Slayers by C.J. Hill

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Mar 262012
 

Slayers

Author: C.J. Hill

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Published Date: September 2011

Hardcover; 373 pages

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

ISBN# 978-0-312-61414-0

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: checked out from the library

Goodreads Summary:

Dragons exist. They’re ferocious. And they’re smart: Before they were killed off by slayer-knights, they rendered a select group of eggs dormant, so their offspring would survive. Only a handful of people know about this, let alone believe it – these “Slayers” are descended from the original knights, and are now a diverse group of teens that includes Tori, a smart but spoiled senator’s daughter who didn’t sign up to save the world.

The dragon eggs have fallen into the wrong hands. The Slayers must work together to stop the eggs from hatching. They will fight; they will fall in love. But will they survive?

My Review

I knew I was going to like this book, I just didn’t realize I would enjoy it even more than I expected. The characters, the history, the adventure– I liked it all.

Tori was a fascinating character to me for several reasons. She’s spoiled, yes, but not as bad as her sister and their rich friends. On the other hand, compared to the Slayers, she is as pampered as they come. Once Tori arrives at the summer camp for dragon lovers, everyone is questioning her place there, including Tori.

The story easily held my interest. My curiosity about the history of the slayer-knights and their particular talents, wondering what Tori’s talent would be, learning how they train, and then, of course, the climactic confrontation that nobody is quite ready for despite their training kept me turning pages.

There is a twist I suspected was coming, but it didn’t quite go the way I expected. There was emotion involved that pleasantly surprised me. I anxiously await Book 2. I can’t wait to read more about the Slayers, the dragons, and, of course, the romance.

I highly recommend Slayers and plan to purchase my own copy soon.

Content

I don’t remember there being any bad language, there is no sex (a couple of kisses but no explicit descriptions), and some violence (nothing graphic).

 

Catspell by Danyelle Leafty

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Oct 192011
 

Catspell

Author: Danyelle Leafty

Self Published as a Serial Novel

Published: in full November 2011. The first third is available now under the name The Fairy Godmother Dilemma

ISBN: 2940012988300

FTC FYI: I received a PDF from the author which did not affect my review

Reviewed by Mindy

Goodreads summary:  “Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.

Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all.”

Nerissa is a fairy godmother.  She has just returned from helping a DID (Damsel in Distress), and gave her her HEA (Happily Ever After), but she is frustrated.

Because every girl–odd duck or not–wanted a Happily Ever After, complete with the deserving suitor, the crown, and the sunset.  And for the life of her, Nerissa couldn’t begin to fathom why. page 6

But such was the life of a fairy godmother.  She could help the girls spread their wings, fan their tail feathers, and maybe nudge them off the branch, but is was up to them to fly.  She couldn’t do it for them. page 8

To top it off, she isn’t feeling well.  So, when she receives the “request” from the Fairy Queen’s pesky fire salamander Frax, to help another DID, Nerissa is less then thrilled.  This girl, Breena, is unique.  She is a mortal that has been living with the fairies.  Long ago, Breena’s mother promised Feylinda her first born child in return for as much fruit as she could carry.  Breena’s mother didn’t mention that she had an enchanted basket that could hold as much as she put in.  Now, years later, the blossoms are finally starting to return.  Feylinda has had the girl for 16 years, and wants to be rid of her by pawning her off to Nerissa.  Reluntantly, Nerissa has a new DID, but Breena’s HEA is different.  What she wants varies from other DIDs.

This book is darling.  There were couple mistakes in a chapter with names, and a few phrases that were repeated a bit, but all and all, I enjoyed it.  There are many great characters: Myles the mage in training, Baldemar the Prince on a task from his father the King, and Natter the goblin on a task for her mistress, and lots of pesky cats.  Each chapter is told from a character’s point of view.  My favorite character was Nerissa.  She was written with a clever wit and fun humor.  I loved reading what was in her head.  I thought having many characters was a great way to help time pass, and the author did that nicely. There are many clever lines, and each character is written well.  I loved the end when a character (won’t spoil who) was given a chance for their greatest wish, but chose to help against evil.

4 out of 5 stars.  The first third is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for .99 cents under the name The Fairy Godmother Dilemma.  Find more about Danyelle Leafty on goodreads and her website.


Firelight by Sophie Jordan

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Feb 282011
 

Firelight

Author: Sophie Jordan

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published Date: September 2010

Hardcover: 326 pages

Genre: YA Fantasy

ISBN# 978-0-06-193508-4

FTC FYI: library copy

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will’s dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She’ll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

FYI: This review contains some small spoilers, so if you don’t like spoilers, go read the book and then come back and tell us what you think.

Whoever designed the cover of this book knew what they were doing. I couldn’t help but pick up Firelight in the “New Arrivals” section of the library. I credit (blame) Jessica Day George for my interest in dragons; Dragon Slippers sparked my curiosity.

Anyone who reads (or reads about) YA fiction these days knows that there are often certain “characteristics” found in a lot of YA fiction, especially YA fantasy. Many of them are in Firelight: young girl inevitably attracted to/dependent on the very thing that will kill her, single/divorced parents, a unique gift that sets her apart even from those around her with similar gifts, the love interest isn’t what he seems, etc.

Knowing me like I do, this would get old real quick. Fortunately for me, I don’t read a lot of YA, so I have not yet tired of these “characteristics” like some avid YA readers. This, along with my interest in the concept of draki, helped me enjoy Firelight.

Like a lot of books released in this genre in the last few years, there are those who “LOVED IT!!!!” as well as those who gave it 1 star and the “Twilight comparison.” Are there similarities? Absolutely. Do I feel that makes Firelight deserving of 1 star? Nope.

What worked for me:

  • I liked Will. The first scene in the cave hooked me enough to want to learn more about him.
  • There is plenty of chemistry and it’s clean- good kisses but no hanky-panky. Though there is a somewhat cheesy scene where Will takes off his shirt to stop a wound from bleeding. They obviously spend a lot of time alone, so if that’s something that concerns you, you may want to revisit your rules with your daughters if they read this book.
  • While there are two guys vying for Jacinda’s attention it’s not your typical love “triangle.”
  • It was a fast and interesting read- something you could read in one sitting.

While I enjoyed Firelight for more than just the above reasons, there were a couple of points that kept me from giving it 4 stars:

  • Out of all the places Jacinda’s family could have moved in the country, they just HAPPENED to go to the very town and the very high school that the hunters attend. I think there was enough potential chemistry and interest that Jacinda and Will could have still found each other and had the story play out well without the need of attending the exact same high school and the same classes. In fact, I would have been very interested to see what the author could have done with the story without that “convenience.”
  • I’ve read several reviews that have criticized Jacinda for being very selfish. And she is. A lot of teen girls are very selfish. I also considered Jacinda’s sister, Tamra, pretty selfish. Throughout the book, though, I found myself caring less about Jacinda and wondering more about Tamra’s story. I have a feeling that I’ll find Tamra much more interesting in the long run. I hope the author will develop her character and bring her much more into the story.
  • Despite being told about how dangerous Cassian and the pride are, I never really felt it. Even when Jacinda is face to face with Cassian, I wasn’t quite convinced. Maybe I missed something, but the fact that Jacinda is undeniably attracted to a hunter and risking everything to see him on a near daily basis seems much more risky than dealing with the pride. I would have liked to have been much more afraid of them.
  • I believed that Will truly loves and cares for Jacinda, but I’m not quite convinced that her affections run much deeper than needing Will to keep her draki alive. I hope that we will see her love for him grow and mature into something much more real in the future.
  • I’m still not sure how I feel about how the book ended. Something had to happen to bring about certain events, but it also felt somewhat contrived and a little forced. I’m not sure if I liked how it all came about or not.

I will read the sequels, hoping that they stay as free of sexual content as the first book. Sophie Jordan also writes historical romance that, if one were to judge by the covers, are not so clean. The title of the next book in the series is VANISH, though I was unable to find any release dates.

Heads Up

Language: I remember 2 (possibly 3?) swear words said one time each & they were from the milder group.

Sexual Content: As stated above, good kisses, no sex, lots of alone time including some heavy kissing on a couch where Will’s hand touches Jacinda’s back under her shirt and the scene ends shortly afterward.

Violence: Mild and mostly insinuated with the hunting of dragons, etc. Also a fight scene involving Jacinda in the girls’ bathroom.

Drug Use: There is mention near the end of the book of a keg being brought to a party in the mountains.

My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Would I-

  • read it again? I will probably read it again right before reading the sequel
  • recommend it? For the most part; to teens 14/15+ and adults who enjoy YA Fantasy
  • read more by the author? Only this series for now.