Category: Reviews

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman

The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman

Quentin is miserable in the real world, but he’s unsure why. When he is suddenly recruited for a secret school and realizes magic is real, he thinks it will bring him happiness.

“… you will be a magician, Quentin. It is not the obvious career path, I know. … No one will know what you’re doing here. You would be leaving all that behind.” pg 37, ebook

When his training, new friends, and experiences fails to bring Quentin joy, he looks even further into magical theory and stories. What he discovers, the existence of other worlds, is more fascinating and terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Photo by Ruvim on Pexels.com

“Most people carry that pain around inside them their whole lives, until they kill the pain by other means, or until it kills them. But you, my friends, you found another way: a way to use the pain. To burn it as fuel, for light and warmth.” pg 216, ebook

This was my second time reading The Magicians. I first read it about ten years ago and loved it then.

It stood up to the test of time for the most part, but I think I enjoyed it more the first time around because of the small reveals written into the story.

“Nobody wanted to admit they were frightened, so they took the only other option, which was to be irritable instead.” pg 298, ebook

I still loved Lev Grossman’s homage to The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I also loved his magic system.

Photo by Aidan Roof on Pexels.com

The magical students all have different strengths and that affects how they are able to use magic to change the world around them.

The worlds Grossman has created are both fascinating and scary to explore. As you move through the book, you have a sense of uneasiness because you have no idea what is going to come next.

And when you juxtapose that feeling with reading The Chronicles of Narnia or the Harry Potter series, this story becomes something else.

Some readers have shared they couldn’t connect with Quentin. He was too moody and unlikeable for them.

I liked Quentin because he feels authentic like someone I could possibly know in the real world. Don’t we all sometimes wish there was more to life than there appears to be on the surface?

Don’t we all wish some of our favorite stories were real?

Highly recommended for fantasy readers. It doesn’t get much better than The Magicians.

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Zub

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss, Jim Zub

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons is fun. I’m not a big fan of the Rick and Morty show, but even I found plenty to love in this graphic novel.

In this book, Rick, Morty, and their family explore different dimensions that represent various editions of the fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. If you have some experience playing the game, you’ll find lots of inside jokes to enjoy.

I personally have minimal game play time with Dungeons and Dragons, but again, it was still fun.

My favorite story from this collection was the last in the book, which dealt with a character named Mr. Meeseeks. He’s from the Rick and Morty show so those who have seen the episodes with him can probably guess what happens.

It still made a great impression on me.

There’s some vulgarity and language in this book, which might make it appropriate for teens and up. That’s for you all to decide.

Thanks for reading!

Chaco Canyon by Chris Eboch

Chaco Canyon by Chris Eboch

Chaco Canyon is among the most important archaeological sites in North America. pg 7

This non-fiction book for middle graders, part of the “Digging Up the Past” series, gives information about Chaco Canyon, a site that still holds mysteries to be discovered.

It was home to many people but at some point, it’s not clear exactly when, the population wandered away, leaving ruins behind.

According to one descendant, “They didn’t abandon this place. It is still occupied. We can still pray to the spirits living in these places from as far away as our pueblo.” pg 84

The book gives information about the history of digs at the site, which were not conducted with the care and documentation that such things require today. I found that part of the book quite sad. Imagine all of the history that has been lost.

It touches on the challenges researchers face today in their efforts to study Chaco Canyon. These include damage from the weather, large numbers of visitors, and looters.

Recommended for children interested in non-fiction.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

“Death is not to be feared,” he said. “But nor can it be forsaken. One must be mindful.” pg 3, ebook

Ryn is a grave digger in a small village. The only trouble is the dead don’t always stay dead in her world.

Sometimes they wander out of the forest. When they reawaken, the dead are called “bone houses.”

Photo by F H on Pexels.com

The bone house did not speak. They never did. But still, Ryn felt obligated to say something. “Sorry about this,” said Ryn. And then she swung the axe at the dead woman’s knees. pg 14, ebook

In addition to her wandering dead problem, Ryn’s father went on a work outing and never returned. When a stranger comes to her village with a proposition to explore the lands around her home, Ryn decides to find him.

That is where the story really picks up.

Author Emily Lloyd-Jones explores Welsh myth and legend in this young adult fantasy. I enjoyed the story but the big twists were sign-posted so well that I guessed them before they occurred, something that I never manage to do.

This is probably because I’m not the intended audience for the story, but that’s fine. It is well-written other than that small quibble.

I liked the main character, Ryn, quite a lot. She’s strong, brave, and unafraid to venture into enchanted forests.

Reluctant readers might enjoy this book because the pace is quite fast. Recommended for readers who like young adult fantasy stories.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1) by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1) by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a charming fantasy story about a fairy researcher and her efforts to study a group of fae in a country far from her own.

I loved everything about this story. The characters, the plot, the pacing- they were all excellent.

I particularly enjoyed the fairy lore that author Heather Fawcett created for the story. It felt true. If fairies actually existed, I think they would be something like how they are described in this tale.

Photo by Javon Swaby on Pexels.com

“I wish to accomplish two objectives- firstly, to identify the species of Folk that dwell here, and second, to describe their interactions with the mortal inhabitants.” pg 71, ebook

Not only was the main character wonderfully crafted, but the secondary characters were great too. Wendell, Emily’s co-researcher, is compelling and really adds to the story.

I won’t say much more about Wendell because discovering what is special about him is part of the charm of the book.

Highly recommended for fantasy readers.

