Book Review: Peacemaker by Lindsay Buroker

Peacemaker (The Flash Gold Chronicles, #3)

by Lindsay Buroker 

Genre: Steampunk/Historical/Adventure

Reading Grade: Adult (novella)

Publication Date: March 5, 2012

Source: review copy from author

Age Rating: 14+

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Half-breed tinkerer Kali McAlister doesn’t care that the gold rush has stormed into Dawson and prospectors are flooding the north—all she wants is to finish construction of her airship, so she can escape the Yukon and see the world.

Unfortunately, the world keeps chucking wrenches into her machinery: a mysterious gambler is pumping her for information on her bounty-hunting business partner Cedar; the notorious gangster Cudgel Conrad is after Kali’s knowledge of flash gold; and a series of gruesome murders is plaguing Dawson. Someone—or something—is ruthlessly slaying tribal women, and, if Kali and Cedar can’t find the killer, she might be the next target. 

 

My Review

• Plot: (This is #3 in a novella series.) A mysterious man is looking for Cedar and a town murderer is on the loose, killing tribal women. Cedar takes it upon himself to hunt the killer down, fearing Kali may be the next victim. Kali just wants to build her own airship so she can leave Dawson, but she never seems to get the time because people are always after her flash gold. She does get to ride on an airship, although she must go to extremes to make a special fire-rifle and rescue another tribal woman in order to experience it. What I like is that she finally got to meet Cudgel, the man Cedar has been hunting since the first novella. It lends itself to more encounters with him in future installments, I hope.
• Characters: I love Kali because she is so different from regular women of that era and even ours. She's always wearing overalls and carrying wrenches in her pockets, not caring about what she looks like. Cedar is a tall, handsome, swashbuckling hero who actually likes her, despite her being so different. At first, their romance seems to have taken a backseat, but in the end it rears its shy head. I also like this random old man on a boat who could curse his head off in old-fashioned-ese better than any character I've ever seen. “That boodle of a mother-kissing lickfinger pirates got all my cussed gold... Got me wrathier than a treed coon.” Can't get any wrathier than a treed coon!
• Technical Writing: It's always good in The Flash Gold Chronicles , never fancy or purple-prosey, but, practical and efficient. The voice is one of my favorite things because it's all Kali's. It's fun to be inside her sarcastic mind.
• Storytelling: There is a lot going on in this little story. Cedar has Lockhart after him, and Kali has to deal with Lockhart, too, and the perverted murderer, and Cudgel. All of these people have different reasons for being in the same place at the same time, wanting the same two people. It's hard to make this work in a novella, but Lindsay Buroker manages it easily. Like the other novellas, this one is high on adventure, and manages to raise Kali and Cedar's relationship up another notch. I want to see more of Cudgel now that he's been introduced. He seems like a really mysterious, intelligent villain.
• Overall Quality: Excellent. Nothing about this self-published story needs tinkering, editing, fixing up or anything like that. It's very professional.
• Favorite Moment/Scene: As much as I love all of Kali's and Cedar's romantic-like scenes, I'll say the part where she fires her makeshift flash gold rifle at the pirate on the airship is my favorite. The flames dance around in the air like nothing the eye has seen before. That was pretty darn cool, and Kali makes this rifle on-the-fly and under pressure. The girl is steampunk's answer to MacGyver.
• My Score: 5 out of 5 stars. 
  
  
  
  
  

*I received this title from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Buy this title from | AMAZON |

Read my reviews of Book 1, Flash Gold and Book 2, Hunted. 

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Graphic Novel Review: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1

by Gene Yang; Brian Konietzko 

Genre: Fantasy/Sequential Art/Graphic Novel

Reading Grade: Middle Grade

Publication Date: January 25, 2012

Source: NetGalley

Age Rating: 10+

| Amazon |

The wait is over! Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, its millions of fans have been hungry for more—and it's finally here! 

This series of digests rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a faceoff against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang's powers and ingenuity! 

