Review: Fall of Kingdom

Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell

Originally published under the name Flame this book is Hilari Bell’s newest trilogy. Journey to the kingdom of Farsala (think ancient Persia) where the deghans rule the countryside. Jiaan, Soraya, and Kavi are all young people who live in this land where magic is legend. And all three of them have their lives changed forever when the Hrum empire turns it’s sights on Farsala.

The Hrum (similar to the Romans) have conquered over half of the known world. But the High Commander of Farsala is determined to stop the Hrum at Farsala’s border. Soraya is convinced her father will win, but he sends her to live in the desert to keep her out of trouble. Jiaan, who is the High Commander’s illegitimate son, is thrilled to accompany his father to the front lines, even though he must endure to scorn of the other deghans. Then there’s Kavi, a peddler who’s trade was ruined when a deghan errantly crippled his hand. Kavi isn’t happy under Deghan Rule, and the Hrum start to look awfully tempting.

It all comes down to a single battle. Will the Hrum defeat the Farsalans, or will the deghans be able to stand the army’s might? The Deghans are convinced they will win because a prophecy telling them Farsala’s finest warrior, Sorahb, will return in the country’s greatest need. But will Sorahb arrive in time?

Told in the three alternating viewpoints, this book can be a little confusing at first. Slow to start off, it eventually pulled me in enough to keep me interested. There’s a lot more going on than just the main plot. In addition to the preparation for the battle, we learn the legend of Sorahb, as well as several social customs of Farsalan culture. Although it is labeled a fantasy, there really isn’t that much magic in it.

For those looking for a pure fantasy, you might be disappointed. But if you’re in for an adventure, make sure you put this one on your “to-read” list.

Shady Glade Rating: 6/10

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Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Slippery Slope

YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway is nearing the end (pun intended), so make sure you answer today's question right away!

Which of the Beatrice dedications at the beginning of each book is your favorite? Why? (hint: you can see them all at Wikipedia if you don't remember any offhand)

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Slippery Slope

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Carnivorous Carnival

If you haven't entered YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway yet, you really should! It's nearing the end, so make sure you answer today's question before it's too late!

Just who is this Lemony Snicket, anyway?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Carnivorous Carnival

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Hostile Hospital

If you haven't entered YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway yet, you really should! It's halfway over, so make sure you answer today's question before it's too late!

Which of the Baudelaire orphans' guardians was your least favorite? Why?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Hostile Hospital

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Vile Village

Have you entered YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway? It's halfway over, so you'd better answer this question right away!

Which vile (and by vile I mean evil and nasty) disguise of Count Olaf was the
vilest?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Vile Village

Update: Newsletter

I’ve decided to start a newsletter to keep everyone updated about the new stuff for the site. If you would like to sign up, send me an email at shadyglade (at) mail (dot) com or click here. Make sure you put the subject of Newsletter sign-up and include your email address in the body of the email.

I will only be sending a letter out once a month, and I will never, ever give your email address to anyone else. If you have suggestions or would like to contribute to the newsletter, drop me an email!

Interview: Cari Gelber

There's a new interview posted with Cari Gelber, author of Rising Star. Check out this sneek peek:

How did you get the idea for Rising Star?
I have been working with a band from Cincinnati, OH called Oval Opus for the past 5 yrs. They always have a story "You're not going to be believe what happened this weekend" so I started to keep a journal. Someone said "you should write a book about it" and....Rising Star began- it's not their story perse, but they have definitely given me some great material to use as a base!

Check out the rest of the interview here, and make sure to read the review of Rising Star.

*Please note* This is an off-site interview. Clicking on the above link will take you to the full body of my interview found at www.yabookscentral.com

Update: Review Lists

I’ve created several lists of the reviews and contest available on the site, so you don’t have to dig through old posts.

You can visit the new lists by clicking here. I will try to update every two weeks or so, but it depends on how much time I have.

