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A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall: A Novel
9.0
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Book
A beautiful and compulsively readable literary debut that introduces Owen Burr-an Olympian whose...
Otto and Daria: A Wartime Journey Through No Man's Land
Book
A poignant memoir of lives cleaved by war, this is the first-hand account of Eric Koch, a man who...
I received a digital copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Contemporary, young adult, romance, fantasy, steampunk, action... is there any category this book does not fit in to?! Jordan Elizabeth takes readers on a journey from New York to a fantasy world that very few knows exist in her recent novel Lock. Sarah Lockwood, the protagonist, thought the Realm was a story her late father used to tell her, however, when she discovers it is real, she jumps at the chance to visit, not realising the dangers that lie ahead.
Sarah is a self-sufficient young woman who has been living with her belly-dancing aunt since the death of her parents. Invited to stay with her Uncle William, she feels obliged to accept, however, almost regrets the decision after the cold welcome she receives. The gardener's son Archer, however, soon takes her mind off her troubles, particularly when he suggests travelling to a parallel world.
Archer comes from a family of Record Writers and it is his job to record the daily goings-on in the Realm. Sarah soon learns the Realm no longer lives up to the descriptions in the fairytales. A usurper has murdered the royal family and the inhabitants live in constant fear and poverty. Whilst this is shocking, Sarah unveils another revelation: the usurper is someone from her world, someone very close to home.
Although Lock has similarities with fantasy lands such as Narnia, it is written for a slightly older generation of readers. Sarah is 19 years old and some scenes are markedly "adult". There is also a lot of bloodshed and the occasional expletive. Nonetheless, it is a fast-paced, exciting story.
Once again, Jordan Elizabeth has written a book that is unlike the others she has written before. It is difficult to categorise the author and her novels since they are so diverse, however, one thing is for sure: Jordan Elizabeth knows how to tell a good story.
Contemporary, young adult, romance, fantasy, steampunk, action... is there any category this book does not fit in to?! Jordan Elizabeth takes readers on a journey from New York to a fantasy world that very few knows exist in her recent novel Lock. Sarah Lockwood, the protagonist, thought the Realm was a story her late father used to tell her, however, when she discovers it is real, she jumps at the chance to visit, not realising the dangers that lie ahead.
Sarah is a self-sufficient young woman who has been living with her belly-dancing aunt since the death of her parents. Invited to stay with her Uncle William, she feels obliged to accept, however, almost regrets the decision after the cold welcome she receives. The gardener's son Archer, however, soon takes her mind off her troubles, particularly when he suggests travelling to a parallel world.
Archer comes from a family of Record Writers and it is his job to record the daily goings-on in the Realm. Sarah soon learns the Realm no longer lives up to the descriptions in the fairytales. A usurper has murdered the royal family and the inhabitants live in constant fear and poverty. Whilst this is shocking, Sarah unveils another revelation: the usurper is someone from her world, someone very close to home.
Although Lock has similarities with fantasy lands such as Narnia, it is written for a slightly older generation of readers. Sarah is 19 years old and some scenes are markedly "adult". There is also a lot of bloodshed and the occasional expletive. Nonetheless, it is a fast-paced, exciting story.
Once again, Jordan Elizabeth has written a book that is unlike the others she has written before. It is difficult to categorise the author and her novels since they are so diverse, however, one thing is for sure: Jordan Elizabeth knows how to tell a good story.
Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession
10.0
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Internationally bestselling author, Anne Rice, has written twenty-eight novels - magnificent tales...
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Wrath of Siren (The Truth Teller #2) in Books
Nov 29, 2019
Following her adventures in The Truth Teller where Charlotte discovered she could travel to another realm inhabited by elves and dwarves, she has settled back into her normal life and dismissed it all as a bad dream. That is until the elf Elderfield travels to our world to find her to warn her that it is too dangerous to return.
The evil druid Siren has unleashed his Troll army and is laying the other realm to waste leaving the elves and dwarves to make a last desperate stand. But what they really need is the Truth Teller, will she ignore the warnings and come to help?
This second book in the series carried on Chambers' tale to entice younger readers into reading fantasy stories. This installment is a little darker in tone, as might be expected as war sweeps across the land, but as usual there are touches of humour to lighten the tone. Charlotte's usage of neologisms and idioms to her bemused companions from the other world are always good ('It's doing my head in' and 'this is well creepy' for example). Plus we have the bonus of Elderfield seeing our world (and the chaos that ensues).
Siren makes a fairly convincing opponent, suitable nasty without becoming too pantomime. He's nasty work but not irrational, simply wanting to take over his world and if that involves a little death and destruction so much the better.
The tone is probably a shade darker than the first book, simply because there is a war rather than an individual journey and so a lot more people are threatened. But this is still firmly on the light side of fantasy with nothing particularly distressing.
My only negative point (and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars) is that Siren's defeat is never really explained, it just happens. This is disappointing only from the point of view that it would perhaps have been nice to have a bit of closure. It has to be said that classic fantasy has its fair share of 'with one bound the heroes win against the odds' endings - look at The Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the end the story is what matters, not what is in the end of the story and this is still a fantastic read.
