Resistance (Ilyon Chronicles)

Title: Resistance

Series: Ilyon Chronicles (Book #1)

Year: 2014

Author: Jaye L. Knight (other name: Molly Evangeline)

Summary: Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Kyrin
~ Jace
~ Kaden
~ Rayad

Review: I read a lot about this book before I ever got my hands on a copy. Everyone was raving about it, and every time I saw another review, my interest was more keenly sparked. And when I finally got to read it, I was not disappointed.

Honestly, I'm not certain how to write this review because I enjoyed this book that much. Resistance has quickly become a favorite story, and on my shelves, it ranks high next to The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. This story wraps up danger, adventure, fantasy, family, humor, and all epic things that I love in one amazing tale. Although I took a rather lengthy respite from reading this book all the way through due to college, I loved every bit of it, and I ended the book yearning for more. Sure, it's a satisfying end to the beginning of the series, but be ye warned: you can't get to the end of this book and NOT want the second book, The King's Scrolls, which is due for release in February of this year. 

Kyrin and Kaden are twins living under the thumb of an evil king, a man who claims allegiance to false gods and commands everyone to do the same -- or face public execution. They are able to worship the one true God secretly for a while, but they cannot hide forever. It's not long before Kyrin comes under suspicion, and it's a race against time to gain safety. Meanwhile, Jace is a young man torn with the expectations thrust on those of his race. He's only half ryrik, but almost everyone deems him a monster. 

I love the relationship shown between Kyrin and Kaden. I'm pretty close to my brother (we're only 4 years apart in age), so I was able to relate to them well. I really liked how they interacted with each other -- just like real siblings do, some fun, some serious, always looking out for each other. Jace, I thought, was a little on the moody side, and I'm not usually a fan of moody heroes. But, for some reason, I really liked Jace. There was something different about him that I found intriguing. He's not your typical outcast -- a fact I appreciated. 

The adventure was just what you'd want out of a book like this, yet on a different level. Not only are we dealing with an evil king and bad laws and despicable cohorts, but on top of that, Jaye has given us a battle between good and evil -- really. The one true God has been kicked out of everyone's lives, and it's basically acknowledge and worship the false gods or be killed. In a way, it's a good picture of the end times. The world is taken over with evil, and that evil hates truth so much that living for the truth means death to anyone who dares goes against the world's expectations. We don't think much about the danger we will face as Christians living for the one true God, and yet, that danger is there all the same. The world will hate us because of Him, and it is our responsibility to glorify Him in whatsoever we do.

I could go on and on about all the things I loved about this book, but I won't. I'll end up giving away all of the story, and then what point would there be for you to read it? And yes, you need to read this book if you haven't already. It's that good. You won't regret it. My only regret is having read it too soon, and now I have to wait for the second one to come out. 

Advisory: Fantasy violence, fighting, and some torture scenes -- scary, but not overly graphic. One of the false gods is described as a immodestly dressed woman, but it was always portrayed in a bad light. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy Resistance on Amazon!

The Princess Spy (Hagenheim)

Title: The Princess Spy

Series: Hagenheim (Book #5)

Year: 2014

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Summary: Margaretha has always been a romantic, and hopes her newest suitor, Lord Claybrook, is destined to be her one true love. But then an injured man is brought to Hagenheim Castle, claiming to be an English lord who was attacked by Claybrook and left for dead. And only Margaretha---one of the few who speaks his language---understands the wild story. Margaretha finds herself unable to pass Colin's message along to her father, the duke, and convinces herself 'Lord Colin' is just an addled stranger. Then Colin retrieves an heirloom she lost in a well, and asks her to spy on Claybrook as repayment. Margaretha knows she could never be a spy---not only is she unable to keep anything secret, she's sure Colin is completely wrong about her potential betrothed. Though when Margaretha overhears Claybrook one day, she discovers her romantic notions may have been clouding her judgment about not only Colin but Claybrook as well. It is up to her to save her father and Hagenheim itself from Claybrook's wicked plot. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Margaretha
~ Colin

Review: With a title like The Princess Spy, this book seemed like the epic fairy tale retelling that I'd been waiting for. Of all the retellings I've read, there have been very few Frog Prince stories, and most of them have been less than satisfactory. This one... well, I'm having trouble putting it in good or bad. But maybe that's just me. One of the biggest annoyances was the romance -- which I address later on. 

