Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Leaving a destroyed Paris behind them, Nicholas takes the twins Josh and Sophie (and the pages of the codex) to London, dangerous territory of Dr. John Dee, in hopes of finding Gilgamesh the King to awaken the twins’ elemental magic of water.  With Pernelle trapped on Alcatraz and Scatty missing, the group will need all the help they can get.  Thank goodness London is also the home of Francis’ friend Palamedes and Shakespeare.  The twins and Nicholas will need all the help they can get to fight their way out of London to the location of the ley lines that will hopefully take them to California and Pernelle.

Critical Analysis:  Usually I don’t have patience for long books that are part of longer series that seem to go on and on.  For some reason,  The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is a rare exception.  I think it is partly because of its basis in legend and mythology.  There is something so elemental in these creatures and their powers that speaks to Jung’s archtypes and collective unconscious.  It takes a real skill in crafting a plot to make these ideas and creatures both new and familiar.  Secondly, I love the historical figures.  If Nicholas and Pernelle can be immortal, then it makes sense that others might be as well.  And I like the fact that people become immortal for different reasons in different ways.

I find the twins to be perhaps the least interesting part of the story–they exist to drive the plot and to be acted upon.  For me, the characters that interest me most are Nicholas and Pernerlle.  I like that we get even more glimpses of who they are, their past in this entry in the series.  I would like even more of that, or perhaps a prequel.  I think this book has great appeal to both boys and girls, and while a bit violent in places, I think could go down into upper elementary.  I highly recommend the audio version, as it makes the action seem even more realistic.

Review Excerpts:  ”This book is a must-read for fans of the series, but even they will tire if the author doesn’t get to the point with reasonable dispatch.”–School Library Journal

“The intricacy of weaving so many legends into one complicated contemporary conglomerate is a fascinating juggling act, though plot is sometimes sacrificed for simply piling on new characters—which leads to some narrative bloat. Immersively imagined, this series remains a great choice to fill the post-Potter vacuum.”–Booklist

“Master yarnspinner that he is, Scott expertly cranks up the suspense while keeping his now-large cast in quick motion…this page-turner promises plenty of action to come.”–Kirkus Reviews

“Teens familiar with the previous two books or fans of adventure fantasies like Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series will eat this one up.”–VOYA

Reviewed from public library audiobook.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Levine, Gail Carson. (1997). Ella Enchanted. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN: 978-0060275105 (hc) 978-0064407052 (pbk)

It is funny to me how some books stick out in my mind.  I associate this book with when I was starting out as a librarian.  I remember how it and other books by Levine were very popular and we couldn’t keep them on the shelves.  But even though I had read it, I couldn’t recall much about the book itself.  Listening to it on audio, it was like reading it again for the first time.  So charming, so witty, so well plotted.  And Eden Riegel did such an excellent job in reading it.  Levine was not the first to retell or reimagine a fairy tale, but she was so successful I believe it led to many others we have today that otherwise may not have been published, and for that we should all be thankful!

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  The pixies Zara and her friends imprisoned at the end of Need (including pixie king, Zara’s father) were not the only ones to worry about.  Rival pixie kings are after his territory–and his daughter.  Astley is one of them, but he is not like any pixie Zara has known, challenges her preconceptions, promising she will be his pixie queen, but only when she wants it.  Zara’s friends are less convinced, but when boyfriend and were Nick is injured, will Zara do anything to save him, even turn pixie?

Critical Analysis:  First, the good.  Again, Jones has created a quick moving plot featuring the genuine friendship of an unlikely group of teens.  Some of the best parts of the book deal with Devyn and Issie and the possibility that Devyn might like someone else, will they please get together already?  The scenes with Zara reacting to being near pixie king Astley are also on point.  Imagine being a teen, with hormones and physical changes and acne and more.  Then imagine being half pixie, skin turning blue, passing out around iron, and more embarrassing changes you can’t control.   I also enjoyed the friends banding together to research what is happening and trying to work out what to do.  These relationships and scenes play off the conventions of high school and being a teen in a tongue in cheek kind of way.  I would have loved even more of these scenes.

But the book is taken up with Zara and Nick.  Somewhere between book 1 and book 2 Zara lost her spark and her spunk.  What happened to the girl who listed phobias and wrote letters for Amnesty International?  She seems to have been swallowed up by her relationship with Nick, and her whole identity and being are now tied to him.  I don’t want to spoil the plot, so I won’t go into details, but I was disappointed with the way things played out.

I also felt like the Norse addition to the plot was one thing too many.  Pixies and weres and witches are not enough?  Okay, well how about Valeryies and Norse Gods and warriors and Valhalla?  It matters little, fans of the first book will gobble this up and ask for the sequel.

Review Excerpts: “Readers will enjoy the fast-moving plot, action scenes, and lots of Zara’s inner dialogue as she tries to come to terms with what she must do if she is to save Nick, while staying true to her own self.”–Children’s Literature

“Funny dialogue, lots of action and suspense, and an unexpected ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment.”–VOYA

“The best aspect is Zara’s band of loyal friends: hottie Nick, sometimes wolf; pal Devyn, sometimes eagle; zippy Issie, altogether human; grandma Betty, kickass EMT and occasional tiger….Neither the best nor worst of supernatural romance, but the fusion of self-sacrifice and burning love will fully slake the thirst of eager Need fans.”–Kirkus Reviews

“This entry successfully delivers expected characters, tensions, and romance. Norse lore adds a new dimension, but feels extraneous rather than integrated into the story. Still, fans will rejoice in the familiar.”–Booklist

Reviewed from public library audio book.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary: Lisbeth is dealing with her own set of problems–battling with food and hiding it from the people who care about her when she is visited by Death.  When he hands her a set of scales and informs her that she has been appointed Famine she figures it must be a hallucination.  But even she can’t ignore the giant black horse nibbling on the bushes in her front yard.  As Famine, she rides her horse across the planet and when she sees real hunger and devastation starts to change on the inside.

Critical Analysis: While I find the idea of someone with an eating disorder becoming Famine interesting and perhaps almost too obvious in a way, what really works here is Lisbeth’s voice.  It is like you are inside the head and mind and actions of an anorexic.  And nothing about it is easy and nothing about it is glamorous or fun.  Even her bulimic friend, partner in supporting and hiding their mutual problems, comes off as weird and strange and not a real friend at all.  This book belongs in public and school libraries everywhere and would make a great companion to a discussion with tweens and teens on eating disorders.  It is a bonus that it is such a compelling read.

Review Excerpts: “The storytelling is both realistic and compassionate. If the metaphor…is obvious, the writing is never preachy…. This book has an excellent hook and is short enough to recommend to reluctant readers.”–School Library Journal

“Kessler has written an unusual allegory about eating disorders, one that works on several levels….Kessler offers a refreshingly new approach to the YA eating-disorder genre that reinforces the difficulty of conquering these diseases.”–Booklist

“Kessler realistically conveys the vicious nature of the girls’ eating disorders, providing graphic depictions of their binging, purging, and starvation.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Adult author Kessler’s concept and characters may not be wholly original, as she indicates in her author’s note, but her ear for dialogue, fluid prose and dark humor elevate this brief novel above other ‘issue books.’”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided electronic advanced copy. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  15 year old orphan Lucinda leads a pretty dreary life,  working as a servant in her uncle’s jewelry shop.  When the unusual stone belonging to a witch is stolen from Lucinda, she must get it back.  In the process, she makes a friend, learns to be a thief, finds a pet goat, learns about her past, falls in love, and fights for her life.

Critical Analysis:  The characters make this novel sparkle.  Spunky and orphan Lucinda, a charming thief Peter who is a true friend in the end and a prince who manages to forgive and follow his heart are at the center of this imaginative and original story.  Throw in an evil aunt in place of a stepmother, a good witch who is young and pretty, and a villain who works for the king and has been committing horrible acts for generations, and this brief fairy tale becomes an adventure full of excitement, danger and life and death.

I really enjoyed the fairy tale conventions–among them a mysterious young girl dances with a prince then dashes off without telling her true identity, a witch helps a young girl prepare for a fancy ball, a prince lost for years and thought dead returns to his family,  a goat that acts like a pet dog, more than just loyal, protecting his mistress and seeming to have at least nine lives.  I think young readers who have read fairy tale collections and older readers who enjoy retold fairy tales will enjoy this story very much.

Readalikes:  I felt the strongest resonance in this story to the Cinderella story.  There are several retellings out there, I would recommend Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George as a good match.  George has created the same kind of made up world that seems familiar and a cast of characters that feel like friends, including a spunky heroine who is determined to save her friends even if it means putting herself in danger.

Review Excerpts:  ”Intriguing characters, fine plotting, and a richly worked narrative carry the reader into Lucinda’s vaguely medieval world….Tamora Pierce fans will particularly appreciate Berry’s smoothly rendered first novel, where magic and historically accurate courtly rites are balanced with Lucinda’s maturing sense of independence, fate, and self.”–Booklist

“Berry’s enticing debut novel teems with romance, danger and suspense….Fantasy buffs will delight in the author’s playful use of fairy tale conventions….But the book’s main appeal comes from the revelations of many secrets and unexpected twists….leaving readers with enough unanswered questions to set imaginations spinning.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Berry crafts a beautiful fairy tale in her debut novel. Readers will find themselves swept away by the action and captivated by the suspense, while the many twists advance the plot superbly and keep the reader’s imagination spinning….Like a blooming flower, her story is delightfully surprising novel.”–VOYA

“Berry plays with elements of traditional folklore-the poor orphan deprived of her birthright, the desirable woman who flees the prince after a few bewitching dances, royals disguised as indigents, and greed run amok. Romantics and fantasy lovers will happily devour this debut novel.”–School Library Journal

“A lively, quick, stylish, engaging first novel with some lovely, familiar fairy-tale elements.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  30 something American living in London Charlotte appears to have it all–her own successful PR firm that pursues top clients and a boyfriend who wants to buy a house and move in together.  Why isn’t she happier?  One morning she is thrown for a loop–she sees a young woman in a beat up VW that looks a lot like her younger self.  Inexplicably, she decides to follow her, and discovers through some fantastical time travel or worm hole that she is meeting herself ten years earlier.  Not one to let opportunities go to waste, Charlotte starts to think of all the sage advice she can give herself at 21.  Little does she suspect how much her younger self will teach her.

Critical Analysis:  Like the best chick lit, this fluffy, fun, humorous and romantic tale is much more than it first appears.  Potter, like the best chick lit authors, understands that the best story will be grounded in some larger themes but refuse to let these themes become didatic or weighty.

Readers who like their fantasy and science fiction pure will argue with how the time travel takes place.  Me, I could care less, because it sets up such a great juxtaposition between Charlotte then and now.  Charlotte is part of what makes this work so well.  Readers will identify with her desire to be the best and a success and will also know what it feels like to wonder if that’s all there is.

Not just Charlotte, but all the characters are funny, witty, sharp and endearing, and Potter places them into marvelous humorous and often sticky situations that will ring true.  I did find the ending  little abrupt, as it felt like Potter had sort of decided she had written enough and ended the story. Or maybe I was just enjoying everything too much to want it to stop.

Readalikes:  This would be a great read for teens who enjoyed Sarah Mlynowski’s Gimme a Call, where a high school senior girl discovers the fact that she can call her freshman self on her cell phone.

Review Excerpts: “Though the plot mechanics grind noisily, Potter (Me and Mr. Darcy) rescues her high-concept romance with charming characters, sharp dialogue, and a satisfying conclusion.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“Potter recaptures the humor and charm of her debut in this quirky, lighthearted follow-up. Despite the implausible plot, Charlotte’s struggle to reconcile where she is now with what her dreams once were will ring true with readers.”–Booklist

“If you were in your late teens or early twenties in the 1990s, you’ll identify with Charlotte and her time-travel adventure. Chick-lit connoisseurs will enjoy this twist on a much-loved, albeit familiar, story line.”–Library Journal

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  Living in small town Tennessee, 17 year old Haven has never really fit in and can’t wait to leave.  For one, she is a talented seamstress and fashion designer.  For another, she has strange visions and feelings about a present day rock star who may have killed his girlfriend, and events and places and people from the distant past that she couldn’t possibly know.  When a series of events force her to flee Tennessee for New York City, Haven finds herself thrust into a dangerous present and epic romance that is intertwined with her past lives and somehow connected to the mysterious and possibly dangerous Ouroboros Society.

Critical Analysis:  The main idea behind this book is a good one–reincarnation and past lives remain intriguing for many, teens included.  The marketing is genius, playing on this idea, those feelings that we have all had before, of deja vu, of love at first sight, of talent that seems to come from nowhere and child prodigies.  Miller’s answer to all these things?  Reincarnation.

In the character of Haven Moore, Miller gives the reader someone to root for.  Just when it seems like Haven will succeed, something else comes along to knock her down, whether it be her grandmother, a bitchy high school girl who refuses to pay for a one of a kind prom dress, a mysterious fire and much more.  Haven is awfully naive, perhaps due to her small town view of the world, and awfully trusting, too trusting of others really.  There are lots of coincidences, perhaps hard to believe, although maybe not, considering the theme of the novel, that those who have been reincarnated can find others and work together.

Gay best friend Beau is great (and patient) as is his father, and I love that in the small town the fundamental church is the only other place Haven can find acceptance.  But for me, the rest of the characters are rather flat, and I don’t see much to like about Iain, as it feels like he is continually hiding something.  Again though, fits with the story, as Haven loved him in the past and that is coloring the present.

For me the book suffers in being entirely too wordy and taking too long to get where it is going.  That being said, teen girls every where will not care and will be happy to spend extra words and pages in getting the open-ended conclusion that hints at a sequel (a series?)

Readalikes:  Rather then being reincarnated, the characters in Ken Grimwood’s Replay are actually living their same lives over and over again–with the benefit of being able to remember what happened in their future.  How does it effect the choices they make?  If you could live your life again, would you do it differently?  What if you found and lost the love of your life?  Should you use your knowledge for selfish gain or to warn others what was coming?

Review Excerpts: “The plot alternates a few too many times between Haven hating or forgiving her lives’ loves, but fans of paranormal romances likely won’t mind. Haven finally sorts out the good and bad characters, but the happy ending sets up the possibility for the danger and love to continue, in this lifetime, or perhaps a future one.”–Booklist

“The element of mystery is consistently sustained from the beginning….The romantic ardor is touching….The story allows for a healthy dose of vicarious living through every teen girl’s fantasy to run away to the big city full of exciting adventures….”–School Library Journal

“Miller (the Kiki Strike books) delivers a smart and sinister tale of romance and destiny that should spawn plenty of imitators….Miller’s writing elevates the supernatural romance well beyond typical fare, and Haven’s mix of naïveté and determination makes her a solid, credible heroine.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“If you are looking for a novel filled with mystery, suspense, intrigue, and romance, look no further….The short chapters help propel the story forward; however, some parts lose momentum due to verbosity….could have been shortened by about one hundred pages and not lost any of its initial integrity. Fans of Twilight and similar stories will definitely want to give this novel a try.”–VOYA

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Bibliography

Plot Summary:  Ordinary Phoebe meets extraordinary Mallory in seventh grade, and they become better than best friends, inseparable.  Years later when Phoebe meets Mallory’s brother, Ryland, she falls for him hard only slowly coming to realize that neither Mallory or Ryland are exactly what they seem.  When she discovers what they really want, she must decide to be extraordinary to survive.

Critical Analysis:  I read this book weeks ago, but I have been thinking about it ever since.  In this book, even more so than the previous (Impossible) Werlin builds an amazingly intense suspenseful story focused on a small select set of of characters.  Add to this the elements of fairy, friendship, family, history, loyalty, love, and self worth and you have something that is much more than another thriller and beyond another teen paranormal romance.  I am in awe of Werlin’s writing and character and world building skills.

That being said, something about the construction and plot of this book leaves me feeling separate or apart from the characters and the action.  But again, as I type this, I can even see the genius there.  Phoebe herself and in the end Mallory as well are separate and apart from their world.  Phoebe would not be Phoebe nor Mallory Mallory if they were able to turn to a supportive network of family and friends.  Again Werlin has written an, for lack of a better term, adult book that deserves wide readership beyond the teen area.

