Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Evermore by Sara Holland

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

Evermore
Sara Holland
HarperCollins
Publishes on December 31, 2018

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About Evermore
Jules Ember was raised hearing legends of the ancient magic of the wicked Alchemist and the good Sorceress. But she has just learned the truth: not only are the stories true, but she herself is the Alchemist, and Caro—a woman who single-handedly murdered the Queen and Jules’s first love, Roan, in cold blood—is the Sorceress.

The whole kingdom believes that Jules is responsible for the murders, and a hefty bounty has been placed on her head. And Caro is intent on destroying Jules, who stole her heart twelve lifetimes ago. Jules must delve into the stories that she now recognizes are accounts of her own past. For it is only by piecing together the mysteries of her lives that Jules will be able to save the person who has captured her own heart in this one.

My Review
I think I liked Evermore better than the first book in the series, which is a pretty rare occurrence for me. I liked Everless. I enjoyed reading it—found the concept of time as currency to be really fascinating. Partly, though, I just wasn’t a big fan of Roan. I kind of felt like Jules could do better in terms of a match who was her equal.

Some of the characters in Evermore really surprised me. Elias and Stef were my favorites. Stef because she was so scrappy and Elias for his loyalty and sense of humor.

I loved the flashbacks that showed Jules and Caro’s early experiences with each other and the way Jules’ recovered memories changed the story. It had a little bit of the feel of the movie Memento that way.

Evermore is a clean, original story with a lot to offer in terms of great characters and a high-energy plot. It’s got a little more content than Everless, so be sure to check the notes below especially for young or sensitive readers.

Recommended for Ages 13 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white or not physically described.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
One instance of mild profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between girl and boy. At one point, she kisses him while in her underclothes. One scene hints that they have sex, but no details of the event itself.

Spiritual Content
Jules is on her twelfth reincarnation as the Alchemist, who can control time. The Sorceress plans to kill her, and this time Jules won’t reincarnate.

Violent Content
Battles between soldiers and Jules. At one point, soldiers burn a village, killing civilians. Another man receives a critical sword wound.

Drug Content
None.

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

Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

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

Strange the Dreamer
Laini Taylor
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published on March 28, 2017

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About Strange the Dreamer
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

My Review
It took me a long time to read Strange the Dreamer because I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone so much that I worried Strange wouldn’t measure up or would make me miss the other series too much. I know. I always do this to myself! And then usually, it’s all good, and I enjoy the new book or series anyway. And, surprise! I enjoyed this book, too.

I love the way Taylor creates broad, deep story worlds and draws readers into cultural conflicts and explores values where they come from. Both Lazlo and Sarai pretty much had me at hello. I loved them both, but especially Lazlo for his enthusiasm and his desire to help others. Of course the tragic Godslayer had me at his first appearance, too.
The only thing that really made me stumble is the omniscient point-of-view in which the story is told. It’s consistent and adds a lot to the novel, so I totally get why Strange the Dreamer is written this way, but omniscient isn’t my favorite. So whenever there would be those zoom-out moments where we get a god’s-eye view of what’s happening in all the heads of all the people, I kind of had to blink a few times and re-settle into the story. Totally worth it, though.

Strange the Dreamer is a bit more of an adult story than I remember Daughter of Smoke and Bone being. It feels heavier and definitely more adult in the way the characters romantic relationships progress. I guess I felt like Karou in Daughter of Smoke and Bone really feels young, and that anchored the story in the young adult genre for me. Again, not sorry I read the book, but thought that needed brief noting.

So that’s it! Check the content below and happy reading!

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Cultural Elements
Since this is a fantasy, there are made up races and ethnicities. The story begins in a more temperate climate with a brown-skinned people and progresses to a desert climate of brown-skinned people. A separate race of gods have blue skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Some very sensual scenes showing kissing between girl and boy. Two female characters also have a relationship and share sleeping space. There are some references to sex but no descriptions of it directly.
The gods took human slaves and used them to bear their children. No descriptions of this, but obviously the survivors bear some trauma from the experience.

Spiritual Content
A blue race of humans have magical abilities (one specific ability each) and call themselves gods.

