Children's

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Catching Fire

September 11, 2009 in Children's, Fantasy | Comment

catchinga200Suzanne Collins keeps the ball rolling with Catching Fire, laying all my fears to rest about the follow up not being as great as the original debut. It’s a page turner, with no middle book syndrome to speak of! As a sequel to the Hunger Games, Catching Fire describes the events that come after Katniss’ bold win in the arena of the Hunger Games.
Katniss attempts to return to a ‘normal’ life by hunting by herself (Gale is now working in the mines) and spreading her new wealth around by shopping at the Hob. Her relationship with both Gale and Peeta is strained, and I won’t say any more on that topic.

What Katniss does not quite fully grasp are the signs of unrest throughout Panem. Her and Peeta’s victory was a direct slap in the face to the Capitol. Her victory in the Hunger Games has incurred even the President’s wrath, and she must do her best during the victory tours to quell the sparks of rebellion.

If he’s made the journey all the way from his city, it can only mean one thing. I’m in serious trouble. And if I am, so is my family. A shiver goes through me when I think of the proximity of my mother and sister to this man who despises me. Will always despise me. Because I outsmarted his sadistic Hunger Games, made the Capitol look foolish, and consequently undermined his control.

Little does she know what President Snow has in store for the girl on fire.

I was overjoyed to return to Panem and see that Katniss was the same feisty girl that I had left. The new characters are just as fun (think Finnick Odair). The book takes a turn into slightly more adult territory with graphic descriptions of unrest and “peacemaking” attempts (riots, bombing, etc.). As before, Ms. Collin’s writing draws the reader in..without waiting for permission. One scene in particular had me holding my breath–where new PeaceMakers attempt to catch Katniss going beyond the fence to hunt. Ms. Collins weaves together the perfect elements of tension, deceit, and humor to create excellent scenes. Which makes me wonder when the movie’s coming out.

There are also a few things that are touched on that I’m sure will resurface in the final book, such as rumors of “District 13″, and what becomes of our beloved stylist, Cinna, who seems to have a mysterious past.

Read an excerpt from the second chapter here, where the book really starts to gain some steam.

The Dragon Whisperer

August 6, 2009 in Children's, Fantasy | Comment

Untitled1Lucinda Hare’s debut novel, The Dragon Whisperer, follows Quenelda, daughter of the Earl Rufus DeWinter, commander of the SDS (Stealth Dragon Services). Her greatest wish is to follow her father’s footsteps as a battledragon commander, instead of a court life of unwieldy skirts and gossip. She has an odd affinity for dragon husbandry, and can coax even the most crotchety battledragon to allow her near enough to care for its injuries. The roostmaster, Tagnarost, sees her skill and allows her to aid in caring for the dragons, and it soon becomes a way of life for her.

However, as winter approaches, the battle against the hobgoblins grows dire. More and more dragons are lost in battle, and esquires cannot be trained fast enough to take to the skies.

Quenelda’s father, the Earl DeWinter finally realizes how adept, but snobbish Quenelda is about flying. Since she has flown as a child, she scoffs at those esquires who do not have a natural talent for flying. The Earl makes a deal with Quenelda: she may have her very own battledragon, as long as she can teach Root, a gnome esquire, to fly. It just so happens that Root not only has a fear of dragons, but he is completely inept. Slowly an unlikely friendship blooms and together Quenelda and Root must unravel a conspiracy designed to strike at the very heart of the SDS itself.

The Dragon Whisperer is a completely entrancing children’s tale. Every spare moment I had I searched out this book so that I could continue reading. I love that our young protagonist is a girl, and the prejudices she encounters reflect many a young girl’s dream to break into a male dominated industry. Quenelda’s character is refreshing since she too is flawed, and over the course of the book begins to overcome her personal biases. Ms. Hare does an excellent job balancing her world of fierce dragons and rabid hobgoblins with a more whimsical side, such as naming Quenelda’s battledragon Two Gulps and You’re Gone.

The sequel, Dragon Isle will be published in 2010. Quenelda’s special talents hint at a much larger destiny for her, and I’m guessing we will see our slowly maturing heroine overcome ever more drastic situations with Root’s help. The Dragon Whisperer is an excellent debut novel, and can be enjoyed by all ages!

Inkdeath

April 21, 2009 in Children's, Fantasy | Comment

inkdeathInkdeath is the final piece of the Inkworld trilogy. Having said that Inkheart was just so-so, and Inkspell was better, Inkdeath failed to make a lasting impression on me.

The book begins with Meggie and her parents in Ombra, with Aunt Elinor left behind in the original world that they came from. Dustfinger has been taken away by the White Women, and the Adderhead is immortal, thanks to a bargain he made with Mo. Meggie is torn between Farid and Doria, a young man in the Prince’s motley band. Mo has taken on the identity of the Bluejay, and risks his life daily on raids with the Black Prince’s men. Orpheus, a character who has Mo’s talent for reading things “out of books”, soon becomes an enemy who wants nothing more than Mo’s death. However, when Death itself makes a deal with Mo, no one can change the events of the Inkworld.

At 500+ pages, I found myself gravitating towards other books while I was trying to finish Inkdeath. The plot meanders mercilessly and I found myself practically screaming to just be done with it. The “love interest” was interesting at first, but I am never quite sure what Meggie is thinking, and she is the background much more often. To top it off, Mo and Resa are constantly at odds, as though their marriage will dissolve any minute, and everything simply gets better at the end of the book without explanation.

