Chasing Vermeer — 4 stars

If you look back through the list of books Mountain Gal and I have reviewed on this blog together, you’re going to realize that we read fantasy, at least for the most part. However, in the interest of being a helpful resource to people who read other kinds of books, I have been trying to expand my own reading to things I wouldn’t normally pick up. Because (gasp!) there actually are other kinds of books out there.

That's why today’s review is a non-fantasy book. Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett, is set in modern-day Illinois, and it's about two 6th graders, coincidences, and the paintings of a 17th century artist from the Netherlands. A most unlikely combination, in other words.

Chasing Vermeer is a mystery kind of story, but not the whodunit, hunt-for-fingerprints kind of mystery. This mystery is one that has to be solved by believing in coincidence, in chance, and luck. Lots of luck. It has to be solved by looking for clues in everything, by finding connections between perfectly ordinary events that together have a significant meaning. Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew would never have solved this mystery—they wouldn’t have seen the clues. But for 6th graders Calder Andalee and Petra Pillay, clues jump out at them from every direction.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about Calder and Petra that makes them perfectly suited to solve this mystery, but it certainly does help that Petra is willing to believe even the most unlikely event could be a clue, and Calder is a visual thinker whose pentominoes—flat geometric figures formed of five squares—help them find many of their best clues. But besides these qualities that make them both uniquely themselves, Calder and Petra are just two ordinary 6th graders—who happen to be in the right places at the right times to solve a mystery, save a painting, and prevent a giant art fraud from taking place.

And that’s really all I’ll say. About the plot, at least.

I figured this book would be targeted toward the 8-12 range, both because of the age of the characters and because of the cover art. (NOTE: the illustrations on the inside are really great too!) However, the story is actually pretty complicated. I had to pay attention to catch all the clues and remember all the connections they had made. I also really liked the way the two characters played off each other. They’d swap ideas and put clues together really well—and they were usually way smarter about it than me. Basically, the mystery was really, really interesting, and was definitely not something you’d be able to solve until the characters did. And it was super complicated, which I think makes a mystery story that much better.

For really critical readers, here's a specific thing about Chasing Vermeer that I'd like to praise. Blue Balliett (that can't possibly be her real name!) has two very young narrators in this story, and I was very pleased with the way she handled the fact that they were solving a mystery that baffled even the FBI. At some point in the course of their sleuthing, they had to end up in danger, but I was worried that Balliett would shrink from that and keep Calder and Petra perfectly safe. But she didn’t. They ended up in very real, very serious danger, and when that happened the tension in the story went up a notch—maybe two. It made for a climax that was memorable, instead of a simple “mystery solved, bad guy in jail” kind of ending.

My final opinion of Chasing Vermeer is that it’s certainly worth reading. The story is fun, there are great characters, and a very interesting mystery! Definitely preferable to Nancy Drew. I’ve also read the sequel, The Wright 3, and that was just as good. There’s a third book that I haven’t gotten a chance to read yet, but given the track record of the first two, I’ll vouch for it being a great book.

Link to Blue Balliett’s website: http://www.blueballiettbooks.com/
And since her website is kinda tricky to maneuver, here’s the link to her Amazon page as well: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Balliett/e/B001IGLPXG/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1437576663&sr=8-1#

The City of Ember (guest review) ~ 4 stars

Guest post by A.B.


The City of Ember is the first in a four book series by Jeanne DuPrau, and a book that I really enjoyed.

The story starts off on Assignment Day in the city of Ember. By order of the mayor, all citizens shall be given jobs at age 12. Lina Mayfleet hopes to be a messenger, but instead of that she draws the job of Pipeworks laborer, which no one wants because it means long hours of underground work.

However, her classmate Doon Harrow draws messenger – and afterwards, asks Lina if she wants to trade! He wants her job because the generator is underground, and Doon wants to figure out how to fix it. The enormous lights of Ember have kept the darkness back for as long as anyone in the city can remember. There is no light at all unless the electricity is on.

But now, not only are supplies in the city running low, but there have been frequent blackouts. Everyone in the city is afraid that some day, the lights will go out and never come back on.

Lina eagerly trades jobs with Doon, and the two of them go their separate ways. Until one day, Lina finds a secret message, which was inside a box buried deep in her grandmother’s closet. When she finds the message, it’s full of holes, but Lina thinks it could be something important. She shows the message to Doon, and together the two of them try to figure it out...

I liked The City of Ember partly because of the setting of the story. Ember is very different from our world in many ways. Something that was unusual there is that Ember has no animals, just insects. This means that the people do not eat meat, but they eat a lot of vegetables and canned foods. Also, there are no trees in Ember, and the only plants are in the Greenhouses, outside of the city. I also found it interesting that citizens of the city received no more education after age 12.

Of course, the fact that all of Ember depends on the electricity provided by the generator, is also strange in a way. When the lights go out, people are helpless. They can't do anything but wait, terrified, in the dark.

Another thing I liked were the main characters, Lina and Doon. They were believable, which I liked, because they’re not perfect. Their plans didn’t always work out, and they had to come up with different ideas, which is something I appreciate in a story.

Overall, I’d say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading The City of Ember. It was a clean book, with no bad language, and it was pretty well-written, making for an exciting read. I would say that it was probably written for readers about ages ten and up, and since I'm a little older than that, I think it was a little below my reading level – but nonetheless engaging and fun. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series, The People of Sparks!

Hank the Cowdog (series review) ~ 4.5 stars

Time for a fun review of a very fun series that’s great for just about any person of any age. I haven’t met anyone so far who doesn’t like these books, and since I love them so much, it’s high time I wrote a review.

John R. Erickson is a author from Texas who has written 65 books (and counting) about a fictional dog called Hank the Cowdog. Since I have yet to read a Hank the Cowdog book that isn’t worthy of at least 4 stars, this review will be a general one that can apply to any one of the books.

Hank the Cowdog, the narrating character, is the Head of Ranch Security on a ranch in the Texas Panhandle. Basically, his job is to keep the entire ranch running and safe from coyotes, monsters, and whatever else might pose a threat. He also barks the sun up every morning, herds cattle, helps the cowboys bale hay, and keeps his screwball assistant Drover from causing too much trouble.

Hank is a real character—you can’t always trust everything he says. Half it is exaggerated or completely made up, and the other half is the result of a garbled conversation with Drover. According to Hank, he’s a blue-ribbon, papered, pedigreed cowdog—the truth is that he’s just a ranch mutt with an inflated opinion of himself. But Hank’s adventures are not exaggerated—while he may not fight Laundry Monsters in Sally May’s front yard, he does have some narrow shaves with cannibal coyote brothers Rip and Snort. And there’s the time when he ends up in the dog pound, and the time when he’s stranded in town, and, well, you get the idea. Plus Hank thinks he’s a big favorite with the lady dogs, which adds another level of hilarity to every encounter he has with them.

