The Blue Sword (Newbery Honor Roll)

The Blue Sword (Newbery Honor Roll) by Robin McKinley


The Blue Sword (Newbery Honor Roll)

Follow up to the Hero & the Crown
After reading the Hero and the Crown I think my expectations of this book were very high. I was disappointed that it didnt capture my heart as the first one did. But over all I think it was a good book and I enjoyed it.

Miss Harry
This book is on my very top top top list of favorite books. Most definitely my favorite of all of Robin Mckinley's books. I think the only reason she puts chapters in her stories is so you know where to breath or when to go to the bathroom. This one is certainly hard to leave on the table, especially if you have a love for horse flesh and the truest of loves.

This is a classic. This has got to be my favourite by Robin McKinley. It starts with a similar setting as victorian England in a desert. Orphaned Harry is in a new land. When the magic, secretive hillfolk come to visit with their amazing horses the adventures begin. This book starts out slow but is well worth it. There is a prequel called The Hero and the Crown.

Product Description

Harry Crewe is an orphan girl who comes to live in Damar, the desert country shared by the Homelanders and the secretive, magical Hillfolk. Her life is quiet and ordinary-until the night she is kidnapped by Corlath, the Hillfolk King, who takes her deep into the desert. She does not know the Hillfolk language; she does not know why she has been chosen. But Corlath does. Harry is to be trained in the arts of war until she is a match for any of his men. Does she have the courage to accept her true fate?

"McKinley's spare and eloquent prose is sheer delight... a compelling portrait of the vibrant, wryly humorous Harry." -School Library Journal, starred review

"This is a zesty, romantic heroic...." -Booklist, starred review

Awards:

( A 1983 Newbery Honor Book)
( An ALA Notable Book)
( An ALA Best Book for Young Adults)

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale


The Goose Girl Shannon Hale


I loved the Goose Girl, for the well planned out characters, vivid imagery, smooth flow, and the continued suspense. This book had me hooked from the very beginning.

Ani was born a princess and was taught by her aunt to speak to swans. Her mother, the queen, found her to be a strange girl, who was awkward and uncomfortable with people. Her mother kept Ani inside the castle, so she could not talk to the birds and swans. Ani was not even allowed to associate with her own brother and sisters. She found solace in riding her horse, Falada, with whom she could communicate. She also enjoyed her best friend and lady in waiting, Selia. Selia had the gift of `people speaking', where Ani was best understood by the creatures.

The Queen Mother prepared Ani's brother for the throne. When confronted, she told Ani that she had prearranged her marriage to the prince of a far away kingdom.

Ani's lady in waiting schemed to take away the throne, marry the prince and kill Ani, along with all of her gurards. Ani, who had never before left the castle grounds, escaped with her life. She was exiled to live as a goose girl, taking care of the kings geese, while her lady in waiting lived as royalty.

Ani needed to disguise herself, and find allies to help regain her royal heritage and over throw the imposter, Selia.

There are bloody scenes, so the story would not be appropriate for younger children. This book will be delightful for the 6th to 9th grade level.

I highly recommend the Goose Girl and look forward to reading other books by Shannon Hale.

Princess Ani is betrayed by her handmaiden and ends up taking refuge as a Goose Girl. There is a cute little love story put in. This is simply a cute, wonderful, fantastic feel-good book and I loved it. There are two sequels that are good, but not quite as good.

Gr. 6-10. She can whisper to horses and communicate with birds, but the crown princess Ani has a difficult time finding her place in the royal family and measuring up to her imperial mother. When she is shipped off to a neighboring kingdom as a bride, her scheming entourage mounts a bloody mutiny to replace her with a jealous lady-in-waiting, Selia, and to allow an inner circle of guards more power in the new land. Barely escaping with her life, Ani disguises herself as a goose girl and wanders on the royal estate. Does she have the pluck to reclaim her rightful place? Get ready for a fine adventure tale full of danger, suspense, surprising twists, and a satisfying conclusion. The engaging plot can certainly carry the tale, but Hale's likable, introspective heroine makes this also a book about courage and justice in the face of overwhelming odds. The richly rendered, medieval folkloric setting adds to the charm. Anne O'Malley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Wild Magic (Immortals)

