The Bride’s Farewell by Meg Rosoff

 

I have just finished an amazing book.

It is part fairy tale, part love story. It is a cross between Charles Dickens and Lemony Snicket. It is part Brothers Grimm and part historical melodrama.

In other words, it is unclassifiable.

I am speaking of The Bride’s Farewell, the new novel by the New York Bestselling, Carnigie Award Winning author Meg Rosoff. This is her fourth novel for young adults, but even there I would say that genre does not suit her.

Meg’s novels are for young adults in that they feature a younger cast of characters. But the themes her books deal with are much more adult; incredibly darker and moodier than most juvenile fiction published today.

Her first novel, How I Live Now, featured a young girl and her cousin that have survived a bombing in a future not unlike ours; and fell in love. Her second novel, Just In Case, concerns a boy who, to escape Fate, reinvents himself; he even imagines an invisible dog for himself that other people can see. Her third novel, What I Was, can be described as a boarding house love story between two boys.

Quite obviously, Meg Rosoff never writes the same book twice.

I was eagerly awaiting to see what Meg Rosoff would give us with The Bride’s Farewell. I wondered what the setting would be. In Rosoff’s novels, the characters and the place around them play equally important roles.

She is a beautiful storyteller. For me, she seems to have written each of her books carefully, choosing each word so that it feels right. Though her books may be short in length (each of her four novels are around the 200 something page count), the emotion and the power in her novels makes the books feel stronger, somehow; more vibrant.

I’m always a little nervous when I begin a Meg Rosoff novel. Since no two stories are the same, I wonder where she is going to take me; what story she is going to tell. Her novels remind me of the novel in verse books written by Ellen Hopkins. Though Rosoff writes in prose, her books mirror Hopkins’ in that they always present us with stories that are engaging, beautifully written and emotionally charged. And each time you open one of their novels you wonder where you are going to end up.

When I read a Meg Rosoff novel, I treat the book as if I am pursuing a gem. So clearly I had high expectations for The Bride’s Farewell. Meg Rosoff’s new novel has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2009.

I am delighted to say that I was not disappointed in the least. 

Quite the contrary, in fact. I think that The Bride’s Farewell is Rosoff’s best book to date. It concerns sixteen year old Pell Ridley who runs away from her home on her wedding day in the year of eighteen hundred and fifty something.

She leaves home with only her horse Jack and her brother Bean, a boy who does not speak. What she returns with is so much more.

I won’t say any more of the plot then that, only to say that you should experience the story as I did. Meg Rosoff writes novels that are not just merely read; they are explored. Each page brings you deeper into the story of Pell and what happens to her that, by the end, you will never want to leave her world. 

Ultimately, The Brides Farewell is really about three things: It is about family and courage. And the incredible power of love.

Through stunning words, vivid imagery, Meg Rosoff has given us a delightful historical novel that reminds us of something important.

She reminds us that we cannot get where we are going, if we do not remember where we came from.

Though the book may seem grim at times, The Bride’s Farewell is ultimately a joyous novel about the search for who we are and the happiness we find at discovering our place in the world.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

 

By now, everyone knows the story of Harry Potter, the orphaned boy sent to live with his horrible aunt and uncle. When he finds out that he is a wizard on his eleventh birthday, his world changes forever, and not necessarily for the better.

While at first Harry is able to get away from the horrible existence he has with the Dursleys, the wizarding world has its own dark secrets underneath the surface that soon come to light.

Each book in the series has grown in size and in darkness, depth of story and character detail. Harry’s sixth year at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is no exception. In fact, this may be his darkest year yet.

At the end of Harry’s fourth year, detailed in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” Lord Voldemort had returned to life, regaining power and strength once more. At the end of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the second war had begun and no Witch or Wizard was safe.

At the beginning of “Half-Blood Prince,” two weeks after the ending of “Order of the Phoenix,” Harry is waiting for Albus Dumbledore to collect him at the Dursleys. While Harry is keen to leave, there is something inside him that doesn’t believe he will be able to escape the prison of the Dursleys after only two weeks. Harry is wrong, however, and is soon leaving number four Privet Drive after his shortest stay yet.

