Tag Archives: Dragons

Review: Of Secrets and Sorcery by Chris Solaas

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

Of Secrets and Sorcery by Chris SolaasOf Secrets and Sorcery
Chris Solaas

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As Kyne settles into his new home and new school, he begins to notice strange things happening around him. He wakes with strange bruises that seem to match up with bumps he must have gotten in his dreams. In those dreams, he’s a prince of a faraway realm, on the run for his life, whose only friend seems to be an irritable red dragon. With each night the dreams become more vivid, and Kyne realizes they may in fact be as real as his waking life.

The dragon was probably my favorite character – because, seriously, who can resist a snappy dragon? I liked Kyne and his friend Zip, too. They were interesting characters, and immediately I wanted to know more about them.

I found the first few chapters a bit confusing – especially as the story introduced Jason, Kyne’s counterpart. It seemed like by the time he was introduced I was already supposed to know who he was. Once I figured it out, though, I was able to move forward with no problems. I liked the mechanism of shifting through dreams into another dimension, and the fact that instead of our world being the origin of the story and the characters traveling through to a fantasy realm, this world actually was the foreign world to Kyne and his family. I thought that was a cool way to make this concept a little different than the usual approach.

Another unusual touch is the cover art, which was created by the author’s children. I thought that was a creative way to draw kids into the creative process and involve them in having a novel published.

Overall the story reminded me a little bit of Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow by The Miller Brothers. It’s a light adventure story with strong spiritual elements.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A man pinches Kyne’s mother on her rear while she’s working as a waitress. Kyne’s grandfather immediately attacks the man and stops him from harassing her.

Spiritual Content
Kyne’s mother and grandfather refer to God as the One and make note to pray for His blessing. In times of trouble, characters sometimes stop and pray. A dragon shows up to help Kyne when he is in trouble.

A prince grows up with a terrible curse, in which anything he wishes for will come true. During his childhood, this gets him in a lot of trouble, because, as children do, he wishes for some things which turn out to be terrible and then he can’t undo them. Eventually he learns to use the power of his words to help others and promote peace, but it’s a hard-won lesson that doesn’t come easily.

Violent Content
Battle scenes show soldiers being shot down with arrows and run through with swords. That’s about the level of detail that the story goes into though.

Drug Content
None.

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

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A Wow-worthy Sequel: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

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

Shadow Scale
Rachel Hartman
Random House Children’s
Pubished March 10, 2015

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With war between dragons and humans exploding across Seraphina’s once-peaceful home, she vows to find the other gifted half-dragons and use their power to end the conflict. One of Seraphina’s would-be allies seems to have other loyalties. And unstoppable power.

Seraphina works to bring the isolated and fearful half-dragons out of hiding and teach them to operate as a team. Time is running out, however, as an army of dragons threatens to rain destruction down on Seraphina’s homeland. Alliances begin to unravel. A new, unpredictable saint dazzles the people, distracting them from the conflict at hand. In order to pull her own army together, Seraphina will have to understand and unleash the power she has buried inside herself.

The book begins with a clever note from a Goreddi historian summarizing the novel Seraphina, which precedes Shadow Scale. It’s a nice touch and brings readers up to speed nicely. Of course, since Seraphina is a whopping 499 pages, there are a lot of things that get left out. I read Seraphina just a few weeks ago, and I approached Shadow Scale wondering if I’d be able to enjoy it without the background of the first story. I think it could be done, but the second story is so much richer for having read both of them.

As her readers have come to expect, Hartman fills the pages of her tale with well-developed landscapes rich with history, culture and religion. I loved that the stories about the saints played a part in the grander plot. Though Seraphina is the main character, many other characters play important roles. They are well-developed and intriguing.

Readers who enjoyed Seraphina are very likely to enjoy this second book as well. Those who haven’t read Seraphina yet can still enjoy Shadow Scale, but I’d recommend reading Seraphina first. You’ll get a lot more out of the experience.

Profanity Content
none

Sexual Content
There’s a pretty intense kissing moment which seems like it could go further but the characters stop themselves, not wanting to be impulsive. There is a very brief girl-on-girl kiss. One culture uses a large number of pronouns to address its citizens, including a category for “emergent feminine.” It could be that Hartman means this as a way for transgender individuals to be more accurately addressed. It’s not deeply explored.

A dragon briefly discusses his hopes of being mated with another dragon in a conversation with Seraphina.

Spiritual Content
Citizens of Goredd worship a large collection of saints. The story often references various writings by different saints. In Porphyry, the people worship a god of chance and goddess of necessity.

Violence
Brief references to torture (no details.) In several scenes, dragons battle one another.

Drug Content
None.

Review: Two Renegade Realms by Donita K. Paul

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

Two Renegade Realms
Donita K. Paul
Zondervan/HarperCollins

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Cantor and Bixby have spent the last few years serving as Realm Walkers. They cross through portals to other worlds to keep peace and protect anyone in need. Now they join forces again to stop two realms on a collision course with their homeland. The Realm Walkers Guild stands mired in corruption, so Cantor and Bixby will find no allies or aid there. Instead they set out to locate Chomountain, a man supernaturally gifted by Primen. They will have to find and free Cho before their homes are destroyed.

While the first book in the Realm Walkers series had a middle grade feel, Two Renegade Realms begins later, with Cantor older, wiser and much taller. The story takes on more of a young adult tone though its content remains safe enough for younger eyes and ears. The characters and their quirks make for a warm cast.

Between the action sequences, characters shuffle through and rearrange hampers, which always seem to contain fresh, wonderful foods and useful items. They enjoy many picnics and meals together. While those scenes are cute, some of them feel like filler – not much is happening. Some of the conflicts resolve easily – once so easily that even the characters comment on how simple the solution was. Instead of the action and suspense building to a mountain peak as the story unfolds toward its climax, it has more of a slalom feel with conflict and resolution repeating through the course of the tale.

Fans of Cantor, Bixby and Bridger will enjoy following more of their story and seeing how their relationships with one another have changed since the earlier novel.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Cantor and his friends are devoted followers of Primen in a monotheistic religion similar to Christianity

Violence
Brief battle sequences and some instances of peril. No gory details.

Drug Content
None.

Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

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

The Hero and the Crown (Damar #2)
Robin McKinley
Open Road Integrated Media
Published November 18, 2014 (Orig. 1984)

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About The Hero and the Crown

Surrounded by royalty blessed with magical ability and rumors of her mother’s despised foreign ancestry, Aerin never felt at ease as the king’s daughter. Desperate to escape her loneliness, she befriends a retired war horse with a weak leg and stumbles onto an ancient recipe for a fireproof lotion. When rumor of a small dragon terrorizing pasture animals and children in a nearby village reaches Aerin’s ears, she decides to ride out from the castle alone and attack the beast herself.

Thus begins her reputation as a dragon-slayer, not a noble enterprise in her kingdom, but a place and an identity for Aerin. When a dragon emerges who is greater and more terrible than any she’s ever faced, Aerin bravely rides out to meet it. But the dragon proves to be only a small part of a grave evil which seeks to destroy her homeland forever. With a strange blond man from her dreams to guide her, Aerin begins another quest to save the people who do not love her from a threat they cannot understand.

My Review

I first read this story as a teenager and read it many times since. It’s been years since the last time I visited Damar and Aerin, so I was eager to see if the story was as great and engrossing as I remembered. It’s definitely still one of my favorites. I’d forgotten that there are some passages that leap from one point-of-view to another, causing some momentary confusion, but the characters are phenomenal. Aerin is the perfect misfit. Her horse, Talat, has enough character for three companions, and he doesn’t even speak! Great stuff.

As often happens in the way of fairy tale romances, Aerin has two admirers, one familiar and the other mysterious. For myself, I felt like there wasn’t enough virtue in the mysterious guy to make him worthy of her. He is powerful and handsome, but sort of aloof and selfish. I much preferred the other guy. The preference didn’t cheapen my experience reading the story, though.