Violent Content
The story begins and ends with a young woman’s death. She falls and is impaled on a gate. Before the story begins, a man brutally kills the gods, even their small children and babies. No descriptions other than that they babies screamed and suddenly went silent.
See romance content about the gods and their treatment of human slaves.
In one scene, ghosts attack a group of humans.

Drug Content
Some references to drinking alcohol.


Review: Ozland by Wendy Spinale

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

Ozland
Wendy Spinale
Scholastic Press
Published on April 24, 2018

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About Ozland
With Everland and Umberland both destroyed, the survivors have taken refuge in a small village tucked within the shadows of the Bloodred Queen’s castle. Doc has found an actual cure for the Horologia virus, while Gwen, Pete, and Alyssa begin plotting the assassination of the queen with the help of Gail, an excellent huntress. But killing the queen won’t be enough. The world has been destroyed and its needs a ruler to set things right again. A ruler who is good, kind, and fair. Someone like the former king of Germany. But he’s dead … or is he?

There’s a rumor that the king has been hidden away in a secret land, where only the worthiest can find him. Desperate to end the war, a plan is hatched that could put everything right again, only before it’s set in motion, the village is burned to the ground, all survivors taken prisoner to the castle. Except Gail.

But is one girl enough to find a long-dead king, kill the wicked queen, and save the world?

My Review
Out of all three books in the series, I felt like this book is the furthest from any kind of retelling or story inspired by another tale (The Wizard of Oz in this case). I still enjoyed finding out what happened to characters from earlier books like the Lost Boys, Gwen, Lily, Alyssa and Maddox, as well as meeting some new characters, like Gail, the huntress and Ginger, the warrior.

There were moments where I would think, ah, that’s an element from The Wizard of Oz. Ginger seemed a little bit like a Glinda the Good type of character, for instance. But for the most part, Ozland picks up where Umberland leaves off and sets up a huge battle against the Red Queen, hoping to find a way to free the world from her tyranny.

I think of all the books in the series, Everland is still my favorite. I liked the younger characters with their pithy lines and comedic relief. Ozland is a bit darker and much more serious. The romantic entanglements are already well-established, so there’s no new tension in that arena. I still enjoyed reading it – but mainly because I wanted to see how the author would use The Wizard of Oz in this dystopian story world and because I wanted to know what happened to Pete and Gwen and the others.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white (English or German). Lily is Indian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Flying hybrid monkey-slash-machines attack Gail and her allies. Soldiers whip Doc and Lily. One scene describes a character being burned with acid, others being shot and stabbed in detail.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Warfare by Julie Hall

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

Warfare
Julie Hall
Published on June 13, 2017

Amazon | Goodreads

About Warfare
The battle is far from over.

When the lives of her loved ones are put in peril, who will Audrey turn to for help? On the surface, Audrey’s existence in the afterlife is coming together. Her quirky new mentor guides her on the path to becoming the demon hunter she always hoped. She has great friends and even a kinda-sorta-maybe new boyfriend. But if things are so wonderful, why is Logan never far from her thoughts?

After learning that her family is the target of an unprecedented demonic siege Audrey puts all she’s gained in jeopardy by defying heavenly authorities and returning to Earth. Stranded at the place she once called home with the one person she’s been desperate to forget, she’ll face vicious monsters, betrayers, and a legion of demons with an insidious weapon that even her celestial sword can’t defeat.

Will Audrey’s mistakes in the afterlife be what destroys the lives of the ones she loves the most?

My Review
From a plot perspective, this book is so much stronger than the first book in the series. Audrey has a goal right from the first moment, and she’s not giving up, no matter how high the stakes get. She’s still that same adorably awkward girl we fell in love with in Huntress, but her training definitely shows. Now she’s a powerful warrior. I’m so loving that!

Most of the spunky, fun characters from the first book reappear in this one, with a few notable additions. I loved Audrey’s mysterious mentor, Hugo. He’s wise and both fierce and gentle. And funny! Total win. We also meet a surprise guest from Logan’s past, who turned out to be one of the most intriguing characters in the whole book! (No spoilers… but I’m really hoping we get to see more of this in book three!)

My enthusiasm for this book came to a screeching halt toward the end, though. I’ve stepped onto my soap box below in the romance notes section, so you can read the whole tirade there. But readers with any history of sexual trauma should be aware of a potential trigger.

