my mind as I was listening to the book. 

I really enjoyed the way Ms. Pearson had Kazi skirt around the King and dive in and out of situations. I enjoyed the people we didn't particularly like in the first book, but got a moment to prove themselves. Wren and Synove are some of my favorite characters throughout the series and I like how "family comes first" is a big theme. 

It is a great book and a good series that I very much enjoyed. 

Peter Pan

 

Peter Pan is an old classic.

The Darlings' children get visited by the boy who never grows up and teaches them to fly. Off to Neverland they go which is the place of their fantasies, pirates, mermaids, Indians, and adventures galore. 

It is a fine book. One that can touch the lives of many people who are wanting to escape the bounds of growing up and knowing that we all need a mother--biological or "make-believe." This one will probably be one I'll read to my son because it's a fun, simple adventure. 

Reading it myself, though, wasn't as fun as I remember. The narrator in it was funny, in an odd way. Like an adult trying to be childlike, as opposed a child like say Wendy telling the story. It could be the fact that the audiobook was narrated by an older man, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference. The tone and fake childishness of the story put me off enough that I couldn't give it four stars. 

I've seen the play. I've seen the movies. The story is a good one. I like the emphasis and explanation we get for Mr. and Mrs. Darling. It makes them far more alive than even some of the movies give us. I also really like the implication that maybe, just maybe, when Mrs. Darling was younger, she too spent time with Peter. Maybe not off to Neverland with him, but stories and potential glances of him out her own window as a girl. 

I'd read it again for someone else, but for me I think I'll stick to the movies if I need a Peter Pan fix. 

The Sea of Monsters

 The Sea of Monsters is book two in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. 

Percy was waiting for something to go wrong. He had been able to spend the whole school year without getting in trouble, so it was about time he did. He just wasn't anticipating Cannibal Cyclopes coming to his school as being what got him expelled. Then when he's finally able to get back to camp, Thalia's Tree the protects the camp has been poisoned and more monsters are able to get into the camp and has harmed many a camper. His friend Tyson is also somehow related to him which is like a punch in the gut. Charon is fired and the new camp counselor does not like Percy at all. Grover is also sending dream messages of help because a cyclopes has him captured in a wedding dress. The quest to save Grover and get the Golden Fleece has arrive, only it's not Percy's quest. How is he going to save his friend and the camp and watch out for Luke and the big sarcophagus that he's floating around with?  

It's a pretty good book. More monster mayhem erupts that Percy and Annabeth have to fight off. It's fairly similar to the first book in that it isn't until 'almost too late' that they remember who the bad guys are in this Sea of Monsters before they save themselves and there are constant monster fights. Differently though is that Percy grows with pretty much each encounter. He internalizes them and recalls them and the feelings he had through those experiences. He feels the lose of losing a friend, though I think it probably could have been a tad more heavy or emotional because lose of family members are real. Percy was sad, but he didn't grieve, which I think is important especially for young audiences--a grieving process would have been beneficial here, whereas Annabeth (I think) didn't even mention it as a condolence later.

I enjoyed Percy's character development. I do wish there was more development and character arcs for more than just him, though. Everyone else is kind of stagnant and stays as "the smart one," "the bully," "the kid," and so on. Luke, I guess gets some, but minimal. I want more from the other characters. 

My son enjoyed it, as I was reading it aloud to him, and actually cried a few time because he like the characters so much. 

We're reading onward! 

Pride and Prejudice

The lovely classic that is Pride and Prejudice.

The Bennet family in regency England has five daughters and no boys to become heir of the family's estate. And what is on the mind of the ever dramatic Mrs. Bennet is to have her daughters married to wealthy young men so they aren't out on the street when "your father is dead." So when a Mr. Bingley purchases Netherfield Park not far away, obviously one of her daughters must marry him. With this entrance comes many more members of society that the Bennet's weren't aware of, such as: their cousin Mr. Collins, the magnificent Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Bingley's meddling sisters, the charismatic Mr. Wickham, and the every handsome but off-putting Mr. Darcy.  All these eligible young men must marry one of the Miss Bennet's, right?! 

This is a great story. One that I happily read and watch over and over again. The story is fantastic; the romances charming; the characters are engaging, villainous when appropriate, and very memorable. 

