Book Review: "The Cry of the Icemark" by Stuart Hill

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Thirrin, the princess of Icemark, spends her days as she likes (usually learning how to use new weapons) until rumors of war surface. Suddenly she is thrust into the position of a diplomat as well as a warrior. Along the way, she befriends a warlock with no forseeable magic as well as werewolves, cat beasts and vampires.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Thirrin is a princess and an only child. She is portrayed rather inconsistently throughout the story. Said to be incredibly smart, but without much interest in her studies and only at home when she is practicing her fighting skills with other fighters. It's revealed when she meets Oskan that she is arrogant and condescending. But she never seems to realize this and apologize. So development is rather out of the question.

Oskan was brought up by his mother, who was a witch. He lives a relatively secluded life in the woods, which is where he meets Thirrin and her party. It isn't made clear that he has any special powers, as he merely uses knowledge of herbs and medicine to tend to an injured man. That is how he earns Thirrin's respect.

Maggiore has been Thirrin's tutor since she was a small child. He believes in her completely. But he seems to have appeared out of thin air, as there is no reference to his past. Was he married and did he have a family? I have no idea.

Redrought is the king of Icemark. Unlike his daughter, he can't read, so he made sure she knew how (it isn't explained why he never learned, as you would think it was essential). He is described as having foxlike guile and amazing fighting power. I believed the latter, just not the former. He came across as more of a joke to me, who just happened to have muscles.

WILL THE REAL THIRRIN PLEASE STAND UP?

I mentioned before how Thirrin is a confusing character that often times makes no sense.

In the beginning of the story, it is said she is naturally shy but can pretend to be charming and smart (even though Maggie thinks she is actually very smart). But it's clear throughout her encounters with Oskan and the vampires that she has little acting ability. She even admits to herself she only just learned the skill of keeping her thoughts to herself, hardly the admittance of a skilled actor.

Yes, she turns on the princess attitude, but for the most part, that seems like the real her. She spends the majority of story starting fights with Oskan. Why wouldn't she try acting charming when she believes that Oskan is a powerful warlock and a great ally? That would have actually made their relationship interesting.

Also, she randomly experiences thoughts and feelings that come from nowhere. She is leading her people away from the city when she suddenly wonders if she cares about any of them.

The questions leaves as fast as it comes and I was left wondering if Thirrin would ever add up to one, consistent character. Or just a bi-polar one.

NOW BACK TO OUR NORMALLY SCHEDULED BREAKDOWN

Throughout the story, Thirrin will do amazing things or have great pressure thrust upon her, only not to realize it until way later. Then she has a five minute breakdown, then goes back to normal. Rinse and repeat.

I wouldn't mind the idea of a breakdown (but the timing could have been better) if it hadn't been so repeative and if she had actually confided in someone.

Everytime she freaked out, I kept thinking, you just realized the fate of your country depends on you, only right now? The more she did it the more it felt less believable.

And if relationships were to develop, she should have gone to Maggiore, her long time teacher and mentor, or she should have gone to Oskan. She doesn't even confide her doubts to him until much later in the story, and then it's a rather exhausted and sarcastic comment. For once she is too tired to be angry with him. It hardly feels like a trust has developed.

And when she should react in a panic, she doesn't. Ever. When a bear charges her and her men she doesn't freak out at all. She acts, then calmly wonders if she can defeat a huge bear on her own.

Has she done this before, or something? In reality, she should have panicked, questioned her own skills and thought she was going to die. Like a normal person in a crisis. Unless she is a skilled bear fighter, and they just forgot to mention that.

But she hunted a werewolf, remember? Except she never got close enough to one to realize that they could think like humans do. So there goes that idea.

And when she enters her first real battle, it's said that all fear has left her. But she never actually experienced any fear. Unless the author forgot to add that part.

THIRRIN THE MARY SUE?

Thirrin never fails. Not once. The most that happens is that she struggles with a task, then she succeeds. She wins over the werewolves with no effort. She wins over the vampires after she feels humiliated. She wins over the cat beasts with her amazing swordsmanship.

I think the author thought making her struggle slightly before achieving every goal would be enough to make her relatable and likable. When in reality, it just made her annoying. Why do I care if she keeps feeling inadequate when she keeps succeeding at everything?

Also, I felt disconnected from her. But I can't fully call her a mary sue thing, because I felt detached from every character. And with a story with an omniscent point of view (randomly jumping into different characters' persepectives) that's quite a feat. Or maybe that made it worse, since Thirrin isn't our consistent narrator. And the author makes a point to never let us in her head in key moments.

In one moment near the climax, Thirrin scolds Oskan for him acting like she cannot understand the sufferings of her soldiers. She says if they mess up, they just get flogged (I guess most won't die or anything) but if she messes up, lots of people will die. So she is the one who he should feel bad for.

That was probably the worst bit of dialogue in the entire book. Thirrin came off as a spoiled child who thought of no one but herself. And in response to others' suffering, got offended that hers wasn't put first and foremost. It was the most narcisstic thing I had ever read. I felt like I was reading a politician's speech deflecting blame.

MOSTLY DUMB OR NAIVE?

What is mary sue-ish are the times that everyone else is made to look dumb, so Thirrin can look smart. For instance, when a werewolf is brought into the banquet hall in chains, only Thirrin notes the collar he is wearing is that of the werewolf king (I thought we just learned that werewolves can think, how do we now know they have a king? Whatever). How did no one else see that?

She insists they make an alliance with the Land of Ghosts, but no one else could think of that? Are there no advisors to the king? What would make a child smarter and more experienced in diplomacy?

When people question if the werewolves are trustworthy, Thirrin “burns with a hating rage”. Because, how dare anyone question her decision to blindly trust a being that she has just met and a group of beings she knows absolutely nothing about? Of course he is a perfect ally, because Thirrin is never wrong.

In another scene, an older man loses his wife and wishes to mourn, instead of lead. Thirrin goes into a frenzied lecture, reminding him of his responsibilties and how important he is. Luckily he realizes how stupid he was and how wise beyond her years, that Thirrin is. I am sensing a pattern here.

The vampires attempt to trick Thirrin into signing a treaty that they rewrote, because they think she is too stupid to read. That's the extent to their intelligence it seems. It came off as cartoonishly dumb.

And when her wise, elder tutor stupidly says he wishes he could have glory in battle, she has to inform him that there is no glory in battle. Luckily she is fourteen and he is just an old guy who has been teaching her since she was a toddler.

THIRRIN'S FIRST BATTLE

Thirrin goes into battle and after winning, suddenly starts sobbing. She takes in the dead people and realizes they are dead. Apparently she can just shut down like a robot. Must be all of her wartime experience. Except she has none.

If the author had wanted us to feel sympathy for her, he should have had Thirrin feel this in battle. She should have froze up or hesistated before a fight and had to be saved (she hadn't killed any one before this, only facing a bear and hunting a werewolf she thought was an animal). Or she took a life only to realize what she had done after.

But her reactions are always at the wrong time, or completely random, disconnecting her from the reader, who expects Thirrin to be a relatable teenager in at least some aspects.

A WELL LEARNED PRINCESS?

Remember how Thirrin is the first in her family to learn how to read? And how she thinks of herself as intelligent and enlightened? Well apparently she doesn't know any words in any foreign languages. Because when she is asked to provide proof of foreigners, she can't do it. This makes no sense at all. Unless she can barely read and has low intelligence, it's impossible that she wouldn't have been introduced to other languages by Maggiore.

INSTANT LOVE

Another mary sue quality is the instant respect and admiration she earns from everyone (except the vampires).

Right after she commands they let go of the werewolf king, we learn that the werewolf is impressed with her. Even though as far as we know, he cares nothing for humans, which is why he didn't have any communication with them.

He later comes to Thirrin's defense when the vampires are making fun of her. He even thinks how much he admires her...even though they have spent no time together.

We get the same thing from the leader of the cat beasts. We get told through their thoughts, that they admire Thirrin and are very close to her. Even though we never see this closeness occurring.

EQUALITY NOW!

Thirrin decides the fact that a small group of her soldiers are elite and more skilled than most is a bad thing. She wants everyone to be trained equally. Which is probably the silliest and most naive thing anyone could want. But because Thirrin can't make mistakes, it all works great.

In reality, the majority of soldiers would fail, suddenly pushed far beyond their limits. They would resent Thirrin for making them look stupid and the elite forces would resent her for not appreciating their skill and their sacrifices (and assuming everyone could be just like them).

No doubt they had formed a relationship with the King and had proven their skill only now to be told they're existance is mean. This would have been a great chance for Thirrin to make a mistake, admit it, and grow as a character. Perhaps forming a relationship with an elite soldier. She would learn that everyone has a role, and the importance of a hierchy (which she should already know, because she is royalty).

OSKAN'S USEFULNESS

When Thirrin meets Oskan she learns that he is the son of a witch. But when she inquires if he can do magic, he has no idea what she is talking about. He can interpret weather patterns, use herbs for healing, and knows the language of the werewolves. So we learn right away, he doesn't know any magic. Eventually we learn he has visions, but they are usually vague.

Not that he doesn't have value, just not much to do with magic. He does end up revealing that the towns folk have nothing to fear because the enemy calvary is a day's ride away (for some reason he didn't decide to share this even though it was obvious to Thirrin that everyone was still afraid). He just knows, so I guess that's magic.

He ends up being well spoken and a diplomat, calming down the fleeing people of Icemark as well as persuading the vampires to help. I found those skills rather unlikely and tacked in, so he could keep being useful (not that the other nonmagical skills weren't already useful). This young man spent his life in seclusion, living in a cave in the woods with his mother. Just where did he learn his great people skills? His lack of tact with Thirrin when refusing to notice her status as a princess would say otherwise.

It would make more sense for there to be other characters that Thirrin could confide in or have them offer advice, like the weaponsmaster, who we learn has been training her for three years. Or a fellow warrior, that she admits are the only people she feels comfortable with. Oskan seems to have been forced to fill rolls that don't make sense for him. He carries a huge responsibilty, that should belong to a group of trusted advisors instead.

And yet Thirrin seems to believe he is a powerful warlock before she has any evidence.

OSKAN THE CHOSEN ONE?

In order to remind you that Oskan is an amazing warlock (who has vague visions that don't help much) he ends up being called a chosen one by a group of powerful witches. Thirrin tells the reader all about their history that she didn't bother mentioning until now.

But neither Oskan nor Thirrin take them seriously and I was left wondering if I wasn't supposed to either. In fact, they don't even discuss it. I was left confused, wondering what the point of it all was. Oskan should have either been annoyed or confused. Maybe worried. The last thing I expected was him to make light of it. He is not a lighthearted character.

Also, his character is almost as inconsistent as Thirrin. As I mentioned above, his skills don't really make sense. As for his personality, because of his lack of backstory, we don't really understand his motivation. During a huge fight with Thirrin, Oskan suddenly thinks he can use his amazing powers for “glorious selfishness”. Because his mother said he had to choose light or dark, eventually. But nothing has seemed dark in him at all and suddenly he is as dramatic as a cheesy villain. He had been selfless until this moment, even though he knows no one nor cares for the people of his country (he hasn't had any relationships with anyone his whole life, besides his mother, remember?)

Also, there is another moment where he goes crazy when he thinks he is going to be left behind. It is as if he suddenly has another personality. But instead of being scared by his irrational behavior, Thirrin is impressed. He came off as nuts to me. But I suppose it's just another case of an inconsistent character, just like Thirrin.

MYTHS COME TO LIFE

Thirrin eventually learns that the Holly King and the Oak King (characters in nursery rhymes) are real people. She is in awe over this, for about a page. Then she goes back to yelling at Oskan.

Speaking of Oskan, he, on the other hand, explains that they have always existed and he has always known about them. He just never bothered to tell anyone this amazing fact. Or maybe he and his mother were always secluded so he didn't know they were thought to be a myth? It's never explained.

In reality, Thirrin should be rethinking her whole life. If nursery rhyme characters are real, what else is? And why has no one else known about this? Thirrin never bothers to ask anyone, not even Oskan. She should be confused about who he is and why he knows such secretive things. But instead she ignores this huge question mark, standing right next to her

Was Oskan's mother a great witch with power so amazing that mythical beings revealed themselves not just to her but her son as well? And was he too dumb to realize no one else knew they were real?

They merely appear because the story calls for Thirrin to accomplish amazing things, without earning them. And to show Oskan is amazing, without ever doing anything to prove it. If his mother was the true cause of this revelation, then she should have merited more than a paragraph of the story.

THIRRIN & OSKAN

Most of the drama between Thirrin and Oskan is brought on by Thirrin's sarcasm and defensive nature. But it's hard to tell if that's really her or her pretending to be a princess. Maggieore says she can be charming when she is not trying to be a princess, and it's made clear when she is trying, as in when she first takes tea with Oskan in his home. But even before that she is sarcastic towards him.

I also didn't get why she had to rely on him alone when it's said that she gets on well with the warriors in her castle. Shouldn't she have a few friends, or at least people she respects and trusts?

There is a time where she admits to herself she trusts him, but doesn't know why. Unfortunately, this is missing a chance to actually develop a relationship and ask actual questions of Oskan. How did he know about mythical beings? That could be an actual conflict, if Oskan was keeping a secret. But this is forsaken for boring arguments where Thirrin always ends up in the right anyway. I think there is only one time in the whole story where she is wrong.

MAGGIE & THIRRIN

Maggiore is introduced being frustrated with Thirrin, but not because she is unskilled, merely that she hasn't revealed her skills yet. They are portrayed as being very close but we are merely told this. Nothing is shown. When they are separated and then brought back together, Thirrin acts like a little girl, reminding us that she is close to Thirrin. Because we wouldn't know otherwise.

THIRRIN & HER FATHER

In the beginning we learn that Thirrin wishes to earn her father's respect and gratitude. She also feels guilty when he notes that she only comes to see her when she wants something. Whatever the relationship could have been, it doesn't have the chance because her father is in less than half of the story. But since it isn't clear who Thirrin is exactly, perhaps the relationship couldn't have ever been anything other than shallow anyway.

For instance, when Thirrin is out with some soldiers they hunt down a werewolf. He attacks her and she fights him off. When she tells her father he doesn't seem overly concerned, which is odd, seeing how she is his only daughter and the heir.

So one would think that Thirrin is independent and a skilled fighter. And yet the whole story is about proving herself. She already seems kind of amazing. What's really to prove? And who to prove it to? Maggiore already thinks she is great or will be soon. Her father isn't in the story long enough for her to prove anything to him.

MODERN WORDS AND ANCIENT PEOPLES

Thirrin says she doesn't believe in the superstitions of her people, as she is rational and scientific. But according to her, she was the first in her line to be taught to read. I am guessing in her world, the idea of Queens and Kings were just starting. It would make sense that they would still be holding onto traditions of their culture. And yet Thirrin dismisses them all.

Perhaps this was so she would have an arc, because when she meets all sorts of beings that she doesn't even believe in, she could change. But she never alters in any meaningful way. She just says, "Oh! Those are real. Wow. That's amazing." Then she forgets about them.

I feel these truths are revealed in order to show how amazing Thirrin is. As Maggiore points out, he learns all of these secrets because of her.

Then we come to the enemy, a group of people so secluded and ignorant, that they don't believe in things like vampires and werewolves. How can this be? Have they never left their country? Have they never been invaded? Do they have some amazing, huge wall that no one can get through? I have no idea. They just believe in science. Like in Nacho Libre.

Thirrin's people have met with vampires and witnessed werewolves often enough. But they don't have any evidence to share with these guys and no one else has ever bothered either.

I found this unbelievable, nor did I think such an ignorant people stood a chance against beings they didn't even know existed. Thirrin again, uses the word “science” to explain why they are so stupid.

Later Thirrin inquires about the cat beasts and their creation myths. And yet according to her, mythical beings exist. But she knows that the cat beast's story is indeed a myth.

I wish the author would stop inserting modern terms into a culture that is supposed to have just been learning to teach its royalty to read and write. There was no science in ancient times like there is today. They did not even have the word. Nor did pagans consider others' stories to be myths, but not their own. When an ancient people were conquered, the foreign gods were added to the worship list. And yet modern ideas are forced awkwardly into the story.

CARTOONS IN UNEXPECTED PLACES

There are a few scenes scattered throughout that feel weirdly cartoonish. The fact that Redrought has a pet kitten that he hides in his beard is one. His fluffy slippers are another. And apparently there is a fat, old elf who brings present around Yule. So he is the precursor to our Santa (don't tell Saint Nicholas). I found it weird that adults and thirteen year old Thirrin would believe in a gift giving being that no one had ever seen.

Thirrin sends a messenger to the invading army to blow a raspberry. For some reason.

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY-SPOILERS

Redrought ends up dying in battle, and we see his battle. I have to admit I found the battle dull but that's not my main issue. My main issue is the fact that I barely knew him so when he died I felt nothing. I almost would have rather had not known and had to find out with Thirrin. My other issue is later on, we get shown the afterlife. A valkyrie comes to Redrought to take him to Valhalla. There is no mention of norse mythology in any other part of the story. It felt completely out of place.

SHOW, DONT TELL

Like I mentioned before, other characters tell the reader how much they love and admire Thirrin but we never see any relationship forming. Same with Maggiore. The only attempt made at a relationship is Oskan.

King Grimask steps forward to defend Thirrin from the vampires, explaining to the reader how much he has grown to admire her. Even though there have been zero scenes of this happening. We just have to take his word.

At her father's funeral, we zoom far away when Thirrin breaks down crying, so we can know how strangers will never forget the sight of her. It's as if the author has no idea what is important to the reader. So we can never properly bond with Thirrin. We just keep being told about her.