I’m so torn about this book. I liked so much of it, and I feel guilty for liking it so much because of the consent issue. I’m going to read the third book in the series, and see how it resolves.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity. Audrey uses faux swears like “shoot” and “gosh.”

Romance/Sexual Content
Kiss between boy and girl without her consent.

Okay, to be honest, it’s a brief kiss, but the way it happens and the way other characters react really bothers me. Basically, in the story world, a kiss creates a bond between two people, a strong spiritual tie that’s supposed to lead to marriage. It can be broken, but that’s a painful process.

So taking a kiss without someone’s consent is a big deal, because even without consent, the bond is apparently created.

It goes down like this: he kisses her without permission, and at first she’s like whoa, wait! And then she’s into it. So he’s pretty cocky because, hey, by the end, she liked it.

I think this is a really dangerous message. It’s NOT cool to kiss a girl who doesn’t express permission because she might consent after a minute or two. No, no, NO.

Also, when she tells her friends and family about the incident, they basically roll their eyes and laugh it off, like, hey, we all know you’re into that guy anyway, so just chill out.

Wow. Not okay.

Seriously. Not a single character says, wait, he didn’t have your permission? That’s not cool. You have every right to be upset, girl!

No one.

She’s just supposed to ignore her own feelings about it.

Again, not cool. At all.

Spiritual Content
Most of the story takes place in Heaven. Audrey briefly meets Jesus (though she doesn’t recognize him and he calls himself Joe) and angels. It’s based in Christian doctrine, but there are some big departures. For instance, Audrey and others are assigned to a strict physical training regimen for service on a team called Hunters. These Hunters go to earth to battle demons who attack living humans.

The story also shows prayer offering protection from demonic forces (which fits with Christian doctrine.). It also shows that sometimes God chooses to let demons harass people as part of a larger plan or purpose. Audrey specifically learns some hard lessons about how disobeying God’s plan to do what seems to make more sense in the moment can be a huge mistake and cause big problems. Obeying even when it doesn’t make sense yields much better results.

Violent Content
Battles between Hunters (human) and demons. Some brief gore.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Umberland by Wendy Spinale

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

Umberland
Wendy Spinale
Scholastic Press
Published on May 9, 2017

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Umberland
They’re dreadfully fond of beheading people here…

Gwen, Pete, and the others have escaped from Everland. Except the safe haven they hoped to find at Alnwick Castle doesn’t exist. With the Queen of England on her deathbed, Duchess Alyssa has stepped in, but things have gotten worse as the cure Doc created for the Horologia virus has mutated into something even more deadly. The only possible solution he can think of is to go back to the virus’s origin: an extinct poisonous apple.

Legend has it, though, that a tree bearing the apple might be found at the center of an impossible labyrinth hidden deep within Germany. A place no one in their right mind enters. With no other options, Alyssa sets out with only her sword, her wits, and the help of Maddox Hadder, a wild boy who oversees the castle gardens. To get to the center of the maze, she’ll be forced to battle monsters more terrifying than her darkest nightmares.

But can anyone truly survive the madness of the maze? And what if there’s no apple to be found there?

My Review
I’m loving this series so far. I think I was pretty primed to like Maddox Hadder – something about that whole dark and misunderstood boy with a terribly tragic past tends to be irresistible to me – and I really did like him a lot. I think I expected there to be more of a sort of madness about him though? I think that was the only thing I felt was missing about Umberland. The Labrynth was a scary place for sure, but apart from a specific scene, there really wasn’t much of a madness element to it. I think I wanted more of that Wonderland flavor.

Even without that, though, I liked the new characters introduced in the story. And I liked that it carries forward the stories of Jack and Hook as well as Gwen and the Lost Boys. Cat, the heir to the English throne and sort of Cheshire Cat type of character, added a lot of depth to the story with her own plot to save Umberland through a very dangerous alliance.

