Book Review: These Shallow Graves

Title: These Shallow Graves

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Length: 496 pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone

Content Appropriate for: Grades 9-12

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, complex, believable

Murder mystery set in 1890s New York. Fun to read with a very conflicted main character who helped this historical setting come alive. Even though I had the murderer pegged early on, it was still fun to figure out how all the pieces fit together. Additionally, I enjoyed the way Donnelly crafted the setting and how she portrayed several different classes and how they interact with one another. Overall, a bit slow at the start, but with intriguing characters/setting.

3.5 stars

Book Review: Lair of Dreams

Premise: Diviner and object-reader, Evie O'Neill, is now a radio-superstar and media darling. As she and her friends struggle to move on with their lives after successfully stopping The Pentacle Killer, another mystery terrifies the city. People have gone missing. Others have fallen asleep, won't wake up, and eventually die. The Diviners must work together to solve the mystery from within the dream world.

Title: Lair of Dreams
Author: Libba Bray
Length: 624 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 of The Diviners trilogy
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, gritty, complex

I gave book one in this trilogy, The Diviners, an awesome 4.5 stars. I loved the way Libba Bray wove a complex, chilling tale while setting it solidly in 1920s New York City. The dialect, dancing, and speakeasies were a stellar backdrop. What kept me so captivated was the frequent chapters that followed particular murder victims. The danger and horror of it was so palpable, but Libba Bray never made it campy.

Lair of Dreams was almost as good as the first one. The premise and mystery were really creepy. I loved the idea of the dream world, and traveling there with Henry was really captivating. But the chilling murder scenes were less frequent, and somehow less scary. Sadly, the opening third dragged for me.

This one was a bit more character-driven than The Diviners. Each character got a lot more depth, especially Henry and Sam. I was surprised to find myself really drawn to both of those characters. Well done, Libba Bray! I found myself equally turned off by Evie, and I'm pretty sure Libba Bray did that on purpose. She did not handle fame well, at all! She got so self-centered and her drunkenness was irritating. 

A massive conspiracy-theory, cover-up, paranormal show-down is set for Book 3 and I'm ready! I can't  wait to see how she wraps it up and I'm holding out hope that Evie gets to redeem herself.

4 stars

Serafina is True Middle Grade Horror

Premise: Serafina has always lived secretly in the basement of a mansion, warned by her father to never go outside where the dark forest waits. But then one night a wealthy child in the mansion goes missing, and Serafina is the only witness. As more children begin to disappear, she knows that she must follow the clues to save them.

Title: Serafina and the Black Cloak
Author: Robert Beatty
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Fantasy
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-7
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Publication: July 14, 2015

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, gripping, mysterious

Serafina and the Black Cloak was much scarier than I expected! It was engaging, complex, and made me question my reading-before-sleeping habit.

I found it really interesting how Beatty wove the actual history of the Biltmore Estate with fantasy and horror elements. At times I was caught off-guard when fantasy elements crept into the story. We'd be going along with fancy mansion-life and dank basement-life, and then BAM mythical creatures in the forest!

A scene from the book trailer with the Biltmore Estate in the background

For a book to be truly scary, you must have a scary villain. So how does the villain in Serafina measure up? He is definitely scary. And creepy. And strange. His skin seems to be falling off and he comes for you steadily in the dark. I was definitely creeped out by him.

Villain in a black cloak. From the author's website.

The only reason I docked a star for Serafina and the Black Cloak is because most of the reveals were kind of evident well ahead of being revealed. Hopefully, upper-middle-grade readers will find them to be more surprising.

Fast-paced and dark, this book will appeal to any MG reader who wants to be truly spooked and enjoys a good mystery.

Author Website

Book Review: Inked by Eric Smith

Premise: Caenum is just days away from his Inking, the day when he'll get a magical tattoo that determines his future career. But when he angers a Scribe, a magical tattoo artist, Caenum sets in a motion events that send the brutal government after him and everyone he cares about.

