All posts by Kasey

About Kasey

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

The Girl Who Played Chess with an Angel by Tessa Apa

Review: The Girl Who Played Chess with an Angel by Tessa Apa

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Girl Who Played Chess with an AngelThe Girl Who Played Chess with an Angel
Tessa Apa
Big Planet Corporation
Published June 8, 2012

Currently Out of Print

Thirteen year old Florence doesn’t want reasons; she needs answers. About her father’s death. About her mother’s fierce anger. But Florence knows answers change things, and everything is about to change.

Things have been changing ever since the day she played chess with an Angel. One might think meeting a real live angel answers a lot of life’s questions, but Florence is taking things slowly. One answer at a time.

As she wrestles with her father’s sudden death and her mother’s bitterness, Florence begins to see life beyond her own needs. In her tenuous friendship with Max, she finds the courage to ask an even bigger question: is God real? Both Max and her mother are quick to provide their own answers to this deep question, but that’s not enough for Florence. She needs to discover the answer for herself, and that journey will test everything she’s ever thought to be true.

Filled with yearning and honesty, Florence’s journey is as captivating as she is. Apa dares to dive deep, to genuinely question, and to allow her characters that which makes them so human: permission to doubt. She brings an authenticity to her debut novel that few authors are able to show in stories of spiritual journeys. This is a very worthy read.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Florence wrestles with whether or not to believe in God.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Cover Reveal: Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Blogger's Favorites, Christian World-View, Fantasy, , , ,

Shadowhand
Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Bethany House
Published January 28, 2014

“She Will Take Your Own Two Hands

To Save Your Ancient, Sorrowing Lands.”

By her father’s wish, Lady Daylily is betrothed to the Prince of Southlands. Not the prince she loves, handsome and dispossessed Lionheart, but his cousin, the awkward and foolish Prince Foxbrush. Unable to bear the future she sees as her wedding day dawns, Daylily flees into the dangerous Wilderlands, her only desire to vanish from living memory.

But Foxbrush, determined to rescue his betrothed, pursues Daylily into a new world of magic and peril, a world where vicious Faerie beasts hold sway, a world invaded by a lethal fey parasite . . . 

A world that is hauntingly familiar.

To celebrate the cover reveal, author Anne Elisabeth Stengl is hosting a giveaway on her blog. One lucky winner will receive a mug with the gorgeous covers of all six books on it. Enter the contest here!

Shadow Hand will be the sixth book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series. Fans will remember brave and guarded Lady Daylily and her betrothed from Stengl’s third book, Moonblood. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the series, there is plenty of time to catch up! Shadow Hand will only be available beginning early next year. For more information, visit the Shadow Hand blog.

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Review: Annabeth’s War by Jessica Greyson

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Annabeth’s War
Jessica Greyson
Ready Writer Press
Published December 6, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

When a mysterious peasant bests him at swordplay, Ransom can’t help but wonder if the disguise conceals the elusive girl he seeks. Once he tracks her down, Ransom finds convincing Annabeth to accept his help is no easy task. As she slips away again and again, always warning him she acts for his own safety, Ransom begins to question his orders to subdue and kidnap the girl.

Annabeth can’t stop running. With a price on her head and her prince’s life hanging in the balance, she must stay one step ahead of Lord Raburn and his men, those who would seek to kill her. Yet fleeing is not so simple. She cannot abandon the prince and her own father, who are both locked in Raburn’s clutches.

Desperation forces Annabeth to accept Ransom’s aid in a plot to rescue the prince and escape across the border. But even if the plan succeeds, Annabeth would have to leave her father behind. As she struggles to find a way to rescue him, Ransom is faced with his own choice: if he lets Annabeth return to the castle, he will not be able to complete his orders, and she may find herself at the mercy of a vicious enemy.

Annabeth is a deeply compassionate and fiercely independent girl. Independent almost to her own destruction. As she learns to trust Ransom and work together with others, she will have to relinquish some of the self-sufficiency she holds most dear. Though at first he is bent on following his orders, Ransom is captivated by the strange girl and her quest. He struggles to balance his commitment to his king and his growing love for Annabeth.

Greyson’s writing is simple and her story uncomplicated, but her characters are compelling and interesting. Annabeth’s War is a short, but entertaining read. The cover art is really beautiful as well.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Annabeth questions Ransom’s motives, wondering how he can do good things for others without any faith in God. She tells him of her own beliefs.

Violence
There are some scenes of battle violence and brief scenes of torture, but no few graphic details are given throughout these scenes.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: A Shadow on the Land by Krystine Kercher

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, ,

A Shadow on the Land
Kristine Kercher
Scorched Suit Press
Published January 6, 2013

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Bjorn Horsa and a group of his loyal men are being housed in the castle under King Olaf. To fulfill the ancient prophecy and spare the people of ruin, Bjorn must not seize the crown which is rightfully his. Instead, he must show the stubborn king that the only way to spare the land is to peacefully turn over his rule to Bjorn, Eiathan’s Heir.

