Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Rating: Enjoyable

Summary:

"Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home. Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself. In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch."

This is a pretty hyped up book which I was interested in from the description. I was lucky that my library ebook loan system had it in there. I am not sure it lives up to its hype though, it was an enjoyable read and I will read the next book but I did have problems with the story.

My first issue was that Safiya (Safi) is an idiot. A selfish, deluded brat. Everything that went wrong in this book was because she never stopped to think about anyone other then herself and her needs. She even admitted, several times, she sucks at making plans, and time and time again she would ignore people who had perfectly good and well thought out plans made by people who generally so this sort of thing for a living, and do her own idiotic thing. Usually resulting in the death of others or the near death of her and her friends. I just wanted to yell at her almost the entire way through the book. Also her decisions made no freaking sense and the one time she actually presented a good plan to someone who has lots of experience and should know better, they shot her down and proposed a seriously risky and dumb idea (which resulted in mayhem, death and fighting).

My other peeve was that I also got annoyed with reading "that that" in a sentence or something similar. I can't think of specific examples now but when that double up happened it did bug me as it happened a couple of times. I am not sure what the technical term for it is, but I have seen it creeping into modern books, and it bugs me. But thats one of my peeve's not necessarily a fault of the book.

So you would think  after that complaining I would dislike this book. Well I didn't. I still quite enjoyed it, even though my eyeballs got quite the work out.

For me this was like a guilty pleasure book. Similar to those guilty pleasure tv shows that we all have, that we like despite it being almost everything we normally dislike in a show. Like The Kardashians, or Daytime Soapies (mine being reality shows like Amazing Race and Survivor). The characters are badly acted, the dialogue is predictable and the show is predictable (yes even reality shows!). We like to hate those shows (and we all have one) and we like to complain about the awfulness of the show. I am not saying this book is badly written or predictable but my point is that even though there was a side of it that annoyed me I still continued reading, and still liked it.

This book was a little like that for me. Even though I practically yelled at the character Safi for her stupidity and rolled my eyes at her decisions. I still enjoyed reading this book and will read the second book.

The action was well written and fast paced. The world created is interesting and detailed. I liked the story and I'm curious as to where the story goes.

If you like modern young adult fantasy you will probably like this book.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My rating: ok not really my thing
ISBN-10: 0099554798
ISBN-13: 978-0099554790
ASIN: B005AKFXZW

Summary:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads: Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. Le Cirque des Rêves The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter.

I am not really sure what happened with this book as for me I just didn't get into it like most other people seemed too. I should have liked this book as it ticks a lot of boxes for me but this just fell flat for me.

While I enjoyed the world it was set in and enjoyed reading about the circus and the intricate duel the game turned into I just felt it was too slow and sometimes too detailed.

It actually became a way for me at night to put myself to sleep. I would literally read 2 pages then get seriously sleepy.

Not an awful book and I am sure people who like reading more epic fantasy type novels or dramas would like this, but for me it just didn't engage me the way I had hoped.

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Rating: Enjoyable
Publisher: Del Rey (May 19, 2015)
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
Sold by: Random House LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00KUQIU7O

Summary
“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose."

I have previously been a fan of Novik's "Temeraire" series which is an alternate history set during the 1700s and had dragons. So when I saw Novik had branched out this I was keen to try.

This book is not an alternate history like her Temaraire series. It is straight up fantasy. But while it is a fantasy, there was a strong link to European (I believe Polish) culture and mythology which is evident through out the book. The names of characters, places and the mythological beings all reflection the Polish back ground. Also while there  is technically a dragon, it is just a wizard who has that name.

The main character Agnieszka was an interesting character to see the world from. She was smart and adventurous. I did have problems with her relationship with the Prince and the Dragon. Her relationship with the Dragon seemed kind of "Stockholm Syndrome"-ish. I really couldn't see how in short space of time they spent time together that she could go from hating and distrusting him to liking him. So I have put it down to her being his captive and kind of imprinting on him. The Prince was a jerk and deserved more then a punch to the face. I can understand why Agnieszka and the Dragon didn't take things further but still that whole relationship felt forced and weird. Also don't get me started on creep leacher wizard, but at least he was never anything more then he was.

Novak is able to balance a fast paced story, with development and world building. The world was interesting and I enjoyed the characters. There were some minor plot holes or things that maybe were not explained fully but overall it was a good story that kept moving easily.

I enjoyed the book, it didn't wow me but it was a good break away book and holds promise of being an interesting series (if it turns into series). If you are a fan of Novik then you should enjoy

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Rating: Loved it! 
Reading Age: 13 and up
Publisher: Pan; Main Market Ed. edition (15 Jan. 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1447256239
ISBN-13: 978-1447256236

Summary

Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently... Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book. Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own. Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.

Well I am not sure I could gush, rave, totally fan girl out any more about this book. I dont even know where to begin with this review I just really enjoyed this book. Easily, hands down, top of the list for favourite book for this year.

A world where you can live in a library, travel to other dimensions, and collect books (borderline steal, ok not so borderline, but its for the good of literature across the universe  and preserving the book). Did I mention LIVE IN A LIBRARY? Do I really need to say more?

Ok perhaps I do. One aspect I really liked about this book was a the world the author had created. A central library or world that links other worlds through books. The Librarians collect (sometimes steal) special books that can only be found in that universe, and strengthens the ties the library has to that world. 

I enjoyed all the characters, though dragon boy seemed a bit scattered sometimes. Perhaps this is because he was in a human shape and couldn't really control his emotions in that form? I am not sure but emotionally he seemed scattered (that is the best way I can think to describe it without being spoilery). 

Irene is a good heroine being smart, quick thinking, and not a damsel in distress (by this I mean perfectly capable of doing stuff until the cute male lead comes along and then suddenly seems rendered incapable of getting stuff done). She has faults and quirks, and is by no means perfect, but she doesn't fall into the cliched role of "bad ass heroine until cute guy comes along to save her". She gets stuff done and has a job to do, don't get in her way or distract her with your pretty boy looks.

As I mentioned above this is probably at the top of my list for favourite read of the year. I enjoyed this book that much. I and so much fun reading it and was disappointed when it ended. However I console myself with the fact a second book is out around Christmas and I have preordered it!

