Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull

2012 Book 51: Seeds of Rebellion, by Brandon Mull (3/22/2012)

Reason for Reading: I am a fan of Brandon Mull and have read all his books. I probably wouldn’t have finished this book within a week of its release, however, except for the fact that Mull was at my local Barnes and Noble for a signing last Sunday. I really enjoyed meeting him. He’s very nice and friendly and we had a lovely conversation until an annoying superior child and his annoying superior mother made it quite clear with their annoying superior sighs and annoying superior noses in the air that I was taking up too much of their time. It was ultra-annoying because if they were in such a rush they should have gotten in line faster. I dawdled specifically so that anyone with a child could get ahead of me in line. They must have WANTED to be last. And, really, our conversation hadn’t gone on THAT long. Regardless, I am now a bigger fan of Mull because he’s so genuine and approachable.

My Review 5/5 stars
In this second book of the Beyonders series, Jason returns to Lyrian to rescue his friend Rachel and tell her the terrible secret he learned in the first book. They team up with a motley crew of revolutionaries and continue their quest to dethrone the evil emperor. Mull uses his ingenuity to create a truly unique parallel world with creative “fantastical” peoples and creatures. His characters are very human in that they all have weaknesses, but they show amazing strength as well. The story keeps up fascinating descriptions of the peoples and places while keeping the suspense levels high throughout the story. This book was even better than the first in the series, and I look forward to the third (and final) book next year.

Vampires Burial and Death, by Paul Barber

2012 Book 49: Vampires, Burial, and Death by Paul Barber (3/16/2012)

Reason for Reading: Interest in folklore and popular culture about vampires

My Review 3.5/5 stars
In Vampires, Burial, and Death, Barber differentiates between vampires of folklore and those of popular fiction (with a very strong emphasis on those of folklore). He proposes that the folklore of vampires arose due to people’s fear of dead bodies. He rigorously notes the common traits of folklore vampires (blood at the mouth, bloating, groaning when staked, red face, etc.) and points out that all of these things could occur naturally in a decaying body. The content of this book is very interesting, and Barber’s thesis is quite logical. However, the narrative was a little drier than necessary. I enjoyed learning, but wished it could have been a little more engaging!

Prophet, by R. J. Larson

2012 Book 48: Prophet, by R. J. Larson (3/14/2012)

Reason for Reading: LibraryThing Early Reviewers

My Review: 4/5 stars
Ela Roeh’s life is turned upside down when The Infinite asks her to become his prophet. She must leave her family, her country, and everything she knows in order to travel to pass on the Infinite’s message to a foreign king. She shows amazing strength of character when she is embroiled in politics and war. This book is Christian Fiction, and is probably meant for young adults; however, despite Ela’s youth, she has the maturity of an adult. The message can be a bit strong (which is understandable given that it is published in the Christian Fiction market) but it’s not preachy, and the message flows pretty smoothly into the plot. Furthermore, the plot is exciting and intriguing enough to keep me curious about what was going to happen. Overall, I think it was an excellent addition to the Christian Fantasy genre and should be enjoyed by the general fantasy audience as well.

The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman

2012 Book 47: The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman (3/11/2012)

Reason for Reading: Interested in the Paradise Lost allegory

My Review: 3/5 stars
Lyra has traveled to a parallel universe, where she meets Will—another traveler of universes. They team up when they find that Lyra’s quest to find out more about dust and Will’s quest to find his missing father are intertwined. This is a difficult book for me to review. The first time I tried to read this book, I gave up about a quarter of the way through because I didn’t like being beat over the head with an anti-religion Message. It really lacked subtly in this book, and I hear it is even more brutal in the third book. However, I decided to give this book another try because I learned that it was a retelling of Paradise Lost, and I was interested in seeing what he did with that. My final conclusion: I still feel that I was being beat over the head with a Message; however, I think Pullman is a VERY creative author. SPOILER ALERT: I was a little off-put by the pointless waste of lives at the end of the book. But perhaps the third book will elucidate the reasons for these deaths.

The Kin, by Peter Dickinson

2012 Book 46: The Kin, by Peter Dickinson (3/11/2012)

Reason for Reading: Wanted to read something prehistorical

My Review 4/5 stars
The Kin was originally written as a series of four short books, but it has been compiled into one book in later editions. It is set in Africa 200,000 years ago. A group of men has recently been ousted from their home by violent strangers, and they are wandering through the desert looking for new Good Places. When they abandon the four very young orphans for their own survival, two older children separate from the group and go back to rescue the little ones. This group of children then has many adventures and meets many strange people in these strange lands. Dickinson knows a lot about Africa and anthropology, making this story creative and interesting. I certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys survival and prehistoric adventures for tweenagers.

Shadows: Book of Aleth, by Michael Duncan

2012 Book 43: Shadows: Book of Aleth, Part 1, by Michael Duncan (3/3/2012)

Reason for Reading: This was my book club choice for this month. I am in charge of the discussion for the month so I have no choice but to read it! 😉

My Reveiw 4/5 stars
When Aaron, Captain of the Royal Guard, is given a mission to retrieve a stolen book by any means necessary he doesn’t question his orders. He soon finds that not all is as it seems. He becomes embroiled in the politics of Dwarves, a race of men he believed were fairy tales. He must lead a mission to retrieve the Book of Aleth and to discover the truth. I was pleasantly surprised by this allegorical fantasy of the Christian Fiction genre. The epic fantasy story was original enough to capture my attention and the writing was smooth and enticing. The religious message is present but subtle, which to me is a sign of a good writer. (I hate being beat over the head with a Message.) The book DID end with a cliff-hanger, but I guess I was expecting that based on the term “Part 1” being in the title. So I was only a tiny bit irked. (I think books should have a natural ending…even in series.) Other than that quibble, I was very pleased.

Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke

2012 Book 42: Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke (3/2/2012)

Reason for Reading: This book has been on Mt. TBR since my aunt told me I should read it (years ago, of course).

My Review 5/5 stars
When a group of dragons finds out that humans are going to be flooding their valley, Firedrake decides to go on a journey to find the Rim of Heaven—a zone of safety from the invasive humans. He is enigmatically warned by an elderly dragon to “beware the Golden One.” Firedrake sets off with his Brownie friend Sorrel, picking up a human boy (Ben) and a homunculus (Twigleg) along the way. They must defeat “the Golden One” in order to be in safety forever. This was a magical little book for kids. It would be appropriate to read to young kids, and is the reading level of perhaps an 11-13 year old. It’s a fun read for an adult who likes YA lit, too.

The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle

2012 Book 44: The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle (3/5/2012)

Reason for Reading: It was there

My Review 4/5 stars
The Surrender Tree is a fictional set of narrative poems by actual historical figures in Cuba’s war for independence from Spain. The storyline was interesting and educational, and I was pleased that I’d taken the time to read this little book.

A Preface to Paradise Lost, by C. S. Lewis

2012 Book 41: A Preface to Paradise Lost, by C. S. Lewis (2/29/2012)

Reason for Reading: Wanted to better understand Paradise Lost. I’m not very good at poetry.

My Review: 4/5 stars
In this preface, Lewis first outlines what an epic poem is and what Milton was trying to do with Paradise Lost. Then he discusses his views on how Milton’s theology played a role in this epic. Lewis debunks the view that Milton had compassion for Satan. It was a good introduction, which I read before the poem because I thought it might help me comprehend the poem while I’m reading it. It was helpful, though it managed to make me more skeptical that I’ll comprehend Paradise Lost.

(TO SEE MORE ABOUT PARADISE LOST, GO TO MY MASTER POST)

Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver

2012 Book 40: Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver (2/28/2012)

Reason for Reading: Was looking for a redemption theme

My Review: 3/5 stars

Sam Kingston is a mean-girl with everything she needs: popularity, the hunky boyfriend, and popular mean-girl friends. When she dies in a car accident, she is given the chance to live her final day 6 more times. She learns that nobody is exactly what they seem and that everyone is redeemable. I was eager to read this book because I thought it would be an interesting twist on the Groundhog Day theme. However, I didn’t realize that it would be a regurgitation of 80’s and 90’s movies to the point where there were very few truly original scenes. It’s basically Groundhog Day in a mish-mash of high school flicks with other movies worked in. I was actually to the point of looking for the “token black kid” it was so regurgitated (no appearance). So, I was a little disappointed in the author’s skill. On the other hand, many teens (for whom this book is intended) will not have grown up on 80’s and 90’s movies and might find the book quite interesting and original, though very sad. The theme of redemption and everyone’s-the-same-on-the-inside was applaudable. The writing was smooth and engaging, though the beginning was a little irritating because you had to choke through her mean-girl attitude. It’s good for a light read, but it’s not literature.