Pertaining To Mockingjay

(Written by Suzanne Collins. Book Three in the Hunger Games Trilogy.) *Book II spoilers throughout* Katniss Everdeen has a decision to make. She survived the Hunger Games for a second time, with the help of Peeta and other victors. Now she has been rescued by the people of District 13, who have lived underground since the end of the war. President Coin of 13 wants her to become the Mockingjay: The symbolic leader of the revolution. But Katniss only cares about Peeta. Sweet, strong Peeta whose life she had been determined to save during the second Hunger Games, but who was captured by the Capitol. Then he appears in an interview on television and calls for a cease-fire - a sure sign of betrayal to many rebels. Katniss believes the only way she can save him is to agree to be the Mockingjay on condition that he be pardoned after the war. She has no idea what she's about to get into.

Where to start? This is a very, very disappointing Act III to what began as a very good story. The connections between the Capitol and Ancient Rome (something only vaguely hinted at in the first two books) are strengthened. It is well-written, and there's enough action to keep the book exciting. Those are about the only things I liked.

First, Katniss's character devolved into an even worse one than when she started in Book I. This, after growing into a better person in Book II. Throughout Mockingjay, she seems to have become more compassionate and more loving than she had been previously. But three decisions she makes toward the end of the book are, quite simply, cold-blooded and inexcusable.

Second, I did not like the portrayal of District 13. More specifically, I didn't like the portrayal of those fighting for District 13. Gale, President Coin, and Plutarch are the ones in charge, and none of them are ultimately shown to be very good people. President Coin, in particular, is depicted as monstrous (though this is never confirmed explicitly). This is outright slop, and I'll bet it was directed at the Bush administration. With the ending, the implication of the entire series is that no war is justly fought. The rebels had good reason to fight; it was definitely a just war. But the way in which they went about fighting was wrong, at least at the end. Translation: The message is that both sides in war are evil. This is especially offensive given that the story hints at the Revolutionary War - thirteen districts run by an out-of-touch, seemingly impregnable capitol that views the districts as suppliers. Then the new president commits an atrocity like the one Coin ppresumably orders? George Washington would have been horrified. What really ticks me off, however, is that there is absolutely no reason why it should be that way. Story-wise, there is no real reason why things had to end as they did. No reason except one of anti-war, anti-American sentiment.

Then there is Peeta's character. *Spoiler Warning* He has been "hijacked" by the Capitol (I'm sure there's another message in that term, but I can't figure out what it is). Throughout much of the book, he thinks Katniss is evil and tries to kill her periodically. I find this extremely offensive as well. Peeta was the one that no one could touch; the one whose unwavering strength and devotion were lights amidst the darkness. Then, all of a sudden, the Capitol plants these false, evil memories in his mind and he becomes crazy enough to try to murder Katniss in cold blood? Even if his memories could be altered so that he remembers her as an evil being, Peeta wouldn't try to kill her with his bare hands. It's totally out of character. Then he randomly recovers near the end, with very little explanation or description of his journey. Having said that, he loves Katniss as much at the end as he ever did. He remains a bright spot - that wavers somewhat - in the midst of a dark story. *End of Spoiler*

So, basically, this book ends with an anti-war, vaguely anti-American (aren't those terms synonymous by now?) message, and the main character is less likeable than she was at the beginning of the series. However, Peeta remains a strong character (with a blip - but that's so unbelievable I hardly count it), and it was well written from a pure dialogue and description standpoint.

My Rating: T (brutal violence, psychological warfare, sexual references)

Reviews of Similar Books:

• The Hunger Games (book I) and Catching Fire (book II)
• Airman
• Incarceron

In Relation To Catching Fire

(Written by Suzanne Collins. Book Two in the Hunger Games trilogy.) Having survived the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen is now adored by people all over Panem - particularly the citizens in the Capitol. There are only two problems: First, she can't seem to shake the Games from her life. They linger in her dreams and keep her apart from Gale, her old friend who might just be something more. Second, President Snow thinks Katniss is dangerous. If anyone in the districts thinks she was directly defying the Capitol with her final act in the Games, she might just be the cause of a rebellion. So Katniss is left in a position every bit as dangerous as the one she held in the Games - perhaps more so, because her life isn't the only thing on the line.