Spelled by Betsy Schow

Rating: Enjoyed
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (June 2, 2015)
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00SG8TG3K

Summary
Fairy Tale Survival Rule #32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day. Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks―like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the not-so-charming prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future. Talk about unhappily ever after. Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called "Kansas." Now it's up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse...before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story.

You know those guilty pleasure type shows which are brainless and silly but you still cant help watching it every week (or whenever you can)? Because for you it is just fun, and you can switch your brain off, you know the shows that are brain candy? Well this book for me was a brain candy book.

The story is a mash up of fairy tales with the Wizard of Oz story being the main story it follows, and it seems to be set prior to the Wizard of Oz books. The author has woven in references to just about every children's story ever, and threw in some current pop culture references as well (such as when Dorthea says "let it go snow boy let it go" and e books being enchanted books).

So we have spoiled brat princess, arrogant annoying prince (and now fiance to spoiled brat Princess), and snarky side kick having to travel across the ruined fair tale landscape and try to fix everything. To be fair to Dorthea (Princess), she had never ever been allowed out of the castle so it is understandable she is a little self absorbed when all she can do is online shop. I was happy with the character development and felt it was done in line with the events that occured. Dorthea had a steep learning curve.

This will be a short review because really all you need to know is the book is a fairy tale mash up/satire, it made me laugh and I had fun reading it. If you want a quick fun read this might be what you need.

Drachengott: Wind by KJ Taylor

Rating: 3 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1088 KB Print
Length: 140 pages
Publisher: AUS Impulse (1 May 2015)
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers (AU)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781460705339
ISBN 10: 1460705335
ASIN: B00RKU7QP0

Summary

Rutger has always been a bit different. Wanting more than his current provincial life holds, he practices swordfighting, ensuring he's ready for ... he's not quite sure what. Until he meets Swanhild, an enigmatic young woman who knows exactly what she's training for - war. The two meet every day in the forest to practice magic and Rutger feels like he finally belongs somewhere. But Swanhild is hiding something. Will Rugter find out her secret before it's too late? Or will the battle they've been waiting for render secrets irrelevant?

 A good start to a promising fantasy series.

Proper fantasy is not really my thing especially epic. How ever I have been reading more books in that area lately, especially books about dragons. Not sure what is happening there, maybe it is a phase I am going through?

This story was not a complex story Rugter and Swanhild set out to over throw one of the most powerful baddies in the area. The reader follows the pairs adventures as they work towards this goal. The time line for this does seem to skip along pretty quick but it doesn't feel to rushed. However despite the simple story and motivations the world building was not lacking

There are dragons but they are the bad guys and pretty simple creatures. But there is an interesting part to the dragon story in this world with a head dragon who controls them all. Reminded me of a beehive. I would be interested to see how the dragon's story evolves through the book and we learn more about their story.

Drachengott does have a book one feel about it. The story is just starting and I supect there are going to be at least four books. The pacing of the book fits a story based in a series. It is slow paced for roughly half of the book but it does build up to a fight scene.

I liked Swanhild the most as I felt we got to learn more about her and her motivations the most.  She is the main character the reader will follow through the series. As we learned about her then her character and motivations were pretty clear. Rutger felt a little too simple in his motivations and personality. However I suspect next time we meet him, he will be a far more complex character.

While I wasn't the  blown away by the book, as previously mentioned it was the start of a longer series that was obviously the first stepping stone in a bigger series. The overall series I think has potential to be a good fantasy series over all. I could see this being a series that has the potential to be very addictive. However with the book currently being listed at $2.99 there is no real reason to not give this book a try.

Love in a time of Monsters by Teresa Yea

Rating 3 out of 5
Publisher: Broken E Publishing (March 31, 2015)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00UDQUK9C

Summary:

He has a monster problem Scotland, 1867. When Rob Stevenson’s brother is killed—and eaten—in the forest outside their estate, Rob’s sheltered world is shattered by a monster infestation. Determined to keep his village safe, Rob's first duty as laird involves hiring a professional hunter. She kills monsters The sole survivor of a massacre in the Congo, Catriona Mornay is rumored to have lost her mind in the jungle. In Edinburgh’s gas-lit streets, Cat’s skill as a hunter is unmatched. Her reputation as a killer of unnatural creatures, legendary. Two worlds collide Faced with a rising body count, Rob takes a chance on Cat, hoping that somewhere inside this tortured yet charismatic girl is the hero he’s been searching for. But in this shadow realm of secrets, lies, and underworld crime, their lives overlap in more ways than one. And in an age where harpies flock the sky and serpents rule the sea, it’s even possible for a boy and his hunter to fall in love. But can their love survive in a time of monsters? For fans of bestselling authors Libba Bray and Megan Shepherd, take a dark ride into a seductive New Adult fantasy filled with magic, intrigue, adventure, and action packed romance.

Not a bad book but not I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I liked the writing and the clever mix of history, literature and fantasy as well as the story itself. On the other it was a little too gothic for me.

I really liked that the author tied the characters to the real life author Rob Stevenson and his stories. However the story is almost purely fictional with only some things (like his illness and living in Scotland) tying him to his real world counterpart. Though it is fun to think the real Stevenson had done a spot of monster hunting in his youth before writing a best seller book.

 Cat is an interesting and broken character. She is strong willed and independent yet she is a drug addict who has suffered through a major trauma. She makes some pretty stupid decision which have terrible consequences. However sometimes she is very insightful and knows the right thing to do that saves everyone.

As previously mentioned a smidgeon dark and serious for me. There is a bit of gore and violence (hello she is a monster hunter not sure why I expected it to be more like skipping through the tulips and less skipping through the graveyard).

There is also romance element and a love triangle which plats into the story line and creates tension between the main characters.

An interesting book with lots of different elements that would make it enjoyable to lots of different readers.

Blood Queen (Lharmell Series book 3) by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Curtis Brown Unlimited (21 March 2015) Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00VEFCWEC
Series: Yes

Release date 21 April 2015 through Amazon Kindle initially and paperback later.

Summary
After losing Rodden at the last Turning, Zeraphina is alone. Or she would be, if her mother and Prince Folsum would leave her in peace. The prince, blind in one eye after an attack by Zeraphina’s brant, has taken up residence in her home and is insisting she marry him. When an accident happens, Zeraphina flees – straight into the arms of a waiting harming. Now a captive, she discovers she’s being taken to Lharmell. But not to be executed. To be crowned queen. The identity of the one who has given the orders is shrouded in mystery, and Zeraphina can’t help but be suspicious. After everything she’s done the Lharmellins should want her dead. Just who is awaiting her in Lharmell?

Fall out from the events in books one (Blood Song) and two (Blood Storm) start to impact the characters in this book which culminates into an action packed show down. This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It kept me entertained the whole way through. There is so much that I want to write and discuss about this book, however I wont so this review will not spoil the book for those who will read it. So this review will be quite broad and general.

Zeraphina is broken in this book. She is a pretty self obsessed, miserable, addict. Consumed with grief for the loss of Rodden. But with the help of Raufo she begins to put her life back together even though she is being led to her doom.

There is a whole lot of action going on but there is a slowish start first (you know only one person died and nothing got destroyed), but from the middle of the book things start to really get moving. From there on it is action packed and fast moving the rest of the way. The slow start does make sense and it isn't frustrating.

I found a new respect for Zeraphinas mother and sister who were more then met the eye. In the previous two books her mother seemed shallow, cold, and self serving and her sister shallow and to concerned about what others thought. In this book we get to see more depth to their characters.

This was a satisfying ending to the trilogy and didn't feel rushed, forced or skipped over.  If you are a fan of the series you should like this book and be happy with the ending (though I'm really not happy the trilogy has ended).

Magisterium: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Rating 4 out of 5
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Series: Magisterium (Book 1)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1St Edition edition (September 9, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545522250
ISBN-13: 978-0545522250
ASIN: B00HFAY9LO

Summary:

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial. Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him. So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing. Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future. The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .

I had so much fun reading this book.

For me it was fun and fresh, setting the reader to go in one direction then changing direction on you as you continue through the story. It was fascinating and I see so many possibilities with the direction the author took 

I really enjoyed Call. He is angry and sarcastic and his mouth just works of its own accord. He is fun to read and had me chuckling a few times with his antics. The other characters Tamara and Aaron are also good value and compliment his character well.

The action and pacing was well balanced to keep the story bubbling along. The action scenes were fantastical and edge of the seat stuff.

The world built by Black and Clare is an interesting one and I am curious to learn more about it. I liked that the magic was elemental based and the little elemental animals were pretty cool (Chaos ridden puppy anyone?). We got enough information and back story that we know the basics of this world but I will be curious to see how the authors develop the world over the next books. I can easily see there being way more then meets the eye with this world.

I will briefly touch on the comparisons people are drawing to Harry Potter. If you go looking for the comparisons I am sure you will find them. I didn't compare it and I enjoyed the book on its own for its own merits.

If you like YA modern fantasy (don't think this can be classed as urban as they are in a cave in the middle of no where) then this will be a fun read.

Blood Phantom - A Story of Lharmell by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 4 out of 5
Title: Blood Phantom - A story of Lharmell
Author: Rhiannon Hart
Format: Ebook - Short story
ASIN:B00H5RBSC0

Summary

"Life in tatters and far from home, Rodden Lothskorn struggles to cope with the harming menace and his own harming nature. When an offer of marriage reaches his friend, Prince Amis, Rodden discovers that the bride’s inhospitable homeland might contain one part of the harming poison he would dearly like to get his hands on. But if summoned northwards, will Princess Lilith bring something – or someone – he dreads most with her? Locked in a years-long struggle with the Lharmellins, Rodden senses the battle is only now about to begin."

Review

I discovered the Lharmell series last year and I loved the first two books, Blood Song and Blood Storm.  So when I learned there was going to be a Rodden short story I was pretty excited. Then the author Rhiannon asked me if I would like to review her short story and, well, I can neither confirm nor deny, but pretty sure I squealed.

Blood Phantom is the prequel to the first book in the Lharmell series Blood Song. The story is told from Rodden's perspective and is set in the period just before, and at the start of, the events in Blood Song.

As you would expect from a short story, this is a quick read and not too in depth. There is no major plot development or story reveals here. It is short, sweet, and gives us a glimpse into the world of Rodden and Amis.

There are a couple of story nuggets revealed that help us understand Rodden better, and explains a couple of events that happened in Blood Song. 

I liked that we got to learn more about Amis. I got a better understanding of the Prince which I had not gotten from the main series. In the main books he doesn't get a lot of "page time" as he is not a major character (yet, maybe in book 3 this may change? who knows).

Then it finished and I am afraid to say I did a bit of a minion impersonation "whaaaattt???". I even scrolled back through the book to make doubly sure it had finished and that my down loading of the ebook hadn't got stuffed up.

So my only complaint is that it ended way too soon. I know, I know "short story" should have alerted me to the fact that it was going to end far sooner than normal. It did, I knew it was coming, I still didn't like it. I was having too much of a good time to want it to stop.

Good news is I only have to wait till April 2014 for book 3 Blood Queen to come out.

If you are a fan of the series then this is a good complimentary read and I recommend giving it a go.

Want a copy? Get your copy from Amazon.

Want to know more about Rhiannon? You can follow Rhiannon at her blog Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered.

Lastly thank you Rhiannon Hart for letting me part of your blog tour.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

Recently we had the opportunity to watch the live play adaptation of this book. I have also been meaning to write a review of the book (which we own) for awhile now. So I thought I would do a joint review of the book, the movie and the play. Hope you enjoy.

The Book

Rating 3.5 out of 5
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Author: Julia Donaldosn
Illustrator: Axel Sheffler
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (August 25, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0142501123
ISBN-13: 978-0142501122

The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?

I have a confession ,when we first got and read this book it bored both myself and my son. To be fair he was about two at the time, I suspect a little young for the age group (even though by two he loved books), but it just didn't grab us. I find my enjoyment of reading a book directly correlates to his enjoyment, if he isn't digging it then I probably wont. However after seeing the play I decided to revisit the book and I did enjoy it a lot more than previously.

There is lots of rhyming and lyrical passages which Donaldson does very well in the majority of her books; and the flow and rhythm of the book makes it easy to read aloud. I liked that unlike Tiddler: the story telling fish that there was a definite start, middle and end. The story flowed and made sense.

It seems the combination of Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler is one that is here to stay. As far as I can tell Mr Sheffler has illustrated all of Julia Donaldsons books (don't quote me on that but they have done a lot of books together). His slightly quirky style fits in with story and brings it alive. The images are a little darker in the colours that are used, the dark stormy skies, and the crows looming in most of the scenes.

It is nice to see a female lead in a Donaldson book. So far I have encountered mostly male characters in the lead roles in her books. It was  interesting to note (apparently on the authors request) that the witch was young and not a haggard old crone. As the illustrations are quite dark I think the decision to have the witch younger helps make it easier for kids to relate to.

I am glad we decided to revisit this book after seeing the play. When I brought the book over my son said "I saw this!" and he knew what was happening and pointed out when things happened such as saying "oh no the bow fell off"before I even read the passage. I can now see why this book has been as popular as The Gruffalo. I didn't find this book nearly as charming as The Gruffalo (review coming soon).

All in all a nice book to read that's most kids should enjoy.

The Play

Rating 5 out of 5
I was not sure what to expect from the play. I am not a big "arts" person and at the time I still didn't really like the book. But book adaptations are generally different and I assumed there would be differences to fill the hour the play ran for (otherwise it would have been a very short play). Mostly we decided to go because plays for children coming to my home town is quite rare.

The play had taken London by storm and was brought out this year to Australia. Currently (as of July 2013) touring Australia. It had a mixture of puppetry and live actors playing the main characters and telling the story. The play “storyline” did differ from the book in that from the outset the witch was looking for the dragon, not accidentally running into the witch eating dragon. Also they had written songs which were sung at pivotal points. The original story was woven into the extra songs and story dialogue.

The play has been adapted for Australian audiences which was an eye to detail I enjoyed. Right at the start when a swishing kind of noise could be heard an actor said "could it be a platypus?". The "aussie-fied" version was most noticeable during the Parrot's segment. They talked about the birds flying north to Bali and used phrases such as "strewth". I liked this touch.

This was not solely a “children’s play” with plenty of subtle adult humour to keep parents laughing just as hard as the little ones. Little ones may find the appearance of the dragon a little scary but to be honest I was disappointed the dragon character was a guy in a suit (where you could see the face) and not a puppet. I think it would have been an awesome puppet.

The set was simple with the focus being on the actors and the puppets. The puppets were detailed and colourful. The costumes of the Witch and cat actors was again simple but effective.

Australian cast: Stephen Anderson, Josie Cerise, Crystal Hegedis and Damien Warren-Smith

If you have the opportunity I would highly recommend seeing the play.

The Movie

Rating 3 out of 5
For Christmas 2012 BBC One released a Room on the Broom stop animation movie. With some big named actors voicing this movie such as Simon Pegg (Narrator), Gillian Anderson (the witch), and Timothy Spall (the dragon), Martin Clunes (as the dog) to name a few; it is a very well produced little movie.

The movie follows the book very closely. However unlike in the book the dragon "stalks" the witch and her friends throughout the movie. That is about the only noticeable difference to the book I could see.

One thing I realised while watching the movie is it is a darkish story. Especially when compared to the play. I wonder if this is why I didn't enjoy the book version? But otherwise a good little film that kids will enjoy. My son enjoyed watching it from beginning to end.

The Wanderer (Guardian and Wanderer Series Book One) by Pippa Dee

Rating: 4 out of 5
File Size: 321 KB
Print Length: 164 pages
Series: Yes - Book one
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B007ZLG5Y2

In the not too distant future … The digger clips the side of the ancient container, cracking it. The banished ones flicker—escape is near. The crack widens and The Wanderer worms its way upwards; into the cables, into cyberspace. The Protector follows, ready to fulfill his duty. The unstoppable chain of events is about to begin. Sasha and Andy have known each other forever, and share everything—including cool email attachments. The latest one, a strange creature, is no exception. However, when Sasha gets sick with symptoms that don’t add up, they wonder if the creature from the email could somehow be involved. It’s creepy … scary … and it seems to control them. In a race against time, they must discover the secret of the strange creature and save themselves and their town from the ancient Wanderer. But there’s more to the creature than meets the eye, and Sasha and Andy will be drawn into a world of the Ancients—the Guardians and Wanderers.

First Impression
This had a ghost in the machine movie sort of feel to it. I liked it though, it was a different way to retell the evil spirit/being story.

What I thought
Firstly I am not a huge fan of techno/fantasy genre. To often it annoys me and is told on an "epic" scale, which for me translates into long, waffley and boring. However this book is fast paced and you don't ever feel bored waiting for something to happen.

The book is told from roughly five point of views; the warrior in the past (Gartram), Sasha, Alex, Justine and Georgia the teacher. At the start of the book this can get a little confusing which for me slowed the story down. But I have previously stated I am not usually a big fan of multiple points of view.

However in this story each point of view does reveal an interesting piece of the story, there is no dud points of view. All the points of view gather speed story wise and then they merge together as the action hots up. I liked that by doing it this way we get a better picture of the story with out the information feeling forced into the story.

I loved the way the evil spirit was brought back into this world. It makes for a good blend of fantasy and sci-fi. The spirit comes back through the Internet and does its dastardly deeds that way.

For me this was a quick light read perfect for the target audience of teens.

Conclusion
You wont be disappointed with this book. It is a fun action novel. Aimed at teenagers they will most likely enjoy this book the most. But is a great read for anyone who is a techno/fantasy buff.

Extra
Keep an eye out over the coming weeks for my interview with PD Martin (Pippa Dee) which will be up in the next couple of weeks!

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J Maas

Rating: 3 out of 5
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1 edition (August 7, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599906953
ISBN-13: 978-1599906959
ASIN: B008BJ3RP2

Synopsis
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

My Initial Thoughts
A really promising start to a series that is a fun modern fantasy.

