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Iron Cast.

9/24/2016

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Iron Cast ( ages 13+ )
By : Destiny Soriya
Publisher : Amulet Books ( October 2016 )


An intriguing historical fiction blended with some fantasy, the story recreates a period of the 20th century Boston through powerful imagination. Among mobsters and gangsters are brilliantly talented artists - hemopaths - whose afflicted blood enables them to create illusions through art. They are wordsmiths, songsmiths and  thespians. They perform in the nightclubs at night and "pull jobs" on the street during the day. It is about dark and dangerous lives in Boston during the early 20th century; but the beauty embedded into their lives through fantasy will carry the readers into a different dimension.  

For the wealthy and adventurous Corianna it is mostly the excitement and challenge that led her under the shelter of the gang leader who runs "Iron Cast," a night club. For Ada, a child of poor immigrants, who comes from a deprived class it is the absolute opposite, but they have one thing in common - they are both "hemopaths" -  magically talented artists but painfully affected by their reaction to iron.Their heroism and devotion for each other are inspirational.

Hemopaths are not accepted among 'decent' society, thus limiting their choices. Johnny Dervish who runs the Iron Cast makes good use of them, but looks after them in return. The two girls together turn the city upside down with their con-art work, but when laws are passed to prohibit hemopath activities, everything changes. The Ironmongers and the Hemopath Protection Agency start snatching hemopaths off the streets. And finally when Johnny goes missing, the two girls realize that their lives are at risk and that their banishment to Haversham ( an asylum) is almost inevitable. Now the girls are on the run....................      

The story delicately touches some poignant issues of early immigrants through its cleverly fabricated fantasy elements, while being profuse in revealing a darker side of the society with some wittiness. It`s rightly paced and beautifully written, cleverly keep the readers enthralled with suspense and romance. Soriya`s narrations are as elegant as the stage shows at Ironcast, 
"Ada always started low, laying down loss and longing like a delicate lace. She kept her melody in the minor key, and for almost three minutes hers was the only sound in the room. Charlie`s horn started soft, for a few bars matching her tone, then he started drawing out a new thread, a vague sense of hope that Ada recognized from the first time she`d ever heard him play. She forced herself to focus,following his lead into a wistful place....." 
With a unique plot and theme, a powerful friendship and blossoming romances this is an utterly entertaining story !!
( With many thanks to Amulet Books and NetGally for the ARC )




Iron Cast
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Furthermore.

8/17/2016

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Furthermore ( Ages 9+ )
By : Tahereh Mafi
Publisher : Penguin Random House ( August 2016 )


A lyrically written fantasy adventure full of rich prose and imagination in plenty, it`s about a very "colorful" world where they live and breath on color! The readers will be carried away into a heavenly wonderland of Alice where they have a week long showers of "rainlight" and many months of "Sundance". And what place can a very plain girl who`s very ordinary have in such a world. Alice is interesting because she`s ordinary and in a very colorful world, being plain seems special. It`s only In this magical world we learn that Alice`s father had mysteriously gone missing. And that he had nothing but a ruler in his hand when he was seen last.

In the most lyrical way the story encompasses the complicated relationship Alice seems to be having with her mother. And how much she`s missing the parental affection and guardianship. Alice's love for beauty & nature,adventure and her bigheartedness is made evident to us cleverly by Mafi. These descriptive and slow paced early chapters of the book produces a very lively image of the mesmeric Ferenwood to it`s readers. The unique style of writing -third person narration- blends in well with the plot." 
Alice was an odd girl / Even for Ferenwood / Where the sun occasionally rained and the colors were brighter than usual / And magic was as common as a frowning parent "  An atmospherically written tale where even the grass is characterized through Alice "She bent down to greet a blade of grass and whispered, "Hello, me too,me too, we`re still alive"  "
Although I caught a whiff of stagnation in these early chapters  ( The review was done based on a sneek-peek )  with a mystery to solve and a vivacious friendship to accompany, the readers can hope for an extraordinary journey along with Mafi through a magical land!  