I think the reason I love this book so much is the characters. I think the reason why this book has stayed so popular over the 200 years it's been around is because of the characters. There are so many with different, full personalities that it seems to breathe. There is no one like Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine de Bourgh let alone their relationship. Charlotte Lucus is understandable and though she makes an unbelievable choice is still in the good graces of all her readers. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are a hoot and a holler and one of my favorite "parental couples" in almost any book. I especially love Mr. Bennet's quotes and his constant picking on his wife, as well as his commentary saying, "My dear child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life" because he most definitely cannot respect his and knows the importance of it. Jane is amazing too and reminds me a lot of myself (though probably not nearly so handsome). The best things I saw online concerning Jane Bennet is this: 

It makes my day. 

It is a classic and a good classic. It was written 200 years ago so the writing style is different and for some may be hard to understand, but persevere my friend! If you a have troubles, go find the movies. There are many to choose from and while many praise Keira Knightly's 2005 version, go for the 1995 one instead. Jennifer Ehle and Collin Firth are amazing and the movie gets so much right! Read and watch it now. Just go! 

Entwined

I picked this book up years ago and after reading through the first couple of pages gave it back to my local library (go support your libraries, ladies and gents. It's worth it!). I knew I wanted to read it again or at least give it a try, but when my library was "weeding" the books they were going to get rid of this one. So for $0.50 I snagged it, hoping I'd get to it eventually. Well, I got to it eventually, lol.

This is a fairytale retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Azalea is the eldest of eleven princesses whom she loves and takes care of while their mother is deathly ill. Their mother is pregnant and sick and on the night the youngest is born she dies. The girls and the King grieve in different ways, but all are subjected to mourning for a year. Merry Christmas, everyone. The thing that the girls love most is dancing and because of mourning they are denied this. They get scolded and reprimanded for sneakily doing it in defiance of their father, knowing "Mother would have let us do it." The castle they live in is a magic one and they find an enchanted room in their fireplace where a man with magic has been imprisoned by the same magic he uses. He invites them all down every night to dance and enjoy themselves. They greedily take the opportunity. Between arguments with their father, grieving over their mother, being forced to be alone in mourning, and the occasional "political business" where gentlemen would strut around trying to entice the princess into political marriages, they dance.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book. The beginning was a bit cheesy, which is why I didn't get very far the first time, and the middle was a little elongated more than it really needed to be, but the ending was very well done. Highly intriguing and engaging where I finished the last 200 pages in a day--where as I somewhat struggled picking it up in the middle. It was worth it in the end. I'll definitely be keeping this book on my shelf and will probably read through it again later.

The driving force of this book was more to do with Father/Daughter relationships more than "I love this boy" which is different than most YA books out there. Yes, there is romance, but moral of the story is family. They learn to grieve together and it's not something that happens over night. That build up of Parent/Child relations is what took the middle of the book so long. It was needed and important for the end, so I'm glad it was there, but it might drag a bit for some. Family is first. Loving family first where boys and potatinal marriages are second. Different and good.

There is a struggle some authors have in keeping different character (especially lots of different characters) separate and distinct. Heather Dixon does a good job with this. All the girls are flower names, but they are all in alphabetical order so then we as the reader can at least guess as to where they land in age. Azalea is 17 or so all the way down to baby Lilly. We can keep them in order because of their names. There are also a lot of gentlemen who come and go throughout the story and, through their names as well, we are able to keep them separated as well as given a bit of their personalities. Lord Teddie is rambunctious, Lord Bradford is practical and a good political while still being kind, Lord Fairweather is constant and stiff. Names and personalities here were well straightened out for the most part, which is hard to do with so many people.

The setting was fun, and the magic in the world was simple, yet different. The large portion of magic at the end, the climax and resolution of it all, was set up well enough but there was one part I had a problem with due do lack of explanation--which gave its excuse of it possibly being "Old Magic" therefore mysterious. Slight cop out, but I guess it works.

The only thing that I can complain about is the slight cheesiness of the dancing toward the beginning. It got better as it went on and it might have to do with the fact that I'm not a dancer, really, and don't get the fascination so much. Good for them if they do, but it was kind of cheesy to me. The reader can get over it and it's not so bad, just push on and it gets to be better.

