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About Kasey

Reads things. Writes things. Fluent in sarcasm. Willful optimist. Cat companion, chocolate connoisseur, coffee drinker. There are some who call me Mom.

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

the-scorpio-racesThe Scorpio Races
Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press

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Every year the deadly capaill uisce emerge from the sea. Lucky riders will capture one of these bloodthirsty water horses and ride in the Scorpio Races, competing for a prize purse – it’s enough money to change a life. And it’s exactly what Puck Connolly is hoping to achieve. If she can win the race, she can keep her family together in their home. If she loses, she will lose everything.

Sean Kendrick knows too well the risks of the race. As a boy, he watched his father murdered by the violent water horses during the Scorpio Race. Sean isn’t too worried – he’s won before and he will win again. He intends to win freedom for himself and the horse who means more to him than anything.

The race brings Sean and Puck into one another’s lives as uneasy and unlikely allies. As their friendship begins to deepen, both know one simple, terrible truth: there can be only one winner to the Scorpio Races.

From the very first page, Stiefvater immerses readers in the tumultuous world of Thisby Island with its mythic history, charming towns and haunting cliffs. The story unfolds through lyrical, emotionally charged prose, introducing the desperate and headstrong Puck, her brothers and her beloved island pony. Opposite Puck, we find Sean Kendrick, a renowned horse trainer and thoughtful/silent type. The American buyer who follows Sean around works as a great foil to add humor and lightness to Sean’s reclusive nature.

As the story progresses, the stakes continue to elevate. Every time it seems like the characters find a way out, some new conflict arises – definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! And those capaill uisce are terrifying. One scene is so intense I still shudder to think about it! (Not gross, just really suspenseful.)

This is a fantastic story. Phenomenal characters. Absolutely incredible story world. High-energy storytelling. This is Stiefvater at her best. (I’ve read Shiver and the first three of the Raven Cycle series as well.)

Language Content
Infrequent use of mild profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief sexual reference.

Spiritual Content
Many of the islanders attend a Catholic church. Puck visits Father Mooneyhan to confess her sins. There are other references to things like whether playing cards or getting angry is a sin.

The water horses also have a lot of lore and magic surrounding them. Riders use charms like bits of iron and bells to try to control them.

Violence
The water horses are deadly and unpredictable. Puck and her brother discover several animals that have been mutilated and killed by the capaill uisce. Puck is attacked and threatened by them. Several islanders are killed by the water horses.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Seraphina
Rachel Hartman
Random House
Published in 2013

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Seraphina has lived a carefully unnoticed life. Even as a talented musician, she’s always avoided the spotlight in order to protect a terrible secret that, if discovered, will threaten her life and that of her family.

When a prince of Goredd is murdered, rumors circulate that a dragon is the culprit. These rumors threaten the uneasy peace between humans and dragons. Drawn into the murder investigation, Seraphina helps the handsome captain of the guard, Prince Lucien, to bring the killer to justice.

Seraphina’s quick thinking and easy lying has always protected her in the past. Now her friendship with the betrothed prince threatens to out her. When the investigation reveals a terrible plot jeopardizing the entire kingdom, Seraphina is forced to choose between her secrecy and the survival of all she loves.

Political intrigue. Murder. Fantasy. Romance. This story has it all. Unforgettable characters march across each chapter. Dragon culture is well-developed and very different from other dragon stories. Hartman does a great job throwing the human and dragon characters in situations in which the cultures clash, sometimes in humorous ways. The murder investigation keeps the tension high. This is one book you won’t want to put down until the last page.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief suggestive comments.

Spiritual Content
Seraphina discovers she can use her mind to communicate with others. She also meets several others with varied unusual abilities.

It seems that the human population worship a large collection of revered saints at various shrines. One of the clever ways Hartman incorporates this into the story is through the use of colloquialisms based on different saints. “St. Daan in a pan!” someone might shout.

Violence
A prince’s body is found. He has been beheaded. No gory details.

Brief battles between human and dragon or dragon and dragon.

Drug Content
Seraphina consumes too much wine and nearly gives away her secret.

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Review: A Plague of Unicorns by Jane Yolen

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , ,

A Plague of Unicorns
Jane Yolen
Zondervan/HarperCollins
Published December 3, 2014

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A failing abbey’s one hope is the golden apples in its orchard. Unfortunately, a herd of unicorns devours the apples each year. The abbot calls for heroes, but to no avail. No one can stop the creatures. When the duke’s son James is sent to the abbey for further education, he troubles all he meets with his constant questions. But his bravery and ingenuity may be just the right combination to banish the unicorns from the orchard forever.