Wild Magic (Immortals) by Tamora Pierce



Wild Magic (Immortals)

Captivating
Wild Magic, a book by Tomora Pierce and the first book in the series The Immortals, is about a girl named Daine. Daine was always good with animals. Then she leaves her home and realizes she is more than good with animals; she has magic. Her magic allows her to talk to them and they obey her. Her magic is about to run away with her when her new job sets her in the company of a kind mage named Numair. Numair helps her learn how to control and use her magic.
My favorite part was when all the birds in the story help Daine fight off several Stormwings. Even though they all die, Daine's powers seep out and bring the birds back to life, fix broken wings, and heal their wounds. This book would be great for anyone in to fantasy and fiction books, more for someone in 6th too 8th grade. I don't really know, older groups of people might like it as well. I give this book a 10 on a scale of 1:10.
This book has sparked my imagination. I am always thinking about how life would be if we had magical powers. This book is very entertaning and keeps the adventure going. I hope you read the other books in the Immortals series. This book captivated me. I hope you enjoy/ enjoyed it as much as I have.
-- Skylar Rowan

This is actually a series that is a sequel to the Song of the Lioness quartet. Daine has an amazing talent when it comes to communicating with animals. She has to learn to use her magic, battle several monsters, and face her fears. It is fun to see the character development that takes place throughout the series. This book is the first in a quartet.

Product Description

Thirteen-year-old DaIne has always had a knack with animals, but it's not until she's forced to leave home that she realizes it's more than a knack -- it's magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but also she can make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen's Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student.

Under Numair's guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she begins to sense other beings too: immortals. These bloodthirsty monsters have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years, but now someone has broken the barrier. It's up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an immortal attack.

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Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer


Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

Twilight review
The book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is probably one of the greatest most compelling books for people of all ages. When I read this book it literally took me 2 days to read all the way through it and my family had a hard time getting me to put it down. In the book Twilight a girl name Bella Swan falls in love with a vampire. I believe that this novel is the new Romeo and Juliet because it deals with a forbidden love. This book is so captivating and it will leave you wanting more. This book is most definitely one of my favorite books of all time and I think that the author does an awesome job of developing the characters and portraying their feelings which I really loved. If I had to rate this book I would give it 5 out of 5 stars because it was suspenseful and dramatic and it made me fall in love with the characters.

I'm usually not big on vampires, but this is a classic. Bella moves to rural forks and is the new kid in school. She meets a strange guy named Edward who is absolutely gorgeous. She soon discovers that he is a vampire. There are three more books in the series. The last one comes out in August.

As addictive as Harry Potter
I saw a couple sig lines for this book and the upcoming movie on a forum I'm on, so I thought "Hmmm, a vampire love story, why not?" (I'm a sucker for vampire love stories). I have to say, I haven't been as addicted to a book since the Harry Potter series. I kept saying "Just one more chapter," even though the chapter was 30 pages and it was 11:30 PM. I didn't want to put this book down, and finished it in two weekends. I highly recommend this book, and plan on going right out and buying the rest of the books in the series.

Product Description

"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. ''Be very still,'' he whispered, as if I wasn''t already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat." As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he''s a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward''s sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst.The precision and delicacy of Meyer''s writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horror genre to a place among the best of YA fiction.(Ages 12 and up)

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Green Rider by Kristen Britain

Green Rider by Kristen Britain



Green Rider by Kristen Britain

A fun beginning to an interesting-looking series
I've sat on this book for a couple years, waiting to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy before reading it. I found it to be a fun book, fast paced and quite well-written for a first effort. While it did follow the "standard plot" for a sword & sorcery-type fantasy novel pretty much down the line, it did so in an entertaining manner and with enough detours and differences to make it interesting.

