Fantasy

In the book Red Queen we first meet the main character, Mare. Who lives in a small town nicknamed,The Stilts with her best friend Kilorn. There is a war going on so Mare is frighten because she will drafted. Why?
Strangely because her blood is red; in this world there are two types of people Slivers (with sliver blood) and reds (with red blood). Sliver's have what is well described as supernatural powers, oh and they hate reds. So when Mare finds out that Kilorn lost his job and has to be drafted as well, she runs away to a tavern where she meets someone very interesting; who gets her a job working for the sliver king while there she discovers something very strange about herself. She catches the attention of the king and has to leave her family. What did she find out and will her life change for better or worse? Read Red Queen to find out. Grade: A+

The idea of Cinder is nothing new; it is a retelling of a fairytale, Cinderella. I picked up this book expecting a rip-off of Ella Enchanted, but I got a very decent dystopian science fiction story instead. The titular Cinder character is easily the best part of this novel. She is clever, witty, and resourceful. I also enjoyed the new spins the author put on the classic fairytale. Instead of a glass slipper, Cinder wears a cybernetic metal foot.
Peony, one of Cinder’s stepsisters, goes out of her way to be kind to Cinder. The main antagonist reminded me more of the evil queen from Snow White than any Cinderella character, which was a bit of a disappointment.
Despite the fact that Cinder regularly ventures out of her home, none of the settings wowed me the way a dystopian story is supposed to. Additionally, the major plot twist is predictable from the second chapter, and by the time it is revealed, the reader has been banged over the head with so much foreshadowing that the moment loses its power.
Reviewer Grade: 9

Beowulf is a classic heroic epic written one thousand years ago; I read the version that Seamus Heaney translated into modern English. This translation was excellent, managing to balance the original style and rhythm with a clear and understandable tone. Beowulf is a traditional hero. As a result, some of the plot points are fairly predictable. Nevertheless, I would recommend this epic poem to anyone who enjoys Tolkien or other fantasy series. Reading Beowulf, it is easy to see where more contemporary authors got their inspiration.
Reader Grade: 9

Louisa is on the run. Leaving the private boarding school she attended, and with no family to speak of, she plans to masquerade as a fortune teller in order to obtain enough money to leave Britain for America. After one fortune telling session goes awry, she finds herself at the mercy of an old crone who offers her a position as a scullery maid at a nearby mansion, Coldthistle. Louisa is excited to have employment, but after seeing strange, solid apparitions in the night, she learns that Coldthistle Manor is a house that attracts the most horrid of visitors, and that their punishment (death) is meted out by the employees of the house. She has to decide whether or not to stay and try protect new visitor and possible romantic interest Lee, or to resuscitate plan A and flee to the Americas.

I enjoyed this entertaining, gothic style horror story. Louisa, our protagonist, is fairly interesting, especially as you learn more about her upbringing and experiences with abuse at her boarding school. She doesn't lack a backbone, which is something I appreciate in a protagonist, especially in a Victorian setting. However, for this reader, Coldthistle and Mr. Morningside are the interesting parts, and as this book is the first in the series, we only scratched the surface of discovering more about them. The mythology of the peoples living in the house is revealed by short vignettes at the beginnings of some chapters, and those creature's appearances were illustrated by someone quite talented. The occasional chapter was also preceded by artwork - pictures have meaning in the book, and some chapters featured a creepy looking wall featuring random, old school looking pictures of things that were usually relevant to the next few chapters.

Some readers have complained that the pacing of the book is a bit slow at the start, but I did not find this to be the case as I was pretty instantly swept up in the mystery of Coldthistle. I will say that I didn't find the book to be especially scary, even after a few extremely gruesome murders, but it was definitely a bit creepy. The lack of scariness, for me anyway, was because despite the pictures and fabulous illustrations, I never really bought into the creepy, gothic atmosphere. The lack of chills notwithstanding, I enjoyed the characters, setting and new-to-me mythology enough to ultimately enjoy the book. I think that teens that read horror novels will find a lot to like here, and I'll be booktalking this one (in high schools, it really is quite gory) in the fall. 3 stars.

