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Review: The Waterborn by Greg Keyes

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

The Waterborn by Greg KeyesThe Waterborn
Greg Keyes
Open Road Media

Twelve year-old Hezhi longs to know the secret ways of her father’s kingdom. Something happens to her family members as they reach maturity, but no one can tell her what. She will brave dark tunnels through abandoned ruins and the savage dislike of the palace librarian to uncover the truth about her cousin’s disappearance. What she finds places her own life and the lives of the only people she loves in grave danger. Through a dream, she sends a call to a faraway hero.

Perkar’s only desire is to free the beautiful stream goddess from the terrible devourer. She advises him to forget her, but he will not be dissuaded. He sets out with companions on a journey he hopes will bring him the means to kill the powerful god who harms the goddess he loves. When a strange dream reaches him, he can’t be sure if answering the cry for help aids the god he wishes to destroy or harms him. Determined to find the answers, Perkar determines to follow his quest to whatever bitter end may wait for him.

One of the things I liked about this story was the way that seemingly insignificant characters emerged to play pivotal roles. Often I didn’t see it coming, but the unfolding story made so much sense. How often in real life do we not realize our true allies or the people who will come to play important roles in our lives until circumstances reveal them? I liked that this story has a larger stage. There were just enough details from various cultures to make them interesting and more-or-less believable. It definitely made the journey feel more epic to follow Perkar through these different territories and peoples. The scope of the story reminded me of the likes of Elizabeth Moon’s The Deed of Paksenarrion.

Though the characters are young (I think Perkar is 17 or 18) the tone of the story is more adult fiction than young adult fiction. Most of the other elements would appeal to readers of either genre. (See below for content information.)

Language Content
Infrequent use of profanity.

Sexual Content
Brief but explicit sexual scenes. Perkar has an experience early in the story and another later on in the tale. A suitor tries to take advantage of Hezhi, but she stops him.

As Hezhi reaches puberty, her power wakes. It’s strongest during her monthly period. There’s not a lot of description about this, but it’s an important note in the story, so if you’re squeamish, be warned.

Spiritual Content
For Hezhi, the River is the only god, and his blood runs through all members of her family. Priests perform mysterious rites which servants are unable to speak about. Some of it is a little dark. They perform a ritual over Hezhi that’s a bit creepy. As Hezhi comes to understand her power, she uses it against others who would try to harm her. She summons a creature to her aid at one point. Her castle is also home to a number of ghosts. Priests use special brooms to “sweep” the palace of any nefarious spirits.

Perkar’s people believe in and witness a multitude of other gods with varying degrees of power and complex relationships with one another. Perkar and his companions often sing songs and leave offerings to various gods along their journey. Part of his journey involves wanting to kill a god, though he does not know if such a thing is even possible.

Violence
Violence seems to plague Perkar on his quest. Some of his actions cause death not only to his enemies but his allies as well. Some battles contain brief but gory descriptions of warfare. Hezhi also causes some death and destruction. Descriptions are brief, but intense.

Drug Content
Perkar and his people sometimes drink a strong ale called woti.

Review: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

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

Snow Like Ashes
Sara Raasch
Balzer + Bray

Meira has spent her entire life under the shadow of the Spring kingdom’s oppression. Her own kingdom, Winter, has been decimated by Spring armies and most of her people enslaved. Only a handful of refugees live free, protecting the future king, waiting to execute the plan that will restore Winter’s magic. Only then can the other Winterians be set free and the kingdom restored.

All Meira wants is to fight for her people. Yet every time she tries, it seems someone stands in her way. When she finally finds her own way to fight, she learns a truth that shatters everything she thought she knew about her life, her people, and how to free them.

Readers looking for a strong heroine will definitely find that in Meira. I liked that finding her strength wasn’t as simple as learning to handle a sword or having a chance to go into battle. Though she holds her own in more than one conflict, she learns that there’s more to serving her people than killing some bad guys for them.

I loved the way the romance developed. I kind of thought I knew what was going to happen, and Raasch switched things up, and I found I liked that even better. In other series’ I sometimes feel like the two boys that the heroine has to choose from are not very equally matched. One is really passive or weak and the other is really the strong one. In Snow Like Ashes I felt like Raasch did a great job bringing two strong lads to the table. I’m excited to see how the series progresses and if there are some more unexpected twists and turns in the romance waiting for Meira.

Fans of The Red Queen or the Graceling books will enjoy this one.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
In one scene, Meira’s enemy forces her down on a bed. It’s unclear whether he intends to rape her, but it’s definitely intense. There are a couple of brief kisses.

Spiritual Content
Each ruler has an item which serves as a source of magic for the kingdom. Some rulers use their magic to help promote success among all their people while others use magic to control the people. Magic used to harm increases the power of an evil magic Meira calls the Decay.

Violence
Most of Meira’s countrymen are imprisoned in work camps and terribly mistreated. There’s not a lot of description of this, though. She recalls a memory about a man who escaped from Spring soldiers only to die of his wounds. There are a few battle scenes with some brief but vivid descriptions of war wounds.

Drug Content
None.

Review: The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

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

The Red Queen
Victoria Aveyard
HarperTeen
Available February 10, 2015

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

In a world where class means everything, seventeen year-old Mare and her family are Reds, lower class citizens forced to scratch out a living in the Stilts. They are ruled by Silvers, those with powerful gifts (think X-men but without costumes.) Tragedy forces Mare to venture into the world of Silvers to support her family as a servant in the castle. The last thing she expects to do is to masquerade as one of them. With threat of rebellion on the rise, Mare could be exactly what the kingdom needs to overthrow the Silver oppression and bring freedom and equality to her people. If anyone finds out who she truly is, she’ll lose everything.

From start to finish, the story unfolds with fast-paced action and high stakes. Some characters are a bit cliché – the dutiful prince, the bratty rich palace girl, etc – but most are charming and truly endearing. As a heroine, Mare was a little tough for me to love. She lives as a thief at the opening of the story, and blames her family’s troubles on the wealthy Silvers. Yet she steals from her fellow Reds. I felt like her reason for joining the rebellion really didn’t make that much sense. At one point she’s having a conversation with the leader of the rebellion and everyone knows the crown prince is nearby, alone and unguarded. Seems kidnapping or murdering that guy would have been a huge step for the rebellion. Yet they don’t even seem to think of that?

Despite little hiccups like that, the story does maintain a lot of intensity and has some well-planned, unexpected twists and heart-wrenching moments. The writing is excellent – more than a few times I found myself impressed by Aveyard’s clever narrative. Fans of Kiera Cass, Jennifer Nielsen, and Jennifer Anne Davis will enjoy the intrigue and light romance of this story.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Brief kissing.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Silvers will sometimes battle one another in an arena as a show of strength. Participants suffer injuries and sometimes death. Silvers and Reds alike are killed in rebel attacks or on the war front. Not a lot of description on those. A woman uses her ability to cause someone to kill another person with a sword.

Drug Content
None.

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Review: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

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

The Goblin Emperor
Katherine Addison
Macmillan
Available April 1, 2014

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

The goblin emperor and three of his sons die unexpectedly in an airship accident. Maia, the emperor’s youngest son and a recluse shut away from court, suddenly finds that he is the new emperor. Thrust into the murky depths of politics, the new emperor struggles to grow into his new role and to take leadership of an empire reeling from loss and caught in oppressive traditions.

This novel reads like a coming-of-age goblin history, if such a thing could exist. The story pacing is steady and intricate. Maia’s journey from frightened boy to confident leader happens so believably that his triumphs are easy to celebrate. Addison even weaves in some equal rights for women in her story world, which has to be a first in the land of goblins. The story development is strong but subtle. Readers used to the loud plotlines of high-action stories might miss the gentle unfolding of story and the well-organized message waiting to be realized.

One thing that I did find confusing was the fact that lots of characters seemed to have different names depending on who was referring to them. This took some getting used to, and was more confusing for me because I listened to the audiobook. It’s probably a story that would be easier to enjoy the old-fashioned way.

Once I realized there weren’t any human characters, and even any really important characters besides Maia himself, I wasn’t sure I’d like the story. I found Maia to be so likeable that it was ultimately easy to get past those things. It’s really Maia’s journey. There are certainly other interesting characters, but none so critical to the story as the emperor himself.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
A few vague references to sex. An actress offers herself to the emperor, but he refuses.

