Book Review: Out of the Silent Planet

Click image to purchase

 

Book: Out of the Silent Planet

Author: C.S. Lewis

Recommend: If you are a fan of older science fiction or enjoy the work of C.S. Lewis, you’ll enjoy this book, the start of a trilogy.

I’ve read a lot of C.S. Lewis in my time. I have heard many songs that quote this series. I can’t even remember how long these books have been on my to-read list. Finally, I got my hands on all three of them for free and started in with book one. I was expecting something similar to his other works and wasn’t disappointed.

Ransom is walking through the British countryside, trying to find a place to spend the night when he happens upon an old college acquaintance who drugs him and places him on a space ship taking him to Mars where he evades his captors and makes his own journey through the planet, meeting the various intelligent life forms there.

This is definitely a different style of writing than what I usually read. It was interesting but I wanted to connect with the characters more than I did. This was all about discovering a new place, not about getting to know someone, which just isn’t my favorite kind of reading. I definitely will be reading the next two books but I don’t see this series ever coming close to my love for some of his other books like The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, or The Chronicles of Narnia.

Final Rating:

Get it free

Book Review: The Fiddler

Click image to purchase

Book: The Fiddler

Author: Beverly Lewis

Recommend: If you are looking for an easy, enjoyable read.

Beverly Lewis is one of those authors that I’m reluctant to mention as someone I really enjoy. Her books are just simply not my normal fare. If you were to ask people who know me well, they might be surprised since I tend to shy away from Christian romance novels in any shape or form. However from the time my gram (my dad’s mom) handed me The Shunning, I’ve been hooked. When I saw that the newest book was about a musician, there was no way I could stay away.

Amelia is an amazing violinist who leads a double life as Amy, a fiddle player (yes, there is a huge difference). When she gets a flat tire coming back from a concert, she ends up quite literally on the doorstep of a young man named Michael who, despite being 25, hasn’t decided what life he wants to live.

I really enjoyed this sweet, fluffy book. I would classify this as book candy. A sweet light confection of a book that is a breath of fresh air after reading more heavy literature. While the story is a bit predictable, it doesn’t take away from the pleasure of it. Sometimes it’s nice to know what’s going to happen in the end.

For my friends and readers out there who enjoy this kind of read, this one is definitely worth the time.

Final Rating:

Get it used…

Book Review: The Night Circus

Click image to purchase

Book: The Night Circus

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Recommend: If you only read one book this year, make it this one.

I was reluctant to read this. I waited until the day before it was due back at the library to pick it up. I find it hard to read books about the circus. There is something so foreign, strange and desperate about it all. This book however, takes the idea to a level of surrealism that makes it feel like a grown up dark fairy tale. The author balances a complex, delicate story which could so easily unravel with a level of mastery I have rarely read. The images this book brought to my mind will stick with me for a very long time.

This tells the story of two children who are used as pawns in a competition for the amusement of old men. The game is magic and the stage is an elaborate circus that only runs at night. Unknown to each other, they compete, creating wonder after wonder, all the time wondering when it will finally end.

This story in the hands of almost anyone else would have been a disaster. This author however knew exactly what to say and what to hold back from the read. How to skate the line of believability without crossing it. How to create an ensemble of characters that worked well together, each rich in their own right without competing with each other for dominance.

I would LOVE to see this on film but I would only want to see it done by the right people.

Wonderfully written and amazing to read, the moment I closed the book, I almost ran to buy a copy for my nook.

Final Rating:

Need more than one copy!!

Book Review: Article 5

Click image to purchase

 

Book: Article 5

Author: Kristen Simmons

Recommend: It was an interesting read. Not at all what I expected.

I saw this one a few months ago. It was on my massive list of books to read. I thought the concept was interesting. What if having a child out-of-wedlock was illegal? What if breaking a statute meant that you would disappear? What if the government was run by a moral code and one religion? That is the questions the author poses. What would the extreme case look like?

I really enjoyed the story line. What I didn’t like was the completely negative spin it took on traditional values and Christianity. The author seemed to think that having morality regulated would turn into something horrible. While anything can be taken too far, I think that the author forgets that the ideology in the book seems to be based on Biblical ideals and core of the Bible is God’s love for the people He created. The author seems to think that a world run by Christianity would be a world full of unfair rules and regulations and that the slightest thing would be met with extreme consequence. A world run by true Christian values would be one of love, caring, sacrifice and mercy, not violence and hatred. A situation similar to the book occurred a month or so ago in Mali (Couple given 100 lashes after child born out of wedlock) but it wasn’t Christians, it was under Islamic extremist rule.

