Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

Mad About the Hatter

By: Dakota Chase

Harmony Ink Press

Release Date: August 20th, 2015

Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary: 

This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland….

Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.

Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.

My Review:

I am torn between saying I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was completely put off. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite stories, so the fact that this was based off the novel was a huge plus. Unfortunately, it is set in the modern era so the main character Henry uses a lot of slang terms, curse words, and it kept pulling me out of the story. The author also had the characters from Wonderland use colloquialisms, slang, and saying that they would thoroughly be confused by as they do not come from our world. If I imagine that those aspects changed and the story was set in the time period it originated in - the plot is wonderful. I really enjoyed the characters, world building, and overall tale.

Overall I would recommend it if you don't expect it to be in the same era. As long as you're not put off by that fact, I think you will thoroughly enjoy the book.

Verdict: Give It A Try

Star Rating: 

A Sky Unbroken - Megan Crewe

A Sky Unbroken

By: Megan Crewe

Skyscape

Release Date: October 13th, 2015

Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary:

The rebels have been disbanded, their plans ruined. Betrayed by those she trusted most, Skylar finds herself herded, along with a small group of Earthlings, into a living museum—a human zoo—on the Kemyates’ space station, subject to her captors’ every whim. Any move Skylar makes could result in the extinction of her people—but giving in means losing any hope of freedom.

Meanwhile, Win returns home and evades punishment by pretending to be loyal to Kemya. But he can’t bear knowing that Skylar is imprisoned or watch his fellow Kemyates swallow the Council’s lies about Earth. He must bring the truth to the Kemyate public and see the Earthlings freed—even if it means openly challenging his world’s rulers.

In this final book of the action-packed Earth & Sky trilogy, neither Skylar nor Win knows they are about to uncover an even deeper conspiracy—one that could push the future they’re fighting for completely out of reach.
My Review:

I would like to preface this by saying that this is book three of the Earth & Sky trilogy – and I have previously reviewed book two in the series. That being said, if you don't start with the first book you will only be slightly confused the entire time. I suggest beginning with the first obviously. but technically you could just read the third novel. I believe that the author did a good job building on the first and second stories, but also made the third book able to stand on its own. It was an interesting premise that I haven’t read before, but I also wouldn’t reread the book. The world building was scarce and the characters underdeveloped. Most, but not all of the time, I didn’t feel like I could relate to them. I would recommend this read to those that like books that are sci-fi, about space, or time travel. I think it was too specific to appeal to a wide range of audience.

Specifically just about the third novel:
I feel that the third novel was more enjoyable than the second because the love triangle was less prevalent. Love triangles have been overused in books, I feel like I read them in every novel lately so the crumbling of this one improved the novel. That being said, I found the storyline could drag on without a lot of interesting character development, history, or action. Overall, it was enjoyable and I suggest reading it.

Verdict: Give It A Try

Star Rating: 

The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia


By: C.S. Lewis

HarperCollins

Published: 1950+

Acquisition: Personal Books 

Summary: 

Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Stables Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.

They open a door and enter a world.

Narnia...the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy...the place where the adventure begins.

Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia.

But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever.

My Review:

This series is absolutely incredible. You should stop reading my review right now and just go read it. Go on. I'll wait here.

Obviously not every book is perfect in this series, but overall it is incredible. The character development, world building, and language is on par. If you start with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe you will enter the world of Narnia and fall in love with the Pevensies. From there you could venture through time to meet the future King, Prince Caspian or travel to Narnia's sister countries to meet a boy and his horse. Or should I say Horse? Sail the seas with Caspian or find out where it all began with the White Witch.

Although there are a number of different orders that people suggest you read the series in, there is no debate about one thing - you must read it. And honestly, I don't know why it took me this long. So go, dally no longer.

Verdict: Go Read Immediately

Star Rating: 

His Dark Materials (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

His Dark Materials Series

By: Philip Pullman

Knopf Books For Young Readers

Published: April 16th, 1996

Acquisition: Personal Book

Summary: 

Golden Compass

Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however,nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the compass of the title. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called "Gobblers"—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person's inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved.

Subtle Knife
Lost in a new world, Lyra finds Will--a boy on the run, a murderer--a worthy and welcome ally. For this is a world where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and witches share the skies with troops of angels.

Each is searching--Lyra for the meaning of Dark Matter, Will for his missing father—but what they find instead is a deadly secret, a knife of untold power. And neither Lyra nor Will suspects how tightly their lives, their loves, their destinies are bound together . . . until they are split apart.

Amber Spyglass
In the astonishing finale to the His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra and Will are in unspeakable danger. With help from Iorek Byrnison the armored bear and two tiny Gallivespian spies, they must journey to a dank and gray-lit world where no living soul has ever gone. All the while, Dr. Mary Malone builds a magnificent Amber Spyglass. An assassin hunts her down, and Lord Asriel, with a troop of shining angels, fights his mighty rebellion, in a battle of strange allies—and shocking sacrifice.

As war rages and Dust drains from the sky, the fate of the living—and the dead—finally comes to depend on two children and the simple truth of one simple story.

My Review:

Although this is very obviously a work of Christian-fiction, I would recommend it to any reader. It was one of those books that I always wanted to read, but just hadn't gotten around to. I am very happy that I am not able to say that I read the series.

The characters are well thought out and executed, while also developing throughout the series. Characters that initially seem like minor, relatively forgettable people are woven into the fabric of the plot and given backstories. Others are able to grow as the books progress or their motivations are uncovered. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters, their flaws, desires, dreams throughout the story.

The author also did a wonderful job with world building, giving each new place a life of its own whether it was familiar to us or not. Even short trips to new worlds were given breadth and dimension that made me enjoy the story further.

I don't want to give the story away, since I would recommend it to all - so just go read it. Enjoy it.

Verdict: Classic Read For A Reason

Star Rating: