Category Archives: Fantasy

Review: The Returning by Rachelle Dekker

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

The Returning by Rachelle DekkerThe Returning (Seers #3)
Rachelle Dekker
Tyndale House
Published on January 7, 2017

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About The Returning
Twenty years have passed since Carrington and Remko Brant’s baby, Elise, was kidnapped and they were forced to leave her captive in the Authority City. Though they fled with the Seers far from Authority reach, they’ve never given up hope of rescuing their daughter from the man who betrayed them. Now Authority President, he’s ushered the city into a new era of “peace” — one where the Scientist Roth Reynard’s Genesis Serum has eradicated all memory of emotion or rebellion.

But the mysterious Aaron and his Seers are once again on the move, threatening the illusion the Authority has worked so hard to build. As the Seers send seven chosen warriors to rescue Elise and bring restoration to the Authority City, the lines are drawn for a final battle between light and darkness. The key to ultimate victory may rest within the strangely powerful girl who has felt forgotten but was never abandoned — a truth she’ll need to wage war against the powerful forces of evil.

My Review
If you’ve been reading my reviews awhile, you’ll know that I have a couple of particular pet peeves in books that get classified as YA. One is having a lot of scenes from adult characters, especially in cases where I think the scenes could have been told from a younger character’s perspective. I felt that way with this book and the scenes from adult points of view. That said, I’m not sure this is really classified as YA. Right now in the Christian fiction world there seem to be more adult novels with crossover appeal to YA readers, and this is probably best categorized as one of them.

The Returning hits a great balance between telling a fast-paced story and yet keeping its readers in the know—even if you forgot what happened in earlier books, you can still enjoy this one without feeling lost or like you’ve missed anything. I love that!

At first I wasn’t sure I’d like Elise. Her early scenes mostly leave her a passive vessel. But as she begins to find her feet and embrace her destiny, I felt like I began to like and admire her more. Despite the number of characters, I felt like it was easy to keep track of who everyone was because they had really specific personalities and roles and were introduced gradually, so I had time to place everyone in the story.

The light versus dark theme emerges as a strong plot in The Returning. It’s simple, sure, and at times maybe a teeny bit contrived, but overall I think it worked. The dystopian setting made a great backdrop for that kind of conflict.

I liked this book better than the first in the series—it’s not quite as dark as The Choosing. The biggest struggle I had with the story really had to do with its theology, which you can read about more in the Spiritual Content section below.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Really limited cultural or race details. I think the major characters are white, but there really aren’t a lot of descriptive details.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between man and woman.

Spiritual Content
The Returning has a very strong good versus evil/light versus dark theme. In some places the theology runs perfectly parallel to Christian teaching. Elise must reject the lies she’s been told about herself and others and embrace truths from her heavenly Father.

In other scenes, I struggled with the theology. It seemed to equate suffering with evil, which I just don’t find to be Gospel at all. At times I felt like it was saying humans are basically good and need to simply throw off the corrupt influences of evil around them. The Returning, like the first book in the series, again and again repeats this idea that you are perfect, you are blameless. For me that ran too close to contradicting the salvation message of the Bible. Maybe I simply didn’t interpret the author’s meaning correctly, but I felt like the theology got really muddled and confusing.

Violent Content
Battle scenes which turn fatal between soldiers and civilians. In a couple scenes, a character faces torture with some description. Some graphic threats of violence—in one scene, a man threatens to skin a woman alive.

Drug Content
Authority City leaders use a powerful serum to control citizens. The serum erases memories and makes recipients compliant. One character possessed by darkness takes vials of his blood and injects them into others to give them some of his dark power.

Review: Reign the Earth by A. C. Gaughen

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

Reign the Earth
A. C. Gaughen
Bloomsbury
Published on January 30, 2018

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About Reign the Earth
Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.

But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

My Review
It might sound silly, but the first thing that struck me about this book is the fact that Shalia approached her arranged marriage with the attitude that she would try to fall in love with her husband and have a good life with him even though the match wasn’t driven by love. I liked that the story didn’t set up with the more typical approach where she’d be chafing under the arranged marriage and looking to escape it from the beginning.

Shalia and her family drew me into the story with their customs and love and loyalty to each other. One of my favorite characters was Shalia’s brother Kai with his hawk. I loved the way he both protected her and respected her.

I read Reign the Earth a few weeks past the birth of my daughter, so I haven’t been getting very much sleep—and when I do sleep, it’s usually just an hour or two at most. So when I say I found it hard to put this book down, and a couple of times even stayed up to keep on reading, that’s pretty serious! Already, I’m anxious for the sequel, even though I’m sure it won’t be out for a while.

If you liked The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, you will probably like Reign the Earth with its clash of kingdoms, rich relationships and magical elements.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
Shalia describes herself and her people as having brown skin, and her husband’s people as having pale skin. One character briefly mentions she’s a lesbian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a man and woman. Sex is implied but not specifically described. One character tells Shalia she kissed a girl.

Spiritual Content
Calix and his brother and sister are said to literally be the three faces of their god. Shalia shares some of the customs of her family which have some spiritual origin. Her childhood friend, a priestess’s daughter, has traveled the world opening sacred sites so that powers can manifest in people across the world.

Violent Content
References and brief descriptions of torture. Battle scenes with some gore and fatality. An abusive relationship between a man and woman escalates from words to threats to physical violence.

Drug Content
None.

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

 

Review: Blue Moon Rising by Simon R. Green

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Blue Moon Rising (Forest Kingdom #1)
Simon R. Green
Ace
Published September 6, 2005 (originally published 1989)

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About Blue Moon Rising
Rupert didn’t especially want to be a prince. And he certainly never asked to be the second son of a royal line that really didn’t need a spare. So he was sent out to slay a dragon and prove himself-a quest straight out of legend. But he also discovered the kinds of things legends tend to leave out, as well as the usual demons, goblins, the dreaded Night Witch-and even worse terrors hidden in the shadows of Darkwood.

Rupert did find a fiery dragon-and a beautiful princess to rescue. But the dragon turned out to be a better friend than anyone back at the castle, and with the evil of Darkwood spreading, Rupert was going to need all the friends he could get.

My Review
Blue Moon Rising is another childhood favorite of mine, though I might have been in high school the first time I read it. Maybe ninth grade. Doesn’t matter.

Rupert’s character never fails to draw me into the story. What is it about a guy with all the odds stacked against him just trying to do the right thing? I’m so in. Plus, his wry sense of humor and the acidic humor of his steed the unicorn kept me laughing.

Some of the writing bothers me the more I read the book. There are some repetitive phrases and lots of hopping from one point-of-view to another without warning. So be warned about that if it’s going to bother you. But if you can manage to overlook those things, it’s a really fun fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I really like that about it.

While the story contains demons, there isn’t any spiritual component to battling them. They are essentially malformed monsters and not spiritual beings themselves.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
It’s a pretty straight-white cast. Some racial tensions exist between humans and a tribe of goblins Rupert befriends.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a man and woman. Some references to sex, but no explicit details, nothing that happens on-scene.

Spiritual Content
The dragon talks about the difference between wild magic (which is the magic he senses and makes the demons strong) and human magic. Those forces seem to oppose one another.

The major villain in the story is the Demon Prince, whose appearance has caused demons to suddenly coordinate attacks. Rupert and his allies hope to find some magic strong enough to defeat the Demon Prince before he overtakes the Forest Kingdom.

Violent Content
Lots of battle scenes with some brief but gory descriptions of wounds.

Rupert encounters a witch who once kept herself beautiful using the blood of young girls. He also meets a warlock with quite a collection of animals in captivity. It’s clear the animals are miserable, but we don’t witness any harm come to them.

Drug Content
The High Warlock uses magical potions to cure wounds and transform into a younger-looking version of himself.