In the end, it's a really good book. Heather Dixon did a really good job at portraying this story which often gets over looked for other "princess classics." Read it and enjoy.

The Wrath & the Dawn

The Wrath & the Dawn is first in a series with the same name by Renee Ahdieh.

It is a retelling of the classic Arabian Nights story where the Caliph marries a new girl every day and every dawn has her killed. As to why is normally unknown. Shahrzad (Not spelled the traditional way), instead of running away, volunteers to become the Caliph's bride even in fear of the dawn in hopes that she can kill him for killing her cousin just a few mornings previously. She hates him with all her heart and wants to seem this boy-king dead. In order to do that she has to stay alive past the dawn, which she does by leaving the Caliph "hanging" with cliff hangers to the many stories she tells that last all night. He won't kill her, she thinks, if he's so intrigued by her stories and wants to know the end.

I listened to this as an audio book.  The reader, Ariana Delwari, did a spectacular job. She has a very nice voice and one that I wouldn't mind listening to again in future audio books.

I will say this, though, that my review may be a bit hindered by the fact that it took me a few months to complete the series. Not that it wasn't a good book, but time is an issue as well as the one big critique that I have to give... Shazi is so very annoying at the beginning. She irritated me badly with her mood, tone, and all out "Imma be ticked off and I have no redeeming qualities because REVENGE!!" It got very boring really fast and she has the same idea and stigma for a good third of the book (or so). I was more than happy to have her kiss the Caliph and actually start liking him.

The love triangle thing going on between her, the Caliph and her past love was kind of obnoxious. It took away from the traditional stories suspense of surviving to the dawn and the artful way of keeping the crazy king intrigued, and slid the in a rebellion, magic, and "I must save this girl who doesn't actually like me anymore because she likes the guy who killed her cousin." I didn't care for the past love interest. He was hot headed and seemed to only have a one track mind without thinking of repercussions. He didn't even think of Shazi's feelings on the subject, and every time she yelled at him to stop he wouldn't listen--killing some of her friends that she actually made in the palace. No points to you past love interest.

And one other thing, maybe because it was an audio book and not me reading it off the pages, but I had a hard time keeping some of the name in check. Shazi = main character, Khalid = Caliph, Jalal = kings cousin and captain of the guards?, T guy = past love interest, Despina = Shazi's maid servant and friend in palace, but pretty much everyone else's name got muffled in my brain and I had to rely heavily on context clues, which I didn't get all that often. With story names--which stories didn't last very long as plot points--as well as "irl" names, I got very confused.

The book did seem to flow well and the plot was constantly moving which was nice. Part of me though feels like it had major dollops of "Beauty and the Beast" put into it too. She goes from lots of hate and disdain to very much in love with him and tries to tell off the love from her past/Gaston-ish who would get slaughtered by the Caliph/Beast. While it flowed, I think there were many cliches for the YA market. There wasn't much that was "different" to really make it exciting and make me want to read it again. I might look at a Sparknotes for the second book, but I don't think I'll take the time to read or listen to the next one.

It was good for what it was, a retelling of an old classic put into YA form. It was written well with enough setting to keep us from the dark, though not much more than that. I liked Jalal, he was probably my favorite character and would have liked more of him, but he is obviously not the main character. Some of the others I didn't care for as much.

If you're wanting a simple, "traditional" YA read, feel free to pick it up.

Tuck Everlasting

Tuck Everlasting was a book I originally read in my 5th grade class and in all actuality is probably the first chapter book to read in class that I actually enjoyed. I haven't read it for years but I found that I still loved it.

Winnie Foster is a girl who is stuck in the moment of sameness. Nothing changes for her in her life, with no friends because she is to proper, to clean, and practically confined to her yard. The only conversation she gets is from a toad that sticks around her yard. So not much conversation, until a man in a yellow suit comes by and asks about a peculiar family that she doesn't know. One day at the top of summer where it is the most hot and nature stands still from heat exhaustion, she decides to run away. She gains the courage to step outside her fenced yard and starts traveling through the woods her family owns when she stumbles upon a boy drinking from spring near the base of a tree. What she is about to find out is that he's part of a family who can't die. She gets taken away to have the situation explained to her, but wait... did she just get kidnapped.