​-The review was done by reading a short excerpt of the book.-  ( With many thanks to Penguin Young Readers and Net Galley for the short ARC ) 


Furthermore
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The Otherlife.

6/17/2016

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​The Otherlife  ( Ages 14+ )
By : Julia Gray
Publisher : Penguin Random House ( July 2016 )


What is lying there between the "other life" and "this life"? Maybe a thin line of powerful imagination and intelligence in plenty. Ben and Hobie, fueled by their extensive supply of fresh thoughts, take us across their fascinating world of mythology.

It`s dark, gloomy and tragic.  But it sounds very real! Even those gods of Asgard and monsters: Baldr; the handsome god, Fenrir and Skoll; the wolves, Loki the mischievous one; the son of a giant. Frigg mother of Baldr; who travels across the world asking every single living thing to not harm her son!  They all came to life in Ben`s mind slowly but fully as he learns the "other language" -Old Norse- from his beloved tutor, Jason. However, the long forgotten 'Otherlife' comes back to him a few years later. On the wake of a heavy metal night, in the wee hours of his first day of GCSE,  he receives a message from the messenger god "Hermodr" about a death . Ben is disturbed and wonders who died! With his flustering visions of gods and his throbbing headaches, he tries to continue his normal schedule but feeling too distressed and lonely he decides to contact his beloved ex- tutor Jason who had helped him immensely in the past - and that`s when he hears a shocking news. Ben is determined to find out everything that happened.

Ben is a poor, talented, intelligent and lonely teenager who`s also deeply troubled by his parents' marriage issues. Their quarrels and his mother`s obsession with Ben`s exams and her constant reminders that he has to maintain his scholarship, altogether causes an unbearable pressure on him. He finds his solace, in the night by sleep walking, by day with heavy metal music, pain killers and through the mythological world introduced to him by Jason, the kindhearted and understanding young tutor whom Ben loves so much. And now, those gods of Asgard seem to guide Ben in the absence of Jason.  

Hobie, on the other hand is a mischievous, energetic and self-centered boy, sometimes a class bully, wealthiest at the wealthy children`s school, with a stable household and steady parents. But he is frustrated and unhappy about his life, again thanks to his ambitious mother who`s obsessed with his scholarship and overprotective of him. His only comforts, before becoming friends with his classmate Ben, were rugby, playing "cruel" tricks on others and extensive indulgences into lavish food available abound in his household.

The story comes to life through Ben`s memories and Hobie`s diary. The tricky story lineup keeps up the captivating effect along with riveting detail and rich atmosphere. It reveals the complexities of a heavy demanding, highly competitive and forlorn student life as it cleverly brings out the downside of an almost outdated education system. The young people who would recognize the dark humor and mockery of the author`s descriptions ( " ...Miss Flower who had been reading an Excel spreadsheet from a wedding catering company while pretending to mark some books,..." )  may find some fun amongst those gloomy pages of Ben`s life.  

Hobie wants to become friends with Ben for at first he 
seems to be different from others. Later, because Ben has something he doesn't have: " The Otherlife" - Hobie wants that too... ; Hobie describes the rest of their  "8 Upper" class as "Super-geeks, the 'Greekists', the teeth-grinding, book-toting weirdos, the Gifted and Talented lot who can't even speak properly, some of them because their brain works too fast for their mouths."  As days pass, their friendship moves into a trusting platform where Hobie`s love and admiration for his friend grows deeper and he becomes more caring. But their good times end too soon. Hobie`s beautifully written diary is at times funny, annoying and traumatic, and sometimes heart-breaking. It will entertain readers and keep them engrossed. And it will assure that with all his mischievousness and bad tricks, we still adore Hobie and grieve for him. 

​One could feel the enormous amounts of power and spirit blocked inside these young boys; and their need to be free of it all as they pace across the wilderness around Davella Hall;Horbie`s country house, pretending it to be Asgard lands and believing in their dreams, hearts beating to heavy metal music. Their innocence and vulnerability are so obvious to any adult/talented reader who, while sympathizing with them, may wish that they had mothers who understood them better.  
Years later Ben returns to Duvalle hall wanting to know the truth and to solve the mystery of Jason`s tragedy guided by the dead metal heroes and his Norse gods.........
​In the end readers will weep not only for Baldr but for Loki as well.    

