Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Game Over by Andrew Klavan

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

gameoverGame Over
Andrew Klavan
Zondervan

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Rick awakes from a nightmare with scratches on his arm, scratches he knows came from the nightmare itself. A nightmare in which he’s trapped in The Realm, a video game world created by a terrorist that Rick has been tasked with destroying from the inside. Only now it seems Kurodar, the creator of The Realm, has Rick in his sights and is using his mind to further his plan for destruction. Rick must find a way to destroy The Realm before Kurodar overtakes him.

I was a little nervous about reading this book since it’s the third and final tale in a series I hadn’t read before. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Not only did I have no trouble following the story, I liked it enough that I’d probably go back and read the earlier books.

The characters were different from each other and interesting. Their relationships were complex and felt real and compelling, from minor characters like Miss Ferris all the way to Rick and Molly. There were some moments where things were summarized and we’re told this or that about a character, for instance, about Kurodar’s relationship with his father. In a story less intriguing, I might have minded that, because it can be kind of jarring to be pulled out of the story for a little here’s-what’s-going-on spiel. But honestly, I didn’t mind it here because I really wanted to know what would happen.

If you liked Ready Player One or Nirvana (or read my reviews of them and though the concept of a video game arena affecting reality sounded awesome) then you should definitely read this book. The Christian themes are strong and at moments possibly a bit cheesy, but again, I’ll be honest and say I found the frankness of the spiritual theme kind of refreshing as I’ve read several Christian novels by Christian publishers lately with only the barest whisper of faith in them.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A few brief kisses.

Spiritual Content
Rick continues to wrestle with his feelings about his father’s previous disappearance. He realizes his dad’s faith in God is real and his own desperate circumstances rekindle his own faith.

Violent Content
Monsters cross from The Realm into the real world, attacking a military base and killing some soldiers. When the monsters are killed, they evaporate. Rick has to face a fearsome monster in The Realm.

Drug Content
None.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Save

Save

Review: Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

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

Tell the Wind and Fire
Sarah Rees Brennan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

In this future New York, the city is divided in two: Light vs Dark. Only Light Magicians can live in and access the wealthy, upper-class life. The Dark Magicians are banished to the Dark, to carve out lives in poverty under harsh rule imposed by the Light leadership.

Lucie and her father escaped the dark at a high price. Now Lucie survives at the mercy of friends and by burying her past as deeply as she can. Only, the people in the Dark don’t want her to forget. They’ve made her name a rallying cry to a revolution that could destroy the new life Lucie has fought so hard to create and the boy she loves more than anything.

This is the first time I’d ever read anything by Sarah Rees Brennan, so I was really excited to give this one a go. The first page totally hooked me. I was like oh boy. Must know more.

Then… somewhere in the rest of the first chapter, I got really lost. There was some explanation of the Light vs Dark storyworld and I don’t know if it was just me, but I really had a hard time following it. I reread it once and ended up kind of just moving on. Something about a magical caste system. Okay.

Once I got past that, I was still pretty intrigued. I worried about Ethan being boring, as other reviewers have claimed. (What is it with modern novels about strong women featuring these eye-candy-only men? Didn’t we argue that this was a bad idea when the gender roles of these characters were reversed?) Honestly, my first impression of him was that he was kind of a doofus with money. A cute doofus with money, but yeah, not much else really going on upstairs behind the dreamboat eyes, you know?

However. Without giving anything away, I just want to say there were some unanticipated hidden depths. And I found myself a little disappointed because I kind of wanted Carwyn to have this reformation going on that flew in the face of what everyone thought about his kind. I thought he and Lucie made a great team, so I started rooting for him, and then Ethan manned up and I was like, wait… now I like them both!

I read this book not knowing it was a retelling of a classic, (though I found myself thinking hey, this is kind of like that one book, as I was reading) so I don’t want to give that away for anyone who wants the same experience. I liked reading it not knowing where it was going.

I’d definitely read more of this series because I loved the characters and have a lot of faith in Brennan’s ability to get me to invest in them. The storyworld was confusing to me and I kind of just decided to overlook it. The Light vs Dark stuff really didn’t play a huge role in the story other than establishing two opposing sides in which one has huge advantages and oppresses the other side.

