June 19, 2011

Book Review for "Forest Born"

Author: Shannon Hale
Good evening fellow bloggers!
This is the last of the Bayern Books, and I failed to mention in my last post that River Secrets is the third.  Let's get started!

Rinna was born in the forest.  And having so many brothers and sisters she deals with loneliness and feelings of being unwanted.  Her main comforts are the beautiful, majestic forest trees, and her favorite brother Razo.  Razo, apart of the Bayern's Own group of warriors is hardly ever home anymore, and when he is, he brings his pretty new Tiran diplomat friend, Dasha.  Rinna feels quite jealous and unwanted.  In the past years, Rinna has felt the ever growing apartness between her and her precious trees.  In desperation of purpose, Rinna leaves for the city, to find work and a new life.  She winds up in care for the queens son and ends up on a wild, dangerous journey, in trying to protect his life, in which she'll need every power she possesses to guide him safely home.

I would hate to spoil the story anymore, and its hard to stop writing, but let's take a look at the pros and cons.  The Cons: A few curse words, (if my memory serves me right) and violence.  If small readers rad this book I'm not sure exactly how they would take it.  I remember wincing once or twice at what all happened.  The Pros: Ending on a positive note, this is a beautifully written story about, friendship, loyalty, and family, and was pleasantly very much surprised at what evolved in the plot.  I for one never saw it coming and my jaw literally dropped open and hung there for a second.  Like I've said a bizillion times before this is my favorite series I've ever encountered so far, and if you read it, (which you should!) I think you'll enjoy it thoroughly!
Stay tunned, NEXT BOOK REVIEW CLUE: The Crow  

June 05, 2011

Book Review For "River Secrets"

Author: Shannon Hale

Sometimes I just want to shoot myself!  I feel like I never get to write on here anymore, and it drives me absolutely insane! Ah, enough of me though. :P Lets get down to business! River Secrets, I truly and sincerely love this book!
Razo is a boy from the forest filled with a duty to serve his country.  He is a loyal friend ho loves to mess around with his best friends Finn, Enna, and Prinncess Anidori (Isi).  He longs to be an important part of the up and coming war with Tira, Bayerns new enemy.  He finally makes it to a training camp and makes new friends and enemy's right away.  But that is not the most inportant of Razo's problems, he thinks he might be falling for the lovely and closed Dasha, and why does everyone keep finding charred bodies everywhere, and who is the cause?

This book was a mystery, thriller, and action/ romance.  I couldn't put it down and was constantly telling my mom the new turn of events.  I loved the action and Razo firey spirit.  The evolving romances between some the characters was very well done and descriptions were beautiful.  The pros and cons...The pros: I think I've told you most of them!  The cons: there was some cussing, vivid violence, and obscence jestures between a few characters. All in all though I will always love this book and its amazing author!

April 25, 2011

Book Review For "Enna Burning" or "Bayern Book # 2"

Author: Shannon Hale

Enna is a girl struggling with grief from the loss of her mother. She cooks, she cleans, she lives with her brother, Leifer. After her mother died, she moved back to the forest where she is longing for her good friend, Isi.(Aka Ani)  And one as she doing her chores, she realizes Leifer is late. She thinks nothing of it and keeps going.  Later, he is still not home, and tired she falls asleep. She wakes with a start, Leifer is there and he is lighting a fire, he does it extremely fast. She soon finds that Leifer has learned to control fire somehow.  She runs to the city after he burns her when he become angry. Searching for answers she finds Isi, and asked for her help. SPOILER ALERT: She eventually learns to control the fire herself, and ends up cooking from the inside. Angry at the Tiran with whom Bayern is at war against, she begins to burn enemy camps.  In the end, she is captured, and slowly, she begins to lose all her strength. She must escape and find a cure...
Enna Burning is a story of a "fiery" girl who wants to be in control of her own destiny.  She quickly finds her self losing all but her sanity, in the hands of an enemy camp.  I like this story because of the way the characters are portryaed to you, and Enna will give up or in.  What I didn't like sbout this story is that Isi seems like a different character, she seems different to me.  All in all though, it is a great book and one of my favorites.  I hope you'll enjoy it as much as me!

April 20, 2011

Book Review For "The Goose Girl"

Hey everyone,
I know that i promised to write a loooonnnng time ago but I didn't.
To make a long and sad story short, my grandfather banned me from his computer( which has Internet) for something I absolutely did not do.  I don't know or when but I promise I will try and find time whenever I do get on to blog.  I've missed blogging more than I can say and I'm glad to be back of present.  Thanks for following,  Alicia

"The Goose Girl"
By Shannon Hale

I'm am finally blogging! How exciting! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I feel like I can fly!
Anyway, this is one of my all time favorite books ever, and I am completely happy to finally be doing this review.