Overall, I didn’t love the series and probably would not be on my re-read list. It seems to have gained quite a bit of popularity with the YA crowd, so perhaps there’s something there that I’m missing. There is also a movie titled Inkheart that came out in January, starring Brendan Fraser. Watch the trailer below if you haven’t already!

Dragons and Elves and Dwarves, Oh My!

March 19, 2009 in Children's, Fantasy | Comment

Boy was I excited when I heard Brisingr was finally coming out. Unfortunately, the interminably long wait meant I had forgotten most of the events of Eragon and Eldest. I remember I really enjoyed Eragon, and so I picked up Eldest, which I wasn’t as crazy about. Unfortunately, Brisingr hit bottom for me.

It begins where Eldest left off: Eragon  and his cousin Roran plan to infiltrate Helgrind in order to rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina. Meanwhile, the Varden needs help (as always) and Eragon attempts to politick with the dwarves while they choose their new king, since Hrothgar was killed in the last battle against Murtagh.

Brisingr, which was supposed to be the end of the Inheritance Trilogy, is unfortunately now a middle book, with “middle book syndrome” to boot. Brisingr simply dragged on. And on.

Eragon did little to improve his knowledge of magic, maturity, or much of anything. He is still very much the immature farm boy from book one. In fact, Brisingr was more about Roran and his character development rather than anything else. Paolini also pulls the “I-am-your-father” thing on us again! In all honesty, that’s really something you can pull on your readers once. Twice is just stupid…It’s already been done!

Further, Paolini’s writing seemed very heavy, filled with tongue twisting words and excessive adjectives. I understand he is attempting to write in an “epic” manner, but considering this is marketed as a young adult book, even I was bogged down by the writing style. There were times I would go back and re-read a sentence, just to make sure I was understanding its meaning through all the purple prose.

Very little was revealed until the very last chapters of the book–this could have easily been edited down, making it a trilogy as originally planned. The most interesting part was when Eragon and Saphira attempted to communicate with a sentient tree, and Saphira ends up getting annoying and blowing fire at it, leading to all kinds of fun.

Overall, if it gets kids to read, great. But content-wise, Brisingr was sorely lacking any substance.

Inkspell

February 4, 2009 in Children's | 2 comments

I have to say, Cornelia Funke really gets it together for book #2, the sequel to Inkheart. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t terribly impressed with Inkheart. I thought the characters were pretty one dimensional, and that alone prevented enjoyment of the book.510mku55ckl_sl160_

Inkspell impressively weaves the story of Ombra, where Meggie, Mo, Resa, and Fenoglio find themselves after the events of Inkheart. The characters, especially Dustfinger, finally come to life and have differing personalities and quirks. Funke also seems to have really put herself into worldbuilding– Ombra and the surrounding lands can easily be imagined. I don’t want to give too much plot away as Inkspell follows the events of Inkheart, but we do know that almost all of Meggie’s family ends up in Ombra, except for her book collecting aunt Elinor. Further, Mo is gravely injured and it’s up to Meggie to help her parents while avoiding those that wish them harm.

I also enjoyed how Funke employs various villains–each are “bad” to differing degrees. As in most children’s books, there is only one villain who remains alive until the very end. Here, Funke uses a number of baddies that harass Meggie and her family, and sometimes even the villains kill other villains. This is a refreshing break from the usual, and also fleshes out Funke’s writing–after all, there is never just one bad person in this world–you will come up against many.

A much better read than the first–If you weren’t crazy about Inkheart and didn’t follow up on the sequels, it will be worth your time to read Inkspell. I hope Funke keeps it up in Inkdeath, the final book of the Inkworld trilogy.

Inkheart

January 20, 2009 in Children's | 2 comments

51cmjlhcz9l_sl160_Inkheart by Cornelia Funke follows a typical prototype: Prepubscent child in the regular world suddenly finds out that a parallel/other world exists that is much more exciting than one’s own. I’m sure plenty of examples are popping into your head, but you get the idea.

Meggie is your average girl who really enjoys reading–her father, Mo, is a “book doctor” and repairs and restores books. She is perfectly happy in her world until Dustfinger shows up at their door. Dustfinger warns Mo, or Silvertongue as he calls him, that Capricorn and his men are looking for him. Meggie soon finds out that the reason her and Mo have moved so often is to remain a step ahead of Capricorn. It turns out that Mo has a special power: he can read characters/items out of their respective stories (hence the “Silvertongue”). The only downside is that  someone/something from our world disappears in its place, which may explain why Meggie’s mother disappeared ten years ago when Mo accidentally “read” Capricorn into being.

Meggie soon discovers that she has a touch of Mo’s gift as well, and together they escape Capricorn (only to be recaptured later) and set out to find the last remaining copy of Inkheart, together with the author of the book. As the book proceeds, it becomes clear that those with the power not only to read, but to write in a certain manner can travel “into” books and their worlds.

Inkheart ends with a rather predictable happy ending, but of course Meggie can’t just stop thinking about “Inkworld” as she has dubbed it, and so it is left open for a sequel (or two).

A fun read and fine for a 10 year old (reading and writing is good!) but adults may find this book a little slow and difficult to get into– namely because Funke’s characters aren’t as three dimensional as they could be. I have a hard time picturing/relating to any of them–Capricorn’s henchmen are just stereotypical “bad guys” while Capricorn himself is just an archetypal villain. In fact, almost all the characters seem to be basic archetypes- Mo is the caring, overprotective dad, Elinor is the quirky old aunt, and Meggie herself is the spunky little heroine who really hates it when grownups keep secrets!

When the characters are difficult to relate to, the whole story begins to unravel.