Drover, Hank’s assistant, is the source of a lot of the humor in the Hank the Cowdog books. He spends most of his time daydreaming, watching the clouds, and otherwise behaving in what Hank would call a “frivolous manner.” Drover has a hard time dealing with reality, and his preferred response is to run to the safety of the machine shed until things blow over. He spends most of his time confused, and this has led to a lot of misleading conversations with Hank that have caused some pretty spectacular mix-ups. Take, for instance, the time Drover thought the world was coming to an end after Sally May went to a clearance sale in town.

There’s a mixed bag of other recurring characters in the Hank the Cowdog books that are just as important as Hank and Drover. There’s Slim, the bachelor ranchhand and Loper, his boss. There’s Sally May, Loper’s wife, and Pete the Barncat, Sally May’s pet. There’s also the buzzards, Wallace and Junior, a tribe of wild coyotes, J.T. Cluck the rooster, and a whole bunch of others. They all add up to make the Hank the Cowdog books some of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Hands down.

Why are they funny? It’s hard to explain, but John R. Erickson takes full advantage of all the screwy characters in his books and uses them to create situations that are funny in a way that makes you laugh out loud. It’s not slapstick humor, and it’s not a dumb kind of funny. Hank the Cowdog is always hilarious in new ways every time, and it’s good, clean humor that everyone can laugh at because it really is funny. Hank’s adventure’s are also just plain entertaining, and they’re just as fun to read the eighth time as they were the first time. Basically, I’d suggest you get the first five of these and start reading them. We bring them along to read aloud in the car. If you’re that kind of person, I bet you could read them to the kids before bed. And if you’ve got kids who are starting to get interested in reading, these are definitely good books to put into their hands. I really can’t recommend the Hank the Cowdog series highly enough.

This isn’t the first Hank the Cowdog review I’ve written either. I had one published in my local newspaper, and also posted a short review on my other blog, Too Hick To Be Square. But trust me, they all say the same thing. Hank the Cowdog is a great series. They’re fun, they’re funny, they are really, really good books. Enough said. Now get yourself to a library and check one out.

Link to author website: http://www.hankthecowdog.com/

The Seer of Shadows — 5 stars!

I’m not usually a horror type of person. I don’t like read or watch things that are bound to give me nightmares. But I have to admit that I do read some scary stuff. For instance, The Spook’s Apprentice series has some pretty frightening imagery in it, and The Screaming Staircase by Johnathan Stroud was a poor choice of reading material right before I went to bed. But I liked both of those series despite that, because although they scared me, they didn’t deliberately set out to terrify me permanently right from the beginning. A good scare was just part of the story.

I say this because recently I read another book that was good, but at the same time a little scary. The Seer of Shadows, written by award-winning children/YA author Avi, was a book I picked up for totally casual reading. It’s under 200 pages in hardcover, and I fully expected it to be a quick read on a rainy afternoon that would be forgotten in a few weeks.

Not so. The Seer of Shadows is a story told by Horace Carpentine, and despite his (I think) disastrous name, he’s actually a really good guy. Horace is apprenticed to a little-known photographer who thinks very highly of himself, Enoch Middleditch. One day, Middleditch is approached by a wealthy woman called Mrs. Von Macht who requests a photograph to be taken of her, and for some very curious reasons. Her claim is that she wishes to comfort the spirit of her dead daughter Eleanora by placing the photograph upon her tombstone. But the Von Macht’s black servant girl, Pegg, tells Horace just enough to make him wonder if her story is entirely true.

Strange things begin happening to Horace as soon as Mr. Middleditch is employed to take Mrs. Von Macht’s photograph. Horace is allowed to take his first photographs while at the Von Macht’s lavish home, and when he develops them, a frightening figure is revealed—Eleanora’s ghost! The more photographs he takes, the clearer her figure becomes. Worried, he seeks out Pegg to find out more about Eleanora, and too late they realize that his photographs are evoking Eleanora, allowing her to return as a spirit. And Eleanora’s spirit is bent on one thing—revenge upon the Von Macht’s! If she goes unstopped, she will murder them both. Horace may be the only one who can save them, if he can just find a way to send Eleanora back.

This story is set in New York during the year 1872, a time when photography was still a pretty young art. I really liked how Avi captured the mechanics of early photography in this story, right down to the chemicals that were used to develop the pictures, and even how those early cameras were put together. It was very impressive and very authentic to the time period, which is part of what made the story so easy to get sucked into. Photography was very important to the story, and by getting it right, Avi makes you feel like you’re there, in the story.

As for the scare factor, here’s what I have to say. Obviously, The Seer of Shadows is a ghost story, and some people are scared by that kind of thing. I didn’t think ghost stories could really get to me (then again, I don’t read many) but the last fifty pages of The Seer of Shadows were definitely scary. I can’t lie about that. There actually was a point where I had to shut the book and do something else for about five minutes before I could bear to go back to it. So, yes, I would say The Seer of Shadows definitely had some horror elements in it. Words are powerful. There are some books you just can’t read before bed.

But I still liked it—and I mean, really liked it. I think that has to do with the fact that Avi could scare me, using nothing more than words on a page and my own imagination. The fact that he could do that, and do it to the point where I had to remove myself from the story before I went on, is really a testimony to the quality of his writing and story-telling. Not many books can get you emotionally involved in the lives of completely fictional characters in completely fictional events. The ones that do are the ones that you’re not going to forget, and that you’re going to read and reread over and over again. And to me, The Seer of Shadows is one of those books.

That said, I will admit that The Seer of Shadows is probably not for everyone. The scare factor is very real, and for some people it would be overwhelming. It’s taken me a while to get over being scared enough that I could admire the fact that I was scared. It’s probably not the best book to give your twelve-year-old right before bedtime unless you want to give them nightmares. But for a mature reader who can handle it, I’d say: “Go for it. It’s worth it.” Horace and Pegg are great characters, and the mystery of who Eleanora really was and what happened to her adds a lot of depth to the story.

Link to Avi’s website: http://www.avi-writer.com/
Link to Avi’s blog (I’ve read it—great stuff for fans and writers): http://www.avi-writer.com/blog/

Girl with Ears and Demon with Limp — 2 stars

A couple months back I took a writing class. My teacher was, of course, an author, and over the course of the class I got interested in his books. I ended up buying his fourteen-page short story, Girl with Ears and Demon with Limp. It’s only available as an e-book, but I thought it would give me a taste of his writing so I’d know whether I wanted to read more. Plus, he’s a fairly new author, and I figured a local author would be a nice change from someone who's been published by one of the big publishing houses. Call it an experiment.

Girl with Ears and Demon with Limp is about a girl with wolf ears who is thrown into a castle that has gateways to other worlds and other dimensions. Wandering through the castle, she comes across a lame madman from another worlds who knows the way out. Together, they fight their way through monsters and worse until at last they stumble through a door that leads back to the wolf girl’s home. The adventure is brief but packed with action and eventful occurrences. Emotion is running high, the pace is fast, and the story never stops or slows down for the entire fourteen pages.

