Tagged: masq1
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
(Cover picture courtesy of Collider.com.)
In an evocative and fast-paced adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island, an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, overcome bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil. This impossible-to-put-down tale leads readers on an unforgettable journey—fraught with danger, yet filled with mystical and magical moments.
Peter Pan was never one of my favourite movies as a child, but I didn’t exactly hate it either, which is why I gave Peter and the Starcatchers a chance. Hey, if they can retell traditional fairy tales, why not Peter Pan? My only real worry was about the two collaborating authors. Sometimes, when authors collaborate, no matter how close or how good they are, there are jarring style inconsistencies. Thankfully this wasn’t the case.
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have created an amazing addition to the legend of Peter Pan. Peter and the Starcatchers offers a much more in-depth background story for Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys. You don’t need to be a big fan of Disney to be able to connect the dots between the two. There are lots of “Oh, that makes sense” moments and “Hey, that explains a lot!” My favourite part is the explanation for pixie dust, which of course doesn’t really come from pixies. But since I’m not feeling overly cruel today, I won’t spoil things for you.
Peter and Molly are great characters and I really love how their relationship slowly develops and it takes them a while to trust each other. But, through a series of heart-pounding, nail-biting adventures, they do develop a solid friendship. It’s not a perfect one (it definitely isn’t at first), but tweens and teens alike will be able to sympathize with Peter and Molly.
[As a side note, it was announced that Gary Ross is waiting on the script for Peter and the Starcatches film adaptation and may even begin production as early as 2013. See the ‘Collider’ link above.]
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
Physik by Angie Sage
(Cover picture courtesy of HarperCollins Children’s Books.)
When Silas Heap unSeals a forgotten room in the Palace, he releases the ghost of a Queen who lived five hundred years earlier. Queen Etheldredda is as awful in death as she was in life, and she’s still up to no good. Her diabolical plan to give herself everlasting life requires Jenna’s compliance, Septimus’s disappearance, and the talents of her son, Marcellus Pye, a famous Alchemist and Physician. And if Queen Etheldredda’s plot involves Jenna and Septimus, then it will surely involve Nicko, Alther Mella, Marcia Overstrand, Beetle, Stanley, Sarah, Silas, Spit Fyre, Aunt Zelda, and all of the other wacky, wonderful characters that made magyk and flyte so memorable.
(Summary courtesy of Amazon.)
With heart-stopping action and a dash of humor, Angie Sage continues the fantastical journey of Septimus Heap.
Physik is probably my favourite book in the entire Septimus Heap series so far and I’ve read the first five of them. Why is it my favourite? Well, the characters are much better developed, Angie Sage is a bit more descriptive so we get a better idea of what the world looks like and we get to see the Castle at the height of its glory.
Jenna has matured more in this book and is more of a princess than she was in Magyk or Flyte. Septimus is also moving right along in his Apprenticeship when it gets rudely interrupted by Marcellus Pye and the horrible Queen Etheldredda. I don’t want to give too much away, but Queen Etheldredda isn’t just any ordinary ghost, which causes even more trouble for Septimus and Jenna. We also get introduced to a new character, Snorri, who is my personal favourite because of her backstory, her cat and her special Spirit Seeing abilities.
The world of Septimus Heap is also much more developed and we get to see a lot of origins of the traditions we find in the first two books. Along the way, we learn about Physik, which is this world’s version of science. In a weird reversal of our world, Magyk is looked upon as more reliable than Physik and Marcia even goes so far as to laugh at Septimus when he wants to learn more about it. There isn’t much laugh-out-loud humour in Angie Sage’s books, but they’re not completely dark and serious either, which is what makes them great for ages 9-12. The illustrations at the beginnings of every chapter also do so much to enhance the reading experience.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Messenger by Lois Lowry
(Cover picture courtesy of Tower Books.)
For the past six years, Matty has lived in Village and flourished under the guidance of Seer, a blind man known for his special sight. Village was once a place that welcomed newcomers, but something sinister has seeped into Village and the people have voted to close it to outsiders. Matty has been invaluable as a messenger. Now he must make one last journey through the treacherous Forest with his only weapon, a power he unexpectedly discovers within himself.
Messenger is another one of those favourite novel study books, or at least it was in my school. After reading The Giver and discovering that the boys in my class (I was the only girl) didn’t completely hate it, our English teacher decided to do a Messenger novel study. True, Messenger is the third book in what used to be a trilogy, but reading the second book, Gathering Blue isn’t necessary for understanding the story. It does enhance your enjoyment, but you won’t be in the dark if you haven’t read it.
Messenger isn’t a bad book, but what annoys me is that there is no explanation for any of the fantastic elements in it like Seer’s ability to See Beyond, Forest’s transformation from good to evil and even Matty’s special power. I like it in books where the author has figured out an explanation for magic, but Lois Lowry never, in any of her books, explains the fantastic elements she includes. I suppose it’s not necessary to have an explanation, but it would be nice.
