Sixteen year old Kyra,
is one of a Trio of Master Potioners who specialize in poisonous weaponry. Kyra's skills also include mixing sleeping potions, truth serums, cloaking potions and in rare cases lethal poisons. Her old partners include Hal, Ned and Ellie the Hermit. Poison begins with Kyra trying to break into the master trio potioners lodging. She plans to steal a very dangerous poison called Peccant Pentothal, when she is suddenly interrupted by Hal and Ned and must flee their capture. While dodging out of what used to be her home, Kyra notes that here is where she "made a name for herself, fell in love with the wrong man, and betrayed everyone she knew when she tried to murder the princess. " What makes this even more difficult Kyra and Princess Arianna are the best of friends. Yet, Kyra has determined that the Princess must die or the rest of the kingdom will come to ruins. The only problem is Kyra has to find her first. After stealing this lethal poison, Kyra is on the run from the king's men and also her previous housemates (Hal and Ned). Running out of options, Kyra seeks out the criminal Arlo who gives her a Katzenheim pig and says that the pig will help her find Princess Ariana. This pig is no ordinary pig, she has the ability to track anyone if an article of clothing belonging to the person your trying to find is placed into the special sniffing basket hanging around the pigs neck. Kyra then sets off on a quest to track down the Princess. Kyra encounters Fred, a handsome stranger traveling with his wolf/dog, while crossing a river. When her pig and weapons unexpectedly get swept away with the current, Fred is there to rescue her. What ensues is a lovely story filled with action and yes some sweet light bantering between Fred and Kyra.
There is just something so appealing about this cover to me, be it the blueish
lettering of Poison, or maybe it's Rosie peaking out from the ferns. My
only hesitation is that Kyra doesn't look sixteen to me in this photo.
Ahh, but I still can fore go all of that because Kyra is a strong, determined, funny and very loving and loyal. I loved the bantering that goes on between Fred and Kyra. It's adorable and sweet with just some light hints of romance. Author Jacqueline West (books of Elsewhere Series) says in her review that Poison is "delightful and funny and adventure-filled and romantic, and it made me think again and again of the Princess Bride." I would have to agree, it really is all of those things. Especially the tie in to the Princess Bride, one of my favorite movies too. My review copy was purchased.
Up Next: Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Adam-Troy Castro's first installment in this series was Gustav Gloom and the People Takers.
I loved the first story. It was creepy, full of mystery and featured a really evil bad guy (Lord Obsidian) who makes your hair prickle and brings shivers down your spine. I also enjoyed reading about the Gloom Mansion and our poor sad Gustav all dressed in black. Oh and did I mention the beautiful illustrations by Kristen Margiotta?
It seemed logical that I should follow it up with the second in the series Gustav Gloom and the Nightmare Vault. Fernie and Gustav are once again in danger. Lord Obsidian has released his Shadow Eater to track down and find the Nightmare Vault. What's inside the vault, Gustav and Fernie don't really know, but they know that it is sure to house something terrible and if Lord Obsidian is after it then it is really bad. Adam Troy Castro expands in book two on Gustav's parents and how Gustav came to live in a home filled with shadows. As Fernie and Gustav race through the house more and more of what is behind all of those secret doors and passageways is revealed. Yet, there is still so much more to learn about Gustav Gloom Mansion. I wish the author was able to expand a little more about Gustav's curse and his family. I also really enjoyed the moments when Fernie and Gustav stopped their running and plotted the next move it is after all the appeal of this book for me, Gustav and his relationship with Fernie. Even though the house is dark and creepy, Fernie knows that Gustav will help her and she brings some normalcy to Gustav's life. Again, I can't say enough about the wonderfully detailed black and white illustrations by Kristen Margiotta. The cover is also beautiful and I'm happy to see that they continued the cut out on the cover. You can't see it in the design above, but imagine a black panel with window like panes covering up the house and sunshine. Looks like I'll have to wait til August for book 3 but again a wonderful creepy book. I purchased my copy for review.
Next up is Poison by Bridget Zinn
Here's a description from Goodreads:
Take
eleven-year-old Timmy Failure — the clueless, comically self-confident
CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add
his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named
Total. Throw in the Failuremobile — Timmy’s mom’s Segway — and what you
have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy
so rich his mother won’t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of
course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose
name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is
so obsessed with getting into "Stanfurd" that he can’t carry out a
no-brainer spy mission. From the offbeat creator of Pearls Before Swine
comes an endearingly bumbling hero in a caper whose peerless hilarity
is accompanied by a whodunit twist. With perfectly paced visual humor,
Stephan Pastis gets you snorting with laughter, then slyly carries the
joke a beat further — or sweetens it with an unexpected poignant moment —
making this a comics-inspired story (the first in a new series) that
truly stands apart from the pack.
I liked the character of Timmy but am curious how much others will enjoy him. Maybe it's his over confidence in his detective skills or his bumbling nature, he just isn't really as good at crime solving as he thinks he is. Yet, maybe that is his charm. Timmy does land himself in some interesting predicaments and I can see children enjoying how he gets out of them. Timmy's 1500 pound sidekick business partner, Total the polar bear was hard to imagine wandering around solving cases with him but the illustrations of the two were very well done. I believe this is the kind of book that will resonate with 8 to 12 year old's who enjoy diary and comic book illustrations with their stories. I am curious where the story with Timmy and Total will go next and will look out for the next in the series. Overall, an enjoyable (three out of five) read. My copy was from the public library.
.
April 25th is considered World Penguin Day, who knew? Not I, but I did happen to be reading this lovely little book, Diary of a Penguin-napper so in my own way I must have been celebrating those adorable fluffy cute penguins. The last book I read with penguins in the story was Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater. Who doesn't love penguins? They are featured in such films as Madagascar and The Pebble and the Penguin. There just so cute and adorable.
Diary of a Penguin-napper begins with Marty sitting on a couch waiting for the police to arrive. His mother has just discovered that the missing penguin from the zoo has been hidden in their upstairs bathroom by none other then her son. Thinking it is the right thing to do, Marty's mom calls the police to turn him in. As the police arrive and interrogate him, Marty slowly begins to tell the story of how he came in possession of the stolen penguin and why. I think by having the police interrogate Marty it naturally leads into the details of the heist and why stealing a penguin was so important to him in the first place (for love of course). I especially liked this technique. I don't think I am giving to much away by saying all that. The title
kinda says it all. The "trouble one little penguin can cause" well that is what
makes the story so engaging. That and the fact that Sally Harris seems to have a knack for capturing the voice of middle grader Marty very nicely. Diary of a Penguin-napper also includes some hilarious illustrated diary entry pages which are both amusing and add beautifully to the story. Overall, I really loved this book. My hope is that Sally Harris will write some more fun stories about Marty and his friend Turds. I can just see them getting into all kinds of trouble and having further fun adventures together. My review ebook was featured on March MG Madness at http://www.wordspelunking.blogspot.com and was a giveaway from the author Sally Harris. I big thank you to both.
St.
Vipers School for Super Villains is a wonderful series by Kim Donovan.
I loved the idea of a school for super villains. I mean they have to
learn their skills somewhere right? When I was contacted back in
October by Kim Donovan to review book one "The Riotous Rocket Ship
Robbery," I jumped at the chance. The Riotous Rocket Ship Robbery was
everything a first book should be. It introduced the main character of
Demon Kid. A villain in training, who desired to be like his father, the best villain that he could
be. There were details of Demon's training at St. Viper's School, an
introduction to his vile, villainous teachers and Demon's plan to steal a
rocket back from the head "baddy" at school began to unfold.
So, when I was contacted to read the second in the series, I eagerly grabbed this one up too. The action in The Big Bank Burglary begins from the get go and it's a fun ride. The Big Bank Burglary,
begins with the super villains competing in a challenge to see who will
be helping on a special assignment, the Syndicate has plans to steal all of the money from the banks and wreck havoc on the world . Demon thinks that he is a shoe in
to be selected. Yet, the new
kid (Copycat) is gaining more recognition and having the ability to
change yourself into anything you want seems to be a strong advantage
for Copycat. Demon is very suspicious of Copycat, but when the
bank burglary begins it's all Demon can do to stay out of trouble and ensure himself a spot on the bank heist. I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to
the St. Vipers School for Super Villains series. The action is fast
paced and there are all the things I expect in my super villains, CLICK's, WHIR's, and THOP's. I also enjoyed that although Demon was overly confident in the beginning of the story, he learned some valuable lessons by the end. Overall, recommend for children seven years and up who enjoy super hero's or super villains in this case and a wonderful action packed, humorous story. Review copy provided by author in the format of an ebook.
“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Albus Dumbledore
Sorry all I took a little unexpected time off. I'll be back to blogging on Monday with first one being the second book in the St. Viper's School for Super Villians, followed by Diary of a Penguin-napper shortly thereafter. Happy Weekend to all.
Thank you to the lovely Natalie Aguirre at http://www.literaryrambles.com/ for her ARC of The Cadet of Tildor. It made for some pleasant reading over Spring Break, so thank you very much.
There is a new king on
the throne of Tildor. Currents of political unrest sweep the country as
two warring crime families seek power, angling to exploit the young
Crown's inexperience. At the Academy of Tildor, the training ground for
elite soldiers, Cadet Renee de Winter struggles to keep up with her male
peers. But when her mentor, a notorious commander recalled from active
duty to teach at the Academy, is kidnapped to fight in illegal gladiator
games, Renee and her best friend Alec find themselves thrust into a
world rife with crime, sorting through a maze of political intrigue, and
struggling to resolve what they want, what is legal, and what is right. (Excerpt and image from Goodreads:).
Alex Lidell has created some wonderful characters for this world of Tildor. I especially liked sixteen year old Renee de Winter. When her father gives her an ultimatum, leave the Academy or never be welcomed at their home again, she sticks to her convictions and returns to school. You see, Renee has always dreamed of being a protector for Tildor, to be among the elite Champions trained to protect the King. Renee is strong, determined and above all a fighter who early on thinks she has to beat the boys in battle to prove her worth. Yet, as she trains with Commander Savoy, Renee learns that she doesn't have to prove she's as good as the boys, but just needs to prove she can kill them. Although, I didn't always agree with Commander Savoy's training methods when it came to Renee, some of it seemed logical for the time period and given the Commander's own experiences at the school. Which are nicely explained by the varying points of view. Moving from Renee, to the commander and then to Renee's friend Alec. Each shift is able to add some details and mystery about the characters past and moves the story along. Although, Tildor and its new King are stuck in a battle between two opposing forces, The Viper's and the Family. I wish they were explained a little further but are more intrigue and as a plot point for the kidnapping. I also would have loved to learn more about the mages and how they use their powers for either healing or harm. Although there were some nice examples of both, I never understood why some mages registered and others choose not to. Overall, this is a wonderful fantasy filled with political intrigue, mysterious conflicts and characters that will keep you surprised. I hope Alex Lidell will write more books about Renee de Winter.