After helping Dumbledore bring a new teacher on staff, Horace Slughorn, Dumbledore takes Harry to the Burrow where he is to live out the rest of his summer with the Weasleys. Before entering the Burrow, however, Dumbledore informs Harry that he would like to have private lessons with him this year. When Harry presses Dumbledore on what he is going to be learning this year, Dumbledore is vague, but Harry suspects it has to do with the prophecy he heard the year before: “Neither can live while the other survives…”

With Dumbledore’s private lessons on the horizon, two new staff appointments and Lord Voldemort alive and wreaking havoc on the Muggle and Wizarding world alike, it looks as if Harry’s sixth year will be his most exciting – and dangerous – yet…

Of course, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the plot of this book. To go into further detail would ruin the book for the one or two people in the world who still haven’t read “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” For those people, I say only this: What are you waiting for?

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” actually topped my previous favorite book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and that’s saying something. While I found “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” to lag in places and a bit too long, I found “The Half-Blood Prince” to zoom along at lightning quick pace. I was finished the book before I knew it and wondered, vaguely, where the rest of it was. Surely, the book couldn’t just end like that, could it?

“Half-Blood Prince” is the best book in the series so far. It’s got action, danger, laughs, love, a painful death; all the things that make fiction great. As well, character development is at an all time high. Gone is surly, angry Harry. The Harry we know and love is back. All the characters are growing up; they are now sixteen years of age.

Though some reviewers didn’t care for the kissing scenes, I felt that they lent a realism to the character development. Rowling is letting her characters grow up along with the readers, instead of having them remain static. This should be heralded instead of looked down upon.

I read the book three times in a row before I felt sated enough to put it down. I figured I had waited two years for this book and I was going to read it as many times as I wanted, thank you very much. Now, with another two year wait for the conclusion to what are the best books I have ever read, I can only wonder this: What will happen next? Only time will tell…

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling

 

Everyone who has read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows knows about The Tales of Beedle the Bard. A story from the book, The Tale of the Three Brothers, was a pivotal plot point in the novel and a very important clue for Harry as he tried to defeat Lord Voldemort.

Last year, as a way to thank those personally involved with the success of the Harry Potter books, JK Rowling gave out six hand printed leather bound books of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The seventh was auctioned off to Amazon.

Amazon posted in depth reviews of each of the stories and posted pictures of the gorgeous book bound in brown leather and decorated with semiprecious stones. That was the closest that most of us came to The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Fans despaired about not having their own copy of the newest book in the Harry Potter canon.

Then, earlier this year, JK Rowling gave announced that The Tales of the Beedle Bard would be published for the public. Not only would fans be able to now have the much sought after book but all proceeds would go to The Children’s High Level Group, a charity which Rowling founded and helps children in need of a voice.

To say that I, along with millions of other fans, were ecstatic would be putting it mildly. A new Harry Potter book when we all thought it was over. A new Harry Potter book a year after the series had ended, leaving fans what they were going to read now.

Finally, this month, the wait was over. On December 4^th, Harry Potter fans were able to buy the book that they had been lusting after for so long: The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I know that I could think of nothing else all day at work except getting my hands on a copy. After work I rushed to the bookstore and bought a copy, hardly believing that I held it in my hands.

Right off, I knew that I was in for something special. The gorgeous blue cover with JK Rowling’s illustrations just cries out to be read. However, it wasn’t until I arrived home that I allowed myself to read The Tales of Beedle the Bard; and what incredible tales they are.

In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, there are five stories:

The Wizard and the Hopping Pot: A wizard learns a lesson about helping others.

The Fountain of Fair Fortune: Three Witches and a Knight learn that we are responsible for our own fortune.

The Warlocks Hairy Heart: A warlock learns that disaster looms when you close your heart to others.

Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump: A foolish man learns that even magic can not bring the dead back to life.

The Tale of the Three Brothers:  Three brothers learn that it is not wise to tease death.

Each story is truly a wonder of storytelling. Indeed, I enjoyed the stories in The Tales of Beedle the Bard far more than I enjoy the Brothers Grimm. There are several reasons for this but chief among them is the fact that The Tales of Beedle the Bard are far less dark and, though sometimes violent and startling, the stories never fail to charm and captivate.

What is perhaps most incredible about The Tales of Beedle the Bard are the notes made by Professor Dumbledore on each story.

Written eighteen months before his death, the notes are included in The Tales of Beedle the Bard and are incredibly insightful and wonderfully humorous. The notes also give you more insight into some characters from the series and some pivotal plot points.

Insightful, humorous, captivating and charming, The Tales of Beedle the Bard are at once an incredible addition to the Harry Potter canon and the world of literature. As I read The Tales of Beedle the Bard for a sixth time, I am reminded of something I had forgotten.

Magic does exist. All you have to do is open a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard and fall under its spell.

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

 

Everyone knows the story of Anne of Green Gables: A plucky orphan girl who comes to Prince Edward Island after being adopted by the stern but loving Marilla and her brother Mathew Cuthbert.

Anne is eleven when she comes to Prince Edward Island to be adopted. Mathew Cuthbert, having driven most of the day to the train station to pick up a boy they wanted to adopt, is shocked to find a red haired, freckled girl waiting for him instead.

Not wanting to crush the girl’s tender spirit by telling her she is not wanted, Mathew takes her home and hopes that Marilla will tell her instead. But, things do not go according to plan. Despite plans to send Anne back and get the boy they wanted to replace her, they decide to let Anne stay if she is willing to prove herself.

Thus begins one of the most beloved novels of all time. It is indeed beloved the world over and has been translated into several languages and has never once been out of print since its initial publication in January of 1908.

Having been a long time fan of the movies starring Megan Follows, I had never had the pleasure of reading the actual book. I thought I knew all there was to know about Anne Shirley and her story. Thankfully, I was very wrong indeed.

While looking for something to read in a local bookstore, I saw a display that intrigued me. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Anne of Green Gables, the display held copies of two books: Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson, an authorized prequel and a collector’s edition of Anne of Green Gables. I bought the two books immediately.

In them, I knew I would find a piece of the childhood that I hadn’t been able to have, that I hadn’t experienced. I knew that inside those pages, I would be able to discover something wonderful.

I read Anne of Green Gables first and I wasn’t disappointed. The collector’s edition is a facsimile of the book from when it was first published in 1908 complete with original spelling mistakes and punctuation errors. However, I never saw the errors.

All I was able to do was lose myself in the wonderful, amazing story of Anne of Green Gables. What makes the story so magical I think is it’s wonder, it’s abundant joy. Anne is a remarkable protagonist and from the moment we meet her, we feel for her, ache for her. She is real.

I think that Anne is the child within all of us. As I read Anne of Green Gables (and Before Green Gables) I fell more deeply in love with Anne. She is the embodiment of joy and is just as lovable today as she was one hundred years ago.

When Lucy Maud Montgomery penned Anne of Green Gables, I don’t think even she knew how well the book would do, how much people would grow to love it. I doubt she knew that it would be read by generation after generation for a hundred years.

For me, Anne of Green Gables was sheer delight and pure magic. As I read her story I was transported to another time, another place.

As fresh today as it was a hundred years ago, Anne of Green Gables is a literary treat and perhaps the most enjoyable book I have read in years. I know that I will be reading Anne’s story again and again in the years to come.

For every time I open the book, Anne’s spirit comes alive.

 

 

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning by James Patterson

Maximum Ride is a very special girl.

For one thing, she can fly. Her and five other children (Fang, Angel, Nudge, Iggy and Gazzy) have been genetically altered so that two percent of their DNA is avian. What does this mean? It means that they are able to fly.

In their newest adventure, the flock face their most harrowing nemesis yet. The evil Uber Director, part man and part machine, wants to capture the flock and sell them to the highest bidder.

Unaware of the Uber Directors plans, the flock have problems of their own. The U.S. Government has stepped in and wants to protect them but study them at the same time. The flock wants no part in this; they want freedom and the chance to be like any other kid in the world.

Max’s mother, Dr. Martinez, has a plan. She sends them to work with a group of doctors and scientists in Antarctica. They are studying the effects of Global Warming and feel that the flock could be a great asset to their fight for the planet.

There are also other problems to deal with, however. Max is struggling with her growing feelings for Fang. She loves him but won’t admit it to herself. She also doesn’t know if Fang feels the same way. Added to that, each member of the flock has developed a new ability. The flock seems to be mutating on its own. They are unsure how this is happening or what it means for the flock.

Tragedy strikes when one of the researchers is revealed to be a spy. Max realizes that they are no longer safe and that they will have to prepare to fight for their lives….

The Final Warning is the fourth in the best selling young adult Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It follows the first three books: The Angel Experiment, Schools Out-Forever and Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports. I love these books and have read them countless times.

Though written for young adults, the Maximum Ride series are for kids of all ages. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth, and I assumed, final chapter in the Maximum Ride saga. I figure that with a title like The Final Warning, the book would be an incredible cap off to an amazing series.

I was wrong. Though the book is amazing and runs along at a break neck pace, it seems there is no end in sight for Maximum Ride and her flock. I was expecting a concrete ending and what I got was a lose ending that leaves everything open for another book. That’s not a bad thing, though. Personally I can’t wait for another Maximum Ride adventure.

I have only two minor complaints about the book. First, it’s far too short. The three previous books clock in at well over four hundred pages. The Final Warning only clocks in at a little over two hundred pages and all the books are the same price. I figure if I’m getting half the book, it should be half the price.

The second major complaint has to do with the Global Warming sub plot. While I applaud Patterson for putting a very sound environmental message in the book, the message doesn’t go anywhere. The flock don’t do anything to help stop Global Warming and instead are reduced to mouthpieces, sprouting off enough info on Global Warming to fill an environmental dissertation.

I would love to have seen the plot go beyond what has already been established: We meet the Villain, we meet the Hero/Heroine, the Villain and Hero/Heroine meet, and the Hero/Heroine wins. There was so much potential for a mind-blowing book that I don’t think was achieved here.
That’s not to say that The Final Warning is a bad book; far from it. It’s a fantastic read and you’ll be able to finish it off in a day or two of fast paced reading. It’s great candy for the mind and will leave you wanting more. It’s a great book for a rainy weekend where all you want to do is fly off and have an adventure of your own.

Not Patterson’s best effort, but still great nonetheless. I know that I’ll be waiting for the next Maximum Ride novel to come out. In the meantime, I’ll just have to read the first three all over again.

 

 

Skulduggery Pleasant – Playing With Fire by Derek Landy

Stephanie Edgley has been having a rough time as of late.

After her uncle’s death, twelve-year-old Stephanie meets Skulduggery Pleasant, a fast-talking, snappy dressing detective who just happens to be a walking, talking skeleton. He tells Stephanie that she is directly descendant from the Ancients, people who used control magic.

Under Skulduggery’s tutelage, Stephanie’s skills have grown. She is an Elemental, able to control Air, Earth, Water and Fire to her will. While still not as skilled as Skulduggery, she’s getting better. Which is a good thing; she’s going to need all her skills for a new evil that is threatening the world.

Evil sorcerer, Baron Vengeous, has hatched a plan to bring back the Faceless Ones; Gods who ruled the Earth with dark magic and great cruelty. Stephanie and Skulduggery previously defeated the Baron’s boss, the horrible Serpine. But the Baron has a surprise in store for our hero’s far nastier than Serpine.

