Rebel Magisters by Shanna Swendson

5 stars

Oh these books!

I need the third one.  Which as far as I can tell doesn't even have a title yet.

Sigh.

This series is officially on my "need to buy" list.  And they've earned a spot on my comfort reads shelf.

You know, those books you keep going back to-- the ones you read like once a year?

Because I already want to reread these.

This is a fabulous second installment.

If you haven't read the first one yet (Rebel Mechanics)... well what are you waiting for??

Boo hasn't read them yet, so I can't give you a younger perspective, but I'm in love.

Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson

5 stars
R- 1
young adult, steam punk, alternate history

New on my list of "things I need to own"!

I really enjoyed this one.  Like REALLY enjoyed it.  Like want to live in it longer enjoyed it.

A totally fun what-if-- what if the British upper class had magic and used that to stop the American Revolution?  And what if all technology was powered by magic?

Well, you'd end up with rebel mechanics-- radicals who develop steam engines and other such machines in an attempt to overthrow the dependence on magic.

I enjoyed the characters and the story.

So looking forward to the second book!

Ghostly Echoes by William Ritter

5 stars
YF
(Parents of younger readers should be aware that there is a transvestite and a few mild swear words.)

Another thoroughly satisfying and entertaining installment!

I loved seeing more of Jenny's story and getting more character development there.

As always, Abigail's voice is marvelous.

I really do just love these books.

If you haven't tried them yet, start at the beginning certainly.  This is not a series to jump into in the middle.

Island of Doom by Arthur Slade

(Hunchback Assignments, book 4)

3 stars
YF

I'm not sure why, but I just didn't love this one as much as the previous 3.

The love triangle thing was annoying.  You know how much those bug me, and frankly when the characters are 15-17 or so... it's worse.

I struggled to get to the point where I felt compelled to keep reading.  It took me like 3 days to read it.  (Trust me, for me that's totally crazy.  This kind of thing usually is a one day read.)

Overall... I don't know.  I still enjoyed it, but it was a bit of a "meh".

Return to Exile by EJ Patten

4.5 stars
Middle Grade (suggests ages 8-12, that might be a little low-- long and somewhat scary.  I won't give it to Boo for a couple of years probably)
Local Author :)
Copy received for Book Tour

I have been anxiously awaiting my copy of this book.  And then of course it arrived when I was in the midst of attacking trees in my yard (yeah, apparently they're actually NOT coming out, stupid chain link fence stuck in the trunk... oh well, we'll just fence over it) and my husband was working extra night shifts.  So basically, I have been little more than a somewhat functional zombie.

Which explains A) why I read this in fits and starts before just blazing through it and B) probably also explains my two gripes with the book.

Gripe one: I couldn't keep the characters straight to save my life.  It didn't help that they had weird names like T-Bone, Hands and Andrew.  (Okay, so that last one isn't weird, but I'm a barely functional zombie, remember?)  Anyway, that was probably just my sleep-starved brain.

Gripe two: the parents are painfully under-developed.  Which I get is totally normal for this kind of book, but at some point there needed to be some sort of "yes we know all about it, we've been trying to protect you all these years, here's what's really going on" conversation.  Who knows, maybe that's in the next book.

Those little things aside, this book was awesome.

In fact, the first paragraph made me laugh so much that I immediately made this my pick for our book club for May.  That's right, the FIRST PARAGRAPH.

About my note above: I don't think your average 8-12 year old is going to catch a lot of the humor and intricacies.  And Boo just read the first Sisters Grimm book and found it scary, so I'm not giving her this yet.  I think the book might have benefited from the main character being a bit older (say 13-15) and the target audience being more like 12-16.

Overall, lots and lots of fun.  GOOD choice for a middle school boy.

Empire of Ruins by Arthur Slade

The Hunchback Assignments book 3

4 stars
YF

While once again the romance is mildly annoying, I really enjoyed this one.

The twists in the character development especially-- excellent.

And really, I'm a sucker for anything archaeology, so the Indiana Jones-esque feel is always a plus.

Definitely read the first two first, but don't stop there.

Hoping for a fourth installment... (and maybe even Mr. Socrates will stop being a dork).

The Dark Deeps by Arthur Slade

(Hunchback Assignments book 2)
4 stars
YF

Modo is back-- and this time it's shades of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a smidgen of The Invisible Man.

Seriously, how much more awesome does this get?!

Totally enjoyed this sequel.

**But, just in case you were wondering, love triangles are even more stupid when they invovle 15-year-olds.  Just sayin'.

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

(Book 1)
4 stars
YF

The start of a fabulous new steampunk series!

Modo (yes, as in Quasi) is a shapeshifter-- raised by a mysterious man known only as Mr. Socrates to be a top agent.

Yes, that's right, the hunchback is a shapeshifting secret agent.  In a steampunk alternate past.

It totally rocks.

Throw in echoes of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, among other literary themes, and you've got quite the story.

