Book Reviews
May. 18th, 2007 02:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kikoteiOkay, so I pulled most of these off the other review blog and changed them up a little bit for the people who read my blog. There are somethings I won't discuss on a teen blog that I will on my own.
The Game by Diana Wynne Jones
Practically banished to Ireland by her strict grandmother, Hayley joins her boisterous cousins in The Game. But what to The Game, Greek mythology, and Hayley's rather weird family have to do with one another. And why is Uncle Jolyon so determined to make sure Hayley never plays The Game, even if it means killing her.
In some ways this was too short though. It was certainly good, but I think it would have been a far better read if Jones hadn't made the book so damned short. It clocks in at 179 pages, but the dimesions of the books are about those of a paperback.
Teen
Magyk by Angie Sage
Okay, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this one, but I figured that I would give it a shot as it was getting good press. I was a little worried that it would be too heavily influenced by Harry Potter and that I would be horribly disappointed. Gladly I can say I was not.
Septimus Heap was the seventh son of a seventh son, bound for great things and powerful magyk. Until he died, that is. The night that Septimus died, his father Silas found a baby girl in the snow and took her home. Later that night it's discovered that the Queen has been murdered by her guards and her newborn baby is missing. Fast forward 10 years. Jenna, the baby found in the snow is happily living with the Heap family in their crowded little home, even though the city around them is wilting under the influence of it's new regime put in place after the death of the Queen. But as things like this always turn out Jenna is actually the Princess and Septimus isn't nearly as dead as everyone thought. I may just have to dig up the other two books in the series at some point soon.
Juvenile
Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones is the first part of a new series following New York City teenager Clarissa 'Clary' Fray. One night at her favorite dance club she sees the unthinkable, a group of three older teens killing a boy. But these wild kids aren't what they seem, they're Darkhunters and the boy they just stabbed to death was actually a demon. Before Clary realizes it, she's been dragged head first into their lives, and everything she knows about the world around her and about her own family is put to the test.
Sakka-chan tells me this is a former fanficcer. If so, that may be why I was able to demolish it in a matter of hours and still enjoy it. Can't wait for the sequel to see if Alec hooks up with that guy who obviously has the hots for him. ::winkwink:: And the sibcesty vibes are fun. ^_^
Teen
Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
Ever wonder what Helen of Troy was like before the events of the 'Iliad'? Was she always the helpless victim, stolen away by Paris, or was she a visionary Spartan Princess, centuries ahead of her own people?
Helen is willful young Princess determined to be as tough as her brothers when she someday becomes Queen of Sparta. From dressing like a boy to conniving her way into combat and riding lessons. But true tests of her determination come when she is permitted the opportunity to travel with her brothers, leaving the safety of her parent's home for the first time. The book is left open for a sequel, Helen's journey to the events of the Iliad are far from over.
Enjoyable, but Helen at times would be better suited in the 21st century than a Bronze-Age Princess.
Teen
Seeker by William Nicholson
Seeker is the first part of the Noble Warriors arc. I really enjoyed this one. Yes, there were parts and characters that annoyed me up one side and down the other, but I still liked reading this one and am curious what happens to the characters afterwards.
The story is about Seeker, Morning Star and the Wildman (a Jack Sparrow-esque pirate, but a little more sunbaked) are rejected by the Nomana (a group of warrior monks), so the three leave on a quest to prove that they are worthy of joining the Nomana. The story deals a great deal with faith and the power of faith in both it's positive and negative aspects, but the journey that the three kids go on to first prove their worth, then to save their families and friends is worth the modern comparisons that are inevitably drawn. I'm actually interested in reading the sequel for this one later this summer.
Teen
EDITITHINGIE: Okay, obviously the issues with CC are bigger than I previously thought. I totally float on the edges of HP fandom so I missed this originally. So I revise my statement about waiting for the new book be being cautious and a touch skeptical.
The Game by Diana Wynne Jones
Practically banished to Ireland by her strict grandmother, Hayley joins her boisterous cousins in The Game. But what to The Game, Greek mythology, and Hayley's rather weird family have to do with one another. And why is Uncle Jolyon so determined to make sure Hayley never plays The Game, even if it means killing her.
In some ways this was too short though. It was certainly good, but I think it would have been a far better read if Jones hadn't made the book so damned short. It clocks in at 179 pages, but the dimesions of the books are about those of a paperback.
Teen
Magyk by Angie Sage
Okay, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this one, but I figured that I would give it a shot as it was getting good press. I was a little worried that it would be too heavily influenced by Harry Potter and that I would be horribly disappointed. Gladly I can say I was not.
Septimus Heap was the seventh son of a seventh son, bound for great things and powerful magyk. Until he died, that is. The night that Septimus died, his father Silas found a baby girl in the snow and took her home. Later that night it's discovered that the Queen has been murdered by her guards and her newborn baby is missing. Fast forward 10 years. Jenna, the baby found in the snow is happily living with the Heap family in their crowded little home, even though the city around them is wilting under the influence of it's new regime put in place after the death of the Queen. But as things like this always turn out Jenna is actually the Princess and Septimus isn't nearly as dead as everyone thought. I may just have to dig up the other two books in the series at some point soon.
Juvenile
Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
City of Bones is the first part of a new series following New York City teenager Clarissa 'Clary' Fray. One night at her favorite dance club she sees the unthinkable, a group of three older teens killing a boy. But these wild kids aren't what they seem, they're Darkhunters and the boy they just stabbed to death was actually a demon. Before Clary realizes it, she's been dragged head first into their lives, and everything she knows about the world around her and about her own family is put to the test.
Sakka-chan tells me this is a former fanficcer. If so, that may be why I was able to demolish it in a matter of hours and still enjoy it. Can't wait for the sequel to see if Alec hooks up with that guy who obviously has the hots for him. ::winkwink:: And the sibcesty vibes are fun. ^_^
Teen
Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
Ever wonder what Helen of Troy was like before the events of the 'Iliad'? Was she always the helpless victim, stolen away by Paris, or was she a visionary Spartan Princess, centuries ahead of her own people?
Helen is willful young Princess determined to be as tough as her brothers when she someday becomes Queen of Sparta. From dressing like a boy to conniving her way into combat and riding lessons. But true tests of her determination come when she is permitted the opportunity to travel with her brothers, leaving the safety of her parent's home for the first time. The book is left open for a sequel, Helen's journey to the events of the Iliad are far from over.
Enjoyable, but Helen at times would be better suited in the 21st century than a Bronze-Age Princess.
Teen
Seeker by William Nicholson
Seeker is the first part of the Noble Warriors arc. I really enjoyed this one. Yes, there were parts and characters that annoyed me up one side and down the other, but I still liked reading this one and am curious what happens to the characters afterwards.
The story is about Seeker, Morning Star and the Wildman (a Jack Sparrow-esque pirate, but a little more sunbaked) are rejected by the Nomana (a group of warrior monks), so the three leave on a quest to prove that they are worthy of joining the Nomana. The story deals a great deal with faith and the power of faith in both it's positive and negative aspects, but the journey that the three kids go on to first prove their worth, then to save their families and friends is worth the modern comparisons that are inevitably drawn. I'm actually interested in reading the sequel for this one later this summer.
Teen
EDITITHINGIE: Okay, obviously the issues with CC are bigger than I previously thought. I totally float on the edges of HP fandom so I missed this originally. So I revise my statement about waiting for the new book be being cautious and a touch skeptical.