Fall Releases I'm Looking Forward To

I thought today I'd share the four new releases coming up I'm most looking foreword to. These next few months are going to be very exciting. :D

The Sword of Summer: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . . (Taken from Goodreads.)

While Riordan's last batch of books, the spin-off series of Percy Jackson, were less than cool, this looks like it's going to be really awesome.

The Forever Man: W.A.R.P. #3

Riley, an orphan boy living in Victorian London, has achieved his dream of becoming a renowned magician, the Great Savano. He owes much of his success to Chevie, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent who traveled from the future in a time pod and helped him defeat his murderous master, Albert Garrick. But it is difficult for Riley to enjoy his new life, for he has always believed in his heart of hearts that Garrick will someday, somehow, return to seek vengeance.

Chevie has assured Riley on numerous occasions that Garrick was sucked into a temporal wormhole, never to emerge. The full nature of the wormhole has never been understood, however, and just as a human body will reject an unsuitable transplant, the wormhole eventually spat him out. By the time Garrick makes it back to Victorian London, he has been planning his revenge on Riley for half a century. But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and when the assassin decides to include Chevie in his retaliation, the three are tossed once more into the wormhole with no idea where-or when-they will end up. (Taken from Goodreads.)

I have absolutely loved Colfer's books, especially his WARP series, and cannot wait to crack open the pages of book 3. Especially since it looks like he's bringing back one of the best villains ever.

The Speed of Darkness: Chronoptika #4

I haven't actually read the 2nd and 3rd book in this series (because my library doesn't have them), so I haven't even read the description of this one. The first book turned out to be breathtaking, and so I, in planning to read the next two, found out that the fourth was due to be released early 2016.

Mission Hurricane: The 39 Clues: Doublecrossed

Last book of the 39 Clues. Possibly the very last that will ever come out. I have really enjoyed these books and will be very sad to see them end. But I suppose you can only stretch a series so far...

What new releases are you looking forward to? Any suggestions for me?

Have a lovely afternoon,

~The Scribbler in the Attic

April Reading List \\ The Book of Time Adventures in Samarkand Gate

Hey! Long time no post. It's been an absolutely crazy few weeks, which is why my monthly book review(s) post is late. I combined both March and April's lists because I didn't read much either month. 

Wordsmithy 

by Douglas Wilson

A short book about writing and the writing lifestyle. I really enjoyed it (especially Douglas Wilson's humor. One of my favorite jokes ever is in this book :D ), and it is among the top of the list of books that have impacted my writing the most. He's down to earth, not afraid to tell aspiring writers they're doing it wrong, and uses that to make you motivated. It is also definitely the kind of book that you would get more out of reading it two or three times. I indubitably will. 5 stars. 

The Time Fetch 

by Amy Herrick

I WANT A SEQUEL NOW. Ahhhh. I loved this book so much. It left my heart feeling squeezed and sore and perfectly drooling for more. It's got time travel, fairy tales, magic, school drama and creepy villains--but that's not why I loved it. Actually, the plot was a little wonky, and the pacing odd. But as I was saying--I loved it for the characters. Edward, the main character, was awesome. I found a really original kind of spirit in him that really stuck with me. Feenix, second main character, was very cool, and not the typical "bad girl" or "good girl". She was unique, and a perfect foil to Eddie. I heard a rumor Amy Herrick may be working on a sequel and I REALLY REALLY HOPE THAT'S TRUE. 4 1/2 stars, only because the pacing was a little off, and Edward was a devout atheist, which was annoying (but also added to his character. It's complicated...)
(There were a few instances of taking the Lord's Name in vain, that was it.)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

Pure awesomesauce in 200 pages. This is one of the few classics I really enjoyed reading. I'm not usually one for just fiction--but this was an exquisite pleasure to read. And it's not just because I relate to Tom, living out in the country. :) Both fast paced and laid back, absolutely worth every minute. 5 stars, definitely! (They do take the Lord's Name in vain several times, and there is a scary murder involved.)

