A Bookworm's Book Reviews

Legendborn Cycle 1 – Tracy Deonn

Book 2 is Bloodmarked, Book 3 is Oathbound

Title: Book 1 – Legendborn

Author: Tracy Deonn

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Plot: Bree Matthews has just arrived at her early enrollment program at the University of North Carolina with her good friend Alice. They sneak off campus to party. There, Bree sees something she shouldn’t, a magical creature attacking. Alice and Bree get in big trouble. Not long after, Bree sees another magical creature. Her new mentor Nick, attack the creature. Bree starts asking Nick about the creatures and she’s introduced to a secret world of Merlins, King Arthur, Arthur’s knights, and magic. Everyone in the group is a descendent of the knights of the round table, called Legendborns. Bree knows someone among the Legendborns knows something about her mother’s death. She convinces Nick to let her in so she can find out. But can Bree survive long enough to find out? Or will the creatures or someone darker get her first!

Rating: 4.3 – a great new telling of the knights of the round table

Opinion: This was a great story. I loved that the author took a known story and made it her own. It’s a different kind of magic, too. It was interesting that there are different kinds of magic in this book. They’re based on different people’s backgrounds and origins. Both are well developed and have different strengths and weaknesses depending on the person. The book talks a lot about grief and deals very well with it. Bree’s gone through a lot before the books starts and learns to let go while looking for answers. It’s not an easy process like in some books. It makes it seem more relatable that a character holds onto the person they’ve lost. They don’t wanna lose someone close to them. The one little thing I didn’t like was that there were a whole bunch of characters introduced at once. It made it harder to keep track of who was who. Overall, this was an amazing book. I loved it. I’d highly recommend this book for fantasy lovers.

Kaikeyi – Vaishnavi Patel

Title: Kaikeyi

Author: Vaishnavi Patel

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Kaikeyi is the only daughter of a raja. She’s also the oldest of eight, the rest are boys. She longs for the freedom her brothers have. After her mother is banished, Kaikeyi looks through the library and learns from them. She learns she has a magic ability. She also begs her twin brother, Yuddhajit, for sword, spear, archery, and chariot lessons. Kaikeyi also decides to learn about the royal court. When her father decides to marry Kaikeyi to a neighboring country’s raja, she protests. With the help of her handmaiden, she learns to accept her new role and flourish, as an advisor, mother, and protector. She helps other women in the kingdom and starts to make progress for women. But will it be enough? Or will someone threaten and take away all Kaikayi’s worked for?

Rating: 4.4 – a good story about making changes

Opinion: This was a great book. I wasn’t sure I’d like it or what to expect. It wove Indian mythology in with some modern ideas beautifully. I was expecting the book to be more about Indian mythology and legends. I didn’t expect it to follow Kaikeyi. But this book was great because of the great world building and great story telling. I enjoyed learning more about Indian culture and some of their legends and mythology. With how long this book was, I shouldn’t have been surprised with all of the time jumps to follow Kaikeyi through her life. With all that’s going on in the world today, I felt like the author drew on some parallels for her story. It wasn’t too obnoxious though and well done. Overall, I really enjoyed this book for its imagery, storytelling, and fantasy. I recommend this book for anyone who loves mythology and fantasy books.

The Dot – Peter H. Reynolds

Title: The Dot

Author and Illustrator : Peter H. Reynolds

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: It’s the end of art class and Vashti hasn’t created anything. Her teacher tries to encourage her, but Vashti’s unsure. Vashti doesn’t think she’s an artist. Her teacher suggests she starts by drawing a dot. When she’s done, Vashti’s teacher has her sign her work. Later, Vashti thinks she can do better. What will she create?

Rating: 4.3 – a cute story about being creative

Opinion: This was a cute story. The daycare I work at did a school wide lesson on this book. I really enjoyed it. It teaches kids that anyone can be creative even if they don’t think they are. This can also be a good lesson about the fact that there are different kinds of creativity. It’s also a great book to teach about self confidence. There are lots of things you can add on to this story. It’s a great addition to any classroom library.

