THE WIZARD HEIR by Cinda Williams Chima – Review November 12, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: family, family issues, magic, reform school, wizards, young adult
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Seph McCauley has been kicked out of private school after private school. Trouble seems to follow him around. When he is associated in a tragic fire that results in the death of a close friend, his guardians – a law firm – decide he needs a drastic change. Seph is sent to The Havens, a school with a good track record with rebellious boys.
Seph has always known he is special, in fact, he knows he is a wizard. He just hasn’t had the luxury of training since his parents have long been dead and his foster-mother, a sorceress, wanted to keep him away from the magical world as much as possible. In her opinion, wizards are bad news – always looking for ways to control and manipulate the people around them for their own benefit. He desperately wants training and to know more about his heritage and, at first, he thinks he might be able to find that at The Havens.
Jeremy Leicester promises Seph exactly what he wants – as long as he gives Leicester what he asks for in return. When Seph comes to understand what Leicester is after, he decides he doesn’t want anything to do with him. The problem is, Leicester is a very powerful wizard and he isn’t used to being denied. It will take everything Seph has to survive his time at The Havens.
Luckily, Seph isn’t completely on his own. THE WIZARD HEIR brings back characters readers grew to love in the first book of this trilogy, THE WARRIOR HEIR. We see Jack Swift, Ellen Stephenson, Linda Downey and Leander Hastings – all important players in the battle between the wizards and the lower guilds. Readers are also introduced to a few new characters like Jason Haley, another students at The Havens, who provides Seph with much needed support and Madison Moss, a beautiful girl who steals his heart, who has many secrets of her own.
THE WIZARD HEIR is an enchanting story. It is easy to get lost in the world Cinda Williams Chima creates for her characters. It would be best to read THE WARRIOR HEIR first, but if you can’t get your hands on it, starting with THE WIZARD HEIR would probably be okay. You won’t be lost, but you’ll miss out on some of the references in terms of the returning characters.
Don’t wait. This isn’t a series you should miss.
THE WARRIOR HEIR by Cinda Williams Chima – REVIEW October 27, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: family, Fantasy, friendship, magic, series, young adult
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Hyperion – April 1, 2007
Jack enjoys his normal life in Trinity, Ohio. He spends time with his best friends, goes to school, and is extremely excited about soccer tryouts. Jack is very healthy, despite the thick scar that resides above his heart and the medicine he has to take everyday. Life is ordinary – until he forgets to take his medicine.
Soccer tryouts are a breeze. Jack has never felt so alive and when his nemesis, Lobeck, gets in his way, Jack slams him into the goal – without touching him. Jack doesn’t realize he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people, and when he sent Lobeck flying into the soccer net, the magic he released acted as a signal to others around him.
Jack, destined to be a wizard, but born without his stone, was saved by a leader of the White Rose. The moment Jack’s life was saved, his destiny changed. Now, with a warrior stone behind his heart, he is meant to fight for the White Rose in a magical tournament – if he survives until his magic fully manifests.
Jack is one of the last warriors and both the Red and the White houses want him to fight for them. Whichever house wins the fight-to-the-death tournament has the power to control the magical community.
In a world full of wizards, warriors, seers, sorcerers, and enchanters, Jack doesn’t know who to trust. Nothing around him is as it seemed.
THE WARRIOR HEIR is the first in a trilogy by Cinda Williams Chima. The story contains many lovable characters, including Jack’s two Anaweir (non-magical) best friends. Even though Fitch and Will don’t have magical powers, they find a way to be instrumental in Jack’s struggle for survival.
THE WARRIOR HEIR is a delightful fantasy. You’ll definitely want to read the next two in the series, THE WIZARD HEIR and THE DRAGON HEIR.
ELPHAME’S CHOICE by P.C. Cast – REVIEW October 8, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: centaurs, love, magic, romance, satyr, series
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Harlequin Teen – September 29, 2009 (first published in 2004)
Elphame, a satyr goddess born to a human mother and centaur father, has never felt a part of life. She has been worshipped and taken care of to the point no one feels comfortable enough with her to be free to speak to her like a friend. She has always been on a pedestal in the eyes of the people in Partholon.