THE MATRIARCHY

When everyone enters a neighboring country, Maggie notes that no men are in power. And all of the people worship goddesses, not gods. He think's that strange but then says: “everyone seems happy so it's okay.” Which is the weirdest reaction I have ever seen.

It should have made him question his own country's system (which I guess was a patriarchy but is now willing to be led by a girl). It would be normal to be skeptical and wonder just how woman do all of the leading but the men do all of the fighting and dying. How would that kind of system function? How are the men treated in comparison to the women? How did this system form? But the studious educator doesn't bother thinking these questions let alone asking them.

WORLD BUILDING

There is an attempt made at building Thirrin's world throughout the story. I admit, I found most of it dull because I never cared for Thirrin or Oskan. And If I didn't care about them, why would I care for their world?

For the most part, it feels like the author thought of cool things like, vampires, werewolves and talking cats and threw them all in there without any thought to their backstories and the fact that these cultures should have all had a huge intermixed history.

Instead the cat beasts are creatures the Icemark people have never met. The Oak King and the Holly King were just discovered. We just learned the werewolves can think (and therefore must have an actual history and culture) and the only creatures we know about, the vampires, come off as cartoonish.

Even the witches come out from thin air to tell Oskan that he is a chosen one. He has no idea what that means and neither does Thirrin. Because the author didn't bother setting up this idea.

Later on, I learned there were cannons and pistols. So, it's like an ancient pagan world before Christianity but also like the 1600s. It feels like a hodgepodge of things were thrown together without any rhyme or reason.

INSIDE THE ENEMY'S MIND-SPOILERS

We get whole chapters from the enemies view. I am not sure what the goal was. I suppose it was to introduce the villain, otherwise we wouldn't see them until the majority of the story was over.

Even so, they come across as shallow, power hungry villains with no rational reason to invade. They are just the bad guys. They think Thirrin is dumb. And even when Thirrin miraculously defeats the general in a one on one fight, they decide that means that the people must all be killed. Because they are too hard to rule over? I guess. The author works hard to show you that the bad guys are bad, and that's basically it.

I didn't need to wonder if the bad guys were bad, I just would have liked them to be less cartoonish. Who knows, maybe once Icemark made a mistake and wronged them? Maybe they are lacking in a resource and feel they have no choice but to invade? Maybe they were slighted long ago and decades of resentment has finally led to a leader willing to go to war? Maybe there was a misunderstanding? Or...they could just be bad. So Thirrin could have an enemy to defeat and look good by comparison.

OSKAN'S MOTHER

Oskan's mother passed away, leaving him the home and his skills. But I honestly can't recall if they mentioned how long ago she had passed. Oskan didn't seem to be too upset about it. Perhaps he had finished mourning her passing, long ago.

His relationship is mentioned sporadically with minimal details throughout the story. You would think Oskan might have some mixed feelings about his upbringing. After all, he never met his father and his mother never told him who he was. Maybe some anger issues or having to forgive his mother's careless nature?

Oddly enough, Oskan came across as only slightly curious about his father, who he had been told wasn't a human. That's it. What could have been a huge part of his character is ignored. We never learn who his father is and by the time the book was done I didn't care. Why should I? If Oskan barely gave it a passing thought, why should I?

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

In the final battle, Oskan decides to try summoning lightning, because Thirrin asked him if he could. And even though he never has and was never taught how to do so, he tries anyway. He fries himself but is healed by a woman that Thirrin takes him to.

CONCLUSION

The story wasn't original, but it wasn't a bad idea. A young princess has to rise to power during wartime and lead her country, gathering allies and meeting fantastic creatures.

The main problems are the shallow characters (some with no backstories at all, others with bare bones that the author seems to forget to expound upon) and their nonexistant relationships with one another.

There is also the inconsistent portrayals of Thirrin and Oskan and the constant telling about relationships that have formed, without ever seeing them happen.

And of course, Thirrin's Mary Sue-like nature at getting everyone to like her instantly and never failing at anything (but at least she feels bad sometimes).

And then there are the plot holes. Like Oskan knowing about magical creatures, but never mentioning this to Thirrin, and Thirrin never asking him how he knew them and why.

Thirrin believing that Oskan is a powerful warlock, without ever seeing any power other than vague prophecies and vague feelings about stuff he just knows.

And a young man who grew up with his mother in a cave becoming a well spoken diplomat who is willing to risk his life for a country that he doesn't even call his own. Because Thirrin is just that amazing (he forms no relationships with anyone else).

And a princess that has been tutored from a young age but doesn't know one word in a foreign tongue. As well as important information that no one bothers to mention until the last second.

I give “The Cry of the Icemark” a half a star.

Book Review: "Tomorrow's Magic" by Pamela F. Service

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Welly and Heather are two teenagers living in a post-nuclear war world. While attending a boarding school, they meet Earl, a young man who was found after losing his memory. The three become friends, eventually leaving the school and learning the truth about Earl and the fight to save the future of humanity.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Earl starts out as a loner who becomes friends with Heather and Welly with some hesitancy. Eventually he regains his memory. From then on he struggles with feelings of inadequancy as well as putting the lives of his friends at risk.

Welly admits he hates his bad eyesight and wishes he could easily lose weight. Compared to Heather he is less adventurous but their friendship stars they both don't fit in at school.

Heather is an adventurous girl who doesn't fit in with the other girls at her school. She is rather plain looking and although she doesn't speak of it, wishes she were pretty. After her father remarried she became estranged from her family.

Morgan Le fey is our a stock villain. Not that every villain needs to be sympathetic, but I wish she had some more depth to her. She thinks Merlin is naive and tries to convince him to join her but her arguments never come off as pursuasive. It was never in doubt that Merlin would reject her offer and her history is rather vague. Perhaps to be expanded upon in the third book.

PACING & INTRODUCTION-SPOILERS

In the beginning we meet Welly and Heather, and not long after Earl. There is an intruder at the school and then we see that Earl has nightmares. Eventually people show up claiming to be relatives of Earl's, so he decides to run away. Welly and Heather go with him.

The pacing isn't fast, but we get to learn about the main characters as well as the world, so I would say it's an adequate opening. Just not fast paced.

There are attacks from muties as well as other creatures. The story is pretty well balanced between action and exposition.

TWO STORIES

This book is actually two books in one. The first story dealing with restoring Merlin's memories as well as finding Avalon and King Arthur; The second book takes place years later where Arthur has claimed his title as king and built a court. Most of the second story has to do with Merlin trying to regain his abilities of prophecy as well as uniting the country under Arthur. Heather's gift is revealed as well.

THE DEATH OF MERLIN

Less than halfway thought the first book, Merlin ends up falling down a well. It's obvious to Heather and Welly that he died. Which is why Morgan leaves. I always feel slightly annoyed when a main character is shown to die when the story isn't even near over. The odds of it being a true death are none existant and I always feel that you shouldn't present something as shocking, when its obviously not. But it served as a cliffhanger ending and allowed Morgan to leave Welly and Heather be.

I thought it was amazing that only sheer luck prevented him from his death, as there were ropes that stopped his fall.

MERLIN'S MEMORIES

After almost falling to his death, Merlin hits his head and all of his memories come back. That kind of surprised me, since we live in a world with magic, I expected something magic related to restore his memories. I almost wish he had used magic by instinct instead, as he had done earlier in the story, actually making himself invisible. Perhaps this burst of magic could have been so strong as to unlock his memories.

I almost expected Merlin's personality to change after a lifetime of memories came back to him. The world he lived in was nothing like the one he resided in now. And he had only been in this one a few years. I felt he should have immediately have become more like a mentor figure, or at least a big brother. Or at least have some traditional, old fashioned ideas on some topics.

But perhaps since his memory is restored well before their relationships are established, the author thought it would muddle things up. I think it would have been interesting to establish a relationship and then realize you never actually knew the person, because the person never knew themselves.

MERLIN'S POWERS

While Merlin regains his memories he doesn't regain his magical abilities all at once. He gradually regains them over the course of the first story. He manages to defend his friends from slavers, as well as from Morgan.

MERLIN'S ANGER AT THE WORLD

Merlin admits a few times that he is furious that the world has been abused and destroyed. Most of the populace was destroyed by war, as well as most animals. Mutant people live as well as mutated animals, consisting of a threat.

I found his anger kind of melodramatic, as if everything just went to seed without him around. He never realizes that the majority of the planet had no say in the wars that were fought and had no power over anything.

His generalization makes him appear naive and considering how old he is supposed to be, rather unbelievable. Not to mention he never asks how the world changed after he was gone for hundreds of years. Did people just become more selfish and entitiled? How do they stop it from happening again?

He never seems to understand that men have always had wars, even when he was around, it's just that the weapons are bigger now and more dangerous.

ABANDONING & TEMPTING-SPOILERS

After the group has stayed at a nice family's farm long enough for Welly to recover from his illness, Merlin eventually gets in a fight and leaves his friends behind. It's obvious that he still feels guilty for dragging them into danger.

