Book Look/ Mini ReviewKara, Lost by Susan Niz

 

Book Looks are mini reviews of books I have read where I atttempt (key word attempt) to review a book using six sentences or less.  This format was created by Staci at Life in a Thumb .

Sixteen-year-old Kara flees the suffocation of her suburban life, trading in her home and family for a gritty, anonymous existence on the streets of Minneapolis. She begins a perilous journey, naive, well-intentioned, and isolated as she struggles to reconnect with her older sister.

In her debut novel Susan Niz chronicles Kara’s struggles living on the streets alone. I found Kara’s voice to be quite authentic and Niz’s prose definitely had moments that were stunning and poignant. However, I am not a huge fan of a story told primarily by narration and because Kara’s story mostly documents her day to day struggle there is very little dialogue to break up her thoughts and feelings. What I did like was Kara’s strength and perseverance. Faced with overcoming the odds of finding a job and a safe place to live, Kara manages to survive and even finds a way to go back to school. Niz definitely had me emotionally invested in Kara’s story, forcing me to keep reading to find out what would become of her. The climax felt a bit manipulative and the ending too rushed and a bit too neatly package to be fit the otherwise realistic portrayal of Kara’s story.

Kara, Lost is a raw gritty look at one teenager’s struggle on the street and Susan Niz is an author whose work I will definitely read again.

 Source: Received book for review from author

Review Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rigg

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. (Publisher's summary from Goodreads)

Jacob loved listening and believed the imaginative stories of fighting monsters and the peculiar children his grandfather lived with at a Welsh orphanage during the start of WWII. That is until he got old enough to stop believing in Santa Claus and fairy tales. Even his grandfather’s pictures of the invisible boy, a levitating girl, a boy so strong he could lift huge boulders with one hand, and a kid with two mouths one in the back of his head could all be explained away as just tricks of photography.  But when Jacob finds his grandfather dying from deep gashes in his chest, and briefly glimpses the monster from his grandfather’s stories, he completely with draws from life and blames himself, wishing he had believed his grandfather.  His parents send Jacob to a psychiatrist who explains his nightmares and waking fears as acute stress reaction. As Jacob begins to deal with his grandfather’s death, he still cannot forget his grandfather’s dying words, “Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old man’s grave. September third 1940 Emerson---the letter. Tell them what happened.”

Then on his sixteenth birthday his aunt gives him a book she found among his grandfather’s belongings: The Selected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson with a inscription to Jacob. Inside the book is a letter from the headmistress of the orphanage written 15 years prior and suddenly Jacob begins to think that it might be possible to lay to rest his grandfather’s secrets by traveling to  Wales and looking into  his grandfather’s mysterious past.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the most extraordinary and imaginative tale I have read in a very long time. Ransom Riggs debut novel combines a complex plot filled with unusual characters, historical content and a setting that is atmospheric perfection. Once I began reading, I was completely captivated by the first person narration, which is stunningly simple in its descriptions and realistically encapsulates Jacob’s voice. Jacob’s overwhelming need to make sense of his grandfather’s death and lay to rest the nightmares plaguing him every night drew me in like a moth to a flame and kept me by his side as the mystery surrounding the peculiar children unfolds and takes shape. The addition of authentic, vintage photographs adds an undeniable realism to the story. 

As Riggs slowly reveals, through Jacob’s investigation of the coastal town of Cairnholm, facts about the peculiar children, and the orphanage’s reason for existing, Jacob’s nightmares become real. His interactions with headmistress Miss Peregrine, Emma, and several other orphans added a new dimension and scope to story and increased the suspense.  Jacob eventually must make a difficult decision, not only about his future, but the future of the peculiar children he has befriended and who have befriended him.  The ending was quite surprising and beautifully executed leaving me awed by Riggs talent for subtle foreshadowing.

Riggs one up’s the reader’s ideas of monsters and places before us characters so endearing that like Jacob we come to realize that their lives are worth sacrificing safety. Even though the odds might be against them, the reader cannot help but hope for a happy ending because these characters are now alive  and a part of our psyche. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is brilliantly crafted and is certainly not to be overlooked by readers of all ages.   

 Source: Received copy from Melissa at Quirk Books for review

Book Looks/ Mini ReviewThe Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker&Angel Fire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Book Looks are mini reviews of books I have read. Today, I will be using a format created by Staci at Life in a Thumb  where she reviews books using only six sentences for each review.

Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)

Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.

Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder. (Publisher's summary from Goodreads)

When The Liar Society was released in February, it created quite the stir among book bloggers because Lisa and Laura Roecker are part of this amazing community. Even though I caught the fever then, it has taken me almost four month to finally read their book. I can without a doubt say that The Liar Society lives up to the hype it created. I was immediately drawn to the book because of it’s unusual premise (dead BFF emails), and found the writing to be snappy, witty, and perfectly paced.  I love a good mystery and The Liar Society more than satisfies with its boarding school setting and all its secrets; I adore being an active participant in a book, and the Roeckers had me working through all the twists and turns making predictions about how it would all end. Kate was a terrific character with a strong identifiable voice, and I related well to her feeling of loss and her strong desire to figure out exactly what happened to Grace. The Liar Society is a fantastic debut novel that will keep you on your toes searching for answers and leave you wanting more from sisters Laura and Lisa.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember. (Publisher's summary from Goodreads)

 Angelfire was another novel that I was excited about reading. Unfortunately, while I loved the concept of the book, it quite didn't live up to my anticipation. What I did like was all the action and Moulton's vivid descriptions of all the battles, which made the pacing of the book heart pounding. I also appreciated the originality of Moulton's angel mythology and how meticulously she revealed information about Ellie through Will. But I somehow just couldn't see Ellie as anything more than a character in a book and felt that she lacked depth. Despite the characterization,  I did enjoy Angelfire and found it to be an impressive debut novel, I also have high hopes that Moulton's next book will solidify Ellie's character and am looking forward to finding out more about Ellie and Will's relationship, and their epic struggle to overcome the Grim Reaper's plans to destroy the human race.

 

Show Me Five Review of Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

It's been a while since I have done a  Show Me Five review, which  was originally created by That's a Novel Idea as a weekly Saturday meme and has become a favorite review format of mine. So I decided that it was definitely time.


The questions number indicates the number of answers provided. I enjoy using this format to do reviews because it allows me to put my own flair to it, and I have since developed this format into one of several book projects my students use for their independent reading.

1 Name of Book

Magnolia League 

by Katie Crouch 

2 Words that describe the book

Hoodoo  Southern style

3  Setting where it takes place/characters

While the main setting of the Magnolia League is Savannah, Georgia, the fact that Alex was raised on a commune plays an intricate part in the development of her character. The stark disparity in the two settings is carefully described in great detail giving the reader a true understanding of just how difficult it is for Alex when she has to leave the commune, the only place she has ever known as home, for the stifling heat and primness of her grandmother's mansion in Savannah. 

Not only does Alex have to adjust to losing her mother in a tragic car accident, but she is forced to leave her home and live with Miss Lee (who refuses to be called grandmother) in a sprawling mansion in Savannah's Forsyth Park district. 

Besides the obvious differences, Alex finds that the values she learned  on the commune are the exact opposite of those she must contend with in Savannah.

Along with the extraordinary setting that takes such an important role in the story and is so beautifully developed  Crouch, did an amazing job with all her characters, but especially Alex. Physically Alex is the exact opposite of the girls she meets and who make up her contemporaries in the Magnolia League. Alex wears dreadlocks, which her grandmother states is ugly enough to haunt a nine room house", has less than perfect skin, is pudgy, and views designer clothes as a total waste of money. She could "argue with a wall" and prefers riding a bike to driving around in a gas guzzling car.

4 Likes and Dislikes 

•  I loved all the characters in this book. Miss Lee, Alex's grandmother was the picture of the aging Southern matriarch. She is manipulative and the Queen Bee of the Magnolia League intent on making Alex into a Magnolia so that one day she can take over her role. Madison and Haze, as the new generation of the Magnolia League were perfection. Madison's snarky distaste of Alex's hair, clothing and manners was always humorous, while Haze genteel way managed to offset Madsion's harshness. I also like Derek, Alex's first friend outside the League. He was a terrific addition because he accepted Alex and saw her as a strong intelligent girl and never judged her for her looks or manners.

• Crouch's plot was intricately woven into the setting and the characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed the subtle nuances about how hoodoo was responsible the Magnolia League's power.

•  Thad, Haze's brother and Alex's love interest, was the only character I wish more time had been spent on. I felt that he was there but needed more development. Although by the end of the book he was beginning to be defined more and I hope his role in the next book is more prominent.

• The ending was a complete surprise! I really did not see it coming and I while I hate having to wait for the next book to find out what happens next, I am very excited too. 

