Tag Archives: Adventure

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

Synopsis: When a teenage boy gets a copy of a contraband video game, he soon learns that Erebos and the real world are bleeding together with deadly results. Review: Erebos was a fun, fast read with good plotting and a well-realized game world. It was pretty straightforward in its execution and I’m not sure I’m totally satisfied by the ending but it was a fun read nonetheless.

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Bound by Fire by Ronald Craft (The Twin Flames Book 1)

Synopsis: When he’s kidnapped by a feisty female assassin, a young blacksmith discovers himself at the heart of a battle between dead gods who want to live again. Review: I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the prose in Bound by Fire, because, you know, with emerging fantasy authors you have to be prepared for the worst. I really felt like I was drawn into a world I was interested in, and the characters had enough depth to keep me reading. However, about 3/4…

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Memoirs of a Time Traveler by Doug Molitor

Synopsis: An archeologist finds himself dragged on a zany, madcap adventure through time, his tour guide an indomitable Amazon woman from the future. Review: Memoirs of a Time Traveler is a totally original story that blew my mind and made me laugh. Tonally, it reminded me of Joe vs. the Volcano, a misunderstood and underrated Tom Hanks movie that I just adore. I really appreciated Doug Molitor‘s expert comic timing and inventive imagination. And just what I needed after deciding that Kate Morton’s highly anticipated…

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The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Synopsis: Ralph is a mouse who lives in a hotel but thirsts for adventure, and his life is forever changed when he meets Keith, a boy with a motorcycle that’s just the right size for Ralph. Review: It makes me very happy that my 1,000th review on this blog (which launched almost exactly 6 years ago) is a book that I read aloud to my almost 5-year-old daughter. The Mouse and the Motorcycle was a perfect choice for our very first chapter book, and we…

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The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost (Book 1)

Synopsis: A boy enters an elite prep school to hide from the mysterious black capped men who are stalking him and who have taken over his family, only to discover a conspiracy coming from another dimension. Review: The Paladin Prophecy is extremely well-written, and despite the presence of many expected genre elements, it showed a lot of imagination. Not surprising, considering that Mark Frost was the co-creator of Twin Peaks, one of the best TV shows of all time. I found so much I liked…

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The Sound and the Echoes by Dew Pellucid

Synopsis: All humans are “Sounds” with “Echoes” in the echo world, and when a Sound dies, the Echo must be killed, so when a boy discovers that his Echo is a prince, he quickly realizes that there is a target on his back. Review: The Sound and the Echoes is a middle-grade fantasy with an intriguing concept. For me, I felt like there were too many rules, but I think that’s because I’m a grown up not a kid. I’m curious to see what Amanda…

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Arena by Karen Hancock

Synopsis: After signing up for a psychology experiment, a young woman finds herself in a dangerous “arena” where she may lose her life trying to find her way out. Review: Arena is an allegory for the Christian walk of faith, something I knew when I bought the book but then forgot until about halfway through. I think that’s a pretty good sign that the book mostly escapes being on-the-nose and heavy handed in its plot execution and character development. Callie is an ordinary girl who…

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The Magician King by Lev Grossman

Synopsis: Now a king in the magical land of Fillory, Quentin still fights with the demons of depression and purposelessness, so he goes on a quest and risks losing Fillory forever. Review: You have to understand what Fillory means to Quentin to truly understand his position at the outset of The Magician King. He has literally gotten everything he has ever wanted–he is a king in the magical country from the books he loved as a kid. It’s as if you grew up loving Narnia,…

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Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 3)

Synopsis: As Fitz accompanies Prince Dutiful on a quest to lay the head of an ice-encased dragon on the hearthstone of the Narcheska Elliania’s mothershouse, he betrays his dearest friend and brings his own bastard daughter into grave peril. Review: Fool’s Fate is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion not just to the Tawny Man trilogy but to the entire tale begun in the Farseer trilogy and developed in the Liveship Traders. Hobb is after full-bodied resolution and she sure delivers. Everything is wrapped up and no…

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Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb

Synopsis: Outcast dragon keepers escort group of stunted dragons towards what they hope is their ancestral home, while threatened by dangerous lands without and traitors within. Review: Dragon Haven is actually the second half of the story begun in Dragon Keeper, and really they could’ve been just one book. (Though I do not begrudge any extra revenue to the gifted author Robin Hobb.) I really can’t say much about the plot of this book without giving away spoilers, so you’ll just have to be satisfied…

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