Title: Inked
Author: Eric Smith
Length: 217 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Unclear, but probably a stand alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC thank to Bloomsbury via NetGalley
Release Date: January 20, 2015

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, interesting, disappointing

I was really eager to start Inked. The cover is beautiful and the concept of magical tattoos that move around and determine your future is really cool. Other elements are pretty typical for novels like this, though:
* A career-determining special occasion
* Anxiety about said occasion (what if I don't like what I get?)
* All is not what it seems
* The government is actually evil

So Inked could have gone either way - boring and predictable, or really really cool.

Eric Smith did a moderate job of world and character building. Not enough to give me the full scope of the place and our characters (it's only 217 pages, after all), but enough that I could make sense of what was happening. The plot had a few surprising elements in the first third that really kept my attention.

Inked is full of moral quandaries. I like that in a book. It tackles issues like, "Is it okay to sacrifice a few for the good of many?" and "Is it okay to hurt an innocent person, in order to protect myself?"

Unfortunately, this promising, solid 4-star book, took a steep dive downhill in the final 10%

I've been wrestling with how to explain my issues, without any spoilers. Here's my best shot:
In the final 10%, an interesting moral dilemma arises when Caenum realizes that the good guys might be just as evil as the bad guys. This set-up is a grand opportunity for Eric Smith to grow our character. But, unfortunately, Smith seems to struggle with this tricky situation. The dilemma resolves itself through a series of convenient blackouts and an even more convenient murder (which, apparently, no one feels guilty about). Moments later - we flashforward to an epilogue where everything is peachy keen for the main characters, but the Big Evil Government problem is completely and totally unresolved.

Before reading the Epilogue, I thought maybe Eric Smith was setting up for a sequel where he would take the time to handle all the implications of evil good guys stopped via murder. But, the epilogue has our main characters walling themselves in and, almost, abandoning their goal of stopping the government. Is that the end? Apparently, so.

Mutation is an Intense Conclusion

In Mutation, Roland Smith impressively wraps up this complex and intense series. The action takes place deep in the Amazon as our heroes attempt to find and rescue their missing parents. Meanwhile, our central sociopath - Noah Blackwood - and his crew are hunting them down. The action is intense, as the various characters race through the jungle, cross raging rivers, track dinosaurs, and get captured by people with blow guns.

Title: Mutation
Author: Roland Smith
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 4 of 4 in the Cryptids series
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC provided by Scholastic via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: intense, dark, adventurous

I was most surprised and impressed with how Smith spiraled these 4 books into darker and darker territory and Mutation is certainly the darkest. Our villains think nothing of slitting throats or executing children.

Ultimately, Mutation is a fast-paced, twisty story. It also includes some interesting ethical questions in science including genetic modification, cloning, and human subjects. It may also challenge some readers with it's constant switching around among 6 or more perspectives, but for me this multi-person view was wholly appropriate since the characters were spread out throughout the jungle. As always with this series, I enjoyed following the villain's perspectives so that you could compare how each side of the chase was going.

Unfortunately, a few issues tempered my enjoyment of Mutation. A few mysteries were never explained such as who the native people are and how they became so genetically  strange. I'm also  still confused about how gender can be altered in a clone.

But overall, Mutation was a terrific ending to an outstanding upper middle grades series.

Mysterious and Creepy - The Whispering Skull

Premise: Lockwood and Co have a major case - a strange mirror has been stolen. Not just any mirror, but a haunted mirror owned by a Victorian doctor who tried to communicate with the dead. As bodies pile up, the team must find the mirror and fend off threats from all sides.

Title: The Whispering Skull
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Length: 448 pages
Genre: Mystery, Horror, Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 or 2 (so far) in the Lockwood & Co series
Content Appropriate For: Grades 6-8
Format: Digital ARC provided by Disney and NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, gripping, mysterious

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, The Screaming Staircase. See -

So I was both excited to re-enter the ghost-riddled world of Lockwood & Co., but also terribly nervous. What if The Whispering Skull suffered from Second-Book-Itis? So let's start off by saying that this book absolutely does not suffer from Second-Book-Itis.

