Aflame by Roseanna M. White

 Princess Valkyrja is considered merely ornamental.  She does not have the control over her blessed gift that her brother, the heir, and her sister, her greatest critic, have. Her father, the king of Fjordlandi depends on his two oldest children to maintain the order in the kingdom that makes the Fjordlandians the ruling class, and the Thanes, the peasant class. He also oppresses a hidden element of the community, the Daemons, whom he enslaves to control the geothermal forces below his kingdom. The king's carefully constructed hierarchy is literally blown apart by a terrorist bomb, and Valkyria finds herself as the new heir. In the aftermath of the explosion, she becomes acquainted with a Thane, Nick, who is a believer in The One. He begins to teach Valkyrja the faith that has been forbidden by her father, and she comes to see that her father, whose approval she always sought and never attained, was really a tyrant. Can she, the weakest of the royals, find the strength to undo all the wrongs her family had committed for centuries?  Not without her new friends, and her new faith.

This is the second in the series that began with the Awakened.  It occurs in the same world as the first book, but 150 years later.  None of the characters from the first book play an active role in this one, though the characters refer to them at times. This book had some of the same problems that I complained about in the first book.  The alpha-couple spend an inordinate amount of time encouraging each other. The religious elements are really heavy handed. And yet, by the end, I have to admit I was into the story.  The final action sequence was intense, and the final resolution satisfying. White also included hints for what the next in the series will be.  I will probably read it. (338 p. 2026)

The Battle for the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

 In this fourth book of the Perseus Jackson series, Percy continues his quest to discover and thwart Kronos' plans to take over Camp Half-Blood, and then Olympus.  Percy and Annabeth discover an entrance into Minos' Labyrinth on Half-Blood Hill. Kronos wants to use it to invade the camp and destroy the demigods before he attacks Olympus. Minos knows that the only way to navigate the Labyrinth is with Ariadne's ball of magic string, and he will stop at nothing to get it.  The Annabeth is called to lead a quest to enter the Labyrinth, fine to Daedalus, and convince him not to help Kronos. If they can help Grover in his search for Pan, and save Nico from the evil influences of the underworld, all the better.

I read this years ago when it first came out, but had forgotten a lot of it. I enjoyed listening to it again and being reminded why these books areso successful. Riordan is so good at creating a fun world that blends the modern with the ancient, and characters that are really endearing. He also has a great blend of action and humor and I found myself laughing out loud several times during the book. If you haven't read them in a while, this series is worth a re-visit (400 p. 2008)

The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

 Lucian is an accountant in a palace in ancient Greece. When he discovers that the of the king's overseers have been cheating the king out of great amounts of money, he knows he must flee or they will kill him.  In his flight he meets up with a donkey, who is really a poet that has been enchanted.  The donkey, Fronto, helps Lucian escape and together they start an epic journey to try to get Fronto restored to his human form.  On the way they meet a young prophetess of the Lady of Nature who is being hunted by the evil king. She believes that the Lady will be able to restore the donkey's true form. As they journey together they encounter many peoples and survive many harrowing adventures. 

I have long been a fan of Lloyd Alexander, but had never read this book.  It was published in the 1990's, and I don't think anyone would publish it today. It reads like something written by Tolkien or Lewis, and the plot reminded me a bit of some of the Shakespeare comedies. The writing is lyrical and I enjoyed it very much. I also liked how he mirrored the Greek mythological and epic stories, without copying them exactly.  Parts of the story suggested Odysseus and the Trojan war, but with an folkish tone instead of an epic tone. They are almost like what the original story of the Odyssey might have been before they it was embellished by professional a professional story teller. There were also hints of the story of Hercules, and of Jason. It was fun to be listening along and then realizing, "oh, that is like the story of the Minotaur" or "Oh, they are talking about the siege of Troy." It is very clever.  There was one thing that bothered me and would make me hesitate to recommend the book to a child.  All during the story the donkey is called a "jack ass" and there are a lot of jokes suggesting that Fronto is a jack ass in more than just physical form. I was raised in a home that was conservative enough that we wouldn't have been allowed to use the term "jack ass" so it was unsettling for me to hear it every few lines of the story. (288 p. 1995)