Digging Deeper
The Characters are interesting if a little stereotypical. The heroine, Calaena, is clever, athletic and sassy. She is not perfect and struggles with where her life has taken her. She is also, wait for it, a book reader. OMG YAY a heroine who is kick ass and READS and adores her library. The male leads are a little cliched you have the strong but silent Captain of the Guard and the flirty play boy Prince.

There is the stock standard love triangle, I am not sure you can escape them anymore in these books. But I think I am team Captain Westfall, Prince Dorian is a bit to shallow for my liking.

The author is clearly a huge book nerd as all her main characters are also book nerds *squee*

At first it bugged me a little that Calaena is a bit to perfect and I thought "is there nothing she can't do?" But then it clicked; she is an assassin, her job is to infiltrate and kill people. It would make sense she is proficient at a variety of things (not just killing) so she can close to her victims.

There are some well written action scenes, and some tantalising story threads started that have sparked my curiosity (think I have guessed Calaena's dark secret but shhhhh not telling).

The blurb seems to promise lots of action the story revolves more around Calaena recovering from her time in prison and getting through the trials. I also felt the author tried to fit to much in (there is a trials type game Calaena has to get through, political intrigue, a mysterious creature killing competitors, love triangle, back stories, world building......and more). All of these threads just distracted to much from the main story and, while it was interesting, left me wondering why we needed to know it all right now and not have it revealed later through the series. This book really had more of a set up feel to the series, almost a prequel. I suspect all the main story threads have been revealed and over the next couple of books all will be revealed and expanded on. I can see that being annoying for some but for me it was ok.

Interesting side note do you think the girl on the front cover strongly resembles the author herself? Am I the only one who has noticed this?

Conclusion

While this is isn't as ass kicking as the blurb would suggest it, has it's moments and is a promising start to the series. I will read the next book as I suspect the second book in this series is where things will really happen. I would recommend this book to fans of the genre.

Blood Storm (Lharmell Series Book 2) by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 5 out of 5
Title: Blood Storm
Author: Rhiannon Hart
Series: Book 2
File Size: 551 KB
Print Length: 227 pages
Publisher: Random House Australia (July 25, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00821K0JK
ISBN 1742754783
ISBN13: 9781742754789

It's official, I am now addicted to this series.

I enjoyed this book way more then the first. The first book Blood Song was good and I enjoyed it. But the second book is where I really went "wow".

In this book we see Zeraphina and Rodden go off adventuring into the sunset to go kill some baddies. Boo-yeah.

The action is fantastic, the story fast paced. I really enjoy Hart's writing and the more modern feel to her fantasy series. Hart's dry wit, is evident everywhere. Particularly in the banter between Zeraphina and Rodden. I admit I sniggered and chuckled through quite a few of the scenes. There were also some really creepy scenes as we learn more about the Harmings and Rodden's past (see the quote below).

The story doesn't set up a series  of convenient scenarios for the hero and heroine to have some alone time together that awakens their passions for each other ("oh dear only tavern around has one room and one bed we will just have to share, no no I wouldn't dare take advantage of you while sleeping", "oh opps we are high in the mountains camping and it is very cold and don't have enough warm clothes, how unfortunate we will just have to keep each other warm" and so on). They are not cold to each other, there is still tension, but there is no convenient set ups here to move the story in that direction.

Finally the ending, omg the ending, I have to say well played Rhiannon Hart. You sucked me in real good and I will be reading book three. I will even make sure I survive the Mayan Apocalypse in the event it does happen just so I can find out what happens in book three.

My reaction to the ending went something like this "wait, what just happened? no seriously that can't be the end. Did that just happen? no surely not I am sleep deprived and jet lagged so surely I imagined that ending. *re-reads the ending just do double check* Crap no that really did just happen *waaaaaaaa*" It's been a long time since I got to the end of a book in a series and want to throw an epic tantrum because the ending was so good, so cliff hangery, and all I wanted was the next book and it wasn't THERE! Seriously my toddler would have been proud of the internal tantrum I had and the old fashioned sulk after as I realised there is nothing I can do but wait till next year for the next book.

But I have it on good authority there is a Rodden short story being released soonish. So that should stave off the with drawl shakes, or make them worse. Either way I don't care and will be reading it.

Extras
Still doubtful about the awesomeness of this book weeellll here is an extract from Blood Storm.

Seraphina (Seraphina #1) By Rachel Hartman

Rating: 5 out of 5
Title: Seraphina
Author: Rachel Hartman
Series: Book 1
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (July 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375866566
ISBN-13: 978-0375866562
ASIN: B007OWBZQK

I decided to do a slightly different review writing a report from the character Eskar who had previously worked with the Censors (dragon police of sorts) on Orma. In the book the Censors had been investigating Orma so I extrapolated on that and had some fun. The report is set at the start of the book. Hope you enjoy it.

On a personal note this has got to be one of my top reads for 2012. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Please note while every effort was taken to not reveal any major plot developments there maybe some very minor ones. 

Censor Observational Report  
Orma and his attachment to Seraphina Dombegh
By Eskar

Background
The dragon citizen known as Orma has been under observation for the last 16 years due to his initial refusal to denounce his sister, his father's exile and his mothers instability. It has long been suspected by the Censors that Orma would be susceptible to human emotions while in his sarataas. Recommendations have been put forward previous he have an  excision. However to date not enough evidence has been collated to enforce this recommendation.

Human Interaction
Orma has spent a significant amount of time acting as teach to the human known as Seraphina Dombegh. This relationship has required close interaction with each other and it is clear the human girl has developed feelings for Orma, but believes they are not reciprocated.

Previously we have created situations to test Orma's emotional attachment to Seraphina. To date all tests have failed to show any emotional attachment to the human subject.

For his part Orma has managed to not drawn the focus of the The Sons of St. Ogdo or the general public. With the 40th Anniversary of the signing of the treaty tension and fear amongst the humans is growing daily. It is becoming dangerous for dragons in the city. Orma being able to avoid such scrutiny in these times either displays a cleverness not yet recognised in this dragon or an empathy for the humans that helps him understand their drives.