The Book of Time (Book of Time #1)

by Guillaume Prevost 

I picked this up at McKay's for $2. I started the book not at all impressed. It sounded like it was written for eight year olds. But the longer I read, the less rocky it got, and the author's voice finally settled in my head. It was still gut-churchingly juvenile (the dude used at least three exclamation marks in a single paragraph. No kidding.) but the story grew more and more intriguing, and I was starting to like the main character, Sam. Sam's father disappeared two weeks ago, and no one seems overly concerned. One day, Sam goes into their basement and finds a secret wall hiding a strange stone beyond. Next to the stone is a strange coin with a hole in the middle. Oddly enough, it fits exactly into a crevice in the stone. Instantly, Sam is thrown back in time, and, consequently, thrust head-first into a hunt for his father that involves monks, World-War I, mummies and Dracula. By the end of the book, I was intensely invested and immediately went and bought the sequel on Amazon. 3 1/2 stars, for various reasons, but still a very fun/short read. (They do take the Lord's name in vain a few times, and there is a minor curse word once or twice. Also, talk about drugs.)

The Gate of Days (Book of Time #2)

by Guillaume Prevost

Just as good as the first, if not better. This time, Sam has to battle Chicago mobsters, neanderthals and medieval soldiers while trying to discover the meaning behind the strange horn-and-sun symbol that has been following him through his time travels. It was a great follow-up to the first one, much better written, and Sam finally smartened up. 4 stars. (Again, a few minor curse words and taking the Lord's name in vain. Also more drug talk and descriptions of different kinds of medieval torture.)

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy #1)

by Jonathan Stroud

I was not expecting much, so I was really surprised when I ended up absolutely loving this. I picked the series up on a whim, without any previous research, from the library. The titles caught my eye, and I decided to try them out. The writing is surprisingly well done, the author has a very extensive vocabulary, and it brings a high level of class. His character, a dijinn called Bartimaues is a witty, snappy demon summoned by a young magician, Nathaniel, to help him take revenge on a powerful magician who humiliated him two years ago. 
Despite the vengeance agenda of the book, I really liked it, and the plot. The characters were the best part, though, especially Nathaniel. He's original, he's got depth. A twelve-year-old cross between a psychopath, a mastermind, an awkward teenager and, in the end, a hero. He's selfish and insufferable and annoying, but in a surprisingly un-annoying way. I give it 4 1/2 stars. (There is two or three minor curse words, a few instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, and some rather... uh, shall we say, colorful sentences now and then.)
--And just a side note, I am extremely annoyed at the people who say that this series steals from Harry Potter. The only resemblance between the two is that the conflict revolves around magicians in England. The similarities end there. 

Have any of y'all read these? Let me know what you thought of them if you did.

I've been finding many more good books lately, which is very nice. If you have any suggestions, I'm always open! I love getting recommendations. 

Tiredly-Because-It's-Eleven-Thirty-At-Night,
~The Scribbler in the Attic

January Reading List \\ The Hangman's Midnight 39 Crown Revolution of Clues

One of my goals this year is to read 101 books. Whether I'll make that or not, I've no clue. But I would only have to read 8 and 1/2 books a month to reach it, so that shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Have any of you ever set any large reading goals? If so, any advice?

Well, here's what I read this month. I only got around to 6, so I suppose I'll have to make up for that next month...

The Hangman's Revolution (W.A.R.P. #2) 

by Eoin Colfer

This. Was. Awesome. And so funny. I always enjoy Colfer's sense of humor and how he blends absolutely impossible scenarios with believable action and original characters. I give this book 4.5 stars. (There is a lot of mild language, and a lot of gory action, but nothing waaay over-the-top.)

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)

by Sarah J. Maas

I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it, so I checked out the second book on our online library... and still don't quite know what to think. It was good, maybe 3.5 stars, but the main character did a lot of things that were completely and breathtakingly wrong and, quite frankly, evil. I don't think I have ever seen the line of good-and-evil so blurred. I couldn't even tell where the line was. So... the plot was pretty good, even if it lagged a little, but the characters (except for Chaol, who is awesome) were really pretty terrible and had little in the way of true character development. (The language gets pretty PG-13 now and then, and because of the adult innuendo and content, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone younger than 15.)

