Christopher C. Payne's Blog, page 25

I am Number Four

Title: I am Number Four

Genre: Action, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Directed by: D.J. Caruso

Format: DVD released May 2011

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Diana Agron

John Smith is extraordinary. He is also what many would consider an alien. When ruthless enemies invaded his home planet many years ago, John and a group of others were sent to Earth with the hopes that someday the planet would be rejuvenated, and their race would be revitalized.

Now a teenager, John and his guardian, Henri, live on the run. They never stay anywhere long enough for it to truly become home. John never has time for friends and most certainly never lives anywhere long enough to not be considered the new kid.

Things begin to change for John when he and Henri move to a small Ohio town. Once there, John begins to learn things about himself that are amazing. He also falls in love for the first time and meets new friends that share the incredible journey he is about to encounter.

I am going to say something unusual for me and for anyone else who probably reads often: I liked this movie better than I liked the book. Yes, I can hear you gasping. It is true that a book is usually better because it has time to be more in depth. You get to spend more time with the characters and learn more details about the story. But, this time, I really liked the movie best.

I am Number Four was full of action and the story moved a long quickly, but still at a pace that I always knew what was going on. I really liked the cast of characters, I found them all easy to relate to and believable in their roles. The only character that I pictured differently in the book was Sam, John's alien obsessed new friend. In the movie he appeared so young compared to the other characters-but that in no way took away from his performance.

 Alex Pettyfer did a good job portraying John. I found his facial expressions to be very real, and it was easy to see what he was feeling and what he wanted the audience to feel. I was touched when Sarah first brought him to her house, and he stood outside on the sidewalk gazing up at her house. You could see that it was a dream of his—something so simple—yet (for him) so out of reach; to have a real home and not just a place that you are passing through.

Number Six was also a favorite character of mine. This is a strong woman who knows how to take care of herself. I loved her shoot first and ask questions later attitude.

Diana Agron played Sarah and she lit up the screen with her beautiful golden looks. But, her acting ability is good too, proving that she is more than just a pretty face.

My favorite character of the movie may or may not be surprising. It is Bernie Kosar….yes, the dog. Or is he?? And really, what kind of name is Bernie Kosar for a dog? But it didn't matter because whenever his little furry cuteness came on the screen, I smiled. I was so so glad that he made it til the end of the movie without meeting death.

As I was watching I was sometimes struck how much this movie/story reminded me of CW's Smallville, the tale of a young Clark Kent who becomes the guy we all know today as Superman. When I looked the movie up to do this review, I learned that Miles Millar was involved in writing the screenplay, he was also very involved with Smallville. So, if you liked that TV show then you will most likely like I am Number Four.

And who knows…you just might come over to the dark side with me and admit that maybe just this once…the movie was totally better than the book.

Review written by Cambria Hebert

The Roommate

Title: The Roommate

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Directed by: Christian E. Christiansen

Format: DVD released May 2011

Rating: PG-13

Starring: Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Alyson Michalka

2,000 Colleges. 8 Million Roommates. Which one will you get?

Sara has a life any normal college student would love to have. She has a few good friends, a really great class list and she meets a hot drummer at frat party who she gets to kiss. One night after a night of said kissing and partying she stumbles home to her dorm to meet her new roommate, Rebecca.

Rebecca is shy and quiet but highly artistic. He beautiful drawings make nice additions to the room walls. She seems friendly enough, offering to share her extensive and awesome clothing and coming to get Sara in the middle of the night when her BFF Tracy ditches her at a party.

But clearly, Rebecca is not right in the head.

Sequences of events begin to happen around Sara and she begins to see that her roommate isn't who she thought she was.

This movie is a modern day Single White Female. It has been a long time since I watched a movie like this, and it was exactly what I was expecting. It was pretty cliché, but it was entertaining. I kind of found it amusing that it took Sara so long to figure out that Rebecca was cuckoo. Okay, well maybe Sara had an idea, but she tried to be nice and give Rebecca the benefit of the doubt.

Sara was played by Minka Kelly, and she was beautiful and made a great lead. However, in my opinion, she was overshadowed by Leighton Meester, who played crazy perfectly. She managed to capture those flat eyes and empty gazes that are truly creepy. I have seen Leighton Meester acting in her regular role on Gossip Girl, and it was like night and day. The way she was clearly disturbed but managed to appear calm (most of the time) is what was most captivating. I wondered throughout the movie if she was just a mislead girl or truly a psycho.