Ben and Horbie along with the others in their world will linger in the back of our memories long afterwards. 
A sparkling fantasy-mystery! Beautifully written and heartbreaking, full of vivid and extreme characters that address YA readers as well their parents.

            
( With many thanks to Penguin Random House and Net Galley for the ARC ) 


The Otherlife
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Knights of the Borrowed Dark.

3/4/2016

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Knights of The Borrowed Dark
( Ages 11+)
By : Dave Rudden
Publisher : Penguin Random House - April.,2016


Irish author Dave Rudden in his "Knights of The Borrowed Dark", the first part of a fantasy adventure trilogy in the same name,  proves himself to be an expert storyteller. Rudden strongly grasps his readers by his exceptional powers of imagination and marvels us with his skillful crafting ability; it is exhibited through the storyline, use of language,writing style,characters,their development and through many other aspects of his story. You`ll be caught on the first page itself and will not be released till the last! 

Brave and fierce Denizen Hardwick and fearless Simon Hayes have known each other almost all of their lives. They have been raised at the Crosscaper Orphanage, since they were around 2 years of age. The lives of the two friends are completely changed with the arrival of a note from the director of the orphanage which read that Denizen's aunt- an aunt he never knew he had - has been in contact and that he will be taken away for few days, on his 13th birthday. 
And a deep-black mysterious car growls out through the open gates of Crosscaper with Denizen in the passenger seat.
 He is pushed into another world that he never knew of, a world where a secret society of knights-the Knights of the Order of the Borrowed Dark- battle the evil forces of the Endless King who rules a kingdom in another dimension. The prospect of a terrifying war looms ahead, with the Endless King himself threatening to cross over to our world. The Knights must rally together to face this menace, while at the same time try to stop it before it starts. Denizen must play a key role in this endeavour, a role that will lead him to finally discover the truth about his parents, and start his own journey as a Knight of this secret order. 

Meanwhile, Simon has to also fight for his survival, back at the orphanage; A group of Tenebrous, the evil creatures from the kingdom of the Endless King, have taken over and made everyone else at Crosscaper their prisoner. Simon has to use his knowledge of the orphanage, his own survival skills and powers that he never knew he had, to stay out the creatures' grasp.

An exciting tale of horror, heroism, loyalty, and friendship, where the author focuses on the view point of the two 13 year old boys as they try to stay alive and fight back. At the same time,  they are trying to deal with the kind of conflicting emotions that readers of the same age can clearly identify with: Denizen finding himself attracted to Abigail, a young Knight-in-training, while initially being unsettled by her presence and his need for making his own decisions while also desiring the acceptance of his aunt.
The story keeps up a fast pace from the first chapter, and will be the kind of page-turner that will appeal to girls as well as boys .Followers of J.K Rowling and Rick Riordan are sure to fall for this. And the book promises to be the start of a highly successful series.
( With many thanks to Penguin random House and Net Galley for the ARC in return for a honest review) 


Knights of the Borrowed Dark
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A Nearer Moon.

12/31/2015

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A Nearer Moon ( Ages 9+)
By : Melanie Crowder
Publisher : Atheneum Books ( Sept.,2015) 


​An enchanting lyrical tale of sisterhood! Their devotion tested by separation and illness. Luna and Willow live in a magical land in the tropics; where Seraya trees grow and rustle their leaves to the rhythm of the wind; where Pulai trees around the waters drip their humid tears. A river flows, it bells and it swells, it surges and it swirls all the way to the unwanted dam from where the water droplets creep and had created the swamp. The river dives deep underground probing through tunnels of granite for a place to rise.   
Along these lively waters lay a village on stilts where Luna and Willow belong; where they live with their mother and granny Tu. It is believed that the swamp water is cursed by a creature that lives beneath the slick, lying on the water; and a mouthful of it would make anyone sick with a mysterious wasting illness, ending their life in three weeks.

