Book Review: Firebrand by Gillian Philip

Firebrand is an amazingly thrilling tale about two brothers exiled from their home world.
This story starts with the main protagonist Seth telling his story: his mother is in a high place of power as is his dad. His mother and father split up for they are not connected in soul. In the realm Seth lives, the world of the Sithe a realm beyond the veil, marriage and love is thrown around. If you wish to marry you must be connected by soul otherwise you can live and mate with whomever you please; there is no "cheating on" in this world. Women in this world are also more battleborn: women tend to be warriors or blacksmiths. Our story begins with Seth living with his father who ignores him in every way. He has no friends at this time and his only companion is his brother Conal, the "good" brother for lack of a better word. The first few chapters are the story of Seth and Conal growing as people and the pain as well as love that grows between them. After some time, the real story begins when Conal is exiled from his world to the world across the veil, the Overworld, at the end of the sixteenth century. The Overworld is the world of mortals - a world of death, darkness and dismay as in this world Sithe are burned at the stake.

Firebrand is an amazing book full of thrilling action, enticing romance, and depressing sorrow. It is a fun thrilling book that will keep you at the edge of your seat for each minute you read it. The first time I started reading it, two hours and ten chapters went by before I realized what time it was. I recommend this book for anyone into fantasy or just looking for a good book to read.

-Zane the Awesome

Book Review: Gravity by Melissa West

What I liked about this book is that the aliens are interesting and different.  Ok, of course, they are different but these have some unique features and characteristics plus they need humans to continue living.   Good descriptions make it even more interesting.  Gravity by Melissa West is a Taking Novel which refers to Ancients (aliens) taking from humans the substance they need to live.  Humans are required to wear a sleeping mask during this process and must not peek. 

Ari, the heroine is especially talented in warfare and trained in Special Ops by her father.  As an alien spy Jackson wants to learn all he can from her and other humans.  At the same time Ari and Jackson are trying to prevent a war between the Ancients and humans.  Ari will do what she can even if she must betray her father.  The planet Loge needs the  earth and its people. 

I am looking forward to the second book Hover and answers to many questions that came to mind. 

Pawn by Aimee Carter

This book intrigued me when I first read the description on the back cover. It has a strong female character, Kitty Doe, who I instantly loved on the first page of reading. Before I go any further, you have to understand that this is another , yes, another dystopian novel.  It has a similar theme to Divergent in that everyone in society is ranked after taking a test at age seventeen. They are branded on their necks with a number from I-VII to show their level in society. Kitty can't read and unfairly is ranked a III. She looks a lot like Lila Hart, the daughter of the Prime Minister (This story takes place in Washington D.C.---no President??). She's given the opportunity to live in misery as a III forced to leave the people she loves or join the most powerful family in the country as a VII taking the place of Lila Hart, who has died under mysterious circumstances. Of course Kitty agrees, but then finds out there is a catch. Lila secretly fostered a rebellion and Kitty agrees with it. If she doesn't play her part, her boyfriend, Benjy, will be killed. She's also slated to marry Knox, "Lila's" fiance in six months. He's a very likeable guy. Kitty, as Lila, becomes a pawn in the political intrigues of the Hart family. There are so many twists and turns in this story. The characters are great and Lila as Kitty is constantly faced with decisions of what is the right choice. Will the pawn, the weakest piece that takes the brunt of the attack, move forward against impossible odds, and become the most powerful piece in the game? Read and find out.

If You Want to Be a Hero...

Then you need to check out The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy.  Although this may be more of a "what not to do" guide. 

So it turns out that Prince Charming doesn't like to be called Charming.  None of them do.  They have names, you know.  Gustav, Duncan, Liam, and Frederick are the princes from the stories the troubadours tell - the stories named after the princesses.  They're not happy about being religated to a side note in the stories and they're not quite living happily ever after.  In fact, nothing seems to be going their way.  Which is a pity, since an evil witch has decided to cause a lot of trouble across all the kingdoms.  Even though they don't much like each other initially, the princes are going to have to band together and, well, save the kingdoms. 

This hilarious romp through fairy tales is a fun read.  The princes are flawed, but I couldn't help but like them anyway.  They do some growing up on their wacky adventures, but there's no high-handed moral lectures.  And the princesses are well-written characters in their own right - one is down-right bratty, but the rest are seeking adventure and trying to help those around them.  Also, the villians are fantastic, like the best kind of cartoon villians.  I love the Bandit King.  He's deliciously bad, but not in the ways you expect.  If you like this book, don't forget its sequel:  The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle.  Rumor has it that a third book is on its way as well!