I also think that there is a huge structural flaw with Article 5 of the statues. I think the idea that someone would be condemned for being a single parent doesn’t make sense with the structure she has created. If the whole idea is to promote traditional values, there still would be single parents, even if children weren’t born out-of-wedlock. What about widows/widowers? What about cases of rape? What about cases of abandonment? It’s just not solid enough to make sense to anyone reasonable.

While this was a fun fast-paced thrill ride, I think the author is trying to push her agenda through an engaging story.

Final Rating:

Get it free

Children’s Book Review: Hocus Pocus Hotel

Click image to purchase

Book: Hocus Pocus Hotel

Author: Michael Dahl

Recommend: This is a cute series for readers ages 9-11 set in a hotel built by a magician.

The school’s bully asks one of the nerdy kids who has a photographic memory to meet him at the Hocus Pocus Hotel. Charlie thinks Ty asked him to meet there so he could beet him up but he had a very different plan. Charlies was the only one who could solve the mysterious disappearance of one of the hotel’s guests that had gone missing.

This is not the type of magic that can cause controversy, I’m happy to say. This book is all about illusionists and even reveals some of the tricks in the books with diagrams. Even I found myself studying the diagrams closely to figure out how they did what was described.

This was a great book for young readers aimed at boys. It is nice to see more books being written for boys in this age group. I think male readers tend to get ignored somewhat, especially child/teen readers. YA fiction is the worst example of this. There are so many more YA books aimed at girls than their are for boys. No wonder boys don’t want to read.

The first book of the series, I definitely see the potential for this series to pick up quickly and develop into a long series. Worth giving to your kids.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Another Look at Harold Fry’s Unplanned Adventure

Book:  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Author:  Rachel Joyce

Recommend:  This is a great vicarious read for those who love to walk, talk out loud to themselves and long for the great outdoors.  I takes a common man and shows us his personal struggles in an uncommonly insightful way.  Also, for anyone who cannot tolerate exposure to the sun, this book offers a virtual adventure along side the determined steps of a humble man’s solitary pilgrimage.

Setting out to run a simple errand, Harold Fry takes himself and the reader on a journey he did not chart nor plan for.  Ill shod and unprepared for his spontaneous trip, Harold suddenly summons the inner courage to step outside the known and venture out on a desperate quest he hopes will save a dying friend.  His persistence and plodding progress toward his goal become at times the end in its self, as his self-doubt and uncertainty battle against his desire to finish what he started, and somehow find a way to set his personal world right again.

The map of Harold’s journey

Haunted by the demons of his imperfect past, Harold finds faith and trust in the people he meets to overcome his many fears.  With each step, Harold finds a little more of himself, and learns to accept truths he has long buried and avoided.  He slowly rebuilds a dawning comprehension of primal values he once abandoned in response to the painful events his life.  I found this book especially enjoyable as I walked with Harold through its pages.  I trekked for hours down roads I could never personally walk, borrowing his perspective and the author’s imagination, I shared his steps and the reawakening of his heart and soul.

As a lupus patient, my auto-immunity makes me extremely photosensitive.  Lamenting my own ability to stand or walk in beloved sun light more than ten or fifteen minutes without aggravating my lupus, the idea of taking a much longed-for hike is especially welcome!

I strolled for miles next to Harold down winding paths through the rolling English countryside, and listened with him as he relished the voice each new bird’s song or echoing barking dog heard in the distance.  I shivered with him as the dank night air chilled his bony frame and dampness made him cower in the dark.  I encouraged him as he slogged through the rain, and quietly shouted hurray for him a hundred times over, as he grasped for each new ounce of strength to help him press on just a little bit farther toward his ambitious goal.

I felt as if my presence at his side somehow helped him.  I was the companion who understood his purpose when other companions failed to grasp his intent.  He trusted me with his true thoughts.

Rachel Joyce

Joyce spins her tale with skill, as she helps us understand the inner workings of Harold Fry through his winsome honesty, and artfully and patiently unveils the identity and humanness of the secondary cast of characters and walking companions.  His wife and son, Maureen and David, their neighbor Rex, a host of others, and lastly Harold’s friend that we finally meet at journey’s end, all become real and engaging.  Joyce paints a colorful host of interesting souls who are woven into the tapestry of Mr. Fry’s daunting hiking adventure. Joyce stands a great chance of gaining a stance beside two of my favorite authors, John Hershey and E.B. White.