Afterwards Morgan shows up and tempts both of them, showing visions of themselves in the future as they desperately wish to be. I never really thought either would abandon Merlin, but I think the scene showed a part of Morgan's powers and how strong she could possibly be. So it did serve a purpose, as well as showing that our main characters could stand up to her, even without help.

MERLIN'S PAST

I think the author assumed everyone knew the details of the King Arthur stories, so perhaps she didn't have to flesh anything out for us. But I wanted to learn more, and it wouldn't have bothered me if some liberties were taken. Merlin vaguely mentions a woman named Nimue and how she was sent by Morgan to gain his friendship and learn magic. Eventually she betrayed him.

Merlin also mentions that Arthur was betrayed by his last wife but the king seems to get over that rather quickly.

HEATHER'S STRUGGLES-SPOILERS

When Heather develops her own magical skills, she is rather anxious about them. She feels alone, and as someone who lacked friends previously, she is familiar with that emotion. She complains she didn't want her abilities and doesnt want others to know. To compound the situation, a young man named Kyle ends up badgering her a few times throughout the story.

Turns out he thinks magic is dangerous (he's not wrong there) and evil (this is often true too). I felt like his presence was merely there to make Heather feel more like a victim and grow more angry. After all, her and Kyle never develop a friendship, more like a casual acquintance as he tries to teach her to sing.

If perhaps he had been made to be a real friend and included in the story, he would have served a better purpose. But as Heather barely knows him, it's not hard to blow him off when he becomes rude.

MERLIN'S STRUGGLES-SPOILERS

Merlin struggles with guilt, from not being able to prophecize adequately and for putting his friends at risk. But the fact is, he worries about the former quite often, while the latter rather comes out of the blue. He always worries for Heather and Welly of course.

Also, the young boy from the first book, where they stayed at a farm, returns. Turns out his whole family was killed by mutants. Merlin feels awful. Later the boy dies in battle while holding a flag. Merlin is heartbroken but expresses this through sarcasm and anger.

I was surprised at his bitterness and wondered how many battles he had witnessed in his past life, and how often did he feel responsible for deaths of soldiers or innocent bystanders. Did he experience this a lot, and was now just sick of it, perhaps growing cynical? I wish I could have learned more about his past.

HEATHER & MERLIN-SPOILERS

Because of her new abilities, Heather confides in Merlin more often as no one else is aware of what she can do. He seems happy to have her near, admitting he feels less alone. I thought this was interesting, because he had never before admitted that being the only sorcerer around had made him lonely in his old life. Unless you remember the vague reference to Nimue where he said that Morgan knew his weakness.

On the positive side, the relationship feels natural and doesn't happen all at once, we merely see that they are spending more time together and are comforted by each others' presence. There are hints at there closeness being romantic so when it comes to fruition near the end it feels deserved.

ARTHUR & MERLIN

Arthur isn't in the book except near the end but he doesn't really appear in the sequel that much either. I suppose the relationship between the two is a mentor and a student, even though they are the same age now. They joke often with each other.

I admit I was disappointed with their relationship. I expected it to be much deeper since they had such a long history but it's never delved into. And neither Welly or Heather feel any jealousy towards Arthur (to be fair he and Merlin just don't come across as close). Nor is there any awe or a feeling of not belonging in his presence from our main characters.

Also when it comes to the character of Arthur himself there just isn't enough time to flesh out any character. It's hinted that there is a romance between him and a Queen he meets but the relationship happened off the pages so it felt forced.

THE NEGLECT OF WELLY

For the most part I feel that both stories dwell on Heather and Merlin while Welly feels to be neglected. He does develop, showing bravery later on and actually fighting in a serious battle. This in contrast to who he is in the beginning, someone who thinks little of himself and lagging behind Heather.

Although I have to be honest, it's most likely that his character and his relationship with Merlin was to be developed in the next story. Apparently in this one, Heather gets kidnapped and its up to him and Merlin to rescue her.

THE AMULET & THE SEDUCTION OF HEATHER-SPOILERS

After a visit home, Heather recieves a gift from her mother who admits she had some magical ability and Heather probably does too. The amulet is supposed to aid Heather's gifts and it seems to. But it was rather naive for her to keep it, since right afterwards she learns her mother lied to her and had Merlin hidden in her dungeon.

I suppose it could be argued that the amulet was already influencing her, and she is too weak to resist it.

MERLIN'S GUILT-SPOILERS

A fake letter is delivered to Merlin from Heather, saying she has left with Welly. Merlin is upset, thinking he dragged Heather into this conflict and that he never should have. I was surprised he believed such an obvious lie as it had been clear for some time that she was willing to risk her life for his and that he was the most important person in her life.

It's a basic trope, some misunderstanding that keeps two people apart for a time until it's realized to be false and they are reunited. I always have mixed feelings, because I never feel like the deception is good enough to be believed. And the character that has to believe it ends up looking quite stupid for the sake of the plot.

CLIMAX

In the first story, they find Avalon despite Morgan's interference and Arthur along with it. As for the second, Merlin searches for Welly and Heather and fights Morgan.

CONCLUSION

The strong point of the story is that all the main characters are distinct and likable. They all struggle, grow and face their fears. Even if Welly is neglected on this front. They all feel real and relatable, even Merlin.

The storyline of a modern version of King Arthur isn't original, but that doesn't stop it from being interesting. The world is explained just enough to understand it and perhaps that's to its credit, as many science fiction and fantasy stories build such a huge world that the characters are neglected entirely.

The weak points are mostly the lack of Merlin's and Arthur's history and relationship. I felt more should have been revealed, perhaps putting a wedge between Merlin and his young friends.

Sometimes Merlin can come across as overly dramatic, which I didn't expect from an old man, even if he is in a teenager's body. I would have liked it if he had been portrayed as more mature, even if it put a gap between him and his friends. And in fact I think it would have made the relationships more interesting.

Merlin had a whole other life and yet he doesn't seem to have any secrets or anything worth sharing in detail.

I give “Tomorrow's Magic” three stars.

Book Review: "The Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

After being imprisoned for stealing the King's of Sounis' seal, Gen is eager to be free again. He eagerly accepts the task of stealing...whatever they want him to. But the task proves dangerous as he and his escorts enter another country named Eddis, where if they are caught, the Queen will behead them.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Gen, short for Eugenides is a young thief. He doesn't trust anyone and has no problem starting fights. Also, he can be overly confident. We learn from the beginning that his mother died from falling to her death when he was only ten. Gen later reveals his father was a soldier. For the most part, Gen remains a mystery until the end of the story.

Sophos is a young Duke. He is rather meek at first but gradually starts to share details about his life with Gen. Turns out this father doesn't think he is suited to be a duke. He loves learning and books, instead of physical activities like riding and sword fighting.

Pol works for Sopho's father. He is the head of the guards and is rather stern with Gen. Even so, he does help him heal his wounds from prison.

Ambiades is a man who travels and trains Sophos. He is harsh on his sparring partner and rather arrogant. He shares a strong dislike for Gen, who he thinks is a coward. He is protective of his items as it turns out his father lost his title and his wealth.

The Magus is in charge of the quest. He is rather strict and has no love for Gen. Later we learn that all of his family was killed by a plague.

PACING

The story statrs off with Gen being taken out of prison. He gets the vague details and then he and his escorts depart. The best part of the story, with the most suspense, is when Gen has to find the stone necklace in a maze. After that there is a chase scene, and near the end of the story, a second chase scene. Even so, for the most part I wouldn't call it a fast paced story.

MYTHOLOGY

There are four myths that are told in the story. Most are told by the Magus, but Gen tells one as well. The first is a creation myth about how earth created the sun, then the moon, and then the sky.

The second, the birth of the god Eugenides, the god of thieves. Which Gen, himself, tells.

The third, Eugenides and the sky god's thunderbolts.

And lastly, Eugenides and the great fire. Gen tells this story, because the Magus wanted to compare Gen's version to him.

I found them interesting as self contained stories but they didn't really add any dimension to the characters or even the story. I just think the author loved mythology and wanted to write her own.

GEN'S PUNISHMENT

Gen ends up getting accused of taking extra food. In respone he is taken and whipped. Gen is furious at the turn of events and vows revenge. That is probably the first scene where we see him truly feel anger and learn about some of his motivation. His hatred seems to be the only thing pushing him on.

GEN'S DREAMS

Gen has dreams of a woman in white. She tells him not to offend the gods (I guess she isn't one of them?) and to be cautious because many have gone and perished. I guess she is supposed to be evidence that some sort of deities exist and its not all myth. But he has a vision when he finds the amulet and is told to take it.

I am not sure what dimension this added to the story. Gen didn't seem particularly religious but he admits that he isn't sure if he can take it, because of his childhood tales. So perhaps that was a religious conversion?

RELATIONSHIPS

One problem I have with the story is relationships, mainly the story doesn't have any. The only character that Gen actually comes to like is Sophos. I suppose he has a grudging respect for Pol. He despises Ambiades and this never really develops into anything else. Not even respect.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON

When the group nears Eddis, they learn of another country named Atollia. Turns out that Eddis controls the only easy path between Sounis and that country, and they are the wealthiest trading countries. I did find this interesting and appreciated the effort of history being presented.