It's a sweet book about kind people who have found the meaning of death, in a not gory or creepy way. I very much enjoyed the book, even as an adult.

I love the way Natalie Babbitt used cycles and circles to convey the metaphors, morals, and themes throughout her story. They were well done and well thought out. I also very much love the characters and they are all so human. Setting was well done especially for the fact that this books takes place, for the most part, in two days. It was set up well.

I honestly don't have any faults in this story. Any major disheartening or dislikes or major troubles.

It's a good book that deserved its rewards. It also has two movie adaptations (one in 1981 and the other in 2002). I very much enjoyed the portrayal of the book done in 2002, though there are differences for exaggeration, but they were fun concepts that were played with. I'm gonna be watchin' it soon.

Please, read it. Enjoy it. You could probably finish it in a day.

Garden Spells

After a need for a good, happy book,  I was recommended Garden Spells and wasn't disappointed.

Claire and Sydney never got along as kids. After high school Sydney left and Claire found solace in the old family home with her Grandmother and the somewhat magical garden with an annoying apple tree.  Ten years later, new neighbor moves in next door who won't leave Claire alone and suddenly Sydney is back with a bag full of mysteries and a sweet little girl named Bay.

Old towns have legends and the people in small towns have ways about them, also known as stereotypes.  Nearly everyone in town has a family stereotype and the Waverley's, Claire and Sydney, carry the weird gene. Claire has this uncanny way with food that can make people feel a certain way. Have an awkward conversation? Have some Lemon Verbena in your muffin. Want to see better? Have some Honeysuckle. Etc. Rather smart move for a caterer. But for Sydney, going back to a small town with old faces you'd rather forget is hard, but far safer than where she had been.

I thought it was a good book. Not something I'd recommend to a teenager whereas there are parts toward the end where there is slight descriptive nudity. All sexy times are curtain closed but there are some moments that lead up to it and lots of talk about sex, but nothing descriptive or erotic--thank goodness.   It's slightly beyond the PG-17 range. I most definitely would be blushing if I was reading this at 17, like I did with the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

The characters were good, engaging all around and surprisingly the apple tree was one of my favorite characters. Claire and Sydney were fun and well developed as well as the other side characters. All the other characters got their moments and segments of chapters which helped bring the whole story and town community to life. Which makes the story more fun all around.

I enjoyed the book and if I chose to read it again would probably skim past some parts about 3/4 of the way though, but the rest of it was well done and I enjoyed the storyline.

Chibi Vampire AKA: Karin

Chibi Vampire other wise known as Karin is the story of an un-vampire.

Karin is a strange young girl not only in the human world where she has the occasional nosebleed and is considered sickly at times; but also in the vampire world where she doesn't bite people to suck their blood, instead she bites people and gives blood. She can also walk around in sunlight, doesn't have the heightened senses a normal vampire does, and can't wipe people's memories as needed after biting someone. All in all, she is strange.

Things seem to run smoothly in the Marker household with Karin going to school and the rest of her family staying up all night, until a transfer student enters the class. Karin finds that her blood level increases quickly and nosebleeds happen more often when ever she is around Kenta Usui. In him she's found her bloods affinity, the type of emotion her body yearns to bite. When they bite a person normal vampires suck that emotion out. So if a person is super stressed and a vampire bit that person they would become stress free for a short period of time. This could be considered helpful and kind of a cool take on vampires. It is a 14 volume series so after she finds out how to cope with Usui, her grandma wakes up, and a new girl comes into town looking for the Markers and a specific vampire in their family.

I think it is a very well thought out and well done story. The overarching plot was interesting and cute, engaging and hysterical at times. I love the family dynamic throughout the series and the ending kind of had me angry. I really liked the epilogue episodes. They satisfied me enough to accept the decision that the writers made. The Marker family was full of fun, intersting characters with their own personality that rounded the family.

If you have enjoyed the anime before you read the manga, that's great. But know that the manga and anime are vastly different. The anime derails from the manga after only a few episodes. Sadly Winner St. Clair makes no appearance in the manga. This fact made me very sad. But the manga is really good and I do recommend it. An oldie but a goodie.