Karigan G'ladheon has been expelled from school for, basically, winning a duel against a young nobleman. Rather than wait in shame for her father to come and get her, she gathers the bare necessities and sets out on her own to go home. Along the way, she is suddenly accosted by a Green Rider - a member of the King's elite messenger service - who is barely able to stay on his horse due to two black arrows in his back. As he slumps to the ground, he begs Kari to take over his errand, saying that the letter he has must be delivered to the King and is a matter of life and death. He convinces Kari and expires; Karigan is left with his horse (who, yes, she calls simply The Horse at first since the Green Rider had the lack of courtesy of dying before introducing her; once she discovers her steed's name, she uses it. BTW, The Horse's real name is Condor), his greatcoat and his saddlebags, containing some provisions, with no idea of exactly what she is supposed to do. She sets out for Sacor City, where the King lives, and that's when the adventure begins. Because there is a mysterious rider in grey, upon a grey horse (who is known as simply the Grey One or Grey Man through much of the text, in order to preserve the mystery of his identity - and no, I won't tell you THAT!), who will do anything and kill anyone to stop that message. Dark forces and fell magics are stirring to life in Sacordia for the first time in a millennium - and there is no one left who understands enough about magic to hold them at bay.

While some reviewers have felt that the work is derivative and therefore not original, I would disagree. It is true that, as a genre piece, the story does follow a certain ... guideline, I guess is the best term ... to steer its plot. However, I believe that Ms. Britain has admirably created a unique setting for her world and set into motion events that will spill over into the remaining books in the trilogy, providing a satisfactory reading experience for anyone who not only likes the specific genre, but anyone who enjoys a good book. Keep an eye on my reviews in upcoming weeks to see my reviews of the remaining books in the trilogy!

Karigan is running away from school. On the way home she runs into a Green Rider, one of the messengers for the king, who is badly injured. The rider begs her to take his message on for him. The adventures begin as Karigan is pursued by evil creatures and men. There are two sequels, but be warned....the story isn't finished yet so you will be left hanging until the next book comes out.

Product Description

A young woman on the run discovers her true destiny--as a magical messenger--in the extraordinary adventure that has thrust first-time novelist Kristen Britain into the master ranks of Mercedes Lackey and Melanie Rawn.

Phenomenal praise for Green Rider:
"Green Rider is a stunning first novel for what I hope will be a long career of storytelling and suspenseful intrigue. You've a really talented new writer here."--Anne McCaffrey

"Engaging...the scenes of magic and combat rise to a high standard."--Publishers Weekly

"A mesmerizing fantasy and an appealing heroine."--Romantic Times

"Terrific! It's going to be classic..."--Marion Zimmer Bradley

Daughter of the Forest (The Sevenwaters Trilogy,

Daughter of the Forest (The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 1) by Juliet Marillier




A strong and endearing heroine
This novel is one of the few books that has emotionally touched me. I wouldn't classify this book as entertainment but rather as an experience - an emotional journey with its protagonist that despite the historical setting and the element of magic is so grounded in human realities.

The story is set in pagan times when the tension between the Brits and the Irish was just brewing. Amidst this political tension is a far greater force - the spirit world of the Irish forest that plays with the lives of seven gifted siblings. Sorcha is the seventh daughter of a seventh son and she possesses the power of healing. When her widowed father marries the mysterious lady Oonagh her brothers are turned into swans and Sorcha has to save them by weaving shirts of the poisonous starwort plant that stings and disfigures her hands. Most importantly she cannot speak until she finishes her task.

This novel is Sorcha's story. It recounts the hardships she faced alone in the forest. The terrible experience of loneliness, of privation and abuse that makes the reader suffer with her (I cried on three occasions). However it also recounts Sorcha's fateful discovery of love in the most unlikely place and is therefore a tender love story of two people who have to reconcile their loyalties and let fate take its course.

The only flaw I found in the book is that with so much sorrow and challenges imposed upon the protagonists, the novel ends like a traditional fairy tale on a happy note. I found it difficult to accept. However this element can be forgiven as the novel also ends with a lot of questions about the other characters. Who is the mysterious figure lurking in Sorcha's vision? Where has Finbar (her brother) gone? Will Diarmid and Cormack return? What of the lady Oonagh?

I found this book difficult to put down and contradictorily wanted to prolong the reading experience and get to the end at the same time. It's one of the best books I have read and would recommend it to all. Can't wait to read the second book. Too bad it's not available in my country.

