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Book Review: "Bewitching"

Bewitching

by Alex Flinn

In this delightful re-telling of Cinderella with a twist, we meet Kendra, the witch - or fairy godmother - behind most of our beloved fairy tales, and Emma, the girl she is currently trying to help.  Told in alternating voices between Kendra, Emma, and some of the people Kendra has tried to help, we learn that sometimes things don't always go the way we want, especially when there is magic involved.  Similar to her previous novels, Alex Flinn has once again taken something that we thought we knew and changed it into something more.  Bewitching is a fun tale, filled with misadventures in romance and characters you love to hate.  The short stories that are interspersed can be distracting, especially when it interrupts Emma's story, but it's entertaining to see familiar tales from Kendra's perspective. 

Rating: ★★★

Book Review: "Shadow of Night"

Shadow of Night

by Deborah Harkness

 

When Diana and Matthew journey from the present into sixteenth-century England, they realize that their goals of finding the Ashmole 782 and obtaining a teacher for Diana won't be as easy as they initially thought. Soon, they are embroiled with the intrigue and politics of Elizabethan England, and as they begin affecting the past in ways they never imagined, they must use their wits in order to return to the present unscathed. Harkness's second book in her All Souls Trilogy transcends many genres; not only does it have the fantasy/paranormal elements of witches, vampires, and daemons, but it can also be classified as historical fiction as well as romance. Unfortunately, the first half of the book reads slowly due to all the extraordinary details about the era.  Harkness's concept of time travel was also confusing and there are some plot holes that are caused by mixing time travel with vampires.  Nonetheless, Shadow of Night is a fine follow up to Discovery of Witches, especially with the danger and action that is hinted to come in the final book. 

Rating: ★★★

Book Review: "The Sweetest Spell"

The Sweetest Spell

by Suzanne Selfors

Emmeline Thistle is an outsider, both to the world and to her village.  While her village believes that she is unnatural, the rest of the world sees her and her people as nothing more than barbarians, descendants of those who tried to invade the country and therefore banished to the Flatlands.  When tragedy strikes, Emmeline unexpectedly survives and discovers that she has the ability to make chocolate, a power that has been lost for ages and that is even more precious than gold.  Soon, Emmeline is thrown into a whirlwind adventure as she sets out to save her father and the rest of her people.  Beautifully written, the story is reminiscent of other teen fantasies such as "The Goose Girl", "The Princess Bride", or "Ella Enchanted".  Emmeline is kind, but still spunky and brave.  The romance that blooms is sweet and the book doesn't fail to mix in a some adventure and action.  The alternating viewpoints were a bit disconcerting at first, but once both characters are introduced, it gets less confusing.  Overall, the book was extremely delightful and charming, and will have the reader craving for chocolate by the last chapter!

Rating: ★★★

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Bloomsbury Children's Books.  The expected publication date is August 21st, 2012.

Book Review: "Throne of Glass"

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas

When Celaena Sardothien, the kingdom's most celebrated assassin, is given the chance between further imprisonment or possible freedom, she leaps at the chance to leave the mines forever.  However, freedom comes with a price.  Celaena must compete in a competition to become the King's Champion.  If she wins, she must serve a cruel king who imprisoned her and is bent on destruction.  If she loses, she must go back to the mines.  As she adjusts to palace life and begins the competition, Celaena finds herself fighting for her life as an ancient evil threatens everyone around her.

"Throne of Glass" is an enchanting and mesmerizing fantasy tale, fast paced, action packed, and filled with many unique and interesting characters.  Celaena was a force to be reckon with; she's deadly, but has a surprising amount of emotions for someone who is rumored to be so cold and ruthless.  There's the Crown Prince Dorian, who struggles with being the son to a king who is bent on conquests and destruction.  Lastly, Captain Chaol also struggles with his role as Captain of the Royal Guard and his feelings for the assassin as his thoughts about what is right and wrong are forever changed when he meets Celaena.  Overall, Maas does a wonderful job at developing the characters while keeping me guessing with the mystery of the book.  I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, solid fantasy, as well as to those who enjoy books with a strong, female heroine.

Rating: ★★★★

This book was obtained as an eGalley from Bloomsbury Children's Book.  The expected publication date is August 7th, 2012.