Synopsis:
Tigana is a country that has been obliterated by magic, down to its very name, yet a small group of rebels who remember decide to spark civil war to reclaim the honor of their homeland.
Review:
I wanted to love Tigana, I really did. Guy Gavriel Kay is a beautiful writer, excelling in exploring complex emotions [...]
Popularity: 23% [?]
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Tags: Canadian Literature
Synopsis:
A retelling of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast.
Review:
I suppose it’s because of all the babysitting I’ve done, but I just couldn’t shake the image of Belle in her big yellow dress as I read Robin McKinley’s Beauty. But setting that aside, I would have loved this when I [...]
Popularity: 46% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
The concluding adventures of Gemma Doyle, proper Victorian debutante and keeper of the magic of a mystical world called the realms, which is threatened by intruders from the ominous Winterlands.
Review:
The Sweet Far Thing ends the trilogy that began with A Great and Terrible Beauty, followed by Rebel Angels. Gemma Doyle and her friends are [...]
Popularity: 59% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
February 26th, 2008 · 4 Comments
Synopsis:
When introverted teen Natalie discovers that she has inherited her mother’s gift for invisibility, she’s caught between her desire to use her powers for good and her fears that her mother will find out.
Review:
Visibility was written when Sarah Neufeld was only 19, and it’s an impressive debut. She’s crafted a fresh take on the [...]
Popularity: 55% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
February 16th, 2008 · 2 Comments
Synopsis:
Soldier Son Nevare’s adventures culminate in a battle within his divided self for mastery of his body in defiance of the magic.
Review:
When last we saw Nevare, he was grossly fat and resigned to a life on the outside. A Soldier Son of modest ambition, Nevare’s soul was cleft in two during a battle with [...]
Popularity: 50% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
January 15th, 2008 · 2 Comments
Synopsis:
In a world characterized by politics and intrigue, a sorceror unites a legendary rogue, a dandyish fighter, and an outlaw woman in the fight to… oh, I’m not really sure what, honestly.
Review:
Seriously, what is The Blade Itself about? I was lost from really early on. The characters were interesting, but there didn’t seem [...]
Popularity: 45% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
November 26th, 2007 · 6 Comments
Synopsis:
After finally returning to her homeland, having been kidnapped as a child, Yelena must tame the magic she never knew she had even as she’s suspected of being a spy and embroiled in the hunt to catch a nefarious serial killer.
Review:
It’s been a little exciting up in here lately, with new baby being WAY more [...]
Popularity: 52% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
To fulfill an ancient prophecy, dark magic is woven around a baby girl so that she will appear to be a boy, but the cost is the life and soul of her twin brother whose ghost now violently haunts the castle.
Review:
For some reason I thought The Bone Doll’s Twin was a one-off, so towards the [...]
Popularity: 39% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
Synopsis:
A legendary folk hero tells the first part of his life story, encompassing his early years as a vagabond and his time spent at University studying alchemy and magic.
Review:
It’s not for nothing that The Name of the Wind has been touted as a great fantasy debut. It absolutely is. I am leery of [...]
Popularity: 49% [?]
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Tags: American Literature
September 24th, 2007 · No Comments
Synopsis:
The premature baby of Fifth Business was kidnapped by roustabouts, grew up a circus performer, and has grown into the greatest magician in the world. His life story offers the final piece to the question posed in The Manticore: “Who killed Boy Staunton?”
Review:
Robertson Davies’s masterful Deptford Trilogy deserves to be on more must-read lists. [...]
Popularity: 47% [?]
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Tags: Canadian Literature