Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,
Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Crown of Coral and Pearl
Mara Rutherford
Inkyard Press
Publishes August 27, 2019

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About Crown of Coral and Pearl

For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…

Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.

Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.

My Review

I liked Nor’s character straight from the beginning. Her protectiveness toward her family and her closeness with her sister make her an admirable character. Her spirit and thirst for adventure keep her at the center of her story as a heroine rather than the trade goods her people hope to make of her.

Besides Nor, other characters are pretty straightforward. The good guys are very good. The bad guys are very bad. I kept hoping for some hidden complexities, but that wasn’t really the direction the story took. I’m not sure I understood the plot. It felt out of focus to me. I felt like Nor’s goal gets overshadowed by other events, and fizzled a little bit as the story ended.

I found the clash of the two cultures– Nor’s oceanic people and Ceren’s mountain-dwelling people– really creative and interesting. Nor’s life at sea gave her a lot of freedom and vitality. Her new life in the mountain felt oppressive, dark, and creepy, even before all of the politics and people added complications. I thought the way CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL clashed those two cultures added a lot of feeling to the story and was cleverly done.

On the whole, I felt like the story world was cleverly created and Nor is a fantastic character. I’m glad I read the book, even if I wanted more complexity in its other characters. Fans of SEA WITCH RISING will like CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL for its cross-culture story and its emphasis on the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Nor and her sister have bronze skin and dark curly hair. The Ilarans are pale with blond hair.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Nor’s people worship the god of the sea, Thalos, who is said to have punished those who don’t submit to his will.

Violent Content
Assassins attack a small group. Nor battles a monster and faces torture. A woman jumps from a cliff. A woman hits a soldier over the head and stabs someone.

Drug Content
Nor is encouraged to drink alcohol to help her sleep.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL in exchange for my honest review.

Review and Blog Tour: The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-El

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

The Very, Very Far North
Dan Bar-El
Atheneum
Published September 3, 2019

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About The Very, Very Far North

An inquisitive polar bear named Duane befriends an array of animals as he discovers where he belongs in this charming classic-in-the making that’s reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh.

In the Very, Very Far North, past the Cold, Cold Ocean and just below the hill that looks like a baby whale, you’ll find Duane and his friends.

Duane is a sweet and curious young bear who makes friends with everyone he meets—whether they’re bossy, like Major Puff the puffin, or a bit vain, like Handsome the musk ox, or very, very shy, like Boo the caribou. For these arctic friends, every day is a new adventure!

My Review

I love how whimsical THE VERY, VERY FAR NORTH is. It’s kind of a collection of short stories all about Duane and the friends he meets in the Very, Very Far North. His friends have very different personalities, which means Duane has to pay attention and learn to relate to his friends based on their needs and his own comfort and boundaries.

I think this would be a great book to read with a younger reader as a way to have conversations about relationships and boundaries. Duane’s experiences happen naturally in the story, but the events definitely open a door to talk about what it means to be friends with someone with different needs than ours. I liked that.

THE VERY, VERY FAR NORTH is a simple, fun read. The characters are all very different from one another and bring a lot of humor and heart to the story. Recommended especially for fans of A. F. Harrold.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Most characters are animals. Two minor characters are humans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Major Puff is prepared to fight his enemy, the black-backed gull, if ever he should meet one.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE VERY, VERY FAR NORTH in exchange for my honest review.

About Dan Bar-El

Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children’s author, educator, and storyteller whose books include Audrey (cow), Not Your Typical Dragon, and The Very, Very Far North. Dan has worked with children ages three to thirteen as a school-age childcare provider, a preschool teacher, a creative drama teacher, and a creative writing teacher. He also teaches with the Creative Writing for Children Society. Dan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with artist and goldsmith Dominique Bréchault, and Sasha, the most adorable cat in the known universe. Visit him at DanBarel.com.

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Review: Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning

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

Sea Witch Rising
Sarah Henning
Kathering Tegen Books
Published August 6, 2019

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About Sea Witch Rising

“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love. 

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds? 

Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption.

My Review

I forgot how much I like the way Sarah Henning writes. Her characters are compelling and complex. They’re the kind of characters who are somehow both hero and villain. You don’t agree with all their choices, in fact, some of them you wildly disagree with, but you understand the desperation and the love behind them.

The story world is also rich and imaginative. The magical system feels well-developed, too. I liked the cross-generational element to the story, where Evie, the protagonist from Henning’s first book, SEA WITCH, is now the age of Runa’s grandmother. Runa’s sister becomes human because she’s in love with the grandson of Evie’s best friend. It gives the story an interesting circular feel.

