Book Review: The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

The Last Magician creates a unique, magical world full of wonder and a lot of danger.

Esta can travel through time with the help of a stone in a bracelet she wears.  Professor Lachlan has been like a father to her and has taught her everything she needs to know to survive in other time periods and return safely. She is a master thief, and her ability to slow time helps her immensely.

New York City is different than the one we are familiar with.  There is a barricade, called "The Brink" that keeps everyone with magical powers from crossing the river and leaving Manhattan.  If they do, their magic is stripped, sometimes causing their death. "The Order" is a group of men who are bound and determined to uphold The Brink and rid the city of anyone with magic. Esta has been training for one, all important mission--to return to 1902 and steal a book that will allow the destruction of The Brink.

The setup is complex, and I missed a few things, I think.  It took me a while to "get it" and I probably should have gone back and re-read the beginning again.  But this is a looooong book, so I just went with it. Once Esta went back to 1902 it was very exciting, although I thought at times the book dragged.  The action was interrupted by constant reiterating of points we already knew.  How awful The Brink is, how devious certain characters are, how determined Esta is to betray everyone in 1902. Somewhere some of that could have been cut.

The ending is excited and unexpected.  The reader really has no idea what is going to happen, which is wonderful.  This episode does have some closure, but then we are thrown right back into the conflict and danger, only to be left hanging -- waiting for the next installment.

I hesitate to read books with a lot of magic because sometimes things just become too easy if every problem is solved by its use.  However, The Last Magician has enough interesting rules about magic and the way it is used never feels like an easy out.

My teen book club chose this one for December, and I'm looking forward to hearing their thoughts.  I would recommend The Last Magician to any readers who enjoy fantasy and alternate worlds.

Published by Simon Pulse, July 18, 2017
Copy obtained from the library
500 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

I wish these books were getting more attention. They are getting great reviews from most of the major publications. In Blood for Blood, the sequel to Wolf by Wolf, Yael and the rest of the resistance are continuing to try to overthrow Hitler's government.

To recap, this is an alternate historical story where Hitler and Emperor Hirohito have defeated the allies and taken over much of the world (except for North America.) Blood for Blood picks up right after Wolf by Wolf ends.  And now you should stop reading if you don't want to be spoiled for the first book. But go read my review for Wolf by Wolf instead.

Even though Yael was unable to kill the real Hitler, the resistance is still making progress in some parts of the world. The first part of Blood for Blood is Yael, along with Felix and Luka, trying to escape after the assassination attempt. Felix is desperately trying to find his family. Yael is trying to get back to the resistance headquarters. And Luka is going with Yael.

Blood for Blood has many exciting scenes. The emphasis eventually changes, once again, to trying to kill Hitler, and basically it's a survival story.  Somewhere there is a traitor that is making it more difficult for them. As in the first book, the shapeshifting is a convenient ploy at times, but there is still plenty of danger. Graudin doesn't hold back on the violence.

I did think the pace dropped a bit after the halfway point and then picks up again at the end.  Their journey seemed a bit long and drawn out, but that's really a minor complaint.

Blood for Blood (and Wolf by Wolf) will appeal to both males and females, which is a bonus.  There is some romance, but it's not a major part of the story.   Blood for Blood concludes this series. My book club read Wolf by Wolf last year, and I can't wait to give them this one.

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, November 1, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
496 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin @ryangraudin

Wolf by Wolf is a thought-provoking story about what might have happened had Hitler been victorious in World War II.

In this version of history, our main character, Yael, has escaped from a Nazi death camp but only after being experimented upon and almost killed. The doctor was trying to turn her into an Aryan by using drugs to change her skin, eye, and hair color. A side effect of this treatment is that now Yael has the power to shape shift. She can put on the face of anyone she sees.

Hitler has continued to take over land and try to rid the world of entire civilizations. He and  Emperor Hirohito have taken over the Eurasian continent and northern Africa. In the "present," which is 1956, Yael has trained with the resistance to impersonate a teen, Adele, who has won the coveted Axis Tour, an annual motorcycle race from Germany to Tokyo. Adele was the first female to ever win (or even compete in) the race. Now Yael will kidnap her, impersonate her, win this year's race, and assassinate Hitler at the Victory Ball.

We get Yael's backstory in bits and pieces. She describes the people who the five wolves she has tattooed on her arm commemorate. These wolves are designed so they hide the tattoo of her prisoner number that she was given while in the death camp.

Wolf by Wolf is hard to put down. The pacing is nonstop, and the racing is brutal and sometimes deadly. Yael's road to victory is not straightforward, and she must make difficult choices. The descriptions of the death camp are horrifying (as they always are.) The whole shape shifting thing is a bit far-fetched, but that's not what the story is about. It serves a purpose.

I hope Wolf by Wolf gets some attention. I believe it could be the stepping off point for some interesting conversations about racism (both historical and current) and being true to oneself. Or as the author's note says "to impart a deeper understanding of what humanity is capable of. Both the good and the evil." Lots of food for thought.

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, October 20, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
400 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Ring & the Crown, by Melissa de la Cruz @MelissadelaCruz

The Ring & the Crown is a beautiful, fascinating romance that will surprise you!

I got lost in these characters and this world. We're in the early 19th century, but it's an alternate history. England is ruled by a monarchy, but really it's the Merlin who controls everything with his magic. The U.S. didn't win the revolutionary war, and there is no magic in the states.

