Erica says...
Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, is loosely based off of the classic Cinderella story... But it takes place in a future dystopian type setting in China. And Cinder is a cyborg. (Minor details!) It's quite unique and different! Here're my thoughts... Firstly, if you love the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, then I'm pretty certain you will love this series. This first book, Cinder, is loosely based on the classic Cinderella story- but in ways that surprise and delight you. It is not at all predictable because of its connection to Cinderella. And it has a very strong sci-fi feel. If you like the sound of a sci-fi, romance, action, adventure, adrenaline-surge type read, try it out! There are scenes that could be disturbing for sensitive individuals- including myself. Characters in the book suffer and die from a plague, and have identification chips removed from their wrists. These scenes were too much for me. This also will sound odd, but I have a weird relationship with these suspense/adrenaline types of books. Once I begin, I want to know the end of the story... But then when the first book ends on a cliff hanger, I feel frustrated! I just want it to be over, so I can be content! Haha, I guess I don't always like the addictiveness of these types of books. Books that are almost thrillers. Like I said, it really had a similar flavor to me as the Uglies series. As far as the intensity, thrills, and suspense. It also shares the similarity of taking place in a very futuristic time, with very creative technologies, in a much different world than the one we currently live in. Like I mentioned, the intensity was too much for me to be excited to read it again. I'm not feeling ready to continue the series. But it might be right up your alley! It's a creative story, really neat characters and settings, very well done, and keeps you turning pages! A few more glimpses to get you excited: androids, cyborgs, a prince facing tragedy, a ball that ends in disaster, mystery, cool technology, a race of lunar creatures with manipulative powers, an impossible love story, and much more!
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Erica says...
Dealing with Dragons is the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. There are four books total in the series. I'm on a bit of a dragon kick and have been searching for my next dragon read! This one peaked my interest because of this combination: family friendly, fun for kids and adults, strong female lead character, and dragons! Cimorene is a fun lead character. She is a princess who is utterly fed up with her royal lifestyle, and the boring routines and limitations of being a "good" princess (one who doesn't defy any traditions and stereotypes). She'd much rather go to work for a dragon than marry a shallow prince and live her shallow princess life. Her interests lie in fencing, studying latin, cooking, and learning everything she can! (All things which her parents banned her from doing, since apparently they are not proper things for a princess to do.) I read several reviews about this book in which readers stated that this book series was their entry way into fantasy as a child. I've also read several comments along the lines of "Before there was Harry Potter, there was Princess Cimorene..." Some even claim to enjoy this series more than the Harry Potter books. I personally really did enjoy this first book! But I'll have to read the rest of the series before comparing it to Harry Potter! The audiobook is really fun because the narrators are super theatrical. The voices of the dragons are especially entertaining. My three-year-old son even seemed to enjoy listening, although I’m not sure to what degree he was able to follow the story. I’d definitely recommend this book (or the audiobook) if you are looking for a family read that is fun, light, and appropriate for young children. It definitely felt light and easy- so more of a relaxing read than a deep thought-provoking read. But I do think it contains valuable lessons for young children- including thinking for yourself and creating your place in the world, rather than blindly following stereotypes and prejudices. I think it’s really best described as a fun, creative, easy read. I’ll be continuing the series and am excited about reading the books aloud to my kids. Erica says...
A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff is a zany and whimsical book! It was a true "bawbee" find, since I found it for an amazing deal at a thrift store! I couldn't resist the whimsical and colorful cover! I also really enjoy reading things written by authors I've never heard of before. I enjoyed Lisa Graff's unique writing style and very creative ideas. The book even includes recipes for some of Cady's famous cakes! A "tangle of knots" is a great way to describe the way this book feels. The author weaves you in and out of different characters' perspectives and stories, giving you pieces of a puzzle, but few clues to how the pieces fit together. The characters live in a world where most people are born with special "talents." The talents vary from tying knots, baking cakes, perfectly aiming spit, disappearing, and matching people with exactly what they are looking for! They seem random, yet somehow these talents come into play in important ways throughout the story. Cady, an 11 year-old orphan girl with a talent for baking exquisite cakes, is our main character. Through her adventures and encounters with a talent thief, she comes to know about her past and gains a happier future! The book weaves many stories together in interesting and unpredictable ways- how do a secret peanut butter recipe, a man who collects old suitcases, an emporium, perfectly baked cakes, lost relatives in Africa, Cady the orphan, and a whole slew of interesting characters all tie together? If you are looking for a fun, quick, quirky, mysterious, engaging read, I'd recommend giving A Tangle of Knots a try! And you can even bake a cake part way through the book as you come across one of Cady's recipes! Erica says...
This book was an impulsive Amazon buy! The cover looked so fun that I had to click on it! Then I was amazed to see what great reviews it had! I was also happily surprised to find that it is written by a Christian author, Andrew Peterson, who I found out writes incredible worship music as well as religious books and materials. Based on the reviews, this is an amazing family book, appropriate for children, although with some deep, meaningful, and potentially intense themes. I've just started the book and the book literally had me laughing out loud on every page- before even getting to the beginning of the first chapter! I'm excited to dive into this one! I had to momentarily postpone reading it today because it was making me laugh so hard that I wanted to read every line out loud to my hubby, distracting him terribly from working at home... Whoops! Erica says...
Stormrise by Jillian Boehme has quickly moved to my list of top favorite books! It is Jillian Boehme's first published novel and I think she did wonderfully! It was published in September 2019, so pretty recently, and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this gem! Our library is doing a pick up option during the corona virus precautions. So I logged onto the website and started checking out anything and everything that looked interesting. Mostly picture books and kid books to keep my littles entertained. But I'm so glad I happened across Stormrise and gave it a try! I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book. I read it in about 3 days and finished it about a week ago. But the memory of the book is so vivid in my mind that in my mind it feels more like a movie than a book! I guess I have very vivid pictures in my mind of the scenery and my favorite parts of the book. I don't want to spoil the story line, but just want to write about some things I love about this book. So here it goes! I love the combination of themes! From finding one's self as a woman in a world with strong patriarchy and gender stereotypes, martial arts, fantasy, dragons, and magic, romance, sacrifice, family relationships, loyalty, brother and sisterhood, action and survival, and more. I love the strong contrasts between good and evil. Lust and love. War and peace. Equality and prejudice. Sincere hard work and desire for recognition. Selfishness and selfless sacrifice. The contrasts between lust and sincere, unconditional love especially struck me. I love the characters and their earthy names, like Rain, Storm, Willow, Forest, River, Cedar, etc! I loved Rain. I relate to her character because I have never felt that I easily fit into womanly stereotypes or stereotypical roles and personality traits. I like the settings. Especially the camping and wildlife. I love the descriptions of the nature and scenery. I like the dragons and the beautiful descriptions that bring them to life! I enjoyed the creativity. This book didn't follow the typical pattern that I sometimes expect from fantasy or fiction books. It kept me engaged and felt so vivid and real to me. I like how the book left me feeling. I finished the book feeling inspired and motivated and in awe. I loved the Christ figure symbolism. I loved the heart-wrenching sacrifices that were made out of pure love to save others. I'd recommend Stormrise. It is a young adult novel and contains some things that might be hard to read for sensitive individuals. I am quite sensitive myself. To me this book was worth reading because of the uplifting messages, enlightening contrasts, and overall inspired feeling it left me with. I'd rate it 5 out of 5, and would probably go as far as to say it's my new favorite book. Rating: 5/5 |