Unfortunately, I had several problems with the story. Besides the fact that I was somewhat surprised to find the girl with ears was only seven years old—and killing monsters left and right—there were things about the setting and style of writing that prevented me from really getting into it.

A castle that goes on forever? Filled with doors leading to other worlds and populated by monsters and outcasts? It sounded like a really intriguing setting. In actual fact, it was kind of confusing. I had a hard time keeping track of where the wolf girl was and what her surroundings looked like. I couldn’t really envision what was going on in my head, and so to a certain extent, I felt like I was just reading words on a page. And the words themselves were probably my biggest issue. Rathke chose his words, grammar, and even punctuation to create a strong sense of surrealism that borders on meaninglessness. As far as I can tell (from sampling a few other short stories he’s written) this is just his way of writing. And for a short story, this is a great way to make the story stand out and be memorable.

Unfortunately, it was these same qualities that made Girl with Ears and Demon with Limp impossible for me to connect with. I was so distracted by the unusual punctuation, irregular grammar, and word choice that I couldn’t stay in touch with the story itself. I’m very, very used to reading books that pretty much follow the rules of English grammar and punctuation. To me, Rathke’s book was visually shocking because it looked so strange on the page. And, to be honest, I don’t really read short stories a whole lot, so I’m not used to the brevity and small scope of fictional works that size.

For those of you who enjoy books with that surreal quality, Girl with Ears and Demon with Limp or pretty much any of Rathke’s books are probably right up your alley. He writes surrealism very, very well. I will point out that his writing is all pretty adult, and even Girl with Ears is on the mature end of YA fiction. Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it was written badly, though, because it wasn’t. Rathke did an excellent job with that story—it just didn’t strike a chord with me, and I found his writing style distracting. But for only a dollar on Kindle, it was worth reading to for something that isn’t mainstream.

Link to author website: http://edwardjrathke.com/ (kinda mature)
Link to Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/edward-j-rathke/e/B00I7TS39G/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

The Fault In Our Stars ~ 1.5 stars

Suggested by kimi

     The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green, is a book that's apparently a huge bestseller. It's so popular that there's already a movie out based on it, which means a lot of people must have liked it a lot. I've never seen the movie, so this will be a review based strictly on the book, but given what I think of the book, I don't think the movie would be much good. And a short disclaimer before I begin - I know this book has its avid fans, and has been given lots and lots of positive reviews. This review is just my opinion, which you can feel free to disregard if you want.

     The main character of this story is Hazel Grace, a sixteen-year-old diagnosed with cancer. She knows she'll be dead within five years - if she's lucky. But when an incredibly handsome boy turns up at her cancer support group, her life begins to turn into a roller-coaster ride that seems like it can only go up. She and Augustus Waters start seeing each other regularly, getting to know each other better. She knows she's in love, but hesitates to get closer to him because she doesn't want him to be heartbroken when she dies. Then Augustus admits that he's had a cancer relapse, and that it's spread to his entire body. Hazel has to watch as he starts to deteriorate from the laughing, drama-inclined person she knew to someone wallowing in depression and hopelessness.

     That's a quick plot synopsis of The Fault In Our Stars. In a nutshell, this is a book about two cancer patients who fall in love but know they have only a few years of life left. The main struggle in the book is the two of them trying to answer the questions: Why am I here? Will I be remembered after I'm gone? You know from the moment you open the book that one or both will be dead before you get to the end - a somewhat depressing beginning to a somewhat depressing book. 

     As far as characters go, I was less than impressed. Hazel wasn't too bad, but her boyfriend Augustus was pretty shallow. Almost everything you learn about him through the course of the book can be traced back to Hazel in one way or another, and it seemed to me that he existed merely to be there for her - to make her happy while he was well and to make her sad when he was dying. Also, the things that Hazel found attractive about him - his sense of humor and his tendency to be theatrically dramatic - didn't do much for me. I didn't find him funny, and his dramatic flair seemed silly and pointless to me. More importantly, I couldn't follow Hazel and Augustus's arguments about the meaning of life and what the afterlife would be, which was a pretty important part of the book. I couldn't figure out where they were getting any foundation for the ideas they had, so the whole discussion was confusing. John Green's beliefs are definitely not mine, and so the point he was trying to make with this book didn't resonate with me, and without that point, his story doesn't have any appeal.

     Besides having a theme that I didn't agree with and some pretty shallow characters, The Fault In Our Stars has a quite a lot of bad language and some other bad content. I was very tired of reading swear words after only fifty pages. My soapbox stand is this: if you're an author, surely you have a wider vocabulary than that! Also, when Hazel and Augustus are in Holland, they spend an afternoon alone together in his apartment. What they did during that time is part of why I give this book such a low review and why this isn't a book I'd be telling a ten-year-old to read. Or for that matter, a fourteen-year-old.

     In fact, the only really positive thing I have to say about The Fault In Our Stars is that it did make me teary toward the end, after Augustus died. I usually say any book that moves me enough to make me have an emotional reaction is a good book, but obviously I don't feel this way about The Fault In Our Stars. Part of the reason those last twenty pages made me sad is because the events were pretty sad - Augustus was only 18 or 19, but his life is over. It was during this small, twenty-page space when Hazel was dealing with Augustus's death that John Green actually managed to do some good writing. That was the only moment when I could really connect with the story and other than that, The Fault In Our Stars was a flop.

     Would I suggest you read this book? No. I'm glad I read it, because now I'll know what people are talking about when they start to rave about how good The Fault In Our Stars is. I won't be one of those people, and I don't think I'll ever read it again. It lacked meaning and purpose, and I don't have a lot of respect for authors who use bad language in their books. In the end, The Fault In Our Stars is a book I don't think I'll be suggesting as reading material for anyone. For me it holds no interest.

Mistborn: The Final Empire ~ 4.5 stars

Mistborn: The Final Empire is the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy by the same name, written by Brandon Sanderson. Normally I find epic fantasies to be a little too mature and just plain long for my tastes, but Mistborn was different. It wasn’t as mature as some I’ve read, and the first book was under 700 pages long, whereas most epic fantasy books that I’ve read approach 1,000 pages. With those two things going for it, as well as a plot and theme that were just plain awesome, Mistborn turned out to be the first epic I have really, really enjoyed.

The story centers around Vin, a skaa and a street urchin living with a crew of thieves in Luthadel, the capitol city of Luthadel. The skaa are the common people of the Final Empire, the peasants, the servants, the slaves, the ones who do the manual labor. They are treated like property by the noblemen, who relax in their opulent homes and casually execute any skaa who looks at them the wrong way. Vin has learned to distrust noblemen and everyone else. Then she falls in with a skaa named Kelsier, and slowly her shell of outer toughness begins to crack.