Unraveled by Julie Daines

 Bronwyn tries to avoid the stares and repulsion she sees in other's faces when they see her crippled legs. One day a fey creature called a gray lady comes to visit her and gives her a pair of shoes that make her legs straighten and appear whole. Her mother is so excited she arranges for her daughter to go to the capital city to be presented at court. At court she meets the handsome prince who is instantly taken by her beauty.  She also meets and old friend who knows she is normally crippled. He tries to discourage Bronwyn from accepting the Prince's advances, warning her that she can't keep her secret from the Prince forever,  but who can resist being courted by the most eligible man of the kingdom? Perhaps if the Prince comes to love her enough, he won't mind when he finds out she is not what she seems. Perhaps.

I need to look back at the other books I have read by Daines.  I must have liked them because I put her on my "clean romance writers" list.  This one, however, I could barely get through.  I almost quit several times, and only made it through so I could write this review and say how much I disliked the story. Bronwyn is a stupid, silly girl who keeps making bad decisions. She keeps stacking lies on lies even when she knows that once she tells the prince the truth it wouldn't go well. She is also not very nice to her other friends.  She lets them suffer so she can continue to enjoy her royal suitor's attentions and she's rude to everyone who is trying to help her. I think the premise of the story could have worked if she had tried to come clean earlier in the story but have been trapped into the lie by other circumstances, but she keeps coming back to a bad situation even after she has a chance to escape. I know stupidity is pretty common in the world, but I personally never want to read it. (192 p. 2014)

Sticks and Stones by Sarah Mlynowski, Laren Myracle and Emily Jenkins.

 In this second book in the Upside Down Magic series, things seem to be looking up for Nory.  She and Bax start having tutoring sessions with the Kitten Ball coach, and he recruits Nory for the team. She starts to make friends with some kids at school not in the Mixed-up Magic class. Meanwhile, strange rock centered magic keeps happening at the school, and everyone blames Bax. Bax knows he didn't do it, so the Mixed-up Magic kids work together to try to find out what is really happening.

I read the second book in this series because I wondered if it had the "Shadow" magic that shows up in the Net Flix series.  It doesn't. I think the Shadow Magic is a "made for TV" addition, to make the story more visually interesting. I enjoyed the book, though. There is a lot of humor, but also a few things to think about. It is a cute series for early novel readers. (208p., 2016)

In Want of a Knife by Nancy Warren

 In this fifth installment of the Vampire Book Club series, a movie producer has come to Ballydehag wanting to make a porno version of Pride and Prejudice. At the same time Jane Austen, now one of the undead, shows up in town and asks for help to stop the production. Quinn Callahan is at first start-struck by meeting her favorite author and determined to help her any way she can, but when the producer of the film turns up dead, can she be sure that her literary idol was not the killer?  Of course there are other suspects and motives, and it takes all Quinn's supernatural friend's help to discover the truth.

I keep reading these, and they just aren't very good. I knew who the killer was going to be in the first chapter, but the author didn't have Quinn even consider the true culprit until the last two chapters.  It was an entire book of red herrings. The only redeeming quality about books in this series is that listening to them takes absolutely not emotional or intellectual effort on my part. It is about as engaging as elevator music in a department store.  Still, sometimes that is exactly what I am looking for in a book, so I will probably read more. (226 p. 2023)

Upside Magic by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins

 Nory's father is the head master of a very prestigious magic school, and her older brother and sister are both star students in the school.  When it comes time for Nory take the qualifying test for the school, she fails dramatically. Her embarrassed father arranges for her to go to a different school where they have a program for kids whose magic is "upside down." There Nory finds friends and an emotionally supportive teacher but still longs to be normal and able to go home and be with her family again.  She and one of her newfound friends create a scheme that will allow them to test out of the special class, but it requires her to box up most of her inner life in order to fit in.