I think Everland is still my favorite of these two books, but I enjoyed this one a lot, too. The story in Umberland didn’t feel like quite as much of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland as Everland did of Peter Pan. Lots of things were different. And there were also some Snow White-like elements mixed in with the poison apple and wicked queen. All in all, though, I’m glad I read it, and this seems like a fun series for readers looking for dystopian or fairytale mashups.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters are white. Lily is Indian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some situations of peril. Lizard -like people attack the castle where Pete and the others have taken shelter. A gunshot kills one boy. Alyssa and Maddox fight a huge machine.

Drug Content
Maddox and Cat host huge, indulgent parties each night in their garden. Guests with advanced-stage disease consume drugs and alcohol and end their lives at the close of the party. Maddox makes some vague references to sampling opium tea in the past.

Review: Huntress by Julie Hall

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

Huntress
Julie Hall
Published on May 16, 2017

Amazon | Goodreads

About Huntress
No one’s afterlife is as dispiriting as Audrey’s―at least that’s what she believes after waking up dead without her memories and being promptly assigned to hunt demons for the rest of eternity. She’s convinced God’s made a cosmic mistake; after all, she’d rather discuss the color of her nails than break them on angelic weapons.

It doesn’t help that her trainer, Logan, is as infuriating as he is attractive. And just when Audrey and Logan appear close to developing an amicable relationship, a decision made under duress pushes their hearts in a direction neither of them saw coming.

Despite her sub-par fighting abilities, an ancient weapon of unparalleled power chooses Audrey as its wielder, attracting the cautious gazes of her fellow hunters and the attention of Satan himself. With Satan’s eyes now fixed on Audrey, a battle for the safety of the living looms in the shadows.

My Review
Huntress is one of those unexpected, adventurous books that make for ideal weekend or poolside reading. Audrey is a fun character—sometimes clumsy, both physically and in her words—and yet she’s clearly a strong force to be reckoned with and a creative strategist. Her mentor, Logan, has that dark, unapproachable, aloof and handsome thing going on, which makes the perfect foil for Audrey’s big emotions. The other characters in the book are just as colorful, too—from Alrik, the Viking, to the more reserved Romona, who knows Audrey better than she’ll admit.

My biggest struggle with the book was in the plot. For most of the story, Audrey has no idea what’s going on or what her purpose or goal is. She remains a passive character until the last fifty pages or so, when she finally finds something to fight for. At that moment, I really invested in the book. I’m not sorry to have read it, but I wish I’d seen that side of Audrey much earlier in Huntress.

While the story itself is off the map in terms of Christian understanding of Heaven and the afterlife, it’s pretty solidly framed within an Evangelical understanding of scripture. Demons attack humans and whisper lies in an attempt to destroy them, but humans make the choices themselves. God sends angels (and in this case, Hunters) to intervene, but their response and power depend on God’s will and the faith of the people under attack.

I’ve heard the book compared to Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness, and in the sense that it has angel and demon characters, yes, it does have a connection there. Whereas Peretti’s book focuses on the human characters and uncovering a huge, focused plot against humans on earth, Huntress is more about Audrey and her role in the Hunter team as well as her angsty relationship with her mentor, Logan. It reminded me a bit of I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan because it has some of the same lighthearted voice and connection with family.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity. Audrey uses faux swears like “shoot” and “gosh.”

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Later Audrey learns that kissing in Heaven is more significant than it is on earth in that it creates a bond between two parties and is meant to lead to marriage.

Spiritual Content
Most of the story takes place in Heaven. Audrey briefly meets Jesus (though she doesn’t recognize him and he calls himself Joe) and angels. It’s based in Christian doctrine, but there are some big departures. For instance, Audrey and others are assigned to a strict physical training regimen for service on a team called Hunters. These Hunters go to earth to battle demons.

When Audrey wakes up in Heaven, she knows she’s dead, but has no memories of her life or her relationship with God. She rediscovers God’s existence and begins to learn about him through experiences with other characters and a face-to-face encounter.

There’s some discussion about how demons prey on the minds of humans, feeding them ideas or leading them away from truths about God. At one point, Audrey and her team intervene in a high school where one student has a gun.

Violent Content
Audrey spars with a training partner and battles demons using a sword. Some of the descriptions are graphic in terms of fighting and injuries/gore. One sequence of scenes shows Audrey and her team intervening in a school shooting situation. The story doesn’t show students being injured, but does show a student with a gun firing shots.

Drug Content
None.