The movie had all the classic scenes of a thriller. All the characters walked around in the dark half the time, and they never ran from the room when any normal person (or big chicken, such as I) would clearly do. The shower scene where Tracy gets attacked was predictable, and I found myself more horrified by the fact that she was not wearing shower shoes in a common bathroom (Hello, foot fungus!) than I was that she was being stalked. There was even some window dangling and some screaming! I have to say that Rebecca's manipulation of Sara's friend Irene was pretty clever and while not completely unexpected-I liked.

And just like any good thriller there was a hot guy. Actually, there were two…but only one makes it out alive…want to find out who? I'm not telling. Rush out to your Redbox, grab your remote for OnDemand or find a video store (do those even exist anymore?) to see who makes it out of this movie alive and who doesn't. And if you have a roommate….

Sleep with one eye open.

Breath of Angel

Breath of Angel by Karyn Henley

WaterBrook Press 2011

ISBN: 9780307730121

Will be available in paperback and e-book June 21, 2011

 

The stairway to Heaven is not just a Led Zepplin song anymore.  This baby is for real, and someone has closed it down, with no expectation as to when the DO NOT ENTER sign will be taken down.  The souls are stuck on Earth with only one direction to go – down.

Melaia is a priestess trained in healing.  She never thought witnessing a murder would turn her whole world upside down.  Soon after this fateful murder, she is bought for the king of the land.  These two evens may seem a far cry from one another, but we will soon learn all parts of Melaia's fate are intertwined.  She and her talents could prove useful to bring the king out of the melancholy that has gripped his heart.  The kingdom is without a fully functioning king, and there is hope that Malaia will be able to cure him with the help of a special harp.

On her way to the castle she is amazed to learn that the man who in essence "purchased" her, is stirring feelings she never considered before. As a priestess, she is allowed to have lovers and a partner, but she never thought that path was one she cared to travel down.  Trevin has her completely baffled and causing knots to twist and turn in her stomach.  Should a priestess get so tongue-tied over a man?  And a man that she doesn't even know that she can trust! This confusion only adds to the list of mounting worries that are piling on as the seconds tick by.

Oh yea- one thing I forgot to mention so far is the angels.  When the stairway was destroyed, angels were trapped here on Earth with no way to return to their rightful place.  Over the years many of them have settled down, almost content to live a human-like existence.  Dreia, the guardian of the stairway, has perished, and without her, the fate of the gates to Heaven is uncertain.  How does Malaia fit into this equation?  Why was she pulled from her Temple and into the midst of all the conflict?  Malaia is more involved than she could have ever dared to imagine.  Her faith, courage, and luck will be tested at every turn.  She can only pray that she makes it through alive.

The angel story has become more popular in the last year or so, with all sorts of variation of angels and their abilities, talents, and hierarchies.  This book has a very clear cut and defined organization to the angels, but some of the explanations to the angels and why some of them behaved in certain ways was unclear.  It was interesting how only some of the angels had wings, while others did not possess one of the most distinguishing features most people would attribute to angels.

The characters were likeable.  Some of the relationships came off slightly two-dimensional.  There is a love story going on in the background, but I had a hard time feeling the relationship blossom and grow.  The passion, romance, and intrigue just seemed to be missing from this relationship.  The lead protagonist, Malaia, was a very strong character.  I enjoyed her stubbornness and her possession of self-identity.  She always knew what she stood for and who exactly she was.

This is the first novel in a series.  I did enjoy this story enough to look forward to the continuation.  This book has me vested enough in the plot line to want to know what happens to the smallest drak (these creatures will give you chills). I am hoping the characters in the next installment show their true colors and give that extra spice and excitement that seemed a bit lacking in this book.

If you are looking for a good, interesting angel book, pick up a copy of this when it is released This June, you or your special young adult will love the escape into this developing new world.  Thank you WaterBrook Press for sending me the advance copy to read and review.  I am looking forward to book number two!!