 

My Review

I have been a huge fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Nickelodeon cartoon series for a number of years now, so when it ended with so many of my questions still unanswered, I was miffed to say the least. Not to mention I just didn't want all the exciting adventure to end. This new comic book series, though late in getting out into the world, picks up where the TV series left off, after Aang has defeated the evil Fire Lord Ozai, and has restored peace and balance to the world. Well, he sort of has…

In this first serialized comic book installment, Zuko is now the new Fire Lord, and he and Aang, now acting as the world's ambassador Avatar, decide that all the Fire Nation colonies located within the Earth Kingdom need to be displaced back to the Fire Nation homeland. They believe there can be no real peace if those colonies remain where they are because they were built as a result of the Fire Nation's occupancy of the Earth Kingdom. Earth Kingdom peoples are wanting them gone.

But, Zuko finds some of the Fire Nation colonists are resistant to this displacement. The Fire Nation people of this colony have been living there for over one hundred years, and feel that Fire Lord Zuko is a traitor to them for making them leave their prosperous home. Someone makes an attempt on his life, and he winds up spending some time there with the colonists and realizes he has to go back on his word to support the Earth King in removing the people. This makes all his trusted friends, Aang, Katara, and Sokka believe he's becoming like his father, who is still in a Fire Nation prison.

Mostly what fuels the plot is a big misunderstanding between Zuko and Aang, and this time Zuko is in the right. Aang doesn't even realize just how hard this displacement will be on the citizens of the colonies, so they try to talk things out, as world leaders ought to. They are only able to get the Earth Kingdom protestors who want the colonists to leave to stop protesting, but that's about it. It ends with Zuko doing something quite shocking in regards to his imprisoned father, evidence that Zuko is continually haunted by him and his wicked legacy.

Zuko is the ultimate bad boy trying to change, but is constantly backsliding again and again. Despite the fact that he fought on the side of the Avatar during the war, and helped to defeat his sister, Azula, along with his father, he still has a lot of darkness within him. He's still a teenager who has a lot to learn about running an entire country. So, too, does the Avatar gang have a lot to learn about maintaining the world in a peaceful, balanced way. They are learning it's not as easy as it seems. Heck, even grown-ups can't get it right!

This new installment to the canon story felt like watching an episode of the cartoon series, in how it looked and felt on the story, dialogue, and characterization levels. The creators of the series are part of creating this comic book, so it ought to feel that way. The artwork is spectacular, as all the characters look just as they do in the cartoon. And, it leaves you with quite the shocking cliffhanger at the end! Somehow, this series is supposed to link up to the new Avatar Korra cartoon that will debut on Nickelodeon later this year, but exactly how is still not clear. I can't wait to read the next installment.

*I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My score: 4 stars out of 5. (I really liked it!)

Buy this title from |Amazon|

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) 

by J.K. Rowling 

Genre: Adventure/Magic

Reading Grade: Middle Grade

Publication Date: October 1, 1999

Source: purchased paperback

Age Rating: all ages

| Amazon |

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful—begins. 

My Review

I finally read my first Harry Potter book—I know. That took me a while, to say the least. Join the rest of the literate world, Cathy—right? Well, now I have. I bought this book on a whim at Wal-Mart one day, long ago, but never got around to reading it. I really am not all that into Middle Grade fiction, so this never had much appeal to me. But, now that I've read it, I do see what all the fuss is about. This really is an amazing story like nothing else out there.

Whoever is reading this review has almost certainly read this book by now, so I'm not going to write this review the same old way I normally write them. It's not meant to get anyone to read this book. I'm just going to give my opinions on what I know IS definitely a crowd already familiar with it.

This is my opinion on why this book is a classic, and will stay that way for a long time to come: this exact narrative voice, this exact way of telling this story, and this exact mixture of these particular characters can never be duplicated. It is like eating The Colonel's country fried chicken, and loving it, but coming up empty on trying to duplicate his recipe for his succulent chicken. Only this author, J.K. Rowling, can do what she has done in this modern era. The only other author like her that even comes close is Charles Dickens (who surpasses her, in my opinion), and he's long dead. (By the way, I detected the Dickens influence in this book.)

