If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

Synopsis:

Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he's in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he's going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don't exactly fit in there. So it's a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together--even though she's Jewish and he's black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that's not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way.

Review by Patrick:

I joined this book club called Life's Library Book Club hosted by John Green and Rosianna Halse Rojas. There will be a new book every six weeks for one year, and this happened to be the first one. I'm excited to be in this book club. I've never done one before and I think that this will be quite awesome.

So, for the review. You gotta read it. That's it; I'm done. That's all I need to say.

For those who want a little more, this book is a crazy whirlwind love story. But this book isn't just about love, it's about race, prejudice, culture, mindset, overcoming, and the bullshit other people do. It's on the surface as light and floaty as a quick day read story of two people who fell in love. But the issues it brings to the story are so deep, problematic, frustrating, and downright horrible that it will make you sit awake and think for hours.

For this blog, I'm giving it four and a half stars. I know it's a young adult romance, and that's not my typical genre, but it was really good.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Synopsis:

In a time when Shadowhunters are barely winning the fight against the forces of darkness, one battle will change the course of history forever. Welcome to the Infernal Devices trilogy, a stunning and dangerous prequel to the New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series.

The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them...

Review by Patrick:

 Okay, so Rachel has been BEGGING me to read this series. She also insisted that I start with this series (the prequel) instead of the publishing order. I can't speak about whether I agree with the order yet (because I haven't read the entire series), but I can say that I should have read this book a long time ago, when she first asked me to.

Suspense, thriller, historical, London-centric, supernatural, love-trinagle-ish, automatons, vampires, magic, nephillium, poetry, betrayal, a plot twist, demons, ... it has just about everything you need for a good story. There wasn't a car chase scene (it was set in 1878), but there was a horse that was rode hard for about twenty minutes straight; does that count? Seriously, this book had all the makings of a good story. If you like stories with any of the above elements, this book will down your soul obsessed dark alley.

Cassandra Clare did an amazing job putting you in the time period. There was magic, so some artificial light was available to the characters, but all the dresses, the character's attitudes, the descriptions of the environment, everything felt real. It was as if she studied Austen, Dickens, and Doyle thoroughly so that the whole bit was as realistic as possible. I felt as if she had maps of London from back then, and was able to draw inspiration from that.

This book really has a good tempo. Every chapter led you to the next, and you kept wondering what was going to happen. If you can stay awake for the whole thing, you could read this in one sitting. It also left you with enough questions to make you want to read the next book, but with enough resolution of the story to feel good about it.

All in all, this book was a good one. Thanks, Rachel, for making me read another good book/series. This book gets a solid four stars.

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

Synopsis:

Narnia... where dwarfs are loyal and tough and strong—or are they... where you must say goodbye... and where the adventure begins again.

The Unicorn says that humans are brought to Narnia when Narnia is stirred and upset. And Narnia is in trouble now: A false Aslan roams the land. Narnia's only hope is that Eustace and Jill, old friends to Narnia, will be able to find the true Aslan and restore peace to the land. Their task is a difficult one because, as the Centaur says, "The stars never lie, but Men and Beasts do." Who is the real Aslan and who is the imposter?

In the conclusion of the saga that began with The Magician's Nephew, a false Aslan is roaming Narnia, commanding everyone to work for the cruel Calormenes. Can Eustace and Jill find the true Aslan and restore peace to the land? The last battle is the greatest of all and the final struggle between good and evil.

Review by Patrick:

I didn't wait around to read this one. I wanted to get through it to say I finally read the series. So I did. I picked this one up every chance I got and read through it.

You know the old saying, all good things must come to an end. Well, that's true here as well, except it doesn't. And I'm not going to say more than that because... spoilers.

The story in this one was pretty good. It starts out in Narnia, instead of in the human's perspective. So that was a little odd, although similar to The Horse and His Boy. Eustace and Jill are once again the main human characters, but one of the things I love about this book is that it brings everyone back in and at least mentions them. All the humans, even Diggory and Polly. All the Narnians, even my favorite, Reepicheep. And of course, new characters to this story. We even get to meet the Calamenian god, Tash.

This book was wonderful. It described beautiful things in a way I've never imagined. I enjoyed the magic and mystery of it, and the eventual conclusion of Narnia itself. I think there was a wonderful and perfect transition from the beginning story of the book to the end, because once you got there, it was obvious that that would be how you got there... in complete bliss. And even though you had arrived, and were a little sad that you had left, you knew that everything was going to be okay in the end. Better than okay... perfect.