I did feel like it was just a little slow starting out, but overall, good stuff.  :)

Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel

5 stars
R-0
Sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker

So I was pretty sure this was the end of the series... but I'm not positive.  SOOOOO hope it's not the end!!  I really love these characters!

Captain Walken is back, which rocks, and we see Chef Vlad again!  Woohoo!

The bit in Egypt at the end-- awesome!

I think I read the whole book in about 5-6 hours.  All in one sitting.  Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it might not have even been that long.  But it was one sitting. 

Anyway.....

Matt and Kate are back and this time the stars are the limit.  It's a great adventure in outer space and, of course, they manage to get themselves into plenty of trouble.

Really, I may have liked this one the best.

Totally recommended!!

Counts for the Support Your Local Library Challenge.

The Osiris Ritual by George Mann

4 stars
R-0
Sequel to The Affinity Bridge

Newbury and Hobbes are back-- this time in overlapping mysteries.  He's investigating a strange mummy, a murder and a rogue agent.  She's investigating a series of disappearances.  Soon, though, it becomes clear that there may only really be one mystery.

More scattered than the first, especially since they don't seem to be working together much until the end.  I still enjoyed it, though.

The thing that annoyed me, though-- can we get over the whole opium thing?!  I mean, really.  It's getting very very old, very very quickly.

The ending has left me extremely curious about the next book, though!  I'm sure I have to wait a year, probably... darn it all.

Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge.

The Affinity Bridge by George Mann

5 stars
R- 0

Okay, admittedly, this book had a bit of an identity crisis, but at the same time-- it was a lot of fun!

Part steampunk (well, okay, totally steampunk), part horror (think I Am Legend, only not as dumb as the movie), part paranormal.... and all mystery, this was a fun, if tangled, jaunt.

I quite enjoyed the main characters-- Sir Newbury and Miss Hobbes, as well as Charles Bainbridge.

And, fabulously, there is a sequel coming out in mere weeks!  Woohoo!

Really just a fun fun book.  Excellent vacation read, I'd say.

It does feel a bit confusing at first, as one tries to figure out how on earth such disparate story lines are ever going to weave together, but don't worry, they do.\

There are also a few points where the wording gets a bit old (really, you don't need to use the same description every time!) but it's not too bad.  And the story in engaging enough that you don't notice so much.  :)

Counts for the Support Your Local Library and Reader's Choice challenges!

Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel

5 stars
R-0
Sequel to Airborn
YA

If Airborn was Treasure Island, Skybreaker is Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.  (Which I should probably reread, seeing as how it's been close to two decades.)

Anyway, this delightful followup to Airborn was lots of fun to read.

Granted there was the requisite "well I know she likes me, but does she really like me?" rubbish, but it's a YA sequel.  I'm becoming resigned to those plot aspects.

And honestly, the "but I want to be a man, not a boy" stuff bugged me more.  I suppose it's realistic, so you have to let it slide.  I guess it's a macho thing that girls just don't get.

I loved the premise and everything, though.  The new characters were interesting, and I was thrilled to see Chef Vlad show up, even if it was only briefly.

Matt Cruse is still a delightful hero (even if he's got a load of self-doubt) and Kate is still just plain funny.

If you liked the first one, you'll like this one.  If you haven't read the first one, what on earth are you waiting for??

Now I can't wait to get my hands on the third!!

Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

5 Stars
R-0
YA

I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled about reading this one.  Yeah, it looked good, but it's 500 pages.  That's a big time commitment.

So I put it off.... and put it off....

Wow am I glad I finally read it.

It's like... a steampunk Treasure Island, except that it's not quite.

Matt Cruse was born in the air.  Literally.  On an airship.  And now after serving aboard one for three years, he knows his home is in the sky. 

So he's the cabin boy adventurer.  :D  A classic character.

Throw in strange creatures, pirates, a rich kid/rival, and a headstrong girl who just won't listen to reason, and it's just not going to be your typical ocean crossing.

AND it's the beginning of a trilogy.  Woohoo!

Fun story-- well worth the time.  I loved it!

In some ways, it reminded me of Treasure Planet.

What's YOUR favorite Treasure Island-ish tale?  (I must confess, I love Muppet's Treasure Island!)

Counts for the Support Your Local Library Challenge and was our book club pick for March!

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One

3 Stars
R-4 (innuendo AND pictures)
VERY BLOODY

I'd have given this a higher score if it weren't for how risque it was.  Definitely not a kid's graphic novel!

Confession-- I love this movie.  Yeah, it's stupid.  I know.  It could be one of the dumbest movies ever made... but I love it.

And I was delighted to see that one of my favorite lines is straight from the graphic novel!  Okay, so the context was different, but the first mate does in fact say "Call me Ishmael"!!

Cracked me up when I first saw it in the theater.... and then I was disturbed to find that in a dollar theater in a college town I was the ONLY ONE THAT GOT IT!  Terrible.

Anyway, fun to know where the story came from, but I have no desire to read the others.  Which is too bad, because the random literary references are fabulous.

I'll stick with the movie.  Not as bloody, not as risque... AND it has Sean Connery.  What more could you want? :D

Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge!