Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

By William Joyce

Before Santa was Santa, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazr. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terror of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village.

When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting…and, he’s not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.

This book was magic. It had that perfect tone of nostalgia, childhood, myth, and wonder. It was comforting and felt like I was being told a bedtime story by the author. It was soothing to read and full of hope as well as danger and adventure. North is a great character, someone who has spent his life as a warrior pirate, and finds that he is more than just a treasure-seeker once he discovers the amazing village of Santoff Clausen. He especially loves the children. Sound familiar? And so the story and legend begins in a small unique and magical town, threatened by a darkness and terrible evil. It’s got the classic hero’s journey and a wonderful tone full to the brim with good. I highly recommend this series. (It’s also where the Dreamworks movie “Rise of the Guardians” got it's inspiration. There is a clip of that amazing movie below!)

I give it a 4.5 out of 5

Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil

By Derek Landy

Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are back--just in time to see their whole world turn upside down! While they struggle to protect a known killer from an unstoppable assassin, Valkyrie is on a secret mission of her own. This quest, to prevent her dark and murderous destiny, threatens to take her to the brink of death and beyond. And then the body-snatching Remnants get loose, thousands of twisted souls who possess the living like puppets, and they begin their search for a being powerful enough to lead them. Facing such insurmountable odds, Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly, and Tanith can trust no one. Not even each other.


Skulduggery Pleasant is by far the darkest book series I’ve ever read. I usually stay clear of horror in all shapes and forms because it tends to get gory and makes me feel nasty inside. Derek Landy though, I just keep coming back to Skulduggery because I love the characters, and the humor. Oh the humor. It’s by far the best part of the series! I laugh out loud at the witty clever and ridiculous things that they say. It’s such a juxtaposed theme: you’ve got horror (legitimate horror mind you) and then you’ve got laugh-so-hard-I cried parts.

This, the 5^th book in the series, was quite a bit darker than I expected, at parts I had to put the book down to just look up and see that the sun was indeed still shining outside. Between Valkyrie trying to figure out how to escape the future that has been foretold for her, figuring out how to capture and stop the Remnants, and just trying to not die this book is action packed to the extreme. The hard thing about reviewing this series is that you don’t want to spoil anything, and the plot is so intertwined it’s almost impossible to talk about it without giving something away! I will say this though: if you like humor and horror, keep on reading Skulduggery. Holy cow is this a great read. Plot. Writing. Characters. Everything is just top notch.

I give it a 4 out of 5

Mechanica

By Betsy Cornwell

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her ‘mechanica’ to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: there’s a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.

There are literally hundreds of different retellings of Cinderella, and being the avid fairy-tale connoisseur that I am, how can I turn down a steam-punk version of the famous story? Mechanica is interesting because of the machines and world that was built to house a mechanical genius Cinderella. One of the more interesting aspects of the world building here is that there are still fairies and magic, but the mechanical is where the humans lean, and the mixture of the two is considered treasonous. While this version has all of the classic themes, like a ball, slipper, fairy godmother, and the stepmother and sisters, it has plenty of originality and a great twist ending that made this a really fun read. If you enjoy retellings as much as me, this one is worth a gander.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5 

The Tapestry book 4: The Maelstrom

By Henry Neff

The world is at the brink of ruin…or is it salvation? Astaroth has been weakened, and the demon Prusias is taking full advantage of the situation to create and empire of his own. His formidable armies are on the move, and Rowan is in their sights. Rowan must rely on Max McDaniels and David Menlo and hope that their combined powers can stop Prusias’s war machine before it’s too late. But even as perils loom, danger stalks their every move. Someone has marked Max for death and no one is above suspicion. Should the assassins succeed, Rowan’s fate may depend on little Mina whose abilities are prodigious but largely untested. And where is Astaroth? Has he fled this world or is he biding his time, awaiting his next opportunity?