Kelsier is a man who has seen and experienced much. The scars on his arms mark him as the Survivor of what should have been a death sentence, and he has already tried once to defeat the Lord Ruler who has governed the Final Empire with a will of iron for a thousand years. Besides just being a visionary and a bold thinker, Kelsier has another advantage on his side. He is what is called a Mistborn, a person able to use Allomancy. Allomancy is the ability to harness certain powers through ingesting or “burning” metals. Unlike most of his crew, who can access one of the powers, Kelsier can use them all. And so can Vin.

When she joins his crew, Kelsier is preparing a skaa rebellion — one that he intends to be the largest skaa revolt in the history of the Final Empire. And this rebellion he intends to be a success. As he teaches Vin to use her powers, he and his friends begin the work of rousing the skaa and preparing them to fight the trained soldiers of the Lord Ruler and his ruthless killing machines, the Inquisitors. But rousing the skaa is no easy task. After a thousand years of subjection, most have forgotten what it is to feel any hope of freedom, and they have been beaten down and cowed for so long many do not dare raise their heads. Is being a Mistborn enough to accomplish all that needs to be done?

I enjoyed this book a LOT. As I said before, most epic fantasies that I’ve read have had too much mature content for my tastes. Although Mistborn does have some, it was mostly in a referring-to sort of way, and there was only a little. I was also really happy with the magic and world of Mistborn. There was detail, but not an overwhelming abundance. Brandon Sanderson is very good at creating unique systems of magic and describing them well. He also explained enough of the world for the book to make sense, but left plenty of questions unanswered. I still want to know what the kandra and koloss are, and there’s a lot I don’t know about the Lord Ruler. I am very much looking forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.

I was also really impressed by the characters in this book. It was the characters who made Mistborn so appealing to me, actually, particularly Kelsier. It was hard not to get caught up in his vision just reading the book. And his character has many layers that are slowly peeled back as the book progresses. Vin’s character also goes through some changes as she goes from a timid, fearful, and very stubborn girl to a confident, brave, and very stubborn young woman with incredible powers. I can honestly say there was nothing I did not like about Kelsier and Vin, and Kelsier’s group of friends and allies were no less intriguing and well-written.

The theme of this book was really, really captivating, though, and is another big reason of why I was so impressed by Mistborn. In this book Brandon Sanderson brings up a very interesting question, especially when relating to books and stories, and that is: what if the good guys don’t always win? What if the bad guys come out on top? On the basis of that question alone, you can expect to find a very interesting story, but Brandon Sanderson also told a story with amazing characters, an intriguing world, and all those other things that make a book great. And for a final point in its favor, this book is less than 700 pages long, even though it’s definitely an epic. If you’re in the mood for a good, well-written fantasy but don’t have 36 consecutive hours to devote to just reading, Mistborn: The Final Empire is definitely one I’d suggest. In fact, I’d suggest the entire Mistborn trilogy, though I haven’t gotten around to reading anything but the first book yet. It was that good.

Dragon Slippers (series review) ~ 4 stars

     The Dragon Slippers trilogy by Jessica Day George consists of Dragon Slippers, Dragon Flight, and Dragon Spear. It's the story of an unlikely heroine who uses her dauntless spirit, courage, and embroidery skills(!) to save her country, save her friends, and save the dragons.

     Creel has never been what you might call a damsel-in-distress. After her aunt tried to foist her off on the local dragon in hopes that some prince would rescue her, Creel set off on her own to make her fortune as a dressmaker. Wearing a pair of slippers given to her by a dragon, she soon finds a job and seems about to realize her dreams. She even strikes up an unlikely friendship with Luka, prince of Feravel, as well as befriending another dragon named Shardas. When the normally peaceful and solitary dragons suddenly attack the people of Feravel, Creel is the only one who believes that they might have been forced to attack. Together, she and Luka discover that not only are Creel's slippers far from ordinary, but that the dragons are being controlled by a foreign princess who intends to conquer Feravel. It will be up to Creel to rescue her friends and point out the person who is really behind the Dragon Wars.

     Dragon Slippers happens to be my favorite of this trilogy. Creel is just getting started on her dressmaking business, and she still has a lot to figure out about dragons. I liked the atmosphere of Feravel, and in this book, you get to find out a lot about Creel and what she's like. In the other books, there's more focus on action and on dragons - and while I love dragons, I really liked Creel. Also, since the romance with Luka is just beginning and Creel's two friends Alli and Marta are more involved in this book, we get more interaction with people in this book.

     In Dragon Flight, everything has just returned to normal, and the humans are beginning to get used to living side by side with dragons again. Creel divides her time between her new dressmaking shop, her reward for ending the Dragon Wars, and spending time with her friend Shardas and his mate Velika, who were both wounded during the war. Then the neighboring country of Citatie declares war on Feravel, and Prince Luka learns that Citatie intends to use dragons in their impeding invasion. Creel, Feravel's resident expert on dragons, is sent to Citatie to find out what she can about this invasion force. Once there, she discovers to her horror that not only are the dragons enslaved and alchemically controlled by the king of Citatie, but that the king of Citatie is being controlled himself - by a white dragon. Before the two countries go to war, which would certainly result in Feravel being destroyed, Creel has to find a way to free the enslaved dragons and defeat the white dragon, who is none other than the brother of Shardas. The fate of dragons and of Feravel hangs in the balance.

     This book definitely concentrated on dragons quite a lot, as well as the strange culture of Citatie. I enjoyed this book because this time, although alchemy was used again, the villain wasn't a person. It was another dragon, and so this was more of a dragon civil war than a war between humans. That aspect lends a voice to this book that is different from the previous one. I really liked this book, but not quite as much as I liked Dragon Slippers.

     Peace between humans and dragons has been restored as Dragon Spear begins. The dragons have flown away to remote islands overseas where they no longer pose a threat to the human kingdoms, even if someone were to find a way to control them again. Creel and Luka, soon to be married, fly to these islands to visit their friends, and arrive just as Velika, Shardas' mate and the queen of the dragons, is kidnapped by rogue dragons. These dragons keep humans as slaves and believe they are the chosen followers of the true dragon queen. Though they consider Velika a pretender, their own queen has died and their eggs are poisoned by the fumes of the volcanic island where they live. Desperate, they have kidnapped the pregnant Velika and intend to raise one of her hatchlings as their new queen. Somehow Creel, Luka, and Shardas will have to find a way to rescue Velika and her eggs, and time is running short. The volcano is about to explode and when it does, no one on the island will survive - not the rogue dragons or their human slaves.

