Guest Review: Merion of the Stones by Allan Frewin Jones

Title: Merion of the Stones

Series: Destiny's Path

Author: Allan Frewin Jones

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Publication Date: 5 Jan 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Branwen must bravely follow destiny’s path even when it leads her into the enemy’s stronghold …Branwen is set her next task by the Shining Ones: she must rescue an ancient god trapped in a Saxon prison. But the trail leads into the heart of Saxon territory, and she and her followers face their greatest challenge yet…until she learns that she is being hunted by the most feared warrior of all Scandinavia. Surrounded by danger, it is the worst time for her loyal band to splinter. But as Branwen seeks to outgrow her mentor, tensions within her band are growing. In her darkest hour, can Branwen remain on destiny’s path?

Branwen, is a really strong heroine in this story, faced with the difficult task set by Merion of the Stones, an ancient God, in order to free her homeland. The task she faces is very difficult, she must face and kill one of the most feared warriors in the country. With her team by her side, Branwen sets off on this impossible mission, facing many fierce warriors along the way.

Branwen is such a terrific character, brave and powerful, a great role model. She is kind and thoughtful to the people around her, as well as clever. The one thing I didn't like was that Branwen didn't listen to the good advice Gavan gave her, she was too ashamed to admit that he was right doing what she thought was best to the detriment of the others. My favorite part was when Branwen was fighting Sker, the action was fast paced, exciting and thrilling. I really hope that Branwen and Iwan's relationship is developed further.

 I can't wait to read the other books in the series. 

MG Monday: Guest Review: Black Arts by Prentice and Weil

Title: Black Arts

Series: Black Arts #1

Author: Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Publication Date: 29 Mar 2012

Synopsis from Amazon

Elizabethan London: a teeming city of traders and thieves, courtiers and preachers, riff-raff and quality, cut-throats - and demons. When scrunty Jack the 'Judicious Nipper' picks the wrong pocket at the Globe Theatre, he finds himself mixed up in an altogether more dangerous London than he could have imagined - a city in which magic is real and deadly.

An outbreak of devil-worship has led to a wave of anti-witch fervor whipped up by the Elect, a mysterious group of Puritans recognizable from their red-stained right hands, led by the charismatic Nicholas Webb, a growing power at Court. Rumour has it that he wants to purge the city entirely and build a New Jerusalem. Jack has his own reason for hating him: he saw him kill his mother.

Helped by Beth Sharkwell the Thief Princess of Lambeth, Kit Morely the Intelligencer and Dr Dee the Queen's Wizard, Jack pits himself against Webb's Puritans. But this is no straightforward struggle. Things are not as they seem. In fact, ever since his encounter with Webb, there has been something wrong with Jack's vision. He keeps seeing things. Demons.

Black Arts is the first in a series of thrilling time-travel adventures, each bringing the past to glorious life, as Jack and his companions hurtle from one epic struggle to the next.

Jack (Nipper as he is known) is a thief, when he cuts the wrong purse he ends up in a completely different London to the one he is used to. As well as travelling through time he gains the ability to see demons/devils, this is where his search for Preacher Webb begins. Preacher Webb is also the man that killed Jack's mother. Jack is hindered in his search by his ties to his Master, Sharkwell, whose rules must be obeyed or else.

My favorite part of this book happens near the end, I'm not giving away any spoilers. I will say that it was thrilling and interesting in equal measure. I just couldn't put it down, absolutely thrilling. Jack is my favorite character, he is sneaky and sly but he needs to be in order to survive. His cleverness shines through the story.

I have to say that I didn't like how the Intelligencer and The Doctor kept Jack trapped as I think Jack would have been able to discover things necessary to help him in later situations if he hadn't been trapped. I would have really liked to have seen Beth and Jack's relationship develop further and to have seen exactly how Kit escaped captivity. 

I am really looking forward to more in this series and would highly recommend it.

Guest Review: Dark Angels by Katherine Langrish

Title: Dark Angels
Author: Katherine Langrish
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Publication Date: 30 April 2009

Synopsis from Goodreads

When Wolf runs away from the monastery where he grew up, he finds himself lost on Devil's Edge - a hill riddled with old mine shafts, said to be infested with ghosts, boggarts, elves, and perhaps even the Devil himself. Wolf meets a local knight out hunting, who offers him work and shelter in his castle - a place inhabited by a host of unexpected characters - a hearth hob, a ghostly white lady and a mysterious wandering juggler...Together Wolf and Nest, the knight's daughter, become embroiled in a mystery which leads Wolf into the very darkest depths of Devil's Edge...

GUEST REVIEW BY SUSAN K MANN

If you are looking for a gripping book, which will suck you in from the start, then Dark Angels is the book for you. The book is quite dark and has a creepy setting, the imagery Katherine uses will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing on edge at times.

Dark Angels is a great fantasy novel, a genre I am fussy about. I either like or hate them, this I liked. Set in the time of the Crusades, when people saw things differently. They feared elves and demons; this is what the book is drawn on. These mysterious creatures which are caught somewhere between Heaven and Hell.

