Book Review: Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles #1)

Book Title: Gregor the Overlander
(The Underland Chronicles #1)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure

Pages: 308

Date Read: August 31st, 2013

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Plot: "When Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats--but fragile peace is about to fall apart.
    Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life."
(from the back of the book)

My thoughts: I was at Barnes & Noble, hanging out with my Mimi, who had come to spend the summer out with us. Looking for a good book to flip through I saw the name Suzanne Collins on the shelf then scanned the cover. It was the bats that caught my attention, I loved how they looked flying through the air, but then I saw the humans on their backs-"O.k. I've got to check this out." I then sat down in the café with the book, wondered what an Overlander was, and read the first 22 pages, getting sucked in at every syllable. Shortly after it was time to go home, and sadly I didn't have enough money with me to buy the book. So while I walked back to the shelf I read a few more pages then placed it back. (That is one of the most saddest feelings ever). A few babysitting jobs later, I went and purchased Gregor the Overlander.....and then gobbled the whole story up that same day! :)

The story is exciting, suspenseful, action-packed, and leaves you wanting more of the Underland. Which is fine because there are 4 more books. :) It has the perfect amount of blood/violence for a book that contains battles, not too much to be totally grossed out, and not too little to question why they even have swords.

My favorite characters are Luxa (louk-za) the Underlander and Gregor. Luxa is the soon-to-be Queen of the Underland and is brave and confident in combat. Like all the Underlanders she has very pale skin, silvery hair, and violet eyes. At first Luxa shows off her royal attitude and is a bit pushy, but as time goes on she softens up.
I like Gregor because you think he's just an ordinary kid, but he is anything but. Even though Gregor doesn't quite fit in in the Underland the Prophecies that are told down there don't seem to think so. ;)

I LOVE the bats in this story! The humans and the bats are allies and bond to each other, which means they will protect one another and even give their lives to save the other. You could jump off any building in  Regalia (the city of the Underland) and be caught by a bat.  The voices are like soft purrs and are brave during combat. Even though I was never afraid of bats, I think I'm more interested in them now.

My last comment is this: Read Gregor the Overlander and you will not regret it! :D

Concerns: A young child reading this book might be frightened by the giant, vicious rats, and by some of the various wounds Collins describes and the deaths of certain characters. Over all this book is for 10+

Happy reading!

-Emily

Book Review: Reckless

Book Title: Reckless

Author: Cornelia Funke

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction

Pages: 400

Date Read: July 18th-20th, 2013

My Rating:  5 out of 5

Plot: Jacob Reckless has been escaping into the Mirrorwold for years now after his father's own disappearance into it as well. But one night Jacob is in too much of a hurry to go behind the mirror to notice his little brother, Will, following him. Once on the other side Will is attacked by a Goyl, stone creatures who possess a dark curse that whoever they dig their claws into grow skin like their own until they become one of them. Suddenly Jacob is in a race against time as he tries to find a cure to rid his brother of the stone that is growing in his skin...before it's too late.

My thoughts: When I first started reading this book I got this vibe that this story, despite the creepy atmosphere, was going to hook me; I just had to get past the slightly confusing parts at the beginning (which wasn't too hard) and dive right in! It was totally worth it!

The story kicks off with no explanation or background, it just starts. So you have to be "on your feet" (so to speak) ;) Right away you are introduced to 12-year-old Jacob Reckless who is sneaking out of his bedroom and into the study that houses the magical mirror that swallowed up his father. Then a few chapters later all of a sudden Jacob is watching Will who is on the ground writhing with pain. He then thinks back to the Goyl attack and how stupid he was to bring Will into the Mirror with him all these years (12 to be precise) and now he must find a cure for his brother that supposedly doesn't exist. And thus Reckless begins!

Who is my favorite character? Jacob. *sigh* I love Jacob Reckless! X) Cornelia did a great job with him! He is brave, cunning, handsome, and he really cares about his family.  But he's already taken ;) He loves Fox. A beautiful shape-shifter who prefers being a vixen rather a human. She is always by Jacob's side since the day he rescued her from a hunting trap. But I'm not jealous, she is the perfect match for him. ;)

The over all feel of Reckless is dark and mysterious. The end is very satisfying, except for the fact that I was dying to read the sequel Fearless. :)

Concerns: I would not recommend Reckless for 10 and under for these reasons
1) It is way too scary and creepy for a 10-year-old
2) Jacob accidentally drinks Lark's Water, which makes you kiss the nearest girl (ugly or not; and it just so happens to be a pretty one) and described the kiss and keeps referring back to it.
3) Refers to Jacobs affair with the Red Fairy
I would only recommend this story for 14+

All in all Reckless was a thrilling fairy tale adventure! If you love Cornelia Funke's Inkheart trilogy you'll defiantly love the Mirrorworld series!