GEN THE RESCUER

Gen ends up pointing out to the Magus that the area they are on will be destroyed by a river. And if they stay (while he is in the maze looking for the stone) they will be drowned. Unfortunately Gen doesn't come off as truly caring about anyones' lives, not even Sophos. And although I wanted to like him and have some relationship developed, there wasn't much more than temporary respect from the Magus.

THE MAZE-SPOILERS

Gen spends a few nights with only a lamp and has an alotted amount of time each night before he must return, or else he will be lost and trapped. He comes across bones of those who previously attempted to find the stone. Not to mention doors that threaten to close behind him and forever trap him. He even has to face water that threatens to drown him.

There is on particular scene where Gen has a panic attack, thinking that he will forever be trapped inside. It was the most relatable scene in the whole book. So many authors write characters who never get scared, or when they do it's quite rational and it doesn't really overtake the character. Gen actually admits that he was freaking out over nothing. He simply let his emotions get the better of him.

DEATHS-SPOILERS

Gen manages to sneak off when guards from Atollia show up. Eventually he ends up in jail with Sophos. There Sophos reveals that both Pol and Ambiades were killed. We get a flashback scene with them but we don't witness their demise.

Gen actually says he wished he could have killed Ambiades himself. I don't think he deserved that kind of hatred, he was a jerk but that Gen actually felt as though this deserved being killed felt overblown.

If anything it should have softened Ambiades to him, causing regret of the fact that they had gotten on so badly. Some sympathy should have been in order. If not when Gen first learned of Ambiades' past then when he learned of his death.

CLIMAX

Gen meets the Queen of Atollia and shows his usual arrogance and overconfidence. Later, he, Sophos and the Magus manage to escape only to be chased by the guards. In the end they arrive safely in the kingdom of Eddis.

TWIST ENDING-SPOILERS

Gen himself is a prince who created a reputation for himself as a thief and swiped it from Pol. There are some problems with this. Mainly that the story is told by Gen. Yes, he doesn't tell the reader much. He acts as though Pol lost the necklace. He even pretends to search for it, which is fine.

What isn't is fine is when we go into Gen's mind: He's furious because the Magus dismissed him risking his life (he says he can copy the lost amulet) while in fact Gen had been expecting him to react in horror that he had failed at his mission. That's where the anger should have been focused, on Gen's plan at pissing off the Magus and how it failed.

I felt like that was what we would have learned if we had been in his mind. It all felt so clunkily written in an attempt to be clever and withhold information from the reader.

Also, after being whipped, Gen thinks he wants more than to get the amulet and be famous (he's already a famous prince, but I guess he wants to prove himself?). He wants to be given the credit for being a king maker. But he already planned that he would just take it back to his own Queen. So who did he want to make a king, exactly? I was left completely confused.

Not to mention he calls his escorts overeducated. I was left thinking he was annoyed because he wasn't educated, when in reality that being a prince, he knew more than any of them. So did he call them overeducated as sarcasm? Did he think non-royals who are educared think they are so smart that he was actually making fun of them? I couldn't make sense of any of it.

CONCLUSION

Of all the characters, the only when I grew to like was Sophos. I never knew enough about Pol to like him. And while I was sympathetic for Ambiades, his character never develops any relationship with Gen so he was wasted. As for Gen, the only feeling I was felt was sympathy when he was mistreated. Otherwise I only felt indifference. I never understood his motivation and I suspect because I was supposed to be kept at bay so the twist ending could take me by surprise. But it just left me confused.

Perhaps the story would have been better told if Gen wasn't the main character. Or the story wasn't told in first person.

As for the story itself, it wasn't a bad idea. But the lack of relationships and motivations caused the story to become sterile. Some parts are amusing and some are interesting, like the maze. The myths were intersting but they didn't make up for everything else.

I give “The Thief” two stars.

Book Review: "The Night Dance" by Suzanne Weyn

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Based on the fairy tale “the twelve dancing princesses”, Rowena and her sisters live a sheltered life thanks to their father. Rowena dreams of freedom and her mother. The girls eventually find a secret tunnel under their room but their father is determined to discover why every night their slippers are ruined, even though they are locked in their rooms.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Rowena is the main character and the only sister we get to know. She dreams of a normal life, and starts having visions throughout the story.

Sir Bedivere is a knight that followed King Arthur and ends up having to return excalibur to a lake. But he doesn't know where to start. One of his hands is paralyzed. He is rather self conscious about it. Not much about his life is known before the scene, except his love for his king.

Morgan Le Fey is actually a side character throughout the story. She has taken place where she can watch over who she sees a threat to her power.

Sir Ethan is an overprotective father of twelve daughters. After his wife went off and vanished he kind of goes crazy and builds a huge wall so he daughters can never leave home.

Vivianne is a great sorcerer who spends the most of her story trapped. But we do get her history revealed to us. She loves her husband and daughters dearly.

TRUE LOVE OR LIES?-SPOILERS

When Sir Ethan was younger, he got lost in the woods and met a beautiful woman. So he married her and never left the woods.

Vivienne admits it was all manipulation, as she cast a spell to bring her an ideal lover. Sir Ethan had no say in the matter and we are not told much of his life before then. Did he have a family? Perhaps a woman he was courting? It says he was in the military, was he taking part in a war?

Apparently Vivianne doesn't care about free will. And yet she says that eventually their relationship becomes real love. How would she know? Does the spell have a release date? Did Sir Ethan eventually get to return to his old life instead of living as a hermit in the woods? Don't think so. This whole relationship feels obsessive and a perversion.

Ethan even reveals he doesn't know if its real love or not, but he doesn't care.

VIVIENNE'S HISTORY

Turns out that Vivienne was a great Sorcerer who worked close with Merlin. People became jealous because of this and her life was threatened so she ran off into the woods. But she didn't want to be alone so she made Sir Ethan come to her.

But she is so important that every so often she goes off without telling her husband a thing so she can still be useful to King Arthur. I don't know why Merlin wouldn't be more important and why she is even necessary. She gave him the sword and asked that after he dies that it was returned to her.

Eventually Morgan le Fey traps her under a lake, because I guess she isn't powerful enough to kill her.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Rowena shares the gift of her mother and has visions. She sees Bedivere and immediately falls in love. Unfortunately it comes across as a shallow relationship based on nothing more than sexual attraction. Him noting how beautiful and graceful she is; Her noting how handsome and brave he is, ect.

I understand that most romantice relationships start this way but they have to evolve into something more. But this one never does. Even when Rowena and Bedivere actually meet. They don't learn much about each other and it seems obvious that Rowena is merely starved for affection.

The dialogue between them is particularly awful as it's not realistic, instead they speak as though they are reciting bad poetry. The majority of their relationship is spent talking about how much they love each other, not actually getting to know each other or developing their relationship.

NORMAL GIRLS

When the daughters learn that there father is putting locks on their doors (because of their ruined slippers) they decided to complain. They wonder why they can't be normal girls who go to parties and meet men. Shouldn't some of them already by married?

I kept wondering, why hadn't any of them asked this before? They weren't children anymore and yet they never thought to ask why they were kept as slaves behind a wall? This cetainly isn't treated as an argument that they have had before. Especially considering where it leads.

Ethan finally admits they are right and says perhaps he needs to find them matches.

If the girls had been sheltered their entire lives, shouldn't they have been happy to be able to marry and leave? Their father may be kind of crazy, but I doubt he would force them to marry someone they completely hated.

MORGAN LE FEY

After sensing Vivienne's power, Morgan thinks that she is trying to contact her daughters. So she goes there in disguise, hoping to find out if they girls know anything. She wants to prevent Vivienne from getting Excalbur because it went missing in battle because she wants it for herself.

Unfortunately I found her more annoying than threatening. I certainly never hated her. She never considers killing off any of the girls, and if she had I think she might have came across more menacing.

The final and first real encounter with her near the end was lacking. And I thought it was odd that in the history lesson we learn she seduced a knight and used him to trap Vivienne. But he is never mentioned again.

MORGAN'S SPELL-SPOILERS

Morgan casts a spell to distract the girls when she decides they are too much of a threat. They might actually discover where Vivienne is, because she spoke to them through a scrying bowl and led them underground to a secret tunnel. So she makes the tunnel take them to a magical place that leads to dresses and music. Not to mention men with stag's heads. The girls dance with them all night, every night, forgetting about their mother.

THE GIRLS MEET A MAN

After spending all of their youth and adulthood away from any men, when they first get to meet one, they immediately start flirting. I thought this was unrealistic.

In reality they would have treated him rather oddly, perhaps like they would treat a girl. After all, they are sheltered like children. They have never been courted and never met a man to flirt with. And besides being forbidden to be around any men, they haven't been taught any boundaries or had any expectations put on them.

By all accounts this scene should have been silly. And yet the girls come across as femme fatals who are eager to seduce a man.

