Review: The Magic Crystal by L.T. Suzuki

 

Book: The Magic Crystal by L.T. Suzuki

Alone: Series, The Dream Merchant Saga Book One
Pages: 396

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository 
Publication Date: September, 2010

First Line:  "Ooow! You are torturing me!" These are the pained and angry words that echo across the fair lands of Fleetwood to break the tranquil dawn and accost early morning travellers near and far. No, it is not the anguished wails of a prisoner being lashed deep within the castle dungeon; it is merely Princess Rose being readied to meet the day."
Description: Be careful what you wish for takes on a whole new meaning…

When a good wish goes bad, a beautiful princess despised by all, a lowly court jester who was meant to be a great knight and a village idiot with a mysterious past are thrust together by fate. Made to embark on a perilous and unorthodox quest, they set off to break a dreaded curse.

Along the way, a series of trials await them in strange lands far from home. From a powerful Wizard and a shape-shifting Sprite to the flamboyant Elves and an army of mimes, they encounter an array of unforgettable friends and foes as they set off to recover a silver locket to destroy the curse.

In a race against time, pursued by a Sorcerer on the hunt for this same locket, an epic journey becomes a trying, humorous adventure of self-discovery and a test of true loyalty and friendship for this unlikely trio as they fight to survive this quest and ultimately, each other.

   

    The Magic Crystal is a comedic high fantasy; complete with drunken “manty-hose” wearing elves, trolls who are terrified of the dark, an evil sorcerer who loves mimes and tons of other outrageous creatures.This incredible book was absolutely hilarious - I cannot tell you how many times I found myself literally laughing out loud. I had to worst time maintaining a straight face while I was trying sneak in some pages during classes.

    The characters are all incredibly priceless – they all have individual quirks that you are going to love. Even the snobbish Princess is a complete hoot in all of her self-centered glory. Princess Rose is perfectly dreadful; she is rude, demanding, self-centered, self-absorbed and downright rotten. Basically, she is a character you will absolutely love to hate. You cannot help but marvel in her brashness; she is a force to reckon with and she is undeniably entertaining. I must say, I honestly enjoyed seeing Roses’ progression throughout the story – it was incredible well done, because it doesn’t seem forced. She maintains true to form for the entire book and her progression into a somewhat caring person is slow and persistent. She doesn’t magically change overnight, which I really appreciate.

    Next we have Tagius “Tag” Yairet gets himself roped into joining the Princess on her quest and he proves to be just as entertaining as Rose. He is the only person who dares to stand up to her and he just lives to goad her. The two of them butt heads quite frequently and their banter is always undeniably comical. Tag fancies himself a Knight, so he is always trying to be the brave one and do the right thing. Much to his dismay, there are a few times when the Princess outsmarts him or outperforms him in an activity and he left speechless.

    Rounding out the unlikely trio is Cankles; the village idiot. Rose and Tag pickup Cankles early on in their quest and he ends up being a huge help to them. Rose is quick to dismiss their rather slow acquaintance, but that does not stop Cankles from being a faithful friend to her. His ignorance does not bother him in the slightest and he lets her snide comments roll right off his back. Despite the fact that his elevator doesn't seem to go all the the top, Cankles definitely has his moments of wisdom. He is the one who finally talks some sense into Rose and often gets the trio out of uncomfortable situations by defusing the tension.

    The storyline is well-developed, entertaining and easy to follow. This book has everything you could ever imagine; sorcerers, tooth faeries, trolls, dwarves, elves and so much more. It is extremely well written and has a direct line to your funny bone. The characters are all unique and memorable and the dialog is charming and witty.

    The ending satisfied me, because it was clean enough to wrap things up, but it also left an opening for the next story. Enough of the problems were resolved to tide readers over until the release of the sequel. The Magic Crystal is so incredibly off-the-wall and offbeat it is literally impossible not to enjoy it. Fans of Alex Flinn’s Cloaked and William Goldman’s classic, The Princess Bride are sure to love it.