Setting out to the mail box to post a letter will never be quite the same again!

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: The Help

Book: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Recommend: No question about it. This one is an instant classic.

I’ve been hearing about this book for ages it seems. Everyone was shocked when they found out that I hadn’t read it yet. Sometimes when a book is so insanely popular, I tend to avoid it. I think it might be a bit of latent teen rebellion that’s not quite worked through my system yet. I actually am glad that I waited to read it. If I had read it when the movie came out, I know I would have been pressured to go see the movie and as much as I loved the book, I just have no desire to see the movie. I just think I would be terribly disappointed by it.

I loved this one. It tells a great story without going to one extreme or the other. Sometimes, books about racial conflict can be extremely biased. This one felt honest. Instead of taking a side, it seemed to simply share both sides of the conflict. I also love that this isn’t about the center of the civil rights movement and that there isn’t some HUGE and seemingly instant resolution.In real life, prejudice doesn’t disappear instantaneously. It is a slow progression until one day someone realizes that they have reached the end of a journey they didn’t even realize they had started.

If you haven’t picked it up yet, what are you waiting for?

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Abandoned Book Review: The Book of Fire

the really bad cover..

Book: The Book of Fire

Author: David L. Dawson

Recommend: Definitely not.

It doesn’t happen often but occasionally I’ll find a book I just can’t stand reading. Whether it is the plot, the writing style or it just not being what I expected, sometimes a book is so bad that it is just not worth the time to finish reading.

The plot was so implausible that I couldn’t keep going. Killer butterflies?? Are you kidding me? This read like a bad mix of Harry Potter and The Lightening Thief with so many grammar and spelling errors that I couldn’t continue. In addition, this book was written as something YA when it is clearing a middle grades book. Don’t bother wasting your time.

What was the last book you abandoned?

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

Book Review: The Map of Time

Book: The Map of Time

Author: Felix J. Palma

Recommend: Definitely worth the read!

I originally saw this book sitting on the shelves at my local Barnes and Noble. I really wanted to pick it up and read it but there was something else I needed to read and so I decided against it. I subsequently forgot about it until I saw it on the shelves at the library a couple of weeks ago. Immediately I recalled my desire to read it and hastily shoved it in my overflowing book bag. I cannot go to the library, it seems, without filling my bag to the brim and beyond.

This book was not what I was expecting. The jacket gives a hint of the plot at the end of the book, but is rather misleading. I’m not sure the jacket writer actually read the book. The Map of Time begins with a wealthy young man falling in love with one of Jack the Ripper‘s victims and his attempt at suicide. His well-meaning cousin enlists the help of H.G. Wells and they fake an episode of time travel to ‘save’ her, even though he cannot be with her.

H.G. Wells, 1910 (Photo credit: LSE Library)

The basic idea of the book is how one writer’s flight of fancy can have an effect on the real world in simple yet profound ways. I found the book very interesting and was able to make it through rather quickly, even though I am currently fighting off a reading slump. Particularly, the very obvious narrator was written in a refreshing, humorous way that made me laugh out loud a few times.

The only negative I can find with the book were some moments that could have been left to the reader’s imagination that were for some reason described in detail. For me, this is a personal pet peeve since I end up skipping over such material, even though I don’t like missing part of book.

This one is definitely worth picking up, especially if you are a fan of H.G. Wells, time travel or speculative fiction in general. I personally enjoyed it more than the work of Mr. Wells itself. I am very eager to read his next book, which should be out in the near future.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Book Review: Black

Book: Black

Author: Ted Dekker

Recommend: If you have a vivid imagination and don’t mind a story that seems to really stretch the bounds of reality..

I am always on the hunt for a good read. A few weeks ago, I read a book co-authored by Ted Dekker. My sister-in-law saw the review and shipped four more books by Dekker to me. She insisted that I would love this series of books.

I have been putting them off for a while, having a bunch of advanced reader copies of books to read but finally got to the first book. This is the first or second book in the series. This book series can be read starting with Black, as I did or starting with White, depending on your mood. It supposed to be a full circle, which is why it is called the Circle series. I decided to read the books in the order they were published in so that I would get the same effect the original readers did.

This book centers around a young man named Thomas who seems to be a nobody. A nobody who has dreams that are uncannily accurate about a virus that threatens the whole world. A super-virus that has no cure or vaccine. A virus that is a mutation of a vaccine meant to save the world. The reader is dragged through two parallel worlds that effect the other.