Land of the Lone Star Trilogy – Tracie Peterson

Titles: 1. Chasing the Sun, 2. Touching the Sky, 3. Taming the Wind

Author: Tracie Peterson

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Plot: 1. Hannah Dandridge’s father has disappeared from their Texas ranch. Now she’s in charge of her family’s ranch and her two much younger siblings. Hannah looks to her father’s friend, Herbert Lockhart, but he’s not all he says he is. William Barnett is a Union soldier returning to his family’s ranch only to find Hannah and her siblings living there. Now everyone must decide what to do. But with the Comanche threatening the land and others wanting their way, can Hannah and William work together to save the ranch?

2. Laura and Carissa Marquardt are ladies in Corpus Christi. Carissa is swept up in a whirlwind romance with a man she’s just met. Laura is unsure of the man. Something in her gut doesn’t trust him but she can’t convince Carissa otherwise. Laura soon finds a confidant in Brandon Reid. He’s a lieutenant with the Union Army and on a secret mission to stop Carissa’s soon to be husband. Can Brandon put a stop to his plan? Can Laura keep her sister safe?

3. Carissa’s followed her sister, Laura, and Brandon, Laura’s now husband, to their ranch to start new with her daughter, Gloria. But old wounds are slow to heal. Luckily, her friend, Tyler Atherton, had patience. But his lingering anger and old wounds are slow to heal as well. Brandon, Tyler, and some other men have decided to go on a cattle drive. Can the women stay safe with the Comanche getting ready for war? With two of the women pregnant, what will happen when the past comes back to haunt them? Will the men make it back to help? Or will they make do by themselves?

Rating: 4.0 – a sweet, old west tale

Opinion: This was a really sweet, sappy trilogy. I thought it would be a lot sappier, but it had just the right amount of sap. I was surprised by the high amount of Christianity there is in this trilogy. It was a very pleasant surprise. It was a really important part of all of the main characters. A lot of the historical fiction books don’t have as strong of a sense of faith. It’s there, but not as prominent. I really appreciated that. I haven’t found a lot of books that talked a lot about Texas history during the Civil War. It’s usually about the standard states during the war. I liked learning more about this side of the war and what the people thought about it. I really enjoyed the combination of sappy romance, historical fiction, and faith. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction.

Verdi – Janell Cannon

Title: Verdi

Author and Illustrator: Janell Cannon

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: Verdi is a python living in the rainforest. He’s young and yellow. The adult pythons are green and boring. All they do is lay around. Verdi is full of energy. He spends his day playing and trying crazy tricks. When he notices a green spot on his back, Verdi tries everything to keep from turning green. But will it be enough?

Rating: 4.3 – a cute book about being okay with growing up

Opinion: This was a cute book. It was one of my favorite books growing up. I loved Verdi’s antics. Rereading it now makes me understand a little of where Verdi’s coming from. It’s a bit long for most of the kids I work with, but I think the older kids I work with could sit through it, though. They would love Verdi’s antics, too. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has kids or has a unit one wild animals.

New is Fun, Too! – Ariel Leshchinsky

Title: New is Fun, Too!

Author: Ariel Leshchinsky

Illustrator: Jeremy Wells

Plot: Panda Ya and her family are moving far away from everything’s she known. Panda Ya is very nervous. Her parents talk to her about how life in her new town is different but also the same. Panda Ya starts to understand and accept her new life. That night her parents have some surprises for her. But what are they?

Rating: 4.5 – a cute story about moving with children

Opinion: This was a very cute book. It does a good job explaining how life can be different and the same in a new place. This is a great book for families moving with kids. It can help with their anxieties about the unknown with moving and that some things can stay the same. A kid brought this book in to the daycare where I work. Her mother wrote it. The kids loved it. They thought it was cute, too. They seemed to understand the general concept of moving. They loved the pictures and activities in the book. This is a great family book and great and I highly recommend this book.

Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak

Title: Where The Wild Things Are

Author and Illustrator: Maurice Sendak

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: Max causes mischief of a new sort one night. His parents ground him to his room. Once his room, Max’s room starts to disappear and a forest takes its place. Then he finds an ocean and a boat. Max sets sail. After his long voyage, what will Max find? Who are the creatures? Can Max ever return home?

Rating: 4.0 – a classic picture book

Opinion: This was a cute kid’s book. I remember reading this book growing up. I’ve read this book to the kids at the daycare and they love it, too. Sometimes they got to act what the characters and monsters did. Another teacher put on a play about the book. Everyone loved it. The kids really enjoyed everything about it. They loved acting it out and helping with decorations and costumes. It helped teach the kids about the lesson of the book. One of the lessons is listening. There’s a time for playing and a time for listening. Then again it’s a kid’s book. They the pictures and the silliness of the book. Overall, this is a great book. This is a classic book. It’s a must for any classroom.