The Baron plans to resurrect the Grotesquery. Part man, part Frankenstein mishmash of mythical creatures and all evil. If brought back to life, the Grotesquery will call the Faceless Ones back to earth and then everyone will be done for.

Skulduggery and Stephanie will need all their magic, all their allies, to defeat this most monstrous of enemies.

And they only have three days to do it.

I am a huge fan of Landy’s first Skulduggery book. I’ve given copies out to friends and family and have told everyone I know about it. It was one of my favourite books of 2007.

It was funny, fun, frantic and incredibly fantastic. It was also self-contained. So, needless to say, I was a little worried about a second book in the series though extremely excited at the same time. Would Playing With Fire be just as funny, as fast paced and fun?

The answer is a loud and resounding yes. In fact, Playing With Fire is better than Landy’s first offering. Landy manages to write a dark gothic fantasy that is laugh out loud funny and also incredibly original, fresh and new.

Landy has managed to do something that many authors have not: transcend genres. While this is first and foremost a young adult fantasy, it’s also a noir comedy and can be read by young adults and adults alike.

Landy is a talented writer and has managed to create characters we care about. The relationship between Skulduggery and Stephanie is comic, yes, but also extremely touching. It’s a rare and talented author that can make us laugh in one sentence and then pull our heartstrings in another.

Playing With Fire is an incredible, amazing treat and one hell of a read. It’s also the best young adult book I’ve read in years. If you haven’t read Skulduggery Pleasant, the first book in the series, do so. Then read Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire. You won’t be sorry.

In fact, you’ll be left begging for more. 

 

 

Seekers: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter

 

What would you do if everything you knew was taken away from you? What would you do if you were forced to survive against all odds? Three bears must do just that in Erin Hunters fantastic new novel, Seekers: The Quest Begins.

Kallik is a polar bear. Strong willed and curious, she and her brother Taqqiq are travelling with their mother Nissa across the great icy plains of the Arctic. They are trying to reach land before the ice melts so that they will be able to survive in the wild for the warmer months. Kallik longs to be strong, just like her mother.

Lusa is a black bear. She lives with her mother and father in a zoo enclosure and is curious about the world outside her cage. Her father, King, once lived in the wild but he won’t tell her anything about it. She longs to know what the wild is like, longs to experience life in the wild for herself and not feel trapped.

Toklo is a grizzly. He wanders with his mother Oka and his brother Tobi through the forest, trying to stay out of the way of other bears and humans. Toklo resents his younger brother Tobi as he is very sick. He wonders if his mother loves Tobi more than he loves him. He longs to prove to Oka that he is a real bear, a strong bear, unlike his sickly brother.

When tragedy strikes in three very different ways, Kallik, Lusa and Toklo are forced to care for themselves in the wild. More than that, the three bear cubs are being brought together to fulfill a destiny that none of them could have ever imagined possible…

Following the phenomenal success of her Warriors series, featuring clans of cats in a struggle for power, Erin Hunter changes focus and enters the realms of fantasy fiction with Seekers: The Quest Begins.

Seekers: The Quest Begins is an incredible read. I was preparing myself for the average talking animal book where the animals are cute and the conflict is resolved and we have a happy Disney like ending. Not so in Seekers: The Quest Begins. There is violence within these pages and the threats are very, very real.

This makes the story of the three bear cubs heading towards destiny all the more exciting. As a reader, we really get a feel for what it is like to be a bear, to live in the wild, to constantly have to fight for food and nourishment, to survive in a barren landscape. Hunter has done the undoable: given us an understanding of the true life of bears.

At first, I was worried that Seekers: The Quest Begins would be a cheap rip off of Brian Jacques Redwall series. Again, I was proven wrong. Those that compare the two are comparing apples and oranges. Seekers: The Quest Begins does have talking animals but the similarities end there.
Erin Hunter has actually made bears seem more human but without losing their ferocity, their wildness. She has given us three strong protagonists in Kallik, Lusa and Toklo and I found myself rooting for them, cheering for them. I didn’t expect to become attached to three bear cubs but by the end of Seekers: The Quest Begins, I feel like I know these bears.