I think I expected the Little Mermaid retelling to be the whole story. (Spoiler: it isn’t. It’s about 25% of the book.) On the one hand, I liked that SEA WITCH RISING went much broader into this political conflict and the collision of merpeople and humans. On the other hand, sometimes the story felt rushed because so much was crammed into the pages.

A few elements challenged my willing suspension of disbelief. I’ll try not to include spoilers. At one point Runa takes a serious action that I felt didn’t get the proper horror from her new allies. They kind of face-palmed, told her she did a stupid thing, and sort of moved on.

They had other, more pressing issues, so in some ways it made sense that they put Runa’s actions aside, but it didn’t seem like she paid a social cost for her behavior, if that makes sense.

I kind of also wanted SEA WITCH RISING to have a little more of a nod to true love toward the end of the book. The story definitely isn’t about romantic love. It’s about sisterhood and also the kind of love you have for your people. But it would have been really cool to juxtapose the part of the story which is the retelling of the Little Mermaid against Runa’s own journey toward love.

On the whole, I still really enjoyed the book. Like I said, I love the way Sarah Henning writes and I love her complex characters. I’m a huge fan of the duology, and I hope Henning writes more fantasy in the future.

If you like twisted fairy tales, also check out the duology SPINDLE FIRE and WINTER GLASS by Lexa Hillyer, which are kind of a Sleeping Beauty/Alice in Wonderland/Cinderella mashup. Also, if you’re fans of those books, you definitely want to read SEA WITCH and SEA WITCH RISING!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Runa and her sisters have blond hair and pale skin. The humans in the story are from Denmark.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to the sea goddess, Urda. Use of magic.

Violent Content
The sea king uses a violent magic to harm the sea witch. In an intense scene, a someone stabs another person. Witches use magic to incapacitate and burn enemy soldiers.

Drug Content
The sea king uses nectar from a rare flower to amass magical power. He’s become addicted and withdrawals from the nectar may kill him.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of SEA WITCH RISING in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Ever Alice by H. J. Ramsay

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

Ever Alice
H. J. Ramsay
Red Rogue Press
Published August 1, 2019

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About Ever Alice

Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure. When Alice decides at the last minute not to go through with it, she escapes with the White Rabbit to Wonderland and trades one mad house for another: the court of the Queen of Hearts. Only this time, she is under orders to take out the Queen.

When love, scandal, and intrigue begin to muddle her mission, Alice finds herself on the wrong side of the chopping block.

My Review

I think the idea of EVER ALICE is really clever. It seems completely plausible to me that if the Alice from the original story came back from Wonderland and tried to explain her adventures to her family and friends, they would send her to an asylum.

That premise also gives EVER ALICE a darker, creepier feel. This Wonderland feels much more like something created by Tim Burton rather than Lewis Carroll. Several scenes show victims of the Red Queen’s conspiracy theories getting beheaded. She chooses food and drinks that become increasingly gross.

Something felt missing for me in reading the book, though. I wanted more from Alice. She’s a passive character, constantly getting caught up in other people’s plans. Even when she finally (about 60% of the way through the story) commits to a course of action, she still relies on others to lead her to the solution to her problem.

I liked that the story isn’t as simple as a girl falling through a rabbit hole into another world. (Though I guess that doesn’t sound all that simple.) I liked that it left me with questions about what Alice really experienced. All in all, I’d say EVER ALICE wasn’t the best fit for me as a reader, but it was an interesting leap from the original story.

If you’re looking for a reimagining of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, I recommend Umberland, the second book in the series by Wendy Spinale.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Alice and her family are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
One character reads cards, tea leaves, and palms to predict the future. The Cheshire cat appears and disappears. Ghosts appear and speak to living characters.

Violent Content
Several descriptions of beheading.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of EVER ALICE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Heir of Ariad by Niki Florica

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

The Heir of Ariad
Niki Florica
Elm Hill Publishing
Published August 13, 2019

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About The Heir of Ariad

The weight of a vanished father’s legacy and the secrets of the past have forced Kyrian to carve a place among his people at the price of his own sweat and blood. Ariad is withering. The Skies seem a strange place to die of thirst, but no one can fetch the Rains against the tyrant king’s will, and no one but the Creator who has vanished into legend can kill an invisible king.

But there is a force at work beyond Kyrian’s sight. A powerful, masterful will. Suddenly there is blood on his hands, the Skies are filled with enemies, and the only way to escape a dark end is to flee the clouds forever. But there in the Lands waits a powerful prophecy, along with a powerful weapon, and now as Ariad withers to dust all hope may rest with the one young mortal who fled his home a fugitive and must return to it a king.

My Review

THE HEIR OF ARIAD pretty much hooked me as soon as I realized it was a retelling of the biblical story of Moses but set in an unusual fantasy world. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse linking to the next scenes. I thought framing the “chosen one” story as a retelling of the story of Moses was a clever idea. I haven’t seen that done before.

