Book Reviews part 2
May. 9th, 2009 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kikoteiOkay, finally starting to put these books I've read up. I literally c & p'ed these out of the book blog I run for work with one of the other girls, I just don't have the energy to redo them right now, I only added where books were part of a series if it wasn't included in my review. If you wanna read our original posts plus ones for books my co-worker read you can read them here.
More coming in a bit.
First in the Sisters of the Sword series.
Kimi and Hana are the daughters of the Jito, lord of a small territory in Japan. The girls are destined to lead the lives of nobility, befitting women of the time. But Kimi dreams of breaking the rules and becoming a samurai and riding around the country side, fighting bandits for her father. While their father may be progressive and kind enough to indulge his daughters with weapons training, there are some traditions that can not be broken.
When the two girls witness a startling betrayal from the person they least expected, the family is shattered. Their father and elder brothers dead, and their mother and youngest brother mysteriously vanished, Hana and Kimi must flee to safety. Not knowing where else to turn, the girls disguise themselves as boys and attempt to join the local dojo.
Unable to join as students, they are allowed to enter as servants. And seeing as how they demonstrated real skill and talent at martial arts, the master of the dojo is willing to allow them to sit in on select classes when their chores are done. Thrown into the world of bushi, the samurai code, Kimi and Hana must build their skills while maintaining their disguise if they ever hope to avenge the Jito.
Sisters of the Sword is an engaging read, though at times the language is a bit stilted when it comes to using Japanese terms. In most cases the author is able to make it work and flow without disruption, but there are instances where the use of the word and the meaning in the same sentence feels awkward.
Upper Juvenile/Teen
X in Flight by Karen Rivers
First part of the XYZ trilogy.
Life in a small town for teenage Xenos, or X for short, is nothing but difficult when you stand out as badly as he does. But X wants to be known for something other than the one black kid at school, and he certainly hates being thought of as the next Tiger Woods. One day X finds that he just might have gotten his wish, quite by accident he finds that he can fly!
Cat is angry. Pierced and dyed and more than a little manic, Cat is a frightening spectacle - and just as frightened of herself. She both loves and hates X, unsure if she wants to date him anymore, but reluctant to let him go.
Ruby is the quiet and unassuming sort, not really fitting in at school or home. She just goes through the motions of life, trapped by her past and her father’s inattentiveness. Ruby both admires and fears Cat and X, wishing that she could be as bold as either teen, but unable to figure out how.
On a cold night at a school dance, their lives will intersect and all three will be forced to make life changing decisions in a moment of terror.
Teen
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Ava and Jackson have something special and they know it. But a foolish dare leads to a tragic accident and Ava is left alone to pick up the pieces. As Ava starts to fall apart, unable to deal with the grief and guilt she notices something odd in her reflection in the mirror. It may just be her mind playing tricks on her, but it looked like Jackson was standing just behind her shoulder.
Ava begins with withdraw, quitting her job and ignoring calls from friends, waiting in the house for Jackson to show her another sign that he’s still with her. Everyday Ava sits at home with his ghost and her memories of all the good times. But a family trip to the beach and the gentle flirtations of a cute boy begins to stir something in Ava; that maybe being so dependent on the dead is no way to live.
Unexpectedly sweet and touching, it’s recommended to have a tissue handy by the end of this novel in verse, just in case.
Teen
The Gathering by Michael Carroll
Sequel to The Awakening.
It’s been ten years since the superheroes of the world lost their powers and seemingly vanished without a trace. But it would seem that children of superheroes often do have powers, and now it’s their turn to take on the roles their parents were forced to abandon.
Still reeling from the betrayal of Max Dalton and the loss of this arm, Danny is now powerless, so Colin and Renata attempt to do all the superhero-ing on their own. But it doesn’t pay it to go alone, and a moment of inattention lands the trio and their families in trouble up to their eyeballs. Forced to flee to America, the young heroes opt to join Solomon Cord and Josh Dalton’s team of young superheroes.
All seems to be going well, but with a strange new cult and a seeming traitor in their midst, things won’t be well for long and all three teens must face heartbreaking decisions. Renata must chose which family means more to her. Danny must take a chance on the prophecy is biological father saw and whether or not it will come to pass. And Colin will face the hardest choice a superhero ever has to make; to save one life or many.
Upper Juvenile/Teen
More coming in a bit.
Sisters of the Sword by Maya Snow
First in the Sisters of the Sword series.