Not only has the release of George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" book trilogy garnered international acclaim, but it has also brought together a diverse community of fans, all of whom share an appreciation for the masterpiece they see in Martin's work. From novel to novel, Martin has continued to enthrall his fans with plots upon counter-plots, timeless lore, and brutally realistic characterization. Suffice it to say, fans were displeased when the six-year waiting period struck between the third and fourth installment. Now, with "A Dance with Dragons" well past its release, fans beg the question, "How does the fourth novel stack up to its prequel 'A Feast for Crows' and the other books?" To answer that question, I would say A Dance with Dragons has trumped the three previous novels, and exceeds the quality of Martin's previous work.

In A Feast for Crows, the plot left out the happenings of Tyrion, Jon, and Daenerys. Luckily, however, this new novel pays most of its 1000+ pages to these plotlines. With the war over, attempts for peace in King's Landing are made, but as Tyrion reaps havoc in the capitol, he flees across the Narrow Sea to meet with the rumored "Daenerys Targaryen".

She has done quite well for herself, having managed to take power, wealth, and respect form the former masters of Slaver's Bay. Though as old conflicts are settled, new ones arise, and Daenerys soon finds that governing over a foreign city is a challenge.

Up in the North, the 998th lord commander of the Night's Watch, Jon Snow, faces distrust among his brothers. Yet in spite of their squabbling, a bigger threat looms across the Wall, with the Others inching closer to the Seven Kingdoms.

In addition to these major plotlines, there are of course reappearances from a range of other characters. Their plots are befit to twists, turns, and outright bewilderment, able to surprise even some of the most observant readers.

I read this book immediately after finishing the last, and can say that I am pleasantly surprised with it. The plotlines continue to complicate, and intrigue readers ever-further in this timeless trilogy.

One complaint I would file with this novel is that due to Martin's fragmented writing style, for which certain books focus primarily on particular plotlines, I felt that some information was hard to remember or keep track of. I would definitely recommend brushing up on a summary of "A Storm of Swords" beforehand, as a way to refresh yourself on those details.

If you decide to not continue with the trilogy, my recommendation has to go to J.R.R Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. While it's true that the novels are highly similar, Tolkien's work makes up for some of the imperfections in Martin's.

Overall, from my opinion, A Dance with Dragons is certainly an improvement on the last installment in the trilogy, and stands to be one of the better "Song of Ice and Fire" novels. If you are this far into the series already, I would have to say that it's worth continuing. The timeless and rich storytelling found in Martin's novels makes for a read that simply cannot be passed up!

Reviewer Grade: 10

Mitch Albom is one of the most creative authors I've ever read. The Time Keeper is an amazing read, as it makes us question how we view time. Time is one of the driving forces of our everyday lives, yet we treat it as a simple, inanimate object. The Time Keeper focuses on two characters: A teenager who wants time to go faster and an old man who wants it to go slower. But there is also a third character: The Time Keeper. An old man in a cave, locked away from humanity, subject to hear all the voices of Earth pleading for time to go faster, slower, or to stop altogether. This book is very interesting, and I absolutely recommend it.
Reviewer Grade: 11

This book blew my mind. A Game of Thrones is the first book in the series A Song of Ice and Fire. These books are fantasy, and they follow the wars, events, kingdoms, and lives of the people of Westeros. This book is extremely dense, but that only means that it is full to the brink of background information and interesting tidbits about the world. The most amazing thing about this book is how developed the world is. Martin must have put an unimaginable amount of time into world-building, and this effort certainly shows. The plot is so complex, and almost all of the characters are wonderfully 3-dimensional.
Reviewer Grade: 11

"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins, the sequel to her ever-popular "Hunger Games" novel, certainly bears a heavy burden of doubling-up on the success of her last installment. When I first began reading the novel, I dreaded that my interest in the story might slip away from me. However, as I continued to read, every turn of the page seemed more enjoyable than the last; and eventually, it became clear to me that Collins has done a phenomenal job with sustaining readers' attention and transitioning the story into a new narrative.