 

Rio

Rio

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha

Released April 15, 2011 by Blue Sky Studios

Rated PG for mild off color humor

Taken from his native home when he is just a nestling, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) the cerulean macaw finds a slightly over-indulgent home in small-town Minnesota with Linda (Leslie Mann).  When a scientist and bird lover from Brazil (Rodrigo Santoro) steps into Linda's little book shop, Blu's life is about to change in more ways than he expects.  He and Linda are convinced to make a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil so Blu can mate with the only other known blue Macaw in the world, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), and insure the continuance of the species.  Because Blu is just about as geeky as he can be coupled with his lack of flying skills, Jewel is less than thrilled about her prospective mate.  Things take a worrisome turn when the new lovebirds are suddenly bird-napped and offered in an illegal international transaction.  Meeting a surplus of kooky and literally colorful characters along the way, Blu and Jewel must somehow find their way back home and perhaps even to each other.

 

I decided while I had a little time with just my boys, we would hit the drive-in tonight.  Rio was playing, and I had plenty of things along to distract me in case it wasn't any good—my Kindle, nail polish, etc.  I am happy to report that I didn't need any of it!

 

Full of vibrant color and music, Rio is sure to entertain.  From the traditional Samba music to Will i Am and Jamie Foxx, Rio is packed with a fun and lively soundtrack.  The opening scene itself makes you want to shake your tail feather.  The Carnival scenes popped right off the screen with flashing lights, energetic feathered dancers, and hip-shaking tunes.  I even found a few opportunities to teach my six-year-old a little something: ornithology is the study of birds, and the Cristo Redentor is a real statue in Rio de Janeiro, for instance. Beneath it all, however, there is the essential message that if you truly believe it in your heart, you can make all your dreams come true.

After watching this charming and exciting flick, I definitely have "Atenda ao Carnaval" on my to-do list right under "Buy Rio when it is available on BluRay"!!!

 

Review by Cassie McCown

Vampire Academy

 

 

 

 

 

Vampire Academy

Richelle Mead

THE PENGUIN GROUP – RAZORBILL, year 2007

ISBN: 978-1-59514-174-3

Available format: Hardcover, Paperback & ebook

 

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires- the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger…and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever…

If I had to sum this book up into one word it would have to be amazing! I can't believe how much I enjoyed this book! I couldn't put it down I was so wrapped up into the complex world of Vampire Academy. Richelle Mead did a fantasic job and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the Vampire Academy series, Forstbite.

Rose and Lissa have been on the run for two years. Dodging anything and everything that the St. Vladimir Academy sent there way. But one night that all changed. They were caught and dragged back to the one place Rose never thought they'd see again. As she put under house arrest and is told that she will not be allowed to see Lissa, Rose does everything in her power to come up with a plan to escape so what happen 2 years before didn't happen again. But as Rose and Lissa fall back into swing of thing, they decided that it would be best to stay and ride out the rest of their high school year and graduate. But as nasty and cruel things are done to Rose and the people that she cares most about, she starts to think that running away looks more and more appealing.

Plot – ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ The plot was very well thought out and done. I haven't seen such a unique plot in a really long time, sad but true. I found myself sucked into Rose's world of mortal vampires who, if killed while feeding, turned into the evil Strigoi, and she would do anything to keep Lissa away from temptation and in the likelihood, her becoming one of them.

Writing – ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ In my opinion the writing was very well written and I found myself reading and reading and finding it hard to stop. I want to read and read more and more until sadly the book ended.

Characters – ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ The characters I loved! I couldn't get enough of Rose, Lissa, Dimitri, Mason, and all the others you get to read about.

Rose Hathaway – Rose is your average girl. She likes partying and drinking, but she gives that all up to protect and keep safe her best friend, Lissa from the Strigoi, vampires that never die. So when she and Lissa are dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy she is ordered not to see or speak to Lissa. But she won't take this sitting down. She set out to show them all that she can become powerful enough to keep Lissa safe so that one day she'll become her official guardian. So she begins training with Dimitri and soon finds herself drawn to him even though he is 7 years her senior.

Vasilisa 'Lissa' Dragomir – Lissa has always been shy and never into standing out and partying like Rose. After losing her parents and older brother, and nearly losing Rose as well, Lissa has become unstable. But after meeting Christian she finds herself becoming whole again and feeling alive for the first time in so many years.

Dimitri Belikov – Dimitri is a very strong and powerful guardian, so much that he has been called a number of names one of them naming him a god. After Lissa and Rose's return to the academy, he is named Lissa new guardian. He then is giving the assignment of training Rose so that when she is strong enough she can become Lissa guardian.

Christian Ozera – Christian is one that is set on the old ways of the Moroi: fighting back against the Strigoi by the use of magic even though it has been banned for hundreds and hundreds of years. He is taken with Lissa and goes out of his way to make sure that she is safe and that no harm with come to her: even if it be by her own hand.