Okay, well, let's start off with something good -- Margaretha is definitely a step up from the heroines we're used to seeing. She's spunky, but still in a very feminine fashion. I really liked her. Colin was a hero tormented with doubts and fears from the past, yet he did slowly improve during the course of the novel. The references to the frog were rather humourous. I wondered how one would make a frog fairy tale work without any magic, yet I think Melanie Dickerson really nailed that aspect. Two thumbs there, in my opinion.

Something bad -- for someone who was familiar with Melanie Dickerson's previous stories, I found this book highly predictable. It tasted very cliche. A heroine in danger, someone got kidnapped/taken away, romantic musings, the two lovers travel together, a big climax, and then your happily ever after. I appreciated that the author messed up the recipe slightly by sticking a small boy in on the adventure -- a smart, little, German chap known as Toby. He was a welcome bit of humor and change from your usual Dickerson fairy tale. More of Toby would have been nice.

The novel is called The Princess Spy, and while there was a lot of talk about the whole princess deal, I wish there could have been more of the spy aspect. Margaretha was not the ideal spy, and if she had spent less time mooning over Colin and more time actually acting the spy, I probably would have enjoyed this book more.

Wow... I feel like I'm really bashing Melanie Dickerson right now. I did not mean to make this review a total bash. I did actually enjoy this book. And I'm sure there are lots of people who read this and loved it to pieces. I would say that this is my favorite or one of my favorites from this author, yet it wasn't that much more spectacular than any of her other novels. 

Advisory: Fantasy danger and fighting, but portrayed exactly as we're used to for Melanie Dickerson.

Also, romance. What new things can I say here? In my personal opinion, each new book from Melanie Dickerson adds just one more reference to kissing, and it really annoys me. Colin hadn't known Margaretha for very long before he thought about kissing her, and for her, it was the same. Seriously? I'm sorry, romantics, but -- in the words of Kuzco -- "me no likey." Too much emotional attraction, and it got on my nerves. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy The Princess Spy on Amazon!
*Please note: I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.*

Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere

Title: Battle of the Ampere

Series: Michael Vey (Book #3)

Year: 2013

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Summary: Michael, Taylor, Ostin and the rest of the Electroclan have destroyed the largest of the Elgen Starxource plants, but now they’re on the run. The Elgen have teamed up with the Peruvian army to capture them, and only Michael remains free. With his friends due to stand trial for terrorism—a charge that may carry the death penalty—Michael will need all his wits and his abilities if he’s to save them.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Dr. Hatch and his loyal Electric Children have seized control of the E.S. Ampere—the super yacht the Elgen use as their headquarters. With the seven ships of the Elgen fleet now under his control, Hatch heads back to Peru to gather his army and begin his quest for global domination.

Michael must free his friends then find a way to stop Hatch, but Hatch knows Michael and the Electroclan are coming. And he’s ready for them. Can the Electroclan win the battle of the Ampere? Or has Michael’s luck finally run out? (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Michael Vey
~ Taylor Ridley
~ Ostin Liss
~ Tessa
~ Jack
~ Zeus
~ Abigail
~ Ian
~ McKenna
~ Dr. Hatch

Review: *rubs hands* Well, well, well. Where to begin? Another epic novel describing the further adventures of electric Michael Vey. Just so we're clear, Rise of the Elgen is still my favorite book of the series. Don't get me wrong -- this was a fantastic continuation of the Electroclan's adventures. I really can't wait for book four, Hunt for Jade Dragon, which... doesn't come out until later this year. This is the first time I've had to wait to read the next book, and I'm not very happy about it. Not happy at all, Bob. {edit: I originally wrote this review during the summer and waited to post it; Hunt for Jade Dragon is now out}

Whew! Talk about a quick pace! Michael awakens in the jungle with no knowledge of his friends' whereabouts. With Hatch still searching for him, he can't really stop in one place. Nope. First, he's got to escape the jungle, rescue his friends, and then hop a ride to their newest mission: the Ampere, the Elgen's gigantic, luxury ship which acts as their main headquarters. There's never a moment to be bored.

