I didn't grow up with Peter Pan as a child. The fact that I'm reviewing this book when I'm 34 merely highlights this oversight. I didn't even get into this story through the animated Disney version. Again, another oversight. About the only reason I know anything about Peter Pan is through the 1991 movie Hook—which I remember quite fondly. At this point, finally getting around to reading the source material was refreshing even if I already picked up most of the pop culture references this book inspired.

While I didn't grow up with Peter Pan, I can see its merit. I'll probably even read it to my daughter when she's old enough to understand it. What's perhaps the most notable quality of this book is how its randomness almost makes sense. Do you know how kids make stuff up but have a logical sense about their creations? Well, Peter Pan has plenty of elements that seem random but somehow work to build a coherent and cohesive narrative. I'm almost more surprised how close Hook and the Disney adaptation held to the source material. The fact that the ideas presented in Peter Pan are so unique and have yet to be fully replicated in any other story says something about its timeless quality.

That's not to say that Peter Pan is perfect—even if it gets close. Sure, it's charming, but it also hasn't aged too well either (which is also present in the Disney adaptation). 100+ years after this book was written, the world is a different place. These small qualms can be glossed over fairly easily if a parent wants to do a little censorship when reading to their child (they don't necessarily add to the plot).

A unique and creatively random children's story that just works, I give Peter Pan 4.0 stars out of 5.

Is your friendship strong enough to defeat a demon? High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen find out after an evening skinny-dipping in 1988 outside Charleston, S.C. goes awry. Gretchen is no longer the same girl who's been
Abby's best friend since fourth grade. She's moody and irritable. Not unusual for a teen, but then odd things begin happening whenever she's around. What's a friend to do?

While this title is considered adult fiction, this hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist and its themes of teen angst and adolescent drama makes this a novel that can be enjoyed by adults who remember Esprit shirts and big hair or by young adults who identify with being a social outsider.

This is the first in a new Young Adult series. It features a girl, Yumeko, who is a half-fox demon. She is tasked with taking an ancient scroll to a secret monk. With the help of Tatsumi, a samurai-esque boy who also wants the scroll, she begins her dangerous journey. The book is overall a fun read, but is more suited to a younger audience or fans of anime. Throughout the book, I found myself nostalgically reliving DragonBall Z, Inuyasha, Samurai Champloo, and Rurouni Kenshin. The severity of their mission with the familiar tropes from beloved manga and anime had me smiling...but the story itself is not one that I feel obliged to finish. I would recommend this title to any anime-fan in your life or young adults needing a quick, action-filled read.

Boneshaker is the novel that kicks off Cherie Priest's "Clockwork Century" series - one of the most widely acclaimed book series in the Steampunk genre. Boneshaker explores an alternate history of the United States during the Civil War era. The plot centers around Briar Wilkes, the widow of the infamous Leviticus Blue - inventor of the titular boring machine that he was commissioned to create, in order to retrieve the vast veins of gold that are hiding under the thick ice of Alaska in the midst of the Klondike Gold Rush. During a devastating test run, the Boneshaker destroys the foundations of a good portion of Seattle, killing many, and releasing a dangerous gas that turns survivors into zombies. Leviticus disappears, and walls are erected around Seattle to contain the "blight" gas, and the "rotters". Briar does her best to survive and raise her son Zeke in the "Outskirts" of Seattle, suffering the prejudice shown to both of them, due to her husband's actions. Zeke is convinced that he can prove that his father was innocent, and that the destruction was purely unintentional, so he journeys beneath the wall, into Seattle to find the evidence he needs. Unlike Leviticus, Zeke's
grandfather (Maynard Wilkes) is revered as a folk hero, having lost his life in the exodus of Seattle, freeing inmates from the prison. Zeke feels this may help him if he runs into trouble within Seattle's walls. When Briar finds Zeke gone, and what his intentions are, she arms herself with Maynard's accoutrements and catches an air ship over the wall, to search for her son. Separately, Briar and Zeke find people who help to save them from being devoured by the "rotters", and attempt to aid them in their respective searches. Briar learns of the mysterious Dr. Minnericht who seems to run the
doomed city within the walls, and that many are convinced that he is in fact, Leviticus Blue (something she doesn't believe). When events draw Briar and Zeke both into Dr. Minnericht's stronghold, it seems the heart of the mystery
will be resolved with this fateful meeting.

