I was interested in Shades of Milk and Honey as soon as I heard it described as Jane Austen “if she lived in a world where magic worked.” It’s a thoroughly enjoyable novel for those who enjoy costume dramas (which means me and most of my family). Although not explicitly a book for younger readers, […]
The Crimson Crown
April 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jennifer Lewis. In The Crimson Crown—the fourth and final book of the Seven Realms series—Raisa assumes the role of Queen of the Fells after her mother was murdered at the end of Book 3, The Gray Wolf Throne. Her determination to focus on re-uniting the different factions within her realm is constantly challenged […]
The Queen of Attolia
March 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jonathan Lavallee. The Queen of Attolia has captured The Thief and now she will make him pay for all the slights that she has felt from his presence—the little things that he’s done like leaving ruby earrings on her dresser, or changing the place of something in her room. This is on top […]
Cinders & Sapphires
February 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
I enjoy Downton Abbey, so a book loosely inspired by it is bound to get my attention. Cinders & Sapphires is a soapy Edwardian read that very much evokes Downton Abbey while still telling its own story. There are more characters and subplots than I could easily keep track of (here’s where the lack of […]
Reached
December 20, 2013 by 1 Comment
Reached brings the Matched trilogy to its conclusion. The revolution starts, fueled by a plague that puts victims into a coma. The Society can’t pretend everything is just fine anymore, and the Rising provides a cure and starts to take over. But then the plague mutates, and the cure and immunizations don’t work. Everything spirals […]
Wild Orchid
October 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Another fairy tale retelling from Cameron Dokey! This one is Wild Orchid, based on the ballad of Mulan. (Yes, we could get into a discussion about whether this truly qualifies as a fairy tale. Let’s not—I’ll happily have that conversation with you over coffee someday.) In this version, Mulan has mostly grown up without her […]
Nicola and the Viscount
October 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nicola and the Viscount is the first book I’ve read by Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries). It’s a pretty typical romance novel for the younger set, which basically means the heroine is younger (16 in this case) and the raciest it gets is some mentions of kissing. It’s a Regency romance (think Jane […]
My Sister the Vampire 12 & 13
October 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In the name of efficiency, here are the twelfth and thirteenth My Sister the Vampire books, Read It and Creep and Fangs for the Memories—called Stake Out! and Double Disaster! in the UK—in one convenient review! The adventures of Olivia and Ivy continue, and I’m going to assume that you’ve read at least the reviews for […]
My Sister the Vampire series
October 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
My daughter really enjoys this series and frequently rereads them. They’re remarkably hard to get hold of in the United States, though, especially in hard copy! We ended up ordering our copy of Star Style from the UK. They are occasionally available through Scholastic, often as parts of sets. Many of these titles are now available on Kindle […]
The Cupid War
October 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Cupid War is intended for a YA audience, so only tweens on the more mature end of the scale will probably appreciate it. On the surface, it has a lot in common with Heck in that it’s an irreverent story that takes place in the afterlife and therefore has young death at its core, […]