Favorite Quotes

“For pity’s sake, shut your royal gob and stop with the incessant screaming!” he demanded, pressing a finger to his lips for silence. “It’s damned annoying.”

“You are nuttier than a fruitcake, that’s what you are!”

“Knowing the Princess was forced to swallow her pride, and it was probably so big it could choke a horse, Tag decided to honour his vow to assist her.”

“Sensing this man had issued a challenge, Rose was not about to be outdone by a village idiot.”

“I will only admit she does not make the average man’s eyes bleed, so she is not ugly in the physical sense.”

“look here you old, painted hussy! I am neither a tart, a trollop, nor am I a strumpet! I am a lady of refined breeding and culture, so bugger off, before this little poppet pops you one in that ugly, wrinkled mug!”

 “Since when do princesses go on quests? They are the ones who remain safely locked away in towers playing the role of damsel-in-distress!”

“I’d say true friendship is worth fighting for.”

“I will not be fooled again. The next cute bunny limping my way will get it!”

Review: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Book: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Stand-Alone or Series: Series, The Hollows #1
Pages: 312

Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction / Horror
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Publication Date: October 1st, 2010

How Did I Get This Book: Purchased

First line:  "This is the way the world ends – not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."
Description:  Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies. 

After reading Hollowland, I have come to the following conclusion. Amanda Hocking is a rockstar. I did not know what to expect going into to Hollowland, I figured that it would be an exciting story, but I thought it would be a bit shallow. I was completely blindsided by this book; the plot was excellent, exciting and emotional and the characters were all beautifully flawed and realistic.

Remy is a truly badass heroine – she is utterly unstoppable. She spends the majority of the book kicking ass and taking names; she has no problem doing what needs to be done. The tough girl certainly isn’t a new concept in these types of stories, but Hocking does a remarkable job with Remy. There is so much going on beneath the surface with her. While she operates with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, in reality she is extremely protective of those she loves. It takes her a while to warm up to people – which is understandable in a world full of zombies, but once she lets you in, she won’t let go. Plus, home girl has a pet lion. How can you not love that?

I loved seeing Remy evolve over the course of the book – she starts of emotionally closed off from what’s left of the rest of humanity. The zombie apocalypse has obviously tainted her and it’s made her develop a wall around herself. The only person she really cares about is her little brother, who she gets separated from. She sets out to find him and on her journey she forms a few unexpected attachments; something she dreads. It was wonderful to see hr slowly start to accept, trust and even love these people. Out of the rest of the characters, my favorite was Lazlo. Lazlo is such a fun character and he is a great counterbalance to Remy. He was a rockstar before the whole zombie thing and he doesn’t really know how to take care of himself. As the book progresses he really comes into himself and he steps up to the plate.

Rounding out the rest of the wayward group is Harlow, a thirteen year old girl and Blue, a former med student. Both of these characters were also fleshed out beautifully. What I loved about this book is that all of the main characters were given such distinct personalities; they all brought something different to the table.

The pacing was INCREDIBLE people. Every single page packs an incredible punch – the characters are constantly being faced with a new obstacle. The entire book is basically a crazy cross country adventure where a ragtag group of misfits try to survive to see the next day. They spent time dodging bullets, escaping creepy cults and kicking a whole lot of zombie ass.

Hollowland is far and away my favorite Hocking book. It honestly blew me away; it exceeded my expectations in every way. it is obviously a horror story, but it is an extremely character driven one. The action and excitement are both expertly written, but it is the characters who make this book. They are what keep you on the edge of your seat, they are what keep you reading all night.

 

 Favorite Quotes:

 

“If anyone can survive the end of the world, it’s you, so I’m safer with you than anywhere else.”

“I don’t think I ever really lived until this. I’ve never done anything that mattered before, but now. I’m fighting to save my life, and yours. And I know it sounds really cheesy and lame, but I don’t think I ever really felt alive. Not until I met you.”