Seraphina Dombegh
The human known as Seraphina Dombegh has a cloudy family history. Her father is Claude Dombegh the human lawyer who worked on the treaty and her mother died during birth. As a human she is quite interesting. She shows a dragon like intelligence. She has a natural ability for mathematics, history, politics and analytical skills. She has a sharp tongue which is an interesting quirk. Her ability to hide her emotions is a great asset for her future. I am told her proficiency with music moves the human masses in emotional ways we can not comprehend.

Seraphina also appears to have a growing close relationship with the Princess Glisselda and the Captain of the Guard Lucian Kiggs. She seems to have a great influence over these two young but powerful members of the Goreddian court. This could be advantageous to us in terms of influencing the court and getting information about what the future Queen and King are planning.

Orma appears to have taught her ways in which to speak with and handle our kind. I have personally witnessed her ability on many occasions. This ability could be useful if relations between dragons and humans inflame further then it already has.

Conclusion
If Orma shows any human emotion he hides it very well and we must be more inventive in trying to ascertain if he has any emotions. Orma is a clever and cunning subject and will be difficult to get him to reveal emotions if they exist. There is still insufficient evidence to warrant an excision. It might be worth him maintaining a relationship with humans if relations between our kind disintegrates.

This will be my last report on the matter as my position as ambassador makes it difficult to keep a close eye on Orma. Also the recent murder of Prince Rufus has inflamed tensions and ensuring the safety of the Comonot during his visit.

Eskar

Extras
Check out other bloggers reviews of Seraphina.
Polishing Mud Balls
The Book Smugglers

Blood Song (Lharmell Series Book 1) by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 4 out of 5 stars
Title: Blood Song
Author: Rhiannon Hart
File Size: 440 KB
Print Length: 165 pages
Publisher: Random House Australia (August 31, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B005HLJY8G
ISBN:1742750966
ISBN (13): 9781742750965

Synopsis
When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated. Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more. Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

My initial thoughts
This is a fun book, light and easy to read and I have found a new fantasy series to enjoy. If you like your fantasy more "old school" then this may not be the book for you.

First Paragraph

"I was thinking of blood again so I went to practice archery. That's what I always did when I thought I was going to kill something. I hit the bulls eye every time and nothing had died yet, so at least I had that going for me."

Digging deeper
It is what I would call a modern fantasy novel in that the language is modern, and you don't spend half the book confused as to what the author is talking about as you try to work out the made up languages. This for me is great, I am not a fan of the full on fantasy's like Lord of The Rings. I don't think I have read more then one chapter of that book before I gave up after every attempt.

I loved the main character Zeraphina she was a strong clever girl but a little impulsive. She isn't perfect as she does try to please and fit in with her sister and mother. Zeraphina and Rodden are cute and awkward together, there is attraction but suspicion as Zeraphina and Rodden try to work out what the other is there for (I will leave it at that as I don't want to reveal any spoilers).

Zeraphina's sharp tongue is what drives most of the humour. The humour through the book is dry, smart and made me chuckle out loud a few time. It didn't feel forced or there for the sake of it. As it was part of Zeraphina's nature it just fitted in easily with the book.

The world building and story telling is a careful blend of information to describe the world (with out info dumping) and setting up story arcs for the next books (I want to know more about Leap NOW just telling me it's not a normal cat does not help me, and where do I get one of them ride-on flying birdy things?). The pace is fast but the story doesn't suffer and does not bog down when the information is given.

The only down side to this book is it is book one of a series, and so there are peeks into characters lives and bigger issues with in the world and the then you get left hanging. I am sure these will be resolved in the coming books but this didn't bother me while reading this book when it usually does. I did notice it but didn't care. I know these threads are important and eventually we will learn more about it.

Final Analysis
Read this book at your peril or you might turn into a fan girl/boy like the rest of us. Also make sure you have book 2 lined up and ready to go because the ending of this book will make you go "what happened to the rest of it? Why did it stop? I am not ready for it to stop. I want to know now what happens next.....waaaaa". Or something to that effect.

Book two is on my kindle ready for my holiday. Yee-ha!

Extras
Check out the following reviews by clicking on the hyperlinks.

The Eclectic Readers reviews of Blood Song and the second book Blood Storm .

Also A Ticket To Anywhere first brought this book to my attention with her review of Blood Song.

Tiffany Aching Series by Terry Pratchett

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary
The Tiffany Aching is a young apprentice witch in Terry Pratchetts young adult series. She lives in a sheep growing region on the Discworld called The Chalk, is an expert cheese maker, and a witch. She is smart, kind, practical, and a fast learner. This series follows her growing up and learning to be a witch and an adult.

We first meet Tiffany in The Wee Free Men age 9 living on her family's farm and working hard making cheese. When her brother is kidnapped by the faerie queen she goes on an adventure to rescue him with her new friends the Nac Mac Feegle.

Her story continues into A Hat Full Of Sky and we see 11 year old Tiffany living in Lancre  as an apprentice witch to Miss Level when Tiffany learns to borrow and "exit" her body she finds a dark creature is waiting, ready to take over her body. Then things go really wrong.

The in Wintersmith 13 year old Tiffany is in her work experience phase of being an apprentice witch and she has a problem, the Wintersmith has developed a crush on her and he wants Tiffany to stay with him forever in Winter.

Finally in I Shall Wear Midnight Tiffany has completed her apprenticeship and now lives back in her home town as the resident witch for the Chalk. But a terrible creature is hunting her down and if he wins it will mean the destruction of witches in Discworld.

So that is the four books in a nutshell.

The Characters
Tiffany is a wonderful character, she does "sound" a lot older then the average girl her age but this is explained by saying a witch does tend to be older then her peers due to the life ecperiences she has even by the age of 16. Even so, a smart intelligent 13 year old girl is still going to notice boys and get giggly. Tiffany doesn't really do giggly. But she still makes silly mistakes as anyone would do as a teen and learning. She goes from a world where she had very few friends and was an outcast, to a world where she is accepted, has friends and is challenged.

But having said that I think she is a fantastic role model for young girls and very relatable. Well I would have related to her as a teen :)

The Nac Mac Feegles usually steal the show (and everything else around the show including the audience). They are the biggest source of humour in these books and are the other main characters who are with Tiffany through thick and thin in the series. I love the Nac Mac Feegles and would love to have some of them in my life. At the very least they would make you smile, oh and you are not really supposed to understand them fully. I wonder sometimes, briefly, if Terry Pratchett writes the Nac Mac Feegles lines when drunk.