I'm really not sure what to think about this book. It was good, and it was certainly a conclusion. I don't know if it was the conclusion I wanted, but it was wonderful. If you've read the previous six, you must finish reading the series with this one. I'm going to give it 4 stars.

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

Synopsis:

Narnia...where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans (and, if carefully cooked, on Marsh-wiggles, too), where a prince is put under an evil spell...and where the adventure begins.

Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once is unlocked. It leads to the open moor...or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face to face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rilian is to be saved.

Review by Patrick:

Off the bat, this was another of those books that took me forever to finish. I don't just mean from when I reviewed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader until now. I mean that every time I've tried to read this series, I get stuck and put it down during this book. And I don't exactly understand why, either. This book had plenty of action and story to carry it. But even this time, I had put this book down, and didn't finish. I looked at it, and thought to myself, "I'm going to finish that book," and then I did within a few days. Maybe there is some magic in it that doesn't want you to finish it, but if you have the willpower, you can overcome it?

Eustace Scrubb makes another appearance in this book. He and a girl from his school are brought in by Aslan to solve another problem in Narnia. This time, Aslan sends them on a quest, with quite specific instructions. Of course, things never go as they should, people forget things, mistakes were made, and the optimist, Puddleglum (a marsh-wiggle), always shone a bright ray of hope (while expressing his belief that the worst was yet to come).

Interesting story, and good read. I liked it. I don't know why it took me so long to finish, and I'm looking forward to the next and last book of the series. 3 stars from me.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Synopsis:

In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.

As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, how people could evolve, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.

Review by Patrick:

While The Giver was possibly the best book I've ever read, this book seems more in line with what I normally read. It's dystopian, where things are sometimes backwards, but sometimes way ahead of our own time. Oh, and then there is the magic, which I have no idea where it comes from or how it works. What makes the magic in this world work?

This book's setting seems to be a different community from the community in The Giver, but still in the same world. There's not much more connection than that. I think they might be more intertwined in the later books. Still, don't skip this one.

The political system in place in this one is very interesting, and the main character is kept around simply because she has a gift. It's odd, but definitely one to keep you reading. I was intrigued about how the gifts worked, and although we see them in use, we hardly ever get to see the "why" behind it. It just... is. And that's all the character's know, so it allows you to feel what they feel better, but still, I want to know.

I'm looking forward to finishing this series and finding out how they interconnect. This particular book is getting 4 stars from me.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Review by Patrick:

This book may be the best book I've actually ever read. Literally. And I don't say that lightly.

Lois Lowry is a master. This book has been on my "to read" list for many years, but, like a lot of things, I haven't gotten around to it. Well, I finally finished one book series, my schedule lightened up a little bit, and I decided to start this one. I'm so glad I did.

The book has about the same reading level and length of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, but the depth of the book and the implications are much deeper. An easy read, this book took me three workdays to finish: I just couldn't put it down. The story gripped my mind, heart and soul, and I did not want to eat, sleep, go to work, or do anything until I found out what happened in the next chapter or on the next page.

For those of you who do not know me, I'm pretty stoic. I don't necessarily feel what others feel. My range of emotions tend to range on a normal scale of 4 to 6 (with a normal person going from 1 to 10, and Rachel from probably -5 to 20). So I should warn you: I cried when I finished this book. The first thing I did when I read the end was ask my son to come to me so I could hug him, and he asked me why I was crying. After reading the book, I appreciated what we humans have so much more. There are emotions, such as love, hate, envy, jealousy, hunger, pride, fear, joy, sorrow, desire, frustration... the list goes on forever. And we have personality. We work together, and create new things. We are innovative. We make mistakes. We have loss. We have salvation. We need each other. As I was hugging my son, I felt so overwhelmed and glad that he will grow up in a world where he can experience those things.

In this book, the setting is in "The Community," which is the futuristic utopia that a certain path and thinking leads to over a long time. There is no pain or suffering, no choices to be made. Everyone is a productive member to the Community, and will have no cares or worries. Lowry shows that to obtain this level of utopia, there are trade offs to be made. I won't spoil the book further, but that's the premise. (Actually, this might be the society that Vulcans boast of.)