The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers (books 2-5)

by a bunch of people

Oh! These are so good! Such a great sequeal-series to the original 39 Clues. I'm right in the middle of the last book, and seriously have no idea how it's all going to end up okay. Definitely give these 4.5 stars. (On the language: there is taking of the Lord's name in vain a few times, and three very mild instances of cursing in the 5th, Trust No One.)

Hope this broadened some of your reading horizons. :)

Got any suggestions for me? (Seriously, I have to read 101 books this year, and I need more material for my list!)

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ The Burning Sky - Book Review

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

Premise: Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's been told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the most powerful tyrant and mage the world has ever known. This would be a suicide task for anyone, let alone a reluctant sixteen-year-old girl with no training.
Guided by his mother's visions and committed to avenging his family, Prince Titus has sworn to protect Iolanthe even as he prepares her for their battle with the Bane. But he makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the tyrant closing in, Titus must choose between his mission—and her life.

Language: The occasional mild-to-medium curse words.

Content: Magical powers, torture, murder, insane people, lying, and boy-girl innuendo.

Stars: 3.8 or around there. Just not quite a 4.

I found this book really refreshing because its secret society of wizards was set in 18th-century England.

I was all set to hate this book because I got it off of our eLibrary digital without really looking it up much. The cover hooked me and the reviews on goodreads sounded fine, and I was really bored, so I thought I'd at least give it a try. Safe to say, it was hard to put it down.

Despite the sound of its premise, it's actually only halfway a YA romance. With most YA romances I've read (which isn't a lot) the main girl is usually a washed-up cry baby for most of the book, or she has horrible values, or…well, the list could on for a while.

Iolanthe was none of these. She was smart, sassy, refused to fall for the boy right away, strong, level-headed, and had very believable problems with bravery and selfishness. She was a reluctant hero, but a well done reluctant hero.

Titus, however, was what made this book. He. Was. Awesome. And not just because he was a prince.

There was a lot standing in his way, and he had a lot of problems at the beginning of the book, but Sherry Thomas did a wonderful job of actually giving him character development. Titus was both ruthless and gentle, strong and weak, with wit, self-deception, and good looks thrown in there.

The badguy also was a huge player in making me like this book. The "Inquisitor" as she is called, is not your usual blend of insane, puffed-up, needlessly-killing-stupid-henchmen-when-she's-angry villain.

In conclusion, this book isn't exactly on the "original premises shelf," but the characters themselves were very original, vibrant and enjoyable, and the different plot elements twisted into a story that kept my computer running long into the night. Just for the boy-girl innuendo, though, I would recommend it to 15+. 

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo - Book Review

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye

Premise: Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change and his destiny be fulfilled as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges two worlds -- the real world and Foo, a place created at the beginning of time in the folds of the mind that makes it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and three transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.

Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with a special power of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Their mission: to convince Lev that he has the power to save Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy mankind?

Language: None.

Content: Talking about killing people, parental abuse, and stealing a car.

Stars: 2

I'll start with my positive thoughts, what little I have of them…

For one, the cover is awesome. But,  as they say, you can't judge a book by its cover. And certainly not this book.

The characters are new and unique, with good dynamics. I really loved how awful Leven Thumps relatives are to him. Of course, it sounds like the Harry Potter situation all over again , but Lev's aunt and uncle are the complete opposite kind of awful. They're messy and lazy and live in a gross house. I know it sounds awful of me to like that they're abusive to him, but it adds a good layer to the story.

Winter was very cool--wait, okay, seriously, no pun intended. She leaves a bad family situation, but learns to have confidence in herself, despite being told her whole life that she's nothing. Her back story, what there was of it, was intriguing.

Now, for what I didn't like:

Basically everything. Leven was selfish, way too weak-minded, and whiny. I'm all for the hero-underetsimates-himself-but-then-discovers-self-confidence-and-becomes-super-awesome. With Leven, the author just took it over the top and almost the entire book was nothing but Leven's friends trying to convince him that he isn't worthless and can save Foo. Suck it up and try anyways, dude.

The dialogue was cheesy, the jokes fell through, the writing itself was nauseatingly  bad, and the pacing lurched. It was excruciatingly boring, and the only thing that kept me reading was the action and the tiny little part of me that really wanted to like this book.

