Review: Far Far Away by Tom McNeal

 

A dark contemporary fairy tale

It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specificially, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings. . .

Young adult veteran Tom McNeal (one half of the writing duo known as Laura & Tom McNeal) has crafted a novel at once warmhearted, compulsively readable, and altogether thrilling--and McNeal fans of their tautly told stories will not be disappointed.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
This book was very different from what I have been reading lately. It was described as a "dark, contemporary fairy tale" and I thought that was an accurate description. It was an interesting mix of all of those. As I was reading it the story felt very much like an old fashioned fairy tale. It had a bit of a slow build up but it kept my attention and as I became more engrossed in it I sometimes forgot this was a contemporary setting. 

The little town of Never Better includes an odd assortment of residents. Jeremy is a lonely teen boy who has become an outcast because he admitted to hearing voices of ghosts. He lives alone with his odd father, in an odd bookstore in an odd town. Jacob Grimm (of the famous Grimm Brothers) is an old ghost, companion and protector of the boy from an unknown threat. He is also the narrator who weaves his past and Jeremy's present together through alternating chapters. It is his voice That Jeremy hears although he now keeps it a secret. When Ginger, an adventurous teen, becomes interested in Jeremy, they set in motion a change of events that changes everyone's lives.

I wasn't sure how this would all come together but the author did it well. The suspense built into a dramatic ending. This was my first book by Tom McNeal but it won't be my last.  I would especially recommend this for those who enjoy the style of classic fairy tales. 
  
Author
Publisher  
Thank you to NetGalley for an arc ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 6/11/13
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 384 (hardcover)
Type: YA fantasy

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And this was Akiva's new hell: to have everything change and nothing change...
It was absurd that he should find himself back in his old life as if he were the same creature before a blue-haired girl brushed past him in a narrow street in another world.
~page 28
Days of Blood & Starlight (book 2) by Laini Taylor

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In the Urwald you grow up fast or not at all. By the time Jinx was six he had learned to live quietly and carefully, squeezed into the spaces left by other people even though the hut he lived in with his stepparents actually belonged to him. He had inherited it after his father died of werewolves and his mother was carried off by elves.
 ~page 1(arc)
Jinx by Sage Blackwood

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
I didn't have any expectations going into this book. I didn't even remember what the blurb was on the cover. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to read and I was quickly pulled into the world of Alina Starkov. I could not put this book down! I don't know much Russian history, geography or some of the terms used, but it wasn't necessary to understand the story. I was able to comprehend it within the context and the writing flowed smoothly in Alina's narration. She recounts her lonely past, growing up in an orphanage with her best friend Mal. Now they are both soldiers - she is a mapmaker and he is a tracker. When it is discovered that she has latent magical powers that are unique, she is quickly taken away to the royal court to be protected and trained as a Grisha in a lifestyle that is totally foreign to her. There is a huge emphasis on beauty and wealth but this plays into Alina's insecurity and lack of confidence. The powerful leader of the Grisha is the Darkling and he takes a keen interest in this young girl. He is desperate to develop her talent but is it really for the good of the nation? As she finds her inner strength, she gains control over her powers but still has many questions and needs to determine her true purpose. 

The characters were well developed with their back stories being gradually filled in throughout the chapters. It was interesting to see who would be overtaken by desire and who would suffer the consequences. The world building was clever and enchanting. I was fascinated by the author's creations in this exciting and powerful fantasy that moved along at a brisk pace. Although I don't care much for love triangles, this was of a different variety. Alina loves and cares for lifelong companion Mal but is also drawn in by the mysterious allure of the powerful Darkling. Who can she really trust with so much at stake? And what is she really fighting for?

I was very impressed by this debut and I'm looking forward to next book in the trilogy!
Siege and Storms (The Grisha #2) coming 2013
Ruin and Rising (The Grisha #3) coming 2014

Thank you to Macmillan (Fierce Reads) for an arc to review. 

Author 
Publisher
Fierce Reads

Release date: 6/5/12
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 358
Type: YA fantasy

Review: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

From the author who's inspired millions worldwide with books like "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" comes his most imaginative novel yet, "The Time Keeper"--a compelling fable about the first man on earth to count the hours. The man who became Father Time.

In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.

