Time Riders by Alex Scarrow ★★★★☆

A great addition to the time travel genre!

Fiction – YA- Sci-Fi

425 pages

Age Range: 12 - 17 years

Grade Level: 7 – 12

Publication Date: 2010

Time Riders #1

Liam, Maddy and Sal were all rescued from death and disaster to work for a secret agency called Time Riders.  Their purpose is to fix and mitigate the consequences of others playing with time.   But when someone goes into the past in order to fix their future and things start going wrong can these newbies save the human race from total annihilation?

This book starts with a bang and I quickly knew it was going to be an exciting adventure.  The story was very well executed and creative in itself, but add to that how much potential the premise holds the skies the limit(by the way there are several more Time Rider books on the market currently).  The storytelling characters were engaging and broad enough to be interesting while leaving plenty of room for growth.  Mr. Scarrow used the time travel in a very imaginative way and created a fully thought out set of rules and procedures pertaining to it allowing the concept of the books and need for time riders to be legitimized. I also like Mr. Scarrow’s use of suspense with just enough grit to increase the stakes, but not so much as to make it off putting.

Now on the other side of thing the short chapters kind of bugged me.  It made the story telling really jumpy and jarring, but that was probably the point, so in this case it is a matter of preference.  Also there were a couple of places where Mr. Scarrow tried a bit too hard to make this YA, creating awkwardness that did not characterize a majority of the novel.  Okay and now my last major complaint.  One thing that really grated on my nerves was the frequent use of the Lord’s name in vain.  It didn’t add anything to the story or characters and I found it completely unnecessary and rather offensive. 

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker ★★★★☆

Magic doesn’t always improve things!

Fiction – Juvenile/YA – Medieval Fantasy

261 pages

Age Level: 10 - 14 | Grade Level: 5 – 8

Publication Date: 2010 

Wide-Awake Princess #1  

When a curse is set in motion Annie, the younger sister of Sleeping Beauty, is the only one immune to the enchanted sleep placed on the castle.  Annie, with a little help from her friends, has to find her sister’s one true love to save the kingdom.

I found this story idea so fascinating and to me my delight I found its execution nicely handled.  The interweaving of fairy tales was well planned and the comfortable writing style a great asset to keeping it somewhat romantic, but not offputtingly so.  Ms. Baker sets the stage perfectly for the body of the story with a great prologue, and allows this fun story to mature at a comfortable rate.  I appreciated some Annie’s insights on how much magic messes up things and that it isn’t a crutch for her.

Ms. Baker does a great job both in world creation and character construction.  Annie is a delightfully real girl, with no artifice added either through the use of magic like others of her noble class in the book or by the author trying to create a character full of perfection.  The different places and kingdoms have enough of their own culture to contrast with what Annie is used to create the feeling that we are all experience new things together.  My only real complaint is that the nobility titles were not used correctly, which is rather minor and probably would only bother me, but unlikely to cause the intended audience any problems.

 

The Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda ★★★☆☆

A Solid Adventure

Fiction – Juvenile - High Fantasy

Age Level: 8 - 12 

131 pages

Publication Date: 2002

Deltora Quest #1

Literary Awards:  West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Younger Readers (2002)

Only the jeweled Belt of Deltora can stop the plans of the dastardly Shadow Lord, but the gems were stolen long ago and hid around the land.  Who will have the courage to face overwhelming obstacles and make the belt whole once again?

While this book didn’t move me like Rowan of Rin it still was a fun adventure story and opens up the reader to the elaborate world of Deltora.  Ms. Rodda as always is a master world builder, with lovely visuals, interesting characters and a land full of wonder. 

Ms. Rodda’s writing effortless writing and quick pace kept my attention and wanting to know what happens next.  I like that the backstory started far enough back for the reader to really understand what was at stake and how easily woven it was into the first few pages.  The backstory also helps set a dramatic, pivotal point setting the stage for change and conquest.  Also, having the story on the shorter side will help it appeal to younger readers with shorter attention spans.

 Another great thing about this book is that it is a bit older so its’ series is finished along with a couple of others revolving around the same characters.

Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots by Seanan McGuire ★★★★☆

A charming new addition to super power lore

Fiction – Adult – Urban Fantasy

204 pages

Publication Date:  2012 

Velveteen vs. #1

I wanted to like this book from the first moment I found it on Goodreads and after a few minutes of reading I was ready to be delighted and jump in with both feet.  The beginning was a bit jumpy, but amazingly funny.  I also fell deeply in love with the narrating voice.  It described fantastic word pictures coupled with just the right amount of snark.  I also found her power to control toys charming.

