Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - Review

Seraphina is a fantasy novel about a young musician who finds her place in the world.  In Seraphina’s world, dragons are very real and very dangerous or at least they used to be.  Decades before, dragons and humans were at war.  When a tough and smart queen petitioned a treaty with the leader of the dragons, peace finally occurred, opening the doors for dragons to mingle with humans.  There are still harsh feelings between dragons and humans even decades after the treaty was signed.  There are humans who hate dragons and vice versa.  There are even secret orders committed to destroying the treaty.  Most humans still fear dragons and feel very negatively about them.  

Dragons are able to pass as humans by magically making themselves a ‘human suit’ to wear.  Almost all dragons are required to wear special bells to identify themselves as such so that the humans can easily identify them.  Dragons are not allowed to show emotion in their society, so humans are very interesting to them.  There are dragons disguised as humans, called scholars, who are not required to wear bells so that they can mingle and learn from the humans more easily.  The main character, Seraphina is a half dragon which,h according to the dragons and humans both, is an abomination and illegal.  Seraphina is taught from the time she is a small child to never tell anyone of her real nature.  She has an uncle who is a dragon scholar that helps her with her dragon problems, such as the scales that sprout from her abdomen and arm when she is about 8 years old, and a father who seems very distant.  

Seraphina is an excellent fantasy story!  I really enjoyed reading it and learning about this world.  There are many twists and turns and some things I never suspected.  The characters are very interesting and well developed.  The character of Seraphina grew throughout the story and became a very strong heroine.  There’s a dash of forbidden romance, intrigue, mystery, and more in this great novel.  This one will be popular among fantasy fans.  I hope this is a series because I really want to learn more about the amazing world Ms. Hartman has created.

Review: Innocent Darkness

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

Innocent Darkness is a steampunk/fae series that is sure to be popular.  It reminded me of both Holly Black and Melissa Marr.  It’s not as well written, but it was a good story.  The main character, Noli, is a spirited young woman of sixteen who is not content to put herself into the box that society wants her to be in.  She wants to go to college and get a job, things that just are not done by women in the early 1900’s, or at least not by those of ‘good breeding’.   Noli gets herself in trouble and is sent to a horrible reform school.   She is beaten daily and mentally abused.  After a particularly bad week, she runs outside during the night of midsummer’s eve and climbs into a tree.  The tree is actually a Fairy tree with great magic within it.  When she reaches a good spot to hide, she cries and wishes to go ‘anyplace but here’ and is taken into the Otherworld, the world of the Fae.  There she meets a huntsman named Kevighn Silver who tells her he will help her get home.  He is lying, of course.  She has something special and the Otherworld needs it. Kevighn had actually been watching her and was about to make his move to seduce her into coming with him when she opened the gate herself.   She is smart enough to know not to trust him, but she has no choice.  Innocent Darkness was slow to start, but did get better.  Some will have no trouble getting into the book, but for some reason I just didn’t get interested until later in the story.   I will probably read the sequel and I will order both for my library.

Throne of Glass - Review

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass

The Throne of Glass is a historical fantasy in war-torn world.   It begins with a young girl named Celaena in a horrible prison mine walking along corridors with a guard.  The girl has apparently been at the prison for a year and has been summoned to speak with the prince of the nation.   You find out that the girl is in fact the best assassin in the land or at least she was before she was put into the mine.  The prince has come to ask her to be a champion for the King, to pose as his assassin and do his bidding for a period of time, after which she will be freed.  In order to get this role she must compete with other champions across the land.  Whoever is left at the end of the competition will be the king’s champion.  Even though she despises the king, she agrees so she can earn her freedom.  Once she gets to the castle and begins to get her strength back other events begin to happen.  There are 23 other competitors in the beginning.  After the first couple of weeks of the competition competitors begin to die in gruesome manors.   Soon Celaena realizes that magic is causing the deaths and that someone is summoning a horrible beast to murder the other competitors.  Celaena tries to solve the mystery, win the competition and keep herself from killing anyone who provokes her.  This book is full of adventure, mystery, danger, and heartbreak, with a little added romance thrown in for good measure.   I hope this is a series, I would love to read more about Celaena.   I will be ordering this for my library.  I give this one 5 out of 5. 

The Moonstone Series - a review

The Moonstone Series by Marilee Brothers

Moonstone, Moon Rise, Moon Spun, Shadow Moon

The Moonstone series is about a 15 year old girl named Allie Emerson who begins to experience psychic abilities after an accident.   She confides in a friend and learns that she has been destined to receive a special necklace called the moonstone.  This necklace enhances her new-found powers and eventually puts her in danger.  There are others who are looking for the necklace called Trimarks.  The Trimarks are a deadly gang that wants to use the magic of the moonstone for evil.  This one is a great read for teens who like fantasy and adventure with a splash of romance thrown in.  I will be ordering it for my library.  I’ll give this one a 4. 

New Review: Lulu and the Duck in the Park (A J level chapter book)

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay

Lulu and the Duck in the Park is a very cute chapter book.   It’s about a girl named Lulu who loves animals so much that she has a house full of them.  One day when her class goes to the park to feed the ducks, a disaster happens.  Two dogs are loose and running around scaring the ducks during their nesting season.  One particular duck, Lulu’s favorite has one egg that isn’t destroyed.  Lulu saves it by catching it before it rolls to the concrete and breaks.  She takes it to school and keeps it warm throughout the day.  At the end of the day the egg hatches.   Lulu, her teacher, and her cousin/best friend return the duckling to the mommy.  This is a great book for those beginning to read chapter books.