Other characters worth really noting come from the main Discworld series appear over the course of the books make an appearance. Mostly other witches such as Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. But we also meet Captain Carrot, Angua and Wee Mad Arthur (a Nac Mac Feegle raised as a Gnome and living in the cit as a officer of the watch).

Story Development
I liked the way Pratchett took Tiffany through the series. It happens logically and she doesnt miraculously gain a power or knowledge for no apparent reason. In each book there is a lesson Tiffany learns. In Book 1 she learns to do what needs to be done; Book 2 she learns about the responsibility of power; Book 3 she learns about consequences of actions (and owning up and fixing them), and book 4 that you need to balance and treat people with respect.

There is a strong theme about working hard, friendship, common sense and believing in yourself. The witches in the Discworld are great problem solvers and believe in giving things a crack at yourself.

There is no "slow" book in this series. No book that left me thinking "well that book really didn't add any value to the series". The books do get darker as the books progress but never get really scary. The darkness or rather seriousness of the books reflect Tiffany's struggles and challenges as well as her growing up.

Just a short note book four does deal with domestic violence, suicide, child abuse, infanticide, mob justice and murder (the first four in the first couple of chapters). While all very serious topics I felt the dealt with in a way that would raise this issues without completely terrifying the teenager. But if your child is younger then 16, you may want to have a think about waiting for them till they are older or have a discussion with them about these topics (I would also suggest reading it yourself to gauge how you should approach it). It is not very confronting as Pratchett doesn't go into massive detail but it is there and it is discussed between Tiffany and her dad.

I Shall Wear Midnight has a wonderful ending which really wrapped up the series. It was both an ending and a beginning. Usually I hate epilogues to a series as they rarely add value to the series and ruin an otherwise awesome ending (Harry Potter series and Hunger Games series I am looking at you), but this epilogue didn't make me feel that way. I thought it rounded off the over all ending very well, plus it wasn't soppy, or over done. I loved it in short.

Future of the Series
I have no idea if Terry Pratchett will write any more about Tiffany Aching. I really hope he does even if he turns it into a proper Discworld book (as in part of the adult main series). We got a fascinating glimpse into Tiffany's future and I want to know more about her!

Overall
I am totally biased as I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, Terry Practhett. The man can do no wrong in my eyes. Having said that this is still a wonderful series and I would recommend this as a great starter series for young (or even new to Practhett), soon to be Pratchett fans. Even girls aged between 9-16 who love magic and fantasy will also no doubt love this series.

Quotes

“Even if it's not your fault, it's your responsibility.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

“I'm trying to have a moment o' existential dreed here, right? Crivens, it's a puir lookout if a man canna feel the chilly winds o' fate lashing aroound his netheres wi'out folks telling him he's deid, eh?” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

“Whut's the plan, Rob?" said one of them. "Okay, lads, this is what we'll do. As soon as we see somethin', we'll attack it. Right?" This caused a cheer. "Ach, 'tis a good plan," said Daft Wullie.” ― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

“You’d better tell me what you know, toad,” said Tiffany. “Miss Tick isn’t here. I am.” “Another world is colliding with this one,” said the toad. “There. Happy now? That’s what Miss Tick thinks. But it’s happening faster than she expected. All the monsters are coming back.” “Why?” “There’s no one to stop them.” There was silence for a moment. “There’s me,” said Tiffany.” ― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

“I’m not superstitious. I’m a witch. Witches aren’t superstitious. We are what people are superstitious of.” ― Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith

“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” ― Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight: A Story Of Discworld

“Oh, I feel very angry a lot of the time," said Tiffany, "but I just put it away somewhere until I can do something useful with it.” ― Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight: A Story Of Discworld

“I know it’s not the right thing to say to a lady, miss, but you are sweating like a pig!" "My mother always said that horses sweat, men perspire, and ladies merely glow…" "Is that so? Well, miss, you are glowing like a pig!” ― Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight: A Story Of Discworld

Fire (Graceling Realm #2) by Kristin Cashore

Rating: 3 out of 5
Age Group: Teenager
File Size: 629 KB
Print Length: 356 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0575085126
Publisher: Gollancz (September 24, 2009)
Sold by: Hachette Book Group
Language: English
ASIN: B002U3CBMK

Book two of the Graceling Realm series is actually a Prequel, set about twenty years prior to the events in Graceling.

Fire is the last of her kind, a human monster, and now war is coming to the Dells a battle has began to harness her extraordinary power to seize control of the Kingdom.

I didn't like Fire as much as Katsa, she was a bit whiney, a bit sooky and a smidgeon annoying. Ok granted she seems to get a menstral cycle from hell which may explain some of this but mostly she just didn't make me really like her. As a heroine she was ok, she didn't really do anything despite her powers. There were maybe three stand out moments for her in this book and I wish the story had focused a little more on those traits about her ( I will not say more as it may give the book away).

The romances she had also felt forced and unbelievable. I dunno maybe I am not a love at first sight kinda person and that is what the author seemed to want us to believe. The few characters I did really enjoy were hardly in the book at all which was a little frustrating as it meant the ones left behind (bar Clara and her guard) were at times just as annoying as Fire.

Another frustrating thing was the authors obvious views on marriage and children, and not the views as such but the fact you were never allowed to forget about it EVER. Fire, like Katsa before her (or after or rather in the previous book) also harped on heavily about NEVER getting married and NEVER having children. Which is fine I do not have a problem with that but I also did not need to be hit over the head with this fact over and over.

I guess what really bugged me is that the only strongly portrayed women characters had the "I don't need a man" attitude and I just can't understand why being married or having kids means you are a weaker person. Perhaps this was not what the author intended to portray in her characters, but it is what came across to me and it bugged me. I am all for women power and being independent but sometimes it came across a little condescending.

One last thing about the "women power" theme, I felt the message was muddied by Fire's character constantly showing a strong maternal instinct and kept saying (by thoughts) how much she wanted children, she even pined over it. Her excuses for not having children seemed very weak to me. So for her to then say she doesn't want kids and then do what she does in the book surprised me a little. All I can say is I was not "sold" on her convictions.