WE CAN TRUST THE STAG MEN

I understand that there is a spell that makes the girls rather docile and tempts them to keep returning even though they have no idea what this place is. But When I learned that the girls' asked one of the stag men for a sleeping potion I was left stunned.

Did the spell also make the girls not just docile, but stupid as well? I expect they got this idea while back in their room, not under the spell. So when the potion nearly kills the man I couldn't believe how stupid they were. Didn't any of them think this might be a bad idea?

VIVIENNE AND HER DAUGHTERS

When it comes to their mother, the Rowena and Eleanore have different feelings. Eleanore is mad because she thinks her mother abandoned them. I didn't get to know any of the girls besides Rowena and her. But Twelve girls are a lot, so I wouldn't expect to get to know all of them. After all, we still have Bedivere, Vivienne and Morgan Le Fey with their own stories. Even so, I wish there had been a way to at least make them more distinct characters.

SIR ETHAN'S INSANITY

It's obvious that Ethan isn't emotionally stable. And yet the girls never discuss this. They complain that they don't get to meet men and marry but never seriously admit that their father is nuts. They also complain that one will be handed over as a prize (when in reality a story taken in this time period would not put romantic love before all, as arranged marriages were the norm throughout most of history.)

I get that the point was to show that Ethan felt betrayed by a woman he married for love (even though he didn't, he was under a spell that was never taken off as far as we know). But nothing works because it's never acknowledged what screwed him up, not just being abandoned to raise twelve girls, but to have had no choice to the marriage to a woman who had many secrets in the first place.

FACE OFF?

The problem is that there is no real fight between Morgan and Vivienne. Morgan uses vines of trees to attack Sir Bedivere and Rowena. Besides her rock monster and using a man's form to attack Bedivere (earlier on) she isn't really threatening. It's all very anticlimatic.

VIVIENNE AND HER HUSBAND

When Vivienne returns it's a shock to Ethan. But they reconcile rather easily which I feel was unrealistic. Maybe this was due to the lack of time left in the book. But I feel like Ethan has had a long time to think about his relationship with Vivienne and how it was obviously a perversion. And yet he never seems to realize that. I guess he was just mad that she left.

But when she explains why, all is forgiven. It annoyed me that the whole thing Ethan is a submissive man unless it comes to his daughters, then he is just an irrational jerk. This could be made sense of, but only if his past relationship was considered to be immoral.

CLIMAX

Rowena pretends to give Bedivere the sleeping potion and he follows them underground. Morgan Le Fey follows them. Eventually Vivienne is freed, there is a brief fight with Morgan and they return home.

CONCLUSION

“The Twelve Dancing princesses” doesn't give you too much to go of off, so there is plenty of opportunity for creativity. And this take does try to be original, mainly because it occurs during the reign of King Arthur and incorporates Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake.

Unfortunately I found myself rather indifferent to characters that were either portrayed as shallow or were barely portrayed at all, like Eleanore.

The romance between Sir Bedivere and Rowena dominates the story, even though they don't actually meet until halfway through. They fall in love in a matter of minutes and their romance is portrayed as flowery, shallow and in the manner of a bad romance novel.

Morgan le Fey is a rather underwhelming character and Vivienne comes across as selfish, while Ethan is an unacknowledged victim. He never got a choice in his marriage and seems traumatized by it. I felt bad for him but he doesn't get any redemption since his trauma isn't really acknowledged.

It's not the worst adaption I have read of this fairy tale, but it's also not good. The story itself had potentional but the characters didn't help.

I give “The Night Dance” two stars.

Book Review: "Capt. Hook" by J.V. Hart

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Before Captain Hook was the character we all know, he was a young man attending Eton. There he faces bullying and falls in love with a beautiful young women. While eventually learning about life at sea.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

James is the bastard son of a wealthy man. He has never been close to anyone but his Aunt Emily. He makes no attempt to fit in and is portrayed as a victim rather fast.

Roger is a fellow student who ends up friends with James. There isn't any particular reason why they become friends. Roger doesn't see James as normal but he doesn't seem intimidated by him, like everyone else. But we don't know why because we never learn anything about Roger. There is no process of developing friendship and they are just instantly friends.

Ananova is the daughter of a sultan. She is beautiful and smart as well as athletic and graceful. We get the feeling that she has been oppressed most of her life. But we don't go into any details about it and how difficult it must have been for her to have been raised in the middle east.

Arthur Darling is an upperclassmen who sets himself up as the villain from the beginning, when he is rude to James' aunt. James overreacts but Arthur still comes across worse. He abuses James through most of the story through the legal system of upperclassmen disciplining lowerclassmen.

PACING

Pacing is slower some parts and faster in others. Mainly faster during the sports match, when James attempts a rescue, and near the climax. But the slower pacing isn't slow to the point where it bothered me. There were enough interesting things going on in between these action scenes.

STRUCTURE-SPOILERS

The story is set up like this, the first part is James introduction to school life, Arthur and Ananova.

Eventually we get a reprieve from school life when James attempts to rescue Ananova. Then we go back to school, James ends up having a climax with Arthur.

After that, James is sent to work as a cabin boy as punishment. This slowly leads to the realization about the cargo and a climax.

JAMES' FATHER

James father is mentioned briefly and appears in the the story about two times I think. He is set up not necessarily as bad, but as neglectful. James doesn't seem to know him well enough to hate him but he does seem to resent him.

The only moment where he laments his lack of a relationship is when he wins a game, and he wonders why his father wasn't there. Or it might have just been the narrators comments. Hard to tell.

ANANOVA & JAMES

James and Ananova as both portrayed rather shallowly. James is a victim, brought up in a world of wealth that he doesn't belong in and Ananova is forced to leave England against her will and forbidden to ever talk to James (because his father is so famous that even the Queen knows who James is).

Add this to the fact that they fall in love almost instantly and yet spend such little time together. So the reader can only assume they find each other physically attractive, and that's basically it.

Also, as far as we know, James has never had any real relationships with anyone his own age before Roger. But just like his friendship just happens, so does this romance. Is he prone to falling head over heels for pretty girls? Because there seems no precedence for this sudden sentimentality (unless you count his love for his aunt, which we never learn about).

Their relationship often doesn't make sense either, like Ananova magically knowing that James has come after her on her ship to rescue her...because they had one conversation. And only because She sees a small boat from far away and just knows its him.

So much of their so called relationship is James and Ananova telling us about it, instead of actually watching it happen.

THE FAILED RESCUE-SPOILERS

James and Roger go to see Ananova. James says he will kidnap her (I don't know why). There is no discussion about what will happen afterwards. Not with Roger or Ananova herself. So they get off the ship on a horse (I am assuming the water is shallow...even though the ship probably wouldn't be) and get to shore, and get arrested.

So there was no point to anything. And James doesn't even seem to think of it as a failure. He thinks Ananova must adore him and never apologize for his failed rescue.

Sounds more like a saint then a real person. If Ananova was as bold as they portrayed her, she would have roundly scolded James for getting her hopes up and then having no actual plan.

ANANOVA

The problem with Ananova is similar to James, we learn so little about her. And yet we are told by the author that she is a goddess. That's how the Queen thinks of her. That's how James thinks of her. It's kind of cheesy to have two different characters think the same thing (James might be lovestruck but a Queen would most likely not call a girl a goddess even if she knew her well).

Her main reason of existance is so that James can rescue her, even though he fails at that. So it would explain why she has no real personality or history to speak of.

WHO IS JAMES?

I found myself confused about who exactly James was. At first he was a victim, with a neglectful father and no real relationships to speak of his whole life, except for his aunt. But I never got to see his mistreatments as a child, so I was kind of taken aback at how out of proportion his reaction was to being slighted by Arthur in the beginning. I expected to learn more of his past and was disappointed not to.

Sometimes I think the author got that James might be slightly crazy (like when he bites arthur) but it was never really expanded upon. Why did he wish to plan the deaths of those who hurt him? Was he joking or serious? I didn't want to think he was serious, so he had to be mentally unstable. When he looked at the names on the bookshelf while being hit, I kept thinking that this was a coping mechanism that he must have always had, which meant he must have been abused before. But the author never reveals this.

For the most part this insane aspect of his personality was ignored, until it came out in full force when he fought Arthur. During this event, James comes off as sadistic and creepy. I might have not understood his motivations throughout the book but I always felt bad for him. But suddenly I didn't feel bad at all, I thought he was quite evil and Arthur was the one who was being abused far worse than he had ever abused James.

JAMES THE SADIST

There is bit about James telling Arthur to squeal like a pig that was extremly disturbing. I suddenly wondered who else James may have abused in his childhood. But the author is so oblivious he just kept pouring it on, as though the reader should have taken pleasure from the pain and humiliation that Arthur suffered. And that sadism was fine for James, so it should be fine for you too.

We all love seeing villains we hate receive their due, but the hero seldom enjoys having to kill the villain or hurt him. He just sees it as a necessary evil. And sometimes the villain is the one who ends up hurting or killing himself through his own anger and hatred.