When you're not only the first to do something, but you're the only one who can do it, then nobody ever forgets you and what you did. This is what makes this novel so lasting and probably the best-selling book in human history (excepting, perhaps, the Bible, which has a 2,000-year head start). Rowling is a fascinating iconic celebrity to me—she's much more interesting than any British Royal. She has an incredible gift that no one else has even had for more than 100 years. It's like she's a sort of reincarnated writing spirit in the form of a human avatar.

Anyway, I won't say this is my favorite book now because that wouldn't be true. I happen to have a lot of favorites, anyway, but I will be filing this one under the stack of my many favorites now. I figure this book is so great that, if I were a small child right now, I am positive it would be my most favorite book in the whole world. Certainly, if I had children, I'd make them be all up in this business, and I'm sure they'd want to be. What a wonderful way to bond with your children!

For all its amazingness, I award it extra points (referencing the awarding of points to the Hogwarts Houses, if you didn't quite get that). It is a magical fantasy world for children and adults of all ages to escape into. I want to move into the Griffyndor dormitories, and I hate dormitories. That has to account for something. But, I find that I can't connect with the book the way I need to in order for it to be an ultimate favorite. It might be my age, or my problem with not completely loving Middle Grade fiction—I don't know. But, it is the best Middle Grade fiction that exists in the entire world, so you'll probably never read better than the early Harry Potter books.

And, I do intend to read the rest of the books in the series, for sure. Hopefully, I'll connect better with the later YA sequels....

My score: 4.5 out of 5 stars. (I really liked it. Pure magic.)

Teaser Tuesday #8: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

"Teaser Tuedsays" is a weekly bookish meme hosted by

Should Be Reading.

This week I'm finally reading The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa, so I'm super excited to share a teaser from this (already) amazing fourth novel in this incredible series!

My Teaser

"Alright," [Puck] announced grandly, as the troll jerked and spun around, trying in vain to reach him, "I claim this land for Spain." And he planted his dagger in the base of the troll's thick neck.

-from page 64 of The Iron Knight (Iron Fey, #4) by Julie Kagawa

*****

The Iron Knight (Iron Fey, #4)

by Julie Kagawa

To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side. To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale.

And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

  Happy Halloween, everybody!

Today's review is of the recently published book on the teenage exploits of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a name that has become synonymous with All Hallow's Eve, itself...

This Dark Endeavor (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, #1)

by Kenneth Oppel

Genre: Occult/Adventure/Historical

Reading Grade: Young Adult

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: August 23, 2011

Source: purchased hardcover

Age Rating: 14+

| Amazon |

Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures...until the day their adventures turn all too real.

They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only piques Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. With their friend Elizabeth, Henry and Victor immediately set out to find assistance from a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.

Determination and the unthinkable outcome of losing his brother spur Victor on in the quest for the three ingredients that will save Konrad's life. After scaling the highest trees in the Sturmwald, diving into the deepest lake caves, and sacrificing one’s own body part, the three fearless friends risk their lives to save another. 

My Review

I love this book SO much, I can't write a deserving review. I can't quite convey all of my emotions. It is so much more than I was expecting it to be, and leads me down two distinct paths. On the one hand, it's magical, adventurous, dramatic, and romantic. And, on the other, terrifying, heart-breaking, and absolutely tragic. I feel almost gutted. It got under my skin and in my head in a way that doesn't normally happen when I read.

I haven't been moved to tears like this by a novel since I read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It's not quite a powerful story like that classic, but it really got to me. In many ways, I also felt the way I did when I read The Hunger Games trilogy because the characters go through such incredible trials and conflicts that I got completely sucked into the story. In This Dark Endeavor, I couldn't help but be uneasy through the most dangerous parts, as if I were right there experiencing every frightening, squeamish moment along with the characters. I cried myself to sleep the night I finished it (cat-lovers, beware).

In this prequel to the original classic tale, of which I'm already a huge fan, Victor Frankenstein is a sixteen-year-old living with his father, mother, twin brother, Konrad, and his distant cousin, Elizabeth. Just so you know, in the original, Victor had no twin brother, only younger brothers, and he had always loved Elizabeth from the time she came to live with his family.

Konrad comes down with a grave illness, and Victor decides to study forbidden magical alchemy in order to save him. In his family's Swiss chateau, he discovers a hidden Dark Library (very cool!) filled with several tomes on alchemy, which Victor develops a healthy obsession with. He secretly enlists the help of an old alchemist in town, who requires that he and his friends fetch the three ingredients to make the Elixir of Life, a potion that gives a person immortality.

He, Elizabeth, and the hilariously charming, although scardy-cat, Henry Clerval set out on some death-defying adventures in order to procure the unusual items. The adventures are exciting, like those of a Middle Grade adventure novel. Although, I wouldn't suggest this novel for younger children, as we get a lot of insight into Victor's thoughts about his growing attraction to Elizabeth—if you know what I mean.

The romantic drama is spectacular! Here is a love triangle that shouldn't annoy anyone, even those who typically hate them. Unless you hate already knowing who will likely end up with whom, and since this is a prequel, we do already know. But, this doesn't ruin a thing. Each character involved is firm about whom they love—no one waivers, and no one gives anyone the wrong idea (at least not consciously). Elizabeth is worthy of being stuck in the middle. Best of all, Victor likes to put his passion where his mouth is (pun intended), and nothing but excitement ensues.

Victor is surprisingly heroic, and he's hardly that in the original novel. He also has an inner darkness which drives him to do scandalous things. In other words, he's a 'bad boy.' This darkness is only beginning to develop inside him, and it will lead to incredible tragedy, which you can read about in Mary Shelley's novel. In his own way, he is perfectly flawed, and I love that kind of complexity. But, I'm sad, as well as ecstatic because I know what lies in Victor's future, and now that I actually sympathize with him so much, it's depressing…

This book is amazing, and even if you haven't read Frankenstein, you'll still be able to follow it. It may help to enrich your experience by reading the first few chapters of the original, but Oppel takes many liberties in changing the canon. The novel stands very well on it's own, and all the characters are wonderful. By the end, there's a hint of more to come, since Victor's hardly finished studying alchemy, and like a proper mad scientist, he remains totally obsessed. I hope I get to read more, so, so much more….

My score: 5 out of 5 stars.

 

* This goes toward my 2011 Spooktacular October Paranormal Reading Challenge!

Best of the Bunch #1: October 2011 Pick

"Best of the Bunch" is a monthly book blogger meme hosted by Lyrical Reviews. 

Once a month, participants pick the best book they read for that month and give it the "Best of the Bunch" award! 

I just found this really cool book blogger meme and thought it'd be fun to join in! Usually, it's super easy to figure out what book I liked best from month to month. 

So, here's my pick for the "Best of the Bunch" book that I read during October 2011:

______________________________________________________________

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

 

This book is fantastic! Just blew me away. But, since I haven't even reviewed it on my blog, yet, I won't say too much about it. That review is actually forthcoming on Halloween, just in time for the subject matter, which stars a 16-year-old Victor Frankenstein before he creates his monster. It is an amazing YA read, full of mysterious magical alchemy, forbidden libraries, exciting adventure, and very dramatic romance.  

UPDATE: I have since put up my review of this book! Clicky here to read it....

What's your "Best of the Bunch" pick for this past month?

Review: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

The Emerald Atlas (The Books of Beginning, #1)

by John Stephens 

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Reading Grade: Middle Grade

Publishing Type: traditional

Publication Date: April 5, 2011

Source: local library (hardcover)

Age Rating: 13+ (a bit of violence)

|Amazon|

John Stephens' aptly-titled new fantasy trilogy begins auspiciously with a nimble, fast-paced tale of three siblings. Kate, Michael, and Emma have suffered through ten years of odious orphanage "care"; now they have slipped into the care of the eccentric, disturbingly mysterious Dr. Pym. While exploring their new home, the children discover a magical green book. With that discovery, a decade of tedium dissolves into cascades of dangerous time travel adventures and struggles with a beautiful witch and decidedly less attractive zombie-like Screechers.