Mason – Mason is one of Rose's old friends from before she and Lissa made a break for it. He helps Rose with a number of things and only because she's his friend and he is hopelessly in love with her.

Overall I give this book ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ – no more and no less!

Review by Lura

FEED

"The good news: we survived. The bad news: so did they."

 

 

 

FEED

Written by Mira Grant

ISBN: 978-0316081054

Available as a paperback, audio book, and e-book.

Five stars.

*

FEED opens in 2034, twenty years after the zombie apocalypse. The world has gone on. Most places are so dangerous that average people are afraid to step outside their homes, and journalists now need to have firearm licenses and hazard training. Online blogs have become more relevant than the "real" news, which lost all credibility by badly documenting the zombie outbreak, resulting in many preventable deaths.

Enter Georgia ("George") and Shaun Mason, sibling bloggers determined to bring the truth to America. When they become the first bloggers invited to cover a presidential campaign, they think they're on their way to professional status. Unfortunately, someone doesn't want them reporting, someone who will kill anyone to get the Masons off the campaign trail. George and Shawn are determined to see their job through to the end, but as friends die, zombie attacks increase, and politics grow murkier and nastier, they realize they're not just covering a presidential campaign. They're on the trail of the biggest government secret of all: who created the zombies?

FEED is zombie horror, but it's also political intrigue.  The zombies are the mindless hoards of Romero movies, and they appear when humans smart and soulless enough to use them as weapons of assassination point them at an enemy. Thus, zombie scenes are mostly action with George and Shaun doing a lot of shooting and strategizing. The rest of the book takes place on the campaign trail, keeping up with the ugly world of politics–which, the siblings discover, is much more dangerous than just poking at the undead. Balancing these two sides of the story keeps FEED gripping to its last pages.

The characters are equally interesting. George and Shaun are not idealistic, kind-hearted altruists. Though mostly likable, they can be rude, cynical, and antisocial. They made FEED much more interesting than novels about the cardboard cutouts that often star in commercial lit.

My only complaint is that the mystery of who's trying to kill George and Shawn is almost insultingly easy to solve. I am the type of person who is stumped by Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, and even I got this a few pages in. You will not be surprised to find out who the bad guy is, because pretty much the moment you meet him, you know it's him.

Except for that one detail, FEED is what mass-market commercial fiction strives to be above all things: entertaining. It has intrigue, action, family bonds, blogging, and zombies. What else is there?

*

Review by Elizabeth Reuter

Imperial Hostage: Book One of the Destruction Series

Imperial Hostage:  Book One of the Destruction Trilogy

By:  Phil Cantrill

ISBN:  9781936564064

Expected publication: June 3, 2011 by JournalStone

Available Format:  Paperback

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

Shortly after Prince Erechtheus arrives as hostage in Poseidia, the capital of the Empire, a blind seer shakes his world with an ominous prophecy.  Al-Jinn, a dark, powerful High Priest of the Temple of Bel, is threatened by the foretelling and begins to abuse Prince Erech, finally preparing him as a sacrifice for Lord Bel.  High Priest of the Temple of One, Kul-Kan, miraculously comes to Erech's aid, saving his life and giving him sanctuary away from the evil Al-Jinn.

The Temple of One offers Erech safety, friendship, and proper education, yet he still finds himself pursued by darker forces.  His survival depends on his new-found friends and the many skills and insights he gains while in their company.  Throughout his years as hostage of the Empire, Erech will suffer several heart-breaking losses, but will he be able to endure the greatest challenge of all and prevent a war between his homeland and the land where he has grown into a man?

I received an advanced manuscript of Imperial Hostage:  Book One of the Destruction Trilogy from the publisher for proofing and review.

I found the beginning of the story, after the exciting introduction of Ai-Ram, a bit slow.  Cantrill writes beautifully, but for a while I felt it was lacking a little something to truly grab my attention.  I'm never one to give up on anything in the beginning anyway, so it didn't take long for things to pick up and draw me in deeper.

I could not help but giggle (perhaps sadistically) when Su-Lun was on the mountainside stalking Erech.  The poor man could not catch a break, but I suppose if he did our protagonist might not make it through the book!

My absolute favorite part of the story was when Erech adopted Wolf.  I think it added that extra warmth that was lacking before.  His relationship with Drako was similar, but I felt his bond with Wolf was stronger and more important.  I couldn't help but become weepy regarding how their relationship plays out through the story.

