A YA Contemporary Fantasy that plays with typical genre elements and makes it's own unique mix.

BOOK DETAILS:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, read by Will Patton, published by Scholastic Audio (2012) / Length: 11 hrs 8 min

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #1 of 4 in the "The Raven Cycle." All four books have been published and are available on audio.

SUMMARY:

I've owned this book for several years and never got around to listening to it (I wasn't very fond of Shiver). The positive responses to the final book pushed me into finally giving it and chance, and I really liked it. If not for the frequent swearing & the love triangle, this would have been 4.5*.

I am never a fan of love triangles, but this one seemed more than usually unnecessary considering that the situation with the prophecy provides plenty of tension and that friendship is such a strong theme. There were a few cute moments between Blue & Adam and she & Gansey seemed to work well together in their one outing alone together, but I wasn't able to invest strongly in either relationship because of the setup.

I do especially like the way the book takes typical character stereotypes (the psychic's daughter with the special ability, the rich boy, the bad boy, etc) and makes them so much more. As well as the way things swing between normal teenage issues & supernatural weirdness.

The highlight of this MG Contemporary Fantasy is Call's ongoing evaluation of his own behavior & choices.

BOOK DETAILS:

The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare, read by Paul Boehmer, published by Listening Library (2015) / Length: 8 hrs 21 min

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #2 of "The Magisterium" series. Book #3, The Bronze Key, is scheduled to be published on 8/30/16.

**This review contains spoilers for the previous book(s).**

SUMMARY:

The Harry Potter similarities & differences were both a bit stronger in this one. I especially felt like the whole issue of Elementals being used as domestic servants (ala house elves) was completely unnecessary. The characters remain unique though. But I am still hoping for more development on the everyone besides Call.

CHARACTERS:

Callum Hunt (Call): In the previous book, Call was told that he is "The Enemy of Death" who placed his own spirit inside the (stolen) body of the infant Callum Hunt. He spends this whole book dealing with this news.

"He'd started making a list in his head - any evidence of him being an Evil Overlord went into one column and any evidence against it went into another. He'd taken to referring to the list before making any and all decisions. Would an Evil Overlord drink the last cup of coffee in the pot? Which book would an Evil Overlord take out from the library? Was dressing in all black a definite Evil Overlord move, or a legitimate choice on laundry day?"

This is fun, but it is also gives great depth to such a young character. And despite this close evaluation of his own behavior, he still occasionally makes selfish decisions, which adds some realism.

WORLDBUILDING:

We learn more about the social and administrative structure of the magic world. I continue to be disturbed by their failure to do more to protect their children.

We also learn more about what The Enemy went through and what he did; and get to meet some chaos-ridden people.

PLOT:

The beginning was well done, establishing backstory & character growth. Once Call left home though, I found the parts before he got back to school to be less interesting.

The story itself takes place over a fairly short period of time (rather than a whole school year). And the ending resolved the issue of the Copper Gauntlet, but left the larger issues unresolved.

HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS:

• Havoc remains a favorite. I like that he is but isn't more than a wolf.
• When Jasper (Call's sort of nemesis) is called out for certain behavior and Call is forced to recognize that he does something similar.

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: The crush subplot. / The gruesome stuff with severed heads.

OTHER CAUTIONS: The book continues to be pretty dark for Middle Grade.

NARRATION:

Character voices differentiated = Yes / Opposite sex voices acceptable = Yes / Phrasing, Pacing & Pronunciation = Yes / Emoting = Good / Speed = listened on 1.25, my usual

There was a small error (which may have come from the original) in which he said "Call & Tamara" when it should have been Aaron & Tamara.

BOOK DETAILS:

The Copper Gauntlet (The Magisterium #2) by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare, read by Paul Boehmer, published by Listening Library (2015) / Length: 8 hrs 21 min Buy Now | +Goodreads

Talk to Me (pretty please)

• Can you recommend any SF/F with deep thinking characters?
• How much development do you prefer in side characters?

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• If you are a first time visitor, how did you discover my blog?

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A great MG Fantasy that suffers from a change of narrators.

BOOK DETAILS:

The City of Thirst by Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis, read by Pat Young & Casey Holloway, published by Hachette Audio (2015) / Length: 9 hrs 59 min

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #2 of "The Map to Everywhere" series. Book #3, Shadows of the Lost Sun, is scheduled to be published on 1/10/17.

**This review may contain spoilers for the previous book.**

SUMMARY:

I really struggled to get past the change of narrators on this one.

Although it is still humorous and fun, the stakes have been raised and the conflict isn't all with people outside the team.