Henry Neff created a pretty awesome world when he began The Tapestry series. It was compared to Harry Potter when it first appeared, and was one of the many ‘magical boarding school’ novels to come out after Harry Potter. What makes The Tapestry special, is that it’s a series you honestly can’t predict. It’s got mythological creatures, secret warrior guilds, gods and demons, and so many twists and turns that it makes me giddy to read them. I still don’t think I’ll ever get over the third book’s well scene. That’s all I’m saying. Creepy. As. Heck. But awesome!

Finally I was able to grab the audiobook and listen to The Maelstrom (book 4) as I commuted to work and back every day. I had forgotten how much I love this series. It also made it great that the narrator was really good. The goblin voices were spot on, as well as Prusias’s oily voice. One of the things that genuinely surprised and delighted me was how this world that was created by Neff fell to demons. The good guys didn’t win, they’ve been hanging on for dear life and fighting for it for nearly the whole series. Max and David have gone on a secret mission to discover what they can about a supposed weapon that the demon Prusias has commissioned to destroy Rowan before they go to war. It’s a break neck ride and more than once I was afraid for the lives of my favorite characters.

This story is involved, and the penultimate novel in the series, ending with a war for Rowan’s survival. It’s amazing and crazy good. My only criticism is that the 5^th and final book of the series is only available in e-book format! Gah! I want it now, but have to save my pennies to buy it on my kindle. It’s one of those stories that I want to finish, but am also afraid to finish because I don’t want it to be over. I’m stretching this out as long as I can stand!

I give it a 4.25 out of 5

The Looking Glass Wars

By Frank Beddor

The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss? Parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

Before we begin, I have a confession: I hate Alice in Wonderland. It has a few quotable quotes in the story, but I’ve always disliked it, starting with the Disney version that gave me the willies as a kid. One word. Cheshire Cat. Just sayin’. Then I read the book a few years ago and all I could think was “what?” I do, however, like some of the re-tellings I’ve seen or read. Sci-Fi’s “Alice” was a fun take on the story (though very psychedelic on the drug thing). So, when I saw this I thought, hmm. I liked a lot of the choices that were made with the story. The revolution and violent nature of this book intrigued me, with the playing cards and the chess pieces fighting. I didn’t really understand the power of imagination thing that Alyss and the Queen had going on though. It was a little too up in the air for me (though that was probably the intention) I like rules to magic so I know where I stand as a reader. By far the coolest character was Hatter Madigan, bodyguard supreme. I wish he’d had a bigger role.  Overall it was interesting, but fell flat for me toward the end. Expectation was built up and then fell. I didn’t even have the urge to read the next book, so probably won’t finish this series.

I give it a 3 out of 5 

Guardians Inc. The Cypher

By Julian Rasado-Machan

A glimpse into a multinational company that is in reality the oldest of secret societies, one that spans close to seven thousand years of existence, weaving in and out of history, guiding and protecting humanity from creatures and forces that most of us believe are only mythology and fairy tales.

The other is the story of Thomas Byrne, a young man thrust into secrets he shouldn’t be aware of and dangers he shouldn’t face but, that he ultimately will, for he is a cypher. The only one who can steer humanity’s future.

The ultimate conspiracy theory is that Magic is real. Kept in check by technology but, every five hundred years the balance can shift and, if it does, technology will fail and those creatures we’ve driven into myth will come back with a vengeance.

To protect the present, Guardians Incorporated needs to know the future.

This was really hard to get into, and I had to force myself to read it. This just wasn’t my cup of tea when I read it. Perhaps if I had been in a different mood? Who knows? It was well written and the story was interesting. It’s your basic plot where a kid finds out he’s more than average, he has a certain power. He loses his parent/guardian and must make a decision about who to trust to get them back. The rest is a lot of magic and introduction to an outlier society of mystics and magicians. I think that this would be well received by middle school aged kids, but it’s not a great read for adults who like YA/kids books that can entertain a ‘kid at heart’.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Wednesdays in the Tower

By Jessica Day George

Wednesday at Castle Glower is an ordinary, ho-hum sort of day. No new hallways, no extra turrets, no sudden changes. At least according to Princess Celie, who knows the Castle better than anyone. So Celie is surprised when, one Wednesday, she happens upon a new tower, with a new room, and a giant orange egg hidden inside.

