A Shadow Bright And Burning (Kingdom On Fire #1) ~ By Jessica Cluess – 3.0 Stars

Tags

Historical Fantasy, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

416 Pages

Synopsis: I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I?

Henrietta Howell can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with her Majesty’s sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she’s the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city–and the one she loves?

There are some things about this book that I loved, beginning with Jessica Cluess turning the Chosen One trope upside down. That’s not to say Henrietta isn’t the much ballyhooed “prophesied one”. To be honest, by the end of the book I was still undecided. I did feel the beginning of the story is a bit rushed with things coming together a little too fortuitously, but once Henrietta arrives in London to begin training with her fellow sorcerers, the frenetic pace slows to that of a more steady one. Henrietta herself is a complicated character. I liked her self-assuredness and determination, but there are times that she also comes across as self-absorbed. There are seven young men training with her which makes the romance, er, interesting. Because it could have gone into the almost always  annoying love triangle, quadrangle territory, this could have taken away from the story, but I actually didn’t mind it because it wound up taking a backseat to the story itself. This was also fortunate because I’m hoping the author spends some more time developing her characters. None of them really stood out from any from previous books in similar genres. Don’t get me wrong. They’re likable enough. They’re just not very original. I love books set in Victorian London which is another reason why this book called out to me. While I thought Cluess did a good job creating the setting, she did very little in the way of actual world-building. She never fully goes into the history and the magic that is the foundation of the story and in the end I was left wanting more. So, I think what I want to say is that despite the flaws in this first book, I still think this series has a lot of potential, and because of this I will definitely try the next book. I’d recommend this to fans of the The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare, as it’s somewhat similar in tone and setting.

The Door That Led To Where ~ By Sally Gardner – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 8th, 2016

288 Pages

Synopsis: AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his exams, and at almost seventeen years old, he sees a future that’s far from rosy. So when he’s offered a junior clerk position at a London law firm, he hopes his life is about to change–and it does, but he never could have imagined how much. 

While on a job, AJ finds an old key labeled with his birth date, and he’s determined to find the door it will open. When he does just that, AJ and his group of scrappy friends begin a series of amazing journeys to the past–1830, to be exact. And they quickly realize that hardship, treachery, and love haven’t changed too much in almost two hundred years.

When they discover a crime that only they can solve, the boys go from wayward youths to intrepid young men with a purpose in life. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past before the past unravels them?

The Door That Led To Where is the first book I’ve read by Sally Gardner, although I’ve heard of her other books, especially Maggot Moon (2012), which received amazing reviews. After finishing this, it’s made me want to go back and read EVERYTHING she’s ever written! The story itself seamlessly blends multiple genres including: Mystery, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel and Suspense. It’s also a touching coming-of-age story in regards to AJ and his two best mates, Leo and Slim. They’re  all characters who literally leap off the pages. They’re relatable and believable characters, whose speech and actions are pretty much what you’d expect to see from teens in their socio-economic backgrounds. None of them have had easy lives, and they’ve made mistakes which have made things worse, but that just makes them even more human. They’re extremely loyal and are always looking out for each other. While AJ is the star of the story, his friendship with Leo and Slim play a huge part. When the story opens, they’re all struggling, so it’s understandable why they’d see a way to escape their troubles by traveling into the past. What interestingly sets them apart is how each struggles with the decision about whether to stay in the past or to face the future in the here and now. The murder mystery aspect is exciting and the way the past and present chapters are woven together is beautifully done. The only reason I’m not giving this a 5 star rating is because I had some real issues with AJs mother and her behavior toward him, which for most of the book made no sense to me. Otherwise, The Door To Where is a wonderful read and I was a little sad at the end because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters. I highly, highly recommend this to teens as well as adults who love a well-told thrilling, multiple genre tale.

A Break From Whimsical Wednesday

Tags

Hillary Clinton, Inspirational Speeches

I was planning on posting that often repeated quote from Albus Dumbledore about happiness being found in the darkest of times, but to be honest, my heart just isn’t in it. And then I listened to one of the most gracious and inspiring concession speeches from Hillary Clinton. I won’t post the entire speech here as you can easily find it on the internet, but I did want to share a few passages that personally stood out to me.

…And to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have, as Tim said, spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had successes and I’ve had setbacks. Sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks too. This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.

…And– to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.

…Finally, I am so grateful for our country and for all it has given me. I count my blessings every single day that I am an American. And I still believe as deeply as I ever have that if we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strength in our convictions and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us.

Because, you know–you know, I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. You know, scripture tells us, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

So my friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary, let us not lose heart, for there are more seasons to come. And there is more work to do.