fantasy book

Book Review: Tooth and Claw

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Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton

Tooth and Claw
by  Jo Walton

3.5 out of 5 stars
When their father dies, the younger siblings feel cheated out of their inheritance. The two young sisters, Selendra and Haner, have to rely on their wealthy relatives to support them, but the younger brother Avan decides to sue his relations in an attempt to get back the inheritance. Their older brother Penn is caught in the middle because he is a parson and heard his father’s last words on his deathbed. Selendra goes to live with her brother Penn and his wife at the parsonage, but the noble lady who controls the estate doesn’t approve of her son’s flirtation with pretty Selendra.

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Book Review: Princess of the Midnight Ball

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Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Princess of the Midnight Ball (The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy, #1)
by  Jessica Day George

Galen comes home from the war and gets a job as gardener in the royal palace gardens. There he meets the twelve princesses and hears rumors that they wear out their dancing slippers every third night. Noble princes come and go, each trying to solve the mystery, but they all fail. The king agrees to give Galen special permission to investigate the mystery, and Galen discovers that the princesses are held under a strong enchantment, forced to dance for the King Under Stone and his twelve sons.

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Book Review: A Book Dragon

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A Book Dragon by Donn Kushner

A Book Dragon
by Donn Kushner

4 out of 5 stars

Nonesuch is a dragon without a treasure. When his grandmother dies, she leaves behind a substantial treasure of gold and jewels, but it doesn’t really feel quite right to Nonesuch. He goes through a transformation and discovers that he can shrink down to the size of an insect if he doesn’t eat much, or he can grow larger again if he eats more. He is curious about humans, so he shrinks down and flies into an abbey where a monk is painstakingly writing and illuminating a prayer book. The monk is inspired by the sight of a tiny dragon and begins to draw him into the margins of the book. When a thief threatens to steal the precious book, Nonesuch knows that he has found a treasure he will guard with all his heart. But he is trapped along with the book in a strong box and can’t get out for centuries. When he emerges into the modern world, Nonesuch must find new ways to navigate the world of men and protect his treasure.

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Book Review: The Perilous Gard

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The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

The Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope

5 out of 5 stars

Kate Sutton is banished from the Queen’s court and forced into house-arrest at a remote castle with Sir Geoffrey Heron as her guardian. There Kate hears wild rumors about fairy folk and dark magic in the forest and caves surrounding the castle. There is a holy well that seems to grant healing and good fortune to those who drop money into it, but a child was lost down the well and Sir Geoffrey and his brother Christopher warn Kate to stay away from the area. Despite their warnings, Kate begins to suspect that something evil is lurking about the castle and she starts to ask questions about the mysterious fairy folk. She learns of their terrible tradition to commit a human sacrifice in order to gather the power of a human life to sustain their spells.

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Book Review: Beastly Bones

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Beastly Bones by William Ritter

Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)
by  William Ritter (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Abigail Rook has a job as an assistant to free-lance detective Jackaby. Jackaby has a rare gift as a seer. He can see magical residue and detect magical creatures that are otherwise invisible. Jackaby and Miss Rook are called out to the country to investigate a murder at a dig site where some kind of prehistoric bones have been discovered. Miss Rook is eager to visit the country, since her friend Charlie has been stationed there as a policeman, but she wonders if she can balance her career and romance.

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Book Review: The Phoenix and the Carpet

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The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit

The Phoenix and the Carpet (The Psammead Trilogy, #2)
by E. Nesbit

5 out of 5 stars

Four children discover a strange egg in their new nursery carpet, and when the egg is accidentally dropped in the fire, it hatches a beautiful Phoenix. The Phoenix reveals that the new carpet is actually a magic carpet that can take them anywhere in the world. Although they have some fun adventures, more often than not, their adventures go awry and their wishes get them into trouble.

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Book Review: The Thirteenth Child

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Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Thirteenth Child (Frontier Magic, #1)
by  Patricia C. Wrede (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Eff is a twin and the thirteenth child in her family. Her twin brother, Lan, is supposed to have great good luck and magical power because he is the seventh son and their father is also a seventh son, making Lan a double-seventh son, a powerful combination in magical numerology. But the thirteenth child is supposed to be a curse and full of bad luck and evil tendencies. Eff is discriminated against by the magical community, but her family and her twin brother stick up for her. When the family moves to the very edge of the frontier in the American West, Lan and Eff will face challenges and their magic will be tested to the utmost.

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Book Review: Jackaby

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Jackaby by William Ritter

Jackaby (Jackaby, #1)
by William Ritter (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Abigail Rook comes to a new city looking for adventure and finds a job as an assistant to free-lance detective Jackaby. Jackaby has a rare gift as a seer. He can see magical residue and detect magical creatures that are otherwise invisible. He tries to assist the police in a murder investigation, but the police chief doesn’t believe in supernatural nonsense. Miss Rook tags along in the investigation, and she is intrigued by a young policeman named Charlie. The case becomes more and more dangerous until it is evident that they are tracking a serial killer with magical abilities of some kind.

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Book Review: The City in the Lake

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The City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier

The City in the Lake
by Rachel Neumeier (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

The Prince of the Kingdom has disappeared, and with him gone, the calm magic that rules over the land has weakened. Timou is apprenticed as a mage with her father, learning the quiet slow ways of magic. Her father goes to the City to help search for the missing Prince, but he never returns to Timou’s village, so Timou goes in search of him. She must confront the mysterious depths of magic in the dark forest, navigate the political unrest in the City, and discover the intensity of her own power. But lurking behind all these mysteries is the ultimate question of Timou’s heritage.

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Book Review: Skyriders

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Skyriders by Polly Holyoke

Skyriders
by Polly Holyoke (Goodreads Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars

In a land where human riders can communicate telepathically with their pegasus steeds, one man has made a special study of how the ancient peoples fought off a scourge of monsters called chimerae. When the chimerae return, he entrusts a book full of his research to his niece, Kie. She and her stysteed, N’Rah, must take the book to the capital city and somehow convince the emperor to use these ancient battle techniques. Kie has been practicing using special weapons that her uncle taught her about, and she is hoping to demonstrate how effective they are against the monsters.

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