Told in Albom's signature spare, evocative prose, this remarkably original tale will inspire readers everywhere to reconsider their own notions of time, how they spend it and how precious it truly is.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
I've read and enjoyed Mitch Albom's past books. I find them unusual but charming and this one was no exception. While the theme is not unusual, about making the most of the time you have, the concept was unique. The three main characters and their journeys were extremely different - a man "sentenced" to be Father Time, a terminally ill, wealthy man and a lonely, teenage girl. Each of them longed for a different use of time and didn't appreciate all that had already been given to them. They weren't even very likable in the beginning but they each evolved into better people. Chapters alternated between characters until their lives intertwined. I wasn't sure how it would be done but the author was able to connect them all in an interesting way and tie up loose ends.

The chapters were short and a bit choppy but easy to read. With a storyline much like a fable, it delivered an emotional message about the value of the time. It was interesting to see if the characters, as well as the readers, learned their lessons. Fans of this author are likely to enjoy this book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ebook to review.

Author
Publisher

Release date: 9/4/12
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 240 (ebook)
Type: Adult fiction

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, 

when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? 
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
I don't read a lot of historical fiction but I'm glad I picked up this one. It has it's own unique mix of romance, mystery and intrigue with a dash of the paranormal. This is the first book in His Fair Assassin series and has some tough females. A convent of trained killers in medieval France is nothing to take lightly. Ismae is a lost soul and running from an abusive life when she stumbles upon St. Mortain's. The sisters serve Death and train other young women to do the same. Ismae discovers she is a gifted assassin and is given an important assignment to protect the young Duchess from the man who will bear the Marque. A man she must then kill.

The story was well written with great detail and background. Luckily I was reading the ebook version and could easily look up words I didn't know (and there were plenty). The description of the girls' training and weapons were interesting and quite informative. The tale of the god St. Mortain was intriguing and complex, unfolding slowly throughout the book. At times the story seemed dragged out and I started to drift off in the middle. The family history and politics didn't hold my attention but those aren't topics of interest for me anyway. I did enjoy the characters and how diverse they were although I did confuse some member of the royal court from time to time.

Grave Mercy is not a light read and is best savored. If you enjoy historical fiction you will probably appreciate this one more than I did. The next book features a different main character's story, Sybella, who also attended St. Mortain.  
Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) coming in 2113
www.robinlafevers.com

Thank you to NetGalley for an ebook in exchange of my honest review.

Release date: 4/3/12
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 549 (hardcover)
Type: YA historical fiction, series

Giveaway: Tempest by Julie Cross

 I haven't had a contest in a while so let's get started with this one. I'm giving away my gently used ARC (my review) and I'm also cleaning shelves so more giveaways are coming soon!! 

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form below to enter.
-I'm doing this myself so it's international
- Winners chosen by random.org
- Contest ends 2/24/12 at 11:59 p.m. EST (CLOSED)

Extra entries:
+1 new follower
+2 old follower
+2 promote - leave link

Review: Tempest by Julie Cross

 Today Jackson and Holly 
are in love

Tomorrow she will lie dying
in his arms

Yesterday Jackson must 
undo it all

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
This was an interesting take on an old theme. Time travel and romance. Jackson has a secret but it seems that more people know about it than he realized. His jumps to the past are harmless fun and a great source of data for his geek friend Adam who is helping him develop his new talent. But he becomes the hunted and his girlfriend is shot when the Enemies of Time try to recruit him. There is nonstop action and plenty of danger as Jackson desperately tries to change Holly's fate and possibly his own.

I enjoyed the book and the suspense kept me turning the pages. As secrets of the past are revealed more complexities are slowly unveiled. I enjoyed the storyline and this take on time travel. I liked most of the characters, especially the quirky ones. The teenagers were usually believable as teens and age appropriate. They were quite self absorbed in the beginning but the more obstacles they faced the more they changed and matured.

It may be because I'm older and not a teen but there were details that bothered me. I don't want to give anything away so I won't list many specifics. I found some of the actions to be odd and not so believable. These kids have had their lives threatened but security often leaves them alone. Do they really need to go for a walk when their enemy can literally pop up at any time? And later in the story the time travel became confusing because it branched out in so many directions. The loose threads do set up the storyline for the rest of the trilogy though. I am curious to see how they untangle and I look forward to the next book coming in 2013. Overall I found it to be a good start to the series and an easy read by the fireplace.

First in the Tempest trilogy
Bonus short story Tomorrow is Today
www.facebook.com/TempestSeries
www.juliecross.blogspot.com


Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an ARC to review.