My Review

I decided to read this book because it has been getting a lot of hype since it was published. People have been claiming it's going to be the next 'Harry Potter' series, but I won't make comparisons to Harry Potter. It is a high fantasy type of book that deals with time-travel and all the interesting things that can change, and how dangerous that power is in the wrong hands.

There are an abundance of fantasy characters, like dwarves, witches, zombie-like ghouls, ferocious monsters, and lots of battling going on with plenty of the need for the main characters to save the world from total ruination. The characters are well-drawn up and very exaggerated, which I like. My favorites were Dr. Pym, Michael, Emma, and the witch's Secretary. There are lots of funny and entertaining characters here, even if Kate, the main character, isn't as interesting as the rest.

The premise is fascinating, in that there are these three books and they were all written by ancient wizards long ago about the magic of the universe. They all possess great power and the one that is the subject of this volume is the Altas. It is the book that allows for passage through time and space, giving that traveler immense power to manipulate any point in time. Of course, an evil character wants the book, so the children have to stop this character from succeeding with the help of the old, eccentric Dr. Pym.

It would be best suited for younger teenagers—not elementary school-aged children. There is a bit of violence and even a little light cursing, so I'd recommend it for middle school kids and older. Although, I'm not the in target audience for this book, I think it would be a big hit with those who love reading Middle Grade adventure/fantasy fiction. I look forward to the next installment in the series. There is still much the children need to accomplish, and I need more of that capital fellow, Dr. Pym.

My score: 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: "Hunted" by Lindsay Buroker

"Hunted" (The Flash Gold Chronicles, #2)

by Lindsay Buroker

Genre: Steampunk/Adventure

Reading Grade: Adult (short story/novella)

Publishing Type: self-published

Publication Date: August 12, 2011

Source: Kindle store

Age Rating: 13+

Amazon |

Self-taught tinkerer Kali McAlister is determined to build an airship and escape the frigid Yukon forever. Unfortunately, she’s the heir to the secrets of flash gold, an alchemical energy source that tends to make her a popular target for bandits, gangsters, and pirates.

With the help of her bounty-hunting business partner, Cedar, Kali has outwitted and eluded attackers before, and she thinks she’s prepared for anything. Then her ex-fiancé strolls into her workshop.

As if fooling her once wasn’t enough, he aims to embroil her in a fresh scheme. Meanwhile, a new nemesis is stalking her, a shrouded figure with an arsenal of deadly machines that make Kali’s inventions seem like toys. This time, it’ll take more than her ingenuity and Cedar’s combat skills to survive. 

My Review

She does it again—Lindsay does some more awesome! In this sequel to “Flash Gold,” Kali and Cedar are working together and splitting their earnings 50/50, while both striving to achieve very different goals. Kali wants to get out of town in a self-made airship, which she hasn't been able to build yet, and Cedar wants to kill the man he's been tracking since the first story. But, Kali's lovely former fiance strolls into town and shakes things up a bit.

It's fun to finally meet Sebastian, the jerk that broke Kali's heart, and see how idiotic this guy is, especially when he meets Cedar. Sebastian becomes the reason the plot progresses, as Cedar wants to use him as bait to get closer to his target. Unfortunately, Kali has to go along for this journey, and that pans out poorly for her. But, another enemy is targeting Kali as they travel to Sebastian's claim, so they spend a good amount of time running for their lives.

Kali and Cedar really get to know each other better in this story, and get to explore the possibility of a budding romance. I won't say too much about that since it should be experienced by the reader. By the end, there is still much potential for them to get together. But, will either of them accomplish their individual goals? Will they have to separate someday, as a result?

“Hunted” continues the action and excitement of “Flash Gold,” and simply takes it further with the main characters and their relationship. These stories could go on forever and they'd always make some progress. I can't wait to read novella number three!

My score: 5 out of 5 stars.

Hurry over to Smashwords.com to get "Flash Gold," the first novella in this series for FREE!

Smashwords link