Book Review Catch-up Part 3

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These are all from the book review blog I run with a co-worker. So for the most part they are direct lifts from reviews I've already written, with just a few adjustments. 
 

Maddigan’s Fantasia by Margaret Mahy

“The Chaos” as it’s now called has left the world shattered. The cities and technologies that made life easy have been lost, small communities have sprung up, scattered far and wide. Twelve-year-old Garland Maddigan is a member of a traveling circus called Maddigan’s Fantasia. The Fantasia travels through the wilds and ever changing roads, stopping at all the towns they find to entertain the residents.

On this year’s trip however, the circus has been tasked by their hometown of Solis to purchase a new solar converter from the distant city of Newton. They’ve barely set out when tragedy strikes. In an attack by highwaymen known as Road Rats, Garland’s father and ringmaster of Maddigan’s Fantasia, Ferdy, is killed. In all the commotion, three unusual siblings appear; Timon, Eden and their baby sister Jewel. The boys attempt to convince Garland that they’ve come from the future, and that they’ve come back to help Garland and Fantasia get the converter. But the siblings have also come back in time in an effort to escape the Nennog, the monstrous and seemingly immortal ruler of Solis in their time and protect a powerful talisman that the Nennog wants from them. The only catch is that neither has any idea what item they have might be the talisman.

Now without their ringmaster, the members of Maddigan’s Fantasia must do what they always do, pick themselves back up and continue to Newton. Garland however still struggles with the lost of her father and the feeling that Yves, Fantasia’s second-in-commmand, is somehow trying to take her father’s place, both as ringmaster and by her mother’s side. Together the members of Fantasia and their visitors from the future must make the journey to Newton, all the while trying to stay one step ahead of the Nennog and his minions.

Maddigan’s Fantasia is a solid (and hefty) read science fiction/fantasy read. Mahy’s world building is impressive, with both elements of the distant future and recognizable things. The twists and revelations towards the end were well done. The book can be a little formulaic in the early chapters and drag in some places, but for a younger reader looking for a challenge, this may be a good option.
Teen



 Darkside by Tom Becker

At 14 Jonathan Starling knows his way around on the streets of London. He’s become an expert at disappearing, and considering how much time he spends skipping school, that may be a good thing. But when Jonathan’s father ends up in the asylum again, things are about to change dramatically.

Jonathan’s father Alain has been unwell for years, periodically slipping into fits and catatonic states that the two have started to refer to as darkenings. This time when Jonathan heads home to the empty house he’s attacked in the middle of the night, only managing to escape by barricading himself in his father’s off-limits study. Now with only some vague clues his father left behind, Jonathan must find a way into the ‘Darkside’.

But things won’t be easy, not with an orange-haired bounty hunter on his trail. Not to mention that Darkside itself is a terrifyingly lawless city, ruled by the descendants of Jack the Ripper! Jonathan must now rely on an old friend of his father’s, Carnegie, a werewolf private detective to find out who wants him enough to send a bounty hunter.

The first book in the series, Darkside provides just enough great scares and shivers. The idea of a dark city underground is not a new idea, but it’s handled well here without getting hung up on the little details about how such a city can exist undetected for so long. Darkside is an exciting read, and leaves enough mystery for a sequel or two.
Teen



 Clash of the Demons by Joseph Delaney

In Wrath of the Bloodeye, Thomas Ward barely managed to escape both the water witch Morwena and the Fiend. It was with the help of the witch assassin Grimalkin that Tom was able to stop Morwena for good. But the Fiend has grown in power and his sights are still set on Tom.

When Tom receives a letter from his beloved mother, who has been waging her own war against the darkness in her homeland of Greece, asking him to come to the farm as she has a favor to ask of him, Tom doesn’t even think twice about going. It seems that the fight in Greece has neared its end, but there is still one major battle to come, one that will decide the fate of both far off Greece and the County. And Tom’s mother needs an army. An army of built of spooks and witches to take on the Ordeen, one of the old gods and a potential ally of the Fiend.

But Tom’s willingness to do as his mother bids, regardless of whether or not he’ll be corrupted by the dark, drives a wedge between Tom and Mr. Gregory. Torn between his duty as a son and as an apprentice spook, Tom will face some of his toughest challenges yet. A mountain full of feral lamias and maenad assassins may be the least of his worries when the Fiend comes to make a bargain that Tom may be unable to refuse.

The sixth book in the series, Clash of the Demons is just as satisfying as the previous books with just enough creepy supernatural creatures and frantic action. The series looks to be close to wrapping up, with maybe one or two more books to finally bring Tom’s confrontation with the Fiend to a close.
Middle School/Young Teen



 Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, or Bertie as she prefers, has lived backstage at the Théâtre Illuminata since she was a little girl. She’s grown up surrounded by the Players, the characters of all the plays contained in the theater’s magical book. But Bertie has been without direction or a task since arriving at the theater, and with friends like the faeries Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed and Peaseblossom from A Midsummer Night’s Dream there’s bound to be trouble.

And now because of Bertie’s latest escapade (which involved unauthorized use of a cannon, fire to the stage curtains, and a hole in the roof) she’s being kicked out to find her way in the world outside the Théâtre Illuminata. With help of the faeries and Nate, one of the pirates from Peter Pan, Bertie must find a way to convince the Theater Manager to let her stay. They come up with an unlikely plan, restage Hamlet in ancient Egypt!

Time is against Bertie, she’s got less than a week to pull the restage off and with temperamental Players who dislike change and a Stage Manager who would like nothing more to see her gone she’s going to have her work cut out for her. Worst of all, Ariel, an airy spirit from The Tempest, is making a complete nuisance of himself by sabotaging the props and agitating the Players. But is Ariel’s goal simply tormenting Bertie, or does he have a grander scheme in mind?