Publisher: St. Martin's Griffn
Release date: 1/17/12
Pages: 352
Price/format: $17.99/hardcover
Type: YA fantasy

Blog Tour: North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Book #2 in The Wingfeather Saga

Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby thought they were normal children with normal lives and a normal past. But now they know they’re really the Lost Jewels of Anniera, heirs to a legendary kingdom across the sea, and suddenly everyone wants to kill them.

In order to survive, the Igibys must flee to the safety of the Ice Prairies, where the lizardlike Fangs of Dang cannot follow. First, however, they have to escape the monsters of Glipwood Forest(*1), the thieving Stranders of the East Bend(*2), and the dreaded Fork Factory(*3).

But even more dangerous are the jealousies and bitterness that threaten to tear them apart, and Janner and his siblings must learn the hard way that the love of a family is more important than anything else.

*1. All possessing very sharp teeth.
*2. Murderous scoundrels, the lot.
*3. Woe!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from blog)
When not pouring imagery into his songs, singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson focuses on another kind of writing. Waterbrook Press published the author’s first fantasy novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, to critical acclaim. Garrison Keillor’s News from Lake Wobegon and The Chronicles of Narnia, along with bedtime tales Peterson spun for his daughter Skye and two sons Aedan and Jesse, inspired the book. In 2007, a richly illustrated children’s book, The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats (Thomas Nelson), became a visual companion to Peterson’s song of the same name. In addition, he’s been lending his diverse talents to the VeggieTales establishment, co-writing three children’s songs with solo artist and friend, Randall Goodgame.

Many would consider the current setting of Peterson’s multi-faceted work somewhat idyllic. In recent years, he relocated his family of five to a charming little house on the side of a hill just south of Nashville. The storybook dwelling offers a respite from the artist’s hectic schedule, while also quenching the boyish side of Peterson, always thirsty for a new adventure.

LINKS
Author website
Waterbrook Press (division of Random House)
To purchase this book
More books by this author

BOOK DETAILS

• Category: Juvenile Fiction, fantasy, action & adventure, Christianity
  
• Format: Trade Paperback, 352 pages
• On Sale: August 18, 2009
• Price: $13.99
• ISBN: 978-1-4000-7387-0 (1-4000-7387-1)
• Available August 18, 2009
  

Thank you to Waterbrook Multnomah Books for including me in the tour.
I'm still reading this book so my review is coming soon!

Review: How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

I have a parking fairy.
I'm fourteen years old.
I can't drive.
I don't like cars and
I have a parking fairy.

In New Avalon, almost everyone has a personal fairy. These invisible fairies are like a good luck charm and vital to each person's success. Some help to get good grades, make touchdowns, never get into trouble - but Charlie has a parking fairy. She doesn't need or want help parking, especially since she can't drive. The only person who does is the school bully and he forces her to ride with him so he's insured a great spot.

Charlie comes up with an idea that involves the girl in school she likes the least. Fiorenze has a fairy that makes all of the boys like her. Unfortunately for her, none of the girls do. Charlie needs her to make her plan work so she can get what she's always wanted, a good fairy. But things don't work out the way she planned and now she needs to set things right. But it's going to take something extraordinary to do it.

I enjoyed the fairy tale (pun intended) aspect of this story. In the author's notes she mentions that this is set in an imaginary country similar to the U.S. and Australia, possible in the near future. This made it easy to relate to in many ways but also allowed for the fantasy to develop. While Charlie attends a prestigious all sports school the characters could be interchanged with the stereotypes of any high school - the popular girls, the jocks, the misfits and all the rest. And their insecurities are timeless even in a fantasy world. The humor made this even more enjoyable and the girls' ambition to take charge of their own lives had me cheering them on.

A glossary and school rules are in the back of book and are very helpful. I wish I had known about them during the story but it wasn't that hard to figure out the definition from the context. I would highly recommend this to anyone who would like a bit of a different take on the high school experience.


Author's website and blog: www.justinelarbalestier.com

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Release date: 9/16/08
Pages: 320
Price/Format: $16.99/Hardcover
Type: Fiction
Age: Young Adult

Review & Contest - Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert

Mia Lockhart has a secret. Her mother was a Keeper, as was her grandmother - women who were warriors, healers, and protectors. As Mia practices among the boxers and martial artists of South London, she has no idea that a man who calls himself "Dragonfly" is watching from the shadows. Adrian Ashton is a brilliant scientist, an expert in the field of biophoton emissions from cells within the human body. He is also a skilled martial artist - and a modern day vampire. With the aid of an ancient Chinese text, he has mastered the art of draining the chi of his opponents - the vital energy that flows through their bodies. Mia finds herself drawn to his dark genius. but when he targets the man she loves, she is forced to chose between them. It becomes a fight to the death in which love is both the greatest weakness and the greatest prize. A fast-paced, highly evocative thriller, Keeper of Light and Dust is a twenty-first-century novel exploring themes as old as time: the imperative of violence and the redemptive power of love.
(- inside cover flap)

~Author's Notes

A thief of light...

I have always been interested in the concept of chi - the vital energy, which forms the basis of traditional Chinese medicine and which is so prevalent in Oriental thought. I therefore decided to turn my villain into a brilliant scientist who is passionate about chi and who has devoted his life to the study of this mysterious life force. But Adrian Ashton is not just a genius, he is also a killer. He has mastered the secret of draining the chi of his victims and making it his own. It was great fun researching the world in which he lives and I enjoyed putting a twist to the vampire legend, creating a vampire for the twenty-first century: a thief of light.

My second source of inspiration was the world of martial arts. I am a kickboxer and I love nothing more than to spar with some very cool guys in the two London dojos where I train. For years I've wanted to write a book that draws on my knowledge of the fighting world. Furthermore, I have long been fascinated by the many myths and legends featuring battle-scarred men who are protected - or cursed - by beautiful, powerful women. And so I created the character of Mia Lockhart, a martial artist descended from a long line of Keepers: women who are both warriors and healers.

Tattoos, quantum physics, sweaty men and chi: I started writing Keeper of Light and Dust* with a number of haphazard ideas in my head. Some of these ideas have been germinating for a while. When I researched the topic of 'remote viewing' for my previous book, Season of the Witch, I became interested in the concept of psi-space and read up on Hall Puthoff's work at Stanford Research Institute and his enthusiasm for the Zero Point Field. A chance reading of Lynne McTaggert's The Field, in which she offers a compelling argument for the concept of an interconnected universe, further inspired me, specifically her chapter on Fritz-Albert Popp and his research into biophotonics. Her second book, The Intention Experiment, was invaluable to my understanding of remote healing. My imagination was also kicked into overdrive by Robert O. Becker's intriguing book, The Body Electric, which deals with organ regeneration and biolectronics.

~Chi

At the heart of my novel - like a golden pulse - lies the concept of chi.

Chi has never been clinically established inside a laboratory and it is not a concept used in Western medicine. In China, however, it is different. Chi lies at the heart of traditional Chinese medicine and the codified Chinese acupuncture studies go back two thousand years.

The concept of vital energy informs The Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine - the historical equivalent of the Western Corpus Hippocraticum.

Chi enters the body through acupuncture points and flows through twelve meridians and two midline collaterals and through paired yin and yang organs. The movement of chi builds up in wavelike movements, completing a cycle every twenty-four hours. In the early morning hours, chi is at its lowest ebb.

Although chi cannot be dissected under a microscope and does not fit the empirical model, many Western scientists have done experiments with acupuncture. Robert Becker, an American orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in biomedical electronics, found that there are electrical charges separate from the pulses of the body's nervous system, which correspond to the body's acupuncture meridians. Other scientists have proved that there are differences in the levels of potassium and sodium in acupuncture points compared to the surrounding tissue. Acupoints also exhibit lower skin resistance: these points conduct electrical current more efficiently. What's interesting is that this lower skin resistance is even measurable after death.

Chi and Reiki

In Keeper my heroine is a long distance Reiki practitioner who uses chi as a healing force to protect the fighters in her keep. The founder of Reiki is considered to be Usui Mikao (1865-1926) but it is worth remembering that the origin of healing through universal energy dates back before the time of Christ and Sammasambuddha. Fa gung - the transmission of chi through meditation -- is a very old concept.

Chi and martial arts

I believe in chi myself and I also think that we are all subliminally aware of each other's chi and react to it intuitively. Some among us are blessed with strong chi, in others vital energy is blocked and may lead to malaise and depression.

There is no place where I am more aware of my own vital energy than when I am training in the dojo. Increasing your chi sensitivity is central to the discipline of martial arts. For a beautifully written exposition of this journey I highly recommend Kenji Tokitsu's Ki and the Way of the Martial Arts.