Boneshaker is an epic foray into a dystopian alternate universe, and readers of various genres, are sure to find many wonders to be fascinated by in this version of Washington's famous "Emerald City".

In addition to physical book and audiobook formats, Boneshaker can also be downloaded and enjoyed at home, in either ebook or eaudiobook form.

In the last book of the Fablehaven series siblings Kendra and Seth hurry to different preserves in order to stop the Sphinx. If he collects all the artifacts, the prison holding the worst demons will be unlocked, possibly destroying the world. With new surprising allies and many secrets to be told will the Sorensons and their friend be able to save the world? This was probably my favorite Fablehaven book. Brandon Mull is a terrific author with many other series. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did and be sure to read the squeal series: Dragonwatch!

In Brandon Mull's squeal series to Fablehaven we follow Kendra and Seth as their adventure takes them back to Wyrmroost. Wyrmroost is a dragon preserve where the king of dragons Celebrant the Just resides. After the fall of Zzyxx the Dragons begin scheming to overthrow the preserves and bring back the Age of Dragons. Kendra and Seth must work together to become a powerful dragon tamer and stop this potential threat. This is a great series for Fablehaven lovers. To find out more about dragons and the different preserve is very exciting. Enjoy reading! You won't want to put this book down!

In the second Dragonwatch book Kendra and Seth must race against the clock to find a magical relic before the end of Midsummer Eve. If the dragons get a hold of the talisman before Kendra and Seth it could lead to the fall of Wyrmroost. The war has begun, what will it take to stop it? Another great book by Brandon Mull. This book tells more of the preserve and all who reside in it. Happy reading!

Five stars (If you don’t laugh at this, then I don’t know what cave you’ve been living in) The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a sci-fi comedy so specific that it is funny. Between the absurd circumstances and the very specific jokes, I couldn’t stop laughing. The start of the book is normal, but once you get into it it keeps you laughing as it gets weirder and weirder. The events that happen are so improbable that it turns it the other way and makes it very probable. When reading the Guide, don’t forget your towel!

Having already read a few of Brandon Sanderson’s later works, I knew I eventually wanted to tackle his Mistborn series. While he has a consistent style that makes his world-building a bit predictable, the concise nature of his magic systems and fantastically-written fight sequences deliver time and time again. After all, if it works, why change anything? In The Final Empire, the source of the magical superpowers is a set of metals utilized by “allomancers,” much like color was for Warbreaker and the energy of storms for The Way of Kings . I’m always in awe of the complexity of his magic systems, but with such simple concepts that I wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

If Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings is the standard for high fantasy and George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series is the baseline for “realistic” fantasy, I can already tell that Sanderson’s Mistborn series is the definitive “entertaining” fantasy. While not as heavy in lore as The Fellowship of the Ring or as gritty in its content as A Game of Thrones, The Final Empire excels in superb plot twists, likable and relatable characters, and action-packed pacing that made me hungry for more.

Sanderson is truly master of his craft in this book. It’s no wonder why he was chosen to finish Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series with such strong writing as is present in The Final Empire. And while everything was wrapped up pretty well by the end of this book, I can see where the series is likely headed in the next few volumes. I’ll certainly miss certain characters going forward, and I was surprised how fast the main character progressed toward fighting the “final boss” of this world. Still, these things just make me wonder how much better the next books will be if The Final Empire has already covered such important ground.

The definitive “entertaining” fantasy book, I give The Final Empire 5.0 stars out of 5.

Within a corrupted society where children battle to the death in the annual Hunger Games for entertainment, lives a bold young woman named Katniss Everdeen. Katinis loves her little sister more than life itself. So when her sister PrimRose Everdeen is drawn for the Hunger Games, Katniss does the unheard of and volunteers and tribute in place of her sister. Katniss volunteered without hesitation so when she is sent to the capital along with the other selected person for her district Peeta Mellark she is prepared to fight. She knows that she is going to be sent right into the games and that she has to win it and come out alive to look after her sister. Along the way with the help of her bow and arrow she becomes one of the most unlikely candidates to perform so well in the games, her underdog ness strikes the outside world in hope and in rebellion. This book is by far one of the best that I have ever read, it is so riveting and engaging and has not only action
but romance. I have read every book in the series and I loved every page of it. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is by far one of my top ten favorite books.