If you liked Across the Star-swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund, give this one a read. See below for any content information.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
While there’s no explicit description of sex, it’s implied that Ethan and Lucie are intimate with each other. Lucie mentions that she only sleeps well when she sleeps with Ethan, that sort of thing. Another character makes a brief comment about his preference for “deviant sex acts” (he doesn’t specify anything further than that.) There are a few kisses.

Spiritual Content
The city is divided into sectors of Light and Dark magic. Not everyone has magical ability. Dark Magicians have been threatening to revolt and overthrow the Light Magicians in power. Lucie knows a powerful way Light and Dark magic can be used together.

Violent Content
Lawbreakers endure harsh punishments and torture (only described very briefly.) Revolutionaries attack without mercy in a battle scene, killing even innocent bystanders.

Drug Content
Lucie takes Carwyn to a club and offers to buy him a drink. A friend offers to get them some dust, a kind of illegal drug, but Lucie wanted no part of that.

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

Save

Review: Away We Go by Emil Ostrovski

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

Away We Go
Emil Ostrovski
Greenwillow Books
Published April 5, 2016

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Away We Go

Westing accepts only the brightest and best of students, so long as they also have one problem: a diagnosis of the terminal Peter Pan Virus (PPV.) Noah is one such case. As he wrestles to deal with the drastically shortened timeline of his life and the mandatory separation from his family and former friends, Noah finds something unexpected: love. The problem? He’s supposed to be in love with his girlfriend, Alice. Instead, he’s head-over-heels for the erratic boy who runs a secret club. The more time they spend together, the less certain Noah is about Zach’s feelings. As his friends become sicker, and the end of his own life draws near, Noah becomes frantic for answers. To his questions about love, the outside world, and what gives life meaning and value.

First – in reading some of the reviews about this book on other sites, it looks like some people expected this to be a dystopian story about the mass spread of an incurable virus, etc etc, oodles of suspenseful stuff racing toward a cure or something and were therefore disappointed when they uncovered one huge issue: that’s not what this story is. If you don’t like books about emotions (I do!), this probably isn’t one you want to pick up. Because there are LOTS.

My Review

This is more an emotional journey framed by a pandemic involving massive amounts of teens infected with a deadly, highly contagious, incurable disease. Also, a meteor that might hit earth. But those are kind of just the story’s frame. What we’re really watching unfold is this boy who’s trying desperately to figure out who he is and what that means. To himself. To the boy he loves. To the girl who loves him. And it’s a difficult, messy, heartbreaking, amazing journey.

I read Ostrovski’s debut a couple of months ago and was simply blown away by the unique perspective of the story, the fantastically witty banter between characters—even in the midst of these heartbreaking scenes, these characters were cracking me up—and the way these grand philosophical ideas were naturally woven into the story. But that’s another review, which you can read here.

Point being, as I started to read Away We Go, I was so nervous. I was afraid I wouldn’t like the story. And to be honest, after the first couple chapters, I was still nervous. I’m not sure when I really fell for Noah. Probably about the time he started snarking about sandwiches. Possibly not until he met Zach. But then I was hooked.

There were several things about the story that really stood out to me as awesome. One being the incorporation of the play Marty writes about Peter Pan and Wendy. I loved how that became this thread running through the story and that final scene captured the central conflict felt by so many of the characters in the story.

When I was a teenager, I knew a girl who was terminally ill. We weren’t very close, largely because I didn’t understand a lot of the things she did. Now, looking back, I feel like I really misjudged her. I wanted her to behave like I did. I honestly never considered (not in a mean way, just ignorant, sadly…) what it would be like to be seventeen and know that you probably wouldn’t live past thirty and how that might change what felt reasonable, necessary. Urgent.

I thought about her a lot as I read this book. I thought about how there’s a real question, in the story, about whether or not the students should be educated. I mean, they’re all going to die. Is there a point? Is education a human right? I thought that was a really cool element to explore. It’s not deeply followed, but I liked even just the drive-by moment. I thought about her as Noah rockets down this somewhat destructive path toward trying to capture love.

In terms of the writing, I have to say that the way some of the characters had really distinct voices definitely made them seem real. Ostrovski’s writing absolutely shines in dialogue between characters. Amazing stuff. Moving on before I get star-struck and gushy…

So if you’re looking for a really heart-wrenching read with a lot of complex characters and witty banter, some exploration of moral issues and love, add this book to your list. See below for content information from the story.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity and some crude language used with moderate frequency. One girl condemns this behavior.

