Category Archives: Book Review and Content

Review: Scrapbook of My Revolution by Amy Lynn Spitzley

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

Scrapbook of My Revolution
Amy Lynn Spitzley
Curiosity Quills Press
Published March 20, 2013

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Amber knows what it’s like to be noticed for all the wrong reasons. From her golden (literally) skin to her freakish ability to sense others’ feelings, she can’t help but stand out in a crowd. Amber is a member of an emerging super-human group referred to as Maliens, and the rest of humanity isn’t adjusting to them as well as Amber could hope. A highly vocal anti-Malien group calling itself RAMM promotes Malien oppression, even going so far as to reach out to Amber’s school principal.

As events escalate, and riots and attacks on Malien citizens increase, Amber’s fury blazes. She’s out to fight fire with fire, and she and her friends form their own pro-Malien group. Support for Amber’s group swells, and a popular band and a spokesman for the Malien cause rally to help Amber and her friends.

Well, most of her friends. Amber thinks she is just beginning to really see beneath Cam’s withdrawn exterior, but while she senses his interest, a growing frustration colors his feelings for her. Amber fights to keep her Malien cause front and center but welcomes Cam into the spotlight with her. The only problem is, that doesn’t seem like where Cam wants to be. Could he be the wrong guy for her? Maybe despite her elusive distrust for him, the dashing Malien hero Jonny Marino is more Amber’s speed after all.

Amber struggles to piece together where she belongs and her passion for her people, but everything changes when she suffers a personal attack. And as the political climate continues to heat, she will learn that not all those she counts as friends truly deserve the title.

Told as a series of journal entries peppered with emails, receipts, and other various paraphernalia, Spitzley brings readers a story of racism and explores issues of basic human rights through the voice of a passionate, intelligent young girl who bears the difficult burden of sensing the emotions of those around her. The clever pairing of skin tone and ability set this story apart from some of the other classic “super-human” tales and heightens its focus on civil rights and social issues. While readers may tire of the repetitive phrasing used to describe the ever-present emotions swirling through those around Amber, Spitzley reveals both the joys and traumas of having a constant window into the feelings of others in proximity. At first Amber appears to be a headstrong, sometimes rebellious teen, but through her pursuit of her cause, she learns that responsibility comes with leadership and grownups aren’t always the dopes they seemed to be.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate.

Sexual Content
Kissing/Making out. In a couple of scenes, girls are attacked and fondled briefly. In one instance, a few graphic details are given. Some of Amber’s friends and schoolmates make sexual comments about her or each other.

Spiritual Content
The spiritual ramifications of humanity’s possible evolution are not deeply explored.

Violence
Amber lives in a world which terrorizes its Malian citizens. While few scenes provide details, we know attacks on Malian people are common, providing a means for the exploration of civil rights and equality issues.

Drug Content
Some teens drink alcohol at parties or at school. Amber condemns this behavior, though she doesn’t openly confront it until late in the story.

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

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Review: Visited by Janine Caldwell

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

Visited
Janine Caldwell
CreateSpace
Published May 23, 2013

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Seventeen-year-old Joanna Murphy is all set to being a glorious senior year, one that will climax with the realization of her dream vacation: a backpacking trip through Europe with her mom. That is, until Mom and step-dad Stan drop the baby bombshell. Joanna rages at her mother’s starry-eyed ignorance, crushed that the trip is now canceled and her senior year will now be all about the new baby. Stan has already crowded the quiet home, and once the new baby arrives, how much time will Mom have left for Joanna?

Retreating to her special place, Joanna climbs out to the rooftop of the two-story desert home, wishing her life were different. When a falling star changes course and bolts directly toward her, Joanna loses her balance and tumbles down the rooftop. She wakes in the hospital, miraculously alive and unhurt, but her life doesn’t seem spared any damage. Mom greets her, but there’s no Stan, no pregnancy, and never was as far as Joanna can tell. What does this mean?

As Joanna flounders, trying desperately to understand why things are suddenly different than she remembers before the fall, a mysterious boy approaches her with an important clue: he rescued her after the fall and healed her body.

To sci-fi geek Joanna, this is the best news ever! It wasn’t a shooting star she saw, but instead an alien. How awesome is that? Her very own visitor from outer space. Her new friend, who calls himself James, warns Joanna that he has been sent to earth on an important mission, one which will be opposed by a dangerous enemy. Joanna promises to keep James’s mission and his true nature a secret, but she can scarcely contain her excitement.

As senior year begins, Joanna continues to find pieces of her life missing or out of place. No more volleyball? Ouch. And she has the boyfriend of her dreams?! Awesome! Only, why is that not as easy as it once seemed it would be?

A determined Joanna wrestles to understand and accept this new life, but the changes continue to spiral around her. Her mother plunges into depression borne out of her loneliness, and Joanna realizes maybe she’d been selfish to resent Stan’s presence in her life so much. But how can she return her life to the state it was before?

Finally, Joanna confesses her feelings to James and he reveals the truth of his mission to her. It is a truth Joanna never expected to encounter, and one which changes everything.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild and infrequent.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content (Spoiler Alert)
James has a mission to save Joanna. A sci-fi fan and subscriber to the hope that life exists on other planets, Joanna believes he is an alien who has come to visit earth. She discovers he has been sent not by aliens but by God to inform her of his existence and convince her of the benevolence of his plan for her life.

Violence
James and his enemy engage in some sort of battle which mostly happens off-scene. No graphic details.

Drug Content
Joanna discovers several empty wine bottles and a bottle of pills left behind by her mother. Mom appears intoxicated and in need of medical attention.

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

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Review: Finding Angel by Kat Heckenbach

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

Finding Angel
Kat Heckenbach
Splashdown Books
Published August 28, 2011

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Angel Mason can’t remember anything about her life before she was about seven years old. Fractured memories linger: a terrible forest fire and a cruel man. She remembers nothing about her parents or where she belongs.

She has grown up in a loving foster family, but an inexplicable longing refuses to leave her alone. If only magic were real. She tries to dismiss the idea as silly, and the result of reading too many fantasy novels. When a mysterious boy turns out to be more than he seems, Angel must choose between her life with the Masons and her forgotten past.

As Angel dives into her new world, she begins to recover more pieces of memory. If she continues to push for the pieces, perhaps she will discover the memory she wants most of all: to see her mother’s face.

But Dawric, the villain who took all that away from Angel lurks out there somewhere, and a prophecy foretells he will return to finish Angel once and for all. Hidden in her homeland, Angel learns more about her past and the magic she possesses. Will she learn to use her Talent in time to stop Dawric from destroying all she holds dear?

Angel’s curiosity and love for others is endearing as is her cousin Gregor’s bravery and protectiveness. Heckenbach creates a magical story in her enchanting world of Toch Island, a place veiled by magic so that only those with magical ability can find it. Finding Angel is filled with noble virtue and memorable characters both human and animal. While the climax may stretch the reader’s willing suspension of belief, (even the hero calls out the villain on his conflicting arguments) the story’s true power is in its virtue: honor and justice.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Brief scenes in which animals are harmed. Few graphic details. A man is swallowed by fire and earth.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate by David Talon

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

Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate
David Talon
Mill City Press, Inc.
Published May 8, 2013

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As a powerful Dragon, young Tomas Rios has always known he would be sought after by pirates and pirate-hunters, not to mention vile Shadowmen. His Dragon abilities allow him to command and give strength to ghosts of a race from the past, settlers of the city Atlantis. His abilities also allow him to heal others, so Tomas lives a quiet life in his grandfather’s apothecary shoppe.

When an illness strains the relationship between a local tribe and the powerful order Draco Dominus, Tomas is called in to heal the afflicted. But as the negotiations go awry, Tomas must flee for his life and freedom. He accepts passage aboard a merchant vessel which is captured by pirates.

Sworn to serve the captain and promised to a member of the crew, Tomas struggles to win the trust of the crew and learn to survive in their midst. A dark enemy sets his sights on Tomas as well. Shadowmen, eaters of human flesh, seek Tomas for the strength of his gifts. An uneasy truce may lie between them, but how long can such a deal last between men such as these?

In a novel which blends fantasy with history, readers meet pirates on adventure in the high seas, hear tales of Sir Francis Drake, a Dragon himself in this telling, and glimpse the struggle between the Catholic church and Huguenots. Rather than large scaly lizards, Dragons are simply men (or women) who can bond with ghosts of the former settlers of Atlantis, who appear to have something of a more typical dragon-like form. These ghosts can animate objects but are usually otherwise invisible to human eyes.

Chronicles of the Dragon Pirate is sort of Pirates of the Caribbean meets Eragon, moving through some heavily detailed narrative, peppered with intense action sequences. Tomas desires to live an honorable life, to be faithful in love, and to protect those who serve him. It is easy to admire such a man. Readers looking for romance may be disappointed, though, because from the outset the romance is sort of a given, leaving no question about whether or not the hero gets the girl.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate. Infrequent profanity with crude language appearing more often. (Think pirates.)

Sexual Content
Because of Tomas’ nature as a Dragon, he will go into “heat” several times in his life, during which time, human females will be drawn to him like moth to flame. While this event is not depicted in the story, it is referenced several times. One captain, a woman with quite a sexual appetite, fervently lusts for Tomas, promising that despite their rather large age difference, he will learn to enjoy sharing her bed. Tomas falls in love with a girl who we understand to be bisexual, and while she promises to remain faithful where other men are concerned, she refuses to give up relations with women.

As Tomas and his love approach their betrothal ceremony, their captain makes them promise not to have “carnal knowledge” of each other before then. The pair are mostly faithful, excepting a brief graphic incident when they venture to an isolated place away from captain and crew. Following the betrothal ceremony, another brief scene shows the couple consummating their relationship.

The pirates look forward to visiting Tortuga to take up with easy women. Evil Shadowmen keep human females as pets, using them for torture and pleasure at whim. Characters and scenes reference these ideas, but no graphic descriptions occur.

Spiritual Content
In St. Augustine, Tomas’s mother is shunned by clergy because of her past Huguenot beliefs. Tomas believes as he is taught by a Catholic priest, though there is some question as to whether Dragons are accepted into the church. A couple of characters pray the rosary in time of need.

Violence
Several scenes show battle violence, including some graphic descriptions of death of or caused by evil Shadowmen. Some of the descriptions are pretty graphic. Most scenes are brief.

Drug Content
What are pirates without their bottles of rum? (One captain at least, prefers red wine.) Hangovers seem to be a routine part of life, though the main characters do not over-indulge.

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

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Review: Victoria and the Ghost by Janet K. Brown

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

Victoria and the Ghost
Janet K. Brown
4RV Publishing
Published June 28, 2012

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As if her parents’ ugly divorce wasn’t bad enough, fifteen-year-old Victoria Peterson is yanked away from her whole world in Dallas and plopped down on a rundown farm in a teeny tiny north Texas town. No more good friends a few minutes away, no more fancy city life, and no more Mom nearby to dry her tears. Her older sister Marcy seems to be settling in fine, but the only friend Victoria has been able to find is as fickle as the Texas wind. Victoria retreats to the beautiful cemetery garden for solitude, but even there her peace is disturbed by strange happenings. A mysterious voice. Objects disappearing. Town rumor says a ghost inhabits the grave yard. As a Believer, Victoria isn’t sure what to make of that, but she can’t deny that something strange is occurring. As she meets others who’ve had similar experiences in the grave yard, she begins tenuous bonds with the townspeople.

Of course, it’s all temporary. Once Mom gets back from her month-long honeymoon, she’ll call wanting the girls to come and live with her. Then it’s back to the city and all her friends for Victoria. No more of this awful country stuff. As days tick past and the call doesn’t come, Victoria begins to wonder if her mother will come through at all. She’s always been Mom’s favorite. Why is it taking so long for her to reach her?

When Mom finally calls, she invites both the girls for a visit. When Marcy and Victoria arrive at their mother’s new mansion home, neither is prepared for the venomous surprise that awaits them in the form of their new step-sister, Crystal. Rude and manipulative, Crystal is determined to be queen of the castle, and she’s not leaving room for anyone else. Mom and her new husband Sam seem oblivious to Crystal’s conniving ways. Rejected and discouraged, Victoria returns to her dad’s farm. How will she ever get out of the country now?

A health crisis and a threatening letter send Victoria’s world deeper into a spiral. Only by banding together and accepting help from others can she ever hope to survive, especially with her mother being so distant. Victoria must learn to accept life and those around her as is, but how can she learn to trust anyone when she is let down at every turn?

Divorce is one of the most difficult events a child can be asked to overcome. As Victoria struggles to make sense of both her parents’ behavior, she often feels sad and unwanted and cannot understand why her parents act as they do. As she learns about forming new relationships with others, she reflects on the relationships with her parents and begins to see their behavior in a new way. Perhaps Dad is really grieving; maybe Mom feels rejected. She also learns the value of forgiveness and community. Author Janet K Brown draws readers in to the small Texas town, filled with western-style characters and close-knit community feel. In a few places, the narrative seems to zoom out, telling readers what Victoria really means or is experiencing, more often it feels true to the teen experience. Readers who’ve experienced a difficult move to a new place or been through a family divorce will enjoy this story and its messages of hope and healing.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Characters discuss living a life of Christian love and forgiveness. Victoria wonders whether ghosts exist, a question echoed by others in her life. Characters conclude that God can do anything, even use a ghost for his purposes.

Violence
References to an arson plot. A boy shows up at a party looking like he’s been in a fight.

Drug Content
Some kids appear to be drinking alcohol at a party. They are not welcome, and the main character does not associate with them.

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

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Review: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Middle Grade 8-12, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, , , ,

The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1)
Maryrose Wood
HarperCollins
Published February 23, 2010 (Originally published 2009)

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Fifteen-year-old Penelope Lumley has been summoned to her first interview for her first governess position. As a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females and armed with the pithy and wise sayings of the school’s founder, Agathe Swanburne, Penelope is ready for anything.

When she is greeted by the skittish household at Ashton Place, however, and confronted by the strange howling children who are scarcely clad, Penelope realizes it will take all her training, education, and her fond memories of books about wild ponies, to handle this task. She will not be deterred. Not by the children’s wild fervor over chasing squirrels. Not by the unusual names (Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia) bestowed on them by Lord Ashton himself. When Lady Constance plans an extravagant Christmas party that the children must attend, Penelope puts aside her plans for geography and mathematics in favor of table manners and appropriate dinner conversation. If only she can figure out what the Schottische is and prepare the children for it, she might have a chance at keeping her job with the children she has grown to love.

Not every governess is willing to take on three children who were raised by wolves. Literally. Now that they’ve been “rescued” from the forest by Lord Ashton, the children must be civilized and educated. Penelope sets herself to the task and achieves often hilarious and endearing results in this first book in a series which has been described as a mash-up of Lemony Snicket and Jane Eyre. The Mysterious Howling is brilliant and fun.

I read this book hoping to find a great audiobook to listen to on our family vacation. To my delight, I found it to be a wonderful story, one the entire family could enjoy. I found it impossible not to fall in love with Penelope and her three dear charges. The children make it appealing to a younger, more middle-grade audience, but because the tale is told from fifteen-year-old Penelope, it also appeals to teens. Those with challenging babysitting experiences may find it especially amusing.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
When the children become the center of attention at the Christmas party, Lady Constance copes by drinking too much champagne and falling asleep at the table.

 

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