~Review

I wasn't familiar with this book before I was approached for this blog tour. I had heard of the previous novel, Season of the Witch but not this one. I also didn't have a lot of knowledge about the topic of chi and martial arts but I knew enough to understand the description.

Natasha Mostert writes a detailed thriller that combines the western world with the eastern world, modern times with ancient times. Mia is a Keeper, a secret bestowed to her by her mother at the age of 18. She uses it to protect the fighters around her and since she is also a tattoo artist, she marks them each with a special tattoo. She has the closest connection with Nick, another fighter that she has been friends with since childhood. Their relationship has evolved into more than just friendship, they just don't seem to realize it yet. When Adrian enters their lives as Nick's new trainer you can feel the balance shift. Adrian helps Nick prepare for his big fight and achieve the best fitness of his life. Although Mia is drawn to Adrian's talent she senses that there is danger as well. And she is right. She eventually becomes involved in a battle of basic good versus evil. An evil man has the desire to live forever and he won't let anything get in his way.

The world of marital arts is described in detail and you can see how well Natasha's own experiences as a kickboxer have influenced her writing. It's not just about fighting but about the art and the history of it. Some parts of this took me longer to understand but as the story went on it became more clear. This story is a work of fiction but the concepts are not. While increasing chi sensitivity is an important part of marital arts, the author has used other seemingly unrelated ideas (to me anyway) and her own experiences and connected them to form a different kind of thriller. I am fascinated by the concept of Chi and how vital energy flows through our body. I have considered acupuncture for my own chronic pain but it's an expense that my medical insurance won't cover. (Big surprise) I have become more and more open to the study of other practices, to at least consider the possiblities of benefits and applications. I applaud Natasha for following her passion and for being so creative with this book.


~Blog Tour

There are other blogs having reviews and giveaways this month. Thank you to Sheri at A Novel Menagerie for asking me to join in.

A Novel Menagerie - April 2nd

Literary Escapism – April 7th

The Literate Housewife Review - April 10th

Peeking Between The Pages – April 17^th

Saavy Verse & Wit – April 21^st

Jo-Jo Loves to Read – April 28^th

www.natashamostert.com - author's website
www.thekeepergame.com - *The Keeper Game* is a personality game based on the book. You will be assigned a profile based on your answers and prizes are possible. First prize is a Kindle and there are weekly gift vouchers offered.

Publisher: Dutton/Penguin
Release Date: April 2, 2009
Pages: 310
Price/Format: $25.95/Hardback
Type: Fantasy
Age: Adult


** My First Contest! **

For a chance to win a copy of Keeper of Dust and Light leave a comment below.
For an extra chance, become a follower or subscriber (also those who already are) and let me know.

Contest ends April 20th.

Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The day after they moved in,
Coraline went exploring...

In their new flat, there are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Only thirteen of these doors open. The last door has always been locked until the day that Coraline's mother unlocks it with a very old key. She shows her daughter that it's a door to nowhere, the doorway had been bricked up. But the day that Coraline unlocks it herself she finds a hallway that leads to another flat exactly like her own except it's more interesting. The walls are brighter colors, the toys move and seem to come to life and the food tastes better. There is even another mother and another father. They seem very nice and say they love her but they are very odd. They have buttons sewn on for eyes and very long fingernails. And now they want to keep her and change her. The other mother wants to sew buttons on her eyes too.

As Coraline realizes that she must escape this world and return to her own she begins to hear the voices of children who are also trapped there, lost souls behind a mirror. She knows she can't leave them and she must fight for them as well as herself. She will need all of her wits, some special tools and some help from a black cat to save all of them. Her plain, ordinary life never looked so good.

I've heard about this young adult book for a long time but it took me forever to get around to reading it. I always wonder if a book will live up to the hype when it becomes so popular. I did enjoy it and thought it was very clever. I always admire when someone, especially a child, is brave in the face of adversity or fear. And when they put the welfare of others before themselves it always makes them a hero in my eyes. I don't think it will be my favorite Gaiman book though. I just got The Graveyard Book from the library and it captured my attention immediately. I look forward to reading many more pieces of his work. I have a lot of catching up to do!


Neil Gaiman's website.

Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: 7/2/2002
Pages: 176
Price/format: $15.99/hardcover, $6.99/paperback
Type: fantasy
Ages: 8 and up