I had trouble getting into the first book. The dream sequences were somewhat out there and bit hard to swallow for me. However, after a little while, the pace of the book sped up and I was sucked in, even though the dream sequences were still outlandish. By the end of the first book, I still am undecided about this one. I guess I’m just going to have to read the next book and see if I continue to be engaged and see if I can decide if I like them or not. The first book doesn’t really end, it just stops. We’ll see if the next book picks up where the last left off.

I’m not sure exactly what to rate this one, but I am definitely intrigued and open to see what else Mr. Dekker has in store.

Final Rating:

Get it used…

Book Review: Quest for Celestia

yes, there is a dragon in this book

Book: Quest for Celestia

Author: Steven James

Recommend: It is an interesting read…

I have been sick for the past few days. My husband who is a computer technician in a couple of schools lovingly and thoughtfully brought home the flu to share. I had started reading this one just as I got sick and then was just too miserable to continue. I basically spent the past few days vegged out on the couch completely out of it. I finally got back to this book this evening and raced through it. If you’ve ever read The Pilgrim’s Progress, or Hind’s Feet for High Places, the plot of this book will not catch you by surprise since it is referred to as a modern retelling of Bunyan’s classic allegory about Christian.

At first I really wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book. After all, it started out by saying that our hero was on his way to become a wizard, something I found rather strange for story it was supposed to tell. I continued to read and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t some odd attempt to bring the occult into a Christian allegory but just a lie about what Celestia really was. I found the fear and hatred of those who decided to go to Celestia even more severe than they were in the original, which I found realistic considering the current state of opinion when it comes to Christianity from the public right now. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, take five minutes and go read comments on articles on yahoo. You’ll quickly figure out that Christian bashing is all the rage right now. I also found the confusion over what the right choice is, is far more clear in this version of the tale. In the original, the right choice seems obvious to the reader but not the character. In this version it is less obvious to both which I think helped show how easy it can be to make the wrong choices.

My only complaint with this book was the ending. I felt like it was far too abrupt than it should have been. It was like the author just got tired of taking them through trials and decided to end it instead of writing anymore. The ending felt very slapped on, instead of that we had finally reached that point where there was no other choice but to end the story.

Definitely a book worth picking up but not sure it’s going to be as timeless as the original it’s based from.

Final Rating:

Get it used…

Fairest of All

Yes, that's actually the cover

Book: Fairest of All

Author: Serina Valentino

Recommend: If you are a Disney fan.

I’ve been watching Once Upon a Time on CBS. If you aren’t familiar with the show, it is basically all the fairy tales you grew up with mashed together and put into the real world by a curse. A curse that wouldn’t allow for any happy endings. The only person who can break the curse is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming who grew up in the real world.

I have always loved the ‘true version’ of fairy tales. The idea that we don’t know what really happened or what motivated a character to make the choices that they did. The author most known for doing this though is unfortunately extremely dull to read. I keep my eyes out for these kinds of stories because I love to read them.

This book, is one such story. It takes the Disney version of Snow White and wonders what could cause the queen to want to kill her stepdaughter. Why would someone be so evil towards a young girl. What created that jealousy. How could Snow White’s father choose such a horrible woman to raise his only child?

The thing I loved about this book was that it did an amazing job of answering all the questions behind the story of Snow White but still made it feel like a fairy tale with a sad ending. It somehow gave a more realistic that’s the rest of the story feel while maintaining the original vibe of the fairy tale we all grew up watching (since most get exposed to the Disney version before they read the real version).

The only negative I might mention with this book is that it felt like the queen’s switch was a bit too abrupt. Her change was a bit like flipping a switch instead of something more gradual. I would rather have seen her more conflicted about the choice she decided to make in the end.

This was definitely a fun read for a bit of lighter fare.

Final Rating:

Get it used...

Water for Elephants- better late than never

Book: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Recommend: Definitely- a great read…

I had been putting off this read for months, simply because I couldn’t imagine enjoying a book about life in the circus. I am now regretting waiting so long to pick this one up. It was definitely more than I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the in depth development of the characters. I also liked hearing the story from both the young and old versions of Jacob.

The only negative I would mention with this book is that sometimes the switch between young Jacob and 90 or 93 year old Jacob come at the strangest moments and it detracts from the story.

Overall, it was a great read and definitely something I can’t wait to revisit.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

 

Interesting Distopian Society

Book: Forbidden

Author: Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

Recommend: So far so good..

I picked up this book on the nook simply because it was a great deal. I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy it and was pleasantly surprised. I am always wary of books written by a team instead of an individual. These partnerships can either go really well or turn into a disaster of epic proportions. For the most part, this meeting of the minds turned our rather well.