Celie doesn’t know what to do, and neither does her brother bran, the new Royal Wizard. But the Castle knows. As staircases spring up and doorways disappear, the Castle’s plan becomes clear: Celie is to care for the egg and whatever creature is hatches! Of course, she hadn’t bargained for a pet, and this one will prove tricky, once Celie and her siblings realize what else the Castle is hiding…

It’s rather easy to know what creature hatches from the egg in the book summary because it’s on the cover. I kinda wish that it hadn’t been so prominent. I had such a fun time reading the first book and especially enjoy Jessica Day George’s tone of warmth and quirky magic. This second book is equally fun to read, Celie is a great protagonist, full of friendship and belief and trust. She’s in for quite the ride when asked to raise a Gryphon, an animal everyone assumed was a myth. As Celie tries to hid her new pet from her family, she makes discoveries that may point to a larger plot at hand. Why has a wizard come to stay with them when her brother is the royal wizard? What is he looking for? And why does everyone feel like he’s big trouble?

I give this a 3 out of 5- it was average. Fun to read, but not as good as the first. 

The Changeling Sea

By Patricia A. McKillip

Since the day her father’s fishing boat returned without him, Peri and her mother have mourned his loss. Her mother sinks into a deep depression and spends her days gazing out at the sea. Unable to control her anger and sadness any longer, Peri uses the small magic she knows to hex the sea. And suddenly into her drab life come the King’s sons—changelings with strange ties to the underwater kingdom—a young magician, and, finally, love.

The more I think about this book, the more I like it. This book had such a beautiful tone and grace to the telling, it was magic to read. It was simple, but the depths were amazing. I was entranced. I felt like I was swimming through the words; poetic, eerie, and captivating. Peri is such a strange protagonist, ragged and ordinary, estranged from her mother and longing for her lost father. Peri learns some magic and becomes enmeshed with the destiny of the sea itself, and finds her answers and works through her sadness by helping the princes of her kingdom. It’s a tale filled with longing, love, loss, and hope. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, even when I was in the middle of reading it. I sighed when I finished, relieved and a little lighter. It was therapeutic in a way, showing that destiny isn’t always fixed and that even the worst hurts can be healed.

I give it a 4.25 out of 5

Skulduggery Pleasant 3: The Faceless Ones

By Derek Landy

If you’ve read the previous Skulduggery books then you know what the Faceless Ones are—and if you know what the Faceless Ones are, then you can probably take a wild guess that things in this book are going to get AWFULLY sticky for out skeletal hero and his young sidekick.
If you haven’t read the previous Skulduggery books then what are you doing reading this? Go and read them right now, so that you know what all that stuff in the previous paragraph was about.
Done? Good. So now you’re on tenterhooks too, desperately awaiting the answers to all your questions, and instead you’re going to have to wait to read the book. Sorry about that.

I’ve loved Skulduggery Pleasant since I discovered them a few years ago, and it’s been hard to find copies of the series where I live, so I waited to read this book until I knew I could get the next books. This book had a definite tone dip toward the dark. I was a little discomfited at the major swing toward depressingness that this one made, but thankfully Landy does even it out successfully with his trademark humor. This book isn’t a stand-alone like the other two have been and begins a story arc that you can see going to the dark side of things. It had the same sort of vibe that the show “Supernatural”. In this book Valkyrie and Skulduggery are in the middle of a huge mess. The Faceless ones, gods from another world, are returning to our world. Skulduggery, being Skulduggery, is the only one that sees both sides and tries to stop what is about to happen: the end of the world. It was a great read, and we meet some new people and reunite with some old ones. This book, however, has enough of a cliffhanger that I wouldn’t suggest reading it without having the next book handy. I was dying to know what happened, and I’ll leave it at that. A-maz-ing.

I give it a solid 4 out of 5

Alanna Song of the Lioness

By Tamora Pierce

“From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.”

