“In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.” – publisher
I appreciate books that not only transport me to a fantasy realm, but provoke me to consider “ifs” — If I were in Zen’s shoes, would I have made the same choices? How would I handle life if I witnessed my family’s murder at the hands of invaders?”
The other thing I like about Song of Silver is that Ms. Wen Zhao faces the trauma head on – her characters’ decisions lean into morally gray areas. Again, questions like “How would I react if this kind of thing happened to me?” push me to responding to the text more critically. Reading becomes a learning vacation.
I would recommend R.F. Kuang’s Poppy War or Babel to further your foray into fantasy that makes you think, and if you enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass, I recommend this as an upgrade.
Mrs. Ashworth rates this book 4/5 stars.
Rin is an orphaned peasant from Rooster Province, but she is determined to test into Sinegard, the best military school in Nikan, to escape her marriage arranged by her opium dealer guardians. Her struggles only increase at school, where she faces scorn because of her southern origins and poverty. However, she soon discovers her shamanic abilities and learns to call upon the Phoenix with help from her teacher Jiang, just in time for the Third Poppy War between the Nikara Empire and the Federation of Mugen.
The Vampire Lestat is a paranormal fantasy by Anne Rice. It’s the second book in the Vampire Chronicles series. The setting changes from ancient times and then back to the 1980’s. Lestat spends a lot of time thinking, evaluating, assessing circumstances and trying to understand the meaning of being a vampire. He seems to be battling the good and evil within as well as trying to define what a modern day vampire life should be in the 1980’s. There remains a large cast of characters that pop in and out of Lestat’s life and this creates interesting situations and further assists the reader in understanding Lestat’s current and future life troubles. The story can be interesting, complex and at times a bit of a drag.
If you have been missing a good vampire story in your life lately The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh may be just the book you have been waiting for. The central character focus is on adventuresome Celine, a young woman sent to 1800’s New Orleans in search of a better life and opportunity for the future. Celine is accompanied by a set of girls similar in circumstance but different in backgrounds and character, each with a different vision for their future. This group of friends find themselves quickly caught up in the mystery and romance of the city. Although no longer a French colony during the time of this novel, the people of New Orleans held tight to their French ways, including language, religion, customs, a complex social structure. From the streets of the French Quarter to the Old Ursuline Convent and the former Charity Hospital, remnants from French colonial times persisted to this timeline. Celine quickly finds herself enraptured with the city, its residents and a love interest, and too soon finds her way into helping solving a murder. This mystery combined with a newly acquired dress-making job plunge Celine deeper into the night culture of New Orleans. Vampires and other fantasy creatures soon become a major part of Celine’s daily life as she tries to solve the mystery of who killed her friend.
This book is the first in a 14-book series and introduces the main characters and some of the mechanics of this fictional world. The main characters are introduced and some special/ key players in this world are shown while maintaining an interesting plot and good character development. Though it may feel a bit slow or boring, it is merely a jumping off point after which a lot of intricate plot lines and character developments take place.
In this book, Gaiman has assembled an amazing collection of some of his favorite short stories about the fan
Magpie’s life just keeps getting worse. It started with her father’s infidelity and mother’s alcoholism, and then that night at Brandon Phipp’s party…that changed everything. Since then, Magpie is barely holding it together. The only thing that seems to help is writing about her ideal getaway place, one where none of life’s blows struck anything, one with all the comfort and none of the pain. To Magpie’s amazement, there is such a place, and to get to it, you imagine a door.
In a fabulous fantasy realm, with wonderful wizards and dragons, a despotic Mr. Chesney forces the denizens to transform their lives, nations, and homes into something resembling a swords-and-sorcery Tabletop RPG or video game every year. Complete with Dark Lords with one unlikely weakness, armies that wait until the adventurers are in sight to begin fighting, and nations helpless until a small band of heroes come to save the day, the book chronicles the struggle of the inhabitants of the world to free themselves from Mr. Chesney and the parties of ‘adventuring’ tourists rampaging through their world.
A teenaged boy learns that he is able to summon demons, but a mishap with a bully forces him to run away. He finds a school for summoners, and enrolls for the year. He then participates in a tournament to get a commission in the army.
Mo and his daughter Meggie can bring storybook creatures to life just by reading aloud. This gift turns on them, however, when Mo accidentally summons the evil Capricorn and his henchman from the book Inkheart. Mo and Meggie must find a way to send him back before he destroys their world.
Lynbrook Reviews 