The first book in this trilogy developed the setting: The way North America will be X years from now. Guessing that the government will have taken over and that people will be grossly self-absorbed, The Hunger Games could be seen as a cautionary tale or a philosophical exercise. The second book delves more deeply into Katniss and, unfortunately, also focuses more on the romantic storyline.

In this book, Katniss develops a strong sense of responsibility and honor. The first book depicts her as pretty selfish and self-centered at times. She has had to fight for her survival and the survival of her family for so long that she has forgotten what it means to be honorable. In the second book, however, she discovers that a lot more than her family and her own life hinges on her choices. Because she has evidently been the cause of uprisings, widespread bloodshed and death might come on the heels of any decision that she makes. Additionally, she develops a high sense of honor and a strong protective instinct that she only hints at in the first book. She will not harm anyone who has helped her in some way, nor will she harm anyone who is too weak to protect him or herself.

Since the focus of Catching Fire is on Katniss and her development (as well as setting the stage for the third book... but I don't want to spoil anything), the book naturally takes a look at her romantic feelings. *Book 1 Spoiler Warning* Does she love Gale? Does she love Peeta? Does the reader need to know every little nuance of her complex relationship with him? While Peeta's sleeping in her bed to comfort her after nightmares is a little sweet, it's also highly dangerous - what is known as "a near occasion of sin." Katniss obviously has no interest in taking the relationship farther than their fake love on the screen and their real friendship off of it. However, it's still uncomfortable. Then there's Gale, who might be a red herring. He completes the love triangle, which is fairly solid from a character interaction standpoint - Katniss is definitely appealing, Peeta is the sort of loving, sweet man that most girls dream of, and Gale has been Katniss's best friend for years. But Gale is in the books very little (at least so far), which makes the love triangle existent mostly in Katniss's thoughts. In fact, it seems to pop up mostly when she tells herself that she won't think about it. This makes the romantic triangle an annoying sideshow that, at times, threatens to engulf the story. *End of Book 1 Spoiler*

The Hunger Games trilogy got off to a fantastic start with the first book. The second one, although it moves Katniss's character farther along its arc, tends to get lost a bit in the romantic triangle and in various other storylines. In short, it seems very much like an intermission between Act I and Act III. Having said that, Act III looks promising, if only because Katniss seems to be moving along from a girl with only the will to survive to someone concerned with honor and the protection of the weak.

My Rating: T (sexual content and references, violence)

Review of the third book, Mockingjay

Reviews of similar books:

• The Hunger Games (Book I)
• Airman
• Incarceron

On The Hunger Games

(Written by Suzanne Collins.) Katniss Everdeen is a survivor. She has cared for her mother and her little sister ever since her father died. Back when she was a little girl. Before near starvation and the need to hunt animals robbed her of her childhood. Now she has to survive the annual Reaping Day - the day where one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen will be picked to fight in the Hunger Games. The "Games" where two people from each district of Panem, twenty-four "tributes" in all, will fight to the death. But Katniss's name is not pulled out of the glass bowl. Her younger sister Prim's is. So Katniss reacts like any protective, loving sister should - she jumps forward and volunteers to take Prim's place.

A reviewer quoted on the back of The Hunger Games declares that philosophy can be found within the pages of the book. Though all books contain some sort of philosophy merely because they have words put together in a (somewhat) meaningful manner, this book has a little more deliberately philosophical look at the modern world. Set in North America sometime in the future, it is a commentary on the way our culture seems to be heading - downhill. The good characters, while they don't stick to stereotypes, stick closely to an ideal that our culture, helped by feminists on the warpath, is speeding away from at an alarming rate. But this presentation of goodness is tempered with two searing attacks on evil.