The story is heart wrenching. As the story went further, I felt the dread of foreshadowing of events to come. I was drawn in by the story, and worried about what happens next. I knew as I was reading it that there would be a different ending than the rest of the book. I knew something had to change, but I didn't know what. As the story unfolded, I realized with a terrible sadness, that this book might end tragically. But I will let you decide for yourself. Tell me in the comments if you think the last two pages were literal or metaphorical, because I'm not sure.

In the end, this book receives nothing but five stars from me. It does not fall short of "Phenomenal! Must read!" If you want to be more aware of the gifts you have in your life, read this book. If you desire to be a better informed citizen of the world, read this book. If you have children, ever want to have children, or know of a child somewhere in the world that you like and desire to have a better future for them, read this book. If you think we should all be nice to each other and never argue again, read this book. If your parents or grandparents are still alive, or you enjoy spending time with your family, read this book. If you want your world to be a better place, read this book. I will argue that this book should be on the required reading list for every high school or equivalent education system in the world. Please read this book.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

Synopsis:

Narnia...the world of wicked dragons and magic spells, where the very best is brought out of even the worst people, where anything can happen (and most often does)...and where the adventure begins.

The Dawn Treader is the first ship Narnia has seen in centuries. King Caspian has built it for his voyage to find the seven lords, good men whom his evil uncle Mizaz banished when he usurped the throne. The journey takes Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace to the Eastern Islands, beyond the Silver Sea, toward Aslan's country at the End of the World.

Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace, are magically transported onto the ship, Dawn Treader, where King Caspian is searching for the seven lost friends of his father. On the voyage, the children meet many fantastical creatures, including the great Aslan himself.

Review by Patrick:

This is my favorite of the series, so far. (I haven't read the last book yet, or finished the sixth.) This has a great story, with fantastic characters, amazing places, and descriptions and details that will absolutely capture your imagination. I've read this book a few times, and every time, I love it.

This story is about a ship's journey, so there is much seafaring time, but also plenty of time on islands and places on the ground too. Edmund and Lucy are back for this book, along with their cousin, Eustace and new characters. My favorite is Reepicheep, who is a mouse (albeit, a foot-tall mouse) with the courage of a lion, and the heart of a true gentleman.

This book keep you on your toes. It moves quickly, but every chapter has something new and exciting to it. The adventure, challenges, character growth, and story is worth every page. Read this one. I think it is the best of the series, and there's nobody who can tell me any different.

Review: Violet's Story: The Faerie War by Rachel Morgan

         

Synopsis:

Violet Fairdale is in big trouble. Her home is gone, her beloved forest lies in ruins, the guy she gave her heart to has deserted her—and she doesn’t remember any of it. The powerful Lord Draven is taking over, brainwashing guardians into fighting for him. No one is safe from the evil spreading throughout the fae world.

As alliances are forged between the remaining free fae, Vi struggles to reclaim her identity and figure out where she belongs in this new world. When someone from her past shows up, life gets more complicated. He brings with him a long-forgotten weapon and an ancient prophecy that places Vi at the center of the fight against Draven. With the future of the fae world at stake, can Vi carry out the prophecy’s instructions before it’s too late?

Review: Rating- 5
Read this series! Hands down, one of my all time favorite! I have loved every moment with these characters, from the horrible moments to the sweet ones.

This book is the final book in Violet's Story and it doesn't let you down. It picks up just after we left off in the second books, The Faerie Prince. You'll be taken on a journey with Violet to get her memories back and to stop the war, but it's never like it seems.

I don't want to give anything away because these books were so enjoyable that when I finished it and I couldn't turn another page on my Kindle I just sat there staring at it for 15 minutes.
I. Didn't. Want. It. To. End.

Violet and Ryn are still very much part of this book and you even get dual point of view. I love Ryn's humor, it helps give light in an otherwise bleak world.

Overall, I can't get enough. I want more of Violet and Ryn! Really this book is full of joy and heartache and hope, you will love them.

:::Spoiler::: Why did it have to end with their parents kind of having a thing for each other?! Why? I wanted a better happy ever after for Vi and Ryn! I didn't want the awkwardness of their parents being together.

I received a copy to read and review in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Violet's Story: The Faerie Prince by Rachel Morgan

 

    

Synopsis:

Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

Review: Rating- 5+
Yes! This is what I was waiting to read! It is a top favorite for me! It had it all: suspense, intrigue, action, friendship, family, wibbly-wobby-what-just-happened-twists, and scorching romance!

