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Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Posted on June 25, 2010

Summary:

As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it’s time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan’s glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal’s unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap in to a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she hadn’t known she possessed…powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she’s ever known.

My Review:

I loved the Study series by Maria Snyder – especially Poison Study. I thought it great how, instead of using muscles and brawn, Maria’s female hero, Yelena, used a magical craft instead.

So in the Glass trilogy (a sequal trilogy to the Study trilogy) I was thrilled to be entering the world of Ixia again – but this time we’re following Opal, a young “one-trick-wonder” student who aided Yelena in the finale of the Study stories.

Unfortunately, many of the attributes I loved about Yelena, her stubbornness, her lack of self-pity (for the most part), her strength, character and commitment to what she knew was right .. all these things were missing in a large part from Opal, making her seem a bit weak in comparison.

Now, to be fair to poor Opal, the storyline was very muddled – with the several (three?) love interests and hopping about from location to location and the missing changing too frequently for me to really get a handle on, there was a lot of confusion and, honestly, I wanted to start whining and feeling self-pity myself.

So while I loved being back in Ixia, I did not enjoy reading Opal’s adventures in Ixia as much as I had hoped I would, and was so conflicted on this book that I ended up having to write two different reviews before I could finally untangle out my thoughts and get them straightened out.

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Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Posted on June 20, 2010

by Lydia

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

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Summary:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris– the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax– but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they’ve worked for.

Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Pearce delivers a dark, taut fairy tale with heart-pounding action, fierce sisterly love, and a romance that will leave readers breathless.

My review:

Move over, Twilight – Werewolves are back where they are supposed to be with Sisters Red.

I’m an older reader, I remember vampires as scary and werewolves as just plain frightening. I knew before picking up Sisters Red that it would be a story loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood and somewhat expected the wolves to be portrayed as scary – but I didn’t count on downright terrifying. There is no redeeming factor in these wolves – no muscled chest, no forbidden love.. nothing. Just outright fear, cruelty and pain.

So when the book begins violently I got chills and knew I would be in for a treat, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Scarlett and Rosie are Fenris hunters – werewolf hunters. They live in a sleepy town in Georgia in the house of their deceased Grandmother, Oma. Scarlett is scared and battle-worn from a fight as a child with a wolf and Rosie is the protected, beautiful younger sister. But both girls have nerves of steel and a backbone to match. No shrinking, indecisive girls here – Scarlett starts out knowing who she is and what she is supposed to do and Rosie quickly follows (so refreshing in a 16 year old).

I loved this book. I knew opening it up and reading just the first few pages that I would love it. Good, fun read!

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Crazy by Han Nolan

Posted on June 19, 2010

by Lydia

Crazy by Han Nolan

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Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Jason has fallen upon bad times—his mother has died and his father has succumbed to mental illness. As he tries to hold his crazy father and their crumbling home together, Jason relies on a host of imaginary friends for guidance as he stumbles along trying not to draw attention to his father’s deteriorating condition.

Both heartbreaking and funny, CRAZY lives up to the intense and compelling characters Han Nolan is praised for. As Jason himself teeters on the edge of insanity, Nolan uncovers the clever coping system he develops for himself and throws him a lifeline in the guise of friendship.

My review:

Imagine being six years old and buried alive. That’s one of the many stories that kicks off this novel – this incredible story of a boy living with a father who is mentally ill.

Jason is now 15 years old. He was saved from being buried alive by his mother. He has several characters that speak to him in his mind, and they vary from the sexy lady to a kid who has crazy glued his fingers together. Jason lives with his father in a house with no heat, no food and an overwhelming sense of sadness.

Then comes Ms. Gomez and a rag-tag group of friends in the high school.

I was unable to put this book down. I loved -seriously that word is just not strong enough, but I loved the different bits of Jason that were told in each of the characters narrative. I love that we, the readers, are invited in to watch as the story unfolds. I loved how things that are unfair in real life, situations that have no happy choices either way were not glossed over but treated realistically and head-on. I loved Jason’s growth, his friends growth and I was moved to tears several times as I struggled with both the injustice of it all and the eventual acceptance that has to come if you are to heal.

This is a book that should be read by teenagers and adults. It’s an incredible look into the teenage mind under loads of pressure. Very well written, well thought-out and .. well, when you’ll get to the ending you’ll see why I’m sitting here smiling through my tears.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Mermaid’s Mirror by L.K. Madigan

Posted on June 18, 2010

by Lydia

The Mermaid’s Mirror by L.K. Madigan

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Summary:

Lena has lived her whole life near the beach—walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves—the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman—with a silvery tail.

Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …

My Review:
I’m going to say something that will probably strike you as completely odd, given this books title.

This book would have been better without the mermaids.

Okay, now before you get all “but you knew what you were signing up for..” let me tell you what I mean.

I really enjoyed the story and dynamics of Selena, her brother Cole, her father Brian and her step-mother, Allie. I enjoyed her friendships with Kai and Pem (although.. Pemberley was a bit of a hokey name). I was more interested in learning how the family relations progressed through some rocky spots and we healed and felt a resentment toward the fantasy aspect of the book as it began to creep its way in.

The story of the mermaids wasn’t badly written or uninteresting (although Lena’s mother having the large vocabulary after years of “forgetting” was stretching it). I just felt as if the book might have been better without the fantasy element – because out of the two very different settings, the one on land had more strength and potential, potential that didn’t get realized because of the mermaid section of the story.

But yes, I realize that this was a book about Mermaids and I was prepared for it – I just wasn’t prepared for liking the first portion of the book as much as I did.

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The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Posted on June 14, 2010

by Lydia

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

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Summary:

The summer of 1899 is HOT in Calpurnia Virginia Tate’s sleepy Texas town, and there aren’t a lot of good ways to stay cool. Her mother has a new wind machine from town, but Callie might just have to resort to stealthily cutting off her hair, one sneaky inch at a time. She also spends a lot time at the river with her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist. It turns out that every drop of river water is teeming with life – all you have to do is look through a microscope!

As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

My review:

It’s 1899. Imagine yourself to be a 12 year old girl living in Texas. The summer is about to start and all of the amusements we have today are not available. To make matters worse, Callie Vee is the only girl out of seven children.

But her summer is saved when she discovers a kindred spirit in her grandfather, an eccentric old scientist who works in his make-shift lab – a place where the children are always too scared to go. Together they make discoveries and Callie Vee starts to learn what growing up means.

Jacqueline Kelly does a beautiful job of mixing science and discovery with the changing world of a girl on the cusp of entering her teens and starting a new century. I sympathized with Callie as she struggled to please her mother and do what is expected of her despite her desires to be something more – something very difficult for a woman to do at the turn of the century.

This book wasn’t at all what I expected it to be – a light, fluffy read with a bit of substance. Instead I got a thoughtful, beautiful read about a girl choosing to follow a path of knowledge and, while on that path, learning not only about her scientific discoveries, but also learning a bit more about the people surrounding her.

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The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

Posted on June 11, 2010

by Lydia

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

Pre-Order on Amazon (Releases 9/6/2010)

Summary:

When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents’ death.
But Florence doesn’t expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it’s too late?

My review:

This was a very short (132 pages) ghost story that had quite a few tried-and-true methods of scaring the living bejeebus out of a person like me. Recently I’ve been diving into the more tame horror novels and all I can say is I’m glad I read this one in the light of day.

The story begins with a setting very similar to The Secret Garden. Girl (Florence) arrives at a creepy large house, taken in by her older Aunt and Uncle and has a sick boy cousin hidden away in his room. The similarities really end there as the boy’s dead sister begins to torment poor Florence.

There were a few things that kept me from giving this story a higher rating. Nellie, the maid living in Crutchfield Hall seemed like a carbon copy of the little maid in Shirley Temple’s “A Little Princess” movie. I was even putting her voice to the words because her style of speaking was so similar. Also there was quite a bit of name-dropping of classics and it just felt a bit awkward, like the author was trying to make the book a more period novel and the only way she could remind us of the time period was to give us examples of books being read.

Overall though, it’s a solid ghost story for a teenager looking for something in the genre to read. It’s short and to the point, which doesn’t hurt at all either.

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The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

Posted on June 5, 2010

by Lydia

The Last Summer Of The Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

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D.Q. is dying from a physical illness. Pancho is dying from a soul illness. They are thrown together due to circumstances outside of both of their control and the following weeks are weeks in which both boys learn just what it means to be a Death Warrior.

What is a Death Warrior? Put aside all those pictures in your mind you might have of teenage boys with weapons out on a rampage. These boys are learning what it means to battle death – the big Death. They are learning what it takes most people years upon years to learn and, as usual, Francisco Stork tells the story so perfectly well I found myself walking away from the book with a renewed sense of faith and purpose – seriously, what is it about this guy?