The relationship between Katniss and Peeta is odd, but that is more a compliment than a criticism. With a strong heroine and a strange tendency to end male characters' names with an "a," The Hunger Games hinted that perhaps Katniss would end up saving Peeta, the main male character (I can't call him a hero yet because I haven't read the other two books in the series and he has a rival). Now, there is nothing wrong with the girl saving the guy, as long as it does not constitute an inversion of gender roles. That is, the heroine can save the hero through feminine means (wiles, love, etc.), but she should not save his life in battle through her physical prowess. But there is no inversion of gender roles in this book - just a switch in story roles. Katniss is definitely the heroine and the main character, with Peeta taking an unassuming spot in her shadow. But he is strong in his own right, and spends much of the book looking out for her. In fact, their relationship is refreshingly reciprocal, with each saving the other at different times and through different means.

Now to the depiction of evil. There are two noteworthy lessons in The Hunger Games; a lesson on an unhealthy obsession with beauty and youth, and a lesson on a large, overbearing government. First, the people in the Capitol - the ones who live high on the hog while the rest of Panem starves - are addicted to beauty and youth. People have countless surgeries to keep themselves looking young. They reject fatness as ugly, and have a strange, bright sense of fashion. (Picture Lady Gaga and you have a pretty good idea of what people in the Capitol think is beautiful.) There is almost nothing they can't do when it comes to personal appearance, and they choose to use the technology at their disposal to make themselves fit the ideal of beauty. But those who participate wholeheartedly in this idea are self-absorbed and, frankly, stupid. Caught in the cages of their self-absorption, the ones most obsessed with their appearances are those who are most clueless about what it means to be a good person. Thus, they are portrayed as shallow.

Second, the government, which is a threat to the people of Panem because of its power, is portrayed as evil. So many books and movies nowadays seek to pit the rich against the poor. Some of these stories even offer some form of government as a remedy to the inequalities of wealth. While the government can and should regulate society and the economy to some extent, it can become over powerful and oppressive. It is not the answer to all societal ills or even, I daresay, most of them. The Hunger Games embraces this idea and indicts both the rich, who live clueless, self-absorbed lives in the Capitol, and the government, which oppresses those in the twelve districts. Both the controlling government and the rich are portrayed as bad, but only the government is shown as a real threat. Now, I haven't read the other two books in the trilogy yet, so I can't guarantee that the end won't produce some rich businessman or other pulling the government's strings. But so far, at least, the government is portrayed more as a threat than a savior.

This isn't to say that the good characters are always good. Katniss makes a few questionable moral decisions, and some of the other good characters have definite flaws. But flaws allow for moral development in the characters - and sometimes the portrayals with the most contrast between good and evil rest in a character's realization that something he or she did was wrong.

In the end, the people are what matter to good characters in The Hunger Games. Katniss goes to what she believes is certain death in order to save her younger sister. Peeta nearly loses his life protecting Katniss. Even the odd Cinna, who designs Katniss's costumes for the opening ceremonies, is portrayed as good because of his obvious compassion for her. On the other hand, evil is sometimes portrayed as brutally violent, sometimes as subtly oppressive, but always as manipulative, cold, and self-absorbed. The Hunger Games asks and answers the question of what will happen if our culture continues to careen in the direction it is currently heading. The conclusion is not pretty, but it is sound.

My Rating: T (violence, sexual references, murky moral decisions)

Review of the second book, Catching Fire

Reviews of similar books:

• Incarceron
• The Homelander Series
• Airman

Concerning Sapphique

(Written by Catherine Fisher. Sequel to Incarceron.) Finn is Outside, just like he wanted. But, unsurprisingly, he’s having second thoughts about his decision. He finds the world and its silly Protocol to be stifling. Perhaps it isn’t as physically constrictive as Incarceron, the prison where he was entrapped before, but it’s a prison nonetheless. Besides, his oathbrother Keiro is still stuck in the prison – and the Warden of Incarceron absconded with the only way out of Incarceron and sabotaged the only way into the prison at the same time. Finn’s hopes of rescuing Keiro and the former dog-slave Attia are pretty slim. Or is there more to the prison than meets the eye?