Transformative and Captivating
I actually loved this book. It was one of those books that I found it nearly impossible to put down and I was left feeling bereft when it ended. Set in ancient Ireland, the tale weaves together elements of magic, folktales, and history. Her main character, Sorcha, is the daughter of Lord Colum, and sister to six brothers. When the father brings home a new stepmother for the children, chaos ensues. The stepmother is described as almost unequivocally evil, and capable of great magic. That might, in fact, be my one criticism - her character was not only evil, it was a little flat. I don't hink that detracted from the book at all, and I suspect we may learn more of her in the following two books.

The family is pitted against the people from the British Isles, and there is enough strife and conflict in here to have anyone hurriedly flipping pages. The book is also sad in many ways, but redemptive. I can't wait to read the sequels. If you like folk or fairy tales or historical novels in any way, read this book.

Sorcha is the seventh child with six older brothers. When an enchantress places a spell over her brothers and turns them into swans only Sorcha can help. This story can be heartbreaking at times, but turns out great. There are two other books in the series. Try Juliet Marillier's other books too.

Product Description

Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment.

But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift-by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever.

When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...

The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor

The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series) by Alison Croggon


The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor

The Naming: Worth your while.
First of all, I noticed that several people have mentioned that they think the plot is "dull" or "slow". That is their personal opinion. And this is mine: the plot is far from slow. Perhaps it doesn't jump into the battles and flee-for-your-life scenes that quite a few recent fantasy books do, but this isn't your average fantasy novel - it's more along the lines of Tolkien's masterpieces: rich, with vivid characters and landscapes and with an underlying culture and history that peeks through the pages.
I won't go into detail about the book's plot: why should I? The professional reviews are at the top of the page, and everyone else's synopsis is down here as well. That should be enough for you. I'm merely here to tell you that I found this book to be a wonderful read that I could not put down - both times I've read it. True, some of the basic plot elements are the same as many other mainstream fantasy novels (again, look at the professional reviews up top), but Croggon writes well and with real, see-able compassion, and her characters are real and complex. I recommend it to you; please, read it. You'll probably be a better person for it (?), and if not that, have a glimpse of what, in my eyes, is a real fantasy novel. - Notice the "in my eyes"; this is my personal opinion, and yours may differ from mine. Still, try it. You may find that you like it just as much as I do.

Maerad (main character) is interesting and the story is great too. It has a classic stoyline with plenty of twists to spice it up. There are three more books in the quartet. The last one comes out this September.

Product Description

In the classic spirit of epic fantasy comes this glittering saga of a young girl who learns she possesses an uncanny gift - and is destined to use it to save her world from a terrifying evil.

Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She doesn't yet know she has inherited a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the noble School of Pellinor and enables her to see the world as no other can. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true identity and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now, she and her mysterious teacher must embark on a treacherous, uncertain journey through a time and place where the forces of darkness wield an otherworldly terror.

The first book in a projected quartet, Alison Croggon's epic about Maerad and her remarkable yet dangerous gift is a beautiful, unforgettable tale. Presented as a new translation of an ancient text, THE NAMING evokes the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world just waiting to be discovered.

Gr. 7-10. A mysterious stranger comes to the miserable mountain outpost where Maerad is a slave and offers to help her escape. She leaves and finds herself in great peril. The adventures that follow revolve around Maerad's true name and her extraordinary magical powers; prophetic signs point to Maerad as the one who will defeat the "Nameless One." As Maerad travels, finding allies and confronting enemies, she discovers her heritage, recovers certain memories, and endeavors to use her powers to help her newfound friends. Most writers of high fantasy are indebted to Tolkien in one way or another, but few incorporate so many elements of his writing and his secondary world into their own: verse within the story; invented history as back matter; and the "Nameless One" or "Dark power," long ago defeated, who rises again to threaten civilization. There are, of course, differences in Croggon's handling of these elements, as well as her choice of a female protagonist. An Australian poet, she makes good use of imagery in her writing. Despite the derivative elements, many fantasy fans will look forward to following Maerad's adventures in the next volumes of this fantasy quartet. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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