     As different as Dragon Slippers and Dragon Flight were from each other, Dragon Spear is even more different from each of them. I actually like that, because although I get the same characters back each time, I don't have to read a repeat of the last book. Every time I get something fresh. Dragon Spear was definitely a book about the dragons - only three humans really have any significant roles in the book: Creel, Luka, and Creel's brother  Hogan. But as far as dragons are concerned, a lot of the ones from the first two books have returned once again, and some new ones are introduced. I also liked getting a little bit of the background story of the dragons - where they came from, how they governed themselves, what things had happened in their past.

     This trilogy was a real gem. For those who like books about dragons but are having a hard time finding a good dragon book that they haven't already read, this is one to try out. I also want to point out that it's not just a dragon book, it's also a very good story as far as plot, setting, and characters go. Even if you're not one of those people who comb the library and bookstore for the latest books with dragons on the cover, this is a trilogy worth adding to your summer reading list.

     I've reviewed another series by Jessica Day George, the Castle Glower series. Dragon Slippers is more complex and detailed than that one, aimed at a slightly higher reading level, but both of them are definitely Jessica Day George series. She always has characters who aren't just characters, they're individuals. They always have plenty of attitude and spice, which keep the story moving even if it isn't action-packed. Also, I like her romances because for one thing, they never dominate the entire story, they just provide another layer to the plot. And for another thing, the guy character in the romance isn't just there to be the other half, he's a person with as much personality as the girl character. That's something that's missing in quite a lot of books, so its one of the reasons I like her romances.

     Another thing I like about Jessica Day George's books is that she adds that little extra touch to make her characters and her stories definitely different from the books they share the shelf-space at the library with. Yes, there are dragons, a country in peril, wars, and even a romance with a prince. But don't forget that Creel makes dresses for a living. That's her special skill. And actually, her talent for dressmaking and embroidery remains a constant and important feature of each of the books, so you never forget that she's more than just a friend of dragons. In other words, this is definitely a trilogy worth reading, especially for the dragon-loving readers out there.

Link to author website: http://jessicadaygeorge.blogspot.com/

The Glass Sentence ~ 3 stars

     The Glass Sentence, by S.E. Grove, is a book that I've had on my read-and-review booklist for a month or two now. I saw it on Amazon and the little blurb about it there looked promising - some pirates, some sailing, a lot of maps, some sort of intricate setting, that kind of thing. It looked like it was going to be a really sweet story, a really interesting beginning to what could be a very interesting trilogy. When I saw that the library had gotten it, I was very excited and of course checked it out.

     The story began fairly interestingly, introducing a world that has been torn and fragmented by the Great Disruption, a devastating event which caused the Ages of the world to fluctuate and change so that all over the world people are trapped in different Ages. New Occident, previously known as the American Colonies, is home to Shadrack Elli, a world-renowned cartologist, a man who makes it is business to map the world and the Ages in it. Living with him in their home in Boston is his niece Sophia Tims. Sophia is effectively an orphan after her parents disappeared on an expedition when she was three. Raised by Shadrack, Sophia has learned a lot about maps, mapmaking, and knows more than most thirteen-year-olds about the Great Disruption and its effects. 

     When her uncle Shadrack is kidnapped by a cult seeking the location of a legendary map called the carta mayor, a map that is said to chart all the Ages of the world, Sophia is the only one who begin the search for him. Helped by Theo, a refugee from the Baldlands, Sophia sets out on a quest to track down her uncle. Along the way they are pursued by his kidnappers, because Shadrack has entrusted her with a valuable map that is key to finding the location of the carta mayor. 

     With this kind of plot, the story sounded good - very good, in fact. I was very, very excited to read it, and maybe my high expectations are part of why I was so disappointed by this book. From the moment Sophia left Boston, I grew more and more confused as to where she was, and even more importantly, what she was doing there. With all the things going on - being attacked by Sandmen, throwing in with gentlemen pirates, and running across Theo's enemies - it was hard to keep track of the main thread of the story and the reason Sophia was going where she was going. Also, because of the Ages being all mixed up and varying from place to place, the world was fractured and cultures in these different Ages were vastly different. Normally this would make for an incredibly rich setting for the story to take place in, but I felt like there was so much extra detail thrown in that the story would occasionally be derailed when some new fact of the particular Age they were in had to be explained. The story would have been simpler and easier to read if some of those extra things had been pulled out and saved for a moment when they would really be important and not just peripheral information.

     The other thing that really disappointed me in this book was the lack of a good villain. Blanca, the mysterious woman who has Shadrack kidnapped, lacked real power. Sure, when she was first introduced into the story, I expected her to be a truly terrifying villain who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted - unlimited power and control of the carta mayor. Not so. Although Blanca seemed like she would be a thoroughly heartless villain, all of her casual acts of cruelty that would have made her seem truly evil never really had that effect because Shadrack never seemed to feel really afraid. He was too much like a robot in my mind, barely touched by his emotions and forever thinking about everything without really feeling anything. S.E. Grove set her up to be a magnificent example of pure villainy, but she tore her down just as quickly by failing to make the characters react as if she were really that terrible. Because of this, Blanca never manages to be the villain who would have made the book really stand out.

     However, the part about the Great Disruption and the maps was very good, the maps in particular. S.E. Grove definitely used her imagination in concocting this setting and the numerous details of Shadrack's trade. All the different kinds of maps - glass maps, metal maps, sand maps, even water maps - add such a unique dimension to the story. Also the emphasis that everyone in this world places on time. Since the Great Disruption, time and how it is measured has become a very important part of everyone's life. That's not a concept that I've seen discussed in a lot of books, and it adds a whole new dimension to The Glass Sentence. I can definitely say that the maps and the issue of time were my favorite parts of this book.

     I also admire what S.E. Grove did with Sophia. She has no internal clock, and she finds it very hard to keep track of time. For her, hours can pass by in a matter of seconds, while a minute or two can drag on forever. In order to keep track of her own memories and life story, she has to map the events of her days, giving her a record of what has happened. In fact, its the fact that time has no hold on Sophia that makes it possible for her to do what has to be done to save the carta mayor from Blanca's clutches and keep the Ages of the world from colliding and destroying each other. 

     In the end, I give this book three stars because although it could have been really good, the lack of a strong villain character and my difficulty in keeping track of where things were taking place made this book less satisfying than I expected. However, I won't judge it too harshly, since it's just the first book of a new trilogy, called The Mapmakers Trilogy. A first book is only intended to start setting up the bigger story, so although I wasn't entirely happy with this first book, some of the issues I had with The Glass Sentence will most likely be resolved and dealt with in the two books to come. It's at least worth 3 stars, and I would definitely point you toward this book if you're interested in quest stories, imaginative settings, and fictional imaginings of the world.

The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found ~ 4 stars

I found P.W. Catanese's first book of The Books of Umber by chance. Part of the reason I checked it out from the library was the fact that Brandon Mull, the author of the Fablehaven series and The Beyonders series, had reviewed it. Our blog's motto is 'Never judge books-or people-by their covers', and I often stick to that rule. But this time I broke it. It just looks so cool!