It jumps right in with ghost-action and continues to build tension throughout the central mystery of who stole a deadly, haunted mirror spirals to include murder, black-market scheming, raids, and catacombs. Once again Jonathan Stroud has created a complete and compelling world.

Most interesting is that this time around he rounded out the central characters and made them somewhat untrustworthy - George was obsessed with an artifact and perhaps too-trusting of a new colleague, Lockwood ignored all the warning signs and was too focused on defeating a rival, and Lucy...

Lucy found herself directly under the influence of a ghost. This ghost, the title character, can only be heard by Lucy. It whispers rumors about her colleagues, sketchy leads for the investigation, and derisive sniggers. Although she tries not to listen, this ghost may have useful information after all...

4.5 stars

Book Review: The Castle Behind Thorns

Premise: Alexander (Sand) wakes up in the fireplace of an abandoned castle with no idea how he got there. Everything in the castle has been strangely cut in half, and when he tries to leave, the thorns along the wall attack him. Sand has to figure out to survive until he can escape, but meanwhile some strange things seem to be awakening in the castle.

Title: The Castle Behind Thorns
Author: Merrie Haskell
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC provided by Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss
Publication Date: May 27, 2014

Three adjectives that describe this book: mysterious, imaginative, dark

There are so many different things going on in this book! It starts as a mystery - a boy trapped in a castle protected by magical thorns - then turns darker as things that were dead start to come alive, and finishes with royal politics.

I absolutely enjoyed The Castle Behind Thorns, although the heavy focus on saints and relics got to be a bit much at times. I loved the themes of forgiveness and finding your own path.

The Night Gardener

Premise: Molly and Kip are barely surviving when they are offered a job as servants at the supremely creepy, derelict Windsor estate. The people living there are pale, with sunken dark eyes. And the house is visited each evening by a mysterious "night man" who tends a strange tree. Soon Molly and Kip find themselves enmeshed in an ancient curse that threatens the lives of everyone at the Windsor estate.

Title: The Night Gardener
Author: Jonathan Auxier
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 5-8
Format: eARC courtesy of Amulet books via NetGalley
Release Date: May 20, 2014

Three adjectives that describe this book: gripping, dangerous, spooky

Oh man this book is terrific! The creepiness builds steadily until the unbelievably dark seems totally plausible. That's one reason why I typically avoid scary stories - they seem so fake that it's hard for me to buy in to them. In this case, however, Auxier has crafted a tale that is wholly believable. He does it by starting with mundane and carefully adding the creepy, ghost elements.

Be warned, though, this book is not for the faint of heart. The idea of a creepy man walking around your house at night, standing over your bed, is sure to give some readers nightmares. Not to mention the collection of violent deaths and super-creepy-soul-stealing tree.

Wonderfully written, beautifully paced, and populated by a cast of richly interesting characters, The Night Gardener kept me totally glued to the page.

This post is part of the A to Z Challenge.

Classics Review: White Fang

My overall takeaway from White Fang is, "Wow! That book is violent!" Since the first 30% or so takes place in "the Wild," I didn't mind all the throat ripping - this was animals hunting for food, after all. This opening third of the book brought to mind National Geographic documentaries ~ Cue voiceover: "The wolf waits silently, hidden by the snow, for the unsuspecting squirrel to emerge from its tree."

Then, suddenly, the entire tone of the book changed. When White Fang begins to live with humans he is beaten by stones, sticks, and clubs. Rather than cast these 100+ pages of beatings as cruelty toward animals, Jack London explains that this treatment is laudable in White Fang's eyes. It's the only way he knows to obey a human.

Some might argue that White Fang ultimately learns that life is better with kind humans, but still... 100 pages of unquestioned brutality from humans was over the top for me.