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator

This is Day 6 of YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway. It's halfway over, so remember that entries do not carry over from day to day, and you have to answer a new question every day! Here's today's:

What was the most amazing, thrilling, or exciting thing that has happened to the orphans yet?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Ersatz Elevator

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The The Austere Academy

Have you entered YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway today? Remember that entries do not carry over from day to day, so you have to answer a new question every day! Here's today's:

What do you think was the most unfortunate situation the siblings have ever gotten themselves into?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Austere Academy

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Miserable Mill

Have you entered YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway today? Remember that entries do not carry over from day to day, so you have to answer a new question every day! Here's today's:

Which of the Baudelaire orphans' guardians was your favorite? Why?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Miserable Mill

Heads Up: I Was a Teenage Popsicle

There's a new book out there called I Was a Teenage Popsicle by Bev Katz Rosenbaum!

So what's I Was a Teenage Popsicle all about, anyway? Well, it's "a super-cool mix of sci-fi and chick lit" (according to girlslife.com!) featuring cryonically preserved Venice, California native Floe Ryan, the first human in the world to be 'thawed'. Now Floe's younger sister is her older sister, and she has to get used to a zillion other new things that happened while she was napping in the freezer...oh, and she also has to keep local pols from closing the Venice Beach Cryonics Center, where her parents are still, um, chilling. (Now that's cold!) At least she has Taz, the hottie skater boy who used to make her melt before she was frozen, at her side. (He was a popsicle, too.) Or does she..?

This sounds really interesting, I can't wait to get my hands on it! I'll post a review as soon as I do.

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Wide Window

It's day number three for YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway. Today you get to reflect on this deep thought:

Would you rather have Sunny's biting ability, Violet's inventiveness, or Klaus'
intellect? Why?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Wide Window

Review: The Fifth of March

The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi

Guess I'm on a Rinaldi kick lately. Here's the latest of my reviews:

Fourteen-year-old Rachel Marsh is an indentured servant living in Boston in 1770. She serves none other than John and Abigail Adams as a nursemaid for their two children. As tensions between the colonists and the newly sent British soldiers rises, Rachel struggles to find a “place of her own” in the changing world around her.

Confused by the concept of “becoming a plain American,” Rachel is reluctant to have anything to do with the British private that stands guard outside the Adams’ house every night. However, soon she starts to get to know the solider, Private Matthew Kilroy, despite the persecution of the British soldiers. When the Boston Massacre arrives, Matthew is involved in the attack against the colonist. Now Rachel must decide where her true Place lies: her heart or her home.

Ann Rinaldi is one of the best writers of the historical fiction genre. Her characters are very real, and she uses a lot of dialogue rather than descriptions to set the historical scene. One of the characteristics about books concerning major historical events is that you already know the ending (for the most part). For example, when you read a book on the Titanic, you know the boat is going to sink. So even though I already knew how the book was going to end, it was still very enjoyable. Rinaldi’s writing turns major historical figures into regular people who the reader is able to understand and relate to. The book also contains a little romance for those who like it, but not so much that readers who don’t like love stories will lose interest. A great way to read about a more obscure (but still important) event in American history.

Shady Glade Rating: 8/10

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Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Reptile Room

It's day number two for YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway. Here's today's question:

If you watched it, how did you like the movie compared to the books? If you
didn't, why didn't you?

Click here to enter!

Today's Prize: The Reptile Room

Book Web Site Review: Veronika Asks

Veronika Asks is the newest book website for author interviews! With new offers added all the time, this is one you will definitely want to check on often! Check out these neat features:

Interviews: Each week or so, a new author interview is added. Find out what your favorite authors are up to! Plus, you can also submit your own questions!

Reviews: What’s the latest and greatest in the world of books? Veronika tells all.

Special: Check every month for special contests and giveaways. Win signed copies, gift baskets and more!

A really neat site created by an extremely talented teenager. The interviews alone are worth looking over, so make sure you head over there and check it out!