THE SPIDER

James likes science and spends time in school laboratory. There he meets a spider who for some reason obeys him like a dog. And he later uses her spider web to make a vest that is nearly indestructable.

I think it was supposed to add some allure to his character but it didn't really make any sense to me. How on earth did he know how to make a vest, seeing as how he was brought up in wealth? It just felt like a clumsily put together concept designed to make James seem mysterious.

JAMES THE HERO-SPOILERS

In the last part of the book, James learns the truth, that the ship he is working on is picking up and delivering slaves from Africa (even though Slavery is banned in England). James is furious and seriously shaken to learn that his father is a slaver.

First of all, James shouldn't have been surprised, as far he knows, his dad could be the devil, because he never knew him. And he seemed to have little delusion that his father was moral. Perhaps it would have been surprising, but not earth shattering.

Even so, James seems to have no real moral convictions throughout the entire book, unless you count him being mad at Arthur for being rude to Aunt Emily. And that felt more like James being emotionally unstable than any real convictions.

He says “bad form” throughout the book but it has no real meaning, perhaps merely pertaining to appearing to have manners. After all, he thinks cheating is fine and even says so. And it's clear from the way he treats Arthur in the climax that he thinks he should do whatever he wants in retaliation if he feels abused.

JAMES' BELIEFS

Another confusing aspect is James' religious beliefs. He says in one breath that he believes Adam and Eve literally happened, but so did every other manner of mythology, including Greek myths. He doesn't seem to get the contradiction which is silly, seeing how he he lives in a culturally christian society.

And when the captain on his ship starts spouting scripture to justify slavery (never mind that it's illegal in his country of origin) James vows that no man should ever justify evil in the name of religion. This comes so out of the blue and feels so unlike James. He is not self righteous, certainly not in a religious sense.

SETTING UP NEVERLAND

There is no real explanation in how James discovers a magical island in the future, he just dreams about it a few times in the book. I kinda get that he felt victimized and wanted a place of all his own, so perhaps he could make up a place. Maybe coming from his mental instability (but that's never expounded upon, remember?).

So instead we are led to believe him wanting a magical place will lead him one day to finding not just any island, but the specific one he made up. So him and Ananova could live happily ever after or something.

It's vague and feels like it was thrown in last minute, as if the author forgot that this James should have a connection to neverland. So he went back in and inserted a few lines about daydreams that occurred.

CLIMAX

James ends up facing a new enemy at sea and becomse a hero and a captain. The story ends with hints that someday he will find a magical island. But no real idea how.

CONCLUSION

The story of James before he became a captain could be interesting. Unfortunately the author doesn't seem to know who James really is and never goes into his past. We only get a two dimensional view, and the same goes for his love interest, Ananova.

They have no real relationship, but fall in love in a matter of seconds. Nor does James have any real relationship with his only friend, Roger.

The story seems to meander around, not knowing where its going and events sometimes feel disconnected. Not that it's boring, it's not. I just kept waiting for pieces to come together, and they never did.

I give “Capt. Hook” one and half stars.

Book Review: "The Chosen Prince" by Diane Stanley

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Alexos is first in line for the throne, but when an incident leads to disappointing his father, he does the unthinkable. Years later he has kept it a secret and attempts to fill the shoes of his father. With the help of his friends, he hopes to defeat an invading King.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Alexos is rather unsure of himself and wants more than anything to please his father. Although he also longs to fit in with other boys. He loves his little brother dearly.

Teo is spoiled and has lived a life unlike his older brother. But he is rather sweet and adores Alexos.

Leander is a fellow student of Alexos who is rather outgoing and confident.

Aria is a young girl who is in the second half of the story. She is close to Teo.

Peles is a country boy that ends up competing in the same race as Alexos.

PACING

The pacing is slower for the most part. Although there was one scene that was quite fast paced, where Peles has to help Alexos escape while an invasion is going on. Unfortunately, portions of the book are slowed down by long bouts of exposition by Alexos, Teo and even Aria.

STRUCTURE

The story takes place in two parts, when Alexos is younger and still a prince and when he is older. There is a seven year gap, perhaps to imply that both brothers grew up apart from each other. I am not sure why it was necessary.

ALEXOS AND HIS FATHER-SPOILERS

Alexos struggles to please his father in the beginning of the book. He has a hard time standing up for himself. But they barely have any scenes together. We get one more scene with the two of them in the second part of the story, when Alexos is much older and more confident in himself.

But their relationship seems to have been transformed from bad to worse. And we didn't get to see it gradually transform. Instead it came as a complete surprise to me when Alexos was sarcastic and bold. I wondered where this came from.

But then his father is killed, and we get told about it. Alexos reaction is surprising, he starts sobbing for the man he never knew and the relationship he never got to repair. But I never felt he attempted to repair the relationship so the loss felt hollow to me.

ALL GROWN UP?

After healing Alexos suddenly shows wisdom and maturity when he meets a woman who disrespects him. But this feels unearned. When did he gain this wisdom and from who did he gain it from? It's as though he aged five years instead of a few months.

ALEXO'S FRIENDS

After Teo's disappearance, Alexos has to gradually heal and work to make himself stronger. I assumed that he became friends with the boys during this time as we got a quick scene showing them together, explaining they wanted to help.

So when they go off to find Peles, suddenly they are all the best of friends. I wish I had got to see it develop. Although only Leander is given any real attention. And I still knew nothing about him except for what I was told by Alexos, that he was likable and easygoing. There is one or two scenes where they are sarcastic to each other but it feels forced.

Also, when Alexos sees his father he says he has friends, and his father is surprised. But we never got to see these friendships form, so it all falls flat.

SINS OF THE PAST

While traveling to see Peles, Leander and Alexos discuss the past. Alexos said he was upset at being mistreated and Leander apoligizes. The problem with this bit of exposition as that the reader never got to see any of this mistreatment and has to imagine this relationship is evolving into something new. When they never got to see what it was before.

PELES AND EQUALITY

After Alexos' teacher tells him about povery, he decides to visit Peles once he is healed. And once he finds Peles he convinces his father to let him leave the army. I guess he realizes his father's injustices and thinks he is doing a good deed.

Anyway, when they tell Peles this both him and Leander give him a talk about equality which I found kind of out of the blue. As it had no place in Alexos' world as far as I could see. I think the idea was to show he could be better than his father.

Also, Alexos praises Peles but he barely knows him. Yes, he knows he used the praise money for roads, but it's all very surface level stuff. And saying he has a “good heart” seems strange and unearned.

VISIONS OF TEO-SPOILERS

Alexos gets visions of his brother, who he believes to be in the afterlife. Maybe this was supposed to add suspense but it seemed obvious that Teo wasn't really dead. But Alexos thinks it's the goddess Athene being kind showing him this. Even though he basically murdered his brother. But this is supposed to help heal him of his guilt.

THE GODDESS INTERVENES-SPOILERS

A big problem in the story is that the goddess Athene steps in twice to move the plot along. She does the work the characters don't have to, which unfortunately just makes them look weak and pointless.

The first time is when Aria is found in the King's camp and a vision magically appears, revealing the King is a liar and a murderer. So all of his men turn on him and eventually execute him.

Another time is when Aria won't forgive Alexos for what he did to Teo. You can't really blame her. Luckily the goddess steps in again and shows her a vision of Alexo's entire life and throws in some other revelations as well. So Aria doesn't have to learn to forgive and trust Alexos which would actually take some character development. But she does get to give Alexos a message.

NOT HIS FAULT-SPOILERS

So it turns out that the terrible thing that Alexos did to Teo...wasn't Alexos at all. It was Athene, who controlled him and made him do it. After all, Alexos did explain to his teacher that he didn't know why he did what he did. He had no explanation for his own actions.

Now, that might sound awful and horrible as it caused Alexos a lifetime of regret and self-hatred, but she was just being merciful. Aria explains it was all about love and forgiveness and it definitely wasn't abusive and controlling. So Alexos feels all better.

CLAUDIO'S STORY

The man who raised Aria and Teo was brother to King Pyrato's father. But he had to run away with his daughter and ended up on an island. Turns out the goddess was using him too. I feel this was kind of forced in at the second half of the story and no real effort was made to make the pieces fit together.

FORGIVING ALEXOS

Teo has to forgive Alexos so he does so...in a long, drawn out scene of exposition similar to the one Aria later gives. But why couldn't Teo just forgive him for a real sin? Why couldn't he struggle with this forgiveness? Everything seems swept aside by the goddess to the point where the characters feel like puppets in their own story.

ARIA & ALEXOS

Aria sees Alexos and immediately falls in love with him. It feels forced and the many flowery, romantic descriptions of her emotions don't help.

CLIMAX

Alexos and his friends end up on a strange island where they meet a girl. There Alexos learns the truth about his brother but unfortunately stands by for the majority of the climax. We learn the truth about King Pyratos, our supposed villain.

CONCLUSION

The story isn't a bad idea, it's just full of flaws.

