Reading at Dawn - Book Review Blog

The Black Jewels are a series of books written by Anne Bishop, which are not quite fantasy, not quite romance, not quite dark fantasy, but entirely enthralling.

The author creates a world of cruel sensuality and powerful emotion in which one young woman, a child at the beginning, stands against overwhelming odds to protect the most vulnerable against the indulgences of the powerful.

At her side stand three men, her adoptive father, the High Lord of Hell, her adoptive brother, a barbarian, and her lover, a sadist. All three men have waited for thousands of years for her birth and in these three characters the author plays with our perception of good and bad, of preconceptions and prejudice.

The books, the three main in the series and the following offshoots about other characters, are so enthralling not only because of the struggle of good against evil, the distinct Robin Hood aspect of the fight for the vulnerable, or the love story - no, what draws the reader in so deeply are the multitude of relationships, friendships and loyalties, the depth of emotion and honour.

For me this is a comfort read, whenever I am a little sad, a little lost - this is where I turn. Why? Because it is a world of loyalty and friendship, of honour and love. The author gives us insight into the minds and, more importantly hearts, of the main characters in all the facets of love - the love of a lover, a father, a brother, a friend. It reminds us of what life is about - drawing a line and standing by it. In defense of all we love, all we believe in. And yes, then she also created three men I could, without a doubt, fall in love with ;).


Reviewed by:
Christine Blackthorn
www.christineblackthorn.eu

The Floating Islands


I got this book at the bookstore years ago in part because I liked the cover and the title. They drew me in and the description sounded like something I would want to read. I started reading it in April, during the A to Z challenge, but learned that wasn’t a good move. I had planned to review it for day N until I figured out this isn’t a book to read in a hurry. It’s not a fast book, takes time to get through and understand what is going on, but that’s okay.

About the Book: When Trei loses his family in a tragic disaster, he must search out distant relatives in a new land. The Floating Islands are unlike anything Trei has ever seen: stunning, majestic, and graced with kajurai, men who soar the skies with wings.

Trei is instantly sky-mad, and desperate to be a kajurai himself.  The only one who fully understands his passion is Araene, his newfound cousin.  Prickly, sarcastic, and gifted, Araene has a secret of her own . . . a dream a girl cannot attain.

Trei and Araene quickly become conspirators as they pursue their individual paths.  But neither suspects that their lives will be deeply entwined, and that the fate of the Floating Islands will lie in their hands. . .


The book was a bit slow. Granted, lots of things happen over the course of the few hundred pages, but took a while to read. There were parts where you trudge along wondering what it all had to do with the conflict of the story, then Bam! Complications would happen. In fact, the slow then Bam! is a common thing that happened throughout the book.

At times, we would be meandering along watching Trei learning about flying or maybe Araene dressing up like a boy trying to sneak to a lecture or something then…

Death and destruction. Some meandering again then…

Threat of war.



Stuff like that made it feel both slow and intense at the same time. That and the world, oh the world. If anything, I can say I appreciated this book for the obvious world-building achieved. I don’t do a lot of work on my worlds as a writer, it’s something I want to work on, and this book did have quite the world. There is obvious history, along with other factors such as politics that becomes important. Then there is also magic and dragons, which all made for an interesting world for a story.

This book did help me understand a different bit of writing advice. Ever wonder why you should use diverse names that don’t sound similar when writing a book? I mean, twins with similar names are common, even whole big families like to use the same letters and such for names, so if we do that it will be more realistic. Right?  Here is the problem. It’s hard to keep track of the characters. This book showed that because most of the character’s names end in -ei or something with a similar sound. Even the main girl’s shortened name when she’s dressing like a boy had that same sound, -ae. I managed to keep track of the point of view characters and remember one other name. The rest, I don’t know what their names were, just new in the moment of reading that they had different roles. I will not remember their names because they all just run together due to the similarities. So, lesson learned.