I would like to see more development for the side characters in the next one.

CHARACTERS:

Marrill: It is sometimes easy to forget that other than her father and her mother, who is very ill, she doesn't really have a lot more experience with friendship than Fin does. In this book she struggles with truly heavy problems, and doesn't quite know how work with Fin rather than alone.

Fin: He really struggles in this book with knowing how to make decisions that are truly right and not just right for him. Some of them should be "no-brainers," but for someone who has been on his own for most of his life, it's not that easy.

The Naysayer continues to be a favorite; and I like the addition of Remy, she's funny. We learned a tiny smidgen more about Coll and his migrating tattoo.

WORLDBUILDING:

The majority of the book is spent in a fascinating city that is constantly sinking. Its inhabitants spend all day, every day, working to rescue the sinking parts and move them back to the top.

Before arriving there, our team visits an interesting archipelago where gravity is more than a bit wonky.

PLOT:

The book begins with a piece of corrected homework in which Marrill gives us some backstory. I looked up the text version, and though it was cute; but it didn't quite work as an audio presentation.

Although I am entirely opposed to stealing and to playing with dangerous artifacts, I actually agree with Finn that Ardent doesn't automatically own the Map & Key just because he's the "leader."

The book again end with a satisfying conclusion to the current adventure but no resolution of the larger problems.

HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS:

• This Remy quote:

"The kids in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe didn't have to deal with this stuff. Why couldn't you find a nice wardrobe to walk through, huh?"

• Finn, a male, cries and it isn't presented as a big deal.
• Marrill's new little friend.

NARRATION:

This is the type of dual narration where they each do entire chapters, leading to different voices for the same characters. I'm not fond of this way of doing things.

Note: I loved the narrator of the first book and thought he did a perfect job at capturing the verbally playful nature of the book. That makes it difficult for me to review these two. It was made especially difficult by the fact that both of them missed important puns.

Even setting aside the missed puns, there were several mispronunciations, the most glaring was when she pronounced brazier (a small container for fire) as brassiere (a woman's undergarment).

Everything else was fine.

BOOK DETAILS:

The City of Thirst (The Map to Everywhere #2) by Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis, read by Pat Young & Casey Holloway, published by Hachette Audio (2015) / Length: 9 hrs 59 min Buy Now | +Goodreads

Talk to Me (pretty please)

• Do you have a favorite Middle Grade Fantasy?
• What's your favorite fictional (non-romantic) male/female friendship?

--

• If you are a first time visitor, how did you discover my blog?

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A game based Sword & Sorcery Fantasy that is more than it's origins

BOOK DETAILS:

Azure Bonds by Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb, read by Kristin Kalbli, published by Audible Studios (2015) / Length: 14 hrs 44 min

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #1 of 4 that include these characters. The "Finder's Stone" trilogy plus Masquerades (which is apparently "The Harpers" #10, but I haven't read any of those and wasn't lost at all).

SUMMARY:

I received this book many years ago as a birthday gift. I was a bit mystified as to the selection. I had only ever played a role playing game once, and not with the person who gave me the book. It's not that I disliked it, but as an unsocial bookworm I would rather be reading. I decided to give it a chance anyway, since the story sounded interesting, and I have read it many times since. When the audiobook came out a few years back, I snatched up almost immediately. I have tried others that are similar, even by the same author, and never found one I liked as much.

This book isn't perfect, and it isn't deep; but I love the characters & the writing, and I listen to it frequently. So it fully deserves my 5* RATING. I also recognize that it might not be for everyone.

Regarding the cover: That outfit wasn’t something she was wearing by choice, and it’s impracticality is specifically called out in the book (which made me smile).

A YA SciFi Dystopia that defied my first impression

BOOK DETAILS:

Reboot by Amy Tintera, read by Khristine Hvam, published by HarperAudio (2013) / Length: 8 hrs 42 min

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #1 of the Reboot duology. Book #2, Rebel, is already out and also available on audio.

SUMMARY:

The first time I read this book, I liked it OK but didn't plan to buy it (I had borrowed a Kindle copy from the library). However, I just kept thinking about it. So, I decided to borrow the audio version. I liked it even more this time, and ended up decided it was something I would re-listen to (my criteria for purchase).

I'm not 100% sure why it stuck with me. Wren is a great protagonist, despite being the currently typical "physically kickbutt and emotionally stunted" heroine. And I like that she is actually fine being where and what she is. Callum isn't your typical YA hero, which is nice; and he's got guts and convictions.

I am tagging this with Diversity, since Callum is Hispanic (although it is never a plot point) and Wren has disfiguring scars.