YA

Book Review: The Thirteenth Princess

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The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler
The Thirteenth Princess 
by Diane Zahler (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

 

Zita is the thirteenth daughter of a king who only wanted sons, and when her mother dies during childbirth, the king banishes Zita to be raised as a servant in the castle. Zita steals little moments with her twelve sisters, but must sneak around the castle to keep it a secret, terrified of her father’s anger. When the twelve princesses fall ill and their shoes are worn through every morning, only Zita knows the secrets ways to sneak into their bedrooms and watch where they go at night. The princesses are trapped in an evil enchantment that forces them to dance until dawn, but Zita can’t find a prince who is willing to save them!

I loved this book from start to finish! Every chapter is wonderful! Continue reading →

Book Review: Searching for Dragons

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Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Searching for Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #2) 
by Patricia C. Wrede, Peter de Sève (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


King Mendanbar, Monarch of the Enchanted Forest, is having trouble with wizards burning up bits of his forest. He visits Kazul, the King of the Dragons, for some advice, but Kazul is missing, and Mendanbar teams up with Princess Cimorene to find Kazul and restore the Enchanted Forest.

I enjoyed this book even more reading it for the second time! I still wish that there were a little more romance between Mendanbar and Cimorene, but I do enjoy their friendship and the way they respect and rely on one another through all the sticky magical situations they find themselves in.

There are so many delightful characters in this book! Even the side characters shine with originality and wit.
The basic plot is rather straightforward, but there are so many misdirects and twisty roads for the characters to get delayed and misguided and thrown off course, that it feels like a complex plot.

Book Review: The Samurai’s Tale

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The Samurai's Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard

The Samurai’s Tale 
by Erik Christian Haugaard

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Taro’s family are all killed by invading soldiers, but the captain saves young Taro alive to be a servant. Taro vows to become a samurai, and regain the wealthy position his father once held. He begins as a lowly kitchen boy, but quickly is placed in higher positions of trust. He gains the respect of men in power and slowly rises in the ranks to follow his dream, but the shifting wars in Japan threaten to destroy everything he knows. Continue reading →

Book Review: Red Riding Hood

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Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Red Riding Hood 
by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright (Goodreads Author), David Leslie Johnson, Catherine Hardwicke (Introduction by)
1 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Valerie’s sister is killed by the horrible Wolf. Valerie has to choose to marry the rich young blacksmith, or run away with her childhood friend, Peter, who is an outcast.
I’m DNFing this stupidity. Boring. Instalove of the worst kind. Mediocre writing. Rotten characters. Bleh.
I got to page 88, and had to quit. When they agree to run away together after having only exchanged about twenty words and one moonlit horseback ride, I’m done with this nonsense.

It also annoyed me that the girls run off in the middle of the night to the boys’ camp to flirt with them. What was the point of that whole scene?

Book Review: Cloudy-Bright

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Cloudy-Bright
Cloudy-Bright by John Rowe Townsend

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I reread this book every few years, and it usually starts with insomnia. I’m up in the middle of the night, and I think, I’ll read this old boring book about photography and that will put me to sleep.
But then I get caught up in the story, and I remember why I gave this clever little book 5 stars! Before I know it, I’m not the least bit sleepy, and I’ve read half the book!

Sam needs a camera to win the photography contest at his college, so he borrows Jenny’s camera, but doesn’t realize that Jenny comes along with it.  The two are thrown together in a few funny situations, and through many ups and downs they become unlikely friends with a little romance simmering between photographs. Continue reading →

Graphic Novel Review: The Wendy Project

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The Wendy Project
The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is so beautiful and sweet and sad. Gorgeous artwork and a bittersweet story.

Wendy and her brothers are in a car crash, and Wendy swears she saw her youngest brother Michael flying off with Peter Pan, but no one believes her. She gets in trouble at school, and sort of connects with a weird guy named Peter. He’s enigmatic and unreliable, only interested in having fun, but Wendy believes he could lead her to her brother. Wendy’s therapist tells her to draw in a journal, and she begins to document the things she sees that makes her believe her brother is alive somewhere in Neverland. Continue reading →

Book Review: Heartless

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Heartless
Heartless by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Catherine is being courted by the King of Hearts, but he is a silly idiot, and she only wants to pursue her dream to open a bakery of her own. When Catherine meets the dashing court Jester, she soon learns that he is full of impossible secrets, and the two embark on a wild adventure of romance and deceit that will lead them to their frightful destiny.

This book completely broke my heart! The worst part was seeing the characters all so happy and hopeful in the beginning, knowing that the ending would be tragic. I can’t even write a review about it. My heart is so full of conflicting emotions, and my brain is revolving around and around this story, every word they said to each other, the silly riddles, the shy moments, the terrible violence and tragedy. Can’t. My heart.

One of the best things about this book is the little details of a life in Wonderland. A clock that talks, the weird conversations with Wonderland characters, the Cheshire cat popping up everywhere, and all the strange recipes. So many times, I said to myself, Oh, so THAT’s why that thing is that way in Wonderland. That’s why the cook uses too much pepper! That’s why the baby turned into a pig! I loved all those details that explained some of the weirdness encountered by Alice. haha! Loved it!

I love the sweet and witty dialogue, and the wonderfully delicious setting! But oh my goodness, the emotional turmoil!

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Book Review: The Wizard’s Dilemma

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The Wizard's Dilemma
The Wizard’s Dilemma by Diane Duane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yet another book in this series that broke my heart! Such beautiful writing!

Nita gets the terrible news that her mother is dying of cancer. In between hospital visits, Nita searches for a dangerous and elusive wizardry that will cure her mother, but the price may be more than she can pay. She and her wizarding work partner, Kit, have suffered a misunderstanding that keeps them apart. Determined to find a cure on her own, Nita falls prey to the evil Lone One, not realizing that Kit might have stumbled on the answer to all their problems, if only they can reconcile in time!

As in all the other books, I adore the camaraderie and complete trust between Kit and Nita. Their friendship is so special, and seeing it fall apart in this book was heartbreaking. But even through their argument, I loved seeing these characters grow and change, and their friendship ultimately grows and changes along with them. All friendships have some rocky spots, a few bumps in the road, and I was so happy to see how both these characters overcome the obstacles in their way, and it makes them better people, and makes their friendship stronger! Continue reading →

Book Review: Dead Endings

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Dead Endings
Dead Endings by Jessica Chavez

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ever since Cailen had a near-death experience, she can see ghosts. They hang around, bothering her, and because her internal defenses are weak, they can sometimes possess her body.
Her roommate, Gabriella, is a spiritualist who has a better grasp on exorcising ghosts, and Cailen is happy to leave all the ghost-hunting to her friend and go on ignoring the spirits as much as possible.
Everett is a student reporter who is convinced that a recent series of murders needs some ghost experts to investigate, and he drags the reluctant Cailen into the mystery.

This is a total departure from the type of books I usually read. I don’t like horror or ghosts, but I thought I would pick this up because it looked more funny and sarcastic than scary. But then I was disappointed that there’s a lot of alcohol and profanity in this book. It was almost unreadable because of all the nasty words. Continue reading →

Book Review: A Wizard Abroad

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A Wizard Abroad
A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nita is shipped off to Ireland to stay with her Aunt Annie for a few weeks. The barriers between Ireland and the Old World of Tir na nOg are thin, and Nita must help the Irish wizards to ward off nightmare creatures from the past. Legends and monsters from Irish legend come into the realm of reality, and only Nita and her friends have the magical power and the connections to stop them.

As always, it is utterly impossible to describe the wonder, the grandeur, the sheer enchantment of a book by Diane Duane. There’s something so indescribably foreign and deliciously familiar in all her characters. Continue reading →