I did like the characters. I always have enjoyed books where the girl fights to do something that isn't allowed cause she's a girl, ever since reading Tamora Pierce books as a pre-teen. And the boy was easy enough to read as well, Trei. He had plenty of struggles during the story as he didn't get things handed to him and he went through a number of tragedies. And the friends helped in different places. While I liked some of the ideas and decisions made sense in the moment, I did find the romance bit at the end to be a bit last minute. But that's all I'll say since it's near the end and I don't want to spoil anything. ;-)

Overall, it's a good but slow read. I recommend it for those interested in fantasy books that incorporate magic, strong world building, history and politics that can get past similar names used. Or if you're curious why you shouldn't give all your characters similar sounding names, check it out.

Tamora Pierce, Author

Books 20 in A to Z Challenge

Instead of doing a regular book review. This time me and my sister are teaming up to talk about an author who influenced our reading as teens. As siblings we may have fought often and didn't have much in common, but when it came to books like those written by Tamora Pierce, we both had to read more. So, today we both reflect on this amazing author and her books we shared growing up.


Ashlee:

The first Tamora Pierce book I ever read was Alanna’s First Adventure. I was in the 1st or 2nd grade and it started a life long love of both young adult fantasy and a following of an author one could only call: mentorial. The progression of each Tamora Pierce book I read can outline the way information was provided to me and the discovery and growth of technology in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

For the Lioness Quartet, in which a young girl pretends to be her twin brother in order to train to be a Knight, I discovered each one in the aisle of my revered local elementary school’s library. I would read them during the after school program and it took me a long time because I was just learning to read. These were the first chapter books I ever read.

Then I graduated to the Immortals series (those brought a young woman who could speak to and take the shapes of animals) and book fairs. I would go every year in my schools library looking to see if there was a new Tamora Pierce book I had not read for me to purchase. It was so exciting. I never knew if I was going to go home with the prized possession of a new book.

By the time I started about Keladry and her fight for those smaller than her and her quest for Knighthood I was learning the power of Google. I discovered Tamora Pierces homepage where she listed future books (which I followed like it was a sacred prophecy) and it was a miracle. I could look up when  a new book was coming out and just go to Barnes and Noble to get it. After that I never missed a release date. Every Adventure of Tris, Sandry, Briar and Daja and they learned to control their ambient magic and train their students. I followed Bekka in the slums of the Lower City as she became a Provost’s Dog. But the one thing I miss the most is that excitement of going to the book fair… hoping that there would be that one new book. It’s a feeling of such innocent excitement that could never be replicated and in someway always knowing absolutely everything about the things you love can take away the joy. And in some way it can increase it. You can count down the days to the next book. You can dress up as your favorite character and show up the midnight of the release date. All that matter’s in the end is the sound of the spine of the book cracking when you turn that first page… or, if you are using an ereader, the button click I suppose.


Dawn:

I don't quite remember exactly when I found my first book by Tamora Pierce, though like my sister I started with Alanna. Girl with purple eyes, cat familiar and who wanted to become a knight to the point she pretended to be a boy? It had me hooked from the start. I want to say it was jr high, but I can't quite remember for sure but it was around that time or maybe 6th grade where I started reading female main character fantasy stories (including Juniper Game, Juniper and Wise Child though I thought Juniper came before Wise Child but that's a different rant).

Along with adoring Alanna (the first two books in particular out of that series), I also discovered the Immortals series. I've always been a fan of characters who have a connection to animals, whether magic or not, so this character grabbed my attention. I loved the concepts presented in the book and still today remember certain parts of the story, even a little of the romance. Though compared to shape-shifting, which meant not having clothes when returning to human form, I'm pretty sure I never had to endure anything quite as embarrassing even though growing up I never understood the courtship and relationships that many of my peers focused on. The wild magic presented in this series was interesting to me as well, along with the different character dynamics. Plus, the small place being able to fight thanks to the help of animals was just plain cool to me. I even considered taking parts of the story for policy debate to use in a negative file on anthropomorphism, but didn't get the chance.