Okay, let me say here that I applaud Mr. Evans for writing a believable hero/adventure series. Sure, it's all about the kids, but they act like kids. They joke, they get upset with each other, and they all don't automatically know how to drive an army truck or have high class explosives they can pull out of back pocket. They take care of themselves, yet they're not afraid to admit fear or ask for help. In fact, oftentimes they act with the advice/assistance of an adult, making the plot a lot more believable, in my opinion.

Advisory: There was more in this book that I need to point out than the first two in the series. For one thing, this is probably so far the most violent as there are kidnappings, chases, explosions, shootings, deaths, etc. etc. I didn't find anything overly graphic, but Battle of the Ampere definitely had some darker themes than the previous two books.

One thing that really bothered me (and the main reason this book only got 3 stars) was the relationships between the romantic couples. More than once, as the boys and girls were traveling together and staying in close quarters, a couple would sleep next to each other or sleep in the same bed/couch. It remained innocent, but I have to say the idea bothered me. There are at least three couples that are identified in this book, but (other than a kiss or two) each romance is downplayed as the main plot of the novel is the kids' mission with Dr. Hatch's ship, the Ampere.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Related Reviews: Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25
                           Michael Vey: Rise of the Elgen

Click here to buy Battle of the Ampere on Amazon!

A Modern Cinderella

Title: A Modern Cinderella or, The Little Old Shoe and Other Stories 

Series: None 

Year: 2012 (republication) 

Author: Louisa May Alcott 

Summary: This book contains four short stories by Louisa May Alcott: A Modern Cinderella, Debby's Debut, The Brothers, and Nelly's Hospital. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Nan
~ Debby Wilder
~ Miss Dane
~ Nelly

Review: This collection of short stories from Louisa May Alcott is sweet. It didn't take me long to read through the entire Kindle version, and I enjoyed it. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but I'm glad I picked this one up. My main interest in this collection came entirely from its title: A Modern Cinderella. Looking up whatever Cinderella retellings I could, and being a fan of L.M. Alcott, I decided this should go on my list.

A Modern Cinderella tells the tale of... well, a modern Cinderella. Nan is our heroine, and her story is very much in the style of Alcott's most famous work, Little Women. It's light and sweet, and the differences played from the original Cinderella tale are refreshing. Nan's father is still alive, yet suffers from health problems; her sisters allow her to play the servant, but that's only because they're so busy in their own hobbies/interests that they don't often notice her working hard in the background. But for all their faults, they love her to pieces. One of my favorite things about this short story was the portrayal of the shoe. No, Nan didn't lose it at the ball, but I really enjoyed how Alcott worked it into the plot.

Debby's Debut is basically a coming-out story, and I think it's safe to say that this was my favorite of the four. Yes, they were all good, but this one seemed to have a little more wit and spice than the others. Debby, or Dora, as her aunt Pen calls her, is a young lady getting ready for grand society. She's used to being a country girl but now faces the arduous task of coming out at the beach under Aunt Pen's strict eye. Debby's not very good at flirting, and her country manners, though charming, and not refined enough for society's taste. Even though she appreciates her aunt's intervention, Debby doesn't agree with everything that society wishes her to do.

The Brothers is the darkest tale of the collection, pulling some of Alcott's wartime nursing experience into the plot. Miss Dane is an accomplished nurse to whom the doctor entrusts the care of two wounded men when the hospital beds overflow. One man is a white Rebel who is broken down with a horrible fever; the other, a mulatto man with some facial wounds. Miss Dane cares for them both, but finds surprise when she discovers the two men are connected in a very strange, but bitter, way. She thought she was to save their lives from their illnesses/injuries... not from each other.

Nelly's Hospital brings the collection to an end, and such a sweet end it is, too. Nelly is a young girl whose only desire is to lend a hand at the hospital. Her brother has just come home from the war and, seeing how he suffered, Nelly wants to offer compassion and assistance to others like him. She's too young to help in a real hospital, but her mother heartily approves of her setting up a miniature Sanitary Ambulance to help ailing creatures and other small pets. Together with her friend Tony, Nelly becomes the nurse she's always dreamed of being and makes a bigger impact than even she thought possible.