I checked out this book because Netfix has a new series based on it.  I remember it being fairly popular when it fist came out. I also noticed it on the Pride Month book list in June.  It is a short book for primary grade readers, but I can see why it would be on an LGBTQ list, even though it never mentions gender identity. It is all about the social pressure to be "normal" and how it encourages children to deny their real self. It is a good message for anyone who feels different, not just those with gender identity issues. The same yearning to be socially acceptable drove me to anorexia at about the same age as the Nory character. The writing is good and there are plenty of humorous scenes where Nory and the other kids in her class try to control their as-of-yet-uncontrolled magic. I think a lot of 3rd and 4th grade kids would enjoy it. (208 p. 2016) 

Rapunzel's Gambit by Mary Mecham

Princess Rapunzel is not happy with the way her father is running the kingdom, or her life.  When he promises her hand in marriage to any nobleman who can kill the dragon, she decides she might be better off with the dragon than with her eager suitors. On the last day before she escapes the castle she plays and loses a game of chess with a handsome and diffident squire.  If only her high-born suitors were as handsome and well mannered as he!  When Rapunzel arrives at the Dragon's lair, she proposes that together they could set up a scam to raise money for the poor in the kingdom. They would kidnap the knights that try to rescue her and then send them back only after they pay a hefty ransom. Their scheme works well, and the dragon and Rapunzel establish a genial raport. But Rapunzel can't get the squire, Griffin out of her mind.  He may just be the only person she would be happy spending her life with, but how could a princess marry a squire?

This is an interesting reimagining of the Rapunzel story, with a heavy dose of Beauty and the Beast added in. Rapunzel has a spunky personality and Mecham writes in a bunch of snappy repartee, which is fun.  The story is clearly aimed at teens, as there is a lot of romantic vacillation and raging hormones, though it doesn't really every wander past a PG rating. The one thing that bothered me about the book is that the magic system isn't very well thought out. Magic objects in the Dragon's castle seem to produce limitless supplies of food and luxury items, but at no cost. I may be spoiled by the likes of Brandon Sanderson, but I think if magic produces something, it has to take something as well. Why steal from the wealthy knights to feed the poor, if you can just give them an enchanted table instead that will provide for them all the food they could eat. Despite that, it is a fun read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to the fantasy-loving young people I know. (2025, 248 p)

A Spelling Mistake by Nancy Warren

In this third installment of the Vampire Book Club, Quinn has agreed to host the launch of newly undead author, Bartholomew Branson's last book. On the day of the launch, a woman claiming to be Branson's wife shows up and tries to steal the spotlight. Then she ends up dead.  Was it Branson, who had been estranged from his wife for 10 years, a rival publisher, agent or someone else.  Quinn and her vampire friends jump into action to try to discover the truth and save the town's reputation. 

This is just like the others in the series.  Its formulaic and the plot isn't very sophisticated. The writing and characterizations are fine. I think the Vampire Knitting Club series by the same author is better, but I always have to put those on hold.  I guess the reasons these are available is because they are solidly B quality.  Still, when I finish one book and the ones I want are still on hold, what is a girl to do? (232 p. 2020)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

 Emily Wilde is a young Cambridge professor who, at the early age of 26, is one of the world's foremost experts on the Faerie Folk.  She has traveled to the far northern town of Hrafnsvik to study the previously elusive ice faerie folk.  The town people are leery of her because she is an outsider, and she lacks social skills, so she has a rough time getting any cooperation from them, until her academic frenemy, Wendell Brambleby shows up.  His dazzling appearance and charm smooth the ruffled locals, but she is infuriated when he offers to co-author a paper with her, knowing that she will do all the work and he will get all the credit. As they begin to work together to solve some local faerie abduction mysteries, Emily begins to wonder if there is more to Wendell than meets the eye. That suspicion becomes a hope, when she finds herself in a predicament from which only his special special skills, and the help of new village friends, can save her.