Elphame decides it is time to strike out on her own. Along with her brother, she travels across the country to restore the long abandoned MacCallan Castle. A century has passed since the terrible Fomorian battle that killed many of Elphame’s clansman. While tales of ghosts keep most people away, Elphame feels the pull of the castle and knows deep in her soul she is meant to restore it and claim the castle as her own. She is meant to become The MacCallan, the leader of the clan.
Love is something Elphame assumed she would never experience. Who would want to love someone so clearly not human. She loves her strong hoofed legs, but at the same time is aware how they set her apart from everyone around her. She is completely caught off guard when she meets Lochlan, a hybrid Fomorian who claims to be her destiny. But, what are Lochlan’s true intentions? Can she trust the well-being of her clan for a chance at love?
ELPHAME’S CHOICE is a great romance. Anyone who enjoys reading about days of warriors and castles will find the setting appealing and Elphame is a very strong character and wonderful role model for girl readers. My major concern is this – I don’t think this should be marketed as a young adult novel. I found my copy in the young adult section at Borders and as you can see from the publisher information, it is being rereleased by Harlequin Teen. P.C. Cast first published this book in 2004 under Harlequin’s Luna imprint. I realize Harlequin didn’t have a teen imprint at that time, but…. ELPHAME’S CHOICE contains clearly spelled out sex scenes with typical “romance” language. I’m totally for allowing people (including teens) reading what they want to, but I think labeling it young adult and putting it on the young adult shelf is a little misleading.
Has anyone else read this yet? If so, tell me what you think.
2004 Edition Cover
DREAMING ANASTASIA by Joy Preble – REVIEW September 14, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: history, magic, Russia, young adult
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Sourcebooks Jabberwocky – September 1, 2009
Anne is sixteen-years-old and even though her family is still recovering from the loss of her brother to cancer two years ago, she still maintains a typical teenage life. She hangs out with her best friend, Tess, stresses over school work, and takes an advanced ballet class. While attending a performance of Swan Lake, she learns that not everything in the world can be explained. From this night on, she is thrust into a world involving danger, betrayal, and magic.
Ethan is a member of the Brotherhood, a group created in the early 1900’s to protect Tsar Nicholas II and his family. He is intent on finding the girl destined to release the Grand Duchess Anastasia from captivity where she has been since the assassination of her family. Anastasia is stuck at age seventeen until she can be released from Baba Yaga, a witch from Russian Folklore, just like Ethan is stuck at eighteen until he can release her. After almost one hundred years, Ethan has finally found the girl who can help him – Anne.
Anne dreamed of Anastasia even before Ethan came into her life. Anne is in the basement with the Romanov family looking through Anastasia’s eyes as her family is being murdered in front of her. She knows there is something strange about what happened to Anastasia, but doesn’t know enough to put the pieces together. What she witnesses during the dreams doesn’t make sense in a realistic world. When Ethan approaches Anne, she must make the decision whether or not to believe him and if she is going to help him or not. She finds out that she holds more than one life in her hands.
DREAMING ANASTASIA is a book that blends the present and the past in such a way it is seamless. The alternating points of view of Anne, Ethan, and Anastasia create a clear picture for the reader. The inclusion of handwritten letters from Anastasia to all of her family members gives the reader the historical background needed to understand the plot of this creative story. Once you start reading, you won’t want to put the book down. You’ll want to start researching the Romanov family as soon as you are finished.
A picture of Grand Duchess Romanov days before the assassination.
Be sure to check out the other blogs featuring this book during the tour.
Dreaming Anastasia:
A Novel of Love, Magic, and the Power of Dreams
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – REVIEW August 13, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: good v. evil, magic, romance, young adult
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Little, Brown – December 2009
Ethan Wate lives at the epicenter of nowhere in Gaitlin, South Carolina. Only two kinds of people live in Gatlin, “the stupid and the stuck,” and Ethan doesn’t consider himself in either of those categories. He isn’t sure what he wants to do with the rest of his life, but he knows he wants out of town. It doesn’t matter to him what college he goes to as long as it is 1000 miles away from Gatlin. As summer comes to an end, Ethan prepares himself for another typical school year. Only one thing out of the ordinary has been happening over the last several of months – a recurring dream that leaves Ethan gasping for breath, soaking wet from sweat, and questioning his sanity. Always the same, a girl calling his name for help. The girl slipping through his fingers and tumbling down to the ground. A great sense of loss and the lingering scent of lemons and rosemary.