I know I stay within my book genre preferences. I rarely ever venture out for something new. But going from author to similar author hasn't disappointed me yet, and Brandon Mull's name on this book's cover gained it access to my bookshelf. And gladly so! I was thoroughly pleased by this book. The characters were believable and relatable, though there was some tough love thrown in the mix.

Literally.

On the subject of romance, there is only about 5% out of the 100% goodness in here, and what is mentioned leaves you wanting to hear more. Yes, I said it. More romance. More details, specifically. I love the way Catanese adds mystery to the story. Every hint is subtle, but has a nuclear bomb impact on the reader. That, in my experience, is hard to pull off.

The book begins with a young boy, just awaking, blindfolded, and seemingly alone in a dark environment. As he searches his mind he finds that he has no memory of his past, nor his present, and then someone speaks. And Catanese whisks you away into a world full of mystery and adventure! The boy Happenstance (nicknamed Hap) meets Lord Umber, Sophie, and Oates first thing after he wakes and starts a voyage across the sea on a giant whale-like friend, Boroon, captained by Nima, a part fish, part human young lady. The best bits of the book are the tiny details, and so without giving way and telling the whole story, I cannot say much else.

I will say that Umber is easily my favorite character. His boisterous mood swings, playful attitude, and fun-loving nature catch my attention. But then there are also Sophie, Lady Truden, Happenstance, Balfour...And so the rest are all equals.

I rated this book a four because it held all I was looking for, but it added a sort of cliffhanger at the end, and I know that the next books will continue the mystery. I am trying to leave higher ratings for the future, in other words.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle ~ 5 stars!

     The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi is a real treasure of a book. This is the story of Charlotte Doyle, a proper, ladylike girl of thirteen who is sailing the Atlantic to be reunited with her family in America after several years of schooling in England. The voyage does not go as planned, because the crew of the ship she has boarded, the Seahawk, plans to mutiny against the cruel Captain Jaggery. Charlotte must decide who she sides with, the unwashed, uncivilized men of the crew, some of whom have become her friends, or the gentlemanly Captain Jaggery, who seems to praise her for her ladylike behavior. In the end, the girl who boarded the ship in England will be nothing like the girl who gets off in America.

     Because the crew will mutiny, and Charlotte will be forced to choose a side. And though she has been basking in the warm glow of Captain Jaggery's favor, he will turn on her in an instant if it suits him. Charlotte has to learn who her real friends are: is it the wrinkled old black man Zachariah, or the well-dressed and refined Captain Jaggery? And once she's made her choice, will she be brave enough and strong enough to stick with it - even if it means hanging?

     The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is a book that represents a lot of things to me. It's a real transformation story, with Charlotte becoming a very different person. She goes from the proper lady to a girl who has climbed the rigging of a ship in a hurricane to cut free the sails. The Charlotte who boarded the Seahawk would never have been able to do that. Another thing I liked about The True Confessions is that Avi really did his research. He really figured out how a ship is put together, what the things are called, and what would be necessary during a voyage and during a storm. And then he presented it in a very gradual unfolding, so that I always knew enough but never got a load of disconnected sailing ship information dumped in my lap. That's how that sort of thing should be done, and it really made this book stand out among the list of other books where everything takes place aboard a ship at sea. 

     The other thing I love is the characters. Characters say a lot about a book, and The True Confessions has so many good ones. To be honest, the cast of characters is fairly small - just the crew, the captain, and Charlotte, and then a handful of family and servants who crop up in the last chapter or so after she reaches land. But no more than a dozen are important and present for 90% of the book, and those dozen were very good. I wanted to know more about Zachariah from the first time he tried to befriend Charlotte. I also despise Captain Jaggery with a deep and profound loathing, and I have my particular favorites among the crew. Mostly Fisk...I really love Fisk. 

     But the character who was the absolute best was Charlotte herself. She narrates the entire story, and I really like her voice, which has the right blend of humor and reality. But the thing about her I want to highlight is the way Avi handled that pivotal moment when Charlotte turns from her upbringing to join the crew.That's a pretty drastic choice, but the way the story flows, there's been plenty of soul-searching, regret, remorse, and plenty of tears as well. It's not a snap decision. When you begin the book, making that choice seems completely out of character for Charlotte, but by the time it happens, it fits. Charlotte has changed, but it happened so gradually and fit so well with everything that was happening that you never notice it. And when Charlotte makes that choice there's the right amount of reluctance and just plain guts behind her actions. It was superbly done.

     It should be fairly obvious now that this book is one I highly recommend. It's not a girly book, though it's about a girl, and there's adventure and action, but also powerful character moments going on. There's something for everyone, and to my opinion, it's a book that's very easy to read and easy to love. This is another book I think everyone should read, particularly if you enjoy books about sailing and being at sea and pirates.

     I actually have a personal story to go with this book. The True Confessions was something I read and liked when I was 12 and 13, but I haven't read it in two years, and I actually thought I had outgrown the story. In a moment of boredom the other day I picked it up, and was surprised. This book is so good, I couldn't believe I hadn't read it in so long! It's definitely reminded me I need to go back and reread books I liked when I was 13. Some of them are probably books I will still love.

Link to author website: http://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/true.html

Boston Jane ~ 4.5 stars

     Boston Jane: An Adventure, by Jennifer L. Holm, is a historical fiction story which revolves around the realities of frontier life in 1854 and the inexperience of a young woman fresh from the civilized city of Philadelphia.

     Jane Peck is not what anyone would call a 'proper lady.' As a girl she was a complete tomboy and too fond of eating cherry pies. As a young woman of sixteen, though she has learned everything that Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies Academy can teach, she still seems incapable of becoming one of those women who hold an esteemed place in Society. But what she doesn't at first see is that the very things that prevent her from becoming a 'proper lady' are the things that enable her to survive and endure the challenges that the Northwest Territory hold for her. Without her strong, irrepressible nature and the stubborn will to succeed that she got from her father, she'd never have decided to travel to the untamed frontier of Shoalwater Bay to marry a man she has admired since childhood.

     These happy plans doesn't go as expected. When she reaches Shoalwater Bay where her fiance was supposed to be waiting for her, he has gone far away to work for the Governor of the territory, and has already married to a Chinook Indian woman. Friendless, without family or money, and with no way to get back home, Jane must find a way to survive in the primitive settlement. Everything she learned at Miss Hepplewhite's proves utterly useless as she rubs shoulders with the smoking, drinking, tobacco-spitting frontiersmen of the settlement and the Chinook Indians living nearby. But as she mends clothing, bakes pies,and begins make a place for herself at Shoalwater Bay, Jane discovers that what it takes to be a lady is not fine embroidery and fine clothing, but a stout heart and a refusal to give up.