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

In the world of The Book Eaters, there are supernatural people who exist by consuming books, the content of which then stick with them throughout the rest of their lives. This small group has other members who, instead of books, eat other people’s minds. This second group they call, “dragons”.

Devon, a member of the first group, is a young woman who is married off to produce children. Once she completes this task, she is sent back to her home, only to do it all again a few years later.

The marriages and child-bearing are carefully managed by society because the book eaters are a dying race. This is intolerable to Devon, who wants to remain close to her children, but who is instead cruelly separated from them like the other young mothers.

The story begins with Devon and her young son, Cai, on the run from the knights- book eaters who control the dragons and facilitate the book eater manner of life. It develops into a life and death struggle for Devon. How can she save her children when she can’t manage to save herself?

“Love doesn’t have a cost. It’s just a choice you make.” pg 205, ebook

I really liked Sunyi Dean’s imaginative creation of people who eat books. The descriptions of what she imagined literature tasted like were fascinating and my favorite part of the story. I also liked the idea of carrying around every book one has ever read in your mind like some sort of living library.

The book was well-written, but I didn’t care for what Dean did with her characters once she established them. I just didn’t connect with it.

As a mother myself, it was difficult to read about children being taken away and/or treated poorly. The story turned out to be a lot darker than I initially thought it would be.

Recommended for readers who enjoy dark fantasy.

The Paradox of Getting Better by Raven Lyn Clemens

The Paradox of Getting Better by Raven Lyn Clemens

The Paradox of Getting Better is about a young person who is struggling with mental health issues. These struggles are symbolized in the comic by strangely shaped bodies and surreal art.

The artwork itself is done in pencil with words crossed out and rough edges with lines coming off of it. There’s a definite style to this comic. It didn’t resonate with me.

I understand this is an indie comic, but I wanted to see a little more polish to the presentation. As it is, the book felt like an art project in its early stages- more like a book proposal than a finished project.

The writing in this comic is fantastic by the end. However, at the beginning, the main character can’t even speak in words. They just keep saying, “XXXX”, over and over.

I get this is supposed to represent an inability to communicate in the midst of a mental health crisis, but it didn’t quite work. The family members of the individual were able to understand what the sufferer was saying, but the readers weren’t. It didn’t feel fair. I wanted to understand that person too.

This work is very imaginative. I liked the shapes the author incorporated and I also liked the message in the final panels.

If you’re going to read this one, I recommend borrowing it from your local library. Thanks for reading!

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

In The Mountain Between Us Ben Payne and Ashley Knox are in a plane crash in the middle of nowhere. As they fight to survive, the reader learns about their pasts and probable futures.

It is a survival story and also a romance.

“I dumped the bottle and looked around as best I could. Nothing but snow and mountains.” pg 65, ebook

I picked up this book because my book club is going to be discussing it on Monday. It’s not my usual type of read, which veers strongly towards science fiction and fantasy.

That being said, I expected more from this book- more adventure, more near death moments.

At first, I was reminded strongly of Hatchet by Gary Paulson, which I read in grade school. I remember enjoying that book quite a lot and learning about survival techniques along with the protagonist.

The Mountain Between Us has some of that, it’s true, but it is mainly about what’s going on in Ben’s mind. I found the story to be repetitive after the first hundred pages or so.

The romance in this story is way over the top, which I suppose romance readers may like. As for me, an occasional romance reader if at all, I found myself cringing at some of Ben’s revelations.

There’s a twist at the end which I won’t spoil here, but I saw it coming from the way author Charles Martin wrote some of the passages. I wish it had been sign-posted a little less.

Overall, there’s quite a few things for book clubs to dissect. There’s the survival aspect, relationships, the beauty of the outdoors, the disconnect between modern society and nature, and what it means to be human. I think we’ll have a lively discussion.

Recommended for readers who like their romances syrupy with a wilderness aspect thrown in.

This book has been made into a movie. I’m curious as to how they adapted the story.

Thanks for reading!

Spare by Prince Harry

Spare by Prince Harry

“I love my Mother Country, and I love my family, and I always will. I just wish, at the second-darkest moment of my life, they’d both been there for me. And I believe they’ll look back one day and wish they had too.” pg 386

I didn’t know what to expect from Spare, Prince Harry’s memoir. In the days after its release, it seemed like readers were quickly scanning the pages, looking for the most shocking details to smear in headlines.

What they left out in favor of the more salacious details, in my opinion, were the tender and intimate moments that really mattered.

What do I mean?

I mean the countless, quiet and unremarkable moments Harry shared with his friends and family.

The fact that Harry struggled with mental health and chose to seek out treatments again and again in an effort to find healing and peace.

He paints the picture of not an out-of-touch prince, but as a flawed yet hopeful person trying to find his place in the world.

Harry’s grief for his mother and love for his family form the large part of his narrative. Almost the entire book is a beautiful dedication to them.

I liked how Harry took widely reported events and shared his own feelings about what happened – from an unfortunate costume choice to the rumors swirling around about his out-of-control behavior.

He takes responsibility for his actions and doesn’t seek to lay blame at the feet of others. Which, let’s be honest, he could have.

Some kinds of fame provide extra freedom, maybe, I suppose, but royal fame was fancy captivity. pg 199

Photo by Jimmy Chan on Pexels.com

Harry could have focused on the bubble he was raised in and put every decision he ever made into the hands of others. But, in this book, he doesn’t.

I came away from reading Spare with a new found respect for Prince Harry. I hope that his new life, away from the flashing lights, is everything that he hopes and dreams it will be.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy memoirs. Thanks for reading!