Alexos never has a real character arc that the reader sees, instead we jump from one Alexos to the next, where he is suddenly calm, wise and composed with a stranger and then bold and sarcastic with his father.

The relationships are weak as well. Teo and Alexos barely get any time together so it's hard to feel invested in their relationship. Aria meets Alexos and falls in love in a matter of minutes. We never see the hardships between Leander and Alexos, so when they discuss their past I was left wondering why I didn't get to see this relationship when it happened.

But the biggest problem is the deus ex machina element. The goddess steps in mulitiple times to solve the characters' problems, not just once, but twice. This makes them look useless as well as making it so no characters have to develop.

Alexos doesn't have to face the fact he hurt his brother, because he never did, it was the Goddess. Aria doesn't have to trust and forgive Alexos, because the Goddess steps in and explains that the prince is just a victim. And Teo doesn't have to let go of his hatred at a past sin, because the sin never occurred.

I give “The Chosen King” one and half stars.

Book Review: "Silver Boy" by N.M. Browne

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Tommo escapes his life as a slave and meets Akenna, a young woman with her own problems. They end up together trying to escape trouble.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Tommo is resigned to the fact that he is going to die from his disease. He has no family ties and only wants to be free.

Akenna is a young girl who is rather rough around the edges. She is used to being independent and is skilled when it comes to catching and deboning fish. She can lose her temper quite often.

Fallon is the Protector of the land, which is basically like a king (and the villain). He fears those with special gifts called Inward Power. The only one he loves is Vevena.

Kalen is the chief spellstone wielder for Fallen. But he is rather weak willed and fearful. He spends some of his time with Vevena.

Haversnatcher is the father of Vevena. When he was younger he used to hunt down those with inward power.

Vevena is a young woman married to Fallon against her will. She has a spell on her that causes her to have little control over her own thoughts.

PACING

The story starts with Tommo on the run, which is great. But we get some explanation about priests and such, that kinda slows things down. We meet Akenna quite fast, so that's good as well. Then Tommo recalls something from his past, revealing how difficult it was to be a spellgrinder.

Basically information is peppered throughout, but I was never dying to know more. Perhaps because Tommo himself had no real relationship with anyone before Akenna. So the story doesn't usually feel fast, even if there is action in it.

TOMMO'S DECEPTION

Since Tommo worked with spellstones (which allow people to cast their own spells) Akenna assumes that he can use what's called Thaumaturgy. He never corrects her, because he has to rely on her for food and a ride. Akenna is annoyed when she finds out the truth but it didn't feel very important. I kind of expected it to snowball and all come to a head.

TOMMO'S GIFTS

Tommo isn't aware of any gifts if he has any. But he does find a dead dolphin who speaks to him and says only he can free the dolphn. Also, later he turns invisible. But he seems to have no real control over these gifts and they are kind of confusing. I feel like the only reason they are there is to make the reader think that Tommo is the real threat, when it turns out to be someone else.

THE WORLD

In this story the world has something called Thaumaturgy and Inward Power. The first is more common and less powerful and the second is more dangerous.

They worship a goddess called Urtha who had priestesses who claimed inward power was good and not to be condemned. I admit, most of this went over my head, as I had no idea what this had to do with Tommo. He does go to her temple to claim sanctuary, but it still seems to have nothing to do with him.

There is a mention about equilibrium of thaumaturgy but I found it quite confusing.

We get other hints of history, like the Blue pox, which killed all the priests, as well as someone called Gildea.

I don't know quite why I found it all vague. Perhaps because a lot of information was given at once, or if it was given it was such a small hint that I didn't even notice, like the birds with faces. The first time they were noted, I didn't think they important. And when they mentioned one protecting Akenna, I still had no idea why. I think the fact that Fallon hated birds went completely past me.

THE PRISONER-SPOILERS

An old powerful man named Gildea was once kept in Fallon's prison. He introduced thaumaturgy to the Island. He also said that spellstones were living beings and not to be ground and used casually. Although he died Fallon still feels like he is threat.

PERSPECTIVES

We first meet Tommo, and get the story from his perspective. Then we meet Fallon and see some of his story. Eventually Vevena and Haversnatcher, and Akenna.

I expected to get to know both Vevena and Haversnatcher better then I did. And I thought it was odd that the villain had his own stories. I didn't really feel like there was much too him, certainly not enough to get into his head.

I found Vevena mainly played the part of victim with not much else to her character. And I never really got to know Haversnatcher. I felt like I was meeting these characters long after I should have. Like they had a story before this one with a firm relationship that had been shattered. Since her and her father were never really together, I just had to take their word that they cared deeply for each other.

Not that they are not important to the plot, it's Vevena who finds out that Gildea isn't even dead. Although he supposedly dies anyway. And Haversnatcher is the one who has to hunt down Sibeal.

OUR VILLAIN

Fallon came across as two dimensional for someone whose head the reader gets into. He loves Vevena, I guess because she is pretty. But he also married her so her father could do as he wills.

He put a spell on Vevena so she can't control her thoughts completely and he has zero chance to win her over. He doesn't even try (then again he is described as being ugly so maybe he knows he hasn't a chance).

And yet Vevena notes he has never laid a finger on her, so he does respect her in some sense. Perhaps realizing he has turned her into a childlike doll. Although this is never expressed.

SIBEAL

I suppose Sibeal is a type of mentor character, although she barely spends any time with Akenna and Tommo. She was important because of the necklace she gave Akenna, and the fact that she is really the only person that Akenna knows of to run to when in trouble.

HEALING VEVENA

When Tommo finally meets Vevena he tells her to take off all of her jewelry. Turns out that they were what was keeping her enchanted. I thought it was strange that Vevena had never taken all of her jewelry off. It might have kept her from knowing, but how would Tommo merely telling her to do something make her do it? I don't think the spell made her obedient, just stupid. Perhaps Tommo should have been the one to remove the jewelry, making it clear that Vevena had not power to do so herself.

AKENNA & TOMMO

I thought the two of them played well off of each other. Tommo is quite willing to give up many times, and you can't really blame him. And yet Akenna is so stubborn that she just won't let him do it.

What starts out as a relationship of convenience (Akenna gives him food and a ride but expects payment) gradually turns into a friendship. It becomes clear that Akenna needs someone to care for and that Tommo needs to be cared for.

Both characters are victims, Tommo from his slavery and Akenna from her abusive father. And yet for the most part, they don't bring it up. Neither deny their abuse, but they don't whine about it and make it their whole lives. Although Akenna does get revenge on her father.

THE BIRDS-SPOILERS

All throughout the story there are these strange birds with human heads on them. They are not just creepy but mysterious. At first Tommo assumes people made them with spellstones but later they keep showing up. Once they even defend Akenna, like they know her.

I didnt think much of them, I admit. And when they turned out to be crucial to the climax, I shouldn't have been surprised.

After all, Vevena notes that Fallon hates birds and is always killing them. She just doesn't know why. And later Haversnatcher sees a bird with the face of Gildea on it.

THE TRUTH ABOUT AKENNA-SPOILERS

Turns out that it's Akenna who has inward power. There are hints, like the fact that while she was rejected by Sibeal, she was given a necklace for some unknown reason. Also she says spellstones feel wrong and Tommo agrees but notes that none of the other spell grinders seemed to notice.

THE TRUTH ABOUT KALEN-SPOILERS

Turns out that Kalen is Tommo's father. He thought his son was dead. The thing was, I didn't really expect Tommo to find his father, because there weren't any hints about it. We just learn that he is.

AKENNA'S DECEPTION-SPOILERS

When Akenna disappears, she later shows up with her father. She says she never liked Akenna and it was all a lie. Tommo believes her and feels miserable. But I didn't really buy it, as it was obvious that her father was abusive. Why would she side with him over Tommo, who has done nothing bad to her? I kind of wish I had hesitated, and really wondered if it had all been an act.

CLIMAX

All of the main characters end up together. The birds with faces are brought together along with the last part, an eagle. The birds have to pick a body for Gildea, the savior, to return to. Eventually it chooses a body but everyone is confused at the outcome. Tommo is healed from his affliction.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL

I was kind of disappointed that Tommo was unconscious at the climax. He gets carried around and finally is healed near the end.

EPILOGUE-SPOILERS

We learn that Akenna and Tommo are married, which is sweet, but I don't think it was completely obvious that they had romantic feelings. They were just so alone and needed a friend.

CONCLUSION

Both Akenna and Tommo are likable characters who, while both being victims, don't act like the world revolves around them. They compliment each other nicely and both rely on each other and this reliance develops into a friendship.

But I didn't really care much about the other characters, Vevena and Haversnatcher. And Fallon was rather a dull villain who seemed to love Vevena just because she was pretty.

The world itself had potentional and I do feel like effort was made. But it just never went deep enough. I would learn something about it, and instead of jumping out at me, I kinda just skimmed past it, not seeing the relevance to what was currently happening.

Certain aspects of the plot didn't fell well put together, like Tommo's father being alive. Or the idea of the birds being so important.

I give “Silver Boy” two and half stars.