I think Erech's affairs with the girls bothered me a little.  It would have been nice if maybe just one girl he liked (or didn't initially like) didn't throw herself at him desperately.  With all the girls, excluding his friendship with Ai-Ram, I did not feel the emotional connection between them.   It really seemed all physical, and I think that is why his bond with Wolf was so refreshing.   There is naturally some unrequited love, but I have an inkling of what might be in store in the rest of the series.   Of course, all this romantic stuff is going to be more important to us women than it will be to the men.

I love the basis of the story—the historical feel.  I appreciate the way the mythological and religious we are accustomed to were woven into the more imaginative and unfamiliar.  It felt a little ancient Greece meets Atlantis, and it was wonderful.

In the end, I was certainly left wanting more of the story.  I am truly looking forward to the rest of the series.  It was a great read, and I appreciate the opportunity to share in the publication process!

Review by Cassie McCown

 

 

On Dark Shores: The Lady

Title: On Dark Shores: The Lady

Author: JA Clement

Publisher: Weasel Green Press March 2011

AISN: B004S7JCYG

Format: E-book (Paperback, coming soon)

In the tiny harbor town of Scarlock, the residents are dominated by fear. They live in trepidation of when the next visit from Copeland, the town moneylender, will come. Copeland takes pride in the fact that he 'runs' the town and is increasingly demanding in the money and goods he collects. Blakey is Copeland's bodyguard and the man that does all the dirty work around town-such as beating people up when they don't pay on time.

In order to pay Copeland's demands for money, Nereia has chosen the life of a pick pocket. In order to protect her sister, Nereia must get bolder every time she steals. Unfortunately, Copeland has decided he has a new way for Nereia to pay her debts, and this way means that Nereia must sacrifice not only her pride and honor but her body and soul. To save herself and her sister Nereia, must make some tough choices and change her life forever.

Let me start out this review by talking about the cover. It is gorgeous! I love the shades of blue and the images. There is something still and eerily beautiful about it. I could sit and look at the cover image for an hour and never be bored.

On Dark Shores: The Lady is a quick read that introduces you into the small town of Scarlock and to the people who live there. It gives you the beginning of what I think will be quite the tale!

Nereia is a very strong character that I admired quite often throughout the book. This woman has a real backbone! She was the only person that was ever confident enough to stand up to Copeland even a little bit. Sure, she had to do what he demanded, but at least she told him how unhappy she was about it while she was doing it. Everything she did was to protect her young, innocent sister, Mary, who she tried desperately to keep away from Copeland. It was touching to me how she could go out by day, square her shoulders and steal and be quick lipped with anyone who challenged her but then go home to their very modest home and be soft and kind to her sister.

Copleand was another character that I found fascinating. I have to say, I didn't like him (and you probably won't either-considering the heinous things he does against people), but I was drawn to figure out why he was so controlling, uncaring and without conscious. It was almost as if he had two people living inside of him. There was personality number one, who wanted power and money, but needed Blakey to be the enforcer. Then there was personality number two who was sick and very violent. Copeland tried to maintain a very tight control over himself, so it was personality number one that we often saw….but then sometime number two would come out, and boy was it ugly!!

Blakey was a washed up boxer with a shoulder injury who seemed to have no problem doing Copleand's bidding…at least that's what the reader thinks at first. He is a character that probably should have been unlikable, yet, I liked him. Getting to know him, the reader gets to see another side of him-the more human side. This Blakey fellow might actually be my favorite character of the book.

While the characters in this story were very good and always managed to evoke a strong reaction from me I have to say that while reading this book I was sometimes confused. I had a hard time following the beginning, and I still am not quite clear on what the Shantari's role is in any of this. There are a lot of characters in this story, and I have yet to discover exactly what role each of them play. However, JA Clement did include a glossary of names and terminology at the end of the book. It did help to understand a few things, and I wished I had the glossary at the beginning of the book and not the end.

This reviewer has it on good authority (it was in the back of the book-hehehe) that two more "On Dark Shores" books are in the editing stages with plenty more to come. In these future books I am sure that the things I am left wondering about will be answered, and I will be left saying, Ahh -Hah!