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the gourney to knighthood. Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page. But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins—one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and make her a legend in the land.

Another book that has been on my to-read for a long while. It’s got a sort of Twelfth Knight/Parent Trap vibe going on. Alanna and her brother trade places because he wants to be a sorcerer and she wants to be a knight. We follow Alanna (now Alan) in her training as a page, squire, and one day hopefully to become a knight. Because she is in fact a girl, a girl who desperately wishes she was a boy, there are all kinds of problems she has to deal with besides the daily rigors of training and school. I enjoyed this book until a few little things came into play that made me edgy and frowny. Of course one thing Alanna has to deal with is puberty and dealing with a first menstrual cycle, which I really dislike in books. I know it’s natural, but sheesh. Of course the woman that explains to Alanna also has the birds and the bees talk with her (which I also disliked). There is also nudity and foreshadowing of a relationship of Alanna with one of her fellow pages. All in all, I liked the writing and the plot, but I can’t take the above mentioned stuff. Too much for me. Uncomfortable-making.

I give it a 3 out of 5

Five Kingdoms: The Rogue Knight

By Brandon Mull

Cole Randolph never meant to come to the Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try to save them. Now he’s trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death. Cole’s hunt for his lost friends has led him to the kingdom of Elloweer. Accompanied by new friends Mira, Twitch, and Jace, Cole teams up with the resistance movement and joins the search for Mira’s sister Honor.

But Elloweer has grown unstable. A mysterious enemy is wiping out towns, leaving no witnesses or survivors. And an infamous rebel known throughout the kingdom as the Rogue Knight is upsetting the balance of power. With enemies in pursuit, Cole and Mira must resort to a fascinating new kind of magic to protect themselves. Every move is filled with danger as Cole and his friends try to outwit the High King, who will stop at nothing to regain what he has lost.

The second installment is here, and I’m embarrassed to admit it took me until the third book was out to finally get to reading this. I read the first one the week it came out! Anywho, this second book was quite fun, as all of Brandon Mull’s books are. The adventure and shenanigans are top-notch. I particularly enjoyed the Half-Knight’s character. We are introduced to a few new characters that we know are important and I’m intrigued to find out what is going on in the outskirts. I can’t help but compare this series to Beyonders and I wonder if Mull will work it out that Cole will make it home or have to sacrifice and stay. Similar themes, but like with Beyonders Mull pulls out the rug from you in subtle ways just when you’re sure you have it figured out. That’s what I like. Not a huge pull-the-wool-over-your-eyes, but he gives just enough of a twist to leave me grinning and shaking my head at the sheer awesomeness of the surprise. Hold on to your seatbelts, the surprises are just starting. (I know because I’ve read the third one now too!)

I give it a 4 out of 5

Dearest

By Alethea Kontis

Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Firday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

Alethea Kontis’s previous books about the Woodcutter sisters Sunday and Saturday were in turns charming, heartwarming, and entertaining. I admit that I enjoyed Sunday’s story the most, (Enchanted) and Saturday’s story was a little uncomfortable and not as engaging for me personally. Friday’s story, however, I was excited to read because she was always portrayed as so gentle and loving. I was a bit miffed at how they treated the love story, and I had hopes toward the end that it would not be as straightforward as I previously thought, but it ended up being a very contrived and destiny-driven love story. I’m not a fan of love at first sight. This was almost a forced romance. The story of the swans was a good choice for Friday, and I liked how it also mingled in with Swan Lake. This story occurs in sync with Saturday’s.  All in all, it was entertaining and fluffy.

This gets a 3 out of 5- Average.

The Thickety: A Path Begins

J. A. White

Hand in hand, the witch's children walked down the empty road.
When Kara Westfall was six years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft. Years later, Kara and her little brother, Taff, are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic . . . except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island. It has many names, this place. Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr's Realm. But mostly it's called the Thickety.
The black-leaved trees swayed toward Kara and then away, as though beckoning her.
The villagers live in fear of the Thickety and the terrible creatures that live there. But when an unusual bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book with unspeakable powers. A book that might have belonged to her mother.
And that is just the beginning of the story.

