The Pact by Graeme Brown

August 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PACT
The Pact by Graeme Brown
Publisher: Burst
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Short Story (48 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Will Lesterall has grown up in the safety of his father’s castle, where tales of the outside world ruled by warring kings and creatures of nightmare have never seemed a threat. Yet on the night celebrating the two hundredth year of the sacred Pact that has kept Fort Lesterall safe, a secret intrigue ripens, and in the course of a few hours Will is confronted with a choice greater than he can comprehend.

Join an unlikely hero as destiny pulls him into the middle of an ancient conflict between fallen gods and ambitious women, one that demands blood, both holy and wicked, and the power of an ancient fire bound in steel. As swords clash below a watching wood, hope and betrayal war as fiercely as fear and valor, and whether he lives of dies, Will Lesterall will never be the same.

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Graeme Brown has written an excellent story with a most unlikely hero. I really like Will Lesterall, and I find his actions to be believable and heart-warming. He is “short and fat, with a round, plain face,” and he envies his older brother Robin, who at thirteen has an easy way with the girls. But when the Pact is broken and war breaks out and Will and Robin are dragged off through the tunnels and into the forest, it is Will who has to act. Will isn’t a soldier; he has no training and he can’t climb well or easily. Nevertheless, destiny pulls him into the battle and his actions will determine the future for his land.

It is refreshing to have a hero such as Will, someone who is honest, with a good heart, without any apparent special prowess or abilities. The story is action-packed and moves at a fast pace. Everything is explained, and it all holds together nicely, but personally, I would have liked a longer story so that more depth could have been given to some of the secondary characters. It works well as it is now, but I enjoyed it enough that I was sorry to see it end and I would have liked to know more.

I would recommend this for 12+ even though Will is ten, because there is some graphic violence. I think this would make an excellent choice for classroom discussion. In addition, I found it to be an exciting, well-developed story which I recommend to readers of all ages who love fantasy.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi

August 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

KEITH
Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (311 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Every civilization has its myths. Only one is true.

When eighteen-year-old Keiko Yamada’s father dies unexpectedly, he leaves behind a one way ticket to Japan, an unintelligible death poem about powerful Japanese spirits and their gigantic, beast-like Guardians, and the cryptic words: “Go to Japan in my place. Find the Gate. My camera will show you the way.”

Alone and afraid, Keiko travels to Tokyo, determined to fulfill her father’s dying wish. There, beneath glittering neon signs, her father’s death poem comes to life. Ancient spirits spring from the shadows. Chaos envelops the city, and as Keiko flees its burning streets, her guide, the beautiful Yui Akiko, makes a stunning confession–that she, Yui, is one of a handful of spirits left behind to defend the world against the most powerful among them: a once noble spirit now insane. Keiko must decide if she will honor her father’s heritage and take her rightful place among the gods.

In order to achieve buying levitra without prescription better stamina while performing sex one has to follow certain health tips which will increase the blood flow to the penis and allow them to have a longer life during sexual intercourse in terms of staying erect. It has been observed as the best, affordable and user friendly method to buy devensec.com discount levitra an ED medication. Take a cheap women viagra little lukewarm water and add 30 grams black raisins to it. Natural male improvement supplements cialis generic pills are coming to be an increasingly selected supplements on the market today. Keiko travels to Japan to fulfill her father’s dying wish, a wish that is filled with mystery. Her father left a note which told her to go to Japan, and find the Gate, using her camera to show her the way. Her father had also booked her with a guide service called Ancestral Travel, but almost immediately, Keiko wanders away from the tour, becoming lost and confused. She had no idea that there were so many Torii gates! Ancient spirits spring from the shadows and she is soon fleeing the chaos enveloping Tokyo. Her guide, Yui Akkiko, finds her and as they flee, Yui reveals that she is one of the few remaining spirits working to defend the world from an insane spirit. Keiko’s entire world has been turned upside-down and now she must decide if she will try to fulfill her father’s dying wish.

