Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Mechanical by Pauline C Harris

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

Mechanical by Pauline C. HarrisMechanical (Mechanical #1)
Pauline C Harris
Fire and Ice Young Adult Books
Published April 1, 2013

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Drew has little memory of her existence before waking at a science lab. She’s a creature of perfection – an android – beautiful and strong. Her Creators have a special mission for Drew and others like her. She must join human teenagers in a local school setting, observe them and occasionally bring them to the lab.

At first Drew is mystified by the intricacies of human behavior. Gradually she begins to admire the strange beings. Soon she longs to be one of them, especially when she learns the story of Christian salvation.

As she experiences greater pressure to bring teens into the lab, even when force is required, Drew begins to question her mission and the Creators who would ask her to do such a thing. Why would they do this? Is it wrong? Can she stop them?

While observing teen culture as an outsider makes for an interesting premise, Drew seldom behaves like a classic android. Her responses are much more emotional than logical, even from the beginning of the story. The plot outcome does explain this in part, but it’s still kind of an obstacle from a reader’s perspective. I just kept expecting her to be more steadfast and methodical rather than impulsive and fearful.

The pacing of the plot, while interesting, was also uneven. In the last couple of scenes the story kicks into high gear, roaring up to a cliff-hanger, which seems designed to leave the reader desperate to crack the cover of the sequel. It’s good stuff, but I found myself wishing the plot had taken off earlier in the story. I liked the way Harris wove in some spiritual elements, though.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
Some of the kids Drew encounters at school describe their Christian faith. Drew is fascinated and longs to know whether God cares for her, too. A fellow android cruelly points out that without a soul, she can’t qualify for salvation.

Violence
Drew and the other androids bring students to the lab, using force if necessary.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Marked (House of Night #1) by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

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

Marked (House of Night Series #1)
PC Cast and Kristin Cast
St. Martin’s Griffin
Published May 1, 2007

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Zoe’s friends and family totally flip out when she’s marked as a vampire. An instant outcast, she retreats to her grandmother’s house for some much-needed advice and then turns herself over to the House of Night, a sort of boarding school for fledgling vampires. There she’ll be educated and wait to see if her body is strong enough to undergo the transformation into an adult vampire.
Even among other fledglings, Zoe is far from normal. Her vampirism seems to be developing at an advanced pace and her mentor has high hopes for what this might mean. Unfortunately, some other students see Zoe as a threat to the well-established hierarchy, and they will do whatever it takes to sabotage her.

Many things about this book disappointed me. Zoe’s attitude, for one. She started off angry and bitter at the world, smarter than everyone around her. I found it snobby and really off-putting. Her family and human friends were half-characters sort of slapped together without any deep thought to their own motivations or personalities. Why did Mom do that? Because she’s stupid and annoying. Really? I didn’t dig it.

Once she got to the House of Night, Zoe seemed a little easier to impress and her friends seemed a little more worthy. Her blossoming romantic feelings for her dream guy felt shallow. Why isn’t she concerned about his behavior with his apparent ex? She was kind of concerned for a minute but then pretty quick to dismiss it. And what virtues does Mr. Dreamboat have to offer? He’s hot. And he’s infatuated with her. Does a girl need more? (Yes!)

In fairness, this book had been on my reading list for a long time and I may have had unreasonable expectations for it. It’s definitely more the steamy-vampire-novel than the deep, introspective story of a young girl experiencing an unpredictable transformation. But alas.

Vampire-lit lovers: I recommend Julie Kagawa’s The Immortal Rules.

Profanity or Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity and crude sexual language used with moderate frequency. Also – despite the use of explicit sexual language in earlier scenes, Zoe refers to her responsibility cleaning a stable as shoveling “horse poopy.” She also refers to breasts as “boobies.” I’m not a fan of the explicit language, but the infantile words seemed equally out of place. Very strange.

Sexual Content
Brief description of a couple engaging in oral sex and several references back to that scene.

Spiritual Content
Zoe connects with her Cherokee spiritual heritage in a spiritual encounter. Vampires also worship a goddess. Along with the fledglings, they participate in elaborate rituals and ceremonies to honor the goddess.

Violence
Several references to blood lust. In one scene, a human boy is threatened by vampires.

Drug Content
Zoe attends a ritual at which marijuana is burned like incense. Former school friends also drink and use drugs, a behavior of which Zoe disapproves.

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Review: Everblue by Brenda Pandos

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

Everblue (Mer Tales #1)
Brenda Pandos
Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Published March 22, 2012

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When Ashlynn’s best friend disappears with her family, she worries that it has something to do with a family secret. And it does. Only, Ash thinks the family secret is that Tatchi’s dad is an alcoholic… the real secret is: she’s a mermaid, one of the Mer people. So is her hot twin brother, Fin, whom Ash can’t help drooling over.

Just when he has a chance to connect with the beautiful and forbidden Ashlynn, Fin is forced to return to Natatoria, the home of the Mer people, with his family. What at first seems like a quick meeting quickly explodes into house arrest and disfavor with the king’s bratty son. Just great.

But even beneath the sea, Ashlynn’s cries for help reach Fin and nothing will stop him from saving her. If he saves her, he will creates a bond that only death can break.

In a refreshingly chaste but passionate romance, Pandos introduces a mermaid story with a sort of role-reversal: this time, the Mer man is hopelessly in love with a human girl. Some elements of the Mer world were clever – the fact that the Mer people transformed at night and could only be human during the day, for instance; the sealing of a lifelong commitment by a single kiss.