Like I said in my review of the first book, this is a really cool idea. There were more cool things in this book, including a crystal-like tower and an airship. And the original idea of Sapphique’s way Out was taken in a new, fairly clever direction. Unfortunately, that’s about all the good I can say about this book. Much to my chagrin, Ms. Fisher took the story from the first book and led it exactly where I didn’t want it to go.

First, Finn alarmingly began to prefer Claudia over Attia. Claudia? The spoiled brat who occasionally yells at Finn for only thinking of himself? I find that particular characteristic of hers both annoying and ironic since Claudia is the one who only thinks of herself (and, occasionally, her tutor Jared). Finn is genuinely concerned about Keiro, although Claudia thinks that’s stupid. Apparently, she thinks Keiro is only concerned about himself as well. Funny how people are most annoyed by the character traits that they possess.

Then there was the really, really cool twist that was hinted at several times. Based on what people were saying, I began to believe that maybe Incarceron could be the Outside, and the Realm might be the experimental prison. It might not be a completely logical idea, but it really seemed like that was where the book was headed. I’m not a real big fan of stories that claim the world is fake, but it would at least have been an interesting twist. Unfortunately, Ms. Fisher didn’t think so.

Finally, I have a strong dislike for the vague and, frankly, weak ending. One of three things happened with that. Either Ms. Fisher didn’t think the whole story through, she neglected to explain it all, or I missed something big. *Spoiler Warning* How did Sapphique, the Emergency Exit glove, become both an exit from and an entrance to Incarceron? And how did Jared become a prison/person hybrid when he put Sapphique’s glove on? Where did his body go? None of these questions are answered.

Sapphique is a very, very disappointing sequel to an intriguing book. There are unanswered questions, a frustrating love story, and a neglect of interesting twists that would keep the story alive and fresh. Need I say more?

My Rating: T (strange sci-fi ideas about the relationship between the body and the soul, mild sexual references)

Pertaining To Incarceron

(Written by Catherine Fisher.) Finn was born Outside. He knows it. He has memories that come back to him during seizures. People don't believe him. Even Gildas the Sapient thinks Finn is the creation of Incarceron. To Gildas, and to most of the Comitatus, Finn was created by the prison out of recycled bits of matter - a cellborn. But Finn knows better. He knows there is somewhere outside the prison, that he came from that somewhere, and that one day he will remember.

This is a really creepy and really cool idea. In fact, it reminds me a bit of the Matrix. Incarceron is a living, self-sustaining, and speaking prison that keeps its inhabitants trapped inside. Of course, one of the notable differences between the Matrix and Incarceron is that, in the Matrix, one fights the Agents, but in Incarceron, one fights the prison itself. That makes it a bit tough to make any headway. Also, in the Matrix, the prison holds minds, but Incarceron is a physical prison as well as a mental prison of sorts.

However good the idea, an idea can't keep a book afloat all by its lonesome. I've read books that were good ideas, but failed because the main characters were unlikable. That especially seems to happen when the main character is a girl. No offense, but I think most girls in books are idiots. Unfortunately, one of the main characters in Incarceron is an annoying young lady named Claudia - with more emphasis on the "young" than the "lady." She's betrothed to the Heir, a particularly spoiled and weak-minded fellow. But she's willing to do anything to avoid marrying him, etc., etc., etc. Oh, and she can't stand having to wear the starched skirts and other things that Protocol requires of her. A new character trait, that is not. But at least she has an excuse; Protocol (which is basically a rule that says everyone has to live like it's about 1750 or so) has been imposed on them by the rulers, who are somewhat implausibly convinced that they can avoid another bloody uprising like the one that happened decades ago by forcing people to live in the past. Hm. Not the most realistic backstory, but it serves its purpose. Putting all that aside, Claudia is still annoying.

Luckily, Finn is not annoying in the least. He's a good-hearted young man who tries his best. He makes the wrong choice once or twice (notably in the beginning), but these wrong choices only drive him to be better. His friend Attia is a great character as well, and his oathbrother Keiro... well, he's a whole 'nother story.

Incarceron also had just enough twists to show that the authoress knew something more than an interesting concept was needed to keep the story afloat. I guessed most of the developments before the characters knew, but there were one or two good surprises. And really, one can't expect too much from a young adult science fiction book.

All in all, it certainly kept my attention, right up until the end. When I read the last page, I wanted it to go on; what kind of an ending did Ms. Fisher think she was writing? That's not an ending, that's a teaser for Book 2, which, incidentally, I'm getting from my local library today. I can't bear to go much longer without finding out what happens next.

My Rating: T (disturbing concepts about a prison (including that the prison "makes" people), people referred to as "halfmen" or "dog-slaves" as if they were less than human, violence, family problems, mild sexual references)

On The Homelander Series

(Books: The Last Thing I Remember, The Long Way Home, The Truth of the Matter, and The Final Hour. Written by Andrew Klavan.) Charlie West is an ordinary high school kid. He has an older sister he tolerates, parents he loves but takes a little for granted, and he's in love with a beautiful girl named Beth. Oh, he also has a black belt in karate and a strong desire to enter the Air Force. Yep, Charlie is somewhere between skinny little Steve Rogers and hulking strongman Captain America. A good kid who loves his country and tries to do the right thing. But if all that's true, how did he get strapped to a chair and tortured by terrorists? Why are the police after him? And why can't he remember the last year of his life?

Finally, a series written for young adults that's actually appropriate for young adults! Better yet, it's a modern action/spy thriller. Best of all, the author is a conservative who has his head on straight about the goings-on in the world today. If someone else wrote this series, the terrorists would be funded by some greedy jerk in the CIA, oil industry, or _____ (fill in the blank with some other government organization or large corporation). Klavan takes a different, more realistic approach, and doesn't blame capitalism for all the ills that plague our country.

Is this the most realistic series I've ever read? Aside from the proper portrayal of terrorism, etc., probably not. I'm not sure if all the things in the books are possible, but they require only a slight suspension of belief. Charlie seems to be extraordinarily resiliant, but I've never been on the run before. Maybe some special grace or strength kicks in when one's life is on the line. Or maybe this is just a fictional series that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Either way, the unrealistic elements don't really take away from the series.

Finally, I love Klavan's sense of humor and his writing style. If you want a taste, just watch this video: Barack the Magic Suit, A Political Fairy Tale. No, his books are not quite this blatantly conservative. Although you should pay close attention to the last name of the President of the United States at the end of The Final Hour. It sure made me laugh.

This review is long enough already, so I'll try to keep my other gushing down to a bare minimum. Charlie and all the "good guy" (or girl) characters are all awesome, particularly Mike. And Klavan did a very good job of letting the reader figure out what was going on just before Charlie found out. The line between telling too soon and blatantly misleading readers is a delicate tight rope. Klavan walked it perfectly.

In short, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, clean, conservative read.

My Rating: OK (violence, mention of torture (none actually in the books), terrorism)

Pertaining To Brightly Woven

(Written by Alexandra Bracken.) Sydelle Mirabil is not special. She's a talented weaver, yes, but otherwise is a perfectly normal girl growing up in an arid little town. So when a wizard named Wayland North singles her out as his companion to go on a dangerous journey, Sydelle is surprised and more than a little angry at being taken away from her family. She's isn't prepared to deal with all of North's mysteries and problems - and she's especially not prepared to face an evil wizard like Reuel Dorwan.

Pros: At last, a mainstream teen fiction book with real love! Sydelle and North really care for each other and want the best for each other - their love is not entirely romance. The characters seemed pretty real to me, with enough faults to make them human, but not annoying and childish like a lot of characters in books I've read.

Cons: Well, anytime a fantasy book has "goddesses," it makes me a little nervous. (Not that I see anything wrong with the goddesses in this book per se, after all, who's to say God didn't create many universes, some with guardian spirits?) It's just that the term "goddess" makes me squeamish. *Spoiler Warning* Then there's the part about the prophecy that says an evil goddess will come down in human form and crush the enemies of her followers. Sydelle is mistaken for this goddess - in other words, the goddess didn't come down. Now, this could be read as an insult to Christianity, both because it's an evil goddess who's supposed to come down, and because a not-so-ordinary human was mistaken for this goddess. However, any insult there might be is not blatant enough for me to label this book as "anti-Christian," particularly because the book is actually pretty good.

My Rating: T (sexual references and content)

Picture from alexandrabracken.com

On Fairest

(Written by Gail Carson Levine.) Aza is ugly. No, seriously. Dull black hair, sickly pale skin, big bones, garish red lips, and puffy cheeks all combine to make her quite an ugly young lady. But Aza can sing like a lark - and throw her voice to any spot within a reasonable distance, a talent she calls illusing. Unfortunately, her special talent gets her into trouble when the queen finds out about it. Aza is coerced into projecting her singing voice onto the queen's lips during public events - and finds herself increasingly out of her depth, particularly where Prince Ijori is concerned.

Pros: This is a fun adaptation of Snow White. It's set in the same world as one of Levine's other books, Ella Enchanted. The irrepressible, irresponsible fairy Lucinda is back, although she's not in it very much. I really like Prince Ijori, who's a really nice guy, but pretty normal.

Cons: The constant singing is a bit much. (Although I don't really mind their idea that singing can help a sick person heal, because singing is a way of praying.) *Spoiler Warning* Apparently people who spend time in the magic mirror end up in a different place than normal people when they move on to the "afterlife" (so to speak). Which, of course, is utterly ridiculous. But that's only one line in the book.

My Rating: AGC

Picture from gailcarsonlevine.com

In Relation To Ice

(Written by Sarah Beth Durst.) Cassie Dasent has no memory of her mother. The only thing she knows is a little fairy tale her grandmother used to tell her that ends with Cassie engaged to a Polar Bear King at birth and her mother trapped in a castle of the trolls. But she doesn't really know what happened to her mother, because it's just a fairy tale. Or is it?

Pros: This book really fires the imagination. Bear's castle is soooo beautiful!

Cons: Where to start? I had several issues with this book. The most obvious (but not the biggest, as it could be dismissed as just being "part of a fairy tale") is the reincarnation, followed closely by the idea that the "soul" of a wind, for example, could become the soul of a human in its next life, and vice versa. My second issue was with a much smaller part of the story, but it was even more irksome. Cassie gets furious with Bear when he alters her body so she can become pregnant despite the fact that she's on the pill. She's angry that he did so without telling her and against her wishes. But never once does it occur to her that she betrayed him as well. She invited him into her bed and, knowing full well that Bear's most cherished wish is to have children, she used artificial birth control without telling him or gaining his consent. What can be more selfish than that? Finally, there's the semi-obsession with polar bears. It's handled pretty well, but polar bears drive me crazy, since they're sort of the poster boys for global warming, a "problem" that has been grossly exaggerated.

Note: Loosely based on the fairy tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon."

My Rating: T (artificial birth control, birth scene, confused theology)

Picture from sarahbethdurst.com.

On Awakening

(A Crossroads in Time book; written by Claudia Cangilla McAdam.) Nothing is worth dying for. That's what Ronni thinks, anyway. She should know. Her dad and brother were killed a year ago. But when Ronni gets feverish and loses consciousness, she is awakened by Jesus - who will die in two days. Can she stop his death? Does she really want to?

Pros: It was pretty cool to see how most of the things fit into the bible stories really well, from Mark to Longinus. I really liked Mark, the guy Ronni has a crush on. It wasn't too cheesy for a religious book.

Cons: I had two problems with this book. First, the crucifixion scene was in fast-forward or something. Everything happened so fast! But the biggest beef I had was with the Last Supper scene. *Spoiler warning* I mean, I know Ronni is an altar girl (which I don't really approve of, btw), but the Last Supper wasn't just the institution of the Eucharist; it was the institution of the priesthood! And women cannot be priests. I know Ronni was just a server at the Last Supper... but what the heck was she doing there?!

My Rating: OK (the crucifixion)

Picture from claudiamcadam.com

In Relation To Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyberthieves

In Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyberthieves, the latest installment in Regina Doman's Fairy Tale Novel series, Alex O'Donnell's relationship with Kateri Kovach is at a stand-still. Kateri is determined to break up, but for some reason she never gets around to talking about it. Meanwhile, Alex's father is a hacker. He doesn't use his talent for stealing identities or other illegal and immoral purposes; he just follows people around the internet. But when he hacks into a mysterious website - and gets a check in the mail for over a million dollars just a few days later - he begins to think he may be in over his head.

Pros: I absolutely love Alex! Also, I didn't know how Regina Doman was going to translate Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves into a halfway-realistic modern American story, but somehow she pulled it off. The "barbarians" were awfully funny, too.

Cons: I'll come right out and say it: I don't like Kateri. I love her name. I liked her in Waking Rose. But, as a heroine, she doesn't cut it for me. She's way too uptight. But, thankfully, everything else in the book more than makes up for her character!

My Rating: T (mild sexual references)

Picture from fairytalenovels.com

Pertaining To The Shadow of the Bear

Once upon a time in New York City... Written by Regina Doman and based on the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red, The Shadow of the Bear (Book One of the Fairy Tale Novels) is about Blanche and Rose Brier, two sisters who are as different as they can be. Eighteen-year-old Blanche is quiet and fearful, while sixteen-year-old Rose is flamboyant and brave. One night, they meet a mysterious young man who calls himself Bear. Blanche is sure that he's a drug dealer, but Rose and Mrs. Brier invite him to visit them as often as he pleases. As he spends more time with the family, Bear slowly earns Blanche's trust. However, the mysteries that surround him eventually begin to take shape - and threaten to engulf both him and the Briers.

Pros: I could go on and on and on and on. Instead, I'll just say that Bear is pretty much my favorite hero of all time, Rose is an awesome character, Blanche is even better, the whole fairy tale retold aspect of the book is right up my alley, and the chastity, faith, trust, and other Catholic elements in the story are great.

Cons: There are none.

My Rating: T (sexual and drug references)

Picture from fairytalenovels.com

Regarding Airman

In Eoin Colfer's Airman, Conor Broekhart was born to fly. That is, he was born flying. His mother gave birth to him while in a hot-air balloon high above the ground. Because his father is a close friend of King Nicholas of the Saltee Islands, Conor spends his childhood playing in the palace with Princess Isabella. Then he turns fourteen and becomes a witness to treason. He is then banished to Little Saltee, the prison/diamond mine island. He has only one hope of escaping: To fly off the island.

Pros: It's fast-paced and has some surprising twists and turns. I really liked Linus Wynter, Conor's American cellmate, and Isabella, though neither were in the book nearly enough. Its humor is reminiscent of Brian Jacques (Redwall), particularly in the character of Arthur Billtoe.

Cons: While it mentions God, prayer, and such relatively often, it also mentions that "Jupiter" must have helped Conor in one scene. Sometimes killing (in self-defense, etc.) is slightly colored as murder (deliberately killing an innocent person), though there's really a world of difference between the two.