I'm not saying that the action was good, however. In fact, it was some of the worst action I've ever read. Not well described and too bizarre. It had no structure, no rise-and-fall, no order. Of course, action isn't supposed to be "organized" but it shouldn't feel like something that was just plopped into the story and made to fit.

But the thing I probably could stand the least about this book was the bad guy, Sabine. Cheesy, poorly conceived, and horrific--I mean truly horrific--dialogue.  If you're going to build an antagonist up to be something as powerful and cruel as Sabine, you better deliver.

My conclusion--this book looked very charming at first, but I'm not planning on reading the rest of the series.

Laters,

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ The Relic Master Series BR

The Relic Master Series by Catherine Fisher

Premise: The only hope for the world Anara lies in a Relic Master, his apprentice, and the ancient relics they've dedicated their lives to searching for and protecting. As Anara's political order crumbles to chaos and everybody is spied on by the Watch, Galen and Raffi will be tested to their limit. Hunted, watched and betrayed at every corner, can they survive long enough to bring peace back to their world?

Language: Some mild cursing, and possibly one above-mild curse word name.

Content: Fighting, sorcerery-like powers, minor injuries, mutants, talk of experiments, and animal/alien-creatures/humanoids.  

Stars: 4

Wow… How to start this review…?

This is possibly one of the most bizarre series I've ever read. It was incredibly written, the characters were suburb and very believable, the action as well, the underlying premise itself very intriguing, the back story great, and the actual plot well played out, but everything in between… just bizarre.

 The book begins with the main characters--a young apprentice (Raffi) and his Master (Galen)--who are dedicated to an order that finds and preserves relics (objects left by the "Makers") both for the relics sake, and for the protection of the people of Anara, who aren't trained to handle these things. I won't give the whole story behind all that away, because it is one of the biggest supporting beams for the story plot, but basically the books start out with Raffi and Galen almost worshipping these Makers. As the series progresses, they come to stop thinking of the Makers as gods, and stop giving them that sort of attention, if you will.

I really would not have enjoyed this series if it weren't for one character: Galen.

Seriously, one of my all time favorite characters of any series.

And that's saying something.

Galen is just, in a word, awesome. Not in a swashbuckling, clever-repartee' sort of way. He gets angry easily, he's dark and moody, but he's sharp and he's never fooled. His relationships with the other characters are also very good, and I really loved the different ways Fisher played out the tension or the love and loyalty between them and used it to build him.

The other characters, though, were also very well done. There were developments in each of them, and each development was well done and not overplayed.

Age-Range: I'd say 14+ (but only because of the one curse-word name, in which case it'd be 12-13+)

Basically, if you don't mind animal-humanoid-aliens, unexplainable powers, and a weird religion that eventually resolves itself into just an order of moralistic values, and you like spies, hunts, freaky-awesome mind powers, beautiful descriptions, a city made of shadows, betrayal and redemption, check this series out. 

Sincerely, 

~The Scribbler in the Attic

Monday Musings// I'm Back! (And Book Pendants)

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!
Yes, well, so,--I'm back again! So excited to actually post again! I've got the next This Name and Moment segment in the works, as well as hopefully editing Emma's senior pictures and doing some book reviews. I read eight books last month, and several of them are just too good not to share with y'all. 
So, basically, what I've been up to is...

Shoe shopping! Finally got a new pair of converse after my last pair finally disintegrated into a puddle of threads and rubber.

Reading! Fencing, Magic, Historical, Time-Travel...

Making book pendants! Yes! You heard me--book pendants! I hand-made them from clay and put them up on Facebook to sell. I'm almost tempted to keep them all for myself...
(More on this in a later post, I promise.)

"If not for the last minute, nothing would ever get done." ~Unknown

But biggest news of all--I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOOOOOOOO excited! It was worth it to take a break from blogging to focus on the home-stretch of writing my book. 

Sincerely, 

The Scribbler in the Attic 

(Please go and check out my jewelry business Facebook page to see more about the book pendants! 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Droplette-Jewelry/854938741186339 )

Monday Musings \\ Graceling BR

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Premise: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight. She is one of the rare people throughout the kingdoms Graced with an extreme skill. And hers is combat. She is a Graceling killer.

