The Oracle Review

237 pages

A year ago Darcy Pennington had no real friends. A year ago she’d thought that magic only existed in fairy tales. A year ago she would have laughed at the idea of other worlds. Then everything changed when she’d visited Cedar Cove Family Camp and stumbled into a magical gateway to a world called Alitheia. It is the summer before freshman year and Darcy and her five friends have come back to Cedar Cove Family Camp and Alitheia. This return is bittersweet because her elusive purpose in the magical realm continues to evade her. Egged on by Tellius, the boy prince she is prophesied to marry, Darcy rebels and impulsively “petitions” an entity called the Oracle and requests it give her information as to her purpose. In order to receive her answer she must travel to the Oracle, and so she embarks on a journey along with her friends and Yahto Veli, the nark. Too late she realizes her selfish entreaty has thrown the entire outcome of the prophecy itself into question and endangered everyone. Uncertainties mount between Darcy and her companions as they fight their way through enemy territory to locate the Oracle, and an unwelcome visitor from Cedar Cove adds a layer of mystery that none of them are prepared for. But the perils of the quest are nothing when compared to what lies in wait for her in the lair of the Oracle. There is a cost associated with every question asked– a cost that may be far greater than Darcy is willing to pay. And someone may choose to make the ultimate sacrifice to free her from it.

Review (ARC):
I'm really enjoying the progress that this series is making so far. Darcy is really growing as a character and becoming a more likable one. Even though Darcy is still relatively young, you can see her mindset becoming more mature. I think that the interaction between Darcy and Tellius is interesting to watch progress and grow. While Tellius and Darcy are still set firm on not marrying each other, you can see their dislike growing into a friendship. The rest of the characters have all grown in some way and I like that you can clearly get a sense of their changes. Even though this novel wasn't extremely full of action, the adventure was pretty exciting and fun. This novel explores more of the world of Alitheia and gives you a better view of life in other parts of that world. One thing I do have to say about this series is that the action tends to move quickly but not in a way to make the book less enjoyable. The ending definitely threw me for a little loop and I'm excited to read the next book in the series to see what happens next. I think that this series is definitely getting better and will turn out to be one of my more favorite fantasy series by far. I definitely recommend this if you've read The Six and just generally like a good fantasy series. 

Read More

Classic Monday: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

768 pages

Mixing a bit of seventeenth-century French history with a great deal of invention, Alexandre Dumas tells the tale of young D’Artagnan and his musketeer comrades, Porthos, Athos and Aramis. Together they fight to foil the schemes of the brilliant, dangerous Cardinal Richelieu, who pretends to support the king while plotting to advance his own power. Bursting with swirling swordplay, swooning romance, and unforgettable figures such as the seductively beautiful but deadly femme fatale, Milady, and D’Artagnan’s equally beautiful love, Madame Bonacieux, The Three Musketeers continues, after a century and a half of continuous publication, to define the genre of swashbuckling romance and historical adventure.

The Three Musketeers is one of those epic adventure novels that will always be exciting. There is a lot of action and cool fight scenes that make you forget that this novel is over 700 pages (the best ones are). Despite there being a few good Musketeer movies, and a few bad remakes, the novel itself will never get old. Classically speaking, this novel is definitely worth reading. 

Read More

Spark Review

Release date: July 17th, 2012
309 pages

Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her? In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end..

Review (ARC):
Wow. I thought Glow was good but Spark has completely amazed, frustrated and excited me! Waverly, Kieran, and Seth are back in this awesome second book in the Glow series. Each of these characters have been affected by the things that have happened to them and changed in several ways. I liked Waverly in this book because while she's always been a pretty strong character, she gets even stronger in this novel. I felt so bad for Waverly for most of this novel because she was being unfairly blamed for things she had no control over. I've really developed a dislike for Kieran as the novel's have progressed as his insecurities and paranoia make him become more unlikeable as the books go on. I wasn't too sure how I felt about Seth at the beginning of this novel, but by the end I was impressed by the changes in him and the decisions he makes. There was a lot of action in this novel and an interesting mystery to be solved that just keeps this novel interesting and fun to read. The ending definitely left me more than a little frustrated, but I can't wait to see what happens next to the characters in this book. I definitely recommend this novel if you've read Spark and just like great dystopian/ science fiction novels.

Read More

Once Review

368 pages

When you're being hunted, who can you trust? For the first time since she escaped from her school many months ago, Eve can sleep soundly. She's living in Califia, a haven for women, protected from the terrifying fate that awaits orphaned girls in The New America. But her safety came at a price: She was forced to abandon Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. When Eve gets word that Caleb is in trouble, she sets out into the wild again to rescue him, only to be captured and brought to the City of Sand, the capital of The New America. Trapped inside the City walls, Eve uncovers a shocking secret about her past--and is forced to confront the harsh reality of her future. When she discovers Caleb is alive, Eve attempts to flee her prison so they can be together--but the consequences could be deadly. She must make a desperate choice to save the ones she loves . . . or risk losing Caleb forever.

Review:
This book was definitely not the follow-up that I expected but it still made for one awesome story. I was really surprised by the almost immediate twist to Eve's story that was thrown our way. It definitely made the story a more interesting one. I thought that Eve had grown a lot but she still hadn't learned much especially about being cautious. Sometimes I felt frustrated with Eve because her decisions didn't always seem thought through. However, I absolutely loved Eve's romance with Caleb even though they had a lot of obstacles in their way. More about the world that Eve has grown up in is revealed in this novel and it explains quite a lot about the reasons behind most things. I definitely did not expect this novel to end the way that it did and I'm eagerly anticipating the next book in this trilogy. I absolutely recommend this novel but you should read the first novel, Eve, before reading this one.

Read More

The Drowned Cities Review

437 pages

In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man--a bioengineered war beast named Tool--who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

Review:
This was a nice follow up to Ship Breaker. While this was set in the same world it was still a completely different stories with mostly new characters. I liked the fact that I was able to see more of who Tool really is in this novel. While Tool is for the most part seemingly extremely callous, there is more to his nature than is first apparent. Mahlia is an interesting new character who develops a lot as a person in this novel. Mahlia starts out as someone who only cares about preserving herself but she learns to care more about the survival of others. This book is extremely gritty and delves into the mindset of those in a war-torn society. The world here is harsh and unforgiven and that part of it is greatly explored in this novel. I really enjoyed reading this book and even though the ending does leave you in a bit of a shock I think that the author did a fabulous job on making this novel feel real despite being set in a dystopian future. I definitely recommend this novel to those who have read Ship Breaker and even those who haven't because this story can stand on its own.

Read More