“I knew it.” He shook his head. “The second I saw you out in that field, all covered in zombie blood, fighting like a damn maniac. I knew you were trouble.”

Review: Moon Spell by Samantha Young

Book:  Moon Spell by Samantha Young

Stand-Alone or Series: Series, The Tale of Lunarmorte #1
Pages: 222

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Publication Date: March 1st, 2011

Description:  Existing in the shadows of our world are supernatural races; children blessed by the ancient Greek gods with unimaginable gifts, and at present they are fighting a two thousand year old war with one another.

The Midnight Coven, an alliance of dark magiks, faeries, and daemons born of black magik, believe that vampyres and lykans are lesser supernaturals and a threat to mankind.
The Daylight Coven, a confederate of light magiks, faeries, vampyres and lykans, believe in the equality of the races.

Into this war, seventeen year old Caia Ribeiro is born, a lykan with a heritage unlike any other. A heritage that, whether she wants it to or not, will put her into the ver heart of battle.

 

Moon Spell is a remarkable young adult fantasy that is propelled by lies, deceit and love. The writing style is quite unique; though it is targeted to teenagers, it reads more like an adult urban fantasy than a young adult novel. I would imagine this is due the age difference between the two main characters. Caia is a seventeen year old who has recently been reunited with her lykan pack. Lucien, who is ten years her senior is the pack alpha and her primary love interest. I will be honest, the age difference does bother me a bit. I wish Caia could atleast have been 18 - but I guess it's no different than a vampire creeping on a teenage girl. And Young does go through great pains to emphasize how different the pack is from normal humans, so it cushions the shock a bit. Anyways, I think this range of age contributes to the unusually tone of the book because it has to properly capture a teenage girl and a 27 year old man. 

Caia is a marvelous character with a huge independent streak that doesn’t bode well with the pack, who obviously, are more “group” people. She wasn’t raised with a pack and therefore has always kept to herself. The heartthrob of the book, Lucien (the pack alpha) is very thing you’ve come to expect from alphas; he is completely swoon-worthy and incredibly overprotective. He is drawn to Caia more than anyone before and at first it scares him. He doesn’t really know how to react to her. Together they are the perfect match – she is the yin to his yang. She balances him out; where he is quick to act on his emotions, she is usually calm, quiet and collected.

The rest of the pack is incredibly colorful and unique.  Some Caia counts as friends, but unfortunately there are those who are dead set against her.  They are weary of her presence – with her slight build and calm demeanor she is obviously different. Despite the tension Caia manages to make a few strong connections with a few of her teenage peers – mainly Sebastian and Jaeden.  These two characters do a great job of defusing the tension of the novel.  

The plotline chugs along at a respectable pace and there are more plot twists than I care to count. Every time I thought I had things figured out, the story took an unexpected turn.  Young also is somehow able to bring something new to the ‘werewolf’ table – she connects them to Greek Mythology.  This places a fun spin onto the traditional take of werewolves and allows for some surprises to take place. 

I am eager to dive into the sequel, River Cast to see what becomes of my new favorite lykans. If you are looking for an exciting fantasy read that will keep you on your toes, then give Moon Spell a try!

 Favorite Quotes

"She held herself far more coolly than the rest of them. She was like water to their fire."

"Lykans were an emotional lot, he was used to women crying and shouting over nothing. But the sight of Caia curled up on the bathroom floor with true pain behind her eyes had done something to his insides. He never wanted to see her like that again."

"Just as he pulled his t-shirt back on, he looked back up at her window to see her standing looking down at him. She wore  a small smile, her eyes really soft on his for the first time. She gave a slight wave, and moved away from the window into the darkness of her room. Something inside Lucien split open."

"She had never wanted to feel anything for anyone and now her heart was breaking for two lykans."

"She lay panting underneath him, her eyes wide on his as he gazed back at her with such tenderness and lust she thought she would shatter."

"She closed her eyes and slumped in her chair, refusing to look at the big oaf."