Once again Chambers has set out to produce a modern day introduction to fantasy for young adult eyes and once again he has achieved this and in spades. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
The evil druid Siren has unleashed his Troll army and is laying the other realm to waste leaving the elves and dwarves to make a last desperate stand. But what they really need is the Truth Teller, will she ignore the warnings and come to help?
This second book in the series carried on Chambers' tale to entice younger readers into reading fantasy stories. This installment is a little darker in tone, as might be expected as war sweeps across the land, but as usual there are touches of humour to lighten the tone. Charlotte's usage of neologisms and idioms to her bemused companions from the other world are always good ('It's doing my head in' and 'this is well creepy' for example). Plus we have the bonus of Elderfield seeing our world (and the chaos that ensues).
Siren makes a fairly convincing opponent, suitable nasty without becoming too pantomime. He's nasty work but not irrational, simply wanting to take over his world and if that involves a little death and destruction so much the better.
The tone is probably a shade darker than the first book, simply because there is a war rather than an individual journey and so a lot more people are threatened. But this is still firmly on the light side of fantasy with nothing particularly distressing.
My only negative point (and the only thing stopping this getting 5 stars) is that Siren's defeat is never really explained, it just happens. This is disappointing only from the point of view that it would perhaps have been nice to have a bit of closure. It has to be said that classic fantasy has its fair share of 'with one bound the heroes win against the odds' endings - look at The Lord of the Rings or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the end the story is what matters, not what is in the end of the story and this is still a fantastic read.
Once again Chambers has set out to produce a modern day introduction to fantasy for young adult eyes and once again he has achieved this and in spades. Very much looking forward to the next book in the series.
TC
The Cigar World
Book
Luxury, exclusivity, status-for centuries, the cigar has been a symbol for the special and...
All Because of Henry
Book
All Because of Henry picks up the lead from the international bestseller, A Friend Like Henry, which...
Stereo Aereo
Video Game Watch
Stereo Aereo is a crazy musical journey through space. Use your cat-like reflexes or get into the...
Ali A (82 KP) rated The Vanishing Deep in Books
Mar 6, 2020
The Great Wave destroyed the planet five hundred years ago and since then, the surface has been covered in water. Tempest was born into a world of water. Tempest’s sister Elysea drowned holding the secret to their parents’ death and Tempest wants answers. A research facility on the island of Palindromena can revive the dead for 24 hours and Tempest saved every Note she possibly could for two years to do so.
The reunion isn’t what Tempest thought it would be and instead, Elysea insists she’s innocent and convinces her sister to break her out of the facility so they together can find the answers about their parents. But it won’t be an easy journey, especially since they have the Warren, the person in charge of Elysea’s revival, on their trail to return her back before the 24 hours are up.
The Vanishing Deep’s cover is what drew me in to begin with as well as the world the author created. Astrid Scholte does an amazing job at creating this world of water and the floating islands that people live in. A part of me wishes we were able to see more of the day to day life instead of small glimpses here and there simply because the world sounds so interesting.
Scholte has a unique ability to create multi-dimensional, realistic characters that you can’t help but care for. My heart ached for Tempest and Lor throughout the whole book and I kept reading to find out if they get their happy endings or not. Having the chapters be in both Lor’s and Tempest’s points of view gives the reader a more in depth knowledge as to what’s happening, especially since during some parts, a character might be viewing things slightly differently due to grief or past experiences.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns, and thrills this book had. There were so many surprises that it made it hard for me to put down once I got to reading it. This novel is full of plot twists, both big and small that will have you turning pages upon pages until there is no more left. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. I am absolutely going to check out more of Astrid Scholte’s other novels.
*Thank you BookishFirst and Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
The reunion isn’t what Tempest thought it would be and instead, Elysea insists she’s innocent and convinces her sister to break her out of the facility so they together can find the answers about their parents. But it won’t be an easy journey, especially since they have the Warren, the person in charge of Elysea’s revival, on their trail to return her back before the 24 hours are up.
The Vanishing Deep’s cover is what drew me in to begin with as well as the world the author created. Astrid Scholte does an amazing job at creating this world of water and the floating islands that people live in. A part of me wishes we were able to see more of the day to day life instead of small glimpses here and there simply because the world sounds so interesting.
Scholte has a unique ability to create multi-dimensional, realistic characters that you can’t help but care for. My heart ached for Tempest and Lor throughout the whole book and I kept reading to find out if they get their happy endings or not. Having the chapters be in both Lor’s and Tempest’s points of view gives the reader a more in depth knowledge as to what’s happening, especially since during some parts, a character might be viewing things slightly differently due to grief or past experiences.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns, and thrills this book had. There were so many surprises that it made it hard for me to put down once I got to reading it. This novel is full of plot twists, both big and small that will have you turning pages upon pages until there is no more left. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. I am absolutely going to check out more of Astrid Scholte’s other novels.
*Thank you BookishFirst and Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
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