The book centers around a young man named Rom and his encounter with a Keeper who tells him that his father had not died as he had thought but was murdered. In a world where the only emotion is fear, the discovery of the truth of their situation leads them down a path none of them could have imagined.

The only disappointment I had with this book was that the characters seemed a bit flat. I really wonder if the two authors is to blame for this situation. There were a couple of parts were I wanted the authors to dive deeper into who the characters were and yet they chose not to. I wasn’t sure if they were keeping it for the next book or because of the weirdness that can happen when two writers team up.

This book is definitely worth the time and I am awaiting the next book eagerly. I hope that it is even better than the first.

Final Rating:

Get it used...

I think the movie was actually better than the book- there is a first time for everything

Book: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Recommend: It’s a nice light read with some Burton-like creepiness

I finally picked up a copy of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I wasn’t aware when I saw the movie that it had started out as a book but when I heard who the author was, I knew I had to check it out. My online library had it available and so I checked it out.

The story is generally close to what is portrayed in the movie but honestly there is a huge dimension missing. Wyborn is not in the book! The whole story with his grandmother is not there at all! I thought that bit of plot added some interest to the character and made Coraline more accessible. I definitely felt his absence. I kept waiting for him to show up but he never did.

The book was a fun read and was decently log enough to tell the story well but not so long that a child would lose interest. It was worth the time it took to read but for once I think that the added characters from the movie and amazing animation did a better job of telling the story than the original text. If you are a fan of the movie, it might be interesting to check out or a fun read before you see it, but for the first time I can think of, I don’t prefer the book over the movie.

Final Rating:

Get it used...

Odd book with a strange explanation

Book: Sole Survivor

Author: Dean Koontz

Recommend: If you don’t mind plots that are a HUGE stretch..

I picked this one out from the online selection of my public library. Someone had mentioned it to me (I don’t remember who now) and said that I might enjoy this one. I have read Dean Koontz before and typically don’t find his work all that interesting. I find most of what the man writes predictable and not worth spending time on. Couple that with the fact that most of them are centered around themes I would rather not spend my time on, I usually avoid his work.

For some reason, I decided to read this one though and was pleasantly surprised to find that, at least for this book, his writing was somewhat different. The book tells the story of a reporter who had lost his wife and daughters in a plane crash the year before and was basically waiting for death. He goes to visit the graves of his family and it begins a crazy ride of conspiracy, suspicion, and chase that is somewhat typical of Koontz. As he races to find out what really happened on the plane, he finds out that there may have been two survivors of the crash.

I found this book to be a light, entertaining read. It was more enjoyable than I thought it would be simply because it was much cleaner than most of Koontz’s other works. However, when you reach the final reveal of the book, it is just a bit too fantastical and outrageous to be believable. It feels like watching Scooby Doo, where everything is freaky until you find out that some normal person was behind it, only this time in reverse. This time you think someone normal is behind it to find out that it is simply something that the brain can’t accept. Then add in more religious conjecture than most would care for in a light read and you have yourself one of the oddest endings I have ever read. If there was a prize for strange ending, Mr. Koontz just might win with this one.

I expected general fiction and came away with someone out of science fiction. It was interesting but not what I was planning on reading. Worth sitting down to go through but not so amazing that it will be memorable.

Final Rating:

Get it free

The Passage

Book: The Passage

Author: Justin Cronin

Recommend? Definitely! This book was a very interesting read.

I picked this book up for my nook after a friend from church recommended it to me a few months ago, saying that it was rather intense. I was looking forward to something new and exciting to read. From what the description discussed it seemed like it would be something very fast paced and with a subject like  post-apocalyptic vampires, I was ready to read.

When I got into the book, it was not at all what I had expected. Yes there are vampires, but it is more about a little girl who changes the world.  This book is all about characters in a style reminiscent of Orson Scott Card’s Speaker for the Dead, the second book in the Ender series. This epic journey spans over 100 years and involves a wide cast of very different people.

I can’t say too much without giving the story away but it is definitely a great surprise to read.The only warning I would give is not to expect something like Twilight or the Sookie Stackhouse books because this book is definitely not those. I would relate this to something more like I am Legend or many zombie stories I have read.

The only negative I would have to say about this book is the way it is talked about. It sets you up to expect something very different than what it really is. If you are a teen reader, this book might not be something you are interested in. However, if you like books with in depth characters and deep emotional connection, this book is something you will enjoy.