The characters are ones you will fall in love with Elfgift the elf child and Wolf, you will empathise and root for them throughout. Not forgetting the heroine of the story Nest, who speaks to the Hearth Hob as natural as we speak to our friends. She was my favourite character, the daughter of a knight, who wanted to do something special with her life.

Katherine’s descriptions of the world are so vivid and wonderful you can’t help being caught up in them. It is as if you can smell the wood burning stove, taste the food and feel the wind on your face.

The ending was unexpected, but a great way to end it, one I very much enjoyed. A great book for early teen readers upwards and perfect for both boys and girls, with its strong characters of both genders. One I would highly recommend.

MG Monday: Guest Review: Book Break-ups: Far Rockaway by Charlie Fletcher

Title: Far Rockaway
Author: Charlie Fletcher
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 
Publication Date: 1 Sep 2011

Synopsis: From Amazon

Cat Manno and her grandfather Victor made a pact that one day, just for the hell of it, they'd take the subway and stay on the A-train until the very end of the line where the last narrow spit of land runs out into the ocean at Far Rockaway. This isn't that day.
On the first page Cat is knocked down by a speeding fire truck whilst crossing 55^th St and 3^rd Ave in Central Manhattan. She wakes up in a world made from all the books her grandfather used to read to her, peopled by some of the most memorable heroes of classic adventure fiction, brought vividly back to life. Cat must earn their friendship and help as she begins an odyssey and epic quest to find the mythic Castle at the World's End. And the name of that distant, mythic, wave-tumbled fastness? It is, of course, the castle of Far Rockaway ...
If you enjoy reading good books; swashbuckling adventures with sword fights and pirates - then Far Rockaway is the book for you. Join Cat as she embarks on the journey of a lifetime ...

GUEST REVIEW

When I received this book from Emma, I hadn’t heard of it or its author but this wasn’t something that put me off as I hadn’t heard of some of the others she’d sent me before and had been pleasantly surprised! First impression before even opening this book was mainly “uh oh” as it didn’t strike me as the kind of thing I’d like to read from its cover and there are very few books I’ve have read whose covers I haven’t judged and been right haha.

Now the summary/outline made me think this book COULD be for me. It sounded magical and fantastical and there are elements of it that definitely are. In her fantasy world Cat meets all manner of weird and wonderful fictional characters from Long John Silver of Treasure Island fame to Chingachook from Last of the Mohicans as she strives to save her Grandfather who is also alive and kicking in her fictional world. The fictional journey mirrors Cat and Victor’s attempts to regain consciousness in the real world and  there is always that backdrop to remind you how the fantasy tale is linked to their real destinies. It’s a really clever concept.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. I didn’t warm to Cat, although I thought her Grandfather was a fantastic character. I think one of the reasons it didn’t work for me was basically that I didn’t enjoy or read adventure stories when I was younger, Treasure Island and Last of the Mohicans were tales I knew of vaguely but never read and so some of the magic was missing for me! I have no doubt many many people would absolutely love the adventurous fantastical journey Cat goes on and this book would definitely be a great read for them. 

MG Monday: Guest Review: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Title: The Emerald Atlas: The Book of Beginnings

Series: The Emerals Atlas

Author: John Stephens

Publisher: Doubleday Children's

Publication Date: 14 April 2011

Synopsis: From Back Cover

They were snatched from their beds in the dead of night, when the world was covered in snow.

Ten years on, Kate, Michael and Emma have grown up in a string of miserable orphanages, and all memories of their parents have faded. Arriving in the eerily silent Cambridge Falls, the children quickly realise there is something strange going on...

With the discovery of an old leather book, an ancient magical prophecy is set in motion which will take them on the the adventure of several lifetimes, to worlds outside their own. Only they have the power to save the town - and their own future.

Guest Review:

‘The Emerald Atlas’, is the first book of a series packed to the seams with thrills. However, there is one particular problem that limits it. There’s something decidedly difficult about placing the period the story is set. When we first meet the protagonist siblings, there’s an air of the early twentieth century, with little mention of cars or any other indicators of the modern world which works fine until nineteen years earlier we’re confronted with a woman in jeans. Wha!? Who? How did this happen? This in turn impacts on the main timeline, fifteen years into the past. Only one gun is ever mentioned and not once is there anything more advanced than swords and crossbows used in the numerous clashes throughout the story which leaves an uneasy mix of technology and magic that could’ve been avoided with a little more consistency.

It’s particularly odd as the explanation of time travel I felt was particularly well done, with simple and consistently enforced rules that avoid complicating contradictions within the timeline.

Other than that my only other complaint is perhaps the portrayal of the Dwarves who have some heavy influence from their cousins in Moria with isolationist attitudes abound and you have to be careful not to fall over with the amount of craftsmanship all over the place. That being said, it doesn’t stop them from still being enjoyable characters.