When readers left off in the last novel, Katniss and Peeta, in unison, emerged victorious as the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games. As Katniss returns to district 12 though, she struggles with accepting the realization that her life will never be the same. Her feelings of dread culminate when she shares a conversation with President Snow, who threatens the life of her family if Katniss does not abide by his orders.

Snow, and other leaders in the Capitol, have seen Katniss' acts as rebellious, and will do whatever it takes to suppress uprisings. Namely, they devise a plan to host a special for the 75th hunger games, composed of the victors of previous rounds. This puts Katniss in a convenient position for the Capitol leaders, as she is the only female tribute to have ever won from district 12.

Katniss, Peeta, and the district 12 mentors find out about this news during their victory tour, in which Katniss is paraded over Panem and forced to keep peace amongst the districts. Helpless, Katniss and Peeta eventually come to accept the reality of their situation and prepare for the games. Under the council of Haymitch, they make allies with the other tributes, and as the story continues, their defiance manifests into a full-fledged rebellion.

I started reading this book immediately after the last and can say that I am pleasantly surprised with it. Collin's was able to meet the fans' expectations with this new novel, while also throwing in a number of unforeseen plot twists.

One complaint I might file with this novel is that the story parallels the first book in the trilogy too closely. At times while reading, the plot felt repeated, as if Collins' was reusing many of the same plot points from "The Hunger Games".

If you decide not to continue on with this next novel, I would pin my recommendation on "The Maze Runner". The story is similar to "The Hunger Games", but unique enough to engage your intrigue.

Overall, Catching Fire stands to be an excellent sequel to Collins' first book in the trilogy. While it's true that at times this book feels like a repeat of the last, I can say with near certainty that it will surprise you in ways you will not have expected. In the way that the first novel gave you a glimpse of Panem, Catching Fire truly immerses you in the story.

Grade 10

This book is amazing because I love cats and it makes cats adventurous and brave. There are big "wows" when you don't expect them - sometimes they are sad and sometimes they are happy, and sometimes they are just good. This is 3rd book in the Warriors series called The Prophecies Begin. Fireheart is the star of the story.

Originally written for his children, J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel “The Hobbit” is hailed among book critics as a remarkable, introductory-level fantasy novel. It manages to engage readers with an epic and timeless plot, while also avoiding the use of profane language and violent scenes.

The tale is set in Middle Earth, home to a number of human-like species including the Hobbits, Dwarves, and Elves. Over the course of the novel, Tolkien provides a rich background of the history of these three species.
Namely, the majority of backstory is setup around the dwarves- who originally inhabited the “Lonely Mountain” and made their fortune off of mining gold. Their empire prospered until at last, a greedy, gold-seeking dragon named “Smog” wreaked havoc to their way of life.

Enter Bilbo Baggings, a middle-aged Hobbit settling down in the Shire. After he hosts a seemingly ordinary dinner party, his life is turned inside out, and the inner spirit of adventure is awakened with him. He joins in a quest to reclaim the dwarf home, and takes part in a number of adventures along the way.

I originally read this book after finishing the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. While it’s true that this novel is aimed at a younger demographic, it is certainly still an engaging read for older teens and adults. J.R.R. Tolkien embeds a number of rich storytelling devices into his writing, and it makes the read an absolute pleasure!

If you decide not to try this novel, I would suggest reading “A Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin. It is certainly not as child-friendly, and has some pretty gruesome scenes, but Martin’s writing makes up for many of the imperfections of Tolkien’s work. Overall, The Hobbit is most aptly suited for readers aged 8-12, and serves as a great introductory novel to fantasy literature. For older readers, I might suggest a different read, but all the same, and in spite of your age demographic, The Hobbit is truly a timeless masterpiece of literature and is worth giving a try!

Reviewer Grade: 10