5 Cherries or Less 

 

 

 

I am giving Magnolia League five cherries because I really enjoyed every aspect of the book. I loved the concept of the long history of the League gaining power, beauty, and money from hoodoo, I adored Alex and all of the secondary characters and felt Crouch did an fantastic job developing each one. I love how at the end I learned that an even bigger mystery will have to be dealt with in the next book. I also feel that Crouch's Magnolia League is a very unique addition to the paranormal genre and highly recommend it.

 

 

Review Griffin Rising by Darby Karchut

For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger.

But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever. It is their father-and-son relationship, sometimes turbulent, often hilarious, always affectionate, that sings through the story like a pure note.

Masquerading as the average teen next door, Griffin struggles to learn his trade, navigate the ups and downs of modern life among humans (including falling in love with the girl next door), and prepare for the ancient trial-by-combat every apprentice must pass at sixteen or be forced to become mortal. (Publisher's summary from Goodreads)

I am not immune to cover lust. However, sometimes a really great book does not come in a lust worthy package, and while I do not dislike the cover of Griffin Rising, it is not a cover that would normally grab my attention shouting, “read me!” So I am happy that author Darby Karchut contacted me about her debut novel because I might have missed the beginning of a well-crafted and extremely enjoyable new series.

One of the first things that made this book unique was Karchut’s angel mythology. I was quite fascinated with her explanations about the angels’ caste system.  I loved learning about how the Terrae Angeli become the guardians of mankind, through their training with mentors. What really struck me about this aspect of the book though was how seamlessly Karchut integrated the angel lore, with the rest of the plot.  One way she did this is by combing both third person point of view with first person journal entries.  The journal entries provide important insights into Griffin’s, Basil’s, and Katie’s personalities, and offset the distance I often feel third person POV creates.

But what truly makes this a completely engaging story are Karchut’s wonderful characters. On the surface Griffin is an average 13 year-old boy with the exception of him being an earth bound angel-in-training. His past mentor’s abusive training tactics, has left him scared, insecure, and closed off. Through patience, humor, and affection Basil, Griffin’s new mentor, not only teachers him to overcome his insecurities, and use his elemental powers successfully, but also how to trust himself and others. Basil even helps Griffin navigate the treacherous waters of first love. Both Katie and Griffin’s romantic feelings are adorably naïve and charmingly believable. Even Karchut’s secondary characters, from Katie’s protective yet open minded and supportive parents, to Griffin’s abusive and narcissistic mentor, Nicopolis, are effectively written and more than mere stereo-typical fillers.

Between the Griffin’s and Katie’s romance, Basil’s fatherly and sage mentoring, and Griffin’s determination to overcome his past failures to become a Guardian, Griffin Rising is an exciting and heart-warming story. I am really glad I didn’t miss this well-written debut novel and will be looking forward to reading the next book in this series. 

Source: Received book from author for review

Review Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.

Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted…by magic. When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.

But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey
into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.

Dark Mirror combines several elements that make it difficult to categorize it in one neat genre. At one end of the genre spectrum are the magical qualities and time travel that places it firmly into the fantasy genre, but M. J. Putney also includes historical events from two very different eras making this a very unique historical fiction as well. Finally, the story includes a budding romance, which is enough for some to also consider it a romance. While I have never read a book with elements that include fantasy, historical fiction, and romance I found the combination engaging on all levels.

Beside the fact that I really like all three elements of the different genres in Dark Mirror, another aspect that kept me engaged throughout the book was the various conflicts that propelled the story forward. First, we have Lady Victoria Mansfield, Tory, whose perfect future is destroyed when her magical abilities are revealed. She is sent to Lackland Abbey to be cured and life as she knew it changes forever.

As a conflicted Tory wrestles with being exiled, she does eventually becomes friends with other students at Lackland, who instead of shunning their abilities as London society does, secretly meet in the tunnels underneath the abbey in an effort to hone their skills. Together these students are looking for ways to use their abilities to prevent Napoleon’s army from invading England. When the tunnels are raided one night by school authorities, Tory finds herself transported, via Merlin’s Mirror, to 1940 where she is taken in by relatives of Jack Rainford, a student at Lackland and a weather mage. Learning of the German invasion of France and the drear fate of over a 100,000 British soldiers cornered at Dunkirk, Tory returns to 1803 and enlists the help of her friends who become instrumental in helping with the evacuation of the British forces across the English Channel.

