fiction

Book Review: The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear

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The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear
The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whimsical, wild, and hilarious! Imaginative, original, and wacky! I’m trying to find some good adjectives to describe this book, but none of them do it justice. I have never read anything quite like this! There are just so many things that are thrown together in this story… it defies categorization.

Bluebear recounts his first 13 lives, which range from adventures with the tiny Mini-Pirates to the Babbling Billows (waves who talk), and onward to a pterodactyl, a deceitful Troglotroll, desert nomads, and a professor with seven brains. You never know what insane character or monster is going to pop into the story next! There are a lot of supporting characters, and they are all wacky and weird with their own detailed history and their own quirks and habits. Continue reading →

Review: Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice

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Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice
Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice by Stacy King

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun little adaptation of P&P into manga form, but it’s a little too cutesy and “teen drama” for me. There are roses and hearts everywhere, and the character’s facial expressions and actions are too overly dramatic.

I mean, if someone is going to collapse into a chair from illness, is it really necessary for them to pitch headlong to the floor in a flurry of curly hair and roses, and with their cloak fluttering behind them? haha! They couldn’t just sit down in a chair and faint like a normal person? Continue reading →

Book Review: The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland – For a Little While

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The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland - For a Little While
The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland – For a Little While by Catherynne M. Valente

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this little short story, and was delighted to see the beginnings of Mallow’s adventures. It’s strange how I got used to thinking of her as the bad guy, but she really is such an interesting and complex character, that she doesn’t fit into the “bad guy” box. She’s so much more.

As always, I adore Valente’s whimsical and brilliant writing style. There are lots of delightful plot twists and surprises in this story, but it’s too short to really have much development.

A wonderful addition to the Fairyland series!

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Book Review: The Son of Tarzan

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The Son of Tarzan
The Son of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story follows Jack, the son of Tarzan, who is dissatisfied with his life in England’s public schools, and longs to be living in the jungle. When circumstances push him to Africa, young Jack rises to the adventure and goes racing around the jungle as his father did before him. But will Jack ever find his parents again or even bother to return to civilization?

This book is exciting and fun to read! The action is non-stop and there’s always some wild battle going on, or devious kidnappers threatening to hold everyone for ransom, or a group of evil cutthroats murdering and plundering, and of course there’s always the threat of lions and panthers and savage tribes. It’s never dull, that’s for certain! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Box of Delights

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The Box of Delights
The Box of Delights by John Masefield

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Kay comes home for the holidays, he meets a strange man who warns him, “The Wolves are running,” and entrusts him with a magical Box to keep safe. The evil Abner Brown is after the box with his gang of kidnappers and cutthroats, and when people begin disappearing in Kay’s town, Kay must use the Box to travel into the Past to save his friends.

I had high expectations for this book, and while I did enjoy it, I was a little disappointed. The plot has many gaping holes in it, the characters act in ways that don’t really make sense, and I never did figure out WHY exactly the villains wanted to steal the Box of Delights.

The one thing that lived up to my expectations was the Box of Delights itself. I loved the fairies, mouselings, and Herne the Hunter, and magical ladies of light, the Greeks, and pirates and Roman soldiers. All the butterflies, birds, and bees that helped Kay escape from the wolves were just beautiful written and wonderfully charming. All that magic was exactly what I wanted from this book! Continue reading →

Book Review: The Clockwork Three

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The Clockwork Three
The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of three unlikely children living in a big city, where they find adventure, mystery, and even a little bit of magic. These children start their stories alone, but each meet the others along the way and learn to trust and rely on one another.

Guiseppe is a street musician, who finds a magical green violin. Frederick is an apprentice clockmaker and an orphan, who is determined to create a marvelous automaton. Hannah is a poor maid with an ailing father, who is desperate to get money for her family.
On the surface their problems seem simple, but the deeper the story goes, the more complex their difficulties become. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Rivers of Zadaa

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The Rivers of Zadaa
The Rivers of Zadaa by D.J. MacHale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How is it possible that every single book in this series is so amazing?! I adore every page!
In this book, Bobby is on Loor’s home territory of Zadaa, and there is a war looming between two tribes, the surface warriors of the Batu and the underground city of the Rokador. A terrible drought threatens both their civilizations, but the Batu think the Rokador are controlling the underground river sources and holding all the water for themselves.
Bobby and Loor are caught in the middle of espionage and small skirmishes between the tribes, trying with all their Traveler ingenuity to stop the war from starting. And of course, the horrible Saint Dane is lurking around causing trouble.

The plot twists! I still can barely wrap my head around the stuff that goes on in this story. Non-stop action, and things happening everywhere! Continue reading →