Fearless and adventurous Luna is not ready to believe such stories, but to row down the river looking for adventures with her counterpart Benny or her little sister Willow. On such an adventurous tour Luna moves her boat closer to a forbidden area by their mother in the swamp, sound of their laughter echoed through the water to the deepest point, a small creature erupts and throws just a handful of water to cover little Willow`s mouth......
 
The times before the dam appeared, there lived Perdita and Pelagia, two young and vivid water sprite twins with many other sprites, they danced in the water currents and frolicked in the frothing tips of the waves. Many summers ago all of them but Perdita left through a magical door to a world that the humans had not discovered. The magical door lasted only for a short moment, just long enough for all the sprites to leave the world. Perdita was carefree, playful and adventurous, and just like Luna, she loved her sister, Pelagia dearly. Her playful nature and love for adventure made her miss that special moment of passing through the door, leaving her alone and miserable, parted from her beloved sister..........    
 
The story moves in two-folds, telling us the story of Luna and Perdita, each chapter unfolding the lives of water sprite and of human, their desperate need to be together with their beloved sisters, and their struggle to learn the magical powers lying in their land-those that Luna never believed in; her willingness to explore the dangers powered by her love for her sister.
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​The mesmerizing beauty of this story left me awestruck! The fantasy world she has created is out of this world but one can visualize it through her amazing descriptions; it will carry us all along their waters with Luna and Perdita. An absolute feast of language!  And a must read.      


A nearer moon
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My Diary from the Edge of the World.

11/29/2015

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​My Diary from the Edge of the World.( Ages 9 +)
By : Jodi Lynn Anderson.

Publisher : Aladdin ( Nov ., 2015)

A dazzling piece of literature.full of magic and adventure.
The story is narrated by a 12 year old girl,through her diary; a typical adventurous and a curious girl-the kind of a child who`s waiting for a mystery to appear by her doorstep. A girl who would get her bones broken! Maybe a "Tasmanian devil" or a "Mrs Bungles". Probably she got it from her scientist father.
But Gracia Lockwood is a faithful, generous girl who loves her family; she`s a good girl.
The author has created the most magical yet approachable settings for the story that would make it also our story .  
The Lockwood family, Father, Mother, Gracia , her sister and brother live in Cliffden, Maine.These`s a McDonalds and a Wendy`s across the road on Route 1.  But her world is more exciting than ours, it`s a place where Dragons roam along with Sasquatches and other fantasy creatures -from fairies and mermaids to giants. Dark clouds roam around you; when it`s time for your death! And you`ll be carried away by those dark clouds. upon death; it`s always better to be carried out by a dark cloud than turning into a ghost and live in the Underworld.
But when a dark cloud hovers outside Gracia`s house,it`s time for them to run and escape .Her parents believe that it`s after her brother. So they flee for a better world;which is believed to lie beyond the edge of the world  where you don't have to pay guardian angels to protect yourself from haunts. Adventure begins through the journey and tested are the facets of love and commitment for each other.
The rich settings ,Wholesome characters and the powerful plot  compliment each other in creating this exquisite gem of a book. 

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The Lost Track of Time . By Paige Britt

10/22/2015

 
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The Lost Track of Time ( Ages 11 to 14)
By : Paige Britt

Publisher : Scholastic Press ;  March 2015


A magnificent creation . Beautiful language.A brilliant debut novel  by Paige Britt The Lost Track of Time is a masterpiece fantasy adventure that will take you through a mesmerizing journey in the Realm of Possibility.
In- between the tightly scheduled days of Penelope's life ,scheduled and controlled by her mother she finds a GAP  and she mysteriously falls into it, where she works hard to find the Great Moodler and along the way she must face an army of Clockworkers, battle the evil Chronos and so on....  This is a brilliant story I would have recommended this from 9+ if she didn't paint Penelope's parents in such negativity.    
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