Kimi and Hana are the daughters of the Jito, lord of a small territory in Japan. The girls are destined to lead the lives of nobility, befitting women of the time. But Kimi dreams of breaking the rules and becoming a samurai and riding around the country side, fighting bandits for her father. While their father may be progressive and kind enough to indulge his daughters with weapons training, there are some traditions that can not be broken.
When the two girls witness a startling betrayal from the person they least expected, the family is shattered. Their father and elder brothers dead, and their mother and youngest brother mysteriously vanished, Hana and Kimi must flee to safety. Not knowing where else to turn, the girls disguise themselves as boys and attempt to join the local dojo.
Unable to join as students, they are allowed to enter as servants. And seeing as how they demonstrated real skill and talent at martial arts, the master of the dojo is willing to allow them to sit in on select classes when their chores are done. Thrown into the world of bushi, the samurai code, Kimi and Hana must build their skills while maintaining their disguise if they ever hope to avenge the Jito.
Sisters of the Sword is an engaging read, though at times the language is a bit stilted when it comes to using Japanese terms. In most cases the author is able to make it work and flow without disruption, but there are instances where the use of the word and the meaning in the same sentence feels awkward.
Upper Juvenile/Teen
X in Flight by Karen Rivers
First part of the XYZ trilogy.
Life in a small town for teenage Xenos, or X for short, is nothing but difficult when you stand out as badly as he does. But X wants to be known for something other than the one black kid at school, and he certainly hates being thought of as the next Tiger Woods. One day X finds that he just might have gotten his wish, quite by accident he finds that he can fly!
Cat is angry. Pierced and dyed and more than a little manic, Cat is a frightening spectacle - and just as frightened of herself. She both loves and hates X, unsure if she wants to date him anymore, but reluctant to let him go.
Ruby is the quiet and unassuming sort, not really fitting in at school or home. She just goes through the motions of life, trapped by her past and her father’s inattentiveness. Ruby both admires and fears Cat and X, wishing that she could be as bold as either teen, but unable to figure out how.
On a cold night at a school dance, their lives will intersect and all three will be forced to make life changing decisions in a moment of terror.
Teen
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Ava and Jackson have something special and they know it. But a foolish dare leads to a tragic accident and Ava is left alone to pick up the pieces. As Ava starts to fall apart, unable to deal with the grief and guilt she notices something odd in her reflection in the mirror. It may just be her mind playing tricks on her, but it looked like Jackson was standing just behind her shoulder.
Ava begins with withdraw, quitting her job and ignoring calls from friends, waiting in the house for Jackson to show her another sign that he’s still with her. Everyday Ava sits at home with his ghost and her memories of all the good times. But a family trip to the beach and the gentle flirtations of a cute boy begins to stir something in Ava; that maybe being so dependent on the dead is no way to live.
Unexpectedly sweet and touching, it’s recommended to have a tissue handy by the end of this novel in verse, just in case.
Teen
The Gathering by Michael Carroll
Sequel to The Awakening.
It’s been ten years since the superheroes of the world lost their powers and seemingly vanished without a trace. But it would seem that children of superheroes often do have powers, and now it’s their turn to take on the roles their parents were forced to abandon.
Still reeling from the betrayal of Max Dalton and the loss of this arm, Danny is now powerless, so Colin and Renata attempt to do all the superhero-ing on their own. But it doesn’t pay it to go alone, and a moment of inattention lands the trio and their families in trouble up to their eyeballs. Forced to flee to America, the young heroes opt to join Solomon Cord and Josh Dalton’s team of young superheroes.
All seems to be going well, but with a strange new cult and a seeming traitor in their midst, things won’t be well for long and all three teens must face heartbreaking decisions. Renata must chose which family means more to her. Danny must take a chance on the prophecy is biological father saw and whether or not it will come to pass. And Colin will face the hardest choice a superhero ever has to make; to save one life or many.
Upper Juvenile/Teen
Interworld by Neil Gaiman
Nearly fifteen years old, Joey Harker has a habit of getting lost. He even manages to get lost in his own house. Teased constantly about his poor sense of direction, things only escalate to worse when a teacher wants to have the kids learn how to get back to school with out depending on their parents or public transit. Little did anyone know that Joey’s talent for getting lost was actually due to something far more important.
Joey Harker is a Walker, capable of moving through dimensions to other variations of Earth. And he’s not the only Walker, or the only Joey. Now Joey must learn harnass his skills as a Walker, and work with all the versions of himself! And he must learn quickly before the people of HEX or the Binary figure out how to conquer all the worlds.