Some elements of the plot seemed a bit more contrived: the romance between Ash and Fin is a given from page one and doesn’t really deepen in a relationship sense. Why does she like him? Because he’s hot. Why does he like her? Because she’s innocent and forbidden. That’s as true at the beginning as it is at the end. There’s not a lot of growth there.

Fans of tales of mermaids will probably still enjoy this story for its exploration of undersea lore. New readers to this vein of fantasy may also be interested in the series The Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Ashlynn worries about going to a dance with a boy from school and what he’ll expect from her that night. He is a perfect gentleman.

Spiritual Content
Ashlynn’s family are church-going people and her mother prays with her when she’s upset.

Violence
Battles between Mer people. There’s very little description of injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)
Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
Published February 5, 2013

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When Scarlet’s grandmother goes missing, the police quickly dismiss her absence as a crazy old lady who has run away of her own free will. Scarlet knows different. Grandma would never just disappear like this. Following a trail of clues leads her to a mysterious street fighter called Wolf who claims to be a former member of an elite, deadly gang who may be responsible for Grandma’s disappearance. With Wolf’s reluctant help, Scarlet sets out to rescue her Grandma.

Cinder’s newly awakened Lunar powers enable her to escape from prison and the execution Queen Levana has planned for her. She should meet her friend and ally, Dr. Erland in Africa, but before she faces a future with no choices, she yearns to uncover the truth of her past.

Meyer continues the delightful dystopian fairytale world in this second book. This story features characters from the beloved tale of Red Riding Hood in addition the familiar favorites from the series opener, Cinder. Still every bit as imaginative and fun as its predecessor, Scarlet layers political intrigue upon wisps of romance. The story world remains strong and unique – a sort of sci-fi fairytale atmosphere seasoned with fabulous characters and snappy dialogue. Despite the complexity of the story, the language and romance are very clean. This would be a great series for kids who’ve outgrown fairytale retellings and are looking for something with a bit more bite.

Profanity or Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
A man participates in forbidden fight matches. It’s clear he could kill his opponent. Few graphic details. A man briefly describes being tortured. A girl examines wounds caused by torture. A wolf-like man attacks a young woman and another of his kind. Some graphic details.

Drug Content
A girl delivers groceries to a bar in which men are drinking beer.

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Review: The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Park Davis

Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

The Map to Everywhere
Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis
Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
Published November 4, 2014

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Master Thief Fin is used to being forgettable. Moments after meeting him, no one remembers who he is. Until he meets Marrill, that is. Danger lurks around every turn when the two are swept up in a daring quest to find the missing pieces to assemble the Map to Everywhere. Fin hopes the key will lead him to his mother. Marrill simply wants to escape the fickle Pirate Stream and get back to her blessedly normal Arizona home. In order to find the map, they’ll have to outsmart a treacherous villain who sees the future and keep him from using it to end the world.

As a fan of an earlier series by Carrie Ryan, I looked forward to reading this book. Since her other book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth was more of a dystopian zombie story – super well-done, by the way – I wasn’t sure what to expect from this very different tale.

This novel is light and playful, full of mischief and warmth. The use of the Pirate Stream was particularly clever, I thought, and added a sense of unpredictability to the story but also made it feel connected to our own world. The unlikely friendship that develops between Fin and Marrill is really charming.

The wordplay is fun and quirky. Fans of Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga will enjoy this book. Because of the light content, it’s a great read for older elementary school-aged readers.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Brief battle scenes. Nothing graphic or gross.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Rebels by Jill Williamson

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Rebels (The Safe Lands #3)
Jill Williamson
Blink – Zondervan
Published January 1, 2014

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Mason and Omar’s friends helplessly watch from their hiding places as the brothers face liberation, a process which remains a mystery to all Safe Landers. Once the boys learn what it is to be liberated, they begin plotting to bring the truth to all the people of the Safe Lands. After all, the only way to bring freedom to the Safe Lands is to expose the horrible secrets that fuel the leadership’s power.

From his place in hiding, Levi continues to pursue his one goal: getting his people free of the Safe Lands. Before he can make his move, though, his wife Jemma is captured and forced to serve as a Queen, a woman carrying a child for the Safe Lands. Levi vows to rescue her, but each day’s broadcasts seem to show Jemma slipping further into the ways of the Safe Landers.

Series readers will not be disappointed in this thrilling conclusion to a fascinating series. As her readers have come to expect, Williamson delivers an immersive story world. Each major character faces a great challenge to his or her beliefs or expectations about life and really wrestles through the disappointment. Romances are kindled and fears conquered.

Some of the drug content and concern about the thin plague, which is often transmitted sexually (experiences are not described) make this series a bit too heavy for younger readers. This is a novel more suited to readers ages fourteen and up.

Profanity and Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
A few kisses. Brief, vague references to sex.

Spiritual Content
Many characters wrestle with bitter disappointments which threaten to damage or destroy their faith in God. Though the threads of faith are a little more subtle in this story, there are some really deeply spiritual moments. My favorite moment is when Shaylinn attempts to explain the mystery of faith versus the law to a group of highly disciplined and judgmental people. The conversation doesn’t roll as perfectly in the scene as it did in her mind, which is just so true to the experience so many of us have had in trying to explain the deeper things of faith. Her courage despite the difficulty is heartwarming.

Violence
Mason and Omar face multiple opponents. Both are severely beaten. Details are minimal.

Drug Content
Omar continues to use drugs and alcohol as an attempt to relieve emotional pain.

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

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