Review Excerpts: “In the hands of a less talented author, this would be a hot mess. Happily, Werlin crafts her characters so deftly and unrolls the story so cleverly that … readers will be under the spell till the end”–Booklist

“Werlin smoothly blends contemporary realism and fantasy, here basing the story on the real historical figure Mayer Rothschild and spinning his family’s extraordinary success into a supernatural bargain. … Phoebe’s final reckoning with the faeries tests her own inner strength; ultimately her survival depends on it — just as in the real world.”–Hornbook

“”Beguiling . . . This proudly Jewish fantasy offers a compelling tale of friendship and a refreshing antidote to faerie stories about that one special girl deserving of supernatural love.”–Kirkus Reviews

“Werlin raises interesting questions about honesty, love, and what it truly means to be ‘extraordinary.’ ”–Publisher’s Weekly

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Plot Summary:  After the curse that forces Poppy and her sisters to dance night after night in Princess of the Midnight Ball was broken, she decides she has had enough of dancing and balls, thank you very much.  When she travels to Breton to help rebuild relationships and alliances, she gives in to her hosts and agrees to attend a ball or two but not to dance.  If anyone could persuade her otherwise, it might be the charming and handsome Prince Christian, but he seems to have eyes only for the mysterious Eleanora, whose gowns dazzle and shoes of glass sparkle.  But what is Eleanora giving up for such magnificent beauty?  Poppy and her friends are determined to find out.

Critical Analysis:  This companion to George’s Princess of the Midnight Ball is charming, romantic, witty and lots of fun.  A retelling of the Cinderella story with a twist that one of the main characters has given up dancing.  The plot and packing seems to move faster than Midnight Ball, and if I have one quibble, it is that because Poppy is for the most part outside of the enchantment until the very end, the story does not have the same sense of urgency and danger that the first book has.  That being said, so refreshing to read a fantasy that doesn’t feel the need to go on and on and on for hundreds and hundreds of pages for no real reason.

I love the world that George has built, the details of a fairy godmother is anything but an old grandmotherly type, the description of the ball gowns, how the glass slippers came about, the horse and carriage and everything add to this magic world where things are not always what they seem.  I am excited for the thought that there are many more of Rose and Poppy’s sisters left for George to use as a basis to retell still more fairy tales and to continue to build this world.

Readalikes:  There are many wonderful Cinderella retellings available.  Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine comes to mind, as does Ash by Malinda Lo.  For another view of the fairy godmother, look for Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon.

Review Excerpts: “In a clever reworking of the Cinderella story, George once again proves adept at spinning her own magical tale. Fans of Donna Jo Napoli’s retellings will cheer loudly as George proves her own mettle.”–Booklist

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

Dahl, Roald. (1983).  The Witches. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux.  ISBN: 9780374384579 (hc) 9780142410110 (pb)

This was another reread for me.  I remember reading all the Dahl I could get my hands on as a child and even into my teens.  At the time, I recognized how wonderful his storytelling was, but I don’t think I realized until I was an adult how diverse his body of work is.  Just his writing for children alone but add in his autobiographies and short stories for adults and it makes you wish you could meet him just to get a glimpse into how he works.

Upon rereading this story, what impresses me the most is how much world building and plot Dahl manages to put into his just over 200 pages.  We learn all about witches, how they are organized, how to recognize them, ways they have taken children in the past.  Our hero gets caught, changed into a mouse, makes not one but two daring missions where he almost gets caught and saves all of England’s children from an awful fate.  And all with a sense of humor and fun.  Who doesn’t want a granny like this?  What child doesn’t suspect that fairy tale witches aren’t real?

I also have a fond spot in my heart for the movie which I saw in the movie theater and thought was very true to the book.  Last fall I heard this story on NPR and just had to share, as it describes the rigorous process filmmakers must go through into order to get permission to adapt Dahl’s works.  To see what Amber said about The Witches, click here.

Reviewed from public library copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.