Also – side note – I love the new cover!

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
Aerin spends nights with her traveling companion and accepts his invitation to “not sleep” one night. Their intimacy is hinted at but not described in any way.

Spiritual Content
Brief mentions of religious icons or priests of Aerin’s people. Many people claim that Aerin’s mother was a witch. (She was indeed a student of a mage.) Trouble from the north is referred to as demon mischief. It’s not precisely described as to whether it’s a creature or more of a spiritual problem.

Violence
Brief descriptions of battles between men and beasts.

Drug Content
Aerin hallucinates and suffers physical ailment after eating leaves from a surka tree.

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

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Review: Nihal of the Land of the Wind by Licia Troisi

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

Nihal of the Land of the Wind
Licia Troisi
Open Road Integrated Media
Published May 27, 2014

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Since she was a little girl, the only thing Nihal has wanted to be is a warrior. When a young sorcerer tricks her and wins her sword, Nihal begins to study magic for defense and healing purposes. Her instructor introduces her to a warrior who in turn begins to train Nihal and helps her gain entrance into the elite academy of warriors known as Dragon Riders.

Along the way Nihal discovers that she is the last of a once-great race of half-elves. The voices of her people and their cries for vengeance haunt her dreams. Nihal uses this fury and her iron will to bulldoze her way through training and into battle. When a mentor challenges her to leave her hate behind before entering the battlefield again, Nihal begins a new and unexpected journey, seeking life apart from her warrior identity. She must discover how to allow peace to transform her before she can return to war.

At first glance this story might seem like an echo of Christopher Paolini’s popular novel Eragon, but in fact it’s not. Though her dragon is a significant character, he appears for only a short part of the story, and it is not the instant bond one might expect it to be. Instead the relationship teaches Nihal about patience and compassion and that her strength of will alone won’t get her everything she wants.

Nihal is young and often focused on one goal to the exclusion of all else. Her friend Sennar sees her more clearly than she sees herself. Though their lives take them in very different directions, their closeness remains and even hints at possible romance (Troisi leaves readers in eager anticipation for a second book to explore this more fully.) Though there are some battle sequences, details are few and the story focuses more on Nihal’s journey to become a warrior, not only in training, but in heart as well. Readers who enjoy fantasy with emphasis on character development and relationships will enjoy this story.

Language Content
Mild profanity, infrequent usage.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Brief references to the lore and deities of the fantasy realm in which the story takes place.

Violence
Nihal goes into battle several times. No gory descriptions of battle wounds or death.

Drug Content
None.

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

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Review: One Realm Beyond by Donita K. Paul

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

One Realm Beyond
Donita K. Paul
Zondervan
Published January 28, 2014

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The day Cantor has been dreaming of has finally arrived: his mentors have released him to make the journey through a portal to a new realm and begin his training as a Realm Walker. A shape-shifting dragon and a wild-haired girl quickly join Cantor as they begin their first mission to free prisoners forced into military service. Though Cantor believes Realm Walkers should be just and good, he discovers many simply are not so. When he’s confronted with the depths of the depravity of those leading the Realm Walkers Guild, he cannot simply sit by while the corruption runs rampant, even if stopping them should cost his life.

While Cantor and Bixby are both fascinating and unique characters, the author’s prowess really shows in her creation of the dragon characters, Bridger and his sister Totobee-Rodolow, who put the fun and pizzazz in this tale. Though at first glance this may seem a heavy story for younger readers, Paul handles the battles and conflicts deftly, shielding the reader from unnecessarily gory details and focusing on character and story. Recommended for readers ages eight to fourteen.

Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Cantor and his friends serve the god Primen in a monotheistic religion similar to Christianity.

Violence
Brief references to physical violence. Cantor and his friends work to thwart a terrorist attack against council leaders. Details are vague and the attackers aren’t featured much.

Drug Content
Cantor and Bixby team up with a healer who uses various potions to patch their wounds.

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