The worst scenes for me were when White Fang began to kill for fun.

He slaughtered innocent, weaker dogs simply because it was his nature (according to Jack London). Once again, this period of his life was treated as commonplace. REALLY?

And what's the deal with describing white people as "superior" to Native Americans? Is this just an indication of the time in which the book was written?

Don't get me wrong, Jack London's writing is great. It's just that the content is so questionable.

My 5th graders love White Fang, but they read the abridged version (like the one on the right). They make a lot of changes in the White Fang abridged versions to make the story more palatable for young children. It seems like they want itto be a fun-loving dog story.

I would rather my students hold out for the real deal. Because this is so violent, and the vocabulary is incredibly dense, I recommend this book (in its unabridged form) to the 13+ crowd.

I read this book for The Classics Club, The TBR Pile Challenge, and the Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge.

Classic Review: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase has had many covers since it was first published in 1962.

At first glance, this appears to be a book about wolves, but it is actually about several humans who turn out to be more dangerous than the wolves who hunt the forests at night.

Set in 18th century England, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase centers on 2 girls who are being cared for by a distant relative while their wealthy guardians are away on a sea voyage. Things get off to a bad start when the governess, Miss Slighcarp, locks one of the girls in a closet and sells off all the children's toys. Soon we realize that this woman means to do more than just harm the children, she's out to claim the entire estate.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase was a dark story of intrigue and cruelty. The children must sneak around to discover the truth, and even mastermind an escape plan from a terrible orphanage. This story is almost too terrible to bear, and that is exactly why some children will love it. These characters are in danger all the time.

However, three important things hold the novel back.
* The plot takes a long time to get interesting. My copy was 149 pages long, and I was bored to tears for the first 50.
* The language was really challenging for me. The sentences were structured in unnatural ways, and there was an overwhelming plethora of uncommon words. This will make the book really challenging for it's intended modern audience.
* For a novel that stakes it's claim solidly in the Dark and Mysterious category, it has a strangely happy ending. "And They All Lived Happily Ever After" was out of character.

Overall, I recommend this book as a read aloud for children ages 7-10.

I read this book for the Classics Club's Spin #5. The Classics Club is an ongoing challenge to read 50 classics in 5 years or less. Check out my list of classic books to read.

Short and Scary. Hide and Seek is Perfect for Struggling Readers

I was intrigued by this book because it was written with the express goal of targeting upper middle grade readers (Grades 5-8) who struggle or have dyslexia. The text is written in mostly simple sentences. After reading it, I found that the novel didn't suffer much from this approach.

Title: Hide and Seek
Author: Catherine MacPhail
Length: 67 pages
Genre: Horror
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher and netgalley.com

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, spooky, simple

I don't typically read horror novels because I scare easily. This one definitely did the trick. It was scary. Even though the book is super short, very straight-forward, and written with simple text, I found myself hooked by increasing fear. I also thought it was interesting that this novel is written from the (third person) perspective of a bully. That's an unusual approach, and I found it fascinating. It really made me wonder why people can be cruel to others. Of course, since this book is so short, the characters are all rather flat and the plot follows only one main storyline. Therefore, there isn't any delving into why the main character is cruel to others. That would have been a great element to add, though.

In an effort to interest middle school readers, the main character, Nicole, spends an awful lot of time trying to get the interest of Danny. We hear a lot about his dreamy eyes and how much she wants to hold his hand. This will probably limit the audience for the book to girls, unfortunately.

Overall Hide and Seek was sufficiently scary and does the job of grabbing older readers who need simpler text.

3 stars

Book Blast & Giveaway Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires

Jack is back!

After his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy (which included fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons), Jack Templar was hoping for a rest. No such luck.

In the newest title, Book #3 of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of the five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power found by his ancestors the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world. But each Stone is held by a different Creach Lord and recovering them will not be easy.

I am about to start reading the newest installment, Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires (Book 3). My review will be part of an Official Blog Tour and will be posted here on October 18, 2013.