Keith Yatsuhashi has written an incredibly fast-paced, complex story which is told from a variety of points of view. The shifts in perspective are handled skillfully and effectively. I had no difficulty following the narrative and I thought that the different perspectives add depth to the plot. There are a number of characters involved, both spirits and guardians, and I found the interaction between the spirits and their guardians to be fascinating.

The various settings, especially those in Japan, are described vividly, with a richness that puts the reader right in the story. Myths and legends come to life in a very human way. I especially liked watching Keiko as she learns about a world which is totally foreign to her. It isn’t just traveling to Japan, although that is an enormous shock to her. She is an American, totally unfamiliar with Japanese customs, such as the Japanese baths. However, even more than learning about a new country, Keiko has to learn about spirits and powers, commanding elements, what it means to be a guardian, and so much more. And she has to learn it as a war erupts, a war begun by a spirit who has tampered with forbidden arts and in the process gone completely insane.

Kojiki is an action-packed, fast-moving, thriller, which is steeped in Japanese culture and mythology. If you are looking for an exciting fantasy novel, I definitely recommend that you give Kojiki a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Earth Bound by Aprilynne Pike

August 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

EARTH
Earth Bound by Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Penguin Group
Genre: Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (338 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Peppermint

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told.

Tavia immediately searches for answers, desperate to determine why she feels so drawn to a boy she hardly knows. But when Tavia discovers that the aunt and uncle who took her in after her parents’ death may have actually been responsible for the plane crash that killed them–and that she may have been the true intended victim–she flees for the safety of Camden, Maine, where the boy she sees in her visions instructs her to go.

The cialis tabs muscles relax and blood travels into the blood vessels and results in a narrower path. You can simply purchase a pack under a reasonable cost free levitra sample and can get a fair deal. You could wonder the way to rectify anxiety symptoms working with natural means rather then employing man-made chemical substances to find comfort. generic viagra Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary Danny Alexander was one professional cialis among whom he accompanied. Now, Tavia is on the run with no one to trust. No one, that is, except for her best friend and longtime crush, Benson.

Tavia feels torn between the boy who mysteriously comes to her at night and the boy who has been by her side every step of the way. But what Tavia doesn’t know is that the world is literally falling apart and that to save it she will have to unite with the boy in her visions. Only problem? To do so would mean rejecting Benson’s love. And that’s the one thing Tavia Michaels swore she’d never do.

This is one of the best Young Adult stories I have read in a while, so much so that I wasn’t ready for it to end.

Tavia is anything but your average eighteen year old. She had to suffer the tragedy of her parents dying and getting complete uprooted from her life, as well as fight for her life. This is just in the first chapter. Tavia is someone that I sympathized with immediately because she has had to deal with more in her life than most people ever do. These experiences have made her a recluse both physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

While Tavia keeps people at a distance it does not mean she goes unaffected and Benson certainly has an effect on her. I immediately recognized the connection they had. Benson and Elizabeth, her psychologist seem to provide a semblance of a normal life for Tavia. That is until her world is turned upside down and she doesn’t know who to trust, the mysterious yet hot guy that keeps showing up or the people who have helped bring her back from the brink of death.

Once I started to read this story I was immediately addicted. The author just had a way of making me feel like I was part of the story. The words seem to come off the pages and act out scenes right in my home. I was so intrigued and encased in the story I found myself up at the wee hours of the night telling myself just one more page. On top of that the end was such a cliff hanger that I cannot wait to read the next installment, because there is no question in my mind that Tavia’s story has only just begun.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Summer by Karen King

August 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

CRIME
Perfect Summer by Karen King
Publisher: Astraea Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (158 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Set in the future in a society obsessed with perfection, 15 year old Morgan can’t help being a bit envious of her best friend, Summer. Summer is beautiful, rich and seems to have an effortlessly perfect life. Whereas Morgan isn’t so rich, or beautiful and her younger brother Josh has Down’s syndrome, which according to the government, and society in general, is a crime. Then Josh is kidnapped and the authorities aren’t interested, so Morgan and Summer decide to investigate. They, along with another teenager Jamie whose sister, Holly, has also been kidnapped, uncover a sinister plot involving the kidnapping of disabled children and find themselves in terrible danger. Can they find Josh and Holly before it’s too late?