With that said, to me it seemed like Lois Lowry was guilty of beating-you-over-the-head-with-a-stick-obvious symbolism. Forest, which is friendly toward Matty before the people in Village become selfish, grows ever more hostile, dark and tangled as selfishness takes over. Obviously, Forest symbolizes the growing web of selfishness that is engulfing Village; it’s basically a mirror. Yes, it’s great to include it because you need to analyze literary devices in novel study, but does it have to be so glaringly obvious?
Other than the symbolism that seems ridiculously obvious, Messenger is a pretty good novel. Matty isn’t a great character, but he’s not a bad one either and the plot is interesting enough that we don’t get bored out of our minds. Up until October of this year, Messenger was supposed to be the last ‘Giver’ novel, so we see the protagonists of the first two novels, Jonas and Kira and most plot lines are tied up. I didn’t really like the ending (it wrapped things up a bit too nicely), but it truly was inevitable and there was a lot of foreshadowing throughout the novel that hinted at it.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
(Cover picture courtesy of Redditor’s Choice.)
In The Chrysalids John Wyndham takes the reader into the anguished heart of a community where the chances of breeding true are less than 50 per cent and where deviations are rooted out and destroyed as offences and abominations. The narrator of The Chrysalids is David, who can communicate with a small group of other young people by means of ‘thought shapes’. This deviation from a cruelly rigid norm goes unnoticed at first. But sooner or later the secret is bound to be discovered, and the results are violent, horrific…and believable.
The Chrysalids is one of those few high school novel study favourites that actually doesn’t talk down to students. Heaven forbid they read an age appropriate novel that has practical messages about life in it! Well, the reading level is far below what I would consider high school, but it’s definitely a case of content making this a high school book. Incest (between half-cousins), sexuality, torture and death are some of the things students will encounter in The Chrysalids. By grade ten, which is when it is usually taught here in Saskatchewan, I would hope that fifteen and sixteen-year-olds are mature enough to handle such things.
The Chrysalids is a very short novel that covers a fairly large time period and there were times I was confused as to what the heck was going on. However, John Wyndham generally managed to keep the plot on track while developing his characters decently well. David won’t win any prizes for greatest male lead ever, but he’s not a bad character and you really do feel for him and his predicament in Waknuk as a telepath in a society that banishes ‘deviations’ to the Fringes.
My favourite part of The Chrysalids is how John Wyndham constructed the Waknuk society. It’s heavily implied that many centuries ago a nuclear war wiped out the ‘Old People’ (us) and the people of Waknuk are still dealing with the nuclear fallout. How do they deal with it? By turning to a warped version of Christianity and a book called Repentances written during the time of Tribulation (the nuclear war) that reflects the fear of the new radiation-induced deformities. While I won’t get too much into religion, let’s just say that the version of Christianity preached by the community leaders is not the version that I saw when I read the Bible and leave it at that.
The Chrysalids can be enjoyed on many different levels. Some could see it as a crusade against religious fundamentalism and the role of fear in keeping citizens obedient. It could be seen as social commentary on the hypocrisy of people’s fear of anything “Other”, especially when the New Zealand woman calls David’s people ‘primitive’ for not embracing telepathy. It can even been seen as a story of forbidden love between two half-cousins, if you’re so inclined. I’m not, but it can still be interpreted that way.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.
That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’s dare to fall for.
Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myths and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
My name is Ethan Chase. And I may not live to see my eighteenth birthday.
(Summary courtesy of Goodreads.)
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Well, as of today it’s one month until the release of The Lost Prince, the first book in the new Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten Trilogy. One of the only downsides to obtaining a book on NetGalley is that you read it earlier than everyone else and as a result, have to wait even longer for the next book! I honestly can’t wait for the next book, which will be coming out in 2013. Anyway, on with the review!
You shouldn’t read this book unless you’ve read all four of the previous books in the Iron Fey series. It contains major spoilers and you will definitely be left wondering how the heck certain things happened unless you read all the previous books in the series. With that said, if you have read the rest of the series, The Lost Prince is an amazing add-on book. It focuses on Ethan Chase, Meghan’s little brother who was kidnapped by Machina in The Iron King. Only now, he’s eighteen years old and about as emotionally scarred as you would expect from his experiences with the cruel, remorseless faeries. It doesn’t help that Meghan left him at a young age to become the Iron Queen with Ash as her Prince Consort.
It also doesn’t help that Ethan has The Sight and, as a result, gets noticed by Them a lot. He’s paranoid (with good reason) and refuses to get close to anyone for fear that the faeries may hurt them to get to him. That’s why Mackenzie (Kenzie for short) St. James, a school reporter determined to dig up his past, becomes such an important character. Although she may seem one dimensional or even just plain crazy, we learn that Ethan isn’t the only one with huge secrets.
An amazing plot, reappearances of old favourite characters, three dimensional new characters and a larger picture of the fantastic world of the Nevernever…what more could you ask for? Iron Fey fans will love the fifth installment in the series, so go ahead and pre-order it if you haven’t already! It releases on October 23, 2012.
I give this book 5/5 stars.