The action from the first book is missing here. There are a few scenes but I felt the main focus of this book was more political intrigue and drama. Life in a Royal court. Also Fire is not a fighter (in the physical sense) that Katsa was.

So you are probably thinking I hated this book. Well I didn't. I dunno something kept me reading the book. I think it was the characters I did like, I was invested in them and wanted to know what happened. I really enjoyed the twins and wish we had learned more about them. Also towards the end of the book (maybe last 3rd of the book) I felt Fire finally became truly likeable and interesting. Her views, actions and personality finally gelled.

Overall this book for me was average. It was an interesting add on to the Graceling world which I hope gets tied back into the series later on and not just used to tell the back story of one character from Graceling. The lands and people that inhabit Fire's world were interesting and different to Katsa's world and it would be a shame if the only reason we got to glimpse them so that the story of a character in Graceling who while pivotal was rather a minor character and a bit of a bastard could be told.

I will be interested to see how the story of Bitterblue, which is the focus of the third book, will go.

Ranger's Apprentice Series by John Flanagan

Rating; 4 out of 5 stars

The Rangers Apprentice series is set in a mythological medieval world of Araluen (that has a lot of similarities to Europe). The series follows the adventures of Will Treaty as he is apprenticed into the Rangers corps. The Rangers are a highly respected special forces unit who act as both a police force, military unit, intelligence agency (similar to CIA) and sometimes out right spy. Will and his friends embark on many perilous journeys and adventures over the course of the books that will test their knowledge, beliefs and friendships. There has now been eleven books released in this series since 2005.

Synopsis from book one:

"Will is small for his age, but agile and energetic. All his life, he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected as an apprentice to Castle Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt, the mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen is thought to be the result of black magic. Reluctantly, Will learns to use a Ranger’s secret weapons: a bow and arrow, a mottled cloak and a stubborn little pony. It may not be the sword and battlehorse he longs for, but when Will and Halt set out on a desperate mission to prevent the assassination of the King, Will finds that a Ranger’s weapons are not so useless after all."

When I first began this series way back in 2008 I was not sure what to expect. I picked up the very first book The Ruin's of Gorlan from the library as the description sounded interesting and I liked the cover, plus I wanted to read a new author and this book ticked all the boxes.

So in the first book we are introduced to Will and his friends Horace, and Alyss who are about to be apprenticed into various occupations on The Choosing Day. Will is apprenticed to the Rangers, Horace to Battle school and Alyss to the diplomatic core. Through the next eleven books we get to follow their adventures and lives, as well as be introduced to many more interesting characters (who go on to be main characters) such as Halt, Gilan, Evanlyn, Lady Pauline, and Erak to name a few. They are well rounded and fleshed out characters, you can understand their decisions and see their drives. They are not always perfect full of doubts and insecurities which helps make them feel real.

Most of the books are of the "can't put them down, must read until its 3am and my eyeballs are hanging out of my head" type. I literally burned through the first 6 books in the first week of discovering them. Two of the books are continuation stories. The Seige of Macindaw (follows The Sorcerer of The North) and Halt's Peril (follows The King's of Clonmel) and both of these books to me felt stretched, like they were not really necessary. Especially Halt's Peril. But having said that I still enjoyed them.

Each book is filled with adventure and humour. Will and Halt's banter in particular is always a joy to read. The action sequences are well written and the story is well paced. The similarities between this mythological world and medieval Europe makes it easier to understand the cultures and weapons being used and discussed. For instance Eraks people closely resemble The Vikings. The books have not lost momentum and I have not felt that it is getting stale or old as the characters are still developing and changing.

Also I feel the characters, Will in particular are a great literary role model for young boys and girls. Along with Will, Horace and Alyss are wonderful examples of intelligent, thoughtful and grounded teenagers. Will is smart and clever but kind and fair. He is put in dangerous situations but uses his intelligence and training to get him out of them. Most of Will's mentors pass out wisdom and highlight lessons that most boys in the early teen years can relate too. It never seems over the top or preachy but more like how Yoda treated Luke Skywalker.

My only quibble is that to date every ending has been a bit nice and neat. Everything works out. There has been no real challenge like a death of someone close to them, or the fall of a major nation. It's not a huge deal but it is there all the same.

It is hard to pick a favourite book in the series. The first book The Ruins of Gorlan and The Sorcerer in the North would have to be amongst my favourites.

Boys between about 8-15 will really love this series. But anyone who likes a good clean adventure series will enjoy this immensely. I would recommend the series easily to anyone who enjoys good fantasy adventure.

Some quotes from the series:

“‎Halt looked up at the trees above him. "Why does this boy ask so many questions?" he asked the trees. Naturally, they didn't answer.” - The Ruins of Gorlan

“‎Halt looked up at the trees above him. "Why does this boy ask so many questions?" he asked the trees. Naturally, they didn't answer.” - Ruins of Gorlan
“You had this young man with you for... what, six years?" Halt shrugged. "Near enough," he replied. "And did you ever understand a word he was saying?" "Not a lot of the time, no," Halt said. Crowley shook his head in wonder. "It's just as well he didn't go into the Diplomatic Service. We'd be at war with half a dozen countries by now if he was on the loose." Will drew a deep breath to begin talking. He noticed that both men took an involuntary half step backward and he decided he'd better try to keep it as simple as possible.” - The Sorcerer in the North

“You surely can't be trying to blame us for Erak's habit of charging ashore waving an axe and grabbing everything that isn't nailed down? No offence, Svengal." Svengal shrugged. "None taken. It's a pretty accurate description of Erak on a raid, as a matter of fact.” - Erak's Revenge

The books in order are:

1. The Ruins of Gorlan 
2. The Burning Bridge 
3. The Icebound Land 
4. The Battle for Skandia 
5. The Sorcerer in the North 
6. The Siege of Macindaw 
7. Erak's Ransom 
8. The Kings of Clonmel 
9. Halt's Peril 
10. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja 
11. The Lost Stories

Hope you liked my series review. I will start to do this more for series such as Harry Dresden, Stephanie Plum etc which have lots of books now and can be difficult to review as an individual book.