Great characters populate the story, from the monks to James and his family members. While unicorns are often heroes or forces for good in other stories, this time they cause all the problems. I found this refreshing and unexpected. Yolen’s usual mastery of storytelling keeps this simple tale spinning. Though we first begin with the monks and a short history of the abbey, the tale quickly becomes entertaining – especially once we meet James, the boy with the insatiable curiosity.

This is a relatively short tale, just under 200 pages. Younger readers – probably second grade to fourth – would most enjoy the book.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Many characters are monks at a monastery. There’s some mention of prayer and the task of copying and illustrating Biblical texts.

Violence
Unicorns and heroes face off, and often the heroes end up the worse for wear. No graphic details. Battles are only briefly told and descriptions are sometimes comic.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Book Review and Content, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

These Broken Stars
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Disney-Hyperion
Published December 10, 2013

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It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. A product of the greatest engineering minds, the Icarus luxury spaceliner unexpectedly drops out of hyperspace. Wealthy passengers and military personnel race to escape. Lilac LaRoux, daughter of the wealthiest man in the universe finds herself trapped aboard an escape pod with Major Tarver Merendson, a charity case who clawed his way up military ranks the old-fashioned way. When the pod crash lands on the planet, Tarver is determined to keep himself and the helpless Lilac alive. As they face the unforgiving challenges of survival together, they will need to trust one another and depend on each other’s strengths to stay alive long enough to be rescued.

My favorite thing about this book was that both Tarver and Lilac had skills to contribute to the success of their survival. It wasn’t another retelling of the cliché old tale about the man knowing all about surviving and the helpless lady kind of tagging along at his mercy. Lilac is smart and knows things about the ship’s operation because of growing up around it. Tarver has had a lot of experience surviving on a hostile planet. Together, they make a formidable team.

The romance is definitely more of a clichéd element. The rich aloof girl and the hero who comes from nothing. She blows him off to save face. He takes her at face value. She thinks he hates her. He thinks she despises him. But she secretly likes him and he secretly likes her, etc. I felt like that 180 degree turn happened kind of fast. It was definitely intense, though.

The story took a bit of a weird turn as Tarver and Lilac investigate some strange life forms they find on the planet. It definitely reminded me of an old Star Trek episode – in a good way.

The ending was a bit abrupt for me. Through the whole book they’ve been wondering how to solve this big problem, and it’s going to be so terrible if they can’t do something. Then Lilac basically has a stern conversation with the head of her problem and it’s all fixed, no worries at all. I had hoped for a little more complexity there.

Over all, I did enjoy the story of the romance and especially Tarver’s memories of his family. I loved that they had this equal partnership where they both had skills essential to one another. Each chapter begins with these snippets of debrief interviews between Tarver and (we assume) a superior officer. Brilliant. Definitely added suspense and intrigue to the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity used with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Brief scenes leading up to and referencing intercourse. While the acts aren’t graphically described beyond brief references to nudity, the reader is left in no doubt of what happens.

Spiritual Content
Lilac and Tarver encounter strange beings at first mistaken for ghosts or hallucinations. It appears that these other beings have powers far beyond human abilities and can change the way things appear.

Violence
There is some description of the ship coming apart and being destroyed and some mayhem and injury which result from that. On the surface of the planet, Tarver and Lilac find the remains of the ship. A few descriptions of what they find are pretty icky.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Blue Lily, Lily Blue
Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic, Inc.
Published October 21, 2013

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Blue and her Raven Boys (Adam, Gansey and Ronan) continue their quest to find Glendower, the Welsh King who will grant them a wish for waking him. Leaving behind only a cryptic note, Blue’s mother Maura disappears on a quest of her own. Blue worries and grieves, turning to Gansey for solace. This is forbidden.

They just talk. But it’s clear both want more, a more she can’t allow herself to give. She’s seen his death, seen his departed soul marching along the ley line. She knows if she kisses her true love, he will die, and she can’t bear to be the cause of Gansey’s death.

Adam learns more about serving as the hands of Cabeswater. It’s not always easy for him to understand what it wants, but Persephone, one of the psychics at Blue’s home teaches him. She warns Adam that there are three sleepers. One is not to be awakened.