I can't remember who recommended this book to me, but I am glad they did.  It is a delight. Emily's personality is super quirky, and the chemistry between her and Brambleby is a lot of fun.  Fawcett has an expansive imagination and her world building is wonderful. She has obviously spent a lot of time studying the faery folklore of the British Isles and she calls on many traditional faerie folk tropes in the book. Since I have been adjacent to the academic world my whole adult life, (my husband is a professor), the banter about getting papers published, and presenting at conferences was just an added bit of fun for me. I am sure I will be recommending this book to my fantasy loving friends and am eager to read the next in the series. (352 p. 2023)

Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer

 When his father dies, Prince Lir is driven from the kingdom when his grasping half-brother sends him on a quest to rescue a peasant girl who has been stolen by a dragon. When he arrives at the dragon lair he finds a broken down and pitiful creature who can no longer fly or breath fire.  As part of his quest Lir must do three tasks for the dragon in order to gain the girl's freedom. As Lir uses his wits to perform each task, he gains the loyalty of the dragon and the affection of the maiden, but his success is short lived. His evil step-brother has more in store for all three of them.

This is a short fairytale novella from the well-known author of the Artemis Fowl series. It honestly sounds like a bedtime story that he made up for his kids and then set down in writing.  It is charming tale of brawns vs brains, and kindness conquering over brutality. It is appropriate for both boys and girls and is full of both action and wit. The reader has a delightful accent and this would be a great choice of something to listen to on a family road-trip. The print version is highly illustrated by rockstar illustrator, J. P Lynch. I am thinking of buying a copy for my grandkids! (115 p. 2023)

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riodan

 In this second book of the Percy Jackson series, Percy has finished another year in school and is eager to return to Camp Half Blood.  When he returns he finds that Thalia's tree, which provides protection to the camp, has been poisoned.  Percy keeps having dreams that Grover is in trouble, so against camp rules he, Annabeth, and his newly found half-brother,  Tyson, go on a quest to find a way to save Thalia's tree and Grover.  Their adventure takes them into the Sea of Monsters and pits them against a whole range of magical foes. Are they doing the right thing, or are they playing into Cronos' plan?

I wanted to read this book again after watching the Netflix series of The Sea of Monsters to see how well the series followed the book.  It turns out that it follows the book really well, and even adds some emotional complexity that is only hinted at in the novel.  In the series, we get to see more deeply into Clarisse's personality and emotional conflict of Percy and Annabeth at Circe's spa.  So hooray for good TV adaptations!  (279 p. 2007)

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson

 Shai is in the royal prison after being captured trying to forge the emperor's scepter. As a forger she has the ability to recreate things by using magic to rewrite their histories.  After being condemned to death, she is offered a deal that will give her her freedom if she agrees to replicate the hardest thing in the world, a human soul. As she works on the impossible task, she gains the begrudging respect of one of the imperial elders who may just hold the key to her success and survival.

This book was recommended to me by a young woman I met at a volunteer event.  I haven't read much of Sanderson's YA literature, but what I have read I have liked.  This exemplifies Sanderson's strengths, clever world building and novel magic systems. The main characters are interesting and unusual as well.  Not often does YA literature highlight a relationship between a young woman and and older man. There is no romance, but a very sweet mentor/grandfather thing going on. It says it is a sequel novella to Elantris, (which I have never read) but it works fine as a stand alone. (176 p. 2012)

Lace and Lies by Nancy Warren

 Cardinal Woolsey's Yarn shop has been chosen to be the site of a TV show featuring a celebrity knitter.  In the show Teddy Lamont will teach six knitters how to do his knitted lace patterns.  As the participants arrive, it is obvious to Lucy that there will be some issues.  One, in particular, is making the whole experience miserable for the rest of them.  Then she is found dead in Lucy's shop. Did any of the other participants have a reason to kill her, besides the fact that she was really annoying? Or maybe it was Teddy Lamont, or his stressed out producer.  Lucy and her vampire support crew are on the case.