Fifteen-year-old Morgan envies her best friend, Summer, because Summer is beautiful and rich with great parents, while Morgan isn’t beautiful and her family depends on both her mother’s and her father’s jobs just to keep going. In addition, Morgan has a little brother, Josh, whom she loves, but who has Down’s Syndrome, something that is considered criminal in this futuristic society obsessed with physical perfection. But when Josh is kidnapped, Morgan, Summer, and their new friend Jamie work together to try to rescue Josh as well as Jamie’s sister, Holly.

Karen King has created a richly detailed society which is all too believable and definitely truly horrible. The government ministry keeps tabs on everyone, even supplying physical perfection surgery to the entire population at age sixteen. There is an E-center in everyone’s home which monitors their weight, sending reports to the doctor at the local medical center if anyone’s weight falls above or below the ideal. The Ministry is always making laws for the good of the people and they try repeatedly to get Morgan’s parents to have Josh committed to a Residential Learning Center.
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Morgan is a typical fifteen-year-old girl, worried about makeup and boys, but she truly loves her three-year-old brother. She is grateful to Summer for protecting her from a lot of the teasing at school by those who think that all disabled people should be institutionalized or worse. Morgan is smart and determined. I like the way she doesn’t allow her brother’s kidnapping to be minimized and swept under the carpet. I also like Summer, who could easily have walked away from her friend when Morgan’s brother was born, but she sticks by Morgan in spite of all the social pressure to do otherwise. And then there is Jamie, whose sister Holly has cerebral palsy and who was kidnapped a couple months before Josh. Jamie is a very lonely boy with great skills in technology. His mother died before Holly’s kidnapping and his father is grieving so badly that he has no time for Jamie.

These three young people are engaging and determined. They fight the system and do their best to solve the mystery of the disappearance of disabled children. They fight against tough challenges and they refuse to give up. I found myself caught up in their search, fighting along side them every step of the way, as the mystery surrounding the kidnappings deepens.

Perfect Summer is a real coming-of-age story with a heroic quest. Fans of fantasy will assuredly enjoy following Morgan and her friends as they race to find the kidnapped children. This is an action-packed adventure from start to finish.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Feudlings by Wendy Knight

August 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

FEUDLINGS
Feudlings by Wendy Knight
Publisher: Astraea Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (330 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Nothing makes a new school suck worse than discovering the guy you’re in love with is your prophesied nemesis.

Ari is the most powerful flame-throwing sorceress ever, and her people’s last hope in an ancient war. But she’s also a seventeen-year-old girl, and in her free, not-hunting-nemesis times, she jumps from school to school, trying to figure out regular people her own age and pretending she’ll get the chance to graduate.

Shane lives a double life. He goes to school and masters the art of popularity, hiding the fact that he has a fate with a slim chance of his survival. He’s destined to end a 300 year-old war by killing or being killed. He knows he’s hunted by a powerful enemy who’s not afraid to die. Only problem? He has no idea who that enemy is.

When Ari shows up at Shane’s school, angry and sullen and determined to keep him at arm’s reach, neither of them realize they are supposed to be killing each other, not falling in love. Until Ari does realize it, and she almost dies – by Shane’s hand.

Ari is a sorceress, the Prodigy of the Edren family. She has never had a normal life, having been enrolled in sixteen boarding schools in nine years. She’d been homeschooled until third grade, but after that, the Family started sending her out to hunt the Caruleses in a deadly war. The war has been raging for 300 years and the only way for it to end is for one family’s Prodigy to kill the other’s.
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Wendy Knight has written a fast-paced action story with very believable and real characters. Ari has had to live a life without friends. No one can find out who she is, so she keeps everyone away from her. She has to drop everything every time her grandfather summons her to do battle again and she is very tired of the killing. When she starts her senior year at yet another boarding school, she discovers people who actually want to get to know her and be friends. I really enjoyed watching Ari dealing with normal high school life and beginning to have fun. “A field full of angry Carules all trying to kill her she understood. Friendly high school girls? Not so much.”