Shady Glade Rating: 10/10

Contest: Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning

YA Books Central's Lemony Snicket Giveaway starts today. If you haven't already, head over there and enter by answering this question:

Who is your favorite Baudelaire orphan and why?

Today's Prize: The Bad Beginning!

Make sure you check back every day for a new contest entry.

HUGE Lemony Snicket October Giveaway!

And when I say huge, I mean it. You do not want to overlook this one folks! Over at YA Books Central, they’re having a huge promotion to celebrate the release of the 13th Series of Unfortuante Events book: The End.

They’re giving a new book away each day for the first 13 days of October. Day one will be book one, day two, book two, and so on until Friday, October 13th, when they will give away 13 copies of the 13th book!

Each day is a new contest, and a new question, so make sure you enter EVERY DAY! All the questions and the entry form can be found here. Make sure you answer the right question on the right day, or you will get disqualified.

Good luck!

Review: The Falcon's Malteser

Falcon's Malteser by Anthony Horowitz

The Falcon’s Malteser marks the first book in the new Diamond Brothers Mysteries series. The story follows the life of Nick Diamond (formerly Nick Simple) and the adventures of his wacky brother. Herbert Simple has been kicked off the police force and has decided to start his own private detection agency. Renaming himself Tim Diamond, he is eager to accept his first case from a dwarf name Johnny Naples. All he has to do is baby-sit a small package Johnny shoves into his hand for a few days. How hard can it be?

Nick and Tim soon learn just how hard. The next day, Naples is dead and Nick has to use his own smarts to get every criminal in London off his back. Several people want that package, and will stop at nothing to get it. As Nick digs deeper into the case he discovers that the package is the key to a fortune in diamonds left behind by the death of the world’s greatest criminal mastermind: The Falcon. With time running out and more and more people discovering who has the package now (Nick), the Diamond brothers have their work cut out for them.

This book was very good. I was very surprised to find that when I started to read, I was almost at once submersed in the plot. Pretty good for I book I picked up just because I had nothing better to read. For those of you who are fans of British literature, you won’t be disappointed. Originally published in England, this book has all the marks of a great British book.

With relatively short chapters, the pace moves fast, especially when the chapters end in a cliffhanger (which they do often). The novel is a spin off of the 1940s PI movies and also pays homage to the movie The Maltese Falcon with the spoof title It was easy to read, and kept me interested enough to make it to the end of the book. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

Shady Glade Rating: 8/10

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Review: Wren to the Rescue

Wren to the Rescue by Sherwood Smith

Wren has lived her entire life in a boring orphanage. Expecting nothing more than to work hard her entire life, she is shocked to learn her best friend Tess is really Princess Teressa of a neighboring kingdom. Tess's parents hid her in the orphanage to keep her safe from the evil King Andreus who wants nothing more than to get his hands on the princess. But now that she’s old enough Tess’ parents are finally letting her come home, and she's taking Wren with her!

Two days later Tess is kidnapped by Andreus, an act that nearly causes a civil war in the neighboring kingdoms. Wren is determined to find her friend, even if it means she has to go alone. She soon meets up with a novice magician and a young prince who agree to accompany her on the dangerous trip across the mountains to Andreus's kingdom. The journey is not easy, and Wren must deal with all sorts of magic spells, evil creatures, and even being turned into a dog. All the while she gets closer to her friend, but can she make it in time?

Smith wrote this book (and the two that come after it) for a younger audience than her Court Duel series. Although the story was at points very obviously written for children, overall it is still a good book. It starts off a little slow, and family relations between royal families can be a bit confusing because many are never fully explained. After the first few chapters I got involved enough to not want to put it down and I finished it fairly quickly. Several points are not fully tied up, leaving room for the two sequels. Tess's character remained somewhat flat so I'm hoping that she might play a bigger role in the next two. Overall the plot and the exploration of Wren's character were very intriguing. A good light read for both young and older readers.

Shady Glade rating: 7/10

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