Advisory: Some profanity in The Brothers as characters vent their emotions.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy A Modern Cinderella on Amazon! It's currently free on Kindle!

Spirit Fighter (Son of Angels)

Title: Spirit Fighter

Series: Son of Angels (Book #1)

Year: 2012

Author: Jerel Law

Summary: Your mom always said you were an angel. What if she was right? 

Jonah Stone has always thought of himself as average, but in seventh grade he learns a fascinating family secret, and his world turns upside down. Jonah’s mom is a nephilim, the daughter of a human and a fallen angel, which makes Jonah one-quarter angel. When his mom is kidnapped by fallen angels, it’s up to Jonah and his sister Eliza to rescue her. Guided by prayer and a guardian angel, Jonah and Eliza embark on an epic adventure through the streets of New York and come to understand that God plans in ways they never could have imagined. Spirit Fighter, Book 1 in the Son of Angels: Jonah Stone series, is an imaginative adventure that is based on scripture in the book of Genesis. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Jonah Stone
~ Eliza Stone

Review: I found this book via Goodreads, and as it was advertised as a "Christian" Percy Jackson, I'd thought I'd try it out. And as far as the advertising goes, I think it's right on the head. Jonah Stone is just what you'd want him to be.

Jonah just wants to be a normal teenager. However, being normal is far from the family he was born into. Nope, his mother is half angel (what is called a nephilim), and Jonah and his two siblings are quarter angels. And then his mom is kidnapped, and Jonah learns that he and Eliza have been chosen to go after her. They each have their angel powers to help protect them, and accompanying them is their family's guardian angel, Henry.

In some ways, this book reminded me greatly of Percy Jackson. Ready for some similarities? 

• Kidnapped mother (duh, that's a given)
• Super cool powers (Percy has water powers, while Jonah has super strength and speed)
• Fights with creatures no normal person can see (Percy - mythological creatures; Jonah - fallen angels)
• Creepy old ladies with knitting needles
• New York
• Trouble in school
• And so on...

See? Very Percy Jackson-ish. Even the writing style was light and fun like Rick Riordan's. But for Jerel Law's credit, he did a good job in creating something that seemed familiar, but was unique in a special way. The whole plot revolved around the kidnapping of Jonah's mother, a nephilim. The fallen angels have a dark plan in which they require her specifically, and Jonah and Eliza must rescue her before that big plan can go into action. No, I'm not going to tell you the plan, because that would be spoilers, and because only half of the plan is released in book one. I need to read the second book, Fire Prophet, and discover what happens next!

From what I've heard about Frank Peretti's Piercing the Darkness (I have yet to read that book, but I will get around to it one of these days), I think this book would fall under that same sort of genre. It's set in the real world, yet it clearly shows that there's a spiritual battle going on that not many people are aware of. Within our world is a spiritual realm in which angels battle the Fallen. The motive? Men's souls. The angels guide and encourage, while the Fallen yearn to bring men down into the pit of darkness. It's a very deep topic, yet I think the author did a wonderful job here introducing this to young readers. 

Now, I did give this book only three stars. Please note that I thoroughly enjoyed it, but... well, it just wasn't a favorite for me. I liked it well enough to want to finish the series, but I don't know that I'll re-read them. But that's just me. I've read some reviews in which readers had no qualms about giving this book a full five stars.

Advisory: Action as Jonah and Eliza battle angels of darkness and their cohorts. In one scene, they encounter a large octopus of sorts (I forget what it was called -- it's pictured on the cover). 

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 

Click here to buy Spirit Fighter on Amazon!

Just Ella (The Palace Chronicles)

Title: Just Ella

Series: The Palace Chronicles (Book #1)

Year: 2001

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Summary: "Princess, nobody can stop those rumors. People would rather believe in fairy godmothers...than think that you took charge of your own destiny."