This book was one of those that caught my eye and I knew it was a risk to take a chance on a story about witchcraft. Often these sorts of stories tend to run along black magic, pentagrams, and other things that give me the willies. I greatly dislike black magic and stay far away from it in any form. I was leery as I read, seeing that the story was heading in a dangerous direction. Oddly, the line that the author danced around was okay for me. It was a dark story, one that would have frightened (and probably delighted) me as a child. Kara has a complex path to follow in this first book, finding magic and seeing its dangers and delights. The impressive part of the book is that it isn’t really about magic, it’s about choices and who you are deep inside, about the gifts you have and how you choose to use them. I would be comfortable grouping this book into paranormal and horror genres, but for younger readers, and therefore not as freakishly scary as some others that have given me nightmares as an adult (psychological thrillers are terrifying to me). That being said, this makes it difficult to review this book from a content standpoint, because it definitely won’t be for everyone, and will give some kids nightmares. It was reminiscent of books I’ve read about the Salem Witch Trials, like “The Burning Time”. That book was horrifying to me. The nice thing is, this book is so firmly in the fantasy genre, that it makes it less terrifying because it isn’t based on actual events or people. Still, parents be careful with this one, I’d recommend a child that is more mature; preferably at least 14.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5

Janitors 4: Strike of the Sweepers

By Tyler Whitesides

The stakes have never been higher, and you’ve never seen squeegees do this before! IT is a wild and slightly unsanitary ride as Spencer, Daisy, and the rebels find themselves chased by Mr. Clean’s new and terrifying breed of toxite—the Sweepers. Time is short. With the fable Manualis Custodem in hand, Spencer must figure out how to summon the founding witches if they ever hope to mop up and save education.

Much like the previous 3 novels in the Janitors series, this is full of adventure and has some great morals for kids within its pages. One of my favorite quotes from this book was, “Winning doesn’t mean we all go home safe, that is a thing of fairy tales and bedtime stories. Real life will demand much more of us, and we have to stand ready to pay whatever price is needed to gain the victory. Because victory will come to those who fight for what is right. It won’t come without its fair share of pain and suffering. No victory comes without sacrifice. But it will come. We just have to stay the course.” That’s really the crux of this book. We’re heading into the final innings of the series, and things are getting serious. Spencer is the only hope for the rebels and must learn to trust his instincts to save the people he has come to rely and care for as well as save education and the future.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Janitors 2: Secrets of the New Forest Academy

By Tyler Whitesides

Now more than ever, Spencer, Daisy, and even Dez must fight to save schools everywhere. Toxites, the small creatures that love to feed on the brain waves of students, are just the beginning of their troubles.

The Bureau of Educational Maintenance (BEM) is after Spencer, and the Rebels hope to sneak him to safety within the walls of an elite private school. But danger follows Spencer and his friends testing their loyalty and trust as well as their Toxite-fighting skills. Can they hold out long enough to discover the true secret of New Forest Academy and what it means to the future of education?

I will admit, I didn’t much care for the first book in the Janitors series, finding it a bit preachy about education and a tad boring in the plot. But, having read this second book much improved my temperament toward the series (for an adult, kids will love it) as new twists were thrown in and we are introduced to new plots, bad guys, and powerful janitor equipment. This is much the same base plot as the first book with a few twists, one in particular at the end that had me wanting to read the next book as soon as I could get it at my library. Spencer has fully taken on the duties of a janitor, and has a mystery to solve once he and Daisy are sent to what the rebels assume is a safe school. What is the secret of New Forest Academy? Read to find out.