"Holy Artemis, how could she still want him after that he-man display of outrageousness?"

"Oh, please," he scoffed, "Enough with the threats you pint-sized harpy."

Guest Post & Giveaway With S.L. Baum {Author of A Chance for Charity}

Today is Day 2 of the Indie Reads Appreciation Week and today we have S.L. Baum with us!

S.L. Baum is the author of the young adult paranormal series The Immortal Ones. The first book in the series, A Chance for Charity is currently available for purchase and the second book, My Link in Time is scheduled to release later this month.

 Why I chose to Write “Clean” YA Novels.

There has been a bit of discussion lately, about the amount of sex in Young Adult novels. And while I see both sides of the argument, I thought I’d offer my take on why I chose to keep it clean. First off… I don’t necessarily agree with the term clean. Does that mean that other novels are dirty? I don’t think so. I’m going to stick with… appropriate for younger readers.

You see, I’m a mom of young readers. I have two girlies (ages 11 and 13) and a boy (age 8). The oldest girlie loves to read Young Adult Paranormal, and has since she was in fifth grade, when I first started to write A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones). She was so excited that I was writing my novel and would read the pages as I finished them. As we went through this process, it became clear that I needed to create something that would appeal to tweens, teens, and adults. Her reading level has always exceeded her age, and she really wanted to read what I was writing… and I didn’t want to rock her young world!

I have nothing against sex scenes. I enjoy reading a sexy romance, but I also enjoy a sweet romance… without so many descriptive words. So I knew that the adult audience would be out there, and they are! I have gotten some great comments in my reviews, through my facebook page, and on twitter… from adults who appreciate and enjoy the innocence of the first novel.

Quotes from 2 different reviews:

“As a mother of tweens and a teacher to teens, I am so happy to find stories that are fun, interesting and still respectable.”

“Don't get me wrong, I love a good sex scene..but this makes me feel like a virgin again awaiting to lose my virginity.”

As a reader, I also think it’s kind of fun to imagine those intimate details by myself, at times. So, while the second novel does progress the relationship of my two main characters, it will still be appropriate for those young readers.

My eldest girlie will start to read some “racier” YA books in the coming years (I’m quite sure), and that will be okay. A good story is just a good story, some are more graphic, and some are less. There is something out there for everyone. I think that’s great!

FOLLOW S.L. BAUM: Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

PURCHASE A CHANCE FOR CHARITY: Amazon Ebook | Amazon Paperback | Barnes & Noble Ebook | Barnes & Noble Paperback | Smashwords

A new family has just arrived in the isolated mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. Welcome the Johnstons - Jason (a doctor), Rachel (a designer), and their niece Emily (a current High School Senior).

Emily has lived the life of a quiet loner in the past, trying to go unnoticed. But with Telluride being such a small and welcoming town, she finds a group of friends at school almost immediately.   When Emily meets Link (another new transplant in town) her world turns upside down. She doesn't understand why she feels a magnetic pull toward him, or why she unknowingly lets her guard down around him. Link is just as confused by his own need to be with her.

Emily knows she is playing with fire. She should be doing whatever she can to keep herself isolated, to keep Link from getting too close. Danger has a way of finding Emily's family - that is what keeps them on the move. They arrive in a new town every few years - it is safer that way.

Because... Emily isn't really Emily... her real name is Charity - and Charity has an even bigger secret. Charity and her family are not like other people, they have "skills" that mere mortals cannot begin to comprehend.

Before long, Charity is struggling with the reality that her two lives are coming closer to each other with each passing day. Soon Link will find himself wrapped in a supernatural world that he never knew existed - and discover that mortals are not the only beings that walk this earth.

 GIVEAWAY - A CHANCE FOR CHARITY

S.L. Baum has been kind enough to provide 9 (yes, 9!) lucky readers with ebook copies of A Chance For Charity. In case you did not know - I kind of LOVE this book (you can read my review here). So, basically, what I am saying to you is enter this giveaway RIGHT NOW.