Archive for category Speculative Fiction
Review: THE GLENDALE WITCH by Deborah Winter-Blood
Posted by Amanda in Fantasy, Speculative Fiction on January 27th, 2012
The Glendale Witch
Deborah Winter-Blood
ISBN-10: 146108265X
ISBN-13:978-1461082651
$12.95
271 pages
Reviewed by Amanda Capper
The Glendale Witch, the debut novel from Deborah Winter-Blood, sent me on a magical mystery tour with a cast of characters so endearing I missed them as soon as I finished the book
Shortly after Celeste McAllister’s seventeenth birthday, her iguana starts talking to her. Kind of freaks her out (as to be expected), but it’s what the iguana tells her that really sends Celeste’s world spinning out of control. Celeste is a witch; the iguana, her familiar and before she can wrap her head around that mind-boggling idea, her roommate, Ashley, falls in love with a Satyr and is promptly whisked away by a minion of the monster Glor. But the minion made a mistake. Glor has no interest in Ashley, it’s Celeste he wants, and after all sorts of adventures in her attempt to save her roommate, Celeste is captured.
Who makes it out of this underworld? Celeste? Best friend, Ashley? Love interest, Jason? How about the Satyr? And what about the mother Celeste never knew, held captive all these years by Glor? Must read to find out.
The dialogue is genuine; the banter easy and funny. The pace is steady and certainly never dull. A good, entertaining read.
Copyright © 2012 Amanda Capper
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION
I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: TWIN SPIRIT by Matthew Thompson
Posted by Diane in Fantasy, Young adult on December 28th, 2011
Twin Spirit
Matthew Thompson
Paperback: 292 pages
Publisher: Domino Galaxy (1 Oct 2011)
ISBN-10:0956974600
ISBN-13:978-0956974600
book Published by Domino Galaxy for Smashwords
218 pages
Reviewed by Diane Grace
A book, a spell, and a moonlit night allow twins separated at birth to speak to each other for the first time. Lily, a primitive spirit trapped on Earth from the time she was born with no means to make herself heard or felt, is used to disparaging her living twin with no effect. She is totally amazed when her sister, Rose, reads a spell that reveals Lily to her. Lily convinces Rose they must go to the distant world of Kiian to find their mother, the only one that can separate them so Lily can have a life of her own. There just one slight hitch. Neither humans nor primitive spirits are allowed in the alternate galaxy called Domino where the girls must go to find their mom. And the dangerous journey begins. The girls meet those who would help them as well as those who would harm them.
Twin Spirit is an interesting read despite the somewhat disjointed method of delivery. Once the actual journey begins we get the back story of every new entity the twins encounter. It makes for an abrupt stop every couple of chapters while we learn another history.
The main protagonists of this story are reputed to be nine, shortly to be ten. It is my understanding that, typically, readers prefer the main characters to be a little older than themselves which would make the average age of the reader eight to nine. Yet a good deal of the novel is written in a more mature style than that age group would indicate. I would put it in the category of young adult if I had not been told the ages of our heroes in the first chapter.
I no longer quibble about typographical errors, it’s in too many professional publications to be worth the page space to complain. I will say the ebook version of Twin Spirit contains its share.
If your tween likes alternate universes, scary but not graphic violence, she may well like this book.
Copyright 2011 Diane Grace
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Review: The House in Windward Leaves by Katherine L. Holmes
Posted by Agnes in Fantasy, Humor, Young adult, adventure on November 16th, 2011
The House in Windward Leaves
Katherine L. Holmes
Couchgrass Books
ISBN13: 9780615507170
153 pages
$9.95
Reviewed by Agnes Dee
In The House in Windward Leaves , the children are intrigued by a mystery man who has come to the small town. Hired to paint a house owned by the town’s spinster, the painter works to finish the colorful murals in time for a Halloween party that turns into a true fantasy for seven children. Though the storyline is a bit confusing, and the plot slight, it’s a very pleasant read. Each child assumes a character, establishes a new life on the ‘far away star’, and finds that by the end of the book they have developed a new talent, interest, or have discovered something about their life. Marketed for youth, this story is best suited for younger readers. Though set during Halloween, there are only positive characters.
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.