fiction

Script Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s so hard to write a review for this because all the feels and expectations and everything. It was not what I expected, and it was both more than I expected and less in some areas.

I thought the plot was completely fantastic. I was surprised in every act and liked the emotional dynamic between Harry and his son, Albus.
I did think sometimes that there was too much focus on emotional conflict in relationships and it just got in the way of the story. Although it makes it feel like a more grownup story, it creates a very different serious mood rather than the fun adventure plot we have in other HP books. There’s too much focus on relationships rather than actions and mystery and world-building magic. Continue reading →

Book Review: Star Passage

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Starpassage: Book One, the Relic
Starpassage: Book One, the Relic by Clark Rich Burbidge

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars: It was okay. I enjoyed this story about siblings Tim and Martie who find an ancient Star relic that transports them through time. The teens are on a mission to find spiritual help for their father, who is suffering from PTSD after being wounded in the army, and for their mother, who is dealing with depression. With their family falling apart, they wander through history seeking answers, but mysterious Shadow men are trying to steal the Star from them, and Tim and Martie will need help if they are going to return safely to their own time.

I liked all the history in this book! Some of the plot points and settings are drawn from true history, and some of it is, of course, imagined. I was disappointed that one of the first places the characters travel to is Valley Forge where they meet General George Washington. Extremely trite.
But the rest of the historical settings, such as a WWI medical ship and a wagon train traveling the Badlands of the American West, are more diverse and interesting. Continue reading →

Avatar Last Airbender Book Tag

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Clockwork Reader Original Tag: https://youtu.be/YpEvXo91K-I
Questions:
Water
1. Katara and Sokka: Best sibling relationship
2. Yue: Favorite star crossed lovers
3. Blood Bending: A book with a disturbing/unsettling concept Continue reading →

Book Review: Curse of the Thirteenth Fey

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Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty
Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: The True Tale of Sleeping Beauty by Jane Yolen

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m not particularly impressed with this book. The plot was thin, and the characters pretty good but not deep. The magic system of Shouting the fey spells was interesting, but needed more depth, history, and development. Every little section of plot was drawn out and lacked overall structure. Continue reading →

Comic Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender 1

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Avatar: The Last Airbender 1
Avatar: The Last Airbender 1 by Michael Dante DiMartino

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love and adore everything to do with Avatar, but this little book was really just a cut and paste of screenshots from the TV show, and that doesn’t exactly work well for a book.

If there had been new art that was created for a book format, it would have looked better and flowed better for a written story. A lot of the time the action wasn’t clear, because the panels weren’t created to make that action clear on paper.

Other Avatar comics that I’ve seen (like The Search or The Rift) were actually created to be comics, and those are wonderful and work perfectly and the artwork is fantastic! So I was disappointed to see that this is so poorly organized.

As far as the story goes, of course I adore Aang and Katara and Sokka! The plot is perfection, the characters are marvelous, and the world building is phenomenal! I just wish this little comic did them justice.

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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 →

Book Review: The Friday Society

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The Friday Society
The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the premise of this book: three young ladies who work as assistants to a scientist/inventor, a magician, and a fencing teacher. The girls team up to solve murders and save all of steampunk Victorian London, proving that they are just as capable and intelligent as their bosses. It’s just good fun!

The plot moved a little too slowly for me. This 440 page book could have been told in 200 pages. It dragged on a bit in places, setting up relationships, setting up dialogue, explaining this and that.

I liked the characters of the girls, but I didn’t love them. They are spunky and sweet and sassy and intelligent and independent, but somehow…. I wasn’t particularly impressed.
Of course, the author killed off the ONE supporting character that I actually loved! Continue reading →