Sunbolt Review: Just Read it Now!

Premise: Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt mage, Blackflame. When Hitomi finds herself captured, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life. ~ From Goodreads

Title and Author: Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani
Length: 142 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: Digital copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Three adjectives that describe this book: unexpected, intriguing, intense

I have a major thing for world-building. I love to read Brandon Sanderson and Hugh Howey precisely because they invent super creative worlds and develop them completely with carefully placed details that create the world without boring exposition. Sunbolt does this too. But the amazing thing about it is that the author richly developed this world and these characters in under 150 pages. That is some seriously talented writing!

And the plot? Sunbolt is chock full of fight scenes, creative magic, strong women, and scary nonhuman villains. The plot also twists and turns, so that at first it seems like a political intrigue book and then a vampire story and finally a magic powers story. I need book 2 now!

Awesome Read: The Inquisitor's Mark

Premise: After the all-out Eighth Day war in Mexico, Jax, Riley, and Evangeline have gone into hiding. There are still rogue Transitioners and evil Kin lords who want to use Riley, a descendant of King Arthur, and Evangeline, a powerful wizard with bloodlines to Merlin, to get control over the Eighth Day. So when Finn Ambrose, a mysterious stranger, contacts Jax claiming to be his uncle, Jax's defenses go up—especially when Finn tells Jax that he’s holding Jax's best friend, Billy, hostage. (from the author)

Title: The Inquisitor's Mark
Author: Dianne K. Salerni
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 in the Eighth Day series
Content appropriate for: Grades 5-10
Format: ARC provided by HarperCollins and the author
Publication Date: January 27, 2015

Three adjectives that describe this book: intense, intriguing, exciting

Even better than Book 1! The Inquisitor's Mark is an intense, action-packed fantasy set in a world where Arthurian descendants can enter a secret spell-created day between Wednesday and Thursday.

This one picks up right where The Eighth Day left off, and our characters need to find and protect one of Merlin's descendants, otherwise she will be murdered to destroy the people living in the 8th day.

The Inquisitor's Mark kept me glued to the page throughout. A new set of characters are developed as an enemy clan, and they are creepy and fun to read. I loved the addition of Dorian's perspective for helping us understand just how evil the Dulacs are and how hard it is to make the right decisions.

Salerni also used this book to develop her world even further. We meet magical creatures and explore fascinating time-and-space travel tunnels.

Second books often have a hard time living up to their counterparts, but I found this Book 2 to be even stronger than Book 1, even though Book 1 was a 5 star book for me. Salerni doesn't ease into the story like she did in The Eighth Day, she jumps straight in. The dialogue is more authentic, and the world was crafted more clearly.

Also, I love that this series is steering clear of annoying love triangles. Some twinges of romance exist in the background; as in, he has a crush on her... they're holding hands. As a result, this book focuses on plot and world development, with actual character development, rather than drowning in irritating romance.

If you're looking for a fun, addictive read these books are highly recommended!

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.

Book Review: Scan by Sarah Fine

Premise: Tate's father is an inventor of weapons and tech gadgets. When Tate takes one of his father's strange devices to school, a deadly battle for the scanner begins. Both sides have nefarious intentions, both are prepared to kill. One side is human. The other side is aliens... who look like humans.

Title: Scan
Authors: Sarah E. Fine and Walter Jury
Length: 336 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 of a new series
Content appropriate for: Grades 9-12
Format: Digital ARC provided by Penguin Young Readers via NetGalley

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

This is a seriously action-packed YA alien thriller. Scan focuses on a device that reveals who among us is human and who is alien. The story is complicated by a romance between the protagonist (a human) and his hot girlfriend (an alien). Both characters hold their own with explosives, traps, and fight scenes.

Scan is populated by a great many chase scenes, gun fights, and explosions, alongside awkward teen romance, no-one-understands-me angst, and overly convenient MacGyver skills. Trapped in Walmart with a team of murderous aliens after you? No worries - we teenagers can make some explosives in just 5 minutes. And they will work perfectly.

You might be wondering - Who are these aliens? How did the human families find out about them and keep their blood "pure?" Why do the aliens look just like humans? Even though I have finished the book, I'm still wondering all of these things, too. In short, the action was plenty actiony, but the world was very very flat.

This action-packed book will make great summer reading for the high school set (lots of cursing and making out), but the plot holes and thin world development left me unsatisfied.

Freakling by Lana Krumwiede

Premise: In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi—the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. (from Goodreads)

Title and Author: Freakling by Lana Krumwiede
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand-Alone: 1st book of 2 (so far)
Content appropriate for: Grades 6-8
Format: Gifted hardback

Three adjectives that describe this book: intense, unique, futuristic

Dystopia is all the rage these days (Think Hunger Games and Divergent). Sometimes dystopian books seem too similar, like there's nothing new out there anymore. But, no! Freakling is an entirely unique and wholly engrossing dystopia.

Paperboy by Vince Vawter

Premise: An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything. (from Random House)

Title and Author: Paperboy by Vince Vawter
Length: 240 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand alone
Format: Hardback purchased for classroom library
Content appropriate for: Grade 6-8

Three adjectives that describe this book: complex, dangerous, intense

I found Paperboy to be really compelling. I've never read anything quite like it. Being inside the head of a stutterer was fascinating - he had to think about all kinds of things that most people never have to worry about. I was also fascinated by the relationship between the narrator and his African American caregiver, Mam. Books for the middle grade audience about the 1950s don't usually come from the world of wealthy white people with live-in black maids.

The official trailer:


Still - three things frustrated me. Perhaps they're just my issues, but...

This book had a lot of violence in it. Sometimes it felt over the top. A student told me that she felt "uncomfortable" about these scenes, but I think that may have been the point. I didn't live in Memphis in the 50s, so I'm not sure how accurately these things were portrayed.

The jacket promises that Paperboy tackles race and segregation issues, but these elements were more of a backdrop. Occasionally the narrator mentions that he thinks it's unfair for the zoo or movie theater to have restrictive race policies. I wish these elements had been more central to the story, but I think the author may have consciously decided to make the story center on the narrator and his stuttering struggles. In that context, the race stuff is rightfully sidelined.

Finally, the narrator meets an important mentor on his paper route and the story really builds to a big reveal. One piece is discovered at a time, with four total. However, when the 4th piece is finally discovered, there is absolutely no clarity about their meaning. The narrator and his mentor are left hanging, and this wonderful relationship falls stale.

Overall, I really enjoyed Paperboy, but it wasn't quite the book I had hoped it would be. Perhaps those are just my issues, though.

3.5 stars

 

Mark Your Calendar: The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni

Premise: Newly orphaned Jax Aubrey discovers an eighth day of the week hidden between Wednesday and Thursday and a reclusive girl living next door who exists only on that secret day. She's the key to a 2000 year old spell with its roots in Arthurian legend, and Jax's teenage guardian is her reluctant jailor. When Jax accidentally leads a pack of human bloodhounds to her door, he incites a catastrophe that could destroy the regular seven days of the week. (From the author)

Title & Author: The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni
Length: 320 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand Alone: First book in a new trilogy
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8
Format: Digtal ARC provided by HarperCollins Childrens via Edelweiss
Publication Date: April 22, 2014

Three adjectives that describe this book: intense, magical, intriguing

Mad props to the production team on this book - the title, cover, and premise really drew me in! I just HAD to read this book! I had some seriously high expectations, and boy did it deliver. The Eighth Day is my favorite book of the year so far.

I was really curious what Dianne Salerni would do with the an entire extra day of the week. And who are these people that only exist on the eighth day? What is life like for them? How did they end up trapped there?

The Eighth Day is not only a fun fantasy, set around a really cool premise, but it is a complex adventure with plenty of action and suspense. There are people robbing banks and engaging in human sacrifice and delving into magical legends.

As a fifth grade teacher, I was especially glad that this super cool, very intense adventure stayed away from YA topics. I will definitely be purchasing a copy (or two) for my classroom and heartily recommending it to my students.

5 stars

* Author's website
* Author's blog

A Wonderfully Stormy Thriller - Eye of the Storm

Premise: Set about 40 years in the future when the planet has seen a dramatic increase in monster storms. Jaden has arrived in Oklahoma to spend the summer with her father, a weather scientist, at a special science camp run by his company, Storm Safe, in a community where tornadoes seem to change direction at the last minute. Something doesn't seem right about the camp, community, or Jaden's father. When a huge tornado threatens everything, she must decide to protect her father or discover the truth.

Title: Eye of the Storm
Author: Kate Messner
Length: 304 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-8

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

True confession: I read the last 200 pages of this book in one sitting. That's how much this plot drives forward. Chock full of science experiments, research, data, and number crunching, at first glance it doesn't seem like Eye of the Storm should be such a page-turner. But Messner's skillful writing trumps all, ratcheting up the intensity with every truth uncovered and suspicious question revealed.

The only weak spot in Eye of the Storm is that the characters are a bit flat and almost type-cast:
* Jaden and Alex are nerdy problem solvers.
* Risha is a bit too boy crazy.
* Jaden's father is distant and fake.
* His new French-ballerina wife is happy to take care of the baby and have dinner ready for her husband.

Yep - these characters are thin. Still, it didn't bother me much because the focus is really on the plot and this crazy storm-filled future.

I absolutely loved this novel's action, suspense, greedy villains, and the way it made science, math, and even poetry cool.

5 stars

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...

A Hero for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

Premise: Eva Nine and Rovender Kitt have finally made it to the human village. However, as Rovender suspected, things are not quite as utopian as they seem. The leader of the humans, Cadmus Pryde, is secretly building an army of robots!

Title: A Hero for WondLa
Author: Tony DiTerlizzi
Length: 437 pages
Genre: Science Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Book 2 in the WondLa trilogy
Content appropriate for: Grades 4-10

3 adjectives that describe this book: complex, adventurous, intense

This sequel refuses to stay in any pre-established genre box. Where book 1, The Search for WondLa, was pretty firmly in the "adventures on another planet" category, this book flirts with dystopia, alien battles, and creepy spiritual creatures. Somehow, Tony DiTerlizzi makes all of these pieces fit together seamlessly.

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)

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins

Premise: The war between the rats and humans! This is the last book in the five-book series. It is decidedly darker, but also has plenty of edge-of-your-seat action. This book encompasses the great war between the rats and the humans, and Gregor has a critical role to play. 

Title: Gregor and the Code of Claw
Author: Suzanne Collins
Length: 412 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: last book in a 5-book series
Content appropriate for: grades 4-7

4 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book: exciting, dangerous, intense

In typical Suzanne Collins fashion, the realistic brutality of war was intermingled with moments of shocking revelation and quiet reflection. Much of the book has Gregor and his friends waiting for things to happen. Though this is quite a realistic look at war, it also made the plot drag at times. At first I was disappointed by the lack of epic battle scenes (there are about three), but eventually I developed a real appreciation for the evolving interactions between characters and species. Collins avoided the temptation to go out with a bang and focused on really taking her characters deeper and expanding the imagined world more fully. These are writing elements she is especially good at.

As she does in her more famous series, Hunger Games, Collins kills off a beloved character. Though this is terribly sad (tears were shed), it's a great plot device that makes character risks more palpable. Also, like Hunger Games, this final book has a somewhat unresolved ending that left me unfulfilled. Having completed both series, I wonder if writing the end is a weak spot for Collins. In both series, the endings conclude the action well-enough, but they leave me disappointed. Oh well. On the whole, I think the Gregor series is stronger than the Hunger Games trilogy.

Overall, I'd give this book 4 stars, but the series gets 5 stars as a whole. The Underland Chronicles has all of the elements that grab students - those exemplified in the Percy Jackson series. But I think Collins does a better job of making her series more engaging, complex, and meaningful. I already have a slew of students vying to read them!