     Boston Jane is a book that I enjoyed very, very much when I first read it about two or three years ago. Jane was a girl who I liked from the first page. She had an ironic view of life, and bold, forthright attitude. She was funny, she was brave, she didn't hesitate to screech at the frontier men when they starting getting on her nerves. And although she ended up in some of the most ridiculous situations, she somehow manages to make the best of everything that happens, including a smallpox epidemic that kills many of the native Indians. Jane isn't a dainty lady, she's far from perfect, and she's not always grateful for what she does have. It was those things that made me like her so much. She was just like me, except she could bake pies much better than I can.

     I liked many of the other characters in Boston Jane: An Adventure, and they all added to the distinct flavor of the book. Mr. Russell, the dirtiest, most flea-bitten man on the settlement, seems to have a low opinion of Jane, but beneath his gruff and grubby exterior is a heart of gold. Other new friends are Mr. Swan, an eccentric gentleman, and Handsome Jim, a Chinook Indian. Besides these, she also forms an unlikely friendship with a sailor called Jehu Schudder which may eventually bloom into something more. All these characters and more are found in Boston Jane, a collection of people with varied personalities that together this an entertaining, memorable read.

     And did I mention that this is actually a trilogy? So after Boston Jane: An Adventure,  there are two more books of Jane, Jehu, Mr. Swan, and Mr. Russell, along with new characters and new adventures/dilemmas for Jane to face. What's not to like? Be sure to check these both out of you like the first book.

Boston Jane: Wilderness Days

Boston Jane: The Claim

     By the way, my pet peeve about these books? They changed the cover art. My copies have interesting covers of Jane doing something she does in the book, and they're very inviting covers. Here you just get a girl in a dress standing. Pretty, but not very interesting, at least in my opinion. But that's just my pet peeve. The books are still good, regardless of what covers they have, and I highly suggest you read them. 

Link to author website: http://www.jenniferholm.com/p/novels.html

Beyonders trilogy ~ 3 stars

     The Beyonders trilogy, by Brandon Mull, is a story of action, adventure, and courage set in a fantastical world pulled straight from the imagination of the author of the wonderful Fablehaven series. It's one of those books where a kid from our world travels to another place and finds himself the answer to prophecy. That's what Jason is: the answer to a prophecy, the hero who could save the world of Lyrian or destroy it. But he's also just an ordinary, baseball-loving teenager and at heart he's just like every one else.

     Jason comes from the Beyond - that would be our world - and his sudden arrival in a place nothing like Earth couldn't be more startling to him. Lyrian is a place like no other - you won't find another book with a world like Lyrian, and around every corner you're discovering something new about it. It's populated by humans, yes, but there are strange races living there, too, races created years ago by wizards. The food is exotic and varied, and the places Jason adventures to are as diverse as a swampy jungle full of huge frogs to the Tavern-Go-Round, a spinning tavern. All these things provide the backdrop for the story Brandon Mull has prepared.

     Jason, together with Rachel, another teen who has traveled from our world to Lyrian, are set on a quest by the Blind King to find the syllables to a magical world that can destroy the evil, tyrannical wizard Maldor, who seeks to conquer and control the entire world of Lyrian and everyone and everything in it. This quest will be dangerous enough, but no less dangerous than confronting Maldor in his fortress and speaking the word that will save Lyrian. And because of the nature of this series, I can't tell you what happens beyond that. You'll have to read them to find out.

     Now, with this fairly glowing description, maybe you're wondering why I'm only giving this series 3 stars. Here's why.

     In Lyrian, Brandon Mull created an amazingly detailed, intricate, unique world, filled with things and creatures I'd never heard of before, including wizard-born races that you will not find the like of in any fantasy novel you've ever read. Usually that's a good thing. I like to find unique worlds in books, but in Beyonders there was just too much for me to handle. I got lost in all the imagery - and not in a good way. There was so much going on in the background that I had a difficult time following the thread of the story with all these strange names of creatures and things popping up every few pages.

     Secondly, I had problems with the cast of characters in the Beyonders. As far as creating unique characters, Brandon Mull did well, especially with his wizard-born races to draw from. I do have a certain attachment to Ferrin the displacer, and I dare you to read the whole trilogy and hate him. Jason and Rachel were also great people, and the Blind King was...blind, of course, but pretty awesome. The problem for me was that there were other people who would join Jason and Rachel as they set off on each new quest, not so much in the first book, but definitely in the other two. And there were SO MANY of them, each with such a special skill-set that whenever they ran into trouble - and they did - there was always someone perfectly equipped to save their necks.

     Now, having a large cast of characters meant that Brandon Mull could regularly kill a few to remind Jason and Rachel to keep moving, but I find that creating characters and adding them to the story for a bit-part before killing them as a casual reminder isn't a mark of good writing. So between the jack-of-all-trades aspect of Jason and Rachel's ever-growing group of questers and their frequent, sudden deaths just to prove a point, I found the story lacking something. I couldn't get genuinely attached to the characters when I knew they'd be dead in 150 pages or so, only to be replaced by someone just as good or better. 

     Those are my reasons for rating the Beyonders the way I do. Despite having a brilliantly imagined world and a story premise that I loved, technicalities in how the author executed the story just didn't live up to my standards. However, there are lots and lots of people who had loved these books to an insane degree. I've read the reviews on Amazon, and there are fans out there as diehard as any fans of Harry Potter. So if you did like Fablehaven, I think the Beyonders might be worth looking into. It just didn't work for me.

     To sum up my somewhat extended review, let me just say that the first book of this trilogy has already been reviewed on Under Cover Agents by Mountain Gal, my blogging buddy. Check out her review HERE, and hopefully between us we can give a less biased assessment of these books.

Link to author website: http://brandonmull.com/site/beyonders-books

The Dark is Rising (series review) ~ 4 stars

Review requested by Katie

     The Dark is Rising sequence, by Susan Cooper is a mix of Arthurian legends and Irish/Scottish/Welsh folktales where good battles evil in an epic battle that spans all time. Will Stanton is the youngest of the Old Ones, and he is vitally important to this fight. The three Drew children, Simon, Jane, and Barney, are also connected to the fight between the Light and the Dark in ways that even they don't understand.

     In Over Sea, Under Stone, the three Drew children are staying in the seaside village of Tressiwick with their Great-Uncle Merry, who, although he isn't actually related to them, has been a part of their family for as long as they can remember. When Barney finds an ancient map in the attic of the cottage they're vacationing in, it sets them off on a dangerous quest to recover something that will help the Light defeat the Dark forever: the grail. But agents of the Dark have learned about the map as well and they are closing in. I liked the atmosphere of this one - when I started I expected some fluffy story about three kids having a wonderful vacation on the seaside. What I got was just the tip of the iceberg of a very epic, fantastic story that just got bigger and better the further into the series I went.