Added to all of the above conflicts, M.J also entangles Tory with Allarde. Their attraction and their future together definitely kept me intrigued, but I would have liked it better had  M.J. spent a little more time fleshing the romance out more. Perhaps that will occur in a sequel. Still, I felt M. J. did a fantastic job weaving so many conflicts together into a coherent and compelling story. I especially liked how Tory and her friends were able to merge their magical abilities to help with the Dunkirk evacuation and learned a little history along the way.

The story is a little long on background and short on action, but I never felt that the pace dragged.  I also thought that M.J. captured the two different eras realistically through her characters and description of the settings.

My final opinion of Dark Mirror is that it is an ambitious YA debut that boldly attempts to combine several different genres by telling a story that melds magic, history, and romance. I would have liked it better if there had been more attention to characterization and hope that this occurs in the next book. I am also very interested in finding out more about Merlin’s Mirror and seeing where else Tory and her friends might end up traveling. 

 Source: Received ARC copy from publisher for review

ReviewThe Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver

Seventeen-year-old Riley, the only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father's footsteps.  The good news is, with human society seriously disrupted by economic upheaval and Lucifer increasing the number of demons in all major cities, Atlanta’s local Trappers’ Guild needs all the help they can get – even from a girl. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing crush on fellow apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving distressed citizens from foul-mouthed little devils – Grade One Hellspawn only, of course, per the strict rules of the Guild. Life’s about as normal as can be for the average demon-trapping teen.

But then a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood.  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, sudden tragedy strikes the Trappers’ Guild, spinning Riley down a more dangerous path than she ever could have imagined. As her whole world crashes down around her, who can Riley trust with her heart – and her life?

In Jana Oliver’s debut into the YA genre, The Demon Trapper’s Daughter introduces a world in trouble. Cities are being over run with demons and the local Trapper’s Guilds have their hands full especially now that the demons appear to be working together something here to for has never happened. Oliver combines both the paranormal with a setting that is part dystopian and introduces us to the hierarchy of both the Trapper Guild and demons. It is within this world that we meet 17 year-old Riley, who finds herself fighting to be accepted by the male dominated Guild. Thankfully, master Demon Trapper, Paul Blackthorne, Riley’s father, is teaching her the ropes until a demon trapping goes horribly awry, and he is killed.  Now Riley is alone and fighting not only demons, but the guild members too.

Riley is an outstanding character and one I immediately embraced. A typical teenager she is trying hard to finish school so she can follow in her dad’s footsteps as a demon trapper. She is strongly focused on her goals, but still has insecurities that only make her more endearing. She would like nothing more than to spend time with her father, but with the city being over run by demons, a stack of bills left by her mother’s hospitalization and death, Riley often has to take a back seat to her father’s job, and does so without turning into a whiny complaining teen. She is also trying to get over a crush she had on Beck, her father’s demon trapping partner. Part of her still likes Beck and the other part sees him as a jerk. I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth love hate relationship. With a life that is less than ideal, Riley takes things in stride and never really loses sight of what is important. Even after her father is killed and her already fragile world is shattering around her, she still manages to work through her pain and continues to be brave.

I also really enjoyed Oliver’s secondary characters many of who are potential love interests.  Beck was a tough guy who loved and respected Riley’s father. Beck has a hard time coming to terms with his feeling for Riley. He feels a certain amount of protectiveness because of his relationship with Riley’s father, but he also is seeing Riley as the young woman she is close to becoming. I liked Beck’s smart ass attitude and how Oliver allowed us to see past his bravado and into his emotional caring side. I also like Simon, a demon trapper apprentice, who definitely has feelings for Riley and goes out of his way to help her especially with his mentor, Harper, who takes over Riley’s training after her father dies. Harper is the most senior trapper in Atlanta, and is less than happy to have a female demon trapper in their guild and does not fail to make that very clear every chance he gets. Finally, there is Peter, Rilely’s school-mate and long time BFF, who is often her sounding board when she has no one else to turn to. Peter definitely wants to be more than the BFF.

The Demon Trapper’s Daughter plot is complex and deals with several mysteries. I loved how Oliver carefully built the world of the trappers and demons, and I am quite anxious to find answers to several questions brought up in the book. There is quite a lot of action, and the climax is incredible. While the ending isn’t a total cliff hanger, it does leave the reader with a strong desire to read more. I have high expectations for the next book in this series, and based on Oliver’s writing thus far, I doubt I will be disappointed.

 Source: Received ARC copy from publisher