Romance/Sexual Content
Boy/girl and boy/boy romance and sex described in some detail.

Spiritual Content
Westing has a group of students who’ve formed a religious organization for support and faith community. The details of the faith system stay pretty murky, and Noah does not get involved.

Violent Content
A boy falls to his death. Noah learns two students have been shot. Brief descriptions of rumors about what happens to kids who read end stage PPV and are transferred to other facilities. (Are they experimented on, that sort of thing.)

Drug Content
Noah (and his friends) drink quite a bit of alcohol, behavior condemned by another friend.

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

Save

Review: Knife by R J Anderson

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

Knife
R J Anderson
Enclave

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Knife, a young faerie confined within her kingdom inside a large oak tree, is determined to escape to the outside world. As a girl, she came face to face with a human, and survived. Since that day, her curiosity about the house and the strange creatures who live inside it only grows. When Knife finds an opportunity to get a closer look, she takes it. But with every new discovery she makes about the outside world, the strict rules and strange customs of her people only feel stranger and well, wrong. Maybe Knife can save them. If she can find out why her people lost their magic to begin with, perhaps she can reverse the spell. But doing so will risk her place among her people, and it may force her to accept truths about herself, her queen, and her human friend that she’s not ready to face.

I’ll admit that when I picked up this book I was a little iffy. I’ve read a few other novels about faeries recently that really didn’t draw me in. This one, though, really surprised me.

I liked that the faerie realm was not another dimension or whatever, but was this hidden world within an oak tree in the back yard of a house in a rural neighborhood. I loved the way the friendship between Knife and Paul happens. The faeries have cut themselves off from all other creatures and their culture, while perfectly preserved from any outside influences, is dying just as surely as the faeries are. As Knife explores more and more of the outside world, her view of her people changes, and she begins to see how important community is—not just the homogenous community of her own people, but the interaction with others outside the community. This is a great theme, and so true to life. We absolutely need others in our lives above and beyond those who are exactly like us. So I thought the faerie landscape was a really clever way to pull that message into the story without at all sounding preachy. As Knife spent time with others, her creative instincts were stirred and she begins to create new things, something no faerie has done in her lifetime. I loved that.

I liked how Anderson brought the faerie culture to life with just a few really crisp details. The fact that all faeries are female. The idea that one has to bargain or trade one thing for another constantly. No favors among faeries, because owing a debt to someone is a big deal. Things like that made the culture seem really alive to me.

I definitely want to continue reading this series. The second book, Rebel features different central characters, but I enjoyed the faerie world so much I’m definitely interested in reading more. If you liked The Last Faerie Queen or the Goldstone Wood books, you might want to give this series a try.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A couple of kisses.

Spiritual Content
References to the Great Gardener, with whom the faeries seem to credit creation, etc. At one time all faeries had magic. Now only their queen has it.

Violent Content
Vague references to an accident which leaves a man paralyzed from the waist down. A crow attacks and tries to kill faeries until one fights back, injuring it and hoping to kill it. There are a couple of short descriptions of battles between crow and faeries.

Drug Content
None.

Save

Review: King’s Folly by Jill Williamson

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

King’s Folly
Jill Williamson
Bethany House

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Earthquakes rock the kingdom of Armania. The king responds with sacrifices to the gods. His advisors claim the Five Woes and the end of the world are upon them. Prince Wilek believes there must be another solution besides blood shed in sacrifice to angry gods. He and his companions embark on a journey to save the kingdom before the quakes swallow the land. Along the way, they find an empress in need of rescue. A priestess whose goddess demands the ultimate sacrifice from her, and a prophetess who speaks of salvation for the people.

I’ve been a fan of Jill Williamson’s writing since her debut novel, By Darkness Hid. (If you like fantasy and haven’t read it, I recommend the whole Blood of Kings series!) King’s Folly, the first novel in the Kinsman Chronicles, takes us back to the very same story world in which the Blood of Kings books take place, only years earlier.

I’m always a little nervous to revisit something that expands on an old favorite. Truth be told, the first quarter of the story felt a little slow to me. There are LOTS of characters and relationships referenced, though not all of them are deeply important to the story. There is a character glossary, but I found myself not referring to it. (I tend to be too lazy to zip back and forth when I’m reading ebooks. If there’s a map or glossary in a paperback, I’m much more likely to make use of them. But I digress.)