I was tempted to not even blog about this book.  It really is just like all the other Vampire Knitting Club books (except the relation with Raef heats up a little). I once went to a class about how to construct an escape room game by starting with the solution and working backwards, adding clues and red herrings. I think that is what Ms Warren does.  She has a formula that she follows, that works well enough that I keep putting the next book on hold.  I promise, the next book I read will be more interesting. (214 p. 2019)

(note: I read and wrote this before the Madison biography but forgot to push the publish button.  That is why  in the Madison review I said I had promised to read something more interesting. )

The Vampire Book Club 1 & 2 by Nancy Warren

 In the first book we meet Quinn Callahan who is a middle-aged divorced witch from Seattle. When she misuses her magic, the Witch Council forces her to move from Seattle to a small town in Ireland.  There she takes over the home and bookshop of another witch, Lucinda, who has also left due to the wishes of the Council. Quinn is looking forward to a fresh start and has decided to keep her witch skills on the down low when she walks into her book shop for the first time and finds a dead body. The dead man's aura hangs around the shop and she feels compelled to try to solve his murder. As she begins to investigate she is surprised to find out that a group of Vampires meet in her shop once a week in the middle of the night to have a bookclub.  Frightened at first, she quickly warms to them and enlists them to help her investigation. (2020, 246 p)

In the second book Quinn is attending her first Irish wake for a man she barely knew.  The deceased's daughter begs her to help her dispose of her father's jumble of possessions by taking all the books he left behind. As Quinn goes through the books, she finds and old grimoire written in Gaelic. While reading through it whe accidentally releases a long-dead dark witch who used to live on the dead man's property. When there is another death, Quinn is once again thrown into a murder investigation, while simultaneously trying to decide what to do with the dark witch who seems determined to haunt her. Once again she rallies the help of the book-loving vampires to solve the mystery. (2020, 230 p.)

I have been enjoying the Vampire Knitting Club series, but end up waiting for weeks for the next of the series to become available on Libby. I decided to try this series by the same author.  It exists in the same world as the Vampire Knitting Club, and Raef even makes a cameo appearance in the first book. It is very much like the other series.  The main difference is that Quinn is a more experienced witch, so she is not struggling to learn her witchcraft like Lucy is. Still, like in the first series, there is a wealthy vampire that becomes someone of romantic interest to Quinn, just as Raef is to Lucy. Also, there is some tension between Quinn and the local coven due to Quinn's earlier indiscretion. The plot of the first book was a little weak with an all-too-convenient confession in the end. I thought the second plot was a little better, but really, these books are not enjoyable because of the clever mystery plots, but because of the cozy world building.  

Fair Isle and Fortunes by Nancy Warren

 In this sixth of the Vampire Knitting Club series, Lucy's cousin, Violet, has volunteered to play the part of a fortune teller at a village fair.  When one of her fortunes turns out to be "dead" accurate, local fear and distrust of witches spikes.  Lucy decides she must solve the murder to diffuse the tension between the townsfolks and her cousin's coven. With the aid of the vampires, particularly Rafe, she digs deep into the past when another murder had rocked the community.  Could the two murders be related?

Here is another in one of my fluff-and-fun series. This one is much like most of the others and doesn't really advance the overarching plot very much.  Still, it has the delightful characters and quirky setting that draws people to the series and keeps them reading more. The mysteries in this series all have the same shape, but Warren does a good job of not making the solution too obvious. (232 p. 2019)

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

 Percy Jackson never did well in school.  He has dyslexia and ADHD and trouble seems to find him wherever he goes. Then a disastrous field trip reveals that he is really a demigod and that monsters from Greek mythology want to kill him.  His best friend takes him to Camp Half Blood where other demigods train to be come heroes. There he makes friends and is sent on a quest to recover something that has been stolen from Zeus himself. 

Of course, I read The Lightning Thief when it first came out and even met the author. That was before I started this blog, so I never blogged about it.  My husband and I recently watched the Percy Jackson videos on NetFlix so I decided to read the first one again. It really is a fun series with non-stop action, well crafted characters, and fun world building. It also helped me realize that the NetFlix version does a good job capturing the spirit of the books. (2006, 377 p.)