Review: Storm by Bonnie Calhoun

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

Storm (Stone Braide Chronicles #3)
Bonnie Calhoun
Fleming H. Revell Company
Published on November 1, 2016

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About Storm
Selah has survived the forces of both man and nature to reunite her family. But her happiness is short-lived as they are forced into a barren world of volcanic ash that conceals the storm boiling beneath. The clock is ticking and Selah’s abilities are growing–along with the list of those out for her blood.

Selah feels unworthy of her status as a novarium and is tortured by the knowledge of lives lost to protect her. Her physical and mental abilities will tempt her to be reckless, but she must learn to wield such power responsibly. Time is running out as more lives are tragically cut short and the search for the Third Protocol takes Selah into lands that have fallen into legend. Can Selah follow the trail of ancient artifacts and finish the quest? Or have she and her companions pinned their hopes on nothing more than a fanciful story?

My Review
The hardest part about reading this book was that it starts off so quickly, with so many characters and so much going on that I found it hard to get oriented. There’s a lot of story-specific vocabulary which isn’t explained right away (or in some cases at all) and several of the characters had similar names, so I kept mixing them up and forgetting which was which. I would have really liked a character glossary or list of pertinent terms, maybe even a map of the geography and Selah’s route for better orientation.

Storm follows Selah’s urgent quest to complete a task or find an element called the Third Protocol. She doesn’t know much about it, only what she learns along the way as she meets different people who each have a puzzle piece directing her onward. One thing I wish had been clearer is the part of the story that relates to the collection of children’s stories her brother and sister love called the Stone Braide stories. Those turn out to be pretty significant in terms of leading Selah on her quest, but I didn’t feel like that element was well-integrated into the story. The book is mentioned several times, but always in passing and then suddenly it contains answers that dramatically alter the quest, but still only gets a momentary focus. It would have been cool to see that developed more and have chapters begin with quotes from the book or have various trials along the way make Selah’s siblings share bits from the stories.

Other than some of the confusing elements, I feel like the story moved quickly and had a lot of action. I’m guessing some of the terms would be more familiar to me if I remembered more from earlier books or read the whole series pretty quickly. If you like books with a broad cast of characters and larger stage with a dystopian feel, this series has a lot to offer. I’d recommend beginning with the first book and either keeping some notes or reading all three books within a short time.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Some vague references to clans or tribes but few details in terms of culture or race.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kisses between a young man and woman.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Battle scenes involving arrows, guns, lasers, and explosives. Some characters are fatally wounded in battle. Brief descriptions of injuries.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: In the Hall of the Dragon King by Stephen Lawhead

Coming of Age, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

In the Hall of the Dragon King (Dragon King #1)
Stephen R. Lawhead
Thomas Nelson
Published on September 11, 2007 (Originally published in 1982)

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About In the Hall of the Dragon King
Carrying a sealed message from the war-hero Dragon King to the queen, Quentin and his outlaw companion, Theido, plunge headlong into a fantastic odyssey and mystic quest. Danger lurks everywhere in the brutal terrain, and particularly in the threats from merciless creatures, both human and not-so-human.

While at the castle, the wicked Prince Jaspin schemes to secure the crown for himself, and an evil sorcerer concocts his own monstrous plan. A plan that Quentin and Theido could never imagine.

In the youth’s valiant efforts to save the kingdom and fulfill his unique destiny, he will cross strange and wondrous lands; encounter brave knights, beautiful maidens, and a mysterious hermit; and battle a giant, deadly serpent.

My Review
I first read this book when I was in seventh grade or so and definitely in a high fantasy phase of reading. (I was also a huge fan of the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey.) While I don’t read too much high fantasy these days, I still enjoyed the medieval feel and scope of the story and Quentin’s character. I also liked that though the queen isn’t a major character, she doesn’t stay behind the castle walls waiting for things to be solved—she’s right there with the team on the adventure to rescue her king, and clearly is a strong woman unafraid of battle.

I also liked the way that Toli’s people, described as a gentle, reclusive woodland tribe, end up being powerful allies against a pretty fearsome enemy that Quentin and his team face. There’s something Tolkien-ish about that sort of reversal of power, if that makes sense? Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.

