Rachel
Not perfect, but damn this volume was good. It started off muddled. I didn't really understand what was going on. But that was part of the beauty. It was like being lost in Oz, or on an adventure like Alice in Wonderland. There were strange creatures and beings. Everything was up for grabs. Nothing made sense, yet it all made sense.
Princess of the Wild Swans is loosely based on the tale The Wild Swans by Hans Christen Anderson.
There were some nice original parts to this version, but it also had many problems.
Highlights:
- the princess stays in her kingdom during quest to break the spell and save her brothers/father/people.
- fun cast of characters
- not too long. Good for an afternoon read and fun for kids.
Lowlights:
- The princess is 12 yet some of her thoughts/actions/responses are more in line with an older teenager. It almost felt like she started this for an older audience then was told to take it down a few levels.
- The spell only lasted a few weeks. (in the original tale it took 7 years)
- The princess had help gathering the nettles (again, in the original tale she had to do it all herself)
- The princess could speak telepathically to others (again, cheap cop out.)
- Lots of extra plotlines that were never resolved (more information about faerie would have been nice. And a reuinion with the guard would have been good too).
Overall, it was a cute fun read, but it really missed the mark on the original tale. This book is a fluffier, friendlier version of the original tale. What I loved about the original was the girl's dedication to her brothers. For 7 years she had to stay silent. 7 years of plucking needles, spinning thread, making shirts. And at the end she's nearly burned at the stake. It's such a powerful story of devotion. This story had very little of that. Yes, she loved her brothers, but it just wasn't the same.
I liked this installment. The Sandman decides to revisit hell to rescue a past lover. Once there, he finds Lucifer abandoning hell. The sandman is given the key to hell, the dead are rising, and competitors compete for ownership of hell.
I enjoyed the inclusion of different death gods. Egyptian, Japanese, Norse, etc. They make mention of the missing Hades. I assume it was for an inside joke and nothing serious though I'd have liked to see him and some aztec/indigenous american gods. A native american god would also have been interesting.
Like the other volumes, there are some tangents. One story follows that of a young boy at a boarding school. He's the only child there when the dead residents come back. It was rather sad.
Compared to the other volumes, I thought this was one of the better ones. The story was solid all the way through and flowed rather nicely. Some characters could have used more development (who were all his siblings again?), and there were a number of unanswered questions (did death go back for the boy?). Did Lucifer receive any punishments?
3.5 stars
This was a good retelling of a lesser known fairy tale. Set in Elizabethan England, the language can be difficult to follow. The story itself is interesting and has some good core pieces. I enjoyed the fact that the sisters built a relationship with the princes. It wasn't the insta-love that so many modern tales rely on. Still, I felt there could have been more character development. There weren't many characters, but there were enough for them to blend into one mushy indistinguishable pile. Characters came and went, and I never grew attached to any of them. Even the main characters that dominated the majority of the pages were lacking.
Overall it was still an enjoyable read and solid story. It's a good read, but takes some work to follow.
I was expecting the characters to at least act a little like themselves. They all act like hyper, over excited teenagers. These are more sarcastic looks into the daily lives of the princesses. Some are short 3 frame comics. Others take up a few pages. Overall, not very engaging and not that funny. I read through 3 issues before solidifying my stance on these.
And not sure who the intended audience is. Maybe teenagers? I don't think little kids would really enjoy it. Mainly cause I don't think they'd get the jokes.
I was expecting the characters to at least act a little like themselves. They all act like hyper, over excited teenagers. These are more sarcastic looks into the daily lives of the princesses. Some are short 3 frame comics. Others take up a few pages. Overall, not very engaging and not that funny. I read through 3 issues before solidifying my stance on these.
And not sure who the intended audience is. Maybe teenagers? I don't think little kids would really enjoy it. Mainly cause I don't think they'd get the jokes.
I was expecting the characters to at least act a little like themselves. They all act like hyper, over excited teenagers. These are more sarcastic looks into the daily lives of the princesses. Some are short 3 frame comics. Others take up a few pages. Overall, not very engaging and not that funny. I read through 3 issues before solidifying my stance on these.
And not sure who the intended audience is. Maybe teenagers? I don't think little kids would really enjoy it. Mainly cause I don't think they'd get the jokes.
A well researched and well written account on the Ghost Festival. I began with limited knowledge about Chinese history, beliefs, and traditions yet was able to read this without difficulty. I found the evolution of Mu-lien's story rather fascinating. In the beginning he is an ordinary son who tries to atone for the sins of his mother, who has died and turned into a hungry ghost. As the decades pass, Mu-lien begins a close relationship with the buddha. He implores Buddha to help his mother and release her from her torments. Eventually Mu-lien's character journeys into hell (similar to Dante's Inferno) to rescue his mother. Along the way he sees the many levels and torments in hell.
The author explores not only the history of mu-lien, but touches on ancient Chinese society and the rise of religion in the culture. He also discusses how the festival brought the culture together, yet also kept it separate.
I liked it. I enjoyed the emphasis on siren life. How it's not all it's cracked up to be. I like how it incorporated the different “siren” like creatures across different cultures. I liked that the ocean had a personality and characteristics. I like that there was some romance but it didn't take up the whole story. I liked the friendships and how the girls were there for each other no matter how hard it got. I liked the originality of the storyline.
It's like Lord of the Rings and the last unicorn but written in an easier to understand voice (like Harry Potter).
Overall it was really good. I loved the adventure. It's like a kids intro to high fantasy.