Told in sharp prose worthy of mythic tales, this third book in Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle is a commendable addition to the series. The characters are well-developed and the dialogue tight and emotive. This book definitely weaves together some of the loose threads from its predecessors but raises some new questions left for the next tale.

The whole psychic theme really doesn’t appeal to me personally, and I would be willing to guess that a lot of Christian readers would object to the content. I’ve read the first two books in addition to Blue Lily, Lily Blue and really enjoyed Stiefvater’s style of storytelling.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme word choice, moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Blue believes if she kisses her true love, he will die. So she doesn’t kiss anyone, though she wants to…

Spiritual Content
Blue lives in a home with several women who work as psychics. They perform tarot card readings, use mirrors or bowls for scrying, communicate with dead spirits, etc.

The main characters are on a quest to wake a king from sleep. In return he is supposed to grant them a wish.

Ronan has the ability to remove objects from his dreams and bring them into existence in the real world.

In an earlier book Adam agreed to serve as hands for Cabeswater, a ley line or part of one with a lot of energy or power. (This power fuels Ronan’s ability.)

Blue, while not psychic herself is like a power boost to anyone psychic near her.

Noah is the ghost of a boy murdered in a scheme related to the quest in the first book. He comes and goes throughout the story.

Violence
Adam encounters a mortally wounded boy. It’s pretty quick, but pretty grim. A few scuffles between Greenmantle and Mr. Grey et al. Not too much as far as details and gore there.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Seeker
Arwen Elys Dayton
Random House Children’s, Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Published February 10, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Quin is proud of her family’s legacy. She comes from a line of Seekers, warriors who protect the weak and bring justice to the world. Along with two other initiates – her best friend and the boy she loves – she prepares to take an Oath that will brand her a Seeker forever.

Upon her initiation, she discovers that nothing is what she thought. Now it’s too late to escape the fate she’s chosen.

The balance between the three central characters – Quin, Shinobu and John – worked well. All three characters share in the telling of the story. Each viewpoint adds something the others lack. Quin bears the greatest guilt and emotional turmoil. John’s perspective shows the dichotomy between his intentions and his actions and what that means to the others. Shinobu’s point-of-view adds a lighter element (with one exception) and even splashes of humor.

The story was a bit darker than I expected. Even apart from the drug use and the corruption of the Seekers, there were a lot of dark elements: John’s grandfather’s condition, the Young Dread’s treatment by her mentor, the relationship between Quin’s parents.

Despite its heaviness, the story has a great message. At one point, the Old Dread, the wisest of the three tells his young protégé, “Great minds are not what’s wanted. Only good hearts. Good hearts choose wisely.” This theme presents itself among the Seekers as well as the Dreads. When what was once a good, pure venture has been deeply corrupted, it’s difficult to see the way back to that purity. Only good hearts will be able to accomplish such a task.

Language Content
Very mild language used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Brief, sometimes intense kissing.

A woman works as an escort, and while all that entails isn’t specified, it’s definitely implied.

Spiritual Content
Quin, Shinobu and John aspire to become Seekers, warriors who use powerful artifacts to transport to other places where they are tasked with bringing justice and protecting the innocent.

Quin’s mother can hear the thoughts of others.

Three people called Dreads stand apart from the Seekers acting as judges. They can step out of time and stretch themselves, meaning they live for hundreds of years without aging.

A girl uses her Seeker abilities as a healer, focusing in on the body’s energy and coaxing bad energy patterns back into good ones.

Violence
Several battle sequences in which characters use swords, knives and a vicious weapon called a disruptor. (The disruptor essentially causes fatal madness.) In one scene, new Seeker initiates receive a brand on their arms.

Assassins kill John’s mother and other members of his ancestors. He views photographs taken of their murdered bodies.

A young man tries but fails to commit suicide. The attempt serves as a wake-up call, leaving him energized and determined to help his friends.

There are hints and brief descriptions of abuse by the Middle Dread on the Young Dread. In the worst instance, he tears her garment, exposing her body and cruelly pinches one of her breasts.

Drug Content
Quin’s mother is an alcoholic. She’s clearly using alcohol to numb out, it’s unclear at first what she’s trying to escape. A boy falls victim to several different forms of drug abuse. Some scenes depict his drug use or the effects of it. It’s never portrayed in a positive light, and consequences to his actions are pretty serious. He nearly causes a loved one to overdose.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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