fantasy

Book Review: Ship of Magic

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Ship of Magic
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pirates, sea serpents, and magical ships that talk; what more could you ask for?!
Robin Hobb has such amazing character development, and her plots always surprise me. I never know what direction the story is going to go next!

Althea wants nothing more than to sail on her family’s magical liveship, the Vivacia, but she is thrown off the ship by her evil brother-in-law, Kyle, who claims legal ownership of the liveship. Wintrow only wants to return to his monastery and continue his training to be a priest, but he is forced aboard the Vivacia to learn a sailor’s trade. Captain Kennit, an evil pirate, desires to capture his own liveship, and will do anything and kill anyone to get one. Brashen is a disgraced sailor forced off the ship he loves and looking for work. Ronica is the matriach of the liveship family, trying to keep the family business afloat despite their mounting debts. Continue reading →

Novella Review: The First Star to Fall

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The First Star to Fall
The First Star to Fall by Diana Peterfreund

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great short story about Persis as the revolution begins and she starts her adventures. It’s just a little snippet showing the political unrest and how Persis and her friends react to the events that began the revolution, and how they determine to help everyone they can.

I love the dynamic between Persis and Princess Isla! Those two friends are such a great addition to the story. Persis is such an intelligent and caring person, and with her bravery and resourcefulness, she makes an exciting main character.

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Comic Review: Prince of Persia

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Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia by Jordan Mechner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This plot makes no sense. I have no idea who anyone is or what happened. The story is told by jumping between two (or three?) timelines, so there are all these different sets of characters, most of whom look alike, and it’s impossible to keep track of them all. There’s also a prophecy and a magic peacock dude that confused me even more. Then there came the giant sand babies; I’m not sure if they were real or imagined. Was that part of a giant sand baby nightmare? Did someone dream that whole thing, or were the babies really there? IDK.

I’m confused if the Prince was reincarnated as the other crazy dude in the ruins, or was that his long-lost son or something? And why did the girl have one blue eye and one brown eye exactly like the lion cub? Is she a mystical lion baby? How is that connected? What is happening here? This makes NO sense at all! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Guide to the Territories of Halla

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The Guide to the Territories of Halla
The Guide to the Territories of Halla by D.J. MacHale

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I expected more from this book. It’s basically an intro summary of each of the first 5 books in the series, with some illustrations of various characters and settings. But it’s nothing I didn’t already know from reading the books. There’s not any new or interesting information about the series, and I was hoping for more details on the various territories, or even short stories of the characters’ backstory/past.
Disappointing and very short.  I LOVE the Pendragon series, so I was really hoping for more.

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Graphic Novel Review: The Merchant of Death

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The Merchant of Death Graphic Novel
The Merchant of Death Graphic Novel by D.J. MacHale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this graphic novel of one of my favorite books! Revisiting the first book in the series in a different format was wonderful! Bobby is still as hilarious and goofy as ever, Press is mysterious and wise, and Loor is all anger and sass.

Bobby Pendragon gets whisked away to another universe by his mysterious Uncle Press, and with the help of other Travelers, tries to help a tribe of poor miners start a revolution or find justice through peace. But the evil Saint Dane is determined to push the war in his own favor, and destroy the world of Denduron. Continue reading →

Comic Review: Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 1: Orientation

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Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 1: Orientation
Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 1: Orientation by Thomas Siddell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of Antimony, a young girl at a mysterious boarding school, who meets robots, forest spirits, mechanical birds, and some very strange classmates. With her friend, Kat, for backup, Antimony follows her curiosity, gets involved in some wild adventures, and stirs up strife between the technologically-advanced school and the forest spirits. And she somehow finds time to explore the library, and do her homework. Continue reading →

Manga Series Review: Dictatorial Grimoire

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Dictatorial Grimoire: CinderellaDictatorial Grimoire: Snow WhiteDictatorial Grimoire: Red Riding Hood

 

 

 

 

Here are my reviews of the three volumes in the Dictatorial Grimoire  by Ayumi Kanou! Scroll down to see all three reviews!

Dictatorial Grimoire: Cinderella
Dictatorial Grimoire: Cinderella by Ayumi Kanou

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Otogi, a descendant of the Grimm Brothers, has to battle his ancestors’ fairy tale characters, and trap them inside an ancient magical book before they destroy him. But the dark truth about the deal the Grimm brothers made to write the stories isn’t the only mystery Otogi will need to unravel if he is to discover who he can trust and who is determined to kill him.

I liked the premise of this story, and I love fairy tale retellings! As each of the fairy tale characters appear, I was interested to see what they would be like, but was disappointed Continue reading →