When Lena Duchannes moves into Gatlin’s oldest and most infamous plantation, she causes quite a stir in town. She causes a stir in Ethan as well. When he sees her and realizes she is the girl from his dreams he is drawn to her both out of need and curiosity. Mystery surrounds Lena as she attempts to make a place for herself in the community while also maintaining her individuality. Ethan’s eyes are opened to a complicated world of danger and magic as he attempts to figure out his role in Lena’s complicated world.
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is a masterfully written tale that weaves together a story of love, the importance of family loyalty, and the difficulties of choosing between good and evil. Garcia and Stohl create a world where readers can lose themselves and be content. Readers will beg for a sequel when they reach the last page.
Check out the book trailer.
“Say It Again” Saturday – TURN COAT by Jim Butcher August 8, 2009
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: magic, say it again saturday, wizards
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“Say It Again” Saturday was created because…Sometimes when I’m reading a book there are lines that just jump out at me. They make me want to laugh, cry, or just sit and think for a minute. Sometimes the lines are just beautifully written. They are the kind of lines that you want to stop reading, find someone close by, and read the line or passage aloud to them so they can share it with you.
I know some of you may be saying, “Karin, are you crazy? The Dresden Files Series isn’t young adult.” Well, you are right. These aren’t young adult, but they would be completely appropriate for older teens. The biggest issues are sexual situations (not graphic, but sensual) and violence.
Harry Dresden is such a wonderfully created character and Jim Butcher has a wonderful way of writing so Harry’s voice really comes through the text. Here are some great examples:
He might have been just a little bit smug, the bastard. His abs look like they were added in with CGI. My abs just look like I can’t afford to feed myself very well. (p. 49)
I shivered and walked down the steps to my apartment. I disarmed the wards, and reminded myself, again, that I really needed to do something about the deep divots in the steel security door. The last thing I needed was for old Mrs. Spunkelcrief, my near-deaf landlady, to start asking me why my door looked like it had been shot a dozen times. I mean, I could always tell her, “because it had been,” but that isn’t the sort of conversation one has with one’s landlady if one wants to keep one’s home. (p.74)
Or at least, that’s what I think she said. It took me a couple of tries to get my eyes open and sit up. ”Hang on,” I said. “Hang on.” I shambled into the bathroom and sorted things out, then splashed some cold water on my face and came back into the living room. ”Right. I think I can sort of understand English now.” (p. 119)
So, who else loves Harry? Are you secretly pulling for him and Karrin Murphy to get together? (I DO!!!!) I’ve always loved that her name is Karrin. Jim Butcher even ALMOST spells her name right. HA HA.
POISON INK by Christopher Golden August 29, 2008
Posted by karinlibrarian in young adult.Tags: bullies, divorce, friendship, high school, horror, magic, tattoos, young adult
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Sammi is a floater. She has friends in every clique at school, but doesn’t really fit in with any one of them. Her only close friends are four girls just like her. They started hanging out together because they didn’t fit in anywhere else. Just hanging out has turned into four of the strongest friendships Sammi has ever had.
Sammi, Caryn, Letty, TQ, and Katsuko are inseparable. One night during a sleepover, the idea of getting a tattoo to represent their bond to each other develops. Immediately they are all excited – except for Sammi. She knows her parents wouldn’t approve and with them teetering on the edge of divorce already, she doesn’t want to give them anything else to fight about. Sammi hopes the idea of the tattoo just falls by the wayside and eventually is forgotten. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Together they come up with a plan to get out of the house and go to a tattoo shop close to Letty’s house. The creepy tattoo artist doesn’t ask to see their IDs and they all start to plan where they will place their tattoo. Each girl chooses a different location, but all will have the exact same design. After all of her friends have already been tattooed, Sammi decides she can’t go through with it.
Immediately, Sammi is shunned and becomes on outcast in her group. They even go so far as to defriend her on her Instant Messaging Buddy List. Soon after the application of the tattoos, Sammi notices a change in TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko for the worse. They become violent, promiscuous, and horribly mean. In the middle of a fight that lands Sammi in the hospital, she spots the tattoos on her friends’ skin and sees that they have changed. Tendrils have started to emerge and cover more of their bodies. Sammi realizes something sinister is going on and that the creepy tattoo artist must be behind it. She decides to find a way to save her friends and get them out from under the control of the poisoned tattoos.