The Cartographers – Peng Sheperd

Title: The Cartographers

Author: Peng Sheperd

Genre: Mystery, Realistic Fiction

Plot: Dr. Nell Young has been working at an antique map creation shop since her father fired her from the New York Public Library and ruined her career over a disagreement of a “junk map.” Then Nell gets news that her father died. The initial report says he had a heart attack. When the library is robbed and someone else dies, the police take a second look. Nell starts looking closer at a map she took from her father’s things. She thinks it may be connected with the break in at the library. Nell decides to do some research about the map’s origins. But the more she learns about the map, the more she learns about her father’s past. Nell starts learning secrets about the map her father’s friends meant for her to learn. What secrets do the map contain? Can Nell learn what really happened to the map’s originally? Or will whomever’s behind the robbery find her first?

Rating: 3.7 – an interesting mystery with a good twist

Opinion: This was a great book. The mystery of the book was well thought out. The plot twists were well spaced out, which led to less slumps in the reading. There were lots of good clues left throughout the book if you knew where to look. I found it interesting that Nell’s parents friends took turns providing the information of the map’s origins and what really happened to it. The one thing that felt a little fuzzy on details was a secret on the map. It felt a little to unrealistic for the setting of the book. It almost felt too fantastical for something that was supposed to be set in the real world. It didn’t fit with the rest of the book. The ending left the book open if the author wanted to create a sequel down the road. I liked the ending cause it left hope that everything worked out in the end and will work out after the ending takes place. Overall this was a great book and I really enjoyed it. Even with the different kind of twist than what I’m used to. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys a mystery with an interesting twist.

The Painter of Battles – Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Title: The Painter of Battles

Author: Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Translator: Margaret Sayers Peden

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Plot: Andrés Faulques is a world renowned war photographer. He’s retired to the Spanish coast to work on a mural for himself. Then a man shows up unexpectedly shows up. He challenges Faulques to remember him and the place a woman died. The man wants Faulques to understand what happened after Faulques took his picture. The one that made Faulques famous. If he doesn’t, the man will kill him when he’s done talking. Will Faulques remember and learn what he needs to? Or will the man kill him?

Rating: 3.5 – a interesting tale of life and death

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed learning about what it takes to take amazing photographs. In a way the book was about learning to live again after seeing so much trauma. And about seeing thing from another perspective. It was a good book. There was a little grammar thing that bugged me about the book. Not all of the characters say are in quotes or in separate paragraphs. Overall this was a good book. Lots of little side stories about the things that lead up to that moment in the book. It’s good for anyone looking for a quick book to read.

Elements of Cadence 1 – Rebecca Ross

Book 2 is available: A Fire Endless

Title: Book 1 – A River Enchanted

Author: Rebecca Ross

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Jack is finishing up at a musician’s school and hopes to get a job as a music teacher on the mainland when he gets a letter to return to his island of Cadence from the laird. When Jack returns, he learns some of the young girls on the island have been disappearing. The laird and his daughter need help finding them. Jack uses his gift with music to summon spirits who might know where the missing girls are. The spirits say the other clan on the island has them. But the other clan talks of peace. Are the talks of peace true? Can Jack and his clan find the missing girls? Or will the girls remain hidden? Who is responsible for the kidnapping of the girls?

Rating: 4.2 – an interesting take on Scottish/Irish lore

Opinion: This was a great book. I loved the different take on fantasy, spirits, and magic. The magic system is different from what I’m used to. The magic in this book has a high costs and can’t be used as much as most other magic systems. I enjoyed the mystery of the book. The characters figure it out earlier on but it’s not confirmed until later on. I like the fact that the characters still took the time and planed out how to get the girls back. There was no heroic charge into enemy territory to get them. It was refreshing to see. It was also nice to see that the two younger characters had a slow build to their relationship instead of just jumping into bed together right away. Nothing was easy for the characters. They faced every challenge and worked through it together. I really enjoyed the Scottish and Irish lore woven into the book. It made the book unique and made it more interesting and more enjoyable to read. This was a different kind of book and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy.