Month: March 2018

Book Review: In the Hand of the Goddess

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In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness, #2) 
by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author)

2.5 out of 5 stars

Alanna is a teenage girl who pretends to be a boy so that she can train as a squire and learn to be a knight in the royal palace of Tortall. Only a few people know about Alanna’s true identity, among them, her dearest friends, Prince Jonathan, and George, the King of Thieves. In the midst of a war with a neighboring kingdom, Alanna starts out with a determination to focus on her knightly studies, but she gets distracted by the temptations of love. With the protection of a Goddess upon her, Alanna uses her magic to unmask a deadly enemy within the very walls of the palace.

I was disappointed in this book. So disappointed in Alanna. She makes very bad decisions,

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Book Review: Gannon and Wyatt: Hawaii

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Travels with Gannon and Wyatt by Patti Wheeler
Travels with Gannon and Wyatt: Hawaii 
by Patti Wheeler, Keith Hemstreet (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Another fantastic adventure with twin brothers Gannon and Wyatt, this time in beautiful Hawaii. The twins rescue a drowning man, who urges them to hide a secret map for him. The map may contain clues to the ancient burial place of Hawaii’s King Kamehameha the Great, and Gannon and Wyatt set out on a treasure hunt to find it with the help of their guide, Alana. A mysterious archaeologist is also searching for King Kamehameha’s tomb, and is determined to take the map from the twins. Gannon and Wyatt survive a mountainous blizzard, explore a jungle, trek around lava flows, and delve deep into the culture and history of Hawaii. Continue reading →

Book Review: Alanna: The First Adventure

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Alanna by Tamora Pierce
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1) 
by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Alanna switches places with her twin brother, so that he can study magic with the priests and become a sorcerer, and Alanna can study to become a knight in the royal palace.  She pretends to be a boy, and joins the pages in the palace. She learns to fight and begins to control her magical abilities. But it’s difficult keeping her biggest secret, her true gender, from all the boys around her!

I really enjoyed this book, and I read it in one sitting! Couldn’t put it down. The writing style has a few flaws, but the memorable characters and fascinating plot make up for it. A few trite “fairy tale” sort of things pop up (King of Thieves, a horse named Moonlight, a sword named Lightning), but I like them anyway. Not exactly original sometimes, but the oldies are the goodies. Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: The Lost Path

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The Lost Path by Amélie Fléchais
The Lost Path 
by Amélie Fléchais

2 out of 5 stars

Three little boys follow a treasure hunt, misread their map, and get lost in the darkest part of the forest. They meet odd creatures, see strange sights, and try to avoid the dark powers of the forest. It’s pretty grim and violent at times. The plot lacks cohesion, and I had to read the ending twice to try to understand just what had happened.
The illustrations are sometimes lovely, sometimes bland. Some of the pages are in color, others are in black and white.
I was not impressed with the story. It jumped all over the place with no real explanations of what was actually happening or why.
I liked the whimsical characters at first, but quickly got bored with them as they repeated the same things again and again. Continue reading →