And then there is Shane, the most popular boy in the school. I found Shane to be very likeable as well. He is kind and he has the girls all swooning over him, but he doesn’t let that go to his head. He spends his time with his cousin, Charity, and his best friend, Hunter, trying to led a normal life even though he is actually the Carules’ Prodigy.

There are many wonderful characters in this book and there are also, of necessity, some really horrible ones. The leaders of both groups of sorcerers are determined to keep the war going for their own financial profits. Ari, Shane, Charity, and Hunter have to make some very tough decisions, helped by Ari’s older brother, Will, who is one of the renegade sorcerers, those who have refused to fight any more.

This story is a real page-turner with lots of action and intrigue. But even more than that, there is a depth to the story which makes it much more than just a story about a feuding war. It is a coming-of-age story which is handled realistically and compassionately. The only problem I have with this novel is that it is the first in a series (Fate on Fire), and while it does end in a reasonable spot, I can’t wait to read the next book. I hope it is published soon!

If you enjoy fantasy and intrigue, I recommend that you give Feudlings a try. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Heart Murmurs by R. R. Smythe

August 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

MURMURS
Heart Murmurs by R. R. Smythe
Publisher: Astraea Press
Genre: Historical, YA, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (206 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review by: Cyclamen

Mia Templeton is dying. Or was dying. After receiving a heart transplant, her world is forever altered. Before her eyes open, she overhears her donor was a murdered girl of the same age. Whispers invade Mia’s head before she’s even left the recovery room. She develops tastes for foods she once hated, and dreams so vivid, she feels they’re someone else’s memories. Her personality is altered—once a quiet doormat, she’s now inexplicably flippant, and confident. And her unexplained longing for the new boy at school is borderline obsessive.

Morgan Kelley is new. Adopted by his aunt, a descendant of Louisa May Alcott (Little Women), he’s thrown into life at a new high school, and as a historical guide for his aunt’s store—a homage to all things Alcott. Conspiracy theories abound about his mangled lower leg—but no-one has been brave enough to ask. Till Mia.

Something is awry with the Underground Railroad tunnels beneath his aunt’s home. Mia and Morgan enter the world of a secret Literary Society–and are drafted to help bring a rogue Literary giant to justice, solve the mystery of her heart donor, the the real fate of Beth from Little Women.

Mia Templeton needs a heart transplant because her own heart is failing. She receives a heart from a murdered girl of about her same age and as soon as she receives the heart she begins hearing whispers, having strange dreams which feel incredibly real as if they are memories.  She likes food she’d never liked before, and becomes more assertive, able to stand up for herself. She is also attracted to Morgan, a new boy at her high school, who has been adopted by his aunt, Mia’s friend Beth, a descendant of the author Louisa May Alcott.
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R. R. Smythe has done a marvelous job of bringing to life the story of Louisa May Alcott and her family. The entire time period is captured including the Battle of Gettysburg. Beth has re-created a house in Gettysburg to match the Alcott home and she gives tours of the house and the battlefield. Mia and Morgan both work for Beth. Part of the tours involve the Underground Railroad tunnels, but after Mia’s surgery and Morgan’s arrival, the tunnels begin acting strangely. Mia is drawn into a mystery she never dreamed of, where there are caretakers for the tunnels and these caretakers are governed strictly to be sure they don’t violate any of the rules surrounding the use of the tunnels.

I really like Mia and I think her recovery after the transplant surgery seems very real. Mia used to be very active, horseback riding, being a cheerleader, and so forth, until her heart disease prevented any exertions at all. Now, as she is recovering, she realizes that many of the activities which she loved are gone forever. The loss of her former life would be a blow to anyone, but for someone who is just a senior in high school, it is a daunting prospect to have to adjust to. In addition to learning about her new heart and what she can and can’t do, Mia also has the added genetic changes and the memories she experiences as vivid dreams. I found Mia’s adjustments to be realistic and very human. I could feel her pain, her frustration, and her bewilderment.

I also like Morgan and Beth who have their own problems which they have to adjust to as well. They hold secrets and it quickly becomes clear to them that Mia is discovering those secrets on her own. An entire literary world unfolds as the story races forward, and it is exciting to see how the characters change and interact as the events unfold.

Readers of historical fiction, especially about the American Civil War and the literary figures from that time period, are sure to enjoy this novel about Louisa May Alcott and her descendants.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Strings of the Violin by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

August 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

STRINGS
The Strings of the Violin by Alisse Lee Goldenberg
Publisher: Prizm Books
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Full Length (192 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

Seventeen-year-old Carrie is lying in her backyard ignoring all the looming responsibilities in her life, when a fox makes a mad dash across the grass in front of her. After she manages to keep her dog from attacking the frightened animal, the fox turns to Carrie and seems to bow in gratitude before he disappears into the bushes. All Carrie knows in that moment is that something has unexpectedly changed in her life.

Carrie has been best friends with Lindsay Smith and Rebecca Campbell for years. During a summer when they should focus on choosing colleges, the girls suddenly find themselves swept away on the adventure of their lives. The fox reappears three days later and reveals to Carrie that he is Adom, emissary to the king of Hadariah. With his land of music and magic in peril, Adom has been sent to seek help from Carrie and her friends. In the blink of an eye, the three teenage girls go from living an average suburban life to being the champions of a world where they must contend with giants, witches, and magical beings. Will they ever make it home once more?

Carrie dreads her upcoming senior year in high school when she will have to “make decisions about her future, decide a path, and begin to grow up—something she dreaded with all her heart and soul. She wished she could just run away and have an adventure like the characters in the books she loved.” But beware what you wish for as you may just get it! Carrie and her friends Lindsay and Rebecca follow a talking fox named Adom through a gap in a bush in Carrie’s backyard and end up on a quest to save Adom’s world, the world of magic where all the stories the girl’s grandmothers told them when they were small actually happened.

Then, this article will work like your guide and will http://www.slovak-republic.org/trnava/ viagra cialis prix define all the necessary details of these libido boosters that act like male erection pills. The causes may be pituitary gland tumours, kidney and liver disorder, depression and hormone treatment of prostate cancer. buy generic viagra slovak-republic.org as a treatment for jet lag:Not only traveller but pilots and other individuals have to combat Jet lag that can last for several days after the journey. Tadalista is not an aphrodisiac so it will not cause an cialis buy on line erection if there is no proper and hard erection but a flaccid one to support the presence of manhood. Both these medicines contain sildenafil citrate, which is an FDA-approved oral prescription medication for the levitra prices canada treatment of erectile dysfunction has been taken care off. Alisse Lee Goldenberg has written a charming magical story showing the importance of trusting in things which cannot be seen and believing in the magic surrounding each and every one of us. The girls run into many adventures as they work to fulfill their quest, and they meet various beings along the way who are not always trustworthy. Carrie, Lindsay, and Rebecca have been best friends since pre-school in spite of their very different personalities. I liked all three of the girls, especially Carrie. They did seem younger than seniors in high school, but possibly that is because they live rather sheltered and protected lives. They have to grow up fast, though, as the obstacles in their quest become harder and harder.

King Asmodeus has stolen the strings from a magical violin and in so doing, removed all the music from the land, dooming his world to a slow and painful death as the sun no longer shines. He is doing this because he is horrified by the human world where, as he says, “You people do not believe in anything you cannot see, touch, or spend. You are a self-serving, selfish lot. If we all disappear, dissolve into nothingness, no one from your world would notice or even care. No one would mourn us. No one would even remember we existed at all. Your world already exists in darkness.” Is Asmodeus right? He is certainly very powerful and deceitful, but will Carrie and her friends be able to defeat him?

This novel is written as an exposition on the world of fairy tales, explaining the actual events that underpin many of the tales the girls heard as children. However, Carrie and her friends are getting the real story, not watered down simplified tales. They make friends in this magical world and they certainly believe that our world needs the magical world. This belief fuels their determination to succeed, but is this determination enough? The plot moves quickly and Adom’s world is fully and richly described. There are mysteries and puzzles to solve and tough decisions to make, and Goldenberg brings her readers right into the story so they feel as if they too are on the quest.

Can three teenage suburban girls save this world? Will they succeed on their quest? The Strings of the Violin will touch its readers’ hearts with magic and wonder, something our world truly needs. If you enjoy fantasy, especially the world of fairy tales, be sure not to miss out on this wonderful adventure.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dreamcatcher by Iyana Jenna

July 31, 2013 By Leave a Comment

DREAM
Dreamcatcher by Iyana Jenna
Publisher: Prizm Books
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, YA
Length: Short Story (16 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When kids at his school begin to fall asleep and never wake up, Jordan Sullivan remembers the story his parents told him when he was a kid, a story involving his great-great grandfather, a certain warlock, and a dreamcatcher.

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Back in 1873 Zachary Sullivan was cursed by a warlock. And not just he was cursed but also his sons and great great grandsons in the future, as well as all the local children in the town.

In the present day, Jordan’s head is mostly full of basketball, but when a girl from school dies mysteriously quickly followed by another boy dying, Jordan and his friend Jamie can’t help but pay attention. Jordan and Jamie have to act quickly to unravel the mystery and solve the ancient curse.

This is a fast paced short story. I really enjoyed the two main characters Jamie and Jordan. Jordan is the descendant of a teenager who defeated the warlock. Despite the length, this book has plenty of action packed into it. Magic and mystery, curses and wizards. Even though Jordan and Jamie only appear to be in their teens it’s their belief in magical things like the dream-catcher that is the driving force behind the mystery being solved. The story jumps a little bit between the far past, the present, the near-past (2003) and back to the present again. This gave the flow of the story a bit of a jolt to me, but certainly nothing disruptive enough to confuse me. The overall plot had a great coherence and I found myself reading quickly by the end to see the resolution for myself.

A fast story, this is an excellent story and I think this would be a great short piece to re-introduce teenagers to reading. There’s a little bit of many genres I believe will appeal to a wide range of tastes, and the fact the two main characters are men makes me think this will appeal to boys as well as girls. Finally, I feel this story has a plot that’s interesting enough to capture the attention of parents too, making this a well-rounded story. There’s no swearing, no romance as such and is a clean, wholesome adventure that should be well-received by many readers.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Gethyon by Pippa Jay

July 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TON
Gethyon by Pippa Jay
Publisher: Burst
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, YA
Length: Short Story (139 Pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Cyclamen

His father died. His mother abandoned him. In the depths of space, darkness seeks him.

Abandoned by his mother after his father’s death, Gethyon Rees feels at odds with his world and longs to travel the stars. But discovering he has the power to do so leaves him scarred for life. Worse, it alerts the Siah-dhu—a dark entity that seeks his kind for their special abilities—to his existence, and sets a bounty hunter on his trail.

When those same alien powers lead Gethyon to commit a terrible act, they also aid his escape. Marooned on the sea-world of Ulto Marinos, Gethyon and his twin sister must work off their debt to the Seagrafter captain who rescued them while Gethyon puzzles over their transportation. How has he done this? And what more is he capable of?

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Being different is never easy. Gethyon Rees learns that at a very early age. Even as a six-year-old he is tormented and teased. His twin sister, Callon, fits in just fine. The twins are being raised by their grandfather after the death of their father. Their mother dropped them on her father-in-law’s doorstep and abandoned them. Gethyon cannot understand why his world seems so different from everyone else’s. But when he inadvertently triggers powers that he never knew he had, he begins to realize just how different he is.

Pippa Jay has written an action-packed, fast moving, and very powerful story. Gethyon is a complex young man, and he is easy to identify with. He has no idea how he manages to open up gateways to other places. He doesn’t understand who he is or how he got his abilities. But he learns all too quickly that the Siah-dhu, a dark entity, is seeking him because of his powers.

Not only is Gethyon a strong character, but the others he interacts with are also richly drawn. Callon loves her brother even though she doesn’t always understand him. Embar, their grandfather, is a very sympathetic character. He is still mourning the death of his son who had fallen in love with a woman from a different world, and he has no idea what to do with Gethyon. And Quin, the twin’s mother is very complex. She has left her children so that they might have a chance to live a normal life, not realizing that Gethyon has inherited her powers. We learn of her heartbreak at the death of her husband and the loss of her children, as she, too, has to keep running from the Siah-dhu.