However, unlike my sister, those are the only two series I have read, so far. I have a lot of catching up to do as during my teen years I got distracted by school, John Grisham, Dragonlance and the start of The Wheel of Time series. But what my sister didn't mention was something else we both experienced in relation to this topic. Thanks to her searching, she found a neat little conference held in Colorado (as not many conferences were in our state of Wyoming) that was geared towards women in fantasy, called Sirens. We both went and had the honor of meeting Tamora Pierce. I'm not a squeal type fangirl but I did a little inward, along with yay for first writing conference since I know write novels as well. Having Alanna's first book signed by the author was a great moment and seeing my sister get to meet someone she looked up to, well that made it even better.



How we found the books, where we finished or kept going, all that may vary. But these two sisters, and co-bloggers, both can agree on at least one thing. Tamora Pierce books are awesome, definite must reads for YA fantasy lovers and beyond.

Lisa Mantchev, Author

Book 12 in  A to Z challenge

I bought this book several years ago but it wasn't until this month that I was able to finish reading (I started it last month). I'm a fan of theater and have read Shakespeare plays, which is what drew me to this book. Plus the cover is pretty. 

About the Book: 
Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.


My Review:  Overall, I liked the book. It's very different, to say the least. In the world of the book there is there theatre, where everyone lives and this mysterious outside world that we don't get much about in this book, though book 2 will show more of that I assume by the description.

It also has a very interesting cast of characters. There is the main character, Beatrice, who often goes by Bertie. Then many other prominent characters from a variety of plays. Everywhere from Pirates, to chorus girls, to Ophelia, tempests and fairies. I liked Bertie. She was a fun main character with a quirky personality and isn't afraid to let herself shine even when she struggles. However, the fairies (Peasblossom, Moth, Cobweb and Mustardseed) stole the show on more than one occasion. They were hilarious. Then there is the pirate who is often there trying to help Bertie though sometimes he steps on some toes in trying to do what he thinks she needs. Then there is the distracting one, for me.

I understand the character comes from a play. While I have never actually read that particular play (I tended towards ones like Hamlet), I can understand that the character's name was that way for a reason. But I couldn't help myself. When I saw "Ariel" that often lead to me picturing:


Yeah. And the Little Mermaid is even one of the plays in the theatre, so it's not just the name but well, okay for the most part it's that his name is Ariel and the only Ariel I can imagine now thanks to Disney is from the little Mermaid. Though the mermaid is cute and nice, Ariel in this book is well a jerk.  He is where the book went astray for me. While the conflict made me want to keep reading even though at times I wasn't sure what was going on or where the book would head, to be honest I did not find him a viable love interest. And the book talks about the love triangle, I'd heard about it before even buying the book. Plus the sequel, from what it says on Goodreads, is focused on the love triangle... but for most of book 1, he's got very little going for him. The end helps a tiny bit but nope, still don't like that factor.

But I still will have to read book 2. Overall, it's an interesting book that is great for people who love plays and want to see what a story might be like if there was a magic theatre where all the characters of different plays (such as Shakespeare and many others) lived.  Even with the slight annoyance in love triangle, it was an entertaining read and an enjoyable book.


Reviewed by:
Dawn Embers

Stephen King, Author

Book 11 in A to Z challenge

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

Thus begins the story of Roland Deschain, the gunslinger, and what many consider the magnum opus of Stephen King. The story follows Roland as he treks across the desert in slow chase of the Man in Black, and taunts the reader with hints of a world much bigger than this single story. The setting is a world that has moved on, a post-apocalyptic wasteland of isolated pockets of civilization where scarcity is driven hard into the reader. Scarcity of food, life, humanity. The walking dead, a boy from our own world and creatures of myth populate the world, and nail down a message that seems to permeate the entire story. This world is broken. It is a place where worlds can be seen through open doors, and time is inconsistent at best, and at the center of it all is the Dark Tower.

I can't really complain about King's writing. He aggravates me with his tangents, but keeps me glued to every word, no matter how many pages it takes. His prose perfectly captures the feeling of this world, and the people who inhabit it. People do awful things--Roland does awful things--and you understand. As he kills dozens, you know that this is what must be. As he chooses his own quest over saving the life of another, you understand. Anyone can write about a man drowning a puppy. King can make you sympathize and forgive.

I will issue a bit of warning regarding the rest of the series. King doesn't seem to have planned the series out in advance, or even each book as he wrote it, and it does show. You may spend a hundred pages on something that will never matter to the story, but you will probably enjoy reading it.

This was a solid start to a series filled with ups and downs, and at a mere 300 pages, it's worth adding to your to-read list.


Reviewed by:
Addison Smith

Ash by Malinda Lo

I had this book a while, long while but didn't read it until now. Will admit I was a bit hesitant after finding out there is a second book that is more of a prequel to this one because then I didn't know which to read first. But I finally picked up Ash and started reading. Here is my review and it works great for Day 1 of A to Z blog challenge and bloggers.

About the Book: Cinderella retold

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.



My Review:  I think the line on the cover of my book says it pretty well when it says "It's not the fairy tale you remember." Which is both true and slightly off at the same time. There are many aspects of the book, throughout the whole book, that are reminiscent of the Cinderella tale that we all should know by now (as most retelling stories have some of the similar features). Her father dies, as one would expect and she's left to her stepmother who also has two girls. She works for them and falls asleep by the fire and is fond of books. There is even a masquerade. But among the familiar are also very unfamiliar factors. Such as the existence of the fairies, the huntress and the fact that it's not about her and the prince. And it all works.

One thing I liked in particular about the book is that even though Ash is torn between a male fairy and the female huntress in the story, there isn't a big deal made over sexual orientation in the world. Pretty early in the book she sees two girls who kiss, for example, and it's not a big deal. It just happens. There is no question about it or how she feels. She doesn't worry about what liking the huntress means either. It's a part of life and nothing more. 

Also, while there is a love triangle and mister fairy has a few negative points due to the creepy factor (you'll notice if you read the book) there is a reason behind the triangle and it's not one of those annoying types. To me, the annoying type is the "I can't decide" and "they are both so hot" ones. It's also told in third person instead of first, which helps in some ways but even in first person, it wouldn't reach that annoying factor because Ash isn't focused on how hot one of them is or the other. The love that happens in the story is built up slow and is subtle. I like subtle. 


Anyone looking for an interesting, fantasy retelling of Cinderella should check out this book, whether having read the prequel or not. Ash is a pleasant read that while a tad slow in beginning has a creative twist to the classic tale that will keep you reading to find out how it will end.


Reviewed by Dawn Embers

Since I'd read the first book in A World Without Heroes, I thought that I would check out one of the author's earlier series. I ended up with Fablehaven, which is another middle grade fantasy series. And I actually finished reading this book by using time during lunch breaks at work, getting the last pages read back at the end of August. Kept meaning to post but work distracts me, so here is my review of Fablehaven, book 1 in the Fablehaven series, by Brandon Mull

About the Book:  For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite ... Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.



Overall: I liked this book. It was an easy but interesting read. The beginning started a bit typical. There were many parts I expected, like the kids going to their grandparents and how things first seemed a bit normal but they started to discover that there is something secret going on there. But that was needed for the story to work. Made me think of the Spiderwick Chronicles movie just a bit, but only the commercial for it cause I haven't actually even seen the move or read that book. It's a two POV story, with both the cautious older sister (Kendra) and her not cautious younger brother (Seth). And this one did definitely have a more Middle Grade feel to it, at least in comparison to parts of the other book I read by the author.

Characters: Both characters are likeable in their own way. It's interesting to go back and forth in this case between the two siblings but together the point of views create the story as a whole because we get to see what is behind the surface of each character. We get to see what is behind the adventurous boy's approach and get in on some of the action from the decisions he makes. On the other hand, we also get to see the cautious steps taken and how she finds out answers and when needed whether she will be able to let her fear down enough to act brave for her family. Both work well and I hope to see them in other stories of the series.

Setting: I don't often talk about setting much because I don't notice it too often nor write it in great detail but Mull does a good job in setting up the Fablehaven location, which will be involved for the whole series I would imagine based on the series title. He does an excellent job in both first books I have read in setting up the world for the series without letting it overpower the first story. There are hints that will come in useful later, I can tell, and in general the Fablehaven is a fun place that I want to learn more about. I'm sure others will find it interesting too, of all ages.


Recommendation:  I recommend anyone really who likes fantasy and is up for a little middle grade reading to try out this book. Whether for a middle grade reader or beyond, it's a pretty fun read overall.

This is a book I got from the library and is one of the rare instances where I watched the movie first. The reason I watched it first is more because I was watching over my little 5 and 7 year old cousins and it was their favorite movie at the time. Had to fast forward at a part near the end cause it scared them but other than that, they wanted to watch that movie over and over and over again. It's a good movie too so I decided to check out the book.

About the book: Hopelessly crossed in love, a boy of half-fairy parentage leaves his mundane Victorian-English village on a quest for a fallen star in the magical realm. The star proves to be an attractive woman with a hot temper, who plunges with our hero into adventures featuring witches, the lion and the unicorn, plotting elf-lords, ships that sail the sky, magical transformations, curses whose effects rebound, binding conditions with hidden loopholes and all the rest.


[STARDUST] BY Gaiman, Neil (Author) Harper Teen (publisher) Paperback

Verdict: It was a good book. Though I will admit that it's one of the few times where I liked the movie a little more than the actual book. I can see what they did, what they emphasized different or changed to a degree and they made some really good calls when making that movie. I read the story on my lunch breaks at work so took me a while. At first I wasn't sure on the book as the chapter one reminded me of a prologue and then had to get to know a different focus character in the next one. But I got through it in part because I knew to certain degrees what would happen having seen the movie. It's definitely different than some of his other works. Not quite at the level of American Gods but still a well written story. While I didn't think it was the greatest story (compared to movie) but I did notice how well Gaiman writes. He is just good.

There are several different viewpoints. A good portion of it is from the boy character's view, the one trying to find the star to please a girl he likes. But we also get into the star's pov along with witches, brothers fighting for a crown, boy's father and something else I can't remember at this point as I finished reading the book over a month ago. Setting is sort of a typical fantasy but has its own characteristics and the creatures/characters have their own spin, which makes the story fun to read.

I won't spoil the end but I will say that the end is a part that didn't work the most for me in comparison to the movie. Though the characters came to life a little more in the movie but it's different seeing them than reading about so that's understandable. However, the end of the movie and the end of the book is different. The book ends on a less dramatic note so it's almost anti-climatic feeling. I liked the end of the movie better.

However, I do recommend this book to others because it's well written and overall a good read.
Like Fantasy? Have read other books by Neil Gaiman? Haven't read any of his books? Either way, check it out. It's a good library option (or own for those that want to do so). Also, check out the movie.

Back in 2009, I actually met Kristin Cashore at the Sirens Conference. I hadn't actually read the book even though the paperback version came in before I left for the conference. But it was still fun because Kristin is just a fun, cute person and definitely is very nice. She signed my copy of Graceling, which is always fun. I have the other book, Fire too, and I'm looking forward to Bitterblue.

About the Book from Goodreads: "Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug.


When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone."





Overall:  I liked this book. It has many characteristics that I'm fond of when I read a book. It's a fantasy novel with a strong female main character who knows how to take care of herself along with an interesting plot and world. The story was a little slow in spots, particularly near the beginning, but in the end I enjoyed reading the book.

Characters: Katsa is a decent main character. She has her flaws, her moments but overall she is a strong female who isn't afraid to take a risk. And she grows during the story. Her character really develops as she discovers things about the conflicts going on, the other characters and much about herself. Having her interact with the different characters like Po and Bitterblue really did help. Speaking of other characters, I did end up liking Po. It's good to see a male character who interacts with a strong female without being too overbearing or cocky. I'd really like to see more of Katsa and the others in the future. I know the third book follows Bitterblue but if any came that would follow Katsa I'd probably check it out.

Story: This is one of the stories I couldn't quite predict. There are a few points I could see coming but there were plenty of surprises too. The world is well developed and what starts off as a somewhat small sounding conflict grows to a bigger even with a whole different villain that first expected. I enjoyed reading for the plot and seeing how the characters made their way through.

This book drew me in with the title and book cover. While the covers with dramatic faces and pretty women can be appealing, sometimes I like a simple and well chosen tree. I'd never heard of the book until I saw it on the shelves in the store but purchased a copy anyways.

About the book from Goodreads: "Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he's still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery.
       He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. Something is missing, though. Magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he dreamed it would. After graduation he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real. But the land of Quentin's fantasies turns out to be much darker and more dangerous than he could have imagined. His childhood dream becomes a nightmare with a shocking truth at its heart."


This book is different. Most of the reading I've been doing in fantasy lately has been young adult and this is a book that probably could be placed in the attempted category for college age (20's). Quentin is a very intelligent boy getting ready to find his way into college and adulthood when his life takes an unexpected twist. And that twist takes him on adventures he never imagined would happen, which is all cool for a novel but wow, this book feels long. In fact, it is almost two stories in one. The first part of the book is about Quentin, how he discovers the magic university and his years studying there but once he graduates things change. The years and adventure after making it through school is a story itself.

I don't have the Harry Potter background that some people may have, since some have made correlations between the two stories. So, I can't say much on whether it does have similar aspects. It's very different than what I've read before. The main character was a bit hard to relate to at certain points but in general he was interesting enough. However, since he is super intelligent, the language of the story with how he thinks and speaks has to reflect that. While I have enough education, it still slowed me down when I was reading.

The world created for the story with the interplay of the city with the university in the beginning of the story. The travels north through unusual, magical means, and the other locations did make for an interesting story. There are some scenes that certain readers might find awkward (fox scene anyone?) and in general, I don't think this is a novel for every reader. Some will probably not like it and others will think it's great, like with most novels. I liked it for the most part and my stepdad even made it through the book, though we book found it a bit slow.

This is one of the other advanced reader copies I received, along with Dreaming in English. I have to admit, I have never read a book by Brandon Mull and only recently noticed the whole Fablehaven Series of his. The name of that series does sound familiar at least but I still feel like I'm missing something because of another thing I have to admit. I don't know much about middle grade, not much at all. The comments for this review, I will remind, are just my reactions to the story and others will have different opinions of it. Overall, it has a good rating but I do have a few critical points on the ARC version that may or may not be part of the published version.

Publication date: March 15th, 2011

From Goodreads:   Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
    In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

This is a long book. The ARC is 446 pages long and the published version is said to be 464 pages according to Goodreads. And of the two covers I've seen, the one with the figure that has a cape and this one with a crown, I actually like the crown more.

Overall: I did like this book. While I have issues with the story that are laid out below, in the end I did enjoy reading the book once I got past the first couple of chapters in particular. It is a well written book that has an incredible sense of world building and imagination. The details and the variety of characters created in order to tell the story are on a level of amazing that is hard for many fantasy authors to achieve but Brandon Mull obviously knows how to spin a tale of this quality.

Genre: If I was asked what genre this book actually was I would tell people epic fantasy. It is book 1 in a series, definitely fantasy and long considering the age range it is marketed towards. Length is one part of the reason. It's no Wizard's First Rule (over 800 pages) but this MG book is longer than the Dragonlance book(395 pages) I pulled off my bookshelf. Both of those are adult books and this one is set for ages 8-12. This is where I mention I don't understand Middle Grade novels. I could almost see 12 year old reading this book, sure, but an 8 year old. Okay, the hippo part yes but the prologue where the prince is being tortured and hearing the screams of someone else being tortured? Anyone I mention that to has almost cringed, even my stepdad raised his eyebrow at that fact. Plus the plot of the adventure is he must destroy an evil emperor. Made me wonder what age group The Eyes of the Dragon was set for since the characters aren't quite adults and it's fantasy too.