Happy reading!
Emily <3

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy Birthday, America!!

I love 4th of July! It's my favorite holiday, partly because you don't have to prepare anything for it
you just go out and have fun! 

Happy 4th everyone!

(I'll post some pics of our awesome day once it's taken place ;)

ox

Emily

Book Review: My friend Flicka

Book title: My Friend Flicka

Author: Mary O'Hara

Genre: Novel, Young Adult literature, Fiction

Chapters: 36

Pages: 300

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Plot: Ken McLaughlin is a daydreamer and a time waster who lives on the beautiful Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming, with his older brother, Howard; his loving mother, Nell; and his stern, practical father, Rob.
Needless to say Ken and Rob don't get along well and when Ken asked for a colt to raise, just as Howard did, Rob's first answer is an out ranged "No!". But Nell convinces Rob that having Ken raise a colt will teach him responsibility. And so the simple yet moving story of Ken and his relentless devotion to his training of his wild filly, Flicka, begins.

My thoughts: This story, in general, is very satisfying. I love the characters, humans and animals; the develop of them is so excellent that after just a few chapters you feel for them. O'Hara describes the remote ranch that McLaughlin's live on beautifully and now I want to go to Wyoming and see the magnificence rolling hills myself :).

If you were to ask me what my favorite character was in the novel, I would have to say Ken McLaughlin. I think he and I are very alike. I love to daydream, I have an affection for horses, and since I been to a cattle ranch twice (my dad's best friend owns one in California and we go for the annual round-up) I know that free feeling you get when your out in the open on horseback.

But if you where to ask me what my favorite horse was in the book I would reply "Rocket, the fierce black hellion of a horse."
Why? She is the essence of a pure wild horse. Not just non-domesticated, I mean out-of-control-crazy kind of wild or 'loco' as O'Hara puts it. She tears through barbed-wire fences many a time and almost takes out Rob McLaughlin's eye when he trying to remove the loop of a lariat from around her neck she snapped beforehand. Now you may be thinking "Umm...this horse sound crazy. How come Emily loves her so much?" Well Rocket is also extremely beautiful, her unusually long legs made her the fastest mare on the ranch and her body is muscular but slender at the same time. And that's about the only reason Rob keeps her on the ranch. (oh and did I mention she is the mother of Flicka.*gasp* :0 ;)
Ok ok, I realized could write a whole book on how much I love Rocket, so read My friend Flicka and you'll know what I mean :)                    

Apparently this book is apart of a trilogy (and I never really knew that until I finish the book). In spite of that you can just read My friend Flicka and be done at that, but if you want to continue the story the books that follow are: Thunderhead, and Green Grass of Wyoming. So you can guess what new books are on my summer reading list ;)

Concerns: To my disappointment Rob McLaughlin swears at time unnecessarily; using the B-word, D-word, and misusing the name of the Lord. Also there are some sections in which O'Hara describes Nell and Rob holding each other in bed, which may not be appropriate for the younger crowd. And after being out in a rain storm Rob, guarding Flicka outside, changes into dry clothes by the fireside (with Nell around), but only quickly refers to him being naked and getting dressed right away. So I would say this book is for 13+.

Over all My friend Flicka was an enjoyable read. Now on to Thunderhead :)

Emily <3

            

I can't wait for "Half-Price Books" to open in Algonquin on

April 25, 2013!
I'm counting down the days! :)

Book Review: The Lord of the Rings-The Two Towers

Waring:  The plot contains spoilers, so if you have not read The Fellowship of the Ring skip to "My thoughts"

Book title: The Two Towers

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Type of book: Fiction, Adventure, Classic

Chapters: 11 in the first part and 10 in the second part.
The Two Towers is split into two parts, as is every book in the trilogy. Each part follows a different group of characters throughout their journey.

Pages: 327

My rating: 5 out of 5

Plot: "Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Mount Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power  of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked of Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the River Anduin- alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go."
(from the back of the book)

My thoughts:  *sigh* I have no idea where to being... It was everything I thought it would be, but 10x better!!!! The Lord of the Rings trilogy  is such an epic adventure and should be read by every book-lover! I can't write to much about this book for fear of spoiling it too much of it for those of you who have not read it yet. But be warned, Tolkien is very descriptive about the land and sometimes I had to read certain paragraphs twice to understand where Tolkien had placed the characters. At times I wished he used "left","right", "behind", and "in front" instead of  "north", "south", "east", and "west". ;) If you love classic books with adventure and suspense, then you need to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy!

Would I recommend this book: YES!!! 13+

-Emily <3
 

all you need is love

Happy Valentine's Day!

May you be blessed by God's love this day!

"But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in   God's unfailing love for ever and ever" Psalm 52:8 

-Emily

<3