I debated about giving this book 4 or 5 stars, but I have to say the lack of a crescendo at the end of the book knocked it down to 4.  Mrs. McGuire obviously had the talent to turn the last scenes into a real climax, but for some reason chose not to and the book ends without the real bang it deserved.

Something else that really bothered, though no fault of the book or author, was the limited run.  I got it on kindle, but would love to get to have a hard copy and the same goes for book two.

I have to say this has got me totally rethinking my own super power plans.  First I wanted the power to freeze and speed up molecules, you know like Piper from Charmed.  Then I became a mom and being a speedster sounded pretty, at least until my letter from Hogwarts for adult correspondence classes arrived, but now I see that I shouldn’t close myself off to the possibilities.  Human mutation and transformation through lab accidents shouldn’t be limited by my tiny imagination.

The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde ★★★★☆

Another master piece.

Fiction – YA – Urban Fantasy

289 pages

Age Level: 10 - 14 | Grade Level: 5 - 9

Publication Date: 2013 (in the US)

The Last Dragonslayer #2

Two months after the initial magic power surge magic is slowly rising and Jennifer Strange is trying stave off a takeover of Kazam Mystical Arts Management from a rival magic company.  A contest between the two rivals is set to take place, but with the other side cheating and backed by King Snodd IV the chances of Kazam winning is looking iffy at best.

This story is a quick, nontaxing read with a high level of silliness.  Again Mr. Fforde proves himself a master wordsmith with colorful writing and an imagination that knows no bounds.  He weaves his stories together so they are never straight forward or entirely predictable, keeping the attention of his readers.  I particularly liked his bit about some wizards having the ability to make remote suggestion or sending ideas and that it was banned once it was found out they used it to promote talentless boy bands.  As usual, his characters are well rounded, the world is fleshed out and quirky and everything is up to the high level I have come to expect from Mr. Fforde.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull ★★★☆☆

A refreshing take on fantasy.

Fiction – Juvenile/YA – Urban Fantasy

351 pages

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Publication Date:  2006 

Fablehaven #1

During a rare visit to their grandparents Kendra and Seth learn that the strange estate, Fablehaven, their grandparents’ manage is more than an old house and carefully tended grounds.  Fablehaven is actually one of the last refuges for magical creatures in the world.  When the carefully laid out laws of Fablehaven are broken and an old evil is released only Kendra can save the day if she has courage.

 

The beginning kind of threw me and I would have to say the grittiness of the story does make me question whether the intended reading ages were appropriate.  So as a parent think on your child’s maturity before letting them read it. Though, I really appreciate the loving care Mr. Mull put into creating this book world.  He used beautiful imagery and such a variety of creatures and mythology that it seems like it could really exist. The pacing was great and I just loved watching Kendra and Seth discover the keys and solve the mystery of Fablehaven (definitely a Secret Garden kind of thrill).  I would say this is a fairly gender neutral book, great for anyone interested in fantasy and adventure.  As an adult I liked the newness of the world and Mr. Mull’s fresh take, it never felt stale or over used.  While I wasn’t exactly blown away by the writing or the book as a whole, I liked it enough that I read the rest of the series in quick succession and am considering adding it to my Chosen Ones List.  Also as a side note a teacher friend of mine says it was great to read out loud to her class.

Rowan and the Travelers by Emily Rodda ★★★★☆

Lessons Learned

Fiction – Juvenile – High Fantasy

192 pages

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 and up

Publication Date:  1994

Rowan of Rin #2

In book two of the series Rowan, must face unknown dangers and save his people from a strange sleeping sickness overcoming the village.  His only help comes from the roaming Travelers, but they may be the very enemy Rowan is looking to defeat.  With time running out and lives in the balance can Rowan unmask the true enemy and save his people before it is too late?

With the same high caliber writing I expected after reading book one, Ms. Rodda effortlessly weaves together a mystery I was eager to see Rowan solve.  To save his family and the other people of Rin from the sleeping sickness Rowan must use the lessons he learned from the journey up the mountain and overcome his own prejudices to overcome the enemy.  And while there is always plenty of action like the first one, Ms. Rodda’s stories are still really about the characters.  Rowan learns and adapts, but still manages to stay true to his real strengths an open loving heart.  While the people of Rin are reminded that even the Travelers live differently than them they are still their allies and each group can learn a lot from the other.