That is the true power of Hunters writing. She presents us with animals who are somehow so human we can’t help but fall in love with them but she never lets us forget that they aren’t human, that they have worries beyond anything we could imagine. It takes a very talented writer to balance this fine edge and Hunter does this with aplomb.

Seekers: The Quest begins is a fantastic adventure that leaves me hungering for more. If you’re looking for a great read to start your summer off right, look no further; Seekers: The Quest Begins will leave you breathless.

 

 

 

 

 

James by L. Diane Wolfe

James: Circle of Friends Book Three
By: L. Diane Wolfe

Author Site: http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/ 

Author Blog: http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/

James is a young man who is lost within himself. Growing up with an abusive father, James doesn’t let too many people into his life. In order not to think about the past, he focuses on other things diligently: school, work. But, though lost, he longs of having someone love him; of giving someone his heart and receiving theirs in return.When his current girlfriend cheats on him, James despairs of ever finding someone who is honest, down to earth and caring. His friend Lori sets him up with a shy girl named Maria and the two hit it off instantly. Both being photographers, they find common ground and their relationship begins to blossom.

Other relationships not well, however. James father Ben informs him that if James does not come to collect his belongings, he will throw them out. James goes to collect his things, marvelling at his step mother’s willingness to stay with his abusive father.
Lynn has always loved James like her own son and has been a real mother to him. He can’t stand the idea of Ben hurting her.

James knows that if he didn’t have Maria’s love, life would be unbearable. Despite all the secrets of his past, Maria is a light in the darkness for him. James strives to do well for himself and Maria inspires him to do even better.

But when something life changing happens, will Maria and James survive? Will their relationship crumble around them or will they face their problems head on and come out stronger in the end?

My meagre plot summary doesn’t even come close to recounting the gripping plot of this amazing novel. While James is essentially the story of one young man, it is also a study of relationships: mother and son, father and son, boyfriend and girlfriend. It is a study of the depth of the human heart and the choices we make in our lives.

What makes this novel so incredible is its realism. Wolfe deftly manages to draw you into the story and makes you care for these characters. You ache for James and Maria. You want James’ father to love him. You will fall in love with these characters and never want the book to end. I guarantee it.

Also interwoven with the incredible story is an important message: Never give up on your dreams. Everyone holds the power to succeed at whatever they dream as long as they believe in themselves. Normally I find inspirational fiction to be preachy, but James is far from it. James is a life changing novel that will have you examining your life with new eyes and reaching out to those you love to let them know how much they mean to you.

Thankfully, the story continues in Mike: Circle of Friends Book Four. Though these novels are all part of a series, you can read them on your own. You will want to read the rest of them though, again and again. James is, by far, one of the best books I have ever read. It made me laugh; cry, cheer and the ending left me spellbound.

If you read this incredible novel, L. Diane Wolfe will become your new favourite author. Trust me on this. Become part of The Circle of Friends. You’ll never want to leave.

The Rock of Realm by Lea Schizas

The Rock of Realm

By Lea Schizas

Star Publish Books, 2005

http://leaschizaseditor.tripod.com 

Life is exceedingly normal for fourteen year old Alex Stone. She has to clean up her dogs mess, get a ride to school from old Ms. Harris who shouldn’t be allowed on the road and babysit Ms. Harris’ grandchildren after school against her will. Life could not possibly be any worse. Could it?

As it turns out, it could. Alex, frustrated with her life and the boredom of it, wishes she were Queen in anEnchanted Forest. She dreams of wizards and knights in shining amour and wishes that she were something special. What Alex doesn’t realize however is that wishes have an annoying habit of being granted.

Walking through Greendale park with her best friend Sarah Breckninridge, Alex is hit on the head with a small, pink rock. It glitters in the moonlight and Alex is perturbed by it. Things get odder still when Sarah finds a small pouch near where Alex found the rock. The pouch is filled with a handful of glittering, gold dust.