~ Book Ninja

P.S.  Did I mention the fun pictures?  There's fun pictures!

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde

It's almost Halloween, and my mind always turns to dark suburban streets, and the rattle of dry leaves blown by the first cold wind of the season.  We all love creepy stories because we never think it could happen to us.  That's what Kerry thought too, and no good deed goes unpunished.  When Kerry's little brother asks her to go get the teddy bear he forgot at the laundromat, she figures the worst that could happen is a scolding from her father. Sure it was eleven'o'clock at night, and she didn't have permission to take the car, but it's just the laundromat.

When Kerry walks in, the laundromat is deserted and creepy, but she finds the teddy bear and turns to go.  Then a group of thugs burst through the door with a boy about Kerry's age, tied up and bleeding. Once they notice Kerry, they take her prisoner too while they try to determine is she's "one of them." One of what Kerry isn't sure, until they pull out Bibles and start talking about waiting until dawn.  They think the boy is a vampire, and they plan to kill him.  And Kerry too if she can't convince them she's human.  And that's just chapter one.  Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde is about making bad choices, falling in with dangerous people, and how hard it can be to tell a truth from a lie.  Plus, there's kidnapping, murder, and maybe a vampire.  These are a few of my favorite things.  Happy reading.
~ gothbrarian

Superhuman Immortals in Space!

Garth Nix's newest book, A Confusion of Princes, is a exhilerating space opera.  The main character, Khemri, is a Prince.  Which is pretty awesome as far as Khemri's concerned, except there's thousands of Princes in the intergalactic empire.  And he just discovered that they're all out to kill each other.  Khemri is going to have to work hard and stay ever-vigilant if he wants to survive.  He's got a lot of learning to do in a very short amount of time.  To make matters more complicated, he's also sent on a secret mission, so now even more people want to kill him, but for different reasons.  On top of all that, he's finding out that there's a lot of secrets and lies in the Empire - and a lot of them have to do with the Princes and their Priests and the Imperial Mind and Khemri himself. 

I want to tell you more because this book is so good, but everything else would be spoilers.  So read it - it's fantastic!

~ Book Ninja

Robin Hood Gets Angsty

Okay, I admit it.  Technically, the main character of Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen is Will Scarlet, who is actually a girl in this telling.  But Robin Hood is also a pretty big part of her story and he's a little more angsty than the Robin Hood we usually see.  And there's Little John and Much the Miller's Son and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisbourne, who everyone loves to hate. 

I love Robin Hood tales.  They were some of my favorites as a child and I spent a lot of time running around the woods behind our house pretending to be an outlaw with a heart of gold.  So when I picked up this book, I was a bit skeptical that this retelling would hold up to my love of the classic tales.  But oh, it does.  I like Scarlet so much!  She's conflicted but tough, smart but still a bit naive, deadly but caring.  Also, she's an excellent pickpocket and she throws knives.  How badass is that?  And there's plenty of action as Robin and his crew struggle to do the right thing in a world gone wrong. 

My little kid self, who was constantly on the lookout for heroines, would have loved this story even more than I do now.  As it is, I think I know what my Halloween costume is for this year. 

~ Book Ninja

More, Please!

I know someone who refuses to read a series until it's finished because he can't stand waiting for the next book to be written.  I have the opposite problem in that I read a good book and then hope and hope and hope for a sequel to be written.  Currently, I'm on tenterhooks hoping for another book from both Sarwat Chadda and Sage Blackwood.

Sarwat Chadda wrote The Savage Fortress, which features Indian mythology, archeology, and action adventure.  It may be a retelling of the Ramayana legend, but it reads like a combination of young Indiana Jones, a comic book, and an action movie - only with demons and homicidal godesses.  So good.  The sequel is coming out later this year and I have high hopes. 

Sage Blackwood's newest book is Jinx, about a young orphan boy taken in by a wizard of dubious character who lives in the middle of a dangerous enchanted forest.  And you may think to yourself, "This sounds like every fairytale or fantasy book ever," but it really isn't.  Jinx has some unusual talents, there are cursed children, witches who ride butterchurns, and a richly detailed world with a whole background story of politics, magic, betrayal, and wars.  And I need there to be more books in this world! 

So there you have it - two books that currently have me repeatedly checking the catolog to see if their sequels have magically appeared yet. 

~ Book Ninja

P.S.  Yes, they're technically Children's books, but don't judge me or the books by that, ok?  Just read them, they're so worth it.  Remember, Harry Potter is technically a Children's book too!