Book summary: Simple pig keeper chases after his magic pig and meets a variety of characters. There are castles and an undead bad guy. There's also an eccentric Gollum like creature.
Do you want to traumatize your kids? If yes, read this book. In summary: monsters are watching you everywhere. They're in every room, or lurking around every corner. They're trying to take your (and your parents) place.
Umm hellooooo!! That will traumatize most kids.
The story tries to correct paths midway through. The next message is “Monsters are not all bad. You'll be fine.” Then when it looks like a monster party it completely changes again. It finished with “Don't worry monsters aren't real. You don't have to be scared. Mommy and daddy will protect you”.
BUT you already put the idea in their heads that someone is watching and stalking them.
I turned the final page, closed the cover, and hugged the book to my chest. I pulled it tighter and tighter as the tears silently flowed down my cheeks. My heart aches for the friends I met within those pages. It aches for their stories and the beautiful prose. It aches because no other words could ever describe it.
This version combines multiple tellings of Aladdin and Sinbad. I liked that they included the genie of the ring. It was a key point of the story excluded from the famous Disney film. I found the story itself to be jumpy and underdeveloped. The imagery was well done but a bit dark for my taste. I thought it didn't mesh with the story of Aladdin. It reminded me more of The Prince of Persia or Assassin's Creed.
I would have liked to see more character development or a longer story. There was room to improve.
Now it's getting good. This volume was much shorter than I expected. I liked how it was less focused on the sandman. His brooding got old quickly. Instead it features Calliope (the muse that inspired Homer), the inspiration and creation of A Midsummer Night's Dream and then ends with a reference to Ra (the egyptian sun god). The issue with Calliope was a bit dark for my taste. Overall, the volume was well done.
Also liked the Sandman's new look. Looks less like Neil Gaiman now. Easier to focus on the story instead of the author.
DNF at 38% (ebook)
For such a short book (just over 200 pages), I found this book to be incredibly long.
The book starts off with a young girl outside the fort who happens upon a native american girl. What will happen? Will the become friends? Will they get caught? This seems like it's going to be an good story! Well, who knows what happens to these two because then it switches to other characters and life at the fort. We're given some backstory on fort life, the landscape, army rotations (were they considered army then? There's a corporal so I assume so). The descriptions were excellent. I was instantly whisked away into Arizona fort living in the 1800s. For that I give it 5 stars.
So why the DNF?
Simply, the story jumped around too much. Yes, I was instantly transported to that time period, but the story was too jumbled. I had a hard time following the timeline and what was happening. I felt like I had experienced fort life by the 20% mark and wouldn't get too much more out of it by continuing the book.
4.5 stars
Wow. Just wow. My Friend Dahmer is the story of a Derf Backdorf schoolmate to the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It covers the 4 years of high school and the summer after graduation.
My Friend Dahmer is approx 1/2 Dahmer and 1/2 Backdorf. It is brilliantly crafted. Backderf compares his normal teen actions to Dahmer's bizarre actions. While Backderf drinks for fun, Dahmer drinks to forget. Where Backderf is repulsed by roadkill, Dahmer is fascinated with it and takes them home. It's a brilliant use of juxtaposition. In fact, it's what makes this book even more disturbing.
How much of Dahmer's childhood led to his actions? Would he have turned out differently if he had a solid friend? What if he had a better home life? What if he was born in another time, when homosexuality was accepted? Would he have still done what he done?
The most frightening aspect to me was comparing it to my own school days. Could any of the “strange” kids from my class turn out like Dahmer? Maybe not to that extreme, but could they become serial killers? Were some potential serial killers saved by friends they made at school? Is Jeffrey Dahmer a one time occurrence, or are there hundreds of Dahmers out there just waiting.
2.5 stars
First story, ok but not a big fan. Expected more about the merfolk. Second was good, albeit predictable. Still nice story. Third couldn't get into. Fourth, struggled. Fifth (Kraken) was excellent. Wish there was more of this world. Sixth, I haven't read the blue sword so the excitement was lost upon me.
Overall, I don't think I'll continue with this elemental spirits series.
What a cute collection of stories.
The Light Princess is about a princess who is light as a feather and has no worries or troubles. If she's not held down, she will fly away. She finds solace in the lake where she swims each night.
The Giant's Heart is about two siblings who wander into giantland. Similar to Jack and the Beanstalk, the female giant is kind while the man is mean. He eats little children as snacks. The siblings devise a plan to find the giant's heart and save the other children.
The Golden Key features two children that wander into fairyland. The boy finds a golden key. Along the way they meet a variety of creatures searching for where the key belongs.
Hmm I was really enjoying this until the 3/4 mark.
Lets start with a little summary:
The Thief Lord is quite a mashup. There are multiple stories going on. Two boys running away from their Aunt. A gang of little thieves. The secret of their leader (the thief lord). A missing item and the man who has spent his whole life hunting it. The private detective hunting the boys. Most of the stories were flowing really well together. Then at the 3/4 mark the author introduced magic. It was an interesting concept, but it turns everything upside down and really messes with the story lines. The characters all suddenly accept the magic and its consequences. It just didn't match well with the first half of the story.
Did you enjoy Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, a Little Princess, or Winnie the pooh? If no, skip this book. If yes, pick this up.
This is a wonderful children's book. It follows 4 children who find a magic ring. It was written in the early 1900s and will be difficult for modern children to follow. Not impossible, but it will be a bit of a challenge. There are British phrases and the language is very posh. But underneath it all is still the joys of childhood and a fun summer at a large estate.