If you haven't tried this series - you absolutely should! The Jack Templar books are like a more advanced, darker, and more frenetic version of the Percy Jackson series. But what really drew me to these books was the back-story. You can read the story in Jeff's own words in his post at the Nerdy Book Club. My synopsis is below, but his telling is really very powerful:

Author, Jeff Gunhus, wrote the first chapter of Jack Templar, Monster Hunter to encourage his 11 year old son to read. His son wasn't interested in reading, so Jeff started meeting with him for father-son reading time each morning. To spice it up, he wrote the first chapter of Jack Templar. Yep - This book was literally written to grab young readers and keep a-hold of 'em. And it worked! Both of Jeff's sons got involved in the writing process and soon they had a whole book, which they published on Amazon. Now the series has just released Book 3 and has developed a strong fan base.

Be sure to check out my reviews:
My review of Book 1: Jack Templar, Monster Hunter
My review of Book 2: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy

Jack Templar Monster Hunter was chosen as a Book of the Year Finalist by Foreword Reviews.



BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash; Ends 10/31/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Creepy Ghost Story, Stunning Illustrations

Premise: Billy wishes he had never taken a job as a prison guard. Now that he has been transferred to the night shift, Billy's discovering that this is no ordinary prison. Not only do the haunted cells have a history of killing their inmates, but the prisoner in the Witch Well must be tended every night. Sooner or later, it will be Billy's turn.

Title: Ghost Prison
Author: Joseph Delaney
Length: 112 pages
Genre: Fantasy (Horror)
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content Appropriate For: Grades 5-8
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley.com

Three adjectives that describe this book: spooky, dangerous, mysterious

Delaney's new work is a departure from his famous Spook stories such as The Last Apprentice. Rather than a full-length novel in a well-developed world, Ghost Prison is essentially a short story designed for maximum creepiness. And boy does it deliver!

What If the Cold War Ended With A Boom? Fallout by Todd Strasser

Premise: What if the Cuban Missile Crisis had resulted in a bomb being dropped on U.S. soil? What if your house had the only bomb shelter in the whole neighborhood? What if all of your neighbors tried to get into your shelter, but you only had room and food for your family? This is the world of Fallout.

Title: Fallout
Author: Todd Strasser
Length: 272 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction / Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: dark, fast-paced, intense

I was drawn to this book by both the cover (Whoa!) and the premise (Double Whoa!). Todd Strasser goes all-in with this book. He jumps right into the terror and tragedy of a nation being attacked by The Bomb and its people scrabbling to survive. His use of short chapters, alternating between this crisis and life before the bomb, keeps the story moving at a rapid pace. This novel was fascinating and completely engrossing. However...

Weather Witch by Shannon Delany

Premise: It's 19th century America and the world of magic occupies a precarious position. Electricity is created through magicians held in slavery. This makes witches essential, but the presence of a witch in one's family devastates a family's honor. Now Jordan, a wealthy teen, has been accused of witchery.

Title: Weather Witch
Author: Shannon Delany
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Fantasy (Steampunk-ish)
Stand Alone or Series: This is the first book in a new series
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: Digital ARC from St. Martin's Press via netgalley.com

3 adjectives that describe this book: difficult, confusing, dark

I'm sure you can see from my adjectives that this book has some serious problems. I think the cover is fabulous, though, and should attract lots of interested readers. I fear they'll be quite disappointed, though. Don't get me wrong, Weather Witch has some great elements. I loved Rowen, a teenage boy who knows how to break the rules just enough that he doesn't actually get in trouble. Meggie, the creepy little girl character, was wonderfully creepy and made my insides squirm. And the subplot focused on bringing people back to life - Whoa!