That said, once I read past that first part, I really began to be hooked on the story. I loved Wilek, even from the beginning. I think I felt like I kept waiting for him to do something – he seemed sort of trapped by his own passivity and sense of duty. The situation with Lebetta really lit a fire in him, and I felt like suddenly, the story sprinted forward.

There are some great characters that simply won’t get enough airtime in review. I loved Kal and the prophetess. I found Charlon, the escaped slave turned acolyte, to be a really compelling character, too. And of course Trevn and Mielle!

I’m really glad I read this book. I found it to be a lot darker than By Darkness Hid. After reading the note from the author on why she chose some of those themes (see my reference below under spiritual content), I think including them makes sense. But the darker themes may make the story better suited to older readers.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
There are some references to sex, but no descriptions or the event. Some members of the royal family have concubines and/or multiple wives. A woman who escaped from prostitution (we only know this from some hints at her past life) is told she must seduce a man in order to become pregnant.

Spiritual Content
In Wilek’s kingdom, they are expected to worship five gods. His father’s favorite, Barthos, demands human sacrifices. The king is happy to comply, and once even offered one of his own sons.

Mantics use power over a shadir, or spiritual creature, to perform impossible feats. In some places, these practices are illegal. In others, powerful mantics rule over others.

One of the gods is known as Arman (readers of the Blood of Kings books will be familiar with this name.) Arman demands total devotion, forsaking all other gods, and calls himself a Father God.

Williamson describes the spiritual elements of The King’s Folly as being inspired by stories from the Old Testamant, a time during which God’s people often turned to idols only to bear disastrous consequences. In this novel, following Arman becomes like following the Christian God.

Violent Content
Wilek is forced to attend ceremonies involving human sacrifices. He does not witness the sacrifices being consumed, but hears sounds from far off. Several fights take place between characters and enemies or assassins. A woman is found murdered.

Drug Content
Mantics ingest poison as part of rituals of power.

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

Save

Review: Off the Page by Jodi Picoult

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

Off the Page
Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
Delacorte Press

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Delilah and Oliver can finally be together in the real world. But in order to maintain Oliver’s presence, Edgar had to take his place in the fairytale story where Oliver really belongs. As Oliver struggles to acclimate to the new and unfamiliar setting outside his story, he must impersonate Edgar well enough to fool Edgar’s mother and to fit in at school. When another portal between the story and the real world opens, two more characters swap for real life counterparts, leaving Delilah and Oliver to untangle the mess. For both of them, one thing is certain: they must find a happily-ever-after solution for their entire cast.

While Off the Page is cute, a few of the plot twists didn’t resonate well with the story, to me. Though Oliver finds a way to exit the fairytale, he’s not a real boy. Punch him, and he’ll bleed ink, not blood. It seemed like at some point this would have to be addressed if he were to intend to spend the rest of his life outside the confines of the book. Also, the swap – a real human boy for a prince in a fairytale – is uneven. A boy gives up an entire life for confinement in a story so that a high school girl can have a life with the boy she’s in love with? What does the story’s new protagonist get out of the exchange? It seems like living in a book would get terrifically old after a while. Other than a few plot wrinkles, the story progresses smoothly, and true love is found by all the essential characters. True to its promise, the tale delivers its happily-ever-after for nearly everyone.

Honestly, I really didn’t care for Delilah very much, and Oliver was hit and miss for me. I loved Jules and Edgar (though his name kept tripping me up. I kept thinking of the butler from Disney’s Aristocats. I know, my daughter was recently in a musical performance, so it’s probably just me.) I really wanted the story to be more about them, and I felt like the end sort of cheated each of them. There were some side characters – Socks, Humphrey, and Frump – that really made things entertaining. Over all, I liked the story of Off the Page. It didn’t blow me away, but I wasn’t sorry I read it.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing, lying next to each other on a bed.

Spiritual Content
References to fate. There are a couple of passages that compare the living characters in the story Delilah loves to real people – one commenting that we all have an author. Nothing more specific than that.

Violent Content
One boy punches another boy in the face. Reference to a dog getting hit by a car.

Drug Content
None.

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

Save