Held under her uncle's thumb for eight years, forced to do his dirty work for him, Katsa does not taste true freedom until she meets a mysterious prince, Po, from across the sea.  Secrets lie deep throughout the seven kingdoms, and together they must uncover them. But never in her wildest dreams would she imagine how this prince would change her and her life forever.

Language: None

Content: Lots of fighting, breaking and dislocating a lot of bones as punishments, animal cruelty, children being abused, kidnapping, murder. There was some kissing, and one scene of sensuality between two rather young people.

Stars: 2

Alright, my first negative book review. Let's see how I do, shall we?

I have yet to read a young adult romance/action book that hasn't left me detesting the heroine by the end. And this one was no different. I almost couldn't finish it.

One, because it was boring more than 3/4 of the entire book. It slowed way down after the first several chapters. The beginning started out wonderful, very intriguing, and pulled me right in. The premise promised me an action book, not a romantic, feminist flick.

Two, because it was a feminist flick. The girl refused to marry because she didn't want to have "her freedom taken away" or "be under the control of anyone but herself". Po had the makings of a wonderful, strong male character, but instead he bowed the Katsa's whining and let her have whatever she wanted.

Three, Katsa was simply unpleasant. She didn't actually become someone to look up to until halfway through the book, and without the conflict of her character and morals, it left her flat. She cried too much, whined too much, and was constantly selfish. Mostly when it came to the prince, Po.

Because of the adult-things in it, I'd have to give the Age Range a 15+.

In conclusion, if you were thinking of picking this book up to read, I don't really recommend it. While I did get a few things out of it, it almost wasn't worth reading in the first place.

 Critically,

~The Reader in the Attic

Monday Musings \\ Fablehaven Series Review

Fablehaven (the complete) Series by Brandon Mull

Premise: Kendra and Seth Sorenson have no idea that their grandparents are the caretakers of a preserve for magical creatures, called Fablehaven. When they come to stay while their parents are on vacation, the Sorenson siblings are plunged into the midst of a dangerous war between the demons and fairies, dark and light creatures. As the increasingly desperate situations call for increasingly desperate measures, their bravery saves the day while giving them abilities they never dreamed of. In the next two years, they are victim to dragons, betrayel, magic, captivity, time travel, duels, griffons, wraiths, dangerous gambles with deadly magical beings, and a struggle that will both rip them away from their family and help find them again.

Language: None

Content: Plenty of violence, drowning, dangerous magical creatures, but not really any blood or gore. Kidnapping, murder.

Stars: 4 1/2

I went through a difficult breakup with this series when I finished. After such an explosive, beautiful last book, it was like 11 o'clock at night when I finished and I just went, sat down by my older sister, and hugged her a long time. It was such an awesome series I that couldn't face the fact that it was over.

The thing about juvenile fiction is that sometimes the grownups simply put too much confidence in the children, or absolutely none. Fablehaven did a wonderful job of balancing it perfectly. The grownups were both very responible about protecting the children, while not undermining them and using their help when it was needed.

It took the first three or four books to get to this point, and up until that point, they would disobey their grandparents to do the right thing.

What I enjoyed most was the dynamic of Kendra and Seth as siblings. Total opposites. They are both the main characters, though Kendra a little more than Seth. Kendra was responsible, level headed, polite and quietly brave.

Her younger brother Seth, however, is goofy, recklessly courageous, constantly cracking jokes, and always disobeying. But his disobedience always has consequences, and he learns eventually to respect his grandparents.

Another thing that really stood out to me about this series was how polite the kids were to the badguy--a classy, clever man. They despise him, but are always very polite when speaking to him. It was refreshing to read books where they weren't constantly insulting, yelling, or cursing at the antagonist.

This series had wonderful, colorful side characters, lots of humor, and awesome ancient evils and clever badguys. The secret magical world takes on a global-level as the series progresses.

The only thing that I think people might have a problem with are the demons and zombies, but neither are overplayed. They are simply portrayed as other magical creatures like fairies, trolls, dragons, giants and satyrs. There's nothing weird or after-lifey or religously-off about them.

I highly recommend this series to anyone 10+. It has become one of my favorite book series, and has given me so many ideas for my own books. 

~The Reader in the Attic