Outcast by Michelle Paver

Premise: This is the fourth book in the wonderful series that began with Wolf Brother. The story picks up right where book 3, Soul Eater, left off without any annoying recap. Torak is quickly outcast from the clans because he bears the mark of the Soul Eaters. Being an outcast is worse than it sounds, by law anyone who sees Torak is now obligated to kill him. On the run, Torak is pursued by the clans, but also by a Soul Eater who is desperate to use his spirit walker power.

Title: Outcast
Author: Michelle Paver
Length: 319 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: Book 4 of 6 in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
Content Appropriate for: Grades 5-8

3 adjectives that describe this book are: dark, gripping, page-turner

Although I read a lot of series, I usually lose interest after just 2 or 3 books. Often the plot becomes predictable and the writing more haphazard. Not so with Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. Outcast is the fourth in the series and my favorite so far.

Soul Eater by Michelle Paver

Premise: Soul Eater is the third book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver. This installment takes the story much deeper as Torak, Renn, and Wolf find themselves completely ensnared by a group of Soul Eaters. The Soul Eaters are intent on using demons to overtake all the clans. Escaping their clutches and stopping their plans proves much more deadly than they could ever imagine.

Title: Soul Eater

Author: Michelle Paver
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: Book 3 of 6 in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
Content Appropriate for: Grades 5-8

4 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book are: dark, riveting, intense

Book 3 of this wonderful and little-known series takes Torak's story ever darker. There is decidedly less adventure-questing and world-exploring than in the first two books. I loved how Paver developed those elements in the previous installments, but Soul Eater focused on really developing the villains of the series and their relationship to our heroes. At first I expected to be disappointed by this shift in direction, but the palpable evil of the Soul Eaters kept me on the edge of my seat.

Still, Paver does a good deal of believable and well-paced world building as the story moves into the Far North where we meet the clans who live on the snow and ice. I love Paver's work, though, because these sequence never drag the story down and they always have a purpose, keeping the action driving steadily forward.

My only hesitation with Soul Eater is just how dark it is. The villains in this book are absolutely terrifying. They kill adults and animals viciously with absolutely no regard for life, only interested in furthering their own power. I loved the first book of the series, Wolf Brother, in part because it is so accessible for kids who are new to fantasy. The second book (Spirit Walker) continued the focus on quests and adventures, while introducing a creepily dark villain. However, this third installment requires the reader to be fully invested. It's just too overwhelming to continue, otherwise.

Needless to say, I can't wait to see how this fever-pitch of evil and adventure evolves in book four, Outcast.


If you haven't read any of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books, I highly recommend them!
Other books in this series:
Wolf Brother (book 1)
Spirit Walker (book 2)
Outcast (book 4)
Oath Breaker (book 5)

Spirit Walker by Michelle Paver

Premise: This is the second book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (Wolf Brother) series. In this installment Torak, Wolf, and Renn continue to battle the Soul Eaters. This time they have set a terrible sickness upon the clans and Torak is desperate to find the cure. His search leads him out of the Forest and across the Sea to the Seal Clan where he learns a devastating truth about himself and his kin.

Title: Spirit Walker
Author: Michelle Paver
Length: 356 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8

4 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book: dark, gripping, adventurous

I loved this book almost as much as the first. It's full of action, intrigue, and Torak's desperation to save his people. I loved learning more about the world of this series - it's people, beliefs, and history. The spirit world continues to play a major role in the series, and this is the one area that confuses my students but truly reflects religious beliefs of the historical period.

There was plenty of action in this book - Torak and other characters always seem to find themselves in life-threatening scrapes. Of course, some of the rescues were a bit too convenient. Since these stories are written in the style of myths, I didn't worry too much about the rampant deus ex machina.

My only real complaint is that I want to hear more from Wolf. His unique voice really sets this series apart and I want more. I look forward to reading book 3 and finding out more about the Soul Eaters who are set on ruling the world through power (and demons!).

If you haven't read any of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books, I highly recommend them!
Other books in this series:

Wolf Brother (book 1)
Soul Eater (book 3)
Outcast (book 4)
Oath Breaker (book 5)