Final Rating:

Buy it new

Great book-until the end

Book: Inheritance

Author; Christopher Paolini

Recommend: Yes, but the ending just might make you mad!

Okay, I’ve read the other three books in the cycle and was excited to read the conclusion to the series. I loved the other books and this one was no exception. Eragon and Saphira finally grow into their powers and abilities just in time for a final showdown with Murtogh and Galbatorix. It was definitely a fight worth waiting for and I was surprised by the way it ended. The last dragon egg hatches for it’s rider and we find out things were not quite as they seemed through the first three books.

The only thing that made me mad was the ending. If you have read the other books, you know what the end hold for Eragon thanks to Angela but Arya’s fate was what frustrated me to no end. I would have to say that a girl NEVER would have written what Chris did. I don’t want to ruin too much of the book by going further but I was disappointed with the very end. I get it but it doesn’t meant that I have to like it.

Overall, it was a great conclusion to a wonderful series and I hope that he decides to return to this world again in the future!

Final Rating:

Get it used...

Odd little book…

Book: Artemis Fowl
Author:Eoin Colfer
Recommend: Not particularly

So I was browsing through my friend’s nook books and saw that one of them had the first book in this series. I have been curious about it for a while but had just never gotten there. Some of my students have ranted about how amazing they are so I figured I would read it.

This seemed like a great plot line. Evil 12 year old mastermind tried to outsmart fairies for profit. Sounded like the makings of a great series. While the idea is amazing, it’s about the only thrilling part of the book. The main character Artemis, is flat and just dull to read. Like Lex Luthor without the bite. The Butler was more entertaining and had more emotional depth than Artemis. The fairies were interesting but I have never longed for traditional fairies more in my life! The technology was just an unnecessary distraction. You spend more time with the fairies than you do with the main character it seems and I wanted to kn ow what made this kid tick, but there seemed to be no substance there.

I feel like this book had so much potential and it didn’t meet any of it. A large part of me wants to rewrite the thing just to make it more interesting.

The biggest negative I found was the inappropriateness of this book for the target audience. As an adult an occasional swear word isn’t the end of the world, but in a book aimed at children, I found it offensive. The violence and descriptions weren’t necessary and I found Artemis to be a bad example for kids. I wouldn’t put this in the hands of any child I know.

If you’re looking for what not to do when writing a fantasy novel, this is a great book to read, otherwise don’t waste your money. I’m glad I borrowed this and didn’t pay for it myself.

Final Rating:

TRASH IT!!

An interesting James Patterson book

Book: Witch and Wizard: The Fire

Author: James Patterson and JIll Dembowski

Recommend? Definitely, much better than the first two!

I got a new nook for Christmas With my new nook simple touch in hand, I’ve been reading up a storm! So I went to the bookstore and spent a few hours devouring the latest James Patterson book in his Witch and Wizard series.

I had read the first two books in the series and found them to be a fun, fast and light read. When I got to the third book of the series, I was pleasantly surprised to see a change from the first two. This book seemed to be more logical and polished than the first two. This book also seemed to be better geared to the target audience than the first two had been.

This book follows Wisty and Whit Allgood, a young witch and wizard who are fighting The One Who is The One and the New Order. At the beginning of the book Whit is trying to save Wisty who is on the brink of death. From the first page on, the story grabs you and doesn’t really let go. All of the book s have been exciting but this book really developed the story and filled in quite a few holes that made the story seem more cohesive.

Of all the books, this one gave the best visual of the different worlds, made the characters seem more believable and was much more consist ant than the previous two. However, I would say that this series in general can be a bit hard to follow, simply because Mr. Patterson takes things quite a ways away from what is normal for most books about witches and wizards. However, these differences create a truly fictional world.

I think the biggest negative for me in the series is the fact that the characters are not well fleshed out. The action seems more important than who Whit and Wisty are as characters. Mr. Patterson doesn’t take enough time to flesh these kids out, let alone the supporting characters and so you are pulled by plot alone. While this can work, especially in something this intense, I think that better characterization would have enhanced the drama, instead of creating two characters that at the end, you are not sure you really know, especially when Wisty makes a choice about a certain boy that makes absolutely no sense to me. I think character development would have helped this series be much more effective and created a more lasting impression.

If you decide to pick this one up, be sure to check out the extra stuff at the end. There are so many Easter eggs in this book that are thinly disguised and the appendixes are no exception.

While this was a fun read, it’s not one that will be joining my book collection anytime soon.

Final Rating:

Get it free