Notes: The Saltee Islands actually exist, though they apparently never possessed a diamond mine, nor have a long history of kings and queens. Nowadays they are privately owned and are famous for their excellent bird-watching.

My Rating: T (intense, aforementioned confusion of murder and killing)

Picture from eoincolfer.com

Alex O'Donnell Now Available!

Once upon a time... there lived a man named Ali Baba, who was hardworking and poor until one night, when a mysterious turn of good fortune overtook him. ~ The Arabian Nights.

Regina Doman, authoress of pro-chastity, pro-life, and other pro-Christian-values series The Fairy Tale Novels, has published another book called Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyberthieves. It's based on the fairy tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (though without the magic, I'm sure) and follows Alex O'Donnell and Kateri Kovach, characters who have appeared in previous Fairy Tale Novel books. All of Regina's books are highly recommended by me to girls over the age of thirteen. Some of the subject matter in the series isn't quite appropriate for younger girls - some of the bad characters are on drugs, etc.

Picture from fairytalenovels.com

Regarding The Musician's Daughter

In Susanne Dunlap's The Musician's Daughter, Theresa Schurman's father, a violinist in the Prince of Hungary's orchestra, is murdered on Christmas Eve. His valuable violin is nowhere to be found. Theresa is unsatisfied with the explanation that her father fell victim to common robbers. She sets out to find the truth - and soon finds herself meddling in matters far above her head.

Pros: Although she chooses to do some things that I would never do, Theresa is a pretty good person. I'm extremely fond of Zoltan.

Cons: The good guys sometimes resort to methods that, in my opinion, should only be used by bad guys. There is a steady stream of mild-to-moderate innuendo and slightly-more-than-innuendo through almost the entire book.

My rating: MT (moderate sexual content)

Picture from susannedunlap.com

Regarding Cybele's Secret

In Juliet Marillier's amusing companion novel to Wildwood Dancing, Paula accompanies her merchant father to Istanbul on a business trip. Their object is to acquire a highly sought-after pagan artifact called "Cybele's Gift" that is reputed to hold a wise goddess's last message to her worshipers.

Pros: I found Paula's banter with swashbuckling pirate Duarte da Costa Aguiar to be clever and very amusing. Paula's bodyguard, Stoyan, is an altogether honorable, sweet young man. The love story is somewhat typical, but beautiful all the same.

Cons: I guessed the antagonist almost immediately. Paula spends an uncomfortable amount of time nude in a Turkish bath with other nude women. Marillier seems to have gotten off the "true" fairy tale track. Instead of focusing on a myriad of topics like responsibility, fairies, incantation-less witches, and hatred like Wildwood Dancing, Cybele's Secret is mostly about greed- and the wisdom of a goddess. While Cybele is generally mentioned in reference to her artifact throughout most of the book, I find her exalted title of "goddess" exceedingly annoying. **Spoiler Warning** Plus, I disagree with Cybele's secret- that living in harmony with her (translation: nature) is ultimately the key to a happy life.

My Rating: OK (nudity)

On Wildwood Dancing

Wildwood Dancing, written by Juliet Marillier, is an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable version of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The story is told through the eyes of Jena, the second oldest and the leader of a group of five sisters. The girls have a secret portal to the Other Kingdom that opens every full moon. Once in the Other Kingdom, they spend the night dancing, talking with scholars and sages, or playing games.

Pros: This is a true fairy tale! The authoress went to Transylvania and learned about Transylvanian folklore as it was before Dracula came onto the scene. Jena is a commendable person, as are (most of) her siblings. And both love stories are quite sweet, if a little over-dramatized.

Cons: I was disappointed with the predictability of a key plot point- I guessed Gogu's true identity almost immediately. Another problem I had was with one character's despair. I find it very difficult to like a character who gives up and dies because she can't have the one thing she wants most in the world.

My Rating: T (for mild sexual content)

Picture from goodreads.com