Review is written by Cambria Hebert

Foreigner

Foreigner

By Robert J. Sawyer

Tor reprint edition, ISBN 0-765-30972-6

Trade paperback

Many more years have passed since the end of Fossil Hunter. The Quintaglios continue to investigate the alien spacecraft. Meanwhile, Toroca discovers another species of sentient dinosaurs living on the other side of the moon. Afsan has been having strange, unsettling dreams lately and they've been affecting him personally, so he tries a new kind of medicine: the "talking cure."

The third book in the trilogy has the strongest story. (And the Watcher is gone, hooray!) Many of the subplots in book 2 belatedly acquire meaning here, and every new subplot in this book is interesting and memorable.

Toroca's story is the most exciting. The discovery of a new island chain. They refer to the people there as the "Others," and they are friendly, but the Quintaglios are not. Just the sight of one of the Others can send a Quintaglio into dagamant, attacking and killing every Other in sight. It's the ultimate nightmare of first-contact. Fortunately, Toroca does not have this reflex, and he is chosen to be the emissary. Not only does he have to learn a new language, he has to learn their customs and their faith, and he rises to the occasion admirably.

Afsan, however, is deeply disturbed throughout the book. He's about to help change the world again, this time through his psychiatrist, Mokelb. She discovers the truth about Quintaglio civilization. Their own religion has been holding back the development of their civilization.

Robert J. Sawyer's work often has anti-religious overtones. Sometimes he gets carried away with this theme, presenting it in a ham-fisted way instead of making a logical case for it. The Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy cleverly disguises the theme inside another culture. If Sawyer tried to tell this story with humans, it would have been panned as too preachy, but because he wrapped it up in an alien species, it stands on its own without coming across as a science fiction author thumbing his nose at the Church.

It is enormously satisfying to watch the Quintaglios develop as a species, going from renaissance-era technology to space-faring in only a few generations. In fact, the conclusion of the series makes the first two books even more memorable in hindsight because of the new light Foreigner casts on them.

It's as though Sawyer knew the ending the whole time and intentionally wrote the series with a limited perspective just so he could flip our view of this society upside down and shock us with the truth that was right under their snouts. You can take it as an allegory of how unquestioned beliefs can harm a population, or simply accept it as a great series about the ascension of a race of dinosaurs from the dark ages. Either way, it's a satisfying conclusion to a satisfying trilogy.

Review written by James Steele

Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage

Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage

By: Miguel Lopez de Leon

ISBN:  9781609560089

Published March 3, 2011 by Wakestone Press LLC

Available Format:  Paperback, ebook

 

My Rating:  ★★★★★

 

Peter Huddleston has a dreadfully boring life in his little boring town with his boring father and stepmother.  Although he has the best of intentions, Peter can never quite fit in or stay out of trouble.  His harmless mistakes manage to be blown further and further out of proportion.  Finally, his father reaches his breaking point and sends him to stay the summer with his Aunt Gillian at her home, Hillside Manor.

Peter quickly learns that Hillside Manor is anything but ordinary.  The vast manor is a gateway to Galadria where Peter's maternal family rules, meaning Peter is destined to be the Crown Prince.  Before he can wear that title, Peter must master The Rites of Passage while facing the threat of Knor of the House of Shadowray who covets the Galadrian throne.  With his trusty boomerang and magical trinkets, Peter strives to prove himself worthy to be the heir and finally find the place where he belongs.

I won a paperback copy of Galadria:  Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage in a Library Thing giveaway.

I was super impressed with this book!  It is recommended for ages eight and up, but it is truly perfect for everyone.  It is written so well.  The shape and size of the font and the spacing on the page is great for younger readers.  The vocabulary is advanced enough to "teach" something yet simple enough to not be overwhelming.   The story flows seamlessly.  Peter is a familiar and likable protagonist.  The transition from his dreary hometown to the colorful and exciting life at Hillside Manor really grabs the reader's attention.  The characters are all fascinating—from the quirky and amusing Monty and Ms. Homebody, to the beautiful and graceful Aunt Gillian, to the angry hippopotami and the stunning and powerful tiger, Rune.  There has to be a character or two that the reader cannot help but adore.  Even the mansion itself, with its 3000 rooms, diverse animal preserve, and enchanting flower garden, could be considered a personality in itself.  The action really builds as Peter goes through the rites and climaxes at just the right time near the end of the book.  The reader is left with enough curiosity to continue on with the series, without being left confused or unfulfilled.  I absolutely loved it!   I'm looking forward to reading it with my children.

Grab a copy of Galadria:  Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage and try it out for yourself!!

 

Review by Cassie McCown