It made me wonder if this book would have worked as a Young Adult instead. And I had to quit thinking about it as a middle grade because it was distracting me from reading or enjoying the story. This is definitely a boy book, for those that want an example after seeing all the debates on varying blogs. Even though a girl joins the main character on his journey, it is definitely directed to boys. Stuff like describing weapons on the wall of a room as "super cool" and the fact that he enters the world by being swallowed by a hippo is evidence of that. And we do need books for boys, which is another reason I wondered if YA was considered. People have ranted about how there needs to be more boy books in YA right now and being a genre that teen boys gravitate to when they skip YA for the adult fantasy/sci-fi section, it would have made sense to me. Minor tweak of character details and it would have a home in YA bookshelves.

Main Characters: The first main character, the one most of the story is told through is a boy named Jason. At the beginning of the novel I had issues with him. He is supposed to be in 8th grade (so 14ish), plays baseball, studies hard classes such as anatomy and is rather tall. I honestly forgot part of those details later on in the series because they felt more like details of a high schooler than a boy in junior high. I'm sure there are places that have more than what I have seen in education systems but even my stepdad thought he sounded more like a 15-16 year old. So, it wasn't just me. Those facts get forgotten in the story that unfolds and the story gets more interesting as the real world parts become the past and the focus stays on the other world adventure. Then there is the girl, Rachel, who shows up to help. I liked her and she adds a dynamic for the walking periods that occur in adventure fantasy so that it's not just the main character thinking to himself.

Technical: While the prologue is done from a different character, the prince, most of the novel is from Jason's POV. Until over 250 pages in, where all of a sudden we are seeing things from Rachel's POV. While it needs to be there, it's the only way we would get the information she discovers, it is a bit surprising. I stopped reading for a minute right away because it caught me off guard. I understand having different viewpoints in one story but when it's done so little with the first half+ being from Jason, it felt weird to all of a sudden have Rachel chapter.

World and Story: Wow. This is where the book definitely made up for issues I had. While the first few chapters left me putting the book down, the world and story began to make me want to keep reading. It's obvious that the author did a lot of work on building the world of the alternate place the two "beyonders" find themselves in after entering different portals. The details of it are what really hold strong. There are politics, economic features, and many others that make up a fantasy world. And while the story did feel a little older than what I would expect for a MG novel, the things the characters have to face and endure are well done. While I had a few issues with the copy that I got to read, I do still believe it's a good novel and a story many will enjoy.

In a young adult literary world where mortal girls seem to be constantly falling for immortal, perfect boys, the Caster Chronicles series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is wonderfully refreshing, and number two of the series, Beautiful Darkness is no exception.

Synopsis from Goodreads: "Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Firstly, the series is written from mortal Ethan's point of view, and while he doesn't appear to be the most 'manly' of male characters out there, it makes for a nice change. Secondly, he falls in love with Lena, who is the paranormal (a Caster who is basically a witch) of the story, and as a character, she is far from perfect. In fact, in Beautiful Darkness it almost gets to the point where she is a tad annoying and as a reader I was (almost!) rooting for Ethan to dump her and turn to another major female character. Ethan's character however has just the right amount of teen angst, heroism and general likability to make him one of those protagonists that sticks with you for a long time.

Beautiful Darkness is the sequel to Beautiful Creatures, which I enjoyed, but didn't find particularly special. Beautiful Darkness seems to step it up a notch and I found myself fully engrossed in the authors' world building. The setting is gothic, haunting, and so well dispersed throughout the novel (rather than being info dumped in chunks) that I really felt like I was walking through the world with Ethan and Lena. The southern setting is probably one of the most unique aspects of the novel, since at times the plot did seem a little formulaic, but the setting alone makes both novels a worthwhile read.

Beautiful Darkness does feel like the 'middle book' of the series, where they fall in love in the first book, fight in the second, and most likely, fall in love again in the third. Beautiful Darkness was also very long, and could have been condensed. The plot doesn't really kick in until about 150 pages in, but when it does it picks up the pace dramatically. The last third of the novel is filled with enough action to satisfy anyone, and it is crafted with so much tension that I literally could not put it down until I got to the end.

The Caster Chronicles series is a worthwhile read so far, and even if you don't find #1, Beautiful Creatures to your liking, I do recommend Beautiful Darkness. It's definitely made me more excited about the 3rd in the series which apparently comes out this year.

7 out of 10 from me. Worth the read.