As one disaster follows another, the people of Astarkand grow desperate. Bjorn continues to seek the Dreamsender, believing the prophecy will come to pass only if he chooses a path of nonviolence. Struggling to stay one step ahead of the king and his plots, Bjorn and his men travel the countryside helping those beneath Olaf’s notice. The king’s army frays and the people continue to suffer, but Olaf’s vise-grip on his kingdom never wavers. Bjorn clings to his faith desperately, longing to save the people and lead them into peace and prosperity once more.

Known to the people as Prince Dragonsbane, Bjorn Horsa is everything a good prince ought to be. He is kind and courteous, yet strong and courageous. His men follow him loyally but take care to check any foolish judgment that their leader might make. While Kercher shows a remarkable knack for filling each scene with fine detail and firmly anchoring the story in a fantastic, medieval-type of setting, sometimes the details overrun the plot. In the king’s absence, his son obsesses over the schedule for guard duty. Bjorn and his men provide supplies to help outcast widows and orphans escape to new lives. They discuss how many wagons, wheels of cheese, and bags of flour might be needed, details which add a certain amount of richness but slow the forward motion of the story to a crawl. Despite this, fans of medieval settings will enjoy the attentive details and will find it difficult not to like the good prince.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The prince and his men worship the Dreamsender, another name for the Christian God. Scripture references are laced throughout the story. King Olaf and his followers worship a dark god called Woden who demands human sacrifices. Few details are given about these rituals.

Violence
There are some scenes of battle violence, but no graphic details are given about any of these encounters.

Drug Content
References to wine and beer.

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

 

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Review: The Scratch on the Ming Vase by Caroline Stellings

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , ,

The Scratch on the Ming Vase
Caroline Stellings
Second Story Press
Published September 15, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Fourteen year-old Nicki Haddon arrives in Canada, ready to begin her training at the Fire Dragon Academy. But when she reports to the academy to meet kung fu master David Kahana, Nicki finds him lying in a pool of blood. He is only able to slur out a few words and begs Nicki to find a priceless vase and return it to its owner.

The search for the Chinese vase causes Nicki to question her past. She wrestles with the absence of her wealthy adopted parents as they manage their hotel chain, and her origin as an abandoned baby from a Chinese orphanage. Are her real parents still out there? Do they think of her at all?

Bravely facing danger and following sharp instincts, Nicki pursues Kahana’s attacker and the Ming vase. She gives her Chinese name so that her adopted name is not recognized. She lies in order to get a job and gain access to restricted files. She doesn’t appear to have any qualms about these actions. Along the way, she receives help from the butler, another Chinese family and the generous owners of a small deli. Together, they plan to find the vase and return it to its owner, as Master Kahana has asked.

I liked Nicki’s spunk and her independence. The characters kept my interest and proved memorable. This is a nice series for middle grade readers with a short attention span for reading, as it moves quickly and, at 164 pages, isn’t a long book.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Nicki is the first to find her teacher after he has been stabbed. In several altercations, Nicki uses martial arts to disable her attackers. She handles a gun that a kidnapper produces, but does not fire. No gory details are given.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, ,

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
James Patterson
Little, Brown and Company
Published April 11, 2005

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

For fourteen year-old Max and the others in her care, life is anything but normal. How can it be even close when she has wings bursting out of her back? Max and the others spend their lives hiding from scientists who would put them back in cages and continue the genetic experiments which resulted in their avian mutations. Just when Max thinks the coast is clear, and she and her friends are safe, the Erasers, frighteningly strong boys who morph into wolves, close in on them. When one member of the flock is captured, Max and the others have only one choice: they must rescue her from the lab where they were once imprisoned.

Max finds more than her lost team member when she reaches her former home. A mentor who helped them escape seems now to have betrayed them. He warns Max that nothing is what it appears. Everything is a test. A strange voice in Max’s head echoes the strange idea and leads Max and her friends on an even more perilous journey to uncover a secret which they desperately want to know: who are their parents?

Maximum Ride is packed with action and teen angst, but the ending was a bit anti-climactic, almost as if the book ended partway through the story. Max is above all an empathetic leader committed to protecting the weak, no matter the cost. Her struggle to discover who she is makes for a powerful undercurrent to Patterson’s first book in the Maximum Ride Series.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild. H*ll appears a couple of times.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
The central characters are part of genetic experiments and spent a great portion of their childhood locked in cages like animals. After their escape, their former captors pursue them, making for some moderately gory battle scenes.

Drug Content
None.

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