You probably read Harry Potter or perhaps another equally famous not-for-adults book, figured teen and children novels can be just as entertaining and well written as those meant for adults yet are stuck and don't know where to go next. Fear not my dear friend for I am here to guide you in the right direction. Whether is high fantasy, more wizards, faeries or even a vampire pirate or two I will tell you just which books and series are a treat for everyone in the family regardless of age.
The first thing you should know is that children and Young Adult books can be just as well written and descriptive as any book geared towards an older audience. You won't find simple dialogue or two sentence descriptions here. They can also be as chock full of dangers, murder, death and mayhem as their adult counterparts. Indeed a lot of younger audience books don't shy away from killing, mayming or otherwise harming even the protagonists. These means you don't have to suffer from sugary sweet worlds filled with nice, fluffy beings that never get into anything dangerous. No siree-bob, these books have a bit of everything!
With that said, let's get to the books themselves!
NOTE: I've put descriptions by each of the titles so you have an idea of what to expect. Please note that GORE means just that. Some of the books easilly get into creepy character death/murder and/or other somewhat disturbing themes.
Books of Pellinor by Allison Croggon - High Fantasy, Magic, Quests, Adventures
These books are beautifully written. They are, in fact, my favorite in the children, young adult category as far as the writing is concerned. The books deal with the adventures of Maerad in the world of Edil-Amarandh. Books 3 & 4 deal with Hem, Maerad's brother.
They are:
The Naming
The Riddle
The Crow
The Singing
WEBSITE
The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix - High Fantasy, Necromancers, Quests
Second best children/YA writing. Garth Nix has such a way with words and this trilogy shows just how incredible his writing can be. Get swept away to a magical world where necromancers are good and they are all that stands between the forces of good and evil.
The books are:
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
WEBSITE
Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan - High Fantasy, Faeries, Magic, Some Gore
Amazing. Absolutely amazing! From book one these books are one rollercoaster ride after another. There is always something going on from the first time we are brought into this magical kingdom and the ride doesn't stop until the very end.
Books are:
Faerie Wars
The Purple Emperor
Ruler of the Realm
WEBSITE
Tithe by Holly Black - Urban Fantasy, Faeries, Minor Gore
Holly Black shows us faeries as they were meant to be: mean, selfish, and cruel. You won't be finding cute little Tinkerbell pixies in this book. No way. These faries just as soon eat you or torture you for entertainment than look at you.
Tithe and Ironside tell the story of Kaye and Roiben.
Valiant is set in the same world but has different characters.
WEBSITE
The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley - Urban Fantasy, Fairy Tale Characters, Some Gore
Unbeknownst to humans, there is a town where faerie tale characters live and mingle with the rest of us mortals. However these immortal characters are not as you remember from your children fairy tales. Snow White is the most beautiful teacher in school. Prince Charming is the town mayor and a mayour sleaze of a politician. Little Red Riding Hood is a deranged lunatic. The Big Bad Wolf works for the good guys alongside the Three Little Pigs. This is one strange town where you never know what to expect except a lot of murder, mysterious kidnappings, and more. Nothing is what it seems and, as the town's detectives, it's up to the Sisters Grimm and their Granny to sort out just what the hell is going on.
Books so far:
The Fairy-Tale Detectives
The Unusual Suspects
The Problem Child
Once Upon a Crime
WEBSITE
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull - Urban Fantasy, Magical Creatures, Faeries, Magic
If you like Sisters Grimm then you'll surely love Fablehaven. Brother and sister Kendra and Seth are faced with a similar dilema of being in a preserve where magical cratures exist. Humans, of course, are not aware and it's their job to keep it that way while at the same time dealing with the not so nice and often evil creatures.
So far:
Fablehaven
Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star
WEBSITE
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart - High Fantasy, Adventure, Quest, Pirates, Some Gore
You NEVER know which way is up in this highly entertaining and exciting series. Unlike most series, the main protagonist in these books is the land of The Edge. That's all that is constant throughout the series as main characters in one book become mince meat in another. From one book to the next the story jumps forwards and backwards in time to tell the history of The Edge and some of its most famous and interesting inhabitants. These books don't shy away of killing anyone as some of the creatures that inhabit these worlds can be downright cruel and you just never know who will make it to the end....of the series!
Books so far:
Beyond the Deepwoods
Stormchaser
Midnight over Sanctaphrax
The Curse of the Gloamglozer
The Last of the Sky Pirates
Vox
Freeglader
The Winter Knights
WEBSITE
Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan - High Fantasy
This series is set in a world much like ours in medieval times but where evil creatures exist and are threatening to take over the world led by an evil human. Not much magic but lots of adventures as we follow William in his quest to become a knight and then a Ranger, the secret service that works for the king.