I give it a 3.25 out of 5

Princess Ahira

By K. M. Shea

Getting kidnapped by dragons on her sixteenth birthday was the best thing that ever happened to Princess Ahira. After spending her life avoiding lectures and lessons, Ahira is thrilled when she is kidnapped and selected as live-in-princess (servant) for a powerful dragon named Azmaveth. Her dreams of escaping royal monotony are dashed, however, when she realizes she will have to marry the prince that saves her. Tradition rules, after all. Being a romance cynic, Ahira doesn’t consider marriage a fantastic future. So she decides to stay with Azmaveth until her brother, a prince, can sneak away from their kingdom to rescue her. Life is interesting thanks to eccentric tenants of the dragon lands. As a live-in-princess Ahira meets Snow White and her seven dwarf uncles who have fallen asleep, Hansel and Gretel who have locked an old woman out of her cookie cottage, and a miniature unicorn who has some pretty powerful magic. However, there are a few negatives to Ahira’s new life. There’s Kohath, Azmaveth’s infuriating human steward; Azmaveth’s tendency to mis-make magic spells Kohath; the ongoing epic battle between the dragons and the Valkyrie, magical warriors bent on dominion over magic; and Kohath. Things get scaly when the dragons realize Azmaveth has unwittingly put their future in Ahira’s hands. If Ahira wants her happily ever after she’ll have to fight tooth and nail for it.

This book is a tad hard to review without giving away certain key plot points, so I’ll do my best to convey things without spoilers. This is the story of Ahira, reluctant princess who just wants to be treated like a normal person and not swept under the royal rug. When Ahira is kidnapped on her birthday along with a few other princesses of the realm, she is quickly found to be the most level-headed unromantic and pragmatic princess ever. Azmaveth, who is akin to a Duke among the dragons, feels extremely fortunate to have found such a servant and housemate. Azmaveth is a bit of an oddity himself, a dragon who is an inventor as well as a magician, he has created quite a few useful things, but has caused a lot more mayhem with his failures. Ahira has to learn how to manage the house of a dragon, and an unusual one at that, and she is surprised to find that she enjoys her life with Azmaveth much more than her old one. She’s useful and wanted. This story is quite fun, though a bit unimaginative with Ahira. She’s a quirky princess who is stolen by a dragon, and seems to be the only princess that isn’t a dunce. Kohath on the other hand is a little strange and does his best to befriend Ahira, though there is something off about him. He is the more interesting character of the two, as there is a mystery to him. When all is said and done, this was a fun read and I loved the squat little unicorn that Ahira makes friends with; it just made me giggle. For a dragon book it was middling because I was disappointed with the finale. I do recommend this book, however, despite some of my disappointment with different facets of the book. It’s a fun little read and I was smiling at the end, which counts for a lot.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5

Newt's Emerald

By Garth Nix

After the Newington Emerald is stolen at the height of a conjured storm, eighteen year-old Lady Truthful Newington goes to London to search for the magical heirloom of her house. But as no well-bred young lady can hunt the metropolis for a stolen jewel, she has to disguise herself as a man, and is soon caught up in a dangerous adventure where she must risk her life, her reputation... and her heart.

Balancing twin roles as a young lady coming out in her first season and as an intrepid young man up against an evil sorceress isn’t easy, but Truthful has to manage it. Her father’s life and even the fate of England may depend upon her recovering the Newington Emerald!

This is a fun little romp of a story, mixing regency with magic and there’s a little bit of Twelfth Knight in there as well. I enjoyed reading about Truthful’s first foray into society as both young woman and young man, and her relationships with the people she meets. It’s a cute little tale of magic, mystery and romance, something which I didn’t think I’d be seeing from Garth Nix, but it lends itself well to his dry wit and creative ingenuity. I enjoyed myself thoroughly while reading and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy mixed with history.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5

Eldest

By Christopher Paolini

Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…

Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon Rider: magic and swordsmanship. Soon he is on the journey of a lifetime, his eyes open to awe-inspiring new places and people, his days filled with fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.

Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle—one that might put Eragon in even graver danger.

Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life…

This has been on my list of books to read since the movie Eragon came out nearly 10 years ago. It took a little time for me to get into the story, but I found myself so annoyed with Eragon’s side of the story that if it weren’t for Roran’s story, I never would have finished it. Eragon’s side is so clichéd and over-fantastical that I was rolling my eyes at every turn and gagging at Eragon’s weird obsessive crush on Arya. The ease with which Eragon is able to overcome the challenges in front of him made me cringe. Let’s throw magic at the problem and make everything all better! Sheesh. But then there is Roran’s story of how he becomes a freaking awesome character. Roran should be the protagonist. He’s the boss. He leads the people and saves lives, he comes out on top in a horrible situation. I loved reading his part of the story, in fact I’d tell you to read this just for his side of things. I can suffer through Eragon’s stupidity for Roran’s leadership and passion.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5- but only because of Roran

Stolen Songbird

By Danielle L. Jensen

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fad from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cecile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cecile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting—she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods—part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cecile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

This is yet another story that had overtones of Beauty and the Beast, so how could I resist when it came on sale on my kindle for 1.99$? Reading this was a fun adventure and very emotionally yanking. Cecile is forced into a marriage that she doesn’t want, and is expected to produce the heir to the Troll throne that will save them all from their curse. Tristan, her husband, is cold toward her and barely civil. She becomes confused when she realizes that the part of their wedding that marked both of their hands was a binding deeper than skin, and she understands that she is able to tell where Tristan is and what he is feeling, and he can tell what she is feeling too. She realizes that there is more to Tristan than the mask he wears in public. His feelings betray him, and Cecile starts to see that things are not as they seem, and she begins to feel for him what she never thought she could: love. And if she isn’t mistaken, he is beginning to feel the same. While this is a neat take on the beauty and the beast story, it has some downfalls for me in the fact that it has some heated scenes between Tristan and Cecile toward the end that made me highly uncomfortable, and it will only get worse as the series continues. I hate sex scenes, as I’ve repeatedly stated, and so, with a sigh, I’ll leave this to those of you who don’t mind. It’s a good tale and will appeal to people who like teen fiction with a little bit of a steamy romance.

I give it a 3.25 out of 5- above average, but the steamy parts really lowered my score.

The Emperor's Soul

By Brandon Sanderson

When Shai is caught replacing the Moon Scepter with her nearly flawless forgery, she must bargain for her life. An assassin has left the Emperor Ashravan without consciousness, a circumstance concealed only by the death of his wife. If the emperor does not emerge after his hundred-day mourning period, the rule of the Heritage Faction will be forfeit and the empire will fall into chaos.

Shai is given an impossible task: to create—to forge—a new soul for the emperor in less than one hundred days. But her soul-Forgery is considered an abomination by her captors. She is confined to a tiny, dirty chamber guarded by a man who hates her, spied upon by politicians, and trapped behind a door sealed in her own blood. Shai’s only possible ally is the emperor’s most loyal counselor, Gaotona, who struggles to understand her true talent.

Time is running out for Shai. Forging, while deducing the motivations of her captors, she needs a perfect plan to escape…

I read this book by Brandon Sanderson because I saw on Goodreads that it was set in the same world as Elantris, but as far as I could tell it wasn’t in the same world at all, or it was so removed it could’ve been another world. It’s set in an Asian-like atmosphere where there is an emperor (hence the title) and politicians, courtesans, and clans. We are brought into the story when Shai, a Forger, is given an ultimatum; make a new soul for the wounded Emperor, or be sentenced to death for her crimes. Shai is a different sort of protagonist because she is inordinately proud and skilled in forging, or making one thing look like another. She is renowned for her ability to forge souls, something that is forbidden because it is thought to be a heresy. Shai is a slight female with a sharp tongue, needs spectacles, and is an artist in the highest degree. While Shai struggles under her deadline to Forge the emperor’s soul, she is watched by Gaotona, one of the only true friends the emperor had. The journey that this short book takes us on is extraordinary and fascinating, as Sanderson explains Forging and the science behind it as well as explore the hidden depths of a soul. This is a solid book in Sanderson’s arsenal, and I enjoyed finding the philosophical and moral questions that were brought up in the telling. This was a deeper book and left a lot open when the book was finished. It isn’t everyone’s favorite from Sanderson, but I think it is a great read.

I give it a 4.25 out of 5