     The Dark is Rising introduces Will Stanton for the first time, probably my favorite character. The youngest of the Old Ones, beings who wield incredible powers, Will is the last of the Old Ones, the Sign Seeker. It is his task to find the six signs that will be the second of the important tools that the Light can use to defeat the Dark once and for all. The Hunter, a fearsome champion of the Dark, has been assigned to stop Will and steal the signs for the Dark, and Will will need all his wits about him, as well as the help of the first of the old ones, Merriman Lyon. This book was the most complicated of the books. Will goes from a completely ordinary boy to something entirely different, and his journey involves a lot of far-fetched stuff that Susan Cooper somehow makes completely believable under the circumstances. This would be the book I'd reread the most times, just because so much happens.

     Book three of this series, The Greenwitch, is where Will and the Drew children meet for the first time. There's some tension at first as the four of them figure out how to work together, but they've got a very important job to do. The grail has been stolen by the Dark and they have to get it back. Also, a being that belongs to neither the Light or the Dark has possession of a clue that will help strengthen the Light. The Greenwitch is a creature of wild Magic, reborn every year by the women of Tressiwick in a ritualistic ceremony. Together will Merriman Lyon, also known as Great-Uncle Merry, Will and the Drew's have to retrieve the grail and strike a bargain with the unpredictable Greenwitch. What I liked about this book was that this time around, the Old Ones didn't hold all the answers, and the Drews played a very important part in the story, even though they were basically ordinary human beings.

     A new character is added to the group in The Grey King, a Welsh boy called Bran. Will has been sent to Wales for the summer to recover from an illness, and together he and Bran will go on a quest of their own to find a golden harp which must be used to wake the six Sleepers. In this book we get an entirely new setting with its own forces of High Magic, Light, and Dark. There were plot twists here, too, such as Bran's mysterious mother and a dog who can see the wind. What I enjoyed here was getting to see Will working mostly on his own. Merriman was busy elsewhere and wasn't able to help Will directly, unlike in the previous three books. As much as I liked having Merriman show up to save the day, it was good to see Will taking charge in this one, and really learning how to be both an Old One and an (almost) ordinary boy.

     The final installment of The Dark is Rising sequence is Silver on the Tree. In this book, the story takes a more fantastical turn as the allies of both Light and Dark start to gather. Will, Bran, and the three Drew's have a few final tasks to complete, but they are short on time and their enemies are everywhere. In this book, the adventures of Will and Bran are even more magical than before - not only are they stepping out of time, but they're also going to a new dimension in search of the crystal sword. Then the five of them, along with Merriman, have to finish what was started when the grail was found. The Dark is rising, but the Light has gathered everything they need to destroy it once and for all.

     The Dark is Rising sequence was a thoroughly interesting read. It was a pretty epic adventure, but didn't meander on for hundreds and hundreds of pages. It was to the point, which I appreciated because I could really get at the good parts of the story without having to read 2000 pages to get there. I also really liked Will, Bran, and the Drew's. Sometimes Merriman saved the day once too often, but he is the first of the Old Ones, so he has been around for basically forever and it would take a lot to defeat him. Also, the prominence of Arthurian legends and old folktales in the background of these stories was really intriguing. I've always loved mythology of any kind, and Scottish and Irish mythology isn't involved in stories as often as Greek mythology is, so it was a treat to find it here. And lets not even get started on Welsh folklore! After reading these books, I'd really like to see Wales and read some old Welsh stories.

     In other words, thank you, Katie! If you hadn't suggested this series I might never have picked it up on my own!

Link to author website: http://www.thelostland.com/works/yabooks/bk_dircollector.html

A Lantern In Her Hand ~ 4 stars

     A Lantern in Her Hand, by Bess Streeter Aldrich, is a book about pioneers and pioneer women. It reminded me of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as well as A Bride Goes West, which are both books about pioneer women. A Lantern in Her Hand tells the story of Abbie Mackenzie Deal, daughter of an Irish peasant woman and a wealthy Scottish man, a girl who wanted to grow up to be a lovely lady. But sometimes dreams don't come true just the way we imagine.

     Abbie Deal has a beautiful voice and beautiful dreams. She thought she would become a lovely lady someday, a famous singer, but when the chance came, she married the man she loved instead and moved to Nebraska. She postpones her dreams and helps her husband to farm and tame the prairie. On the wild frontier with only a few neighbors for company and work for three men to be done, Abbie learns hard lessons about life. As the years pass, they begin to have small successes, life begins to have a certain rhythm and order, and Abbie holds onto her dreams and keeps singing. Then there are the five children, and Abbie postpones her dreams again so that she can save money to send them to school. She watches them get married and move away to start lives of their own as the hands of Time move steadily forward. Will dies, and Abbie is alone except for her children and now grandchildren. She grows older, frailer, she cannot sing, and she cannot travel anymore. At the end of her life, she didn't become the lovely lady that her hopeful six-year-old self dreamed of. But she is a lovely lady all the same - a lovely lady who has lived a long life of love and joy in the middle of a loving group of family and friends.

     I enjoyed A Lantern in Her Hand for a variety of reasons. First, it was a well-told story that covered a huge span of time - from very early in Abbie's life until the day she died. Reading this book was almost like reading a very interesting biography, especially since Bess Streeter Aldrich actually based the life of Abbie on her own mother. A Lantern in Her Hand is a good example of a pioneer book that really portrays the reality of what it was like for them to do what they did. This book also went a step further than most pioneer books and described the life of a pioneer woman in a time when the pioneers had become part of history instead of the cutting edge of history. That was a treat, and something I've been unable to find in other pioneer books I've read. Those pioneers didn't die once America was settled, but you don't often find a book that talks about what they did with the rest of their lives. A Lantern in Her Hand is definitely unique in that respect.

     The other thing that really impressed me in A Lantern in Her Hand was Abbie herself. It's hard not to relate to Abbie as you see her growing up, getting married, having a family, and gradually getting older and older until you suddenly find she's a great-grandmother. Pioneering wasn't the theme of A Lantern in Her Hand, even though it played a significant part. For Abbie, family and friendship was everything. Her strong, enduring pioneer spirit really shows in the entire book, but so does the vital importance of family to her. It was also eye-opening to read about a character who aged by decades over the course of the book, not months or a handful of years as you'll find in most other books. Experiencing a character on that many levels and at that many stages in a life was eye-opening. In that respect, A Lantern in Her Hand was very much like a biography.

     To close, I'd suggest A Lantern in Her Hand to anyone. It was great material, and though the story was long and detailed, the language wasn't complicated. Just the experience of having read the book was rewarding to me, and it was a book that really made me think about life - not just Abbie's but mine and my family's. A book that can do that to you is one worth spending a few evening's reading, and A Lantern in Her Hand, despite being someone's life story, isn't a very big book. It could easily fit into two or three afternoons. So get it, read it. It's a little gem of a book that I'm very glad to have picked up.

Link to Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation website: http://www.bessstreeteraldrich.org/

     You know the book was written a long time ago when the author has her own museum. Sometimes the old books are the best.