Books are:
The Ruins of Gorlan
The Burning Bridge
The Icebound Land
WEBSITE
Septimus Heap by Angie Sage - High Fantasy, Magic
These books arte just plain fun. Also reminds me of a magical medieval times where we follow the adventures of Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son and thus endowed with magical powers.
Books so far:
Magyck
Flyte
Physik
WEBSITE
Leven Thumps by Obert Skye - Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy
Just think of him as a down=on-his-luck Harry Potter. OK, so Leven isn't a wizard but he did have one hell of an upbringing with his adopted family. The poor guy is stuck living outside in a trailer park when suddenly things start going bump in the night...and they want to bump him off!
Books so far:
Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo
Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret
WEBSITE
The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix - Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy
The books gets better as the series progresses simply because one of the most entertaining characters, Suzy Blue, has a quick wit and dry humor that grates on Arthur's nerve and makes for some really funny dialogue and observations at the worse possible moments. At first I was skeptic of the series but by book 3 I was completely hooked.
So far:
Mister Monday
Grim Tuesday
Drowned Wednesday
Sir Thursday
Lady Friday
WEBSITE
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
You'll laugh yourself silly with this witty series as the poor yet resorceful Baudelaire orphans go form one caretaker to another. Highly recommended reading.
13 books in this series which has now come to an end.
WEBSITE
Vampirates by Justin Somper - Quest, Adventure, Vampires, Pirates
If vampires are bad and pirates are too, well, what do you expect from pirate vampires?! Highly entertaining book about the adventures of twin brothers Connor and Grace as they are faced with the truth about the Vampirates.
Books are:
Demons of the Ocean
Tides of Terror
Dead Deep
Blood Captain
WEBSITE
Yeah! Another entry! today's guest review is by Zeek, from The Way I see It! I hope you will all enjoy the review of The Dragon Queen!
The Dragon Queen by Alice Borchardt
3.6 out of 5
Genre: fantasy; Arthurian
Series: The Tales of Guinevere, Book #1
Publishing Details: Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; Reissue edition (June 3, 2003)
Creatures featured: Sorcerers and Sorceresses, Faeries, Faun's, Dragons, Mystical Beasts, Mythological God's.
Review:
"Born into a world of terrible strife, where war is constant and weapons are never far from the hands of men or women, Guinevere, daughter of a mighty pagan queen, is a threat to her people and a prize to the dreaded sorcerer Merlin. Sent into hiding, she grows up under the protection of a shapeshifting man-wolf and an ornery Druid. But even on the remote coast of Scotland, where dragons feed and watch over her, she is not safe from the all-seeing High Druid Merlin. He knows the young beauty's destiny, and he will stop at nothing to prevent what has been foretold. For if Guinevere becomes queen and Arthur, king, they will bring a peace to the land that will leave the power-hungry Merlin a shriveled magician in a weary cloak." Yet Guinevere possesses power of her own - dazzling power to rival even that of Merlin. Summoned from her home by forces she cannot fathom, she travels from the Underworld to an Other world of the Past, at each step calling on ancient powers to aid her. When young Guinevere proves her mettle to an embarrassed Merlin, even her faithful dragon protectors cannot prevent the evil that the sorcerer rains down. Seeking revenge, Merlin banishes Arthur to a world from which the only escape is death. Now Guinevere must face Merlin's wrath without him - and prove that she is worthy of being Arthur's queen.
Although I liked this tale overall, there were pieces of it that bogged the story down for me.
The Dragon Queen is yet another entry into the tales of Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table (who look like Clark Cable!) For those who love their Arthurian legends with Merlin as the big bad- then this book's for you. For those who don't- then Run away! Run away! (Sorry, couldn't resist the annoying homage to Monty Python ...)
TDQ centers around Guinevere, the warrior queen of Arthur and in Borchardt's version she is indeed a warrior. Guinevere, has the beauty of previous Arthurian tales, but in TDQ she's not the sweet little misguided star-crossed over of Lancelot that we usually see her portrayed to be. Courageous and bold she has power in her right hand where ferocious fire emanates (grand super power that!), and healing in her left. Moreover, arrows flyout her bow as if an extension of her arm, she communicates with dragons- as well with the dead, displays prophetic abilities, and audaciously defeats asundry of evil beasts that Merlin flings at her.