Spiritual Content
Maia was raised with his mother’s beliefs, which are not the most popular in the empire. The previous emperor did not really practice any faith. There are several rituals overseen by priests and Maia often wishes he could meditate privately. When Maia decides to investigate his father’s and brothers’ deaths, he hires someone who can speak to the dead to hopefully contact other victims and learn what happened. Maia is not present for these rituals but hears an account of the results.

Violence
Someone attempts to assassinate the goblin emperor. A guard dies by ritual suicide for failing to protect the emperor. Description is brief. References to a child being beaten.

Drug Content
Occasionally Maia has too much wine and says/does things he later regrets.

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Review: The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

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

The Girl at Midnight
Melissa Grey
Delacorte Press

Amazon | Goodreads

For most of her childhood, Echo, a homeless human girl, has lived with the Avicen, a human-like people with feathers instead of hair. When she learns of an ancient prophecy that could stop the war between her adopted people and the dragon-like Drakharin, she sees an opportunity not only to help those she loves but to cement her place among them as a hero.

Caius, the Drakharin Dragon Prince, also knows of the prophecy and seeks its fruition. When his search entangles him with the strange human girl, there’s really only one choice: work together to solve the puzzle and find the firebird. Even if doing so destroys his place among his people.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved the descriptions of the Avicen and their feathers, though I felt like the Drakharin deserved a little more in the way of interesting comparative descriptions. I liked the feel of these strong racial divides being crossed for the first time in the uneasy alliances between characters. There’s a lot of snarky dialogue that keeps the emotionally intense scenes from becoming melodramatic. I was a little disappointed in the climax – there’s a big scene change at kind of an awkward moment that left me wanting a recap that I never really got. Despite that, the ending was very satisfying.

Aside from that, though, the characters and plot made this well-worth the experience. Fans of Cassandra Clare and Laini Taylor will definitely want to read this novel.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Echo offers herself to a would-be lover, but is gently refused. Caius remembers times shared with Rose. His memories often involve being in bed or wrapped in sheets, but nothing further is discussed. Dorian, the captain of the guard who serves the Dragon Prince, harbors deeper affection for Caius than is appropriate for his post. Caius remains unaware of his feelings, but another man notices and attempts to steal his heart. There’s a brief kiss from one to the other’s hand and some obvious desire.

Spiritual Content
An oracle reveals what Caius and Echo must do.

Violence
Tanith uses her fire gift to burn her enemies. She also assassinates other Drakharin who happen to stand between herself and her goals.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Fix by Force by Jason Warne

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

Fix by Force
Jason Warne
WestBow Press

Seventeen year-old Spencer lives in the shadow of Zack, a powerful bully who will stop at nothing to make his life miserable. Spencer spirals through one coping strategy after another, hoping to find some way to keep Zack off his case. He understands Zack’s rage. After all, Zack’s mom was killed in the same car accident that ended Zack’s dad’s life. Only Spencer’s dad was driving drunk.

When Spencer uncovers clues to a part of his father’s life he never knew about, he tries to fit those pieces together. What he uncovers blows his own life apart and lands him in more trouble than he could have ever imagined. The climb back to normal life may be more than Spencer can manage on his own.

For the most part, Spencer is a really likeable guy. He’s trying to figure out who he is and carve out a story for himself in a town that won’t let him forget his father’s mistakes. Some of the scenes are really sharp and packed with emotion and strong narrative. Others, though, seem more like summaries of events, and keep the reader much more at a distance. The characters are varied and interesting, and there’s some real complexity to the plot. Overall I enjoyed it. I like the cover art, too.

Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
At football practice, Spencer sustains a pretty serious (and bloody) injury. There are some fist-fight type events in the story. The first is more brutal (causes more injuries) than the others. In one scene, a student shoots another student in the chest. Spencer goes from a victim to a perpetrator to someone beyond that who understands the motivation for violence and wants to help others rise above it.

Drug Content
Steroid use is discussed and described in several scenes throughout the book. Many side effects are also described, too, so it definitely shows more of the risks and consequences rather than glorifying the ride, so to speak.