Land of Dragons by Beth McMullen

 In this second in the "Secret of the Storm" series, Cassie, Joe, Cassie's mom and  Miss Asher, the librarian, are all set to enter the Dragon World to save Albert.  Instead Albert comes back to their world, and seems to be on a mission to find someone who will help him save his mother.  The quest leads them to a dragon festival in another state where they make new friends and avoid old enemies. Meanwhile, Cassie's ability to control the glitter power she received from Albert is improving which is a good thing, because they will need all the friends and powers they can get if they are to save Albert's mother.

Sometimes when I am between holds, I just go through the books I have already read and look for the next in the series.  That is what happened here.  The second in the series does a good job of advancing the story of the first.  There are new characters to meet and new adventures to be had.  This is not likely to be an award winner, but I think there are a lot of 4th and 5th graders, or even younger children who are confident readers, who would enjoy this series. (272 p. 2023)

Awakened by Roseanna M. White

 Arden had always felt comfortable living in her beautiful and kind half-sister, Jade's shadow. Then the unthinkable happens.  Jade is taken by the Black-tale mermen and Arden has to find a way to save her. Luckily, that very day, Seidon, the kind of all the land-walkers, and half merman as well, visits their city for the first time in a generation. He must find a bride soon so he can have an heir and pass his magical powers that keep Daryalta prosperous. Arden wonders if Jade was the one destined to be Seidon's wife, and that is why the rogue mermen have taken her.  As Arden works with Seidon to rescue Jade, Seidon begins to think it is Arden rather than Jade who is the match the Triada intends for him.  He certainly hopes so.

If you follow my blog you will know that Roseanna White is one of my favorite historical Christian romance/mystery writers.  The only reason I haven't read one of her books in a while is that I had read all the ones available in my library. I was surprised, therefore, to find this YA fantasy written by her.  The question is, can she write fantasy?  Well, the things that made me like her as a historical fiction writer are all here. There are good well-rounded characters, a nice balance of the dramatic and the humorous, and a view of how faith works similar to my own. There are other things I like.  Her world building and magical system are interesting.  She also ties in some obscure Old Testament references as important plot points in a fun and clever way. The thing I didn't like was that it totally needed to be edited!  Should could have cut out 1/3 of the text and it would have been a much better book. The main thing she needed to cut out was all the times Jade is feeling insecure and Seidon tells her how wonderful she is. The first time and even the second time this happens, the reader is thinking "ah, how sweet."  But by the 10th or 20th (ok maybe 20 is an exaggeration, but not by much)  time this happens the reader is thinking, "Oh, this conversation again?  Let's skip a few pages to get past all this."  All the positive affirmations don't move the plot along so the whole story starts to drag. The audio book is 19 hours long!  I actually considered giving up on the book at about 15 hours. I did finish it. The question is, will I read the next one in the series.  The answer: only if there is clear evidence that someone hired an editor. (348 p. 2025)

note: 348 p seems like a normal length book. I don't know why the recording was so long.  Was the print just really small?

Purls and Potions by Nancy Warren

 Alice works in a book shop up the street from Lucy's knitting shop. She is in love with her boss, Charlie, but he hardly notices her. Violet, Lucy's cousin and employee, feels sorry for Alice and decides that Lucy should make a love potion for her, not only to help Alice, but as a training exercise for Lucy. Meanwhile, one of the vampires that lives in the catacombs beneath Lucy's shop decides to volunteer to make sets for the local college's production of Midsummer Night's dream. Alice is also in the play and when some of the actors, horsing around, grab and drink some of her potion, all manner of romantic mix-up's occur. It is all rather humorous until one of the actors ends up dead, and Charlie is the prime suspect. Lucy feels duty bound to discover who the real murderer is before anyone else's lives' are destroyed.

It was kind of fun to read this just a few weeks before Valentine's day. The mixed-up relationships between the actors cleverly match the story of Shakespeare's classic comedy. Warren does a good job dropping clues, but the resolution scene is a little cliche. Still, I enjoy these books and will keep putting the next one on hold. Apparently I am not the only one who likes them because the wait time is always several months. (2019, 252 p)