The storytelling is what I would describe as more gentle. It’s not a book that will have you flipping page after page on the edge of your seat but more tells an interesting story with a focused plot and worthy cast of characters. To today’s teens it might feel a bit dated, but I think that actually works in favor of this genre whereas it might be a problem in others.

While there’s some magic content, the story also contains a strong mapping to Christian theology in its exploration of a god known as Most High who desires relationship with the characters and speaks through visions and signs. See the notes below for other information about content.

Fans of high fantasy or authors like Donita Paul and Bryan Davis will want to give this one a read.

Recommended for Ages 12 up. (True story… I was about 12 the first time I read this book.)

Cultural Elements
Most characters appear to be white, but Quentin befriends the brown-skinned prince of a woodland tribe named Toli. Toli voluntarily becomes Quentin’s servant, and tries to explain to Quentin how among his people, to serve is a great honor.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Quentin first serves a god named Ariel at a temple. But once he leaves the temple, he’s no longer eligible to serve the god anymore. He meets a forest hermit, Durwin, who serves another god, called the Most High, which maps to Christian theology. Quentin experiences a call and vision from his new god and commits his life to serve the Most High.

The villain, a necromancer, performs some dark magic, including controlling what appear to be dead warriors.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of battle scenes get a bit gory—they’re brief but sometimes intense.

Drug Content
References to drinking ale (like you’d expect per a medieval culture).

Review: Ember Falls by S. D. Smith

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

Ember Falls (Green Ember Series #2)
S. D. Smith
Illustrated by Zach Franzen
Story Warren Books
Published September 13, 2016

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About Ember Falls
The stage is set. It’s war. Morbin Blackhawk, slaver and tyrant, threatens to destroy the rabbit resistance forever. Heather and Picket are two young rabbits improbably thrust into pivotal roles.

The fragile alliance forged around the young heir seems certain to fail. Can Heather and Picket help rescue the cause from a certain, sudden defeat?

My Place Beside You

My Blood For Yours

Till The Green… Ember Falls

My Review
I enjoyed the strong fantasy-esque voice throughout Ember Falls and found Pick and his sister Heather to be cool characters. I struggled with the sheer number of named characters in the story, though, and found it really difficult to keep track of who everyone was. I sometimes got Pick and Perk confused because of their similar names. Other times characters would be introduced by name without any indication of who they were or why their name might matter, if that makes sense.

The huge vocabulary of story-specific terms made the story feel like it had a definite place, but often terms were introduced quickly or one on top of each other and I never felt like I had a good sense of their significance or meaning.

Pen and ink drawings show various characters and scenes throughout Ember Falls. They added a lot of detail to the story as well.

I think the thing I found most difficult, though, was the lack of character descriptions. Without the illustrations to clue me in, I wouldn’t have known the characters were rabbits until the second chapter. Their movements and expressions don’t relate to rabbit movements or expressions. I kept wondering if they twitched their ears when they were nervous or had heightened hearing because, well, rabbit ears. Ha. No real mention of any of that.

I liked the themes of sacrifice and honor. Pick struggles through the story with the knowledge that his family has been enslaved by Morbin Blackhawk and the birds of prey. He longs to rescue them, but the mission would place the survival of the rest of the rabbit army, and its prince, in jeopardy.

Reading the first book in the series first might have cleared up some of my confusion. Hard to say. I found it hard to get a sense of what had happened in the first book versus what was true backstory, so I’m not really sure. If you’re interested in the series, I do recommend starting with the first book rather than with Ember Falls.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Characters are rabbits, wolves, and birds of prey.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to the fact that Heather and Prince Smalls are intended to marry.

Spiritual Content
Brief note that former heroes have become sort of saints in the eyes of the rabbits. An order of rabbits wears blue robes and appears to be some kind of spiritual group, but their beliefs are unspecified.

Violent Content
Battles with swords, some proving fatal. Wolves attack, biting rabbits. Birds carry small rabbits off to become slaves. Masters threaten slaves with death. No gory descriptions.

Drug Content
Emma uses tonics to treat the wounded, some she appears to have discovered herself.

 

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