By far and away Dr. Pym is the standout character of the novel. His quirky outfit and flips between sage advice and commenting on breakfast for dinner, (Which, by the way sounds delicious. Pancakes and jam doughnuts anyone?) is fun to read and provides a light and fluffy contrast to intense action scenes. Like a delicious meringue on top of a rich chocolate sponge, with that melted chocolate centre which oozes out when you cut into it and there’s never quite enough there so you clearly require seconds to be full and I may have forgotten where I was going with this...Anyway! 

I initially found the protagonists to bear some similarity to the Baudelaire orphans of A series of unfortunate events, Protective elder sister Kate, bookworm brother Michael and impetuous little sister Emma but the trio do develop their own identity and personalities, even showing their fallibility and in some cases naivety of the events happening around them, affording the opportunity for them to earn my respect for them as well as from other characters. Despite this, there is still something about the supporting cast that I can’t put my finger on that I find more enjoyable (and that’s not solely down to Dr. Pym.)

So overall? ‘The Emerald Atlas’ is the start of a promising series. It does have its faults, but hopefully ones that will be ironed out. Nonetheless it is a good adventure with a story and character’s you’ll happily read more about. And for me at least it has raised the important question of how much one can make a metaphor out of cake.

            -Scamp, Peruser of Tomes.

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Publication Date: 29 Sep 2011

Synopsis: From Goodreads

Featuring necklaces made of wishes; an underground shop dealing in teeth; magical tattoos; a wishbone on a cord, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a thrilling story about Karou and her secret life as an apprentice to a wishmonger. Karou manages to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she is a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to an inhuman creature who deals in wishes and is the closest thing she has to family. Her life is surrounded by mysteries she is desperate to unveil.

REVIEW:

I will be honest with you I don't usually read fantasy, it takes me a while to get used to the strange names but I am so glad I read this book. The writing style is just so gloriously descriptive it surrounds your imagination totally. I had absolutely no problem picturing the world Laini Taylor wove in the story. A dual world kept apart by a thin veil accessed through the doors around the world. So powerful it felt real.

Written in third person narrative but focalized from Karou perspective. Instinctively the reader is aware that Karou is different and not just because of her blue hair, yet I have to admit I did feel protective of her from the beginning. I adored the way in which Karou didn't lie yet her delivery of the truth and nonchalance make it seem as if she is being sarcastic and we all know how much I love sarcasm. And I have to say how totally awesome to have naturally blue hair, can you guess what colour I would want to be - go on I am sure you can [ : D ] Karou's honesty even in describing herself 'foot smell' brought a smile to my face as I was reading.

I am going to rave about the writing in this book, it is just absolutely gorgeous, sadly there were a great many snakes in the first section of the book *shudders* but even I as a total snake hater have to admit that their descriptions were beautiful (if shudder inducing). I would even go so far as to say that the words flowed sensuously off the page like a waterfall to drench my imagination creating a reservoir filled with three dimensional imagery. The emotion builds sweeping you along with it like surfing the crest of a wave (or what I imagine it would be like as I haven't surfed). The story flows beautifully and the plot unravels smoothly, go back to my waterfall analogue here [ : D ] I just want to use the words STUNNING WRITING a hundred times.

There a large number of plot threads making the 3rd person narrator a necessity. Subtle plot hints are placed sporadically to be picked up on. The book is divided into sections and the progression of both the plot and the characters from one section to the next is breath-taking. The relationships and interactions are so well developed not just in the main characters but in the peripheral ones as well really adding to the dynamics of the story. I found myself thinking of Romeo and Juliet with the relationship between Karou and Akiva, something that only escalated the further into the story I got. The use of 'Rapture' within the story was ironic considering the events in the news earlier this year and had me sniggering into the book.

Personally, I thought there was quite an important message woven into the fantasy - today we live in a world of conflict and war; could we imagine and hope for a world at peace. No differentiation between races. all are equal, socially and economically. No one race should be superior.

Utterly brilliant how the plot threads weave together to produce a magnificent tapestry of a story. the way in which the title was placed into the plot was astounding. Literally jaw dropping moments as the story unfolded. I had to go to check when the next book is due for publication.

For someone who doesn't generally 'do' fantasy this book has carried me away with its beautiful writing. I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

Trailer Tuesday: Dark Angels by Katherine Langrish

Title: Dark Angels
Author: Katherine Langrish
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Publication Date: 30 April 2009

Synopsis: From Amazon

A gripping and wonderfully spooky standalone adventure from critically acclaimed author Katherine Langrish. When Wolf runs away from the monastery where he grew up, he finds himself lost on Devil's Edge -- a hill riddled with old mine shafts, said to be infested with ghosts, boggarts, elves, and perhaps even the Devil himself. Wolf meets a local knight out hunting, who offers him work and shelter in his castle -- a place inhabited by a host of unexpected characters -- a hearth hob, a ghostly white lady and a mysterious wandering juggler...Together Wolf and Nest, the knight's daughter, become embroiled in a mystery which leads Wolf into the very darkest depths of Devil's Edge...

Isn't it fantastic. The music is just so haunting.