The Faerie Prince is book two in the Creepy Hollow series. It picks up right where we left on in The Faerie Guardian. I thought the first book was fairly predictable. I went into this book thinking the same thing, that it would be overly predictable until the end. Oh, how I was wrong. There are so many twists and turns and loop-the-loops with the plot that it's refreshing to have this blossoming hot romance taking place at the same time.

One more note for those of you that got attached to Nate for a bit, don't worry and just keep reading. Ryn makes Nate look like the wart on a trolls bum.

Beware of the cliffhanger. You're going to get to the last few pages and it's just going to





.... end. You will want to throw your book/kindle in frustration if you don't have book 3 ready. That ending is a doozy.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Violet's Story: The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan

 

    

Synopsis:

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamor follows her into the Fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the Fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.

Review: Rating- 4.5
Wow! I wasn't really expecting to love this books as much as I do. I never read books about Fae or Halflings, but I was in the mood to branch out for once and I'm glad I did. If you're looking for a bit of romance, great ribbing remarks, and a huge twist at the end then get ready to read this series.

The book started off abruptly jumping right into the story, which I loved. I don't like taking the time to learn every tiny aspect when I'm reading an action adventure story. I was a bit disappointed with how childish Violet seemed. She's 17 so she shouldn't be as immature as she was acting. I looked past this as much as I could, but it still annoyed me.

I was worried about finishing the novel because I kept guessing every tiny twist in the plot until suddenly I was left screaming at the book. I honestly didn't see THAT twist happening. I probably should have, but I was too happy to see it coming. This is why I think you should read the book. You're going to read and you're going to guess so many things even a big plot twist with Nate. Then that terrible falling off the side of the mountain thing is going to happen and you're going to be left feeling exactly like Violet, broken and betrayed and angry. Keep reading because it only gets better.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

Synopsis:

Narnia...where horses talk and hermits like company, where evil men turn into donkeys, where boys go into battle...and where the adventure begins.

During the Golden Age of Narnia, when Peter is High King, a boy named Shasta discovers he is not the son of Arsheesh, the Calormene fisherman, and decides to run far away to the North--to Narnia. When he is mistaken for another runaway, Shasta is led to discover who he really is and even finds his real father.

Review by Patrick:
Finished estimated on July 13, 2015
Not as well known as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, this book is third in the Chronicles of Narnia series. This book takes place while the Pevensies are ruling Narnia, at the very end of the prior book. It also doesn't have any human children as main characters. Instead, the story is about two native children and two Narnian horses.

I actually really liked this story. It wasn't quite as "epic" as some of the other stories, but it certainly kept you on the edge of your saddle. It also had new places outside of Narnia, but still within that world. It was quite interesting to see these new places and new adventures.

This story seemed to be vary linear. It was going from straight South, to due North, with occasional stops along the way. Several times, it was how fast could they make it to their next destination, and usually for a very important reason.

I think this is a fine addition to the series, and I'm glad to have read it again. 3.5 stars from me; it's a great book.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfield

 Synopsis:

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.

Review by Patrick:

If you haven't read my review of Leviathan, please read it first. It gives some background about what is going on generally.

This book continues the greatness started in Leviathan. Alek and Deryn are noticeably coming closer together, although there is a slight "love drama" later in the book. Don't worry, I think it all turns out alright in the end.

The main part of this book stays in one location: Istanbul. As we learned from the first book, the British (and other Darwinists) are definately not happy with the Clanker Powers, but as further evidence is seen, not all the Clankers are on the same page either. Istanbul, in this book, is the meeting of everyone. There's the British, the Austrians, the Sultan, the Germans, and even the Americans have a role to play. Then to through a kink in everything, you have the revolution. It's not quite the political read of a Tom Clancy, but we have a different audience.

The fantasy presents new elements in this book. There's the Bovril that hatched and attached to Alek. There are the elephant walkers, the Sultan's automaton, several encounters with Tesla cannons, and of course, the Behemoth itself. The world created by Westerfeld is not neglected in the imagination department. Seriously, it's amazing he has come up with this stuff.

The book ends on another cliff hanger. I have no idea how the story is going to end, or even if the British are going to win the war. (Remember, this is an alternate history.) I do know that I really want to read it, and look forward to the last book of the series, Goliath. Another 5 stars from me for this book.