Once upon a time, in the land of Kildrenee, there is a princess named Anidori.
She is the crown princess and enjoys spending time with her father and her horse, Falada.  Anidori has a very special power, she can speak to swans and her horse since she has had a very special bond with him since birth.  Outcast of her family, only her father and her closest friend, her Aunt, can relate to her.  When her Aunt dies and tragedy after tragedy strikes the royal family, her mother arranges a marriage with the prince from Kildrenee's growing enemy, Bayern.  Ani knows it's her duty to preform and give up the crown to be the queen in a foreign land, and silently obeys.  Her royal guard and her new best friend, her lady in waiting Celia, accompany her on the long and dangerous journey through Bayerns Forest. SPOILER ALERT:  During this time Celia reveals that she hates Ani and causes mutiny among the guards.  She tries to have Ani killed, wanting to take the place of the princess, since they look alike, and marry the prince, and become queen.  Ani flees and gets separated from Falada.  She ends up hiding in Bayerns Capital city as a goose girl, working for the king.  Ani must try and hide from her former guards, find Falada, and reveal her identity in a convincing way before it is to late.
What I love about this series is how the characters communicate with nature, animals, and influence the people around them.  Hale gives lively and sensory detail to her stories, making them interesting, exciting, and full of suspense and action.  The thing that is a little, and I mean a minor drawback, is that it doesn't hook you right away.  I always enjoy when books draw you in right away, but then that is just my preference.  Stick with it and you will want to stay and read it until your done.
My good Friend and I both agree that this is a book you'll want to read over and over.
Next Book Review Clue: Enna Burning, Bayern Book # 2

February 15, 2011

Back

Hey everyone I'm back!
I've been sick for al ong time and its been hard but I'll try and post tomorrow!

January 05, 2011

Book Review For "The Truth-Tellers Tale"

The "Truth-Tellers Tale" by Sharon Shinn

The Truth-Tellers Tale is the second book in the The Safe-Keepers Secret Series.
The Truth-Tellers Tale portrays the story of the mirror twins Eleda and Adele.  Everything about them mirrors each other (besides their unique personalities), even their names, which is the other backward!  The story is told from the point of view of Eleda a Truth-Teller.  Her sister Adele is also a special Safe-Keeper.  They live with their parents and run their very own inn, called The Leaf and Berry.  The Leaf and Berry symbolizes them(Eleda and Adele) as the Leaf symbolizing the chatterleaf tree, the tree that is never quiet, which is the symbol of the Truth-Tellers, and the Berry, which symbolizes the kirrenberry tree, the tree that no matter what will never makes a sound.  They and their best friend Roelynn live in a city near the capital.  The story really starts when the Baby Princess is born to Queen Lirabel and all Safe-Keepers and Truth-Tellers are invited to the palace to say wonderful truths about the princess and keep her secrets. (Which is kind of pointless considering that she is a baby.)  But anyway, as the story goes on they grow up to have adventures in romance, heart-break, and sickness, all leading up to where they are seventeen and the most handsome dancing master and his dashing apprentice come and teach Roelynn and other nobles dancing, for Roelynn's up and coming debut where the notorious Prince Darian is FINALLY suppose to meet her, he always finds some way of not meeting her.  From the beginning Roelynn's father has wanted her to marry the prince, and that has always caused trouble, because of her many, many, beaus.  A chain of romances begins when the dancing master comes to town, with his apprentice, and all will end well...hopefully.
The thing that bothered me the most about this book was that it is hardly tied to the first whatsoever.  There may be a few, and I mean very few small details you need to know in order to understand a little bit better but that's it.  I was very disappointed and let down.  I thought the author could have included some unfinished details in the second book that started in the first.  On the other hand, I liked the second book far better than the first because there was, well, I don't know it's hard to explain, but there was a bit more action and it seemed more real than the first one.  Overall the story is especially well written and I enjoyed immensely.
Next Book Review Clue: The Goose Girl

January 01, 2011

Book Review for "The Safe-Keepers Secret"

The Safe-Keepers Secret by Sharon Shinn
In the small town of Tambleham, one quiet night, a lone rider dressed in black rode to the house of the Safe-Keeper, Damiana...  The Safe-Keeper of each town, village, or city, has a very special job.  The inhabitants of the city, ect...have the Safe-Keepers just to tell their darkest and dirtiest secrets to, knowing that the Safe-Keeper will never a say word to another soul unless it is told to another Safe-Keeper.  But Safe-Keepers are not the only special ones in the kingdom there are also Truth-Tellers, who can tell only the truth when asked directly, and the legendary solitary Dream- Maker who make dreams and wishes come true, but not the ones of their choosing, but of the magic within them.  Damiana and her sister are Safe-Keepers, but not in the town.  And one night when Damiana is giving birth to her child with a secret father, a foundling comes to her house.  The King's Safe-Keeper has given her another child with secret parents, and only Damiana, her sister, and the man, knows who the father really is.  Years pass and the two children grow up, one a girl and one a boy.  Reed is the oldest by only a minute with Fiona following.  They are fraternal twins with hopes and dreams.  Fiona dreams of being Tamblehams next Safe-Keeper and despite what everyone says she is determined to be the best.  Reed on the other hand can't stay still and longs for excitement and adventure.  But when a secret is let out things will definitely change for this family.  This story is a heart-warming tale of family, friendship and romance.  It even has a few surprises and mysteries.  In the end, all is revealed and cleared up with a happy ending, and what a good story id right?  The only thing was for me, this is a good one but I didn't like it as much because there was no action and no adventure.  (Being me that is what I love the most in a story, I can't help it! :D)  A little bit more in that area would be perfect because at some  parts in the story you are just waiting around for something exciting, and even sometimes interesting, to happen!  I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!
Tata for now,
Alicia
Next Book Review Clue: The Truth-Tellers Tale