We follow several different characters and story lines, and they are all delicious. Marie-Victoria, the daughter of the Queen of England,  must marry the Leopold, the Prince of Prussia to cement the peace between their two countries. She is not at all happy, because she's in love with her guard, Gill, and thinks Leo is a fake.

Marie's childhood friend and the Merlin's daughter, Aelwyn, will help her get through this difficult time (and make her beautiful using all her magic.) Aelwyn also has a unique magical ability that will add to the intrigue.

Isabelle of Orleans was betrothed to Leo, and must give that up to allow Marie to marry him, but still loves him. Leo thinks Isabelle can be his mistress and nothing will change, but Isabelle can't live like that.

Ronan Astor is from the U.S. and wants to find a rich, English title-holder to marry and save her family from financial ruin. So she travels from the U.S. to attend all the parties and balls of The London Season, and find a husband.

There's so much more, but you get the idea. This is a complex plot, with lots of twists and turns. You may at times settle in and think you know where the plot is headed, but you will most likely be wrong. This is not a typical "the royals are forced to get married to save the kingdom but they rebel" story. The addition of the magic and the evil characters make The Ring & the Crown shine.

I wanted so badly the Happily Ever After ending. But, while I liked the ending, it left me feeling a bit unsettled that everything didn't turn out perfectly. Part of that is because everything at the end happened pretty fast! I could have used a few more pages and time passing a bit more slowly to wrap it all up. I think the ending, while surprising, is probably more realistic than the HEA.

I did have difficulty with the history and the time-period. But it didn't really matter, because the story and the characters carry you away.We start out with the history of the countries, in 1429. I guess I didn't read carefully enough, because we are all the sudden at the beginning of the twentieth century. It took me a while to catch up, but now that I re-read the introduction, I realize it was totally my fault.

So, now I have nothing bad to say. The Ring & the Crown absorbed me. I can't wait to show this book to my teens. And, the beautiful cover is just icing on the cake!

Published by Disney-Hyperion, April 1, 2014
eBook obtained from NetGalley
384 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Tour and Review: Neverwas, by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed & Larkin Reed

My Review:

I rarely read book blurbs. So, when I agreed to read Neverwas, I didn't know what I was getting into! I didn't remember details of Amber House, so when I started reading Neverwas, I was a bit confused. The world was different. The house was the same, but the country, the politics, and the personalities of some of the characters was totally different.

Then Sarah started having visions and receiving messages that were telling her things were wrong. Things were not the way they were supposed to be, and I realized that we are now in an alternate universe. How cool!

I won't go into too many details of this strange world, but the Nazis won the war, and there's no such thing as civil rights. But, some things are good! Sarah's parents get along great, and her mom has no intention of selling Amber House.

Jackson is helping Sarah to interpret her visions, and they decide that they must try to do something to make the world go back the way it was. Sarah has to figure out what she needs to change in the past, then she and Jackson have to figure out how to do it.

This quest is very exciting, but sometimes the solutions came a bit to easily (although not ALL the time!) I found the details of all the ancestors and what each of them did to be a little bit difficult to follow, but those details aren't really important. There's only a couple of people from the past that end up being critical to the events that changed the world.

I wish I would have been able to read Amber House again, right before Neverwas. You really need to read them in order, and I would have liked the details of Amber House to have been a bit more clear in my mind. I definitely recommend this series to teens who like a little paranormal adventure. We have ghosts, time travel, and visions (both past and present) to keep you entertained while you are visiting Amber House.

Don't leave yet! Scroll down to see my puzzle piece for the tour -- you can win a signed first edition copy of Neverwas!

Published by Arthur A. Levine Books, January 7, 2014
eBook obtained from the author
320 pages

Rating: 4/5

Here's my puzzle piece:

In NEVERWAS, Sarah must piece together the mystery of her forgotten past with the help of clues left behind by her great-grandmother, Fiona Warren.  For readers interested in the chance to win a signed first-edition hardback of NEVERWAS -- with an exclusive hint for what's in story for Sarah in the final book, OTHERWHEN, hidden inside -- visit each blog on the tour for the month of December, collect the various lines from the poem, arrange them in the proper order, and submit the final sonnet by New Year's Day for a chance to win the special copy of NEVERWAS! Submit your poem to: http://www.amberhouseblog.com/

Visit these blogs to find previously posted puzzle pieces on the tour:

Whispering Pretty Stories
Marie Loves Books 

Bibliophilic Monologues
Books Take You Places 

Tomorrow's tour stop is:

Zach's YA Reviews 

About the authors:

KELLY MOORE is a New York Times best-selling author, former litigator, and single mother of three. Her latest project, the young adult fiction series THE AMBER HOUSE TRILOGY, co-written with her two daughters and based loosely upon her own family history, examines fourteen generations of Maryland women and their ties to the past, present, and future.  The first book in the series was nominated for the 2014 Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award for its realistic portrayal of characters with autism; Moore is outspoken about her inclusion in the autism spectrum, and is dedicated to autism awareness.

TUCKER REED is an award-winning fiction and nonfiction writer.  She has been recognized on the national level for her short stories, essays and poetry.  She is also a notable political blogger and has appeared on CNN, CBS, ABC and HuffPost Live, as well as featured in articles published by TIME magazine, Marie Claire magazine, Ms. magazine, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian, among numerous others.

LARKIN REED is a professional photographer, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in filmmaking. In 2013, Reed established her own multimedia production company, and has subsequently produced and directed several short films.

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