Like every commoner in the land, Ella dreams of going to the ball and marrying Prince Charming. But after she is chosen to marry the prince, life with the royal family is not the "happily ever after" that Ella imagined. Pitiless and cold, the royals try to mold her into their vision of a princess. Ella's life becomes a meaningless schedule of protocol, which she fears she will never grasp. And Prince Charming's beautiful face hides a vacant soul.

Even as her life turns to misery, the stories persist that Ella's fairy godmother sent her to the ball: How else could the poor girl wear a beautiful gown, arrive in a coach, and dance in those glass slippers? But there is no fairy godmother to help Ella escape the deadening life of the castle. Can she do it on her own?

Margaret Peterson Haddix's reconstruction of the Cinderella legend without the magic -- how a commoner could have married the prince -- is a story as richly fascinating as the classic tale. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Ella Brown
~ Madame Bisset
~ Prince Charming
~ Jed Reston

Review: Just Ella is a popular retelling of the fairy tale everyone loves: Cinderella. I was pretty excited when I discovered it and added to my growing list of Cinderella stories to read. The plot sounded really good -- after the ball, Cinderella discovers that "happily ever after" may not be all that it's cracked up to be. What could be more interesting?

But reading this book, I found myself quickly disappointed. Ella does nothing but complain in the palace, and though you can hardly blame her (she suffers through hours of needlepoint, boring conversations, and iron corsets, for cat's sake!), it quickly got on my nerves. She was only fifteen years old, but alternated between acting like a five year old and an old grump. The life of the royal court was greatly exaggerated for the sake of the fairy tale, but at times (in those rare instances when luck finally won out), it grew to be humorous. Most of the characters were really shallow, and it was hard to connect with them. I got irritated with some of the plot twists, as characters were doing things out of character, in a sense. 

I've seen other reviews of this book that say this story would have been more satisfactory if the author had given more of a decided ending. Haddix continues a bit of Ella's story in the second book of the Palace Chronicles, Palace of Mirrors (which I read a few years ago). I didn't even know it was part of a series, as both books tend to stand alone, save for a few mentions of Ella in the second. On the whole, while I found the ideas very interesting, I wasn't very impressed with either of the books.

Advisory: There were quite a few crude and "adult" comments that I was greatly displeased over, and for that, I don't think I could recommend the book for readers under 14. I'm 20 and I was disgusted reading them.

For romance -- there is one kiss when Ella "falls in love" with the prince, and she thinks about cuddling a lot, but I didn't notice anything other than that.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy Just Ella on Amazon!

Cindy's Story (An Amish Fairy Tale Novelette)

Title: Cindy's Story

Series: Amish Fairy Tale Novellete (Book #1)

Year: 2013

Author: J.E.B. Spredemann

Summary: He's running from his past. She's hiding from her present. But God has a plan for their future. (from Goodreads)

Main Characters:
~ Cindy
~ Nathaniel

Review: I surprised myself in picking this book up. I found it free on the Kindle one day, and since it was portrayed as a fairy tale retelling/novelette, I decided I'd give it a go. Personally, I don't prefer romance novels, and I've never actually ventured into the Amish genre for multiple reasons. But it was based on Cinderella. Another retelling? I'll try it!

Cindy is an Amish girl who is treated like a servant by her stepmother and two stepsisters. She does her best not to complain about her circumstances, but who would want to live like that forever? She's not allowed to go out, so it's a surprise to young Nathaniel when he meets her in the woods. They start up a friendship and Nathaniel soon finds himself in love with Cindy. Yet, she doesn't seem to know what love is. She's rather backwards on most Amish customs. Nathaniel doesn't understand why Cindy's stepmother is so insistent that Cindy remain invisible. Selfishness or love? Which will win out?

In truth, it's a short, sweet, modern tale of Cinderella. But, in comparison to the original tale, there's not much that links Cindy to Cinderella save for the typical rags-to-riches plot. Cindy had an old dress of her mothers, but if my memory serves me correctly, there was no mention of any shoes. If you like a sweet romance, a short Amish story, or just everything Cinderella in general, then this is a story for you. Personally, I liked it, but not enough to garner a second read.

Advisory: A kiss or two, but the romance doesn't really go farther than that. 

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Click here to buy Cindy's Story on Amazon!