The story begins with Maeniel, Guinevere's soon to be foster father. Maeniel, otherwise knows as the Gray Watcher, is a shapeshifting man/wolf who has personally felt the destructive powers of Merlin. Deciding that being a wolf was much preferred to living with the humans, he escapes to the wilds and begins a family. It is during his time with the wolves that Guinevere falls into his care, and the Gray Watcher, along with the sorcerer Dugald- who Merlin chased into hiding long ago- take up the charge of raising her. The Gray Watcher's wolf mate nurses
Guinevere from the time they find her left on a cliff and later a woman joins them who will teach her the ways of her people- a people she never knew.
As a child, Guinevere helps her village to defeat a marauding group of seafarers- and it is here where we see her potential for greatness begin to come forth. Guinevere grows in stature, wisdom and power and, though still only a young teen through much of the story, she quickly finds herself thrust into peril. Merlin wants her dead, and though the author details many things in TDQ, I never quite got the gist of his motive for seeking to destroy her so passionately. The only thing I can figure is that she must be the one who either precipitates or actually carries out Merlin's eventual destruction.
Many other side characters show up to aid and engage her in battle. There are all kinds of fantasy creatures- including mythological gods- that she meets up with but, eventually she meets her future in the boy of Arthur. Arthur is just as strong as she- and closer to her age then what I've seen portrayed before. Set long before Camalot, he's young and only discovering who and what he's eventually going to be. Much of the middle of the book is from his POV, where he meets the Lady of the Lake. I was disappointed however, that at the end of TDQ, he and Guinevere do not meet up again. (I suppose that will come in later installments.)
The jumping around of POV's was rather confusing for me and the author lost me a bit until it began to pick up again toward the end. The book is full of detailed descriptions of the world Borchardt has created and some of it became overwhelming. To me her descriptions dragged the story down and lost me for most of the middle of the book. But, as I said before, by the end I was back with her.
This is definitely sequel bait- the story is far from over. I'm interested to see where the author- who is Anne Rice's sister, btw- will take it.
From Chapters/Indigo:
Meet the D'Artigo sisters: half-human, half-faerie, they're savvy-and sexy-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But their mixed-blood heritage short-circuits their talents at all the wrong times. Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who's still trying to get the hang of being undead. And Camille is a wicked-good witch, except her magic's as unpredictable as the weather, as her enemies are about to find out-the hard way.
Blurb at the back of the book:
At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, a fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered. Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching badass leader of the 'Subterranean Realms'. He's made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground. Our assignment: Keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer. The demons figure they're in like Flynn. After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss? But we've got a secret for them: Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D'Artigo girls...
First book in the trilogy, Witchling has been an utter disappointment for me T_T I've been anticipating this book every since I've read the synopsis and seen the cover, which was probably at the beginning of the summer 2006. The blurb sounds good, the cover is awesome, unfortunately, the storyline is another story. This trilogy is told in the first-person and the first book features Camille. I won't give a synopsis, because the book blurb basically sums up the story well and because this book was for me a Did Not Finish. Yes, a DNF... I can't even remember when was my last DNF...
So what was wrong? Let starts with the world building. So you have three Realms: the Otherworld which I guess is the Feary world in which you find all kind of paranormal creatures: shiftshapers, witches, sorcerers, fearies, elves, unicorns, gargoyles, vampires and etc. This realm is governed by the Queen; however, the aristo/government is pretty useless as it is corrupted and addicted to opium. There are portals which allow these creatures to go to the Earthside where humans live. The last Realm is the Subterranean Realm where demons and "not very good" creatures live. I thought the fantasy world in this book sucked. First, the Otherworld is so corrupted, it doesn't seem to have order at all... frankly, why would the Sisters miss home when it is soooo mess up? In addition, I don't even know if there's some hierarchy or does every type of paranormal creatures are equal... I mean, the Queen is a Faery, so are Faeries superior to say witch? Are vampires welcomed? How can three sisters who are born from the same parents can be witch, werecat and 'psychic'? By the way, Menolly wasn't born a vampire... she had some acrobatic and climbing powers (?!?), that's why I call her a 'psychic'... although it seems her powers have completey vanished since she became a vampire. Anyway, back to the topic, are the powers inherited genetically or what? But then, maybe it's my limited knowledge of Faeries... Anyhow, I didn't like the Earthside either. Humans are aware of the Faeries (and other paranormal creatures?), some wants to get rid of them and some creates fanclub to worship them. It was totally ridiculous the Faeries Watchers Club! Basically, Faeries are considered as special attraction, ^^;, almost a bit like some celebrities. You get news of them in gossip papers, you have fanclubs which are very possessive and you even get tourists who want their picture. Urgh. So the D'Artigo sisters don't hide the fact that they are Faeries, but they hide the fact that they are Otherworld Intelligence Agency (OIA) agents. To sum it up, I didn't like the world: too many creatures scattered everywhere with no order and not enough explanation of how the worlds were functioning.
Then, the characters... I guess the sisters are supposed to be gutsy and strong, but it came out all wrong. Instead, I felt that the D'Artigo sisters were weak, scared and stupid. I didn't even read a witty reply from any of the characters. It was sad... I mean, as they investigate the murder and learn that it's the work of demons, they get scared at every turn. In fact, think a bit of the Halliwell sisters from 'Charmed,' you know, always scared and nervous. But the worst came when Camille was like: I wish Father was here. What? You're this supernatural creature, surrounded with your two sisters... you three have considerable amount of power, even if you don't have much control over it and you want your Father?!? It said that the D'Artigo sisters kicked ass... I didn't see that at all. At all. As for the male characters, you have basically three: Chase which is a human working also for OIA. He is freaking annoying. You've been working with the OIA for a considerable amount of time already... so much that you've even create a unit that sounds like CSI... but at every turn of the story, you're surprised to learn that X being exists and how the Otherworld functions. Basically, the way he was introduced in the story, he was to be an ass. As an ass, I had every right to dislike him and think he wouldn't really be important... but then, he became Delilah's lover... and that's supposed to make me suddenly like him better? I don't think so, sorreh. Then, you have Trillian which is a Svartan (some sort of Dark Faery) and Camille's lover. It seems that Svartan are known to get bored of their lovers and throw them away... that's why Camille put an end to their relationship. Anyway, Trillian is perhaps the only character that I enjoyed. Only he wasn't really important, except to have sex with Camille... and finally, Morio who is Japanese and a fox-demon... He wasn't bad either, but I also think he doesn't have much purpose in the story than play third-party in Camille's relationship with Trillian.
The romance... urgh. I actually don't think that this book has an ounce of romance... oh actually, yes, a tiny bit that involves Menolly, but that's it. Camille and Trillian's relationship is a heavy dose of lust. LUST, not romance. I don't get Camille: she loves Trillian, but she doesn't like him. Hello? You can't love someone if you don't like him. You love having sex with Trillian, okay. You lusts after Trillian, true, but in any case, you DON'T LOVE HIM. Ever since her break-up with Trillian, she hasn't find a man to be with, well that's not because you LOVE Trillian... it's just that you find the others unsatisfying. There's a HUGE difference between love and lust and I'm astounded that the author is not making it. There's a saying in their world that say: Once you've bedded a Svartan, you'll never go back. But that still only explain the lusting part, not the loving part. Basically, Camille keeps saying that sleeping with Trillian is a mistake, but she keeps going back for more. Anyway, I don't see the love between the two... I don't even see chemistry. Usually, in a romance... making love can be a mistake at first, but then, feelings develop, story develop and at the end, it is no longer a mistake, it's right... well, this is not happening in this book. Worse. Worse. Camille sleeps with Morio. Okay, it was under a spell, but STILL... she goes back for more with Morio. This is just so screwed up! Morio might bethe first guy Camille's been attracted since Trillian... but this doesn't bode well with me at all. You might want to break thing off with Trillian in that case, Camille... oh but no, the author comes up with the terrific idea that: Faeries are not monogamous, so basically, all Trillian has to say is: You can sleep with him as long as it doesn't affect us. Well, it affects me, the reader because I don't like it. I'm old-fashioned... I don't like the H/H to be unfaithful to each other, is that too much asking? This is why I've almost give up on the Stephanie Plum series... this is why I'll never touch LKH books... did the author think that readers actually enjoy this? Not knowing who the heroine would choose? Oh, but there's worse... Delilah and Chase. Delilah's never had sex... at least not in human form. Sorry, but does this mean what I think it means? Because yuck, in that case, I don't want to know more. But what flaggerblast me the most is that Delilah and Camille are in a dangerous situation, with three demons to catch, an artifact to find before Shadow Wing, and saving the world... Camille is discussing the situation with Trillian and Morio, who are at each other's throat for Camille's attention. Delilah comes back... Camille immediately guesses that she'd had sex with Chase, so she drops everything and wants to have a talk with Delilah to see what she thought of it. My jaws dropped at that moment. I swear. I just thought this was the most inappropriate moment!
Anyway, last thing... the tone of the narration. I thought there wasn't much emotion in it... It didn't catch my attention, didn't grip my feelings, didn't even entice me. I thought it was bland, relating what was happening, giving explanations when the author thought it needed some. Not enough opinion/pov from Camille... or at least, no concrete opinion/pov... Yeah, if I had to describe the book, I'd say bland and frustrating. Didn't even crack a smile and that's telling.
Grade: DNF