Like Marcelo in the Real World, this story is one that kids need to read. There’s so much happening out there in the world and so many ways to make a difference. At one point in this book, D.Q. talks about how the first rule to being a Death Warrior is that you are not allowed to whine. Whining is not allowed in any form, including that little voice inside of you that complains that no one hears. Not allowed. There’s no use for it. And D.Q. struggles with that voice – we all struggle with that voice.

This book is beautifully written and filled with insights. I loved it, but for different reasons than I loved Marcelo. Marcelo made me really think about the corruption of a pure soul and how tragic it can be. Death Warriors took a corrupt soul in Pancho and began a path of redemption with it. Both are excellent novels and should be read and recommended.

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Dragonfly by Julia Golding

Posted on June 1, 2010

by Lydia

Dragonflyby Julia Golding

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A few years ago when I was just starting to explore YA Fantasy I would probably have thought this a great book. I was coming off reading romance novels and had not had a whole lot of exposure (other than classics read at a young age) to other fantasy-type novels.

Since then I’ve read Fantasy YA books such as Graceling & Fire by Kristin Cashore, the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and the Studies trilogy by Maria Snyder. Also, I’ve also just come off reading the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. What does all of this mean? It means I’m a bit more critical now and my likes and dislikes are quite a bit more pronounced.

This novel felt like a toned-down romance novel. It had all the elements of the classic romance historical novel – a political marriage that results in jibes for a few days before both people realize they have love for each other. The kidnapping and basic formula to split the two apart making them realize that the love is true love. There’s a bit of intrigue and rebellion because, goodness knows, you have to show that your hero has a backbone. Ugh, I could go on but honestly.. the result was that, in spite of REALLY wanting to like this book, I was bored by it. I knew what the ending would be, there was no excitement or twists or turns and the characters were fairly one-dimensional.

It’s not as bad as some other YA novels out there are, but it wasn’t what I was expecting at all and I was disappointed by it.

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8th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Posted on May 23, 2010

by Lydia

Eighth-Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

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I’m somewhat intimidated by this book. It was that good. Seriously, it was that good. Don’t let the cover fool you, this book packs a big punch.

Reggie (Pukey) McKnight struggles with his 8th grade image. After a disastrous beginning in the 8th grade he begins to search for a way to change, to be someone other than “Pukey”, a nickname bestowed upon him by the class bully. Sounds good, right? But then the story really digs deep.

Reggie learns about the homeless, about faith, about service and friendship. I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved the supporting characters in this book as well. Ruthie and Joe C. were everything I wished I could have had in 8th grade. Smart, thought-provoking, aware children who were just plain good.

I also really loved how this book dealt with such a wide, diverse racial group in such an understated, matter-of-fact way. History is taught in such a way that it doesn’t feel as if it’s being preached and the culture is talked about so sweetly and perfectly that I began to feel as if this was the way I wanted to grow up.

My favorite moment of the book is the scene with the Dora shoes. You’ll have to read the book to understand, but I will say this. As I read the part I began to discuss it with my 7 year old nephew. He nodded as I came to the end of the story and, in a simple sentence, he told me of his insight into the story. I was flabbergasted at the level of maturity it showed in him and so pleased that a story could provoke his thoughts in that way.

This goes on my favorites for the year list. I feel as if I’m a better person just for having read it and I encourage you to do the same. I haven’t felt this strongly about a book since I read Marcelo in the Real World last year.

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The Pack by L.M. Preston

Posted on May 19, 2010

by Lydia

The Pack by L.M. Preston

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The story being told here is one of Shamira, a blind teenage girl living in a colony on Mars. Her parents are part of the Elite Security Force and, as a result, she is also in training for the same job. She has super-human strength and agility.

The positives for me in this book were that was was full of action and the story really did have twists and turns in it that kept me guessing. It’s written for a very young teen (I’d even argue 8-10 if it weren’t for a little bit of harsher language and some violent scenes). The story is told in such a way that I could easily imagine it being read out loud.. or told as a story being made up as you go along.

There were some inconsistencies that really started to bug me, however. Shamira’s blindness is used only for the first portion of the book, but things are left unexplained – such as how she could use her computer to get information and how, after her sight being restored, she was able to read and recognize objects from a distance. I think I would have liked the story more had Shamira’s eyesight not been restored and her kick-butt actions taken place in spite of that handicap.

The character development of Shamira was otherwise solid. She knew who she was and remained consistent throughout the story. There’s a good message in the book about family relationships and overall, the story was a wholesome one.

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The Pack – Video Trailer

Read a 25 Page Teaser online.

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