 

Sarah tries to make fun of Alex’s wish for the fantastical, throwing dust around them like rain. Growing frustrated with her friend, Alex throws some of the gold dust in the air, reciting a passage she knows by heart:

“Glitter I toss, safely I will cross, into your realm it will lead, evil digress, the Queen I am to thee.” 

With these words, Alex has no idea that her life is about to change forever. A mysterious wind starts up and wails around them, the two girls hardly even able to see each other. When the wind clears, they are no longer in Greendale Park. Instead, they have entered the mysterious world of Rock Kingdom.

They come upon a talking tree who tells Alex that she must have the Rock of Realm in her hand and that only the enchanted ones can possess its magic. Alex, feeling a touch of fear at the words, doesn’t realize her life is about to change forever….

 

The Rock of Realm is, without a doubt, the most engaging fantasy I have read in years. I’ve long stayed away from the fantasy genre. Lately it seems to be cookie cutter books; the same story with different characters all going on the same kinds of quests. This is especially true of young adult fantasy. Since the dawn of the Age of Harry Potter, too many authors have tried to ride the coat tails of Harry’s successes.

 

I’m glad to say that The Rock of Realm rides no one’s coat tails and is just as engaging as and indeed fresher than the Harry Potter books. Perhaps it is the Harry Potter books that ride The Rock of Realms coat tails?

 

 

Right away, you know you are in for a treat. While this is the usual story of a girl in a strange world with magical powers, Schizas gives the old tale quite a few twists. Nothing is what it seems and just when you think you have the story figured out is when Schizas takes another incredible turn and twists the story into something new and incredible.

 

What I love about The Rock of Realm are the characters. Alex and Sarah are so real and so grounded that you could swear that you have known these two girls all of your life. Alex is a strong protagonist who confronts dangers and magic head on and Sarah is a worthy sidekick. Alex’s dog Butch (and Butch’s pet squirrel Pops) who both talk are excellent for comic relief and keep the story from becoming too dark.

 

By the end of the novel, you care for these characters, you ache for them, and you cheer for them. This book has everything you need for an excellent story: a battle of good versus evil, magic and strange worlds, darkness that creeps out of shadows, talking animals and, most importantly, the strength of the human heart. It would not be going to far to say that The Rock of Realm is a life changing book. This is how fantasy should be written.

 

If you haven’t read The Rock of Realm yet, I don’t know what you’re waiting for. The novel is a light, fun and enjoyable romp through an unknown land that will leave you spellbound. You will want to read The Rock of Realm first to yourself and then to your kids. And then once more, just for the sheer enjoyment of it.

 

A fantastic book and one that should be considered a classic. If you haven’t read it yet, why are you still reading my review? Read and enjoy, you won’t be sorry.

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

I started this book the other night looking for something different to read; boy is it ever! It’s a stunningly beautiful work that his harrowing but gorgeous.

Fifteen year old Daisy goes to live with her cousins in England after her fathers new wife grows tired of her. Despondant, Daisy is sad at leaving New York, but when she arrives in England, she finds comfort in her cousins and her Aunt. She starts to form a life for herself and adapts to her new surroundings.

But there is trouble on the horizion. The New War has come and the country is thrown into turmoil. Bombs go off and her Aunt is unable to come back to care for them. They only have themselves, and must learn to survive in a now hostile environment.

Daisy is shocked when she begins to fall in love with her cousin Edmond. She is further shocked when he returns her love. Their love, though unusual, helps them survive in a barren place where they only have each other.

This book is incredible! It’s written in a roaming narrivite with no quotations around speech so you can really get into Daisy’s head; indeed, it’s as if she’s talking right to you.

I know that I’ll finish this in under two days; it’s big print and not too long so I will be done all too quickly. Thankfully, I have her second novel Just In Case ready to go.

If you haven’t read HOW I LIVE NOW, pick it up. It’s one of those books that blind sides you and shows you what good fiction is all about.