I also enjoyed the story world in which people are divided into races– referred to as colors like Green, Grey, and Silver– based on where they live. Kyrian and his people live on clouds. Other, lesser humans live on earth.

The plot does require some willing suspension of disbelief. Some of the things that happen don’t get explained right away– like why the king still holds such power over his people if he hasn’t been seen in twenty years. Other things don’t get explained at all. Characters sometimes held grudges long past what seemed to make sense to me. Sometimes the plot got bogged down in what felt like a side quest.

Over all, though, I really enjoyed the unique, rich story world, and Kyrian and his sister Salienne were easily my favorite characters. I’m glad I read the book. THE HEIR OF ARIAD makes a good pick for readers who are looking for a more classical Christian fantasy novel.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Main characters have pale skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Characters use swear-like expressions such as “Oh, skies.”

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Lots of biblical and Christian symbolism or allegory. There’s some reference to a Jesus-type character, an innocent man killed as a sacrifice for the sins of others. The original king of Ariad is said to be the Creator. Many characters still believe he’s the rightful king and he appears in different forms throughout the story.

Violent Content
One soldier holds another at knife point. A soldier torments an elderly man. A young man beats a soldier to death. Some description of the fight. Some descriptions of a group of children attacking another child and severely beating him. A monstrous creature attacks Kyrian and his allies. Tree-like creatures attack Kyrian and his ally.

Drug Content
Some references to adults drinking an alcohol-like substance.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE HEIR OF ARIAD in exchange for my honest review.

Review: How We Became Wicked by Alexander Yates

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

How We Became Wicked
Alexander Yates
Atheneum Books/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Published June 23, 2019

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A plague, called Wicked, is pulsing through the world; and in its wake, it’s dividing the population into thirds:

The WICKED: Already infected by the droves of Singers, the ultraviolet mosquito-like insects who carry the plague, the Wicked roam the world freely. They don’t want for much—only to maim and dismember you. But don’t worry: They always ask politely first.

The TRUE: The True live in contained, isolated communities. They’re the lucky ones; they found safety from the Singers. And while the threat of the Wicked may not be eliminated, for the True, the threat has certainly been contained…

The VEXED: The Vexed are the truly fortunate ones—they survived the sting of the Singers, leaving them immune. But they’re far from safe. The Vexed hold the key to a cure, and there are those who will do anything to get it.

My Review

This book is sooooo creepy! The Wicked say some really violent things but in this cheerful, artless, innocent way. The juxtaposition of those two things gave me chills in lots of scenes.

HOW WE BECAME WICKED is told in two different viewpoints, from characters in two different situations that don’t, at first, overlap. One section follows Astrid’s point-of-view.

Astrid isn’t a super girly heroine. She’s very smart and practical, and almost detached from her emotions. I liked her, but sometimes that detached feeling kind of kept me from feeling like I understood or empathized with her. Astrid is the town leader’s daughter. She’s got an Ariel complex– you know, wants to be part of someone else’s world. Mainly she wants to escape the walls of her town and go somewhere else, find other True survivors.

The other point-of-view is Natalie’s. She lives with her parents and Wicked grandfather on an island with a lighthouse, too far from the mainland to be a temptation for other Wicked. The only thing that keeps Natalie and her family safe from her grandfather is the fact that he’s imprisoned inside the lighthouse.

Natalie’s point-of-view was easier to connect with, for me. I liked her courage and her loyalty to her family as well as her quick thinking.

Despite the separate storylines, I found the plot of HOW WE BECAME WICKED to be really easy to follow (And mostly not too predictable. I did guess one major twist, but only shortly before it was revealed.) and nicely paced.

Because of the nature of the Wicked, the story does show some violence. I know I mentioned this already, but it’s very creepy the way they talk about and commit awful violence with this innocent childlike glee. They don’t understand what it is they’re doing, which is one of the things that makes them so dangerous.

If you liked THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan, definitely check out HOW WE BECAME WICKED. (Also, if you like zombie or post-apocalyptic stories, go read THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH because it is awesome!)

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Main characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used not very frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
A brief, unwelcome kiss from a boy to a girl (he immediately apologizes for misinterpreting the situation). Some references to past intimacy between Astrid and Hank (the only two teens in their settlement).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
The Wicked turn violent and talk about the violent things they want to do. They don’t seem to have any grid for the awfulness of what they’re saying. Wicked characters try to murder others using a wrench, guns, knives, a tank, and other items. There are some violent descriptions. They’re usually fairly brief, and more horrible because of the horror of the True witnesses and the Wicked’s inability to understand what they’re doing.

Drug Content
The town plans a celebration which includes drinking champagne.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of HOW WE BECAME WICKED in exchange for my honest review.