Eyes Like Stars is a great book for the theater geek in all of us. Full of inside jokes, pokes at Shakespeare, and elaborate sets that swoop in by magic with a whisper in the Stage Manager’s headset. The book is a little melodramatic at times, but full of fun and some wonderfully unhinged characters.
Teen



 Libyrinth by Pearl North

On a long forgotten colony, far from Earth, a long-ago war has left the people that remain scattered and distinctly divided by caste and religion. All that remain are a few powerful city-states, among them the women-warriors of Ilysies and the Corvariate Citadel, home of a people referred to by others as the Eradicants, but who call themselves the Singers. Trapped between them are the scholars and librarians of the Libyrinth, a massive fortress-like library filled with so many tomes in it’s labyrinthine corridors that in all the generations the Libyrarians have been there cataloging there are still thousands more books to find.

Haly is a library clerk, and one with a most unusual gift that she has struggled to keep hidden for fear no one will believe her. She can actually hear with the books. Without opening a book, she can hear its voice telling its story. When the Eradicants arrive for their annual book burning, Haly; her friend Clauda, a kitchen servant; and Haly’s mentor Selene flee the Libyrinth. Selene has just found a clue to the location of The Book of Night, a long missing text that supposedly details the making of Eggs, powerful battery like objects that could save their civilization.

But before the trio can successfully retrieve the book and hide it, a team of Eradicants tracks them to the hidden vault. Selene and Clauda are able to escape, but Haly is not so lucky. At first prisoner, and then holy Redeemer for her ability to hear the ‘dead’ words in the books, Haly must find a way to bring the Libyrarians, Ilysians, and Singers together before the war for power and knowledge destroys them all.

A wonderful start to a very promising trilogy, Libyrinth is a book lover’s guilty pleasure. Because of Haly’s ability to hear the books, there are quotes throughout the book as each of the books in the Libyrinth tries to catch her attention. Half the fun in reading this is trying to identify each quote. Fortunately, there is an index at the back of the book detailing which books each came from. The moral questions and conundrums that Haly finds herself trapped in both as a Librarian and as the Redeemer are complex and North provides satisfying answers to them.
Teen



 The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

As an infant Modo was part of a traveling freak show. Deformed and monstrous looking, he was left locked in a little cage. That is until the mysterious gentleman Mr. Socrates found and bought the tiny boy when Modo used his talent to keep Mr. Socrates from leaving. Modo was born with a chameleon-like ability to physically change the shape of his malformed face and body. For the next thirteen years Modo lived in three rooms at one of Mr. Socrates homes, rooms with no windows or mirrors, with only Mrs. Finchley and occasionally Tharpa for company and as teachers. And for those thirteen years Modo has followed a strict training regime of traditional education and various combat styles, as well has learning to use his special talent.

Now fourteen, Modo is taken to London and promptly left to fend for himself, Mr. Socrates proclaiming that if Modo is going to be of any use to him, that Modo will have to prove he can survive the harsh streets of London. And Modo does, even as he has to struggle to hide his disfigured form, by starting a sort of private investigative service. But things begin to change again when Mr. Socrates sends another of his teenage agents, Octavia Milkweed, to bring Modo into the Permanent Association, a secret network that works to protect the country from threats within. And Modo’s first assignment as an agent might be a little more than the teen can handle when it turns out the Clockwork Guild has been building a little something deep in the underground of London.

For this first book in this new series, Slade brings together elements from classics like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein into a new steampunk world, where ‘mad’ scientists working on the fringes of society have created mechanical marvels both in miniature and on a much larger scale, creations that exceed the known technology of the time. The series looks to be very promising, with plenty of uncomplicated adventure and action, but with deeper ideas just under the surface.
Teen



 Immortal by Gillian Shields

Evie Johnson is suddenly set adrift from everything she knows when her beloved grandmother Frankie suddenly falls ill and has to be placed in a home. With her father deployed in active duty with the military and no other family to take her in, Evie is sent to Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, a boarding school high in the bleak moors.

As the newest scholarship student at the inhospitable school, Evie is an immediate target for the snobbish Celeste and her flock of followers. Feeling completely isolated, Evie starts leaving the dorm late at night to meet with the dark and mysterious Sebastian, a boy she met on her way to the school. Sebastian is always a perfect gentleman at their late night rendezvous, but as her meetings with the older boy continue, Evie finds things around her changing in strange ways. Evie begins to see the shadowy image of a girl in Victorian era clothing that looks remarkably like her, and that girl seems to be trying to warn her… about Sebastian.

I was kinda meh on this one. The modern character come off very flat, which is tough, considering they have most of the focus.
Teen



 Kip Campbell’s Gift by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

It’s back to Clover, Massachusetts and the home of the Campbell family. The Campbell’s have run the funeral home in town since 1875, but Christopher “Kip” Campbell, next in line to inherit the family business, would rather not having anything to do with the family business.

But out of all the Campbells, Kip may be the one most suited to working in a funeral home. In addition to his tasks as the outside man by taking care of the yard and directing traffic during services, Kip can also hear the voices of the newly departed. But in particular, Kip only hears the ones who have unfinished business, something that troubled them in life that they were unable to resolve. And it’s Kip’s job to pass along their messages.

The payoffs have been pretty good so far, but when the school bully’s mother suddenly passes nothing could make up for the amount of trouble that’s about to come Kip’s way. Between the new rumor that Kip “talks” to the dead and Golden’s Funeral Home trying to knock the Campbell’s out of business, making it to Halloween might be harder than Kip thought.

Second in the series, Kip Campbell’s Gift makes for a good light read. With wonderful family interaction, and the Campbell family’s obvious respect for the deceased and their families, despite the very nature of the family business the books also manage to provide very uplifting and positive stories.
Juvenile