The various settings for this novel are rich in detail. The reader can easily move right into these strange worlds, seeing and feeling the environments. The plot line is simple in the overall arc. Gethyon has to figure out his powers, save his family, and try to conquer the darkness. But the reality of these tasks is far from simple or straightforward, and the obstacles are overwhelming at times.

Gethyon is a wonderful coming-of-age fantasy novel. It contains a depth of understanding that goes beyond the action adventure. Topics such as family, loss, the use of force, and good versus evil, are all dealt with skillfully and sensitively. I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading well-crafted fantasy.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Getting Back to Normal by Marilyn Levinson

July 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

NORMAL
Getting Back to Normal by Marilyn Levinson
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (103 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Sixth-grader Vannie Taylor’s mom has just died. Her father, completely lost without his wife, brings Vannie and her younger brother to live in a dismal cottage on the estate where he manages craft fairs, dinners, and other events. When strange events start happening around the estate, Vannie decides to investigate, and soon discovers a ghost who wants her to help him make amends for something in his past. Vannie’s life is starting to get back to normal, but in a way she’s never imagined.

Death doesn’t have to be the end. Spirits who deeply regret terrible decisions they made in life have a slim chance of fixing their mistakes if they can find someone to give them a hand. The problem is that most of the living are either unaware of the dead or have no interest in helping them.

All it takes is one willing assistant, though. Will Vannie agree to help someone she barely knows? I puzzled over this question as the plot thickened. Once I figured out what she needed to do I wondered how reasonable it was for her to agree to it. Had I been in her shoes I don’t know if I would have been equally willing to make the same sacrifice.

Thus, an impotent male should be careful while choosing any of the buy viagra generic erectile dysfunction remedies as some may impose a serious threat to life. Some of tadalafil 40mg india such predisposing factors also include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors. This way, most viagra 100mg sales men experience harder erection within minutes and even erectile dysfunction patients have reported better erection strength within few weeks. By regularly performing certain exercises and practices we can actually increase the chi or oxygen pressure in the lungs that is pulmonary arterial hypertension. tadalafil 5mg tablets dig this The relationship between Vannie’s younger brother, Robby, and the feral cat he desperately wants to tame is a welcome relief from an otherwise serious storyline. His well-meaning but sometimes comedic attempts to make a pet out of a creature that has no concept of the term bring out the nurturing side of his older sister’s personality. While they occasionally annoy one another, it was nice to see such a warm bond between siblings in a young adult novel.

Vannie’s father, Roger, quickly moves on with his life after his wife’s death. Shortly after she dies he transitions his kids to a new home on the other side of town, and he soon introduces even more disruptive changes into their lives. His reasons for wanting to uproot his children weren’t clear to me until the final chapter, and I wish I had learned about them much earlier in the plot. Knowing this information right away would have helped me empathize with his point of view as I found it difficult to understand how a father could be so emotionally disengaged from his children. Throughout all of these adjustments in the Taylor family, Roger is a distant and short-tempered parent who leaves the practical aspects of running a household up to his preteen daughter. In certain ways Vannie acts more like an adult than her own father, and I didn’t think it was appropriate for her to assume so much responsibility at such a tender age.

With that being said, the paranormal scenes in this story that waver between lighthearted and disturbing conversations enhance the allure of Merrymount Gardens and everyone who lives there. The ghost Vannie meets has been trying to get help from the living for decades, and as soon as he realizes Vannie can see him he wastes no time in introducing himself. Eventually the ghost reveals something surprising about his personality that makes this book too frightening for readers under the age of 12. The twist adds unexpected depth to previous scenes, though, and transforms the plot into something well-suited for its intended audience.

I’d recommend Getting Back to Normal